Get out of the Office

Over the past 10 years or so, I have made it a habit to occasionally leave the office early or come in a bit late and spend time at the local or campus Starbucks enjoying a cup of coffee and a change of scenery. While there, I am typically doing email or working on something job related, so you may think that I am not really away from the office. I beg to differ as the change of venue provides a change of perspective.

At the last two places I have worked, I have had offices with no windows. Many of my staff have thought it was strange that the Dean was in a windowless office. My response to this, although I would enjoy a window, if I am doing my job well that at least half of my time should be spent out of the office building relationships with faculty, staff, and administrators across campus and in the community.

In my job, I travel fairly often. Typically, I am going to a conference or professional meeting and sometimes visiting other libraries in the US and abroad. I also encourage my staff to get out of the office and be involved professionally in ways that make sense to them and relate to their responsibilities.

Because travel is one of the first budget items to get tightened or eliminated in economic downturn, I think it is important to think about the value that it brings to the work that we do. Professional travel is not simply about training or participating in a conference, as valuable as these can be to our professional development and the contribution we bring to the educational enterprise. Professional travel is a means for engaging with the wider world and looking for opportunities for engagement. Besides the formal aspects of professional development, there are, in my opinion, two other major and critically important values in getting out of the office; networking and reflection.

Librarians are part of a community of practice which is truly collaborative. Conferences, professional meetings, committees, etc. are all opportunities to interact with very bright and enthusiastic professionals. While they may not necessarily turn into best friends, they do represent an important professional network of support. My dissertation examined the role of virtual communities of practice in professional development, which did show that virtual communities do have a professional networking role but work significantly better if community participants meet in person at some point. This in-person networking fundamentally changes the nature of the interaction and the ongoing relationship. Because I have been able to “get out of the office” I have a wonderful cadre of colleagues from places as diverse as Columbia University, the British Library, Macalester College, and the University of Wyoming to name a few. I can call on these people for advice, collaboration, as well as inspiration.

For me, a second and equally important value of getting out of the office is the chance to reflect. When I think of reflection it is not necessarily sitting in a solitary space enjoying a quiet sunset or a majestic mountain view, although these can be wonderful experiences. For me, the reflective moment often comes when I am sitting in a workshop, or keynote address. These are times when my brain is most active and I make connections between what I am hearing and other ideas that I have been consciously or unconsciously living with. For me, this type of reflection happens most often when I am out of the office, away from the library. There is something about stepping away that opens that reflective moment.

This coming week, take a moment and “get out of the office”. It can change your life.