Impact of ICLC on a library fledgling
Do I belong?
For me the International Clinical Librarian Conference was an eye-opening experience both in terms of personal development and recognising the variation of roles, talents and approaches people use. I’m not sure how homogenous the job titles were of those in attendance, and mine certainly isn’t aligned to the title of the conference, but despite this, the crux of what we all do is the same. We are all in pursuit of ensuring information and knowledge is found, sifted and distributed to those that need it, through a variety of methods, skills and avenues. And this was fascinating and comforting at the same time, cementing that there is no ONE RIGHT WAY.
A call to action!
However, what was even more inspiring about the conference was the knowledge being created by those in attendance. We often see our roles as one of brokerage, getting the right evidence to the right people, making sure it’s relevant and up to date. But this conference went beyond that and put librarians (and variations thereof) into the role of knowledge creators. Simply by sharing work within the conference this was evident, carefully constructed and useful papers and presentations covering current awareness services, literature searching, knowledge sharing etc adding to our pool of knowledge. Sharing how we do things and innovations in our roles creates a wider knowledge pool. But more than that was the call to action for librarians to place themselves in the realm of research. Having recently completed my MA and dissertation, and having dipped my toe in the field of research within the information professional sector, I am acutely aware of the gaps in knowledge about our own profession and practice. The vibe of the conference really did make me think we need to be answering this call.
Personal growth…embrace your peers!
Finally, what this conference really did for me, was make me realise a few things:
- I am not alone in this profession… everyone is still learning, developing, and refining techniques to do their job well… whatever their job title and how ever long they have been in this field… and actually… this is what makes it such a great profession to work in
- ‘Networking’ is a good thing (as long as you don’t say networking to me). I made some really valuable connections, with plans already in place to progress my own development
- Peer review and showing our working out is to be valued and not feared, and this conference enabled me to find some confidence to share my workings out with my colleague to progress my practice…. And no she did not recoil in horror at my search strategy!
Katy Greenfield
Knowledge Assistant
NHS England – Workforce, Training and Education
