Being a library student and a “newborn” medical librarian, I was thrilled receive an Annual Meeting Scholarship and to attend my first NAHSL conference this year! And when I say “newborn”, I literally mean it: I just started my job as a solo hospital librarian one month prior to this conference. So every single thing I experienced at NAHSL was of value to me. From the business meeting to the vendors to the round table discussions and the happy hour trivia! Every part of this jam-packed day was amazing and worth-while.
I learned so much that it is hard to focus on one specific part of the day that was most impactful to me. However, I think one of the most important take-aways was presented during Joe Diver’s keynote discussion. Now, I was going to call this a keynote speech, but really, it turned into much more than just a lecture (not sure if this was what he was anticipating, but that’s the way it went!) The topic was “Steady Ahead: Library as Community Center in the Digital Age…An Innovator’s Perspective”. His objective seemed to be to drive positive organizational change, and the role of the library in this change. Very early on in his talk though, one of the comments from a fellow librarian sparked a great discussion. Her comment was about her frustration in regards to not having a seat in the “circle of influence” which might drive those organizational changes. Joe then mentioned an acronym that I had never heard of before - ADKAR for change:
A = Awareness
D = Desire
K = Knowledge
A = Ability
R = Reinforcement
Essentially, being able to recognize what needs to be changed, transition that change and then monitor and adjust overtime. In the case of health science libraries (and in my case specifically) is to place value on our important library positions. I don’t worry that my job might be eliminated, but what bothers me is that so many people in my organization don’t even know I’m here and what I can offer to support them! Using my new ADKAR skills, I began to create a 3-year vision for my library and this position. Determine how I want to change it and more importantly, how I can get a seat in that “circle of influence” to facilitate knowledge and change going forward.
The keynote really was only one small piece of understanding acquired during the conference. I could go on and on with the amount of amazing people I met and things I learned. And although I am so brand new at all of this, I emerged from the conference feeling like I had grown professionally in many ways. I truly enjoyed my day in Springfield with a fabulous group of library professionals and I have already marked my calendar for the two-day event in Portland, Maine next year. Thank you so much for giving me this amazing opportunity!
Amanda Doughty
Medical Library & CME Coordinator, Eastern Connecticut Health Network
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