Translating Failure into Success

Authors

  • Deana Brown Boise State University
  • Elizabeth Ramsey Boise State University

Keywords:

failure, academic libraries, leaders

Abstract

Failure plays a key part in our professional and personal development, but traditionally many of us have been inclined to sweep our failures under the rug. Librarian and blogger Steven Bell posits that perhaps we are embarrassed at our failures, instead of recognizing that sharing our blunders can be an opportunity to celebrate our creativity (2010). Some brave souls are doing just that, such as the librarians who are sharing their failures
through Twitter, using the hashtag #libraryfail. An enormously popular website has grown through shared failures, CakeWrecks(http://www.cakewrecks.com/). And a meme has been making the rounds on the internet for some time, titled “Nailed It,” in which people contrast their failed attempts at craft or  baking projects with the original perfect creation.

Author Biographies

Deana Brown, Boise State University

Deana Brown is an Assistant Professor and Librarian in the Web and Emerging Technologies
unit at Boise State University. She liaises with the philosophy and sociology departments and is
active in working groups related to her research interests in user experience, space needs, 3D
printing, and other emerging technologies. Her interest in emerging technologies has led to her
becoming a faculty advisor to the Creative Technologies Association student group and a member
of the Idaho Commission for Libraries’ Special Projects Library Action Team (SPLAT).

Elizabeth Ramsey, Boise State University

Elizabeth Ramsey is an Assistant Professor and Librarian with responsibilities in outreach and
social media at Boise State University’s Albertsons Library. She is also the liaison to programs in
the School of Public Services, as well as those serving the international student population. Her
research interests include cross-cultural awareness, the intersectionality of identities, and
issues related to diversity and inclusion.

References

Bell, S. (2010). Incorporating failure into library instruction. ACRLog. December 10, 2010. http://acrlog.org/2010/12/22/incorporating-failure-into-library-instruction/

Bell, S. (2013) For leaders, creativity & failure go hand in hand. Library Journal. December 11, 2013.

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Crawford, W. (2010). Being wrong and learning from ‘partial success.’. Online, 34(3), 57-59.

Danforth, L. (2011). Why game learning works. Library Journal, 136(7), 67.

Farson, R., & Keyes, R. (2002). The failure tolerant leader. Harvard Business Review. August2002. https://hbr.org/2002/08/the-failure-tolerant-leader

Jensen, K. (2015). The measure of programming success? It’s complicated, kind of. School Library Journal. January 9, 2015. http://bit.ly/1LiNgwc

Kurti, R., Kurti, D., & Fleming, L. (2014) The philosophy of educational workspaces. Teacher Librarian: The Journal for School Library Professionals. June 2014. http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/2014/06/18/educational-makerspaces/

Pinsky, L.E., Irby, D.M. (1997). If at first you don’t succeed: Using failure to improve teaching.Academic Medicine (72) 973-976

Schrage, M. (2010). The failure of failure. Harvard Business Review. March 31, 2010. https://hbr.org/2010/03/failure-should-hold-a-special.htm

Stallone, S. (1976) Rocky. United Artists.

Warrell, M. (2014). Afraid of being found out? How to overcome imposter syndrome. Forbes.

April 3, 2014. http://www.forbes.com/sites/margiewarrell/2014/04/03/impostor-syndrome/

Young Adult Library Services Association. (2014). Teen programming guidelines. American LibraryAssociation. http://www.ala.org/yalsa/teen-programming-guidelines.

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Published

2016-01-27

Issue

Vol. 80 No. 1 (2015): Pushing the Boundaries

Section

Articles

License

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