Head Tale

Former CLA President, Wendy Newman, who is teaching “Advocacy and Libraries” this semester has kindly agreed to let me reprint this list.  The full version is a speech that she gave as U of T's Faculty of Information Science on March 22, 2005. 

What I Wish “They” Had Told Me When I Started Out In Librarianship
1. There really is a tension between being an employee and being a professional.
2. Know what you believe in.
3. In your first three years, become a ranking practitioner-expert in one great thing that becomes your “brand”.
4. You and not your employer, are in charge of your morale and fully responsible for your own feelings.
5. Presentation is more important than you think.
6. Take the long view of any job, even if it is a temporary job.
7. I wish someone had told me how much librarians could strengthen their leadership skills, knowledge, network and resume through volunteer work in associations.
8. I wish someone had told me the simple truth that the higher up you go in any organization, the more ambiguity you have on your plate. 
9. You must be a skilled advocate.
10. Finally, I wish I had the benefit of some frank talk about when to quit.