Rudaí 23 #thing12: Conferences

As a newly qualified librarian in 2012 I found the thought of attending conferences daunting. Would I know anyone there? Would my ignorance of some aspect of the profession be highlighted in a discussion with other librarians? The word ‘networking’ loomed large during the MLIS course but I had no idea what this meant practically – I had visions of sharp-suited professionals exchanging witticisms and meticulously designed business cards. I quickly found out that in the context of library conferences, networking simply involves talking to other librarians about projects they’re working on, discussing the new ideas presented at the conference and sharing your own experiences and ideas with them. Successful networking widens your professional circle and ensures you have even more people to connect with in person at the next library event or online through Twitter or LinkedIn.

Flickr CC photo by Bree

Conferences are a great way to see how libraries have adopted innovative approaches to service provision and how they are adapting new technologies to engage their users and promote their libraries. For me, they have also proven to be a great conversational topic when meeting new colleagues or a way to show engagement with the profession in job interviews.

Caroline’s tip in this week’s Rudaí 23 post about taking a notebook to conferences to jot down the names of the people you meet is a really good one. It would be impossible to remember the name of everyone you’re introduced to and it’s great to have the names of people you've met to hand if you meet them a year after an event. Rather than carrying around a stash of old notebooks with me at all times, I have found it much handier to add the names of people I have met and speakers I’ve heard to labelled folders in Dropbox that I can easily access on my phone.

Taking notes during presentations is essential , even short phrases jotted down will jog your memory later on. I’ve learned from experience that no matter how inspiring a talk is, without backup notes it can be difficult to remember the content a few months down the line. It’s best not to rely on slides being made available either as they often contain only the barest information so a lot of the content will be lost to you without another record of the talk. Reviewing notes you’ve taken at a recent conference before a job interview can be hugely beneficial, so be disciplined about filing them with the relevant conference handouts that list speakers and their presentation titles.

A seminar I attended this year was the LAI CDG’s ‘Information Skills for the Future’ seminar held in the Trinity College Long Room Hub in April 2015. The event was billed as an opportunity to learn about the essential skills employees will need for libraries in the future. At the time of the event I was working in Trinity College and I was lucky enough to be able to apply for and be granted a ticket for the conference. This opportunity was highlighted in internal staff emails so I applied for approval from my line manager immediately. It made it easier that the conference didn’t clash with my working hours but my employers have generally been accommodating even when conferences take place on days I am due to work. I told several colleagues about the event when it was advertised and encouraged them to come along. I tweeted about the event beforehand, something I’ve found is a good way to connect with colleagues who are active on social media. By the time the event occurred, I had worked or volunteered in five different libraries so it was great to reconnect with former colleagues I wasn’t expecting to see.

My advice to people attending conferences is BE BRAVE!  Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to either one person who is there on their own or to a group of people who seem friendly, because nine times out of ten they will be. Librarians are inquisitive by nature and enjoy hearing about where people are working or finding out what they think of the topics covered in the conference. If you already know people attending the conference get to know connections of theirs you haven’t met yet rather than sticking to a group of people you already know. Be supportive of newly qualified library professionals who are there and introduce them to your connections, you were one of them once!

During the LAI CDG event I jotted down notes during the presentations on an A4 refill pad and tweeted key phrases from the presentations using the CDG2015 hashtag. Hashtags are another great way to refresh your memory after a library event as well as helping to make you more visible to other library Tweeters. Something I would do differently at the next event would be to ask the speakers questions at the end of their presentations. This shows a genuine interest in the topic and is a good way to get your name out there to potential connections and future employers.