I created this blog when I started library school, back before kids and cross-country moves and New York commutes. I was prompted to do so as a requirement for one of my orientation classes at Syracuse (go Orange!), but more than homework it felt like an opportunity to reconnect with writing, something I’d done precious little of in the previous decade. Well, that didn’t work out so well. A full time job, plus school, plus the aforementioned (lovely, perfect, blameless) kids, all jumbled together in one life, leaves little time for hobbies. It also reduces the ability to find time to stop the world for an hour or two and just think, which is, in my case at least, a prerequisite for putting ideas to paper. I also was unsure about what I would write about as a newly-minted librarianship student. I followed the class exercises (that helped), and then fell back into silence.
Three years later, when I finished my degree, I thought that would give me the time I needed, but I still lacked focus. I found one of those 23 things programs and briefly followed that, but then it was time to find a job and move and I lost the thread again. I did some personal writing, and created some posts for my brother’s site for fun, but mostly I focused on work and family. I (mistakenly) figured the inspiration would come sooner or later.
Late last summer, I saw a posting for bloggers to help revamp the LITA blog, and I asked to be a part of it. I still wasn’t sure what my focus would be, but this time I had two years of experience in an honest-to-goodness library to draw on. My first post went up in October: a series of broad-stroke tips on managing projects (that’s what I do in my current position). It was a nice enough post, and it got some attention (it helps to have LITA behind you), but I wasn’t thrilled with it. Still, it was a first step. After that, I chose to focus on my take on Agile development. Our digital projects division uses Agile for some of its engagements, including the website for my specific project (sorry, no live link yet) and a library digital collections site that I helped develop. I also participated in a full-scale conversion to Agile development in my last job, which took about two years to fully come to fruition. What I experienced there gave me an appreciation for both the value Agile can add to a development environment and the difficulties inherent in making the switch. So right now I’m focusing on a personal perspective on Agile philosophy: I looked at pros and cons in December, and discussed Agile core values just this week. My ongoing LITA post list can be accessed here.
There are a few more topics I’d like to add to this series. After that? Who knows. In the meantime, I will use this space to reflect on my librarianship experience, and hopefully to find ways to add to the ongoing discussion about libraries.
Leo's Library Blog 