Vera Gubnitskaia - Creativity for Library Career Advancement: Perspectives, Techniques and Eureka Moments

Foreword by DEB BIGGS TENBUSCH

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina

RECENT MCFARLAND WORKS OF INTEREST

Social Justice and Activism in Libraries, edited by Su Epstein, Carol Smallwood and Vera Gubnitskaia (2019)

The Relevant Library, edited by Vera Gubnitskaia and Carol Smallwood (2018)

Genealogy and the Librarian, edited by Carol Smallwood and Vera Gubnitskaia (2018)

Library Partnerships with Writers and Poets, edited by Carol Smallwood and Vera Gubnitskaia (2017)

Continuing Education for Librarians, edited by Carol Smallwood, Kerol Harrod and Vera Gubnitskaia (2013)

Marketing Your Library, edited by Carol Smallwood, Vera Gubnitskaia and Kerol Harrod (2012)

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE

BRITISH LIBRARY CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE

e-ISBN: 978-1-4766-3636-8

2019 Vera Gubnitskaia and Carol Smallwood. All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Front cover photograph and illustration 2019 ImageFlow

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com

DEB BIGGS TENBUSCH

Infusing creativity into your work is something that is not necessarily done consciously or considered essential when starting in a profession. Newly minted librarians are engaged in learning what is expected of them to do the job properly, and navigating the ebb and flow of professional waters. As the years go by, the importance of creativity becomes more apparent in order to sustain your interest in and continuing contributions to the profession. Some of us, like myself, have found a diverse palette of job opportunities within the library profession. I have been an academic and a public librarian, a marketing associate at a bibliographic database management company, a project specialist for building a special library, a director of an information clearinghouse for instruction librarians, a coordinator for a statewide digital library, an account manager for a library content provider, and now am at Gale, Cengage Learning. These different but closely aligned positions have enabled me to stay inspired within the profession by allowing me to develop diverse skill sets and opportunities thereby keeping my interests creative and ongoing.

Such is not the case for everyone. There may not be the option to move around or there may be a reason to stayfor example, tenure or a spouse/partners job. Thats where it becomes paramount to make sure that what you do professionally, what you do to ensure your livelihood, stays fresh, relevant, and continually interesting to you. In so doing, this becomes a way to enhance and advance in your career which is a realistic and the ultimate goal.

Incorporating a creative way of thinking into your career can be looked at as a methodology where you engage in thinking outside the box in the performance of your job. Managers wish lists of desired employee characteristics often include creativity, ranking it highright up there with integrity. The library profession clearly mandates integrity, but creativity on the job is also now frequently valued and expected for career advancement. Librarianship is exceptionally well suited for an individual who possesses an eclectic personality, and therefore, one could assume, has a creative mindset. Eclecticism, however, does not always equal creativity. As the clock ticks off the years, one needs to embrace or reinvent the creative streak in life to stay fresh and career focused.

The insightful collection of essays in this volume covers the wide spectrum of methods of cultivating the creative for career fulfillment and ultimate success; it also emphasizes the necessity of taking the time to explore ways to invigorate ones creativity. Starting with the first essay, readers will see the wisdom of relaxing, having fun, engaging in play, listening to music, even daydreaming, so that they can open the door to their creative selves. From there, explore gaming, improv, tarot, makerspace, writing, research, publishing, and exhibit creation. Reinvigorate your teaching and consider incorporating music, photography, art, zines, and digital collection creation and management, staff accommodations and talents, support groups, networking outside the library, and much more, as unique ways of taking a creative approach to work and the responsibilities of becoming a true professional. Frankly, I was astonished at the depths the authors went to in sharing specifics on how they each embraced creativity in their work which ultimately both enhanced and helped define or redefine their careers. If you think that your library career path might need an inspiration infusion, this is the book for you!

Steve Jobs once observed that creativity is just connecting thingsa very concise definition. You can find many and much longer descriptions, but the editors (one of the team is a published poet and the other a published and exhibited artist) believe Jobs expressed its essence. Librarians are surrounded with things to connect, and it is plain from the table of contents of Creativity for Library Career Advancement that they have the ability to recognize connectionsand they do it well. In the About the Contributors section it is also evident that the authors experiences, which they depict in their essays, echo this ability, like the highly successful diversified career of forewordist Deb Biggs Tenbusch. In todays job market as a whole, it is more necessary than ever that creativity is utilized as economics demand adaption, evolution, and renewal.

It has been a joy to read about the experiences of the contributors, who have all shared such vibrant work that is so relevant to the librarianship profession.