I actually felt this way doing the Lycoris Letter project. It really did... wow, to describe what it did. Made me feel ALIVE. Made me feel useful and competent and part of something. That nasty voice in my head said "Sure, HOW does this apply to anything else, though? You just going to offer to write letters to strangers for the rest of your life? You can't even APPLY half the advice you give out," so I haven't really MANAGED to let it seep over into the rest of my life TOO much, but it did a little anyway, and I know just what you mean.
Online I don't find my specialties all that useful. There are SOOOOO many book bloggers and other librarians online because we kind of thrive here, I guess, and I'm constantly aware that other people are more on top of things than I am. But at the library it's true I AM the resident expert on children's literature, and I really do feel competent and alive-- I keep coming back to that word, really nails home the importance of putting this stuff to work-- when I'm helping people at the library. I just have to get in the habit of letting my coworkers and the higher-ups know.
Plus I do forget that I'm just AS competent as most of my online librarian cohorts, and I COULD share my stuff more. When I posted about my time-travel program, this very active librarian blogger whose ideas I've stolen myself many times (with credit!) and who's got loads of followers and keeps getting linked to by American Libraries immediately retweeted me with the note "Best Program-from-junk Idea of the Day!" and I was stunned, like... okay, yeah, I guess it IS pretty good.
I just have to get comfortable with sharing when I HAVEN'T been ASKED. That seems to be the trick. Putting it out there.
no subject
Online I don't find my specialties all that useful. There are SOOOOO many book bloggers and other librarians online because we kind of thrive here, I guess, and I'm constantly aware that other people are more on top of things than I am. But at the library it's true I AM the resident expert on children's literature, and I really do feel competent and alive-- I keep coming back to that word, really nails home the importance of putting this stuff to work-- when I'm helping people at the library. I just have to get in the habit of letting my coworkers and the higher-ups know.
Plus I do forget that I'm just AS competent as most of my online librarian cohorts, and I COULD share my stuff more. When I posted about my time-travel program, this very active librarian blogger whose ideas I've stolen myself many times (with credit!) and who's got loads of followers and keeps getting linked to by American Libraries immediately retweeted me with the note "Best Program-from-junk Idea of the Day!" and I was stunned, like... okay, yeah, I guess it IS pretty good.
I just have to get comfortable with sharing when I HAVEN'T been ASKED. That seems to be the trick. Putting it out there.