New Year's Resolutions & Professional Development

From Dora Davis

Your WHSLA Professional Development Coordinator

If you’re like many people, the new year is a great time to refocus and recharge.  Many of us like to make New Year’s resolutions but if you’re like me, at this mid-point in the month your steam is starting to give out to the pressures of home, work, family etc.  One resolution I’ve set for myself is to try to do at least one “official” professional development activity every month.  What better way to do that than to attend one of MLAs webinars, sponsored by Region 6?

 

I know some of you may be thinking that this is cheating because I’m the Professional Development Coordinator but the truth is, I haven’t found the latest MLA offerings pertinent to my super limited job as a hospital librarian.  But then a few months ago, I happened to be free and online when one of the systematic review webinars was about to start and though I don’t work on these at all in my role, I decided to log on and watch rather than continue binge watching whatever I was watching at the time.  (Right now it’s Home on Apple TV if you ‘re interested.)  So I fired up the systematic review webinar and then watched and marveled as I learned so much that I could apply to my job:  

• I learned about being an advocate for myself and my skills, 
• I got a refresher on Prospero 
• and at the end of the webinar I had more than a few ideas jotted down to apply to my current position. 

Now unless I leave my organization I don’t anticipate ever working on a systematic review, however I still feel that the 90 minutes I spent in that webinar was value added to my current role.  So I will watch a webinar or attend a professional development activity every month, even if it’s a past webinar and I can’t claim credit.  (And if you’re interested in watching past webinars, I know a girl who can help with that…me!)

 

On the non-professional side of resolutions, I am making reading-for-pleasure a priority this year.  My goal is to read 75 books.  I’m on book 4 so wish me luck with that one!

 

What are your New Year’s Resolutions?

 

Dora 

 

PS-If you’re looking for a list of webinars available you can email me and I’ll send you the list.  Or you can check this blog post for a list with a few of them.