Last week, I attended my first UKSG conference in Harrogate. Ill blog about the content of the conference once I've pulled together my mass of notes into something cohesive. For now, I just want to reflect on one specific aspect of the conference - the networking.
Firstly, I'll admit that I was pretty nervous about attending. I did want to go to UKSG as a lot of the content looked very relevant to what I do, but it's the first time I've been to a 3-day long conference, and I know how awful 1-day conferences can be when you fail to find anybody to talk to all day. So how was I going to cope for 3 days?
Now, it turned out that I did have a couple of things to help me along. One of my colleagues was also attending the conference, so at least I would have somebody familiar to check in with. A couple of days before I left, an ex-colleague,who now works in a similar area to me, also got in touch to say that he would be attending.
In the end, the networking aspect of the conference was one of the easiest, and most enjoyable, parts. A number of other Repository Managers and people working in the area of research support were at the conference - and many of them I knew from previous conferences (some of them I hadn't seen for years, and it was great to catch up with them). Now I know networking is about meeting new people as well as old colleagues and acquaintances, but when you've met enough of the latter, it gives you the confidence to talk to the former.
By day 3 my problem wasn't finding people to talk to, it was having the energy to talk to them and still be able to sit through all the breakout sessions and talks I was interested in. I came away from UKSG feeling energised, both from the content and the large amount of people I'd talked to, but also utterly exhausted. I was very grateful for the 4 day weekend that closely followed the conference!
Showing posts with label networking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label networking. Show all posts
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Sunday, 24 July 2011
23 Things for Professional Development: Thing #7
So, what about face-to-face networks then? I'm a member of a couple of professional organisations - the most obvious one being, of course, CILIP.
But perhaps the organisation I engage with most, and I find most useful in my day job, is UKCoRR (the UK COuncil of Research Repositories). That, combined with the RSP (Repositories Support Project) is where the majority of my opportunities for networking come from, along with a lot of training and development opportunities.
I've been able to attend a number of UKCoRR and RSP training events, and I've learnt a lot from other repository managers and speakers at all of them! Sometimes it's just confirmation that I'm not the only one with a specific problem. Other times it's good ideas on how to improve the repository and make it more valuable to our researchers. I'm pretty certain that without these organisations my day job would be a lot tougher. I'd also feel a lot more isolated than I do, as I've met a lot of other repository staff via these events, and that can really help when you're the only person at your university doing your job.
I use CILIP more for professional support with gaining qualifications (I've just submitted my Chartership portfolio), and for the publications which give me the chance to learn about what is happening in many different types of libraries, not just academic ones. The CILIP events I have attended - especially those related to my Chartership - have been really helpful, and a great way to meet people going through the same thing as you.
One other thing I would say about face-to-face networks is not to forget about the institution you work for. I'm lucky in that my institution provides a lot of really helpful training events (on how to give better presentations, how to give good appraisals etc.), and they're well used by the university staff. Which means that at these training events I've met staff from all over the institution - HR managers, people working in finance, academics, people from the Reseach Offices and Academic Registry, even other library staff I've not met before. Some of these contacts have turned out to be invaluable in my day-to-day work; and, because I have a one-track mind, have also been a great place to engage academics and let them know how great our repository is!
But perhaps the organisation I engage with most, and I find most useful in my day job, is UKCoRR (the UK COuncil of Research Repositories). That, combined with the RSP (Repositories Support Project) is where the majority of my opportunities for networking come from, along with a lot of training and development opportunities.
I've been able to attend a number of UKCoRR and RSP training events, and I've learnt a lot from other repository managers and speakers at all of them! Sometimes it's just confirmation that I'm not the only one with a specific problem. Other times it's good ideas on how to improve the repository and make it more valuable to our researchers. I'm pretty certain that without these organisations my day job would be a lot tougher. I'd also feel a lot more isolated than I do, as I've met a lot of other repository staff via these events, and that can really help when you're the only person at your university doing your job.
I use CILIP more for professional support with gaining qualifications (I've just submitted my Chartership portfolio), and for the publications which give me the chance to learn about what is happening in many different types of libraries, not just academic ones. The CILIP events I have attended - especially those related to my Chartership - have been really helpful, and a great way to meet people going through the same thing as you.
One other thing I would say about face-to-face networks is not to forget about the institution you work for. I'm lucky in that my institution provides a lot of really helpful training events (on how to give better presentations, how to give good appraisals etc.), and they're well used by the university staff. Which means that at these training events I've met staff from all over the institution - HR managers, people working in finance, academics, people from the Reseach Offices and Academic Registry, even other library staff I've not met before. Some of these contacts have turned out to be invaluable in my day-to-day work; and, because I have a one-track mind, have also been a great place to engage academics and let them know how great our repository is!
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