NPSIG workshop at BOBCATSSS 2013 in Ankara, Turkey, 23 January 2013. "Tailor-made and weather-proof – Building and maintaining New Professionals groups as an important part of early career development" New Professionals Special Interest Group http://about.me/npsig

1. tailor-made and weather-proof
building and maintaining New Professionals
groups as an important part of
early career development
New Professionals Special Interest Group
BOBCATSSS 2013, Ankara, 23 Jan 2013

2. New Professionals Special Interest Group
open global network for LIS students / new librarians
sessions and workshops at IFLA Congresses and other conferences
virtual meetings and online collaboration
15-16 Aug 2013, Singapore
free quarterly webinars
check out:
about.me/npsig

3. networks and networking
a short theoretical approach

4. network theory
• Fishnets as a metaphor for social networks
• The exchange of information works through
nodes, ties and flows, and this is essential for a
well functioned network.
• Networks can be divided into formal and
informal networks

5. six degrees of separation
• Stanley Milgram, 1967, USA:
– An amount of people were each given a package.
– Every package had the same unknown receiver somewhere else in the
states.
– Everyone was to give the package to a person in their network whom
they believed would be the one to most likely know the receiver or
have someone in their network who did. They where not allowed to
mail it.
– Many packages disappeared, but among the packages that made it
there had been an average of six links from the first receiver to the
final one.
– The experiment was repeated several times with the same result.

6. networks and networking
• Networking:
– To create results and achieve goals
– The objectives may vary from pure business to more
professional networks
• A network can have different levels of
formalization, and sometimes as many organizational
elements as an organization.
• The main difference between an organization and a
network is that a network is based on being something
more than receiving invitations to different happenings
and passive presence.
– You have to give to gain

7. a well functioned network
1. one sees the benefit of participation
2. the participation requires active contribution
from “all the nodes”
3. every participator needs to be positive and
willing to share knowledge
4. the cooperation needs to be build on ethics,
honesty and trust – no hidden agendas

8. communities of practice
• formed by people who engage in a process of
collective learning within a shared domain,
characterized by three dimensions:
1. a shared domain of interest
2. mutual engagement in joint activities and
discussions to help each other and share
information
3. a shared repertoire
• Incoming and outgoing paths of participation

9. groups for and by
New Professionals
structured with official posts
completely informal
on-site
online-only
part of a library association
affiliated with library association
independent

10. research object
New Professionals
groups
in national library
associations areas of interest
mission and goals
structure of the groups
management of the groups
activities of the groups
passing on knowledge
status of the groups within
their library associations
research questions
practices?
challenges?
solutions?

11. details
a few practices shared by all groups
common themes in mission and goals statements
“New Professionals” preferred term for target audience
similar types of events
substantial use of social media for online outreach
a lot of individual solutions!

12. the bigger picture
4 important dimensions
the level of structure
the effects of online and on-site
the direction of activities
 short-term activism and long-term goals

13. question
how might you design communication
in a national New Professionals group
3 types of brainstorming:
ideal (the ideal state, what you dream of)
negative (what you dislike, not working for you)
crazy (unrealistic, no limitations)

14. timing
brainstorming (20 min)
ideas (5 min)
consensus (5 min)
refinement (10 min)
presentations (25 min)
3 min per presentation
go visual!

15. see you soon!
about.me/npsig