Sell Yourself

I’ve been in something of a fog recently, which is why this blog is dead. Every time I had and idea for a post, I either wouldn’t have access or time to actually write it.

I’ve not got much time now as it is, as I’m flying to Seattle tonight for SLA 2008. I’ll try to blog about things there, though I’ll be swamped the next two days with fun stuff from the Transportation Division.

This week MPOW took part in a group of presentations about the Affiliated Libraries at UC Berkeley– small subject speciality libraries that are not part of the main library structure. It was nice to see people interested in our little corners of the world, but one thing that struck me is that the ability to sell yourself is really important. Not sell yourself in a way that would compromise your integrity, but be willing to promote what you do to garner attention. This hit close to home because I’ve been trying to add new features and services to our library’s website, but I haven’t publicized any of it beyond our library’s staff. I should probably let more people know, but I don’t want to be obtrusive. It’s interesting then, when people start talking about some new thing- syndicating and RSS feed on their front page, creating a Facebook group, and everybody is awed by it. I would be nice to get some recognition for efforts, but I’d prefer if people didn’t regard such things with awe, and more with the gumption to try things for themselves.