2014 Library Resolutions

As part of the International Librarians Network, I participate in monthly discussions online, and with my partner who works in promotion at a public library in Poland. For January 2014 the ILN discussion topic is all about Library New Years' Resolutions. The questions are based on a ‘traffic light model’, green for go, yellow for change and red for stop. This is based on the concept that it’s easy to focus on trying new and exciting things, but in order to have the time and resources to try new things we sometimes need to think about doing other things differently and stopping some things all together.


What is one new thing you want to start doing in 2014?
About two weeks ago  I briefly mentioned the Social Justice Librarian blog. This week I want to mention one of the bloggers, Greyson, and one of the posts in particular. The post entitled Real Parents and Ideal Patrons continues to shape my programming decisions AND how I speak to and about parents, patrons, and colleagues. One of my goals for 2014 is to start focusing more on social justice issues, and to perhaps write a guest post for The Social Justice Librarian Blog.

What is one thing you want to try doing differently in 2014?
I want to manage my reading differently in 2014. This past year was a year full of shoulds, oughts, and musts that overflowed into my reading life. I spent quite a bit of time thinking and worrying about what I should be reading, what I ought to read next, and what I must read to fulfill my commitments. Those shoulds, oughts, and musts impacted my reading life in two ways: 1. I rarely lost myself in any of the books I read. 2. I stopped reading solely for pleasure. This year I want to reclaim the sense of abandonment and joy of getting lost in a good book. 

What is one thing you want to stop doing in 2014?
I want to stop hoarding books.  I hear about a good book and I place it on hold at my library. This leads to me having several dozen books checked out at a time which means other library patrons don't have access to these good books. If I stop hoarding library books, I will be a better library patron, and I can enjoy the books I have checked out without the pressure of due dates and other patrons in the holds queue.


Patrons, librarians, friends, do you have any library resolutions for 2014? Please share in the comments.