Thing 7 is looking at real-life networks.
The idea of “networking” sometimes seems a little insincere
and too much like the old boys’ club to me. The notion that you need a little
notebook of introductory phrases with details of your “networkees’” latest
project, son’s a level results or previous holiday location seems a little…
icky!
I am a member of Cilip and have been since starting my MA
back in 2003. Following graduation I got quite excited about chartership,
attended various workshops and started gathering my evidence. However I didn’t
really start the process and now I’m not terribly motivated to re-start. I’ve
managed to keep my skills up-to-date and have a positive attitude to learning
new things and training without it.
I’ve started to wonder if it is worth
continuing with Cilip. It still seems to be focused on public libraries and is
very London-centric. I’m not really clear whether I’m getting enough for my
money.
I tend to attend workshops, training events and “networking”
opportunities less and less these days – perhaps the availability of
information online and online networks means I don’t have to so much?
