Caveat Lector

I almost had to go up for review next month. Yes, not even six months into the job, and I’d be putting together an argument that they ought to keep me.

Fortunately, I missed the cutoff date by two weeks. I am blessing those two weeks with all my little heart, because, yeesh, my chief accomplishments since I got here have been getting settled and figuring out what I’m doing! Somehow I don’t think puppy-dog eyes (even if I were good at puppy-dog eyes, which I’m not) would sway opinion terribly much.

A note for my proto-librarian and new-librarian readers of the academic-librarian persuasion: SAVE STUFF. SERIOUSLY. If you go to a conference, save the program. If you go to a lecture or seminar, save a flyer or your RSVP or receipt or something. If you take a class, save the grade report (oh, and incidentally, I got an A in Java), or at least the registration. If you give a presentation or a paper at a conference, save a copy of your slides, your handouts, or your paper. If you’re on a committee, save an official piece of paper that lists committee members.

And keep a (b)log of profession-related things you do.

Why? Because when you go up for contract renewal or promotion, there’s a distinctly non-zero chance your committee wants to see this stuff; around here, they’ll even accept stuff from before your current employment term as evidence of promotability. All the paper is proof you’re not fibbing, you see.

I know, I know; I’m rolling my eyes too. Even so—right this minute, make yourself a folder, and discipline yourself to stick stuff in it. I am, because next year I know I’m up for review—and I think I’m going to ask for a promotion, too; the worst they can do is say no. Fortunately, three years of experience isn’t a hard-and-fast rule for promotion around these parts, and I’m hopeful I’ll have enough other stuff to make up for lacking them.