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At the 2011 ALA Midwinter Conference, the ACRL New Members Discussion Group
presented a panel on ³Personal Branding for New Librarians.´ Moderated by Bohyun Kim
(Florida International University), the panel featured four librarians speaking about their
Public Library, NJ), Kiyomi Deards (University of Nebraska Lincoln), Lisa Carlucci Thomas
(Southern Connecticut State University) and Andromeda Yelton (recent graduate, Simmons
College).
The ALA New Members Round Table published an excellent summary of the
presentation written by Andromeda Yelton in their newsletter, u In it, Yelton covered
the panel discussion and more, highlighting three ³common themes´ of the discussion:
When it comes to personal branding, Bell writes, ³all your actions and messages must emerge
from [those] core beliefs and they must be consistent´ (2011). In these articles, Yelton and Bell
each draw attention to remarks I made regarding a core aspect of personal branding: establishing
professional relationships. This action is one of four critical building blocks necessary to support
your personal brand and develop it into a credible, recognizable, representation of you and your
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work. The four essential building blocks for personal brands are: name, message, channels, and
bridges.
Start by deciding on a brand name: will you use your given name or invent a business
name? Will you abbreviate the name or perhaps use initials? Select a version of your brand name
that is easy to read and spell phonetically; and ideally, isn¶t too long. Longer names take up
prime real estate in text-limited environments, such as Twitter and SMS, and can also be more
difficult for your connections to remember and spell correctly. Once a brand name has been
associations with unlikely affiliates of the same name. And don¶t forget to search it on leading
search across numerous social networks and allow you to view name availability results at a
glance.
A brand represents a particular service, product, or experience to those who engage with
it. It¶s imperative to develop a definitive understanding of the brand for yourself before you go
public and revisit it regularly after the brand is launched. This doesn¶t mean that your message
won¶t expand or evolve; on the contrary, it should evolve. However, you must be able to clearly
articulate the value and purpose of your brand. What separates your brand from others? What are
the skills and knowledge that make you unique? What will you bring to the table? Social
business expert Chris Brogan advises that you should build your brand around ³whatever matters
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Can you sustain it? Brogan¶s website offers a wealth of down to earth, practical advice for
http://www.chrisbrogan.com.
social and online media with television, radio, and print sources. Invest effort in building brand
presence on channels that have the greatest market for the audience you want to reach. Learn the
platforms and options, investigate the benefits and opportunities of providing varying types of
content across multiple channels, and become familiar with how those tuned in are interacting
with content providers. A little advance research will help you determine the right channel(s) for
your brand. If you¶re new to personal branding, devote your energy to fully developing a
presence on one or two platforms. Do what you do well and do it consistently. Yelton¶s article
makes this point well: ³If you¶re a social media wizard, get out there on Twitter and Facebook. If
you present, do SlideShare. If you schmooze, go to all the conferences you can. You won¶t be
able to be active everywhere, and your initial choices might not be right, but you¶ll learn what
Personal brand models will vary based on an individual¶s own style and objectives. Yet,
the ultimate purpose remains the same. Establishing a brand of any kind fosters the development
learning from and working with experienced colleagues in the industry. Brand-to-client
connections promote effective marketing, customer service, and expanded reach. In the short
term, a well-defined, personal brand lets people know what you know and what you can do.
Connect with cross-industry and cross-disciplinary peers and future customers via social sharing
platforms. Interact and communicate insights, respond to posted content and let feedback spark
conversations. Over time, the ³relationships, reputation, and responsibility´ associated with your
brand will present new opportunities for creativity, partnerships, and growth (Yelton 2011).
Strong building blocks provide a solid foundation your brand as it prospers and support
career development during changing times. Just ask Matt Scott, radio news anchor & producer at
WPLR (99.1 FM), New Haven, CT. From 2002-2010, Scott¶s personal brand was developed
around his career as a popular broadcast meteorologist at News8 (WTNH-TV), New Haven, CT.
When his contract at News8 ended, his community knew where to find him and how to stay in
@tvmattscott). The building blocks of Matt Scott¶s personal brand²his name, message,
channels, and bridges²soundly supported him through a job transition and allowed for the
expansion of his brand content even as he ceased delivering content on what had previously been
If you¶re ready to hop on the brand-wagon, remember that outstanding building materials
can only take you so far. Vision, determination, faith, a sense of humor, and humility are also
competitors and heckled by grumpy opponents, and be poised and ready to expand when your
brand takes off. Stay focused. When in doubt, return to the foundation of your personal brand
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References
Bell, Steven. 2011. ³The WHY of Your Brand.´ Accessed January 21, 2011.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/communityacademiclibraries/888893265/the_why_of_y
our_brand.html.csp.
Brogan, Chris. 2008. ³Develop a Strong Personal Brand Online Part 1.´ Accessed March 4,
2011. http://www.chrisbrogan.com/develop-a-strong-personal-brand-online-1.
Yelton, Andromeda. 2011. ³Personal Branding for New Librarians.´ Accessed February 16,
2011.
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/nmrt/news/footnotes/february2011/personal_branding_f
or_new_librarians_yelton.cfm.
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This is a preprint of an article submitted for consideration in the Journal of Web Librarianship
2011, copyright Taylor & Francis; Journal of Web Librarianship is available online at:
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/WJWLc