Monday 31 August 2015

Thing 12: Attending conferences

It's interesting that this topic came up in my study schedule today. I am in the most recent ILN (international Librarian Network) program and this is our first post-introductory topic of conversation. This is a program where you're connected with a peer from another part of the world in a sort of peer mentoring capacity. I just sent an email to my peer Chester in the Philippines talking about a few of the seminars and PD day's I went to as part of the LIA and also New Professionals Day.


The most useful ones I've attended are a Career Professional Development day on CVs and interviews in Pearse Library last year and New Professionals Day 2015 (duly noted I see our 3D elephant is pictured in the post). I understand the importance of networking and the condensed information presentations at these events, but unless they are affordable and I have adequate time to book time off, it can be difficult to attend. For example, the one-day conference at DBS this year sounded fantastic and was free (this is my favourite word) but as it turned out I was sick that particular day. In this case, online recording of the event was very helpful!


I would love to go to any RDA workshop, but as it stands I don't have that kind of money, and when management are talking about reviewing opening hours I can hardly imagine a worse time to ask to be sponsored to attend, especially when our current cataloguing system works just fine. As I work in an academic library, the A&SL conference would be something I will venture to, but I will need to,again, prepare my own funding for attending. Another event I plan on attending next year is Library Camp. It didn't work out this year because I had a christening to go to.


Mingling, for me, is terrifying and it's something I find hard to do unless I have a friend with me, so it's nice when you see the same faces again and can go, "hi, yes I've met you before Caroline". I might invest in some business cards, but for the time being I follow through on adding people on LinkedIn!











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