Lisa Chen is a second term MLIS student. She has served as the SLA's first-term representative and secretary but likes to be involved in other student group events when possible. Her interests are in special and academic libraries. She also enjoys playing pokemon, reading, writing and watching anime in her free time. You can read about her journey and thoughts on librarianship here.
Note: This has been cross-posted on Lisa Chen's blog.
On
July 24th, I attended the CLA student group’s Speed Networking event at
the Central
Library. It was a small affair with big benefits. I was acquainted with
various professionals who had great advice for the participants. It was also an
opportunity to enhance my social skills and get used to developing connections
as a growing professional.
The
first person I met was Mary Kosta, an
archivist at the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph. She is a recent
graduate from Western’s MLIS program and it was interesting to hear her journey
through the field, as she was a mature student. Kosta explained to us the
principles of archiving while also giving advice about joining associations,
signing up for listservs and partaking in the Young Canada Works program.
Second
was Tom Adam, the
Project Manager and Special Advisor to the Provost at Western Libraries. Adam
is highly involved with copyright and educating faculty and students about
respecting and acknowledging authors’ rights. He was passionate about the library
as the centre to interpret copyright. For networking, he recommended attending
conferences, as word about you spreads amongst professionals.
Sandra McKeown was
third. She is a Clinical Librarian at the London Health Sciences Centre.
McKeown went the extra mile and provided us with a comprehensive handout (see
below) about a librarian’s duties at the hospital. She recommended connecting
with Canadian Health Libraries
Association and the Medical
Library Association‘s listservs while also taking advantage of continuing
education courses.
The
fourth and final person I spoke to was Linda Ludke, a
Selection Librarian at London Public Library. Ludke embodied enthusiasm as she
talked about her involvement with collection development. She also published
and read book reviews to help make her decisions. She explained in great depth
the relationship librarians have with publishers and budgeting for books. Ludke
reminded us to not overlook the potential of volunteering, as you can meet
future employers and coworkers that way.
The
speed networking event was a great opportunity to try new things. I handed out
my first business cards and spoke to professionals I had never met
before; this is what it’s like to connect with professionals in the library
field at the micro level. I learned that it is easy to start a conversation.
All of the professionals were eager to share their knowledge and experiences
with students. If the CLA does it again, I would recommend you attend as it is
an inexpensive yet golden opportunity to try new things.
For
future participants, I recommend that you dress professionally, bring your
business cards and prepare some general questions. Also bring a pen and paper
to take notes.
