Having dealt with the broken-ankle immediate ’next 20 feet of my life through airports’ a month ago, I have now had the opportunity to ponder the matter of coping with and adjusting to changed circumstances longer term. As I learned how to navigate my home on crutches and then on a walking cast, I honed my planning and prioritizing skills: What is the minimum number of steps to get
the documents I need from my desk to where my foot is elevated? How about postponing that dental appointment?
Information professionals do it every day. We face secondments, IT revamps, and many other types of new work circumstances – are we ready? How well equipped are we in our jobs to continuing our services in unusual circumstances?
What would we do if X, Y, or Z circumstance
suddenly changed?
What tasks MUST be done and what tasks CAN WAIT
TEMPORARILY? Who is in charge?
What temporary measures can we put in place
without risking them becoming permanent?
How are we planning to deal with the backlogs
accumulating from the temporary situation?
Let us hope not to encounter unanticipated sudden
challenge. But let’s be prepared!
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