21 For ‘21
Headshot of Lorin Jackson. Courtesy of the author.
Lorin Jackson (she/they) started working in the Swarthmore College Libraries as a Research & Instruction Resident Librarian in the fall of 2018. Over time, they earned the title of the campus Black Studies Librarian and, in January 2021, Lorin was promoted to the Interim Head of Access & User Services in the Circulation department at McCabe. Later this month, Lorin will become the Executive Director at the Medical University of South Carolina. At MUSC, she will support the expansion of health information literacy in an outlined region of the U.S. south. Lorin’s favorite aspect of working at Swarthmore College was the relationships she cultivated with community members: from supporting classes as an embedded librarian to serving as a thesis advisor to a group of seniors.
When the Review’s Editor-At-Large, Chase Smith, was hired for a position at McCabe, they discussed with Lorin how it could be a thoughtful gesture for her to contribute a writing project she started last year to the Review. Their writing offers students pertinent wisdoms to consider during the overwhelming and ongoing pandemic. Here are 21 golden nuggets of truth for 2021 from Lorin to you...
1. Practice. Practice. Practice.
Anything you commit yourself to and deem worthwhile, be sure to practice. Moreover, your practices should be in alignment with your values. Neural pathways like consistent routines and patterns. By practicing, you develop these skills more seamlessly—they become natural, easy, automated.
Perhaps giving (or receiving!) constructive feedback is a tenuous practice for you. Practice giving constructive feedback using the best practices (see what I did there?) that you’ve seen people you respect use. Follow their examples. Reflect and write about your experiences. Rinse and repeat.
2. It’s ok not to be right all the time and not to know everything.
Think for a moment about any time you’ve witnessed someone you admire admitting they were wrong or or did not know something. How refreshing, humbling, and lovely is it when someone does this?! While college, and even your first job out of college or graduate school, can feel intimidating, it is okay to acknowledge and apologize for your mistakes. Mistakes are truly how we learn. That’s why they are called experiments in your classes—you are trying and the attempt is a worthwhile endeavor.
You can normalize changing your opinion or perspective when presented with new information. You’ll notice that when you do this, you model this behavior for others, and give permission to your peers or even loved ones to do the same.
Also, remember to think before you speak. Take a beat and a breath before you say what you need to say. Are you sure it’s what you want to say? How would it come across to you if someone said it to you?
3. Represent yourself well.
If someone is exploiting you, how can you enact boundaries? We have more power over situations than we often think we do.
When it comes to your professional identity, invest in professional headshots and take your time with your resume or CV. A well-crafted cover letter, resume, or CV can open many doors. A pro-tip is to go to an interview in your favorite professional outfit with your favorite socks in your favorite shoes, or even your favorite undies. It’s like a secret power. Trust me.
4. Nourish yourself constantly.
Every morning I like to clean/tidy something, meditate, hydrate, eat, move, and do something intellectually stimulating. None of these need to take very long, but this routine sets me up to have a better day. This also goes along with using and applying a project management system and integrating it on the daily, especially when life gets rough or you are hit with a curveball.
5. Read the room.
6. Thank people and give compliments intentionally.
Make it a point to genuinely thank anyone who helps you—especially the people who are rarely recognized. Be the one who does when no one else will or does. This is especially impactful as you grow into leadership positions and your words carry increased weight.
When people neglect to thank you or acknowledge you, make sure you thank yourself and receive praise from your support network or chosen family.
Also, remember to use the “positivity sandwich,” i.e., when you need to talk about something difficult: compliment, hard thing, compliment.
7. Embrace and apply at least some concepts of minimalism.
8. Challenge capitalistic conceptions of work and individualism. It won’t change unless you work to change it.
9. Think about and find ways to give back or volunteer every year. Invest time, energy, money, or resources to at least one cause you care about wholeheartedly.
10. When creating something, ask: is it accessible? How can I make it more accessible if no one else has, even if those needs aren’t my specific needs? Who is not being included or represented that I should think about? Could my language be more inclusive or positively framed or constructed?
11. Keep reading and learning for life. You are a student of life, after all.
12. Remember your inner child and get to know them. Doing so will heal a lot of complicated things you may have encountered during your childhood. I certainly did, and learning from who I was as a little one helped me remember that I always wanted to be a librarian.
13. Engage with the elements and nature. Get outside and explore safely. This is natural medicine.
14. Go to therapy.
15. Friends come and go, but make sure you’re friends with yourself first. Investigate codependency, your attachment style & your love language.
Bonuses to investigate about yourself: enneagrams, Myers-Briggs type, astrology signs, tarot cards…
16. Take social media & digital breaks often. The world will be fine while you disconnect for a minute.
17. Find a task management system that works for you and apply vigorously. I mentioned this before, but it can’t be overstated. You know the power of a good to-do list. Keep using it. I like Todoist.com myself, but use one that works for you.
18. Check in with yourself and ask yourself: what do I need to get through this day, month, year? (Bonus points if you know this reference.)
Changes happen and our needs change along with them. Sometimes emergencies will arise and your needs will change. This can happen with your health or those of your loved ones, your job, your family. Before you panic, make it a point to check in with yourself and ask first for what you need. Get some clarity and it will go a long way to addressing any conflict or challenging situation you find yourself in. You can surprise yourself by how much you’ve grown and how you can figure something out that you thought you couldn’t (at first).
19. Ask for support when you need it and be understanding if someone can’t provide it.
Sometimes, they aren’t in the right place or don’t have the capacity. Don’t take it personally. They may be going through their own personal storm, but you can always reconnect with them later when their storm has passed.
20. Also, ask someone before you vent if it’s okay to share. People appreciate this.
21. Remember your unique gifts and contributions, but not at the expense of anyone else’s—embrace both/and. Both/and is a principle of Black feminism (scholar Patricia Hill Collins talks extensively about this and I recommend you read more about the concept). Everyone has a light. They can be great and you can be great. I’m confident that you are great already and always have been, so there is no need to compare yourself to others. Your goal should be to embrace your own strengths and encourage others to embrace theirs.
These are musings and thoughts that I wish someone had shared with me as a new graduate or even as a first-year college student. I feel that these points of clarity have helped me be a better person, a better leader, a better friend. I hope you, too, find some of these golden nuggets useful. Thanks for reading through and indulging me in my effort to leave a gift in closing to you, dear Swatties.