Tony Zanders https://www.tonyzanders.com Building 2050 from Baton Rouge. Wed, 07 Feb 2024 15:58:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 115287710 Becoming Layoff-Proof https://www.tonyzanders.com/2023/01/21/becoming-layoff-proof/ https://www.tonyzanders.com/2023/01/21/becoming-layoff-proof/#respond Sat, 21 Jan 2023 21:11:50 +0000 https://www.tonyzanders.com/?p=4217 There’s no nice way to say you’re eliminating positions that shouldn’t have existed in the first place.

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]]> https://www.tonyzanders.com/2023/01/21/becoming-layoff-proof/feed/ 0 4217 On Imposter Syndrome in Libraries https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/11/14/on-imposter-syndrome-in-libraries/ https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/11/14/on-imposter-syndrome-in-libraries/#respond Mon, 14 Nov 2022 14:03:13 +0000 https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/11/14/on-imposter-syndrome-in-libraries/ Skills inoculate us from imposter syndrome. Consider basketball. Guards aren’t intimidated by forwards because we understand how our role complements theirs and why our unique skills are needed. It’s only when you’re the towel guy or some made up role where you’re intimidated. Librarians are only intimidated by researchers if they lack real skills and […]

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]]> https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/11/14/on-imposter-syndrome-in-libraries/feed/ 0 3916 On Emerging Library Technology https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/11/03/on-emerging-library-technology/ https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/11/03/on-emerging-library-technology/#respond Thu, 03 Nov 2022 21:46:20 +0000 https://www.tonyzanders.com/?p=3725 Though legacy library tech went cloud over the past decade, it all was built for a library that wasn’t held accountable by users and funders. As a result, it won’t help the library navigate the next decade. Emerging tech was built in response to the accountability and will. Emerging technology in libraries doesn’t have a […]

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]]> https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/11/03/on-emerging-library-technology/feed/ 0 3725 No room for optionality https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/08/11/no-room-for-optionality/ https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/08/11/no-room-for-optionality/#respond Thu, 11 Aug 2022 16:19:35 +0000 https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/08/11/no-room-for-optionality/ Where we’re headed, people who hedge their bets and seek optionality when the going gets rough won’t make it. Navigating uncharted territory requires an irrational pursuit of something beyond self-preservation. In four short years, the ups and downs we’ve experienced writing our own startup blueprint have already proven a bit too rigorous for people merely […]

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]]> https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/08/11/no-room-for-optionality/feed/ 0 2899 Librarianship is a savannah https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/08/05/librarianship-is-a-savannah/ https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/08/05/librarianship-is-a-savannah/#respond Fri, 05 Aug 2022 14:35:02 +0000 https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/08/05/librarianship-is-a-savannah/ The moment library leaders no longer say “wow that’s a pretty ambitious goal” is when we know Skilltype is successful. Sure we can quantify our impact today. But until the information profession embraces the optimism that anything’s possible, there’s work to be done. I remember sitting in Susan & Ennio’s kitchen one morning when the […]

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]]> https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/08/05/librarianship-is-a-savannah/feed/ 0 2877 Managing opinions https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/01/20/managing-opinions/ https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/01/20/managing-opinions/#respond Thu, 20 Jan 2022 13:37:50 +0000 https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/01/20/managing-opinions/ You can mind everyone’s opinions or totally ignore them. Either way, opinions can’t validate you and your ideas — only time can. Say someone endorses you but you turn out wrong. Time invalidates you both. Same if they disagree and you turn out to be right. Time validates you. One trick is to become a […]

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]]> https://www.tonyzanders.com/2022/01/20/managing-opinions/feed/ 0 1835 On the value of bad NFT projects https://www.tonyzanders.com/2021/11/26/on-the-value-of-bad-nft-projects/ https://www.tonyzanders.com/2021/11/26/on-the-value-of-bad-nft-projects/#respond Fri, 26 Nov 2021 18:45:26 +0000 https://www.tonyzanders.com/?p=1653 Web3 forerunners acknowledge its onboarding problem while pejoratively framing unsuccessful projects as scams or wastes of money. As a learning by doing economy, web3 onboarding should be as cheap as possible, making a steady supply of non-blue chip NFTs critical for adoption. Web3 tuition is the total cost of participating in your first NFT minting […]

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]]> https://www.tonyzanders.com/2021/11/26/on-the-value-of-bad-nft-projects/feed/ 0 1653 Web3 and Libraries: Obstacles and Opportunities https://www.tonyzanders.com/2021/11/17/web3-and-libraries-obstacles-and-opportunities/ https://www.tonyzanders.com/2021/11/17/web3-and-libraries-obstacles-and-opportunities/#respond Wed, 17 Nov 2021 23:05:56 +0000 https://www.tonyzanders.com/?p=1606 So far, web3 stakeholders (eg engineers, investors, enthusiasts) overlook and underestimate the role of libraries and archives — both their expertise in curating and preserving cultural assets, but also their mission of contributing to public good rather than commercial gain. They are not entirely to blame however. The libraries and archives community has been victim […]

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]]> https://www.tonyzanders.com/2021/11/17/web3-and-libraries-obstacles-and-opportunities/feed/ 0 1606 On service providers and technology https://www.tonyzanders.com/2021/10/27/on-service-providers-and-technology/ https://www.tonyzanders.com/2021/10/27/on-service-providers-and-technology/#respond Wed, 27 Oct 2021 21:05:29 +0000 https://www.tonyzanders.com/?p=1568 It isn’t rocket science that if a service provider prioritizes personal agendas above user agendas, one that prioritizes the user’s will take their place. Whether tech is used is irrelevant. The principle is maintaining relevance is determined by whose agenda gets the most attention. If service providers using tech have more resources for user research […]

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]]> https://www.tonyzanders.com/2021/10/27/on-service-providers-and-technology/feed/ 0 1568 The decade of library talent management https://www.tonyzanders.com/2021/10/06/the-decade-of-library-talent-management/ https://www.tonyzanders.com/2021/10/06/the-decade-of-library-talent-management/#respond Wed, 06 Oct 2021 17:44:06 +0000 https://www.tonyzanders.com/?p=1515 This decade, for the first time in history, talent management will replace resource management as the primary strategic focus for libraries. Libraries no longer have the luxury of outsourcing talent management to HR departments. Strategic initiatives in collections, space, services, etc are susceptible to failure and funding insecurity without having the right talent to manage […]

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