Value of Relationships?

I recently took a leave of absence from my job due to injury. I’m finally back, and now I have some library type things on my mind. One of my strengths as a librarian is outreach, and I’ve been trying out a new way of tracking the value of relationships and interactions with people, but specifically faculty.

I started keeping track of what I do and who I meet with daily in an end of day journal. Sometimes I fill it out as I accomplish things during the day, sometimes I fill it out at the end of the day, and sometimes I don’t fill it out until the next day.

My entries include things like what kind of preparation I did for teaching, any appointments I have with students, as well as walk-in appointments, any projects or tasks I’ve completed, and any kind of interaction I have had with faculty.

I don’t necessarily live in a small town, but I do live in the same area where I work. So sometimes, I have interactions with people off-campus on weekends. This may not seem that significant, but I do find that I have conversations about things like acquiring journals, or teaching an upcoming class. Just seeing me around campus or town reminds people of the services I can provide for them.

I’m still trying to work out a way to sort of track these interactions and let them demonstrate the value of relationships and outreach in general, these kinds of connections are important to the work that I do. I’m ready to prove it!

Interviewing: Things to think about

I have been looking for a job as an academic librarian. As I’ve stated before, I am very excited that all my phone interviews converted to onsite interviews. If I am given an offer, I will need to relocate.

I still think the reality of moving still hasn’t quite hit me. At my last interview, as I was being shown around campus and the town, the person who was in charge of the tour asked me whether I would rent or buy. Being a native Californian, I was completely floored by this question, mostly because I could never afford to buy anything in CA and had never considered buying something an option. So I think I said something about how buying a house had not really crossed my mind and determined that I would probably want to rent something at first.

I suppose I need to work on my poker face. The truth is that the reality of a possible move hit me in that moment in time. As I got shown around town, I gradually sensed a shift in my mind. The possibility became more of a reality and realized that I could make a life there.

After this interview, I was really excited. I could really see myself working at this particular institution.

The best advice I’ve been given so far has been to just keep the options open…since I’m willing to relocate, it has really broadened my scope and possibilities. Also, to consider what it is that I want to learn. One of the best questions from my interview this week was:

You mentioned you would like to work in a collaborative environment where you learn from others. What is it that you think you could teach us?

What a great question and one that I have been thinking about ever since!