2/05/2013

The Pursuit of our Future

It's been a while since I posted.  Part of the reason is that I've gotten discouraged.  Maybe that's not a good excuse, but it's the reason.

Over the past 9 years I've spent the majority of my energy and my time trying to help libraries, their communities, and library workers and board member move forward into a future - a bright and successful future.  I feel that most days I am unsuccessful with this endeavor and I struggle with what to do differently.  I was inspired when I read yesterday's blog post by Seth Godin.  I hope library workers and board members will take this to heart.  I know I do.    

"The most effective, powerful way to envision the future is to envision it, all of it, including a future that doesn't include your sacred cows. Only then can you try it on for size, imagine what the forces at work might be and then work to either prevent (or even better, improve on) that future and your role in it. 
It's not disloyal to imagine a future that doesn't include your founding precepts. It's disloyal not to."

4 comments:

  1. Your writings on creating library/teen spaces are part of how I actually pinned down what I want to do with my life. I'm now a youth librarian (babies to 18, but slowly building the teen contingent).

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  2. You made my whole day, week, month and year, Jenn! Thank you for taking the time to post this. It really means a lot. All the best and thanks again.

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  3. Kim, it *is* discouraging that there are still so many in our profession who cannot or will not see a different future. But, I have not given up yet. Back here in western NY, I think the creative, flexible thinkers are starting to outnumber the ones who are stuck in 1980! Your vision is right, so preach on!

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  4. I think, Kim, that most people can only imagine the future dimly "through a glass darkly". I know that you have helped many people imagine that successful future for our profession--even when you might not see the result for some years. It's more like planting a seed that takes time to germinate than like baking a cake. Or anyway that's how I have to think of it!

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