Next week I begin a new position at NoveList^® as the Customer Relationship Coordinator. The opportunity to work with the fabulous team there was too good to pass up and I’m looking forward to working with many different libraries in this capacity. As happy as I was to begin consulting full-time, I’m even more excited about working with the talented, creative group at NoveList^®.

If you have a training need, please contact me and I will be happy to connect you with another consultant who is a good match for your needs. I am available for a limited amount of speaking engagements and look forward to presenting a full day preconference on training skills for non-trainers in May at the Maryland Library Association Conference and a keynote about coping with change as well as a breakout session about working with multiple generations in October at the UW-Madison SLIS-Continuing Education Service Conference for Circulation Managers and Staff.

I’d like to take a moment to thank the following people who were instrumental in my success as a consultant by serving as mentors, advisers, and trusted colleagues: Pat Wagner, Paul Signorelli, Nicole Engard, Andrew Sanderbeck, Polly-Alida Farrington, Chad Mairn, Dick Handshaw, and Guy Wallace.

Thank you also to everyone else who has followed me online through Twitter and Facebook and offered support and encouragement this past year.

So what happens to my blog? This site has transitioned since 2005 from one of the original 23 Things participant blogs, to Library Trainer, to my own domain name. Writing is a great way for me to reflect and share things I’ve learned. I searched for the right name for months and finally out of frustration made a joke on Facebook that I should just call this “A Work in Progress.” Ironically since my passions are personal and professional development, the name stuck. I plan to write about a variety of topics that relate to libraries as well as other organizations but mostly information that is relevant to you on a personal level. I envision this site as becoming the Oprah of library blogs. Much of what I share will be practical advice or information mixed in with personal stories. Look for upcoming posts about dealing with information overload as well as what it is like to work as a consultant. If there are topics you are interested in, please contact me. I look forward to sharing this new journey with you.

Feel free to also connect with me on:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/lorireed

Facebook: http://facebook.com/lorireed

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/loribreed

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/russandlori

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.”
~Helen Keller

Wishing you all the best!

Over the past year I’ve transitioned from thinking and working about “training” to focusing more on the end result–performance and answering the question of how do we improve the services and the quality of service we provide to our customers. Sometimes training is the answer but more often it’s not. Training is only a small part of a solution in performance consulting.

I’ve also recently become the managing editor of ALA Learning, the official blog of the Learning Round Table of the American Library Association. When Peter Bromberg first asked me to take over the helm, I wondered how I would keep up with contributing to two training blogs. But I’ve found that being a part of a group blog, especially this group, is very rewarding. Seriously how can one go wrong when working with this crew? The quality and depth of content is far more than any one person could provide without making it a full time job.

So with ALA Learning under way and with performance consulting in mind, I’ve decided to take a leap of faith and move my content to LoriReed.com where I will continue to write about topics relevant to libraries about training but with a much broader focus. I’m also planning to write more about a topic very close to my heart–work/life balance and the trials and tribulations of being a working mom with a successful career. Don’t worry, I’m not about to become a mommy blogger! No tales of dirty diapers or moonsand to give you nightmares. I’m planning to focus more on the answer to the question that I get asked more than any other–how do you do it all?

There is a rumor that you can’t have it all. I disagree! You can have it all but you have to be very focused on what is you want and why. You also have to accept the fact that sometimes you can’t have it all at once. Life really is a marathon and not a sprint. I remind myself of that every day.

I hope you will follow me over to LoriReed.com. This is a great week for the transition since it is also Round 4 of the Library Day in the Life project created by Bobbi Newman. Therefore I take back the promise of no moonsand stories. You might see a few of those this week.

If you are a LibraryTrainer subscriber, please update your feed to: http://feeds.feedburner.com/lorireed.

If you prefer an email subscription click here.

Thanks to everyone who has followed Library Trainer for the past two years. It’s having readers like you, who provide comments and interaction from the faceblogotwittofriendfeedosphere, that make blogging a fun and satisfying endeavor.

Stay tuned for details about the future of LibraryTrainer.com. I have exciting news to share soon!

I’ll be at ALA Midwinter next week at all of the LearnRT events and meetings. If you see me please stop me and say hello. Regardless of whether you are a member or not attend the Learning Town Hall Meet and Greet on Friday, January 15 from 3:30-5:00 at the INTER-Rose Kennedy II.

Safe travels and may 2010 bring the best for you!

Years went by and I did not think much about the MDA Telethon again until I became a firefighter. On Labor Day weekend fire departments across the nation support the MDA with their “Fill the Boot” campaign.

