Tuesday Tips - Imposter Syndrome

Sam Jones is the Youth Services Librarian at the Beaver Dam Public Library. She shares tips to make your job easier in her Tuesday posts.

A while back, I listened to a Library Leadership podcast titled Managing Imposter Syndrome with Erin Collier-Plummer that was really interesting and helpful to listen to. Back in the beginning of 2022, I was still at UW Madison's iSchool and we were talking about imposter syndrome in a class. It was mentioned how common it was to feel like an imposter in the field, and I kind of brushed it off. 

Fast forward a few months, I was in a completely new job and environment doing something that I hadn't done before (besides the three to four months during my practicum). Imposter syndrome definitely kicked in. Ways I combated it, like viewing it as an exciting opportunity and having a great support system at my library, were mentioned in the podcast. There was also advice that I could use when imposter syndrome kicks in, like writing down five things I know I can do. Overall, the podcast was a good reminder that this happens to a lot of other people and that there are ways you can try to combat it.