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Introduction
Welcome back to Season Three of Linking Our Libraries! We are Central Minnesota Libraries Exchange, and we are here to share information with all types of libraries, archives, and other nonprofits working to build their skills. This season, we are working on building a toolbox of leadership skills and ideas. By the end of this season, you will have fifteen specific skills that will make you a stronger leader and manager in your organization.
This week we are looking at strategies for networking.
Joining us is Guest Host Maria Burnham, from Sauk Rapids- Rice High School.
The Basics
Building your professional network is always going to be helpful to you – and to them. Networking does not mean going to high-energy parties and shaking lots of hands. Okay, it CAN mean that; but it usually involves just making connections with people. Remember when we talked about advocacy last week? It was all about making connections. Networking is that same thing – but you think about connecting with people across your profession, instead of stakeholders. They are the ones who can help you with questions about your daily work, can point you toward solutions to problems, and who will celebrate with you when things are great. You will do the same for them.
We have talked in prior weeks about libraries having a lot of introverts – and many of us struggle to reach out and make connections with people we do not know. But that is exactly the reason networking works: a lot of us are uncertain about our next steps, and not always sure who to talk with about library situations. Who knows better that your colleagues how hard you are working? What a hassle it is to deal with an annoying patron? How fantastic it was to have that one great thing happen today?
As library people, we truly are stronger and better when we work together. Whether you are at a conference, new in a school, alone in your library, or just looking to build up a network of people who do what you do at work – networking can make you stronger. Your contributions back to the network will make them stronger too.
Here are a few general tips to make networking easier:
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- Introduce yourself. When you meet new people, be first to shake hands and say hello. Are you feeling weird and awkward? So are they. It’s okay to be the one who breaks the ice.
- Plan ahead. Have a few standard questions you ask, to help conversations get started. Asking people about their job is fine, but you may make faster connections by asking specific questions such as how they handed a challenging patron, or if they are using social media at work, or how they get glitter up off the carpet. Everyone is good at something, and asking questions to find out about people’s skills will help a conversation – and help build a network.
- Practice listening. This is not a skill many people really excel at; so people who are good listeners are always welcome in a conversation. This is particularly important when you are trying to build a network by asking people what they need. Listen, nod, ask short questions, take notes – whatever it takes to help move that conversation forward.
- Set some goals. If you are at a conference, decide you will talk with at least five new people. If you are working to network in your organization, decide you will connect with at least one person each day – emailing an article, asking a question, or talking about movies at the water cooler.
- Manage your own expectations. You do not have to meet everyone. You do not have to become a social extravert if that is not your own style. Just keep building up your network of people who are interesting, and who can answer questions for you. Not every network contact will work out, and that’s fine.
- Share information. When you know someone in your network would like an article, is waiting on a book, or loves to quilt – you will be a help to them if you share the things you find that will be interesting or useful to them. It’s an easy way to contribute to your web of contacts; and they will be inspired to share with you in return.
- Follow up. Once you have met a new person, keep up the relationship. You do not need to be best friends; but you want to keep in touch. Look through your contact list and if it has been a while since you talked with someone there, send a quick email or text just to see how they are doing. People appreciate these gestures, and your network grows stronger.
So, now we have some ideas about the theories of networking. Let’s chat with someone who knows about it in practice!
Guest Hosts
- As a school librarian, what kinds of networking do you do?
- You are involved in professional groups; has that networking been helpful?
- What are your best tips for someone who wants to know more about networking?
Books Read
Everyone share a book you are reading, or one that you like
The Summer Prince, by Alaya Dawn Johnson
“The lush city of Palmares Tres shimmers with tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters and practiced politicians. In the midst of this vibrant metropolis, June Costa creates art that’s sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of fame become something more when she meets Enki, the bold new Summer King. The whole city falls in love with him (including June’s best friend, Gil). But June sees more to Enki than amber eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a fellow artist.
Together, June and Enki will stage explosive, dramatic projects that Palmares Tres will never forget. They will add fuel to a growing rebellion against the government’s strict limits on new tech. And June will fall deeply, unfortunately in love with Enki. Because like all Summer Kings before him, Enki is destined to die.”
Ginny Moon, by Benjamin Ludwig
“Ginny Moon is exceptional. Everyone knows it—her friends at school, teammates on the basketball team, and especially her new adoptive parents. They all love her, even if they don’t quite understand her. They want her to feel like she belongs.
What they don’t know is that Ginny has no intention of belonging. She’s found her birth-mother on Facebook, and is determined to get back to her—even if it means going back to a place that was extremely dangerous. Because Ginny left something behind and she’s desperate to get it back, to make things right.
But no one listens. No one understands. So Ginny takes matters into her own hands…”
The Pope of Palm Beach, by Tm Dorsey
“No one worships the Sunshine State as much as Serge A. Storms. Perpetually hunting Floridian arcana and lore, he and his permanently baked sidekick, Coleman, are on the road again. This time they’re on a frenzied literary pilgrimage that leads them back to Riviera Beach, the cozy seaside town where the boys spent their formative years.
Growing up, Serge was enthralled by the Legend of Riviera Beach, aka Darby, a welder at the port who surfed the local waves long before the hot spots were hot. A god on the water, the big-hearted surfer was a friend to everyone—the younger surfers, cops, politicians, wealthy businessmen and ordinary Joes—a generosity of spirit that earned him the admiration of all. Meanwhile, there was a much murkier legend that made the rounds of the schoolyards from Serge’s youth—that of the crazy hermit living in a makeshift jungle compound farther up the mysterious Loxahatchee River than anyone dared to venture.
Then Serge moved away. But never forgot.
Now he’s back, with those legends looming larger than ever in the rearview mirror of his memory. As his literary odyssey moves north from Key West, closer and closer to his old stomping grounds, Serge digs into the past as only Serge can. Along the way, he unintentionally disturbs some long-forgotten ground, attracting the attention of a cast of villains that only Florida can produce.
As the body count grows, so does the list of questions:
Why are the guys in the hard hats worried about the monkeys? When do you hack a motel air-conditioner? How does Coleman get high with cat toys? Who is expecting the dildo? And will book tours ever be the same after Serge decides to check one out?
Told in alternating flashbacks between Serge and Coleman’s childhoods and the present day, The Pope of Palm Beach is a witty and deliciously violent delight from the twisted imagination of Tim Dorsey.”
Conclusion
This was a quick overview of networking. Remember that it is all about building relationships and keeping up your network. You help people, they help you; and together we all make libraries stronger.
Thanks to our Guest Host Maria! And check back in with us next week to discuss our next topic: Teamwork.