Now many years later I watch the telethon every year with a mix of emotions. This is my 10-year anniversary of being diagnosed with the neuromuscular disease Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT). Luckily the effects I experience from CMT are very mild—the worst being some pain with walking or prolonged activity as well as overall fatigue. I am blessed that this disease will not shorten my life, but this is not the case for many of the more than a million Americans who suffer from neuromuscular diseases—diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) which can cause death within 3-5 years.

While my health insurance covers all of my treatment for CMT, it does not cover the research that is needed to find treatments and cures for these diseases. Since many of these diseases have had their genetic cause identified there is a good chance that they can be cured or at a minimum have reduced pain and suffering through stem cell therapy or other forms of treatment.

As you celebrate Labor Day weekend with your families and friends please consider a small donation to the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the telethon, online, online auction, or if you see firefighters collecting for Jerry’s Kids, fill their boots! Every penny raised counts and goes to benefit the lives of more than a million Americans afflicted with neuromuscular diseases.

Some facts:

• MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education.
• The majority of contributions to MDA come from individual donors.
• MDA is the largest nongovernmental sponsor of muscle and nerve disease research.
• Funded almost entirely by individual private contributions, MDA seeks no fees from those it serves.
• MDA dedicates 78.3 cents of every dollar it spends directly to research, services and education.
• MDA sends more than 4,000 youngsters with muscular dystrophy to accessible MDA summer camps each year, at a cost to MDA of $800 per camper. There’s no charge to families.
• Tens of thousands of people visit MDA’s 220 clinics and 35 MDA/ALS centers every year.
• MDA awards research grants to more than 300 teams of scientists and physicians worldwide.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post and have a safe and relaxing holiday!

Last month I was elected to be on the board for the Charlotte Chapter of ASTD. I’ve been a member of ASTD on and off for about nine years and am excited about serving on the board for such a great chapter.

Tomorrow I am headed to Arlington, Virginia for the ASTD Chapter Leaders Conference. The lineup of speakers is impressive, and I’m really looking forward to hearing Bob Pike–the guru of all things training/learning.

Opening General Session: Afterburner
Working together to sculpt a masterpiece—tips from fighter pilots on achieving optimal team performance

Keynote: Andrea Nierenberg
The Art of Networking and Relationship Building

Closing Keynote: Bob Pike
Sculpting a “Successful Attitude”: How You Think Does Make a Difference

There are lots of concurrent sessions as well.

I’m also looking forward to seeing my friend Paul Signorelli and meeting some new faces in learning.

Since I was in about 6th grade I wanted to be a college professor–of Astronomy. I excelled in elementary and middle school. High school on the other hand did not challenge me, and as a result I was not interested in learning. Given all that upon graduating high school I had two scholarships–a 3-year ROTC scholarship to FSU and a cosmetology scholarship to our local vocational school.

My parents encouraged me to get a “good job” as a secretary.

I spent that first summer out of high school working as a summer camp counselor for the YMCA. That was one of the hardest and most rewarding jobs I’ve ever had. It was there that a coworker encouraged me to apply for EMT training. I was accepted and had my scholarship transferred from the cosmetology program to the EMT program.

From the first night of class I knew that this was the place for me. I loved the practical education. I loved the clinical rotations in the hospital and fire station. I became known as the “trauma queen.” Whenever I arrived for an all-nighter at the fire station the fire fighters knew they would get no sleep. I think I set a record for the number of trauma calls during one semester.

During the course of my training and years as an EMT and firefighter I’ve held a human heart in my hand as it stopped beating, recovered bodies from a plane crash, crawled under a car to administer first aid to a trapped patient, seen the results of not wearing a motorcycle helmet, been shot at, and cried with a patient as he died from cancer. I’ve also been called on to “assist a citizen” who had a duck in her yard.

One of the other things I learned about myself was that I loved training. I became certified to teach CPR, first aid, and EMT classes. I think I was one of the youngest trainers in the area.

As you can imagine being an EMT and a firefighter is intensely physical labor. A few years of this took a toll on my body and I transitioned to a job as an emergency dispatcher. Now I was like a fish in water. I loved the fast pace, multitasking, planning, and technology. A fellow dispatcher and I became friends and she told me I “had” to meet her brother. To make a long story a little bit shorter. Her brother (now my husband) and I wrote letters (yes snail mail) for a few years until we finally met. About two months after meeting in person I left my job and the career I had established and moved from Florida to North Carolina with no job in sight. It was a leap of faith (and love).

