Now that is what I’m talking about. I dreamt about libraries. No, don’t stop there. Yes, I did have the re-occurring dream that I’m working in a 3 storey building that I cannot clear of customers however many times I pace the floors or tackle the tannoy, but it’s not that that I want to talk about. Today I woke up truly inspired by what Girl in the Moon had posted on Twitter about branding. You see, I checked in with Twitter just before dropping off to sleep and today here I am wanting/needing to post my thoughts about personal brand. Result.
I’m not sure that I have much more insight to add than you will find at CPD23 Thing 3 or at thewikiman but I do encourage you to check both out, along with Girl in the Moon. Also, I encourage you not to be as uncomfortable or dismissive of the idea of a ‘personal brand’ as I was when I started cpd23 a few months back. It would also be good if I could get the image of library-related tattoos out of my head, the images come unbidden each time I read the phrases ‘personal brand’ or ‘personal branding’. I bet there’s a webpage somewhere devoted to the body art of library lovers but I doubt that I should go there. I digress… The key message is that whether you want to acknowledge this or not, you already have a brand. People already have an opinion of you so why not try to influence it for the better?
There is perhaps also an idea about individuality forming in my mind. Using a nom de plume for the blog felt constraining at first. How could I be trusted to talk about any issue with any degree of authority without being a named representative of an organisation? The kind of kudos that comes with a job title. However, I’m starting to feel some mental demarcation, the formation of a personal/professional boundary. As an individual I have a body of professional knowledge drawn from years of work and study, I have a personality (insert wry facial expression of your own choice at this point) and opinions and if I wish to express these then the degree of anonymity provided by the pseudonym is liberating. I am free of any pre-formed ideas that readers may have of a librarian who works within a particular sector or who performs a particular role.
And the gratuitous Narcissus? Well apart from the fact I have daffs in May. I was thinking of a revolution in the online world of libraries and information, a metaphorical Librarian Spring if you will. Finally, if there’s a prize for corniest title of a cpd23 thing 3, I’d be in with a shot.
pennylibrarian cpd 