librarylife

10 Time Management Tips for Busy Librarians

rindraramliLeave a comment

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that librarians wear a lot of hats. From helping users with research to managing collections, attending meetings, and keeping up with new trends—there’s always something demanding your time. It can feel overwhelming, but the good news is that small changes can make a big difference. Here are 10 practical, tried-and-tested tips to help you manage your time better and, hopefully, find a little more balance along the way.

1. Prioritize with a To-Do List 📋

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as crossing items off a to-do list! Start your day by jotting down what needs to get done and focus on the most important and urgent tasks first. I also include a couple of easy-to-complete items—because, let’s face it, checking things off feels great and gives me the momentum to tackle the bigger stuff.

2. Time Block Your Calendar 🗓️

Instead of letting tasks bleed into one another, I block out time for specific activities on my calendar—an hour for emails, two hours for project work, or 15 minutes to grab a coffee. Time blocking helps me stay focused and prevents tasks from taking over my whole day.

3. Learn to Say “No” (Politely) 🙅‍♂️

Saying “yes” to every request is tempting, but sometimes you have to protect your time. I’ve found that politely saying no—with a little kindness—works wonders. Something like, “I’d love to help, but I need to focus on a priority task right now. Can we revisit this later?” sets boundaries without burning bridges.

4. Automate and Delegate When Possible 🤖

Over time, I’ve learned that I don’t need to do everything myself. Automating small, repetitive tasks (like sending reminders) saves time. Delegating tasks to team members also helps lighten the load—a great way to allow others to grow.

5. Use Focus Tools for Deep Work 🧘

We’ve all fallen into the trap of quick distractions (hello, endless emails!). Using tools like the Pomodoro Technique—where you work in bursts with short breaks—has helped me stay productive. Apps like Forest block distracting websites, keeping me focused when I need to dive deep into a task.

6. Make Meetings Short & Purposeful 🧑‍💼

Meetings can be helpful—but only when they’re managed well. I always ask: “Is this meeting really necessary, or could it be a quick chat or an email instead?” If a meeting is essential, I stick to a clear agenda and aim to finish early. It’s incredible how much more efficient meetings can be when everyone is on the same page.

7. Take Breaks to Recharge ☕

I used to power through long workdays, thinking it would help me accomplish more. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. Now, I make time for short breaks throughout the day—even if it’s just five minutes to stretch or sip coffee. Those small pauses help me recharge and come back more focused.

8. Reflect & Adjust Your Routine Regularly 🔄

No routine is perfect, and things change. I take time every week to reflect on what worked well and what didn’t. Did I manage my tasks effectively? Could I have scheduled things differently? This reflection helps me make small adjustments and keeps me on my game.

9. Leverage Apps Like Trello & Outlook 📱

Keeping track of tasks and schedules can be overwhelming, but tools like Trello and Evernote help me stay organized. I also rely on Outlook to block time on my calendar and manage meetings. The right apps can make life a lot easier—just find what works best for you and stick with it.

10. Celebrate Wins, No Matter How Small 🎉

Getting caught up in what’s next is easy, but taking time to celebrate small wins is important too. Whether it’s wrapping up a tricky project or helping a student with research, those little moments of success keep me motivated. Every achievement counts—big or small!

Final Thoughts

Managing your time as a librarian isn’t about cramming more into your day—it’s about finding balance and staying focused on what matters. The key is to be intentional with your time and kind to yourself when things don’t go as planned (because let’s face it, they won’t always).

So, what’s your secret to staying on top of everything? Share your tips in the comments—I’d love to learn from you too!

#LibraryLife #TimeManagement #WorkSmarterNotHarder

5 things I’ve learned that enriched my experience

rindraramliLeave a comment

I read an interesting article on “Libraries have a People Problem” written by Jill Hurst-Wahl. I do agree with her opinions and her suggestions on job swapping/rotation as well as doing the same thingy for long periods. I felt the need to move out of my comfort zone – to learn more about myself and others, to expand my horizon, to broaden my thinking and to share and acquire knowledge in my work area and to seek new challenges.

