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by Jennifer Crutchfield, Head Editor, INALJ Connecticut

Professional Development in the Workplace

Keeping yourself current with library trends and technologies is crucial to furthering your career as a librarian. Professional development in the workplace is a great way to challenge yourself and keep your information professional skills sharp. It is up to you to be proactive when looking for professional development opportunities.

My advice for encouraging professional development in the workplace is to not be afraid to let your manager know that you are interested in learning about different roles in the library. For example, if you are a reference librarian, but you’re interested in developing your skills as an archivist  try to find an archiving project within your library and let your boss know why such a project can benefit you and the library. The same advice goes for your relations with co-workers. If you feel comfortable, ask your co-worker if there is a project you can help with or if you could shadow that person for a day.

Professional development is a win-win situation for both the employer and the employee. You will get a chance to develop and refine your skills as a librarian and your employer will be able to give you more diverse tasks and projects. Your employer will also be impressed by your motivation to learn new skills.