Cycling for Libraries Day 6 - I've Never Moderated a Panel in Lycra
Jinfo Blog

By Robin Neidorf

Abstract

On day six of the Cycling for Libraries "unconference" travelling from Norway to Denmark by bicycle, FreePint's director of research, Robin Neidorf, moderates a panel on key skills and expertise for information professionals.

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A three-hour ferry ride from Sweden to Denmark afforded the opportunity for a few more traditional sessions, including a panel where I moderated on core competencies for information professionals.

The panel consisted of:

• Bo Jacobsen, head of the public library system in Vesthimmerlands in Denmark

• Rasmus Fangel Vestergaard, a project manager with the Copenhagen Public Libraries working intensively on the library system's new strategy

• Ann-Christin Karlén Gramming, a law librarian with a large Swedish firm and Master's degree recipient with research on the identity, competences and professional development of corporate information professionals.

Many of the points the panellists made were familiar: today's (and tomorrow's) information professionals need to be service-minded and curious. They need to be proactive about developing solutions and creative about where those solutions may come from. They need to keep their hard skills like precision searching up-to-date, and at the same time understand when and how to train their users in "good enough" searching for self-service.

I was particularly interested in Ann-Christin's Master's research, which focused on corporate information professionals who formerly worked in a large information centre that has since been shut down. What are they doing now? How do they position their skills and experience? What forms their professional identity, and how do they use it as an asset in the next phase of their careers? 

Make Time for Professional Development

Being from FreePint, I had to conclude the panel with some practical guidance on how to overcome the barriers to investing in professional development and making sure the right competencies are in place. I used the three most common objections I hear from information managers as a guide:

1. "I don't have time." If you work a 35-hour week, you have 140 working hours per month. If you spend 4 hours per month on professional development, that's less than 3% of your time. You owe it to your employer as well as yourself to make that investment.
   
   
2. "I have no money." Yes, money helps, but there are plenty of professional development opportunities that cost nothing. One of the best is to visit other information centres and ask questions about what they do. Host visits from colleagues and peers, too. Get a mentor with skills you want to develop. Volunteer for a role that requires you to develop new skills.
   
   
3. "I don't know where to start." Having a plan for those 4 hours per month makes all the difference. Review the trends within your business and list 3 competencies you and your staff need to have within 24 months. You may not be able to address everything, but you will make progress on some things.

By the time we docked in Fredrikshavn, we were ready to get back on our bikes. Throughout the afternoon's ride, ideas passed throughout the peloton on how to make practical decisions about the next step in developing competencies.

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