SUMMER TIME - AND THE LEARNING IS EASY: Making The Most of This Summer's Educational Programming! (06/06)
By Michael Saint-Onge
The summer months are filled with the wonderful chances to learn: both SLA and the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) hold their annual meetings in the summer.
Here are some ways to capitalize on the educational opportunities that these meetings afford:
- BREAK OUT OF YOUR SHELL
The best advice anyone has ever given me regarding the annual meeting was about getting out of my comfort zone. We don’t like it, I know, and yet it’s a great opportunity to meet new people and learn new things. Instead of looking for co-workers or friends at social or educational events, seek out people you *don’t* know. And then introduce yourself! (Some of my favorite people in the world I’ve met by randomly sitting at a table filled with strangers!) Besides, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to talk with your co-workers when you get back home.
For some tips on shaking your shyness, check out: http://www.shakeyourshyness.com/businessshyness.htm)
- ACT LIKE A SPONGE
These meetings allow you to broaden your perspective. While you should definitely attend those sessions that are directly related to your current job (especially if your employer is paying your way…), don’t limit it to just those programs. Mix it up. You private law librarians will find many academic programs of interest, and you academics would undoubtedly find some of the private or state, court, or county offerings of interest as well. See how the other folks do it. We do ourselves a great disservice when we don’t think outside our library-type when we’re looking for educational programs.
While you’re at it, don’t forget to seek out programs addressing broader issues that are relevant to your profession. You are more than your current job, and I’d like to think we’re all concerned about privacy, literacy, educating users, etc., even if none of these topics are directly related to what you do right now for a living.
Lastly, I always like to attend at least one session on something I know absolutely nothing about (and, unfortunately, that’s often easy for me to locate just such a topic, especially as our profession gets more specialized!) It’s all about expanding your personal horizons.
Check out the SLA Programs here.
And the AALL Programs here.
- TAKE THE QUIZ
AALL publishes the Personal Learning Inventory in the final Annual Meeting program. It’s a great checklist that can help you develop your own personal education plan. Check it out. See how many items you can check off by the end of the meeting, and then use that as your set point for next year’s meeting!
- STEP FORWARD
There are lots of ways to expand your education at these annual meetings, and one of the best ways is to volunteer. (Several librarians I know have even leveraged their involvement in the annual meeting to get their firms to pay for their attendance. Nice job!) The best part about it? There are so many opportunities that it is possible to choose one that matches the amount of time you have to devote to it! From the local arrangements desk, to the Annual Meeting newspaper, to putting together a program proposal for next year -- there are lots of ways to get involved.
- WORK THE HALL
Don’t forget the wonderful opportunity the exhibit hall provides: you get to see new things coming down the pike, ask questions, provide feedback – often to the very people who are responsible for the product. Yes, the give-aways are nice, but I like learning about the new products, so I always try to find the stations or booths that are not mobbed. It gives me a chance to ask questions and interact on a more personal basis. Be sure to pick up the literature, and feel free to contact your local representative when you get back if you want to know more about the product or want to try it out.
Click here for a list of vendors at SLA.
Click here for a list of vendors at AALL.
ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES:
If Baltimore or St. Louis aren’t in the cards this year, or if you are looking for additional training there are still things you can do to educate yourself.
- WE’LL BRING IT TO YOU!
The LexisNexis Librarian Relations Group holds sessions across the country for those individuals that didn’t have the chance to attend the conferences. Contact your local LRC to see when this is scheduled in your area. If there isn’t a live session scheduled, we would be more than happy to conduct one telephonically.
Even if you did get a chance to attend the annual meetings, these sessions are helpful – it’s sometimes difficult to see a product in-depth and ask questions when you’re surrounded by other librarians that just want their card stamped to move on to the next station!
- BRING IT HOME YOURSELF!
AALL offers tapes and handout materials for sale on aallnet. (http://www.aallnet.org/products/products_educational.asp) This is also good for previous years as well. Many local AALL chapters purchase the tapes and share them among the members, or you might check with some of the academic institutions to see if they purchased the set. You can turn that commute to work on the train into a learning opportunity!
- LIFE-LONG LEARNING
Whether you’re able to attend an annual meeting or not, as librarians we should strive for life-long learning. It’s only by changing and adapting to our environment that we’ll be able to survive as a profession, and educating ourselves is the best means of staying ahead of the curve. Here at LexisNexis, we’re committed to helping you do just that! Enjoy!
