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InfoPro Home > Professional Development > Monthly Column
The Dog Days of Summer – Finding Refreshment
By
Leanne Battle,
Sr. Librarian Relations Consultant
LexisNexis Librarian Relations Group
So, it’s July. Your summer associates are settled in and you may not even have your list of Fall associates yet. It’s oh so hot and muggy here in the mid-Atlantic and I’m hoping to find some refreshment. I’m looking for something exciting and new to rouse me out of this dog day lull. Lemonade? Nah. Ice cream? Could be. A little professional development, with a twist, to perk up the hazy days? Absolutely!
Likely many of you attended the SLA annual meeting last month and I hope to see many of you at the AALL annual meeting this month. These meetings, and the organizations as a whole, have lots of great resources to offer someone in search of professional development and I encourage you to take advantage of them. Have you ever looked beyond our core organizations to see what else might be available to you? Our jobs as information professionals are so diverse that we can look to lots of organizations for support and new ideas! Here are a few:
Interested in building or maintaining or just learning about a database of images? Check out the Art Libraries Society of North America. You can bet they know a thing or two about working with digital images. Their online publications even include a checklist of Digital Image Database Standards. Other good resources are provided by the guides and tools in the Research Libraries Group projects section.
Wish you could find a better way to keep statistics and measure your library’s value to your organization? The Association of Research Libraries Statistics and Measurement Program might have just the thing for you. While this program is geared toward academic libraries, I think those of you in other settings will find that you can adapt the ideas offered here.
Are you one of the many librarians who has recently been tasked with records management? See what ARMA International can do for you. They offer online courses and web seminars to help you get up to speed on records management issues and requirements as well as a records management certification program.
Feeling a little behind the technology curve? The Library and Information Technology Association, a division of the American Library Association, is the place for you. This organization offers information on technology trends and expert web searching. LITA organizes regional institutes and national meetings that cover topics like wireless networks and user-centered design.
If you’re not already monitoring the Association of Legal Administrators site it’s something you should consider. You can be sure that your office administrator is! This site includes a terrific Legal Management Resource Center which includes articles, white papers and links to management, law, training and technology sites among others.
Thinking of starting your own information business? You’ll want to consult the Association of Independent Information Professionals before you make that leap. This organization offers tips for getting started, a list of possible courses to take, a mentoring program and a searchable membership directory.
What exactly is the difference between doing research and gathering intelligence? Ask the folks at SCIP, the Society for Competitive Intelligence Professionals. They provide a very helpful document, written by one of their members, called “Intelligence Essentials for Everyone.” The society also offers CI 101 and CI 102 workshops as well as a variety of local chapter events.
Are you ready to start a marketing program for your library? The American Marketing Association web site has a Best Practices section that can help you do just that. The articles on this site will explain the difference between marketing and public relations; tell you how to gauge your ROI; help you communicate effectively with your customers to be sure you’re reaching your target audience.
So shake off those hazy dog days of summer blues and refresh your professional development with something new! And while you’re at it throw in a little ice cream. After all, July is National Ice Cream month. How do I know? I checked the International Dairy Foods Association ice cream page!
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