The Gloves Come Off

This past week a few things have happened to motivate me into making this blog more than just positive news about the Empowerment Zone, other Delray Beach PL events, or my various library related adventures. I have been thinking a lot about how to get my name out there more since the library world has become ultra-competitive lately and I know that locally I am probably well recognized, but nationally not so much. I have been a busy member of the PR Committee for the Florida Library Association the past year and Snapshot Day definitely got a lot of us statewide recognition. Not to mention I graduated from the Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute which allowed me to create the EZ in the first place, and to partake in a whole lot of networking. On top of these efforts a few weeks ago I was voted in as President-Elect of the Palm Beach County Library Association. Regardless of these combined accomplishments, while perusing the latest Library Journal I saw a colleague of mine from graduate school at Wayne State University. He had been named a Mover and Shaker. This colleague was no slacker in library school, but I am definitely more passionate and driven than them, which makes me wonder what do I need to do to get more name recognition?

Added to reading about this colleague my proposal to do a program on the EZ at this year's FLA conference was recently rejected. That either means that the EZ is really not all that, I am not well enough known, or the other entries were really awesome. If the first two are true then I have some work to do. Also, I applied late last year for an ALA New Member's Roundtable travel scholarship. This scholarship is stated as being based on librarian prowess and believe me I talked up ALL of my accomplishments. There were around 75 applicants and they gave out 3 scholarships. I was not chosen. Which again makes me wonder - what do I need to do to make people think of me amongst the best and brightest librarians not just in Palm Beach County and Florida, but the nation?

That is why the gloves will be coming off and I will now be talking about more controversial topics on my blog. I will of course strive to be professional and make sure that I am not going out of my way to offend anyone. It is fairly certain people won't agree with all of my viewpoints, but I hope to open a dialogue, and showcase my ability to reason and discuss important library related issues. My main goals will be to engage librarians and library advocates in a discussion of relevant and current library topics. And to blow off some steam of course. What I won't do is call people out, or tear down without discussing how to build up. Criticism is fine, but if you don't plan on improving things then you have no right complaining in the first place.