Statement of Competency 13

Competency 13: Demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for professional work including collaboration and presentations

Introduction

A successful career in the library and information profession requires oral and written communication skills that facilitate the interactive exchange of ideas and knowledge. Oral communication skills manifest themselves in presentations, instruction, collaborations, meetings, reference transactions, and countless other social situations inherent to the library and information profession. Written communication skills take a variety of forms, such as papers, strategic plans, articles, newsletters, reports, emails, blogs, web pages, etc. Library and information professionals must be experts in a wide range of communication techniques and formats to construct and share information, which are important for professional development, the advancement of the field, and personal and professional advocacy.

Personal learning networks involve the exchange of ideas and information pertaining to a specific career path. “Information professionals connect with a global network, use inspiration from the worldwide information community, and translate and adapt those ideas- thereby bringing value into their own local community” (Holmquist, 2015, p. 374). Library professionals participate in these networks by attending or hosting conferences, forums, MOOCs, or podcasts; joining or serving in professional associations; and subscribing to or creating newsfeeds, email lists, social media, and blogs, for example. These forms of communication are essential for keeping abreast of new trends and developments in the field, and for professional advice regarding best practices and procedures. Personal learning networks are also an invaluable tool for seeking or advertising employment situations.

Collaboration and communication are vital for all professional environments, in which a wide range of stakeholders contribute to the proper functioning of a collective organization. Multiple perspectives and experiences are necessary for collaborative planning and problem solving. Oral, written, and presentation skills help to communicate key concepts to patrons, colleagues, administration, funding sources, and policy makers. Library and information professionals need to be able to summarize and synthesize ideas into a format that resonates with their audience.

Information professions are continually in danger of becoming reduced or eliminated due to scarce funding and a misunderstanding of the significance of our service to the community. It is therefore crucial to market our own worth and to demonstrate the value of our profession. Outreach, reports, newsletters, blogs, fundraising, and social media posts are all components of a successful advocacy campaign that keeps stakeholders informed of our activities and develops support among community members.

Evidences

The following evidence is submitted to satisfy Competency 13:

Describe and build a database (with Collaborate recording), a group project from INFO 202 Information Retrieval Systems
Library and information science blog, a student blog from INFO 200 Information Communities and INFO 233 School Media Centers
Video presentation: George M. Aldridge Memorial Collection, a group presentation from INFO 284 Digitization and Digital Preservation
Cover letter sample, an assignment from INFO 204 Information Professions

INFO 202 Describe and build a database (with Collaborate recording)

This project from INFO 202 provides evidence of my ability to work as part of a team and to use the Collaborate platform to communicate orally with other group members. I was responsible for setting up the Collaborate session and for launching and leading this particular meeting. The purpose of the assignment was to increase our understanding of structured databases that can be accessed by information retrieval systems. In this project, our group analyzed units in a collection of pillows, defined attributes that described the units, and developed rules for cataloging the units. The Collaborate session is one of a series of meetings at which group members developed ground rules and roles, discussed the project, agreed on main points, distributed the work among team members, and developed a timeline and deadlines. This recording and paper demonstrate that I can successfully communicate orally with a group of colleagues and work as a member of a team to produce a comprehensive project.

INFO 200 and INFO 233 Library and information science student blog

I created this blog as an assignment in INFO 200, and continued to use it in INFO 233. The purpose of the blog was to share knowledge and experiences related to the profession. The general subject of the blog is Library and Information Science, and post topics range from technological issues in the information field, to general and specific information communities, to information literacy, to school libraries, to intellectual freedom, and more. This piece of evidence shows that I am able to create my own blog that develops and expands my personal learning network. I am aware of the importance of using modern platforms to reach out to members of the library and information profession, keep informed of new ideas and theories, and share my own knowledge and experiences. This blog demonstrates my written communication skills. If I were to create a professional blog today, it would be focused on issues pertaining to school library media centers, which is my current profession. Its scope would be narrower, and it would be designed to appeal to others in my specific area of interest. Posts would probably be more practical than theoretical in nature.

INFO 284 Video presentation: George M. Aldridge Memorial Collection

This video is a narrated explanation of a collection of digital reproductions of historical documents. The project was created for INFO 284 by four group members, two of which contributed next to nothing to the project. The video presentation describes to users the components of the collection, the functions and features of the CONTENTdm software, and how to access the individual items of the collection. I was responsible for writing the script and narrating the sections on metadata, preservation, and challenges, beginning at 9m 39sec. I also helped to plan the script describing the functionality of CONTENTdm.

The narrative provides evidence of my oral communication skills. The video demonstrates my abilities to collaborate as part of a team and to present a project to a specific audience of history scholars and enthusiasts. I feel that this project was particularly well done, and is clear evidence that I have mastered Competency 13.

INFO 204 Cover letter sample

This last piece of evidence was written as an assignment for INFO 204, for which the class was instructed to write a cover letter for a specific job application. Although the letter is very satirical, it demonstrates my ability to use humor as a means to communicate with my colleagues (many of whom were amused). I personally feel that a sense of humor provides a human touch, and can often reach an audience when dry numbers and theories can appear distant and abstract. I feel that used tastefully, sensitively, and within reason, a sense of humor goes a long way in making connections and developing relationships of all kinds. I cannot improve on this letter- it is pure genius, if I do say so myself.

Conclusion

The entire library and information profession and all its constituents benefit from an open exchange of information and ideas, from which “they gain new knowledge and competencies, opportunities, and even access to new information for their communities” (Holmquist, 2015, p. 379). Written and oral communication skills are essential for participation in the vast network of our professional colleagues. The evidence presented above demonstrates that I have mastered the communication, collaboration, and presentation skills required by Competency 13.

References

Holmquist, J. (2015). Global learning networks. In Hirsh, S. (Ed.), Information Services Today: An Introduction (Chapter 38). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.