Reflection Archives - Jo Alcock Consulting
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Reflection

18 Oct

Posted at 12:40h in Coaching, Professional issues, Reflection by
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This morning I received some coaching from someone I have a co-coaching relationship with. I came into the session with just a small issue (OK, maybe not so small) - that of my identity. I attended a workshop on personal brand earlier this week and it pushed some of these niggles to the forefront of my mind. I've been struggling with my professional identity for a few years, and have blogged about it previously when I moved from working in a library to working in a research role within a library (but not located in a library), and again when I...

25 Sep

Posted at 11:39h in Leadership, Professional issues, Reflection by
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A few years ago, I experienced a bit of a professional crisis. I was working in my job as Evidence Based Researcher (and loving the projects I was leading), chairing CILIP West Midlands, and participating in ALA Emerging Leaders. Everything was great and I was really relishing all the challenges and experiences. Internally though, when I stopped to think about all the great opportunities I had, I was panicking. How had I managed to get this great job? How had I managed to secure such a brilliant project? How had I managed to get people to support my involvement in...

18 Sep

Posted at 12:42h in Professional issues, Public speaking, Reflection by
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I was recently interviewed by Jo Wood for her new Librarians With Lives podcast where she interviews people who work in the library and information profession about their career history, their passions, their dreams, and some lighter questions too. Jo approached me a few weeks ago and we recorded the interview in August. She did give me an idea by email of the sorts of things we might discuss, though I didn't prepare too much so a lot of the conversation was spur of the moment (though Jo did an excellent job at steering the conversation so when I listened...

23 Aug

Posted at 10:00h in Events, Reflection by
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This year for the SLA Conference (see my review of SLA Conference) I was conference planner on behalf of the SLA Leadership and Management Division, a voluntary role that I started at the conference last summer. My role was to plan educational and social sessions on behalf of the division, and coordinate our kiosk in the exhibition. Although there were some challenges along the way, I'm really proud of the programme we put together. The speakers were all excellent and great to work with. I received some lovely feedback from members who had attended the sessions and gained a lot...

22 Aug

Posted at 13:15h in Events, Library, Professional Organisations, Reflection by
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It's been over two months since SLA (Special Libraries Association) Conference 2017 ended. I'd intended to blog a little sooner but I've been somewhat pre-occupied. During the time following the conference I travelled with my partner from Phoenix (where the conference was held) to Sedona (where we went off roading), then Grand Canyon (where I scared my partner by standing close to the edge), then Las Vegas (where my partner became my husband at the Tunnel of Love drive-thru wedding venue), then Orlando (where we 'Disneymoon'ed and saw a failed rocket launch). We've been back for a few weeks though...

01 Aug

Posted at 15:50h in Reflection by
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Wow. A whole year of being self-employed. It feels somehow like yesterday, yet also like a lifetime ago. In some senses it seems like nothing has changed, and in other senses it seems like everything has changed. What have I learnt or been reminded of in my first year of self-employment? Time is precious Having an hourly rate rather than an annual salary has, for me, made me much more conscious of how I am spending each day. I've always been someone who tends to spend a long time on each piece of work until it's as good as I can get...

12 Apr

Posted at 17:04h in Events, Reflection by
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I’m currently on my way back from the UKSG Conference 2017 and am busy reflecting on what a great few days I’ve had. The tiredness has hit me harder this time (I don’t know if it’s because I'm getting older, the fact I’m not sleeping well at the moment, or because I was presenting a workshop on a different topic to normal), but despite the exhaustion it’s been brilliant. I’ve vlogged reflections during the three days, and have posted these to my YouTube channel and embedded them at the end of this post, but I wanted to share a few key...

24 Feb

Posted at 09:00h in Fellowship, Reflection by
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Another Friday, another CILIP workshop! This time last week I went to Manchester for a portfolio building workshop organised by CILIP North West. I'm keen to continue to make progress on my Fellowship; ideally I'd like to submit my portfolio by June. I've done lots of development activities, applied what I've learnt, reflected (some of which has been recorded, some which needs to be recorded, some which has fed into future activities), and now it's time to start thinking about pulling it all together and seeing if I have any further gaps or if I think I've met the assessment...

17 Feb

Posted at 08:00h in Events, Reflection by
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Last week I attended the CILIP West Midlands Member Network Members' Day (yes indeed; quite a title!). I haven't managed to make the last couple of years of these events due to clashes so was pleased to be able to attend this year (and even better to attend when you're not speaking or organising!). https://twitter.com/ayubkhan786/status/830048039125544961 The focus for this year's event was on learning technologies, and we had a series of presentations as well as some discussions on the topic. A few things I discovered or was reminded of during the day: I am rubbish at finding venues I haven't been to before It...