:: as you meet and learn ::

There are some meetings that make you feel accomplished and inspired at the end of it.
And today's was one of them.
We met the managing director of a brand consultancy, appointed by the National Library Board on branding exercises.
Being representatives, we participated in the 2hr focus-group discussion, looking into issues and challenges that our national library will face in future as well as giving feedback as a frequent patron of the library on how the facilities had one way or another helped enhanced our learning & researching purposes.

The library has always been one of my favorite place.
As the group delved deeper into the roles our local libraries play, a question was raised.
Is a technologically advanced library a good thing?
Yes, if it reduced the administrative workload.
Though there could be a downside to it.
With all the technological advancement, could we be losing the human touch or simply a pleasant service from the library staff?
Could an efficient search engine replaced a warm, friendly librarian who engaged conversations with you?

I used to complain having to go to different meetings with different types of people.
But as I was attentively listening to the ongoing discussion, I realized there's so many things I took away from every session.
And every experience has helped me broaden my perspectives, open a new dimension at the way perceive things, clear my judgments, increase awareness of issues, create a working network and most importantly make me believe in what I've set to do.

The man understood my ambitious nature, my irregular schedules with all the last minute meetings that suddenly propped up when the need arises and all I can say for now is that I've never been more thankful for having been granted a supportive equal.


Though I do admit, not all meetings have a happy ending - for you'd be surprised how your workload suddenly tripled just by an hour of meeting.

My last issue with NIE Voices as editor, a year breezed through and for all the whines and complaints, I would never have traded anything with the experience I gained working with people outside my specialization.

Work has never been this great.