In 1988, a retired minister named Robert Fulghum became a minor celebrity of sorts when his book of essays, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, made the New York Times best-seller list (where it stayed for nearly two years). Now, Laura Woods is bidding to follow in Fulghum's footsteps by writing an article for Information Outlook titled "All I Really Need to Know about Being a Librarian I Learned in Library School."
Actually, Laura's already a celebrity within the library world, having received an Early Career Conference Award in 2009 and having been elected to the board of directors of SLA Europe for 2010. But she'll be the first to admit that she still has much to learn about her new profession--and that much of what she's learning is coming from her professional network, including her fellow "young" librarians.
Laura's article, in the July/August issue of Information Outlook, is the first in what I hope will be a series of pieces written by librarians--young and not-so-young alike--who are new to the field. The articles will appear in a column titled "First Read," and they'll offer insights and ideas from the men and women who will shape our profession in the years to come.
Be sure to give Laura's article (its real title is "Networking Groups for New Professionals") a look. And if you're new to the library field and would like to share your thoughts about the profession by writing a "First Read" column, please contact me at shales@sla.org.
Comments