non-members may join. In the UK, you can find them through JISCM@il (https://
www.jiscmail.ac.uk/). These sometimes re-publish items from similar lists in other countries, which is one way to discover their existence, but a little searching on the web should also lead you to other relevant special interest groups. Also on the spectrum of activity could be getting yourself into relevant inter- national conferences, to attend and meet with like-minded people, and perhaps to tell them about something which you are doing that you think might interest them. Yes, it can be expensive, but not necessarily so. There are a few sources of funds that offer help in getting to some conferences overseas, but many of the regular international specialist conferences are held in Britain from time to time, and others are not always in faraway places. For example, IFLA’s World Library and Information Conference will be in Dublin in August 2020. Listening to and showing that you value the experience of others will make many friends. You may not be able to attend every year, but you could keep in touch with some of these acquaintances between attendances and follow the con- ference proceedings in other years if they are published on the web.
Ideas into practice
At the end of the day, it’s also neces- sary to learn how to promote new ideas
October-November 2019
effectively. I’m no longer in a position to have to do that; re-posting information is now, for me, simply a way of raising awareness of issues and possibilities among a wider and hopefully receptive audience. However, I’m aware that many librarians are not adept at translating these ideas into changes in policies or practices. That requires rather more effort. Many years ago, at least one library school lecturer recommended a technique called ‘creative subversion’ for achieving success in library management. I suspect that it largely fell on deaf ears but, in essence, it is very simple — achieving your aims while meeting the needs of more senior people in the organisation. Iden- tifying the real influencers and decision makers among the library’s managers and discovering their aims and expectations is the first step. The second is to consider how an idea for improving the library’s resources and services could be adapted and presented to them in a way that appears to achieve their goals. The final step is to find effective ways of drawing their attention to the idea in a way that would win the support needed for its implementation. If successful, there is not only the satisfaction of seeing ideas imple- mented but also the probability of getting the credit which shouldn’t do career prospects any harm. It also develops the political skills that are an essential tool of the effective professional.
Preserving Babylonian Heritage. Photo by Mariusz Matuszewski via Pixabay
Would it work for you?
An initial curiosity about how others approached an important part of my day job led me to an interesting and satisfying involvement in a wide range of develop- ments in library practices, and to an awareness of what was evolving in LIS education in other countries and related disciplines that needed to be introduced in Britain, as well as a personal interest in some international aspects of librarian- ship and some friendships that continue today, long after my retirement from paid employment. I can only speak with some assurance about my own exper- ience, but I daresay others could provide many examples of the benefits they and their organisation have garnered from getting involved internationally. I know, from some of the people that I’ve got to know along the way, that my story is not untypical.
For example, many people I know got hooked by the challenges and rewards of working internationally and – one way or another – find the money to attend specialist conferences year after year, wherever they take place. They see it as an investment in the future of their library service. Contact with like-minded people reinforces their personal motivation. And they get more job satisfaction from being involved in moving things forward. IP
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