Information Wants To Be Free – Page 4 – A librarian, writer and educator reflecting on the profession and the tools we use to serve our patrons

Bias in climbing the career ladder and Hillary Clinton

This race must be familiar for many women: she’s overqualified for the promotion, he’s unqualified, and yet it’s still a contest.— (((Touré))) (@Toure) July 29, 2016 I had lunch with…

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Appreciate your speakers

I have been very fortunate to address librarians nationally and internationally as a speaker. I love sharing my ideas, experiences, and things I’ve learned and meeting other librarians. I have…

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Playing the super-productive librarian. My #LISMentalHealth Week post

I know a lot of librarians who've suffered with depression or anxiety, take psychotropics, or who go to therapy. It makes me wonder if people with mental illness are drawn…

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Reputation is everything: On problematic editing and sponsored content

First, full disclosure: I am a columnist for American Libraries. They pay me to write columns every other month in which I state my opinion on various things relating somewhat…

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My year in reading, 2015

I've learned over time that work/life balance not only looks different for every person, but looks very different for an individual from one moment to the next. The needs you…

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Should the horrible first job search be seen as a rite-of-passage?

I felt really sad when I read Kyle Shockey's post on the Librarian Burnout blog about feeling burnout after library school and being in the midst of the job hunt.…

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The Next Librarian of Congress?

Late last week, I received an email from the culture editor at the New Republic about writing an article on the next Librarian of Congress. It was the first offer…

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The insidious nature of “fit” in hiring and the workplace

Organizational culture is a very real and a very powerful force in every organization. I have worked in a variety of different organizations and each had had its own rituals, norms,…

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Are online MLIS degree-holders “less than?”

When I graduated from library school, I worried about anti-online-degree bias. I worried that people would think my degree was somehow "less than" because I'd done it fully online. I…

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You could learn a lot from us: community college librarians at ACRL

ACRL was ridiculously amazing this year. I feel energized, affirmed, and hopeful (and completely exhausted and sick since it ended). The programming was so high-quality and relevant that, in most…

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True confessions

When my brain was completely full on Thursday at the ACRL Conference, Jad Abumrad's keynote felt like a spa for my brain. For those who don't know, he is the…

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Read your contract: Being OA isn’t enough

So, I missed writing this for Open Access Week, or Fair Use Week, or Open Education Week, but I think these are topics that we should be focusing on every day…

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Framework? Standards? I’m keeping it local.

I'm sure most of you have already heard that the ACRL Board has decided to adopt the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. What I think is more interesting…

Sorry Springshare, but also not sorry

So I probably didn't make a lot of friends at Springshare with my blog post about LibGuides this morning (if you haven't already, take a look at the update I…

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Peer learning in library instruction

Teaching is such a solitary thing. Sure, you're up in front of a bunch of students, and maybe an instructor if you're doing course-integrated instruction, but the act still feels…

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My year in books

Growing up, I was a voracious reader. What a surprise, right? Gee, a librarian who likes to read. But something happened to me between college and grad school where I lost…

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A weight off my shoulders

I know it's been a while since I last posted. I've almost written a few posts on the vitriol I've been seeing from librarians on social media over the past couple…