Professional Service: A Few Perspectives

Abstract

An ongoing topic I continue to think about is what professional service means to others and to myself. Considering many facets of professional service, such as internally to the library, university-wide, to service in professional organizations on local, regional, national, international levels, I’m sure there are other types of professional service I haven’t even thought about. I have found professional service essential to understanding how to do my job, developing new skills, to making lasting connections with colleagues that have become close friends and collaborators. As Editor and one of many stewards of C&RL, I see the work and time put in by peer reviewers, the authors, the Editorial Board and ACRL staff who all work together to generate each issue. Recognizing how professional service is interpreted can vary within individuals, but also within their institutional cultures, I mentioned this in a conversation with former C&RL Editor Wendi Arant-Kaspar. She had the insightful idea of asking for viewpoints from the Editorial Board members to write an editorial—so here we are!