Staying in Touch with the Users

I started my professional life as a cataloger. I have felt the push and pull of inter-departmental wranglings: “they don’t understand the value of what we do!” and “they don’t understand how people actually use the catalog!” Now that I’ll be helping e-resource librarians implement an ERM system and will no longer be an end user myself, I’m conscious of the fact that I’ll start to lose touch with what it really means to do the job.

I would like to minimize that phenomenon as much as possible, and I’d like your help, dear reader. I still manage ERIL-L, I’ve recently learned about a couple e-resources blogs and have subscribed, and I recently joined the editorial board of JERDA, so I’ll surely be reading that. I plan to attend NASIG and start a subscription to Against the Grain. I know there’s more out there–what else should I be doing to stay connected to the front lines of ERM? Journals, websites, blogs, conferences? Send your suggestions, please, so I’ll be well prepared to assist should Verde be in your library’s future!