Thanks to Congress, we again have to worry about sequestration, lay-offs, budget cuts and everything else that comes with it. Combined with our ongoing efforts to promote the value of librarians, our education and skills, it sometimes feels like a never-ending struggle that can leave us mentally exhausted and discouraged.
Instead of despairing, we should (and maybe even need) to stick together, as a library community, and market our talent even more to the corporate world and the government. But while we aim to present our profession in the best light possible, we should not forget the very essence of what makes us great assets to any organization: Our skills. And we can (and must) always try to improve existing and acquire new skills that will give us a competitive advantage when applying for jobs.
I can’t say this enough, but joining a professional association is a great, if not the best way to keep up with the latest developments, with what is in demand and with opportunities to learn something new. For info pros working in special libraries, the most valuable association is without question the Special Library Association (SLA). This tightly-knit and welcoming community constantly provides advice, networking and educational opportunities.
The hardest part is to get started, but with the upcoming events below it’s easy to do that. Lots of events, such as webinars, are open to everyone, not just SLA members; a great opportunity to learn more about what the association and its community has to offer. Here are some examples of upcoming events. Stay tuned for the announcement of the new SLA web site and the events calendar featuring all unit and chapter events in one place!
Expand Your Career Potential – Virtual Viewing / In-person attendance
Are You Ready for Your Next Career Move?
The Washington D.C. SLA Chapter presents:
“Expand Your Career Potential”, featuring: SLA President Deb Hunt
Sponsored by LexisNexis
Twitter: #sladcJobs
Having the right skills is everything in today’s very tight job market. How can you know which skills are in the greatest demand and how can you acquire the new skills you need for career advancement?
Librarians can act!
Get your creative juices flowing with and improve your acting skills. Let’s be honest: Acting skills at work can be very useful from time to time.
Patent Research 101
Take the plunge into the world of intellectual property. Find out how to do patentability searches, litigation research, and state-of-the-art searches.
Speakers: Kristin Whitman, Reference Librarian at Landon IP; Christopher M. Vestal, Government Consultant with LexisNexis. Sponsored by LexisNexis.
Happy learning!