Reflect & Grow

Reflective practice, first popularized by Donald Schön in the 1980s, is more than a passive exercise of thinking about the past. It is an active, structured process that enables people to learn from their experiences (both successes and challenges) by systematically analyzing what happened, why it happened, and how it could be improved. For librarians and information professionals, who often operate at the intersection of technology, education, and community engagement, reflective practice provides the space to continually evolve.

In today’s landscape, libraries are dynamic hubs that provide educational resources, promote digital literacy, support research, and foster community connections. Whether you’re helping a student navigate complex databases, guiding a patron through an online resource, or curating a collection that serves a diverse audience, your workflow requires constant adaptation. Reflective practice allows you to assess your strategies and approaches, identify areas for growth, and make thoughtful adjustments that enhance both your professional development and the quality of service you provide.

Reflective practice offers several key benefits that are particularly relevant to library work:

• Improved Problem-Solving: In libraries, professionals often face unexpected challenges, from technological issues to difficult user inquiries. Reflective practice helps develop problem-solving skills by encouraging you to think critically about how past problems were addressed and explore alternative approaches.

• Continuous Learning and Adaptation: The nature of information work is constantly changing, especially with the rapid evolution of digital resources, AI, and information-seeking behaviours. Reflective practice keeps you in a learning mindset, encouraging you to stay up-to-date with new trends, tools, and techniques.

• Enhanced User-Centred Services: By reflecting on your interactions with library users, you can identify how to better meet their needs. Whether it's improving the accessibility of resources or enhancing your communication strategies, reflection ensures that you remain attuned to the communities you serve.

• Personal and Professional Growth: Reflective practice fosters self-awareness and emotional intelligence. It allows you to recognise your strengths and areas for improvement, and helps you become more resilient and adaptable in a rapidly changing field.

• Strengthened Group Contributions: When individuals engage in reflective practice, they bring insights and improvements to the teams they work with. Your reflections can contribute to collective learning, improved workflows, and a more responsive organisational culture.

For many, reflective practice might seem like an abstract or time-consuming process, but it can be easily integrated into the daily rhythm of your day. Reflection does not always require setting aside large blocks of time. In fact, it can be as simple as pausing after an event, interaction, or task to ask yourself a few questions:

• What happened?

• How did I feel about what happened?

• What worked well and what could have been improved?

• How might I approach a similar situation in the future?

These brief moments of reflection, if done consistently, can have a cumulative effect over time. The act of stopping to think deeply about your actions, decisions, and their outcomes helps build a habit of reflective practice, leading to incremental growth in both personal skills and professional capabilities.

In a library setting, reflection might occur after assisting a patron, after completing a project, or even during routine tasks. It can be individual or collaborative. Group reflections or debriefs can lead to valuable discussions that reveal different perspectives, encourage shared learning, and foster teamwork. Whether individually or as a team, reflection helps connect theory and practice, allowing you to apply your knowledge and experience in more intentional ways.