Throughout my 20 years in the library field, I have had the opportunity to work within my country Singapore and then move to the Graduate Research Library located in the Middle East. After working there (Middle East) for nine years, I decided to come home again.

What I’ve learnt?

  • Do different things in the library at various places: I’ve started as a Reference Librarian, moved to Access and Digital Services, expanded my portfolio to include Electronic Resources Management, Web Discovery Layer and User Experience Studies. I’m now an Assistant Director at a local university. I was fortunate to be given opportunities to learn and grow in different roles. It has helped me to gain new insights in the library field. They say, the more you learn, the more you realized that there are a lot more than you didn’t know. Well, that’s true. As I move along, I noted how many things have changed, and libraries cannot remain stagnant. Change is imminent and is always happening. If we don’t do anything about it, we will be left behind.
  • Learn to lead (even though you may not have the official title given to you). Take initiatives to resolve work issues rather than let them exacerbate. Speak up for yourself and others. Speak the truth. Help others.
  • Get out of your comfort zone: Learn new things; Be adventurous and take risks.
  • Be ready to accept criticism: keep an open mind to feedback and constructive criticism. Block out the negative ones. If you cannot accept the fact that we have shortcomings, then we would not be able to grow. We are imperfect creatures. One of the best things to do is to accept our weaknesses; deal with it and improve on our strengths.
  • Stay abreast of new trends. Use the ready resources to read up on current patterns in the field. Network with fellow professionals. Share your knowledge.

These are the five main ones amongst others. I am sure you will have yours. Do share them.

My first 100 days and more

rindraramliLeave a comment

Here I am, back home, starting on my new position as the Assistant Director in the Advisory and Consultancy team of NTU Library. It is very different from my previous job. More challenging, constant learning and I would say more project management stuff. I am enjoying my new stint and looking forward to the challenges thrust on me.

The team
I work with a dynamic team comprising of young and several senior library staff — a good mixture of experienced and go-getters. Each one of them has a diverse background; some have been at this place for years while others are starting on their career. Here’s a brief write-up of the team and what we do: https://blogs.ntu.edu.sg/ntulibrary/2018/10/29/introduction-of-advisory-and-consultation/

What I do
One of my key responsibilities now is the provision of leadership in the area of advisory, consultation, and professional information services to students and staff in the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences specifically. However, this is not limited to just that as I am also involved in supporting the learning, teaching and research needs of the to the entire university community.

Some of my work now focuses on the delivery of specialized services for our academic community: faculty members, undergrad and postgrad students, and researchers. These activities include one-on-one consultations, customized workshops as well as orientations for our new staff. I forge close relationships with faculty members especially the new ones. During the orientation sessions for the faculty members and researchers, our team disseminates information on the library’s services that support research such as data management planning, publishing scholarly materials and communicating research work(s); to name a few.

Apart from that, I also respond to the inquiries that come in via email, in-person, social media as well as the phone. Email is the most common conduit in receiving questions which may vary from simple to complex ones.

Ensuring that our academic community has access to the various resources is also an essential part of my work. Close collaboration with other library teams, vendors and publishers are necessary; more so as most of our resources are in electronic and digital format. Constant communication and meetings are a must as everyone needs to be on the same page.

Managing users’ expectations is crucial. Some requests can be urgent while others are not. Users don’t like to be kept in the dark. Thus, you need to make them understand that their needs are not forgotten. Keep them in the loop of things. Out of all this, you can have a sense of what are the primary needs and what are the pain points faced by the academic community.

Lessons Learn so far

  • Listen more, talk less; Keep a look-out for new trends
  • An open mind
  • Patience and Persevere

Moving forward

  • Intend to get my hands dirty with User Experience / Usability Studies stuff.
  • Explore new niche areas in the field of library services.

Stay tuned.