As a lifelong learner I hope to continue learning about librarianship and staying connected to the most up to date information there is. In order to do that, I will need to join organizations, subscribe to publications, and follow the blogs of fellow librarians and libraries. Here are some of those:

Organizations:

REFORMA is a national association that promotes collections that include Spanish-Language and Latino Oriented materials. They also aim to recruit more bilingual and bicultural library staff. Although English is my first language, Spanish is my second and I hope to learn more from this association on how I can best use my Spanish-speaking skills to help others while in the Librarian profession.

The Virginia Library association aims to develop, promote, and improve library information services. They provide its members with newsletters, scholarly journals, and a website. They also support library training, education, and outreach. I am currently a member of the VLA and plan to take advantage of all that they have to offer in order to best learn how to serve my community in the public library setting.

Publications and Journals

Library Journal is a professional publication website meant to identify trends on the brink of impact and best practices and innovations to invest in. They also share important news and act as an advocate for libraries and librarians. I have already used Library Journal for some of my classes and am always impressed by their articles and the information they contain. I plan to continue reading their journals in order to stay up to date on all of the latest trends in the library world.

The Horn book magazine has the latest information on children’s literature and young adult literature. It is a bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children’s literature. Each issue is written by authorities in the field. This is a great resource to follow as it will keep me up to date on the materials available for children and young adult. This will be especially helpful if I end up working in the teen section of the library.

This is an open-access journal that is peer reviewed and run by a team of librarians. It covers information from all types of libraries. The articles represent diverse perspectives from different fields of librarianship. This resource is great as a library student as it is free of charge to access the materials. I can also narrow down my searches for the type of articles that I would like to read. It will also help me to think critically about the current and future issues of the library.

Blogs And Social Media

Shelf Talk is a blog ran by the The Seattle Public Library. In this blog, they discuss the books they are reading, give book reviews, talk about literary events, and other thinks that might be of human interest. While some of the blog post are specific to the Seattle area, the majority are more general and would be applicable to any librarian or reader in the country. This is a great source to get more information on the latest books and bookish technology.

This is a blog written by a current school librarian. Her blog contains book reviews, lesson ideas, and management tips for librarians. She aims to provide information for other librarians and teachers in order to foster a much-needed sense of community. Although I do not plan to be a school librarian, I feel that her blog will still help me come up with fun program ideas in the public library setting. I can also read the book reviews and get ideas for adding to the collection.

Book Riot is a blog dedicated to all things books. There are also many newsletters that you can subscribe to depending on your interests. The one I find most interesting is the newsletter on literary activism. This newsletter gives you news, tips and tools on how to fight censorship and other bookish activism. I am also subscribed to the In Reading Color newsletter that focuses on literature by and about people of color. I think that is an important tool to have when trying to diversify collections and programs in the library.

Programming librarian is a website of the ALA public programs office. They provide resources, connections, and opportunities for libraries. Library professionals can share, learn, and present programming services for their communities. They also professional development opportunities. This will come in handy if I am ever in a programming position and need fun ideas for community programs. These up-to-date resources will provide me with many ideas.

Background image:
I stock photos (2022). Books on table. [digital image]. istockphoto-944631208-612×612-1.jpg