Develop respectful reciprocal relationships with professional and community groups
Working at the David Lam Library has been an important part of my professional growth, especially as it is my first job in Canada as a newcomer. Through this experience, I have started to better understand what it means to build respectful and reciprocal relationships in practice. While I support users at the reference desk, I am also learning a lot from my supervisors and colleagues, especially in how they communicate with users and approach different situations.
Through my work with business students at UBC, I have become more interested in relationship building. I don’t see reference service as a one-time interaction. When I come across additional resources after helping a student, I often follow up and share them. These small follow-ups help build trust, and students are usually very appreciative.
At the same time, these interactions go both ways. By talking with students about their projects, I learn about the challenges they are facing and how they are thinking through problems. Many business students bring perspectives like market analysis and strategy, which has influenced how I think about my own work. It has made me reflect more on how library services are presented and how they connect with user needs.
I now see building connections between librarians and the communities we serve as an important part of our work. As we support each other, it creates space for more meaningful engagement and shared learning.
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