This semester has been an interesting journey for me. I started this course thinking I would mainly learn about tech I could incorporate into our library, but I am finishing with so much more. The tech I want to use and incorporate is not at all separate from the other parts of my job; tech and the emotional side of librarianship work together cohesively to create the kind of library I want to offer. Honestly, this is new to me, as are so many other ideas. For this last reflection, I will focus on my highlights from our final readings.
While moving through our final two modules, a few things really stuck with me. I loved Michael Thompson’s article on social intelligence (2020). I have found many courses to be incredibly useful in terms of professional knowledge and skills related to librarianship, but no other course I have taken through SJSU has really helped me understand the social-emotional skills I will need as this course has. We’ve read so many eye-opening pieces, and Thompson’s article is very concrete in the way he explores the professional importance of social intelligence and provides activities to strengthen these skills. I like the way he uses the acronym SPACE to explore exercises he suggests to strengthen these skills.
For example, “P” for “presence” will be important for me, as someone who gets distracted often and easily (Thompson, 2020). Thompson has three specific suggestions for being present with users:
Thompson also suggests practicing mindfulness meditation, which would be perhaps a little harder to achieve, depending on one’s personal life and commitments. It would be something I would like to try, though, particularly during winter break, when I have fewer commitments! In any case, the three steps listed above are things we can all begin to practice right away in order to be more present during interactions with our users.
I also loved the idea that is it “soft skills” (or “heart skills”) that help us deal with burnout (Stephens, 2019). Though this article was written before the pandemic, I couldn’t help but think of the burnout we’ve seen during the last couple of years. I’ve experienced and witnessed different levels of burnout, especially in the last couple of years, and I don’t think anyone has come this far unscathed. The ideas in this article are helpful and realistic, and they feel very achievable. One of my favorite suggestions is that 30 minutes per week of scheduled time to learn and be creative can help stave off burnout. This really speaks to me, as I know I have felt too burned out to be creative at times. But the idea of setting aside time during the work day to explore makes it feel achievable and therefore even more helpful. In fact, I plan to implement this practice next week. Here are a few tips to remember from this article:
Though I have loved several courses I’ve taken through SJSU, I think this will probably be my favorite. I’ve learned so much about librarianship and school librarianship over the last two years. But more so than in any other class, this course has pushed me to reconsider what libraries are and what I am truly capable of. I’ve felt inspired by our readings and lectures, but I’ve also definitely taken ideas from my classmates’ assignments (thanks, y’all!). I actually wish I could save our entire site, not just my own blog, because I am sure that I’ve missed exciting and innovative ideas, simply because of the amount of information we’ve all generated. Thank you all for a wonderful, inspiring semester!
References
Stephens, M. (2019). A wholehearted approach to service…and burnout…OR soft skills are heart skills [PDF file]. https://www.dropbox.com/s/j6imyze5vp8pzcv/WholeheartedApproachBurnout_Stephens.pdf?dl=0
Thompson, M. (2020, April 27). The 5 key traits of socially intelligent people. Personal Growth. https://medium.com/personal-growth/the-5-key-traits-of-socially-intelligent-people-79eb12da421b
