Respect and camaraderie.  Think of how much you will give when asked to do so by someone you respect and with whom you share camaraderie.  You’ll give plenty.  Everything you’ve got.  Where camaraderie and respect exist you will find the makings of a formidable organization. ~Coach John Wooden

This is so easy for me to relate to.  Here’s a picture of me with my best friend:

The interests we share, our common goals… all of this makes it easy for me to give whatever is needed for success.  In the workplace, the Gallup folks tell us that having a BFF at work will improve employee retention, engagement and loyalty.  Fellow blogger Liisa Pursiheimo-Marcks points out the discomfort we have with the Best-Friend-at-Work question, and the undeniable effectiveness of it.  I know that I appreciate being able to share my successes and my woes (professional and, to a lesser degree, personal) with the people I work with every day.  And, in community work?  That’s a bit trickier.  Relationship-building takes time.  Unless you are working on a project together, it is difficult to get that BFF feeling.

I have met many community members in the City of Springfield that I am honestly delighted to see everytime we cross paths.  My hope is that, as I take my work outside of the library and into the community, the relationships I am building will lead to mutual respect and a true sense of camaraderie.  I believe we are on that road.

In September 2010, I began my partnership with Springfield City Libraries.  I continue to teach hands-on classes in the computer lab.  Even though our health information class sizes continue to be small, the librarians do have a sense of friendship, respect and camaraderie.  We are expanding health information services for the Springfield community.