I decided I wanted a change in careers. I had a few jobs here and there (bank teller, waitress, receptionist, computer trainer) and eventually landed a job working for Microsoft. As a support engineer for Microsoft Access I provided support to customers around the world. It was a great environment to work in, but the thing most people don’t realize about a company like this is that they hire only the best of the best. Previously I’d always been the star. Working at Microsoft is like being the valedictorian of your high school then going to an elite university where everyone else was was valedictorian too. Keeping up with the techies was a struggle, but the awesome thing about Microsoft is that their culture is not hung up on degrees. In fact, Bill Gates dropped out of college to found the company. Although I had taken college courses here and there, this was reassurance that I could put off completing my degree even longer.

In the Spring of 1999 I began having symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. I saw doctor after doctor and had test after test. Technicians thought the nerve conduction machine was broken because there was no response no matter how high they turned it up. When they brought in a class of medical students I knew something was really wrong.

Eventually I was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy called charcot-marie-tooth disease (CMT) just a few months before my wedding. I was told that the disease would slowly progress and that I may lose most of the use of my hands and eventually need a wheelchair. The diagnosis came as a huge blow to me. I had never suspected that I had any health problems. After all, I had been a firefighter. I had raised money for Jerry’s kids. Now I was one of Jerry’s kids?

Within two weeks I was laid off from Microsoft.

I applied and was interviewed for job after job in IT and training. The interviews went great. Until I disclosed my newly diagnosed disability and accommodations that I would need–such as voice recognition software to reduce the amount of keyboarding, handicapped parking, etc. By law I did not have to disclose my condition until after being hired, but I wanted to make sure that I went to work for a supportive organization. Besides who wants to start a job under false pretenses?

I remember seeing the job posted for an Automation Support Coordinator for PLCMC and thinking to myself. This is it. This is the job for me. I had always loved libraries and this job had computers, training, working with the public all in one. It seemed like the perfect job at the perfect time. I remember my interview like it was yesterday. It went well until the last question. “Can you perform the duties of this job with or without accommodations?” My heart sunk as I disclosed my condition. Elaine Novak reassured me that this would not effect the library’s decision and that there were other employees with disabilities. I left with a sinking feeling in my stomach.

Weeks went by without hearing anything. A month after my interview I received the job offer.

Nine years, a husband, and two kids later I have a job and career that I love in libraries. I’ve worked my way up to coordinating training for the library system. I’m getting started in consulting. My health is mostly good, and my condition has actually improved over the years. I can’t imagine working anyplace other than in a library. Next year I will graduate with my BS in Communication and then go on to graduate school. It is often a struggle to work full-time, have two kids, and go to school. But the experiences I’ve had are ones that have shaped the life I have now. Now seriously…can you imagine how different my life would be if I’d become a cosmetologist?

Since this is the meme that won’t go away, I’m tagging Marianne Lennox, Stephanie Zimmerman, Tony Tallent, and Helene Blowers. How did you get started in libraries?

Registered as unaffiliated, I get to choose which primary I vote in. It’s a toss up this year. The Republican candidate is pretty much already a given, and I am all for both of the Democratic front runners. Part of me feels it really doesn’t matter. It’s just a primary.

But something happened on the way to work this morning. I thought about all the women who came before me who fought so hard for our right to vote. Would I be doing them a disservice by not voting? Does apathy ever result in anything good?

I turned my car around and drove to my precinct. The parking lot was full, but I went in anyway. I knew that if I did not go first thing this morning I would keep finding an excuse not to do it. I only waited in line for about 15 minutes. While I was waiting I reflected on the excitement I felt when I turned 18 and registered to vote and felt even more so the first election I voted in.

I quickly but carefully cast my ballot and silently gave thanks to the many volunteers who work at precincts around the country.

To all my friends in Indiana and North Carolina, please go out and vote today!

]]> http://lorireed.com/i-voted/feed/ 2 http://lorireed.com/out-of-the-cube-farm/ http://lorireed.com/out-of-the-cube-farm/#comments Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:21:01 +0000 Lori Reed http://librarytrainer.com/2008/04/04/out-of-the-cube-farm/ One of my department’s goals during our reorganization was to have the Human Resources staff together in one location. Up until last week we had a staff of four in three different locations. Last week I moved into a great office with the other training specialist for PLCMC.

It is a beautiful office located in Virtual Village. I can’t believe what a difference it makes to be in a quiet office out of the traffic that flows through my old cube farm.

The room is partitioned by a 5-foot wall across the center. Julia is on the left side right as you walk in and I am hidden away on the right.

There is also space in the corner for a small conference table, microwave, fax, and my tree that has followed me around the library during my 9 years here.