4 Things I Learned at Library 2.0

Career Blog

Published: October 13, 2017 by Kate M. Spaulding

I attended Library 2.0 earlier this week, and while the title of this post implies that I’ll be talking about cool new makerspace ideas, I’m not. It was incredibly interesting to view sessions through my Career-Blog-colored-glasses because it was like watching LIS skills in action. Take note – if they’re not already part of your resume and cover letter language, they probably can, and should, be!

  1. LISers are great communicators. All the speakers I saw were informative, engaging, and spoke passionately about their topic. They also designed good-looking slides, managed chat boxes, and presented to a diverse audience. All of these written and verbal communication skills are ones that employers look for most – page 12 of the Emerging Trends Report demonstrates this.
  2. LISers can work and collaborate in an online environment. We are tech-savvy, interested in trying new things, and work well with others. Collaboration was listed in the same report as the third most-desired skill, behind communication and integrated library systems.
  3. LISers are curious. Hundreds of people attended Library 2.0 and I suspect the vast majority of them were there because the conference sounded interesting. On a job application, that translates to terms like curious, self-starter, and motivated.
  4. LISers are adaptable. Library 2.0 used a new platform this time (WizIQ instead of Collaborate). It was not a seamless transition, but both presenters and participants persisted. For instance, someone who was only expecting to introduce a speaker found herself moderating a discussion with attendees instead. I’d absolutely call her cool under pressure, adaptable, patient, dependable, a problem solver, and able to think on her feet.

Those are just a few ideas for you to ponder. The Emerging Trends Report has a lot of great skills terminology; also check out LinkedIn profiles, job postings, this blog post, and the skills category of the Career Blog.

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