This week Soapbox spends some time with Ann Schoenenberger, MLIS as she shares her experience as a business librarian for the Kenton County Public Library. Here she explains the importance of creating a history trail for young organizations as well as introducing a set of business research tools you may never have known existed.
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SoapBlog 3 - Inspiring Tomorrow
Posted By: Ann Schoenenberger, MLIS
2/19/2009
Ann Schoenenberger, MLIS
Business Librarian
Kenton County Public Library
SoapBlog 3: Inspiring tomorrow: amplifying your inner librarian
On the outside of any profession there is a bit of mystery as to how it really functions. The same is true for librarians. I am constantly asked what I do and people constantly assume it revolves around books. Don't tell anyone but I read perhaps a fiction title only a couple times a year. The skills and organizational practice that librarians have developed are useful to anyone who seeks information or manages collections. Below are some examples of the work we do in the world and some activities that may encourage the seeker, thinker, and systems manager in you.
Inspiration from the ethics and daily life of libraries and librarians:
Know the limits of recorded information
Librarians know that library resources and information available via the Internet are only a piece of the knowledge building process. This also means we know when to say we don't know something. Recorded information is imperfect by nature, often orphaned by its source (the author), open to misinterpretation, and difficult to verify. It is meant to be used critically and balanced with experience, yours and your trusted network.
Seek the truth and know your source
Even with its limitations, often recorded information is all we have. (In the case of the passage of time and history, if information isn't captured by memory or technology it is lost forever.) Evaluate and confirm the information you discover. Don't accept face value. Stop talking about things you've heard until you can confirm who wrote it and how they reached their conclusion.
Strive to be objective
Know the difference between opinion, theory, and fact. Strong feelings often get in the way of making rational decisions. Librarians are trained to inhabit the mind of those they are helping. I may not believe in ghosts, guns, or other controversial topics but that doesn't stop me from helping people get the best information out there on the subject.
Share stuff
The public library allows a community to invest in resources that all its citizens can share. The collective savings and access to knowledge allows people to spend money on other goods, learn throughout any stage of their life, and have access to information that alone they could never afford. Librarians take care of the communities' shared possession and ensure that everything is used equitably. We even extend this policy so that you could borrow book from other countries. Sharing breeds community and cost savings for all who participate.
Weed
Every year the library analyzes the use of its collection and removes titles that are damaged, no longer relevant, and are not being used. We call this process weeding. By making a periodic habit of weeding your RSS feeds, desktop, and other places where you store information, what you keep will be easier to find and more useful. We do this for customers to enhance their experience and their save time.
Read
Reading allows us to take back our imagination. Videos and television are passive activities where the mind sits and absorbs information. When you read, your mind participates. You imagine the characters and how they look. The settings and scenarios light up the networks in your brain and you get to see your opinions, fears, and aspirations. It helps to preserve your unique perspective while allowing the author to meet you half way. Browse the shelves or web, grab or stop at something that perks your interest, and wait for inspiration to percolate. You'll be surprised how the images, words, and ideas will follow and enhance your day. Final note: if a book or article doesn't do that in the first chapter or first few paragraphs, move to something that does.