Archive for September 1, 2011

My goal this year at Information Commons is to create a more efficient team organization. Last semester was my first time working with IC assistants in a team setting, and I ran into a lot of bumps along the way. I’m a visual person, so I like to have written out instructions and I communicate best through emails and words in general. So that was the main way I organized my team. We usually didn’t work together, so I sent out emails and communicated with them mainly through the blog. What I found out was that not everyone stayed organized and up-to-date this way. Often, I wasn’t sure where my team members were on a project because they didn’t leave detailed updates. And sometimes I didn’t hear from them at all. So this year, I want to create a solid communication system that consists of weekly email updates, tasks on the blog, but most of all, face-to-face interactions. Also, I want to utilize the strengths of individual team members more. Last semester I tended to give just anyone a project without considering their strengths or weaknesses. Now I want to develop specific projects targeted to individual team members strengths.

I think I can contribute to the growth of Information Commons as a whole by concentrating on my strengths and abilities. I enjoy going into the classroom and teaching, so volunteering my time to do as many training sessions as I can will help us expand our outreach as well as provide me with a professional development opportunity. My ability to develop a system of organization could be useful when planning campus wide events or even just in organizing the team structures. I’m a details person, so when it comes to planning or structure, I think I could be a great resource for figuring out the smaller but important details that make things work. All together, I think the best way I can better Information Commons is by taking my job here seriously. Unlike many jobs that college students have, Information Commons isn’t just a way to earn extra cash. I want to take advantage of the professional development opportunities I have and appreciate all the resources that Information Commons gives to me. In return, I will be offering my best work to the program and promoting it’s growth.

Before we had the whole life values session, I was kind of confused about why it was included in our retreat. But after Julianne talked about everything, I was so thankful that she had the vision to talk to us about it. Managing my priorities (I don’t believe you can manage time…but priorities you can), has been something I’ve struggled with since I’ve come to college. Having the freedom to do what I want when I want was a blessing and a curse. I have made closer friends in college than I did in High School and I’ve been able to get involved with some really amazing things. But at times, it’s hard for me to have self-discipline and finish what needs to get done. At times I feel really bad about my lack of organization in my personal life, yet doing the activity with the wheel made me realize that slowly I’m learning to keep things more in balance. Yes, I’m still working on the uneven places on my wheel, but overall, it made me realize that I’ve started to create a balance in my life.