On Knowledge Work
This was originally posted on the Intstitute of Museum and Library Services UpNext Wiki in response to the prompts: What are the competencies required for professionals in museums and libraries to succeed in the information age? and What kinds of skills, knowledge, experience, and ideas are emerging leaders, students, and young professionals bringing to the museum and library field?
At any given time I’m a researcher, a web designer, a project manager, an evaluator, an exhibit developer, a cataloger, a curator… but first and foremost I consider myself a knowledge worker. I strongly identify with other knowledge workers (regardless of field), their work patterns, productivity strategies and struggles.
Knowledge work is a creative and confusing endeavor. My schooling didn’t prepare me for it and despite efforts to document and archive my work so that I can visualize my productivity, I still struggle at times with feeling unproductive and uncreative and questionably useful to my museum.
My institution values me on faith. What does a “Director for Innovation and Digital Engagement” do? This extends to my friends and family, too. There is little context for my work: something to do with the web, Twitter, a science museum, and something called “The Pinhook.”
For those of us “succeeding in the information age,” we’re making it up as we go along.
Breaking it down, here are the core competencies of my knowledge work:
Exceptional comfort in my machine/operating system.
My laptop is a toolbox filled with tools that are sharp in the right places and worn in the right ways. I rarely need my mouse, which slows me down. I have admin rights to install and repurpose software to my needs. I have the freedom to use unstandardized tools and software to accomplish what I need. I have more than enough processing power. I can take my machine anywhere.
Visual thinking and writing skills. Without sketches and words on screen, much of my work would exist in thoughts and conversations. I sketch (on paper, whiteboard, iPad) everyday, every meeting. I scan those sketches into Evernote so that I can search them (on my laptop and phone) because they’re part of my memory now. I also write using a fairly complex system of software (WriteRoom, Notational Velocity, SimpleText, Dropbox) and file naming so that my typed ideas also travel with me (on laptop, on phone). They, too, need to be searchable and referenced on the go.
Communication.
Much of the value I provide to my institution is in the realm of communicating ideas. I use Gmail and my personal email account to accomplish this, even though my institution uses an entirely different system. If I had to use a system like Outlook or Apple Mail, my productivity would suffer considerably. I collect, store and search far more than the standard to: and from: of business communication. I process to zero messages everyday and close my email for several hours after to give me a feeling that I have some control over the constantly building information stream.
Search.
I treat Google, Gmail and Twitter search boxes like a command line. I search them using fairly sophisticated operators to find what I’m looking for quickly and comprehensively. The dataset I need to reference grows on a daily basis, making my ability to find and re-find information critical to my work.
Passion.
It’s been my experience that knowledge work is impossible to compartmentalize. My life is work and my work is (for as much as I can make it so) play. I couldn’t not do what I do. I want my tools with me everywhere I go. I even look to my dreams for insight into my cognitive processing. I have outlets that feel removed from work (racquetball, golf, cooking), but oftentimes those include devices, my note-taking systems, and co-workers who are friends. I’ve merged my professional and personal out of necessity… or maybe reality.
