Job and character

This article is one of the better ones I have read recently about working in today's society. The working world is not always an easy place, we are often called to move outside of our comfort zones to work on projects or teams for which we have had little practice. Instead of getting stressed and frustrated it is sometimes better to step back and see what God and Life are trying to teach you. Every new experience adds something useful to your outlook on life, and sometimes provides new listings for your resume.

Most of the students who interview at work have had little to no prior experience working in a library. To me that isn't as much of a problem as the student's attitude in the interview. It takes a special person to thrive in a library environment. Some of my best workers are students who had no experience, but were very hard workers. Attitude is at least 60% of the battle when working with new or learning students. (The other highest characteristic is someone who can think in an organized and structured way.)

For more job related tips check out this article from Relevant Magazine. http://ow.ly/1SZLO

Conferences are great, but boy do they make me tired

I am currently attending Computers in Libraries in Arlington, VA (#cil2010). I think that it is one of my favorite conferences. There are some definite perks to this conference...1.) The food, free breakfast and 2 receptions, 2.) The technologies are library related, 3.) The topics discussed are current and most are free and instantly usable.

I could go on, but with just those few considerations I have already exceeded the benefits of most of the other conferences I have attended. The only problem with conferences such as these is that there is so much information to absorb and work through. One of the other problems is trying to determine what options from these workshops are actually something that is doable at your particular university.

More to come later as I clean up my notes.