{"id":10329,"date":"2021-01-25T09:40:12","date_gmt":"2021-01-25T14:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-clarivate-innovative.pantheonsite.io\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=10329"},"modified":"2021-01-25T09:47:38","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T14:47:38","slug":"diy-professional-development","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY Professional Development"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>A Guest Blog Post by Mary Kelly\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I am always looking for ways to improve my job performance.\u00a0 Yeah, I know I need to be better organized and perhaps not have an anxiety attack every time\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">something weirds me out. I also have trouble with details if I am interrupted from a task. (I have more faults I can list, but I don\u2019t want to brag.) This is true for nearly every working person in the world. We all have faults.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">These are things all of us, as working people, will try to improve. These are work habits.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Professional development is more a big picture view of your job and its place in the profession. Job performance is about managing your personal knowledge and skills.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If we have learned anything during this pandemic, it is you need to be ready for anything. The more you keep developing and learning,\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">this increasing knowledge forces you to consider alternative ideas and adapt to a changing environment. The more aggressive you are in developing your own skill set, the more\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">adaptable and valuable you become to your organization.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Everyone\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">needs to<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0make a\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">conscious choice in\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">professional<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0development. Opportunities are everywhere<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0but too often we see\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">employees avoiding or complaining about \u201cextra work.\u201d<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Many managers I know (and not just in libraries) are distressed when staff members <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">lack the\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">interest to improve their own skill set.\u00a0 Conversely, managers, too, have a responsibility to provide opportunities, and most importantly, schedule time for employees to learn new skills.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0In addition, managers need to find ways to help employees put those skills to work for the organization.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Chances are that a perfect blend of scheduling, training budgets, and managerial support will not exist.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In the time of COVID, this will probably be even more difficult. Strained budgets and staffing\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">are\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">going to make this even more challenging. Even in non COVID times,\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the reality is that\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">no one is going to support your professional development but you.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">So how do you stay current, enthusiastic and pointed in the right direction?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"7\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Get a\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">library\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">buddy or two<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and meet frequently to just chat.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I know the pandemic does make this more difficult, but\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">still try to connect.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The best is to get someone, maybe you met at a conference<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0or from library school. Try to avoid someone in your own organization for this purpose. Make it mostly social. Think of this as your support group.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Make sure everyone agrees<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0to a\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">cone\u00a0of silence<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201d, meaning\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">that what is discussed is kept confidential. I have done this for\u00a0years, and<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0have appreciated when my band of fellow librarians act as a sounding board, or give me a reality check when needed.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"7\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A group of library directors I know have a regular book club featuring leadership and managerial titles for discussion. This is especially helpful since directors don\u2019t often get a\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">chance to discuss management issues with peers.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">They kept the group small on purpose and had a similar confidentiality agreement in place. I have seen similar types of discussion groups in non-library organizations as well.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This type of book club is a great way to learn in a supportive manner.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"7\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Stick to reasonable goals<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Maybe you want\u00a0learn\u00a0to use pivot tables or\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">take a deep dive into some of the database products your library offers<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Commit to regular, but small, bits of time. Fifteen minutes a day is often more productive than many hours all at once.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"7\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">U<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">nderstand yourself as a learner.\u00a0 I need to practice multiple times every day until I \u201cget it.\u201d\u00a0 I know others that make a training sheet to teach others after they have learned something. They do this to make sure that they really understand what they are doing.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Remember, you work in a library, perhaps you can find something that would help you there.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mary Kelly received an MLIS and an MBA from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Mary\u2019s day job is Digital Services and Emerging Technologies Librarian at the Plymouth District Library in Plymouth, Michigan where they use Innovative SkyRiver. When not serving her customers at the reference desk, she is often seen trying to wrestle e-books and the Internet into submission. She is passionate about collection quality, library managem<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Guest blogger Mary Kelly shares her approach for developing her own skill set as a librarian. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":10358,"template":"","categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10329","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>DIY Professional Development - Innovative Interfaces Inc.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DIY Professional Development - Innovative Interfaces Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Guest blogger Mary Kelly shares her approach for developing her own skill set as a librarian.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Innovative Interfaces Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-01-25T14:47:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Professional-Development-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/\",\"name\":\"DIY Professional Development - Innovative Interfaces Inc.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/iii.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Professional-Development-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-25T14:40:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-01-25T14:47:38+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Professional-Development-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Professional-Development-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Concept of Skill, learning and development.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/iii.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"DIY Professional Development\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/iii.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/iii.com\/\",\"name\":\"Innovative Interfaces Inc.\",\"description\":\"We help libraries innovate and thrive.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/iii.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/iii.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/iii.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Innovative\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/iii.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/iii.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/innovative-clarivate-web.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/innovative-clarivate-web.svg\",\"width\":\"1024\",\"height\":\"1024\",\"caption\":\"Innovative\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/iii.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"DIY Professional Development - Innovative Interfaces Inc.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"DIY Professional Development - Innovative Interfaces Inc.","og_description":"Guest blogger Mary Kelly shares her approach for developing her own skill set as a librarian.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/","og_site_name":"Innovative Interfaces Inc.","article_modified_time":"2021-01-25T14:47:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Professional-Development-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/","url":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/","name":"DIY Professional Development - Innovative Interfaces Inc.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/iii.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Professional-Development-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2021-01-25T14:40:12+00:00","dateModified":"2021-01-25T14:47:38+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Professional-Development-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Professional-Development-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"Concept of Skill, learning and development."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/diy-professional-development\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/iii.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"DIY Professional Development"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/iii.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/iii.com\/","name":"Innovative Interfaces Inc.","description":"We help libraries innovate and thrive.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/iii.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/iii.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/iii.com\/#organization","name":"Innovative","url":"https:\/\/iii.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/iii.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/innovative-clarivate-web.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/innovative-clarivate-web.svg","width":"1024","height":"1024","caption":"Innovative"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/iii.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/10329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}