cpd23 – Thing 1 (and a few thoughts on blogging)

This summer I am taking part in cpd23, a self-directed online course that is being “run” by information professionals for information professionals. Each week for the next 16 weeks there will be a few “things” posted on the cpd23 website. Participants work through the “things,” interacting with one another and learning as they go. I think that this is a fun way to learn and make connections and I am excited about what I will gain from the experience. As a recent MLIS graduate starting the job hunt, I hope that the 23 Things program will keep me exploring, questioning and learning about the profession.

Check out the full 16-week schedule HERE.

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A few quick thoughts on blogging

You write it all, discovering it at the end of the line of words. The line of words is a fiber optic, flexible as wire; it illuminates the path just before its fragile tip. You probe with it, delicate as a worm – Annie Dillard

I have blogged, in one form or another, for several years. The most powerful thing that I have gained from the experience is a forced introspection and awareness of my own opinions. Being dialectical in nature (if not always in practice), writing a blog post makes me think widely about different issues. By the time I get to the end of a blog post, I usually am confronted with more questions than answers – but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.

I see my blogging as something accumulative. My hope is that over the years I have grown as a blogger (and as a person) by amassing more knowledge and critical thinking skills from both the interactions that I have had with others and from the process of sitting at my computer and putting down my thoughts. A particular post on a particular day may come across as uninspired or misinformed at a later day. But taking a long view, it was just another (mis)step in the ladder I have been climbing these lasts several years and I, no doubt, learned from it.

In a speech at the Nobel Banquet in 1950 William Faulkner told young writers that there is no room for “anything but the old verities and truths of the heart.” I am not a writer, but I do call myself a blogger – yes, there is a very big distinction. Nevertheless, I strive to live up to Faulkner’s advice and I hope that I have had some measure of success in the past and that I continue to improve in the years to come.