Compiling lists seems like a popular preoccupation for librarian bloggers. Some hit the mark while others just come off as preaching to the choir. I’m not too preferential to developing top ten lists myself. I think I’ll leave that to others. In fact I came across a good list recently I thought was worth sharing. It’s not a top ten though and it’s not from a librarian. It’s just a list of ideas intended to provoke some deeper thought and reflection – and is certainly intended to motivate the reader to grasp the opportunities that change and risk both present. I’m referring to a list compiled by David Armano on his blog Logic+Emotion. He simply calls it his “living manifesto“.
I won’t repeat the whole list here – you can link to it above. But here are a few of Armano’s items that certainly resonated with me:
Believe
Do you believe in what you do? Would you rather be doing something else? Believe in what you do. Or find a new career.Stop Talking
Talk is cheap as the cliché goes—what have you produced lately? Make it a point to end your week with at least one tangible piece of something that can be saved, printed, shared, or produced.Be The Change Agent
There are two types of people. Those that dream of change and those that make change happen. But we all start out as dreamers—the difference in going from Dreamer to Agent includes taking ACTION.Be Experienced
You can’t generate a successful brand experience if you haven’t experienced some things for yourself. Do you know what it’s like to schlep a mini-van full of rowdy children from location to location? Have you wired up a home theatre? Take extreme measures to relate to your customers. Be them for a day. And if you can’t—spend some time with them.Be Both Evangelist and Agnostic
Do you believe in something? Be an advocate for it. Others will see your passion and know that you have a vested interest in what you do. But when it comes to using creativity to solve real-world business challenges—be an agnostic. Throw pre-conceived notions out the window.
I feel that these inspirational statements speak strongly to what academic librarians need to be doing as we confront a turbulent future. If you tend to agree and would like to see more of Armano’s list, go there now.