I’m immensely proud of my time as a product manager. I have a new role now at OCLC, but as they say, you can take the boy out of product management…it’s the lens through which I view the library world. I was thrust into the role in my first professional position at a for-profit library vendor. I spent nearly a decade trying to establish product management discipline and a better product life cycle at an academic library. And I spent nearly as long developing and managing products and services at OCLC.

I’m certified in Pragmatic Marketing. I’m a dedicated disciple of its principles. I firmly believe that many librarians–especially systems librarians–are really product managers. And my ego and love of my chosen field tells me that everyone else wants to be like us.

If you don’t believe me, read this excellent post by Rohini Vibha. I’m reproducing her picture here because it’s so good.

This post will kick off a small series editorializing on her points from a library perspective. Her advice is primarily sound. If you want to be a product manager or if you think you might be one but aren’t sure, this is a good place to start taking some advice.  I urge you to read her full post before my reflection on it begins in the next installment of Hectic Pace.