As my time in the MLIS program and at SJSU comes to a close, I have begun to ponder what continued learning will look like after I graduate. Librarianship is a second career for me. I began as an elementary teacher, so I am no stranger to professional development and continued education. I love to learn, and I think it is vital to keep evolving, or you will be left behind. One quote stood out to me from Michael Stephen’s lecture:
“We are born to learn, but somewhere along the way many of us pick up the idea that we must be taught in order to learn. We think that if someone doesn’t stand up in front of us and talk to us with either a chalkboard or PowerPoint slides, we cannot learn. We must regain our sense of wonder and our desire to learn.”
— Roy Tennant (2003) and Stephens (2024)
I think this kind of attitude is important to embody, especially with the budget cuts that are happening, and sponsored professional learning tends to be one of the first things on the chopping block. It would be very easy to say, as a librarian who gets professional learning opportunities denied due to cost, to throw up their hands and say, “Well, I guess I am not going to do any professional development”. As Stephens (2024) pointed out, professional learning has expanded from formal conferences to MOOCs, 23 Things, Learning 2.0 with blogs, digital media, and more. This makes professional learning more accessible, not just cost-wise, but also time and location. There are many virtual workshops that one can attend in real-time or recorded through one’s state library, EdWeb, WebJunction, and the American Library Association (ALA).
I know virtual learning is not the same as learning in person with the instructor or presenter, so can we make this a more active learning experience? If you haven’t already figured it out, I am a Strategic Learner (Stephens, 2024). I love to plan out what I am doing, my goals, and how I am going to implement them. In Wholehearted Librarianship, Stephens (2019) notes from his professional learning studies in Australia that learning needs to be active, community-based, and accompanied by reflection (p. 45). Based on this criterion, I created the “Active Continued Learning Infographic” below.
My library system has a wide range of experience, and I would love to learn from my coworkers. This learning cycle is continuous, year-round. It could be two people or a small cohort of people. One cycle is meant to be with one person, and then the next cycle, you partner up with another co-worker. This way, you are exposed to a wide variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and a range of library experiences. However, the same people could repeat the cycle if learning is productive and fruitful.
This model of learning will only be successful if there is administrative buy-in and support. The benefit of this model is that it is free! All workshops will be sourced from reputable sites that will also provide learning education units (LEUs). The model is very flexible in terms of in-person or virtual; however, I think it would be more beneficial if we could meet in person. This requires active engagement from each person, and it is easy to get distracted if you are virtual.
“Being adaptable in a flat world, knowing how to ‘learn how to learn’ will be one of the most important assets any worker can have, because job churn will come faster, because innovation will happen faster.”
–Thomas Friedman (2007) in The World is Flat 3.0
I think this quote is the perfect way to end this reflection. It is on us to strive to be the best librarians we can possibly be with the sources we have. There is always going to be some challenge to overcome, but “A librarian with heart will always find their way” (Stephens, 2019, p. 55).
References
Friedman, T. (2007, August 7). The world is flat 3.0: the brief history of the twenty-first century. Picador. https://www.amazon.com/World-Flat-3-0-History-Twenty-first/dp/0312425074
Stephens, M. (2019). Wholehearted librarianship: Finding hope, inspiration, and balance. ALA Editions. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ecd6261aqkdgunc1w0ll2/StephensWholehearted_Updated2025v2.pdf?rlkey=f2mblnzua5xtx0hoot5pyergq&e=2&st=0h2niiox&dl=0
Stephens, M. (2024, May 20). Hyperlinked library professional learning experiences_. DropBox. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5cdfkmhia538v3cux296r/Hyperlinked-Library-Professional-Learning-Experiences_.mp4?rlkey=s5b0443cuo3ne1atnyrleum6h&e=1&st=1mkxsn2j&dl=0
Tennant, R. (2003). INFOTECH-Digital Libraries-Strategies for Keeping Current. Library Journal, 128(15), 28-29.
@missjennthelibrarian wow, I so appreciate this post and the fact that you brought the Roy Tennant quote into it. I forgotten how wonderful that quote is. I probably said in the module that I use that in my signature line in my email for years when I was at the public library. It just was so true and when I was doing staff training, I really wanted our staff to be able to try something out and learn about it on their own and not wait for me to do a training.
Also – the Infographic rocks!
Thank you! Exploring continuing education and writing this post has been really helpful in creating a clear path after graduation.
@missjennthelibrarian later on there is a module under infinite learning on professional development that you may enjoy.
Those modules, 11 and 12, are actually what this post was based on. 🙂 I did enjoy exploring the articles and readings from those two modules.
Hi Jenn, That is some really good food for thought. My mind always goes racing ahead when I read an idea (it’s both a blessing and a curse). After your post I started thinking of a new version of Niche Academy, but one that is free and populated with short training videos created by librarians for librarians. With our vast range of specialities and experiences, it could really be something!
Hello! What a great idea! I also love that librarians would be creating trainings for other librarians. Sometimes the presenters have been out of the field for so long that they forget what “everydayness” looks like.