SLA 2018: Reflections on Leadership and Career

A bit of backstory: In 2016, it was announced the 2018 conference was to be held in Charlotte, NC. This was directly after the “bathroom bill” was passed in the state, and many SLAers objected to the conference being held in a state where members could be made to feel unsafe. At the time I was serving out my term as the SLA New England Past President, and I quickly sent off emails to be heard at a few SLA meetings, in addition to rallying the New England Chapter behind me. We ordered ribbons. With the help of other chapter and divisions, we sponsored ribbons proclaiming ‘I stand against HB2’. We also got rainbow ribbons.

The rainbow ribbons disappeared quickly.

While making the social rounds at the conference the first night, I met Roberto Sarmiento at one of the many get-togethers for the night. He was campaigning to be the next President-Elect. And he mentioned a personal connection to our ribbons, how he had gone to get a rainbow ribbon, and there were none left. With no hesitation, I pulled mine off my badge, and handed it to him. He still has that ribbon.

Today: During the course of SLA 2018, SLA President Roberto Sarmiento encouraged all attendees to practice leadership. There was no one way to practice leadership, but rather, it was a way to celebrate our individual ways we make the organization better. With badge ribbons, of course. Because librarians *LOVE* our badge ribbons.

In the great way a conference should, I’ve been thinking about my own path as a leader in SLA. I’m a former SLA New England Chapter President. I was on the planning committee for the 2018 conference. I currently run the Twitter account for the Pittsburgh chapter. I also was a founding member of the Public Policy Task Force (of which, I was among the members to be recognized for a Presidential Citation). I keep thinking how I want to keep giving back to SLA next year.

I keep talking about how SLA is my “tribe”. How this is the group of Librarians I keep going back to, whether I’m in need of a job, mentorship, a question, or a general rant about how libraries are the pillar of our communities. I can learn, grow, make mistakes, and know someone will be there to listen.

I keep thinking how SLA has helped me to grow as a leader. How it has taught me the type of librarian I want to be. I’ve been feeling a lot of imposter syndrome lately, a lot of my career has gone sideways and I don’t know how to fix it syndrome. A lot of feeling stuck, and uncertain. I keep thinking if I still have the right and place to call myself a Librarian, an Information Professional, when there are days, I don’t even know what those words mean to me anymore.

It’s a winding road, my pathway through SLA, career, and life. And I know for everything I invest, I’ll get back.

I keep thinking how Roberto Sarmiento gave me a leadership ribbon. How I’ll keep it.

And what that means.