Time for an editorial change of website content has encouraged me to reflect on what I have been doing since returning to Scotland to ‘give something back’ to both the country and the professions that have sustained me and my family, throughout our journey round England and to New Zealand.  

I recognised that it would be worth applying the techniques of ‘change management’, applied on behalf of others in ‘making a difference’, to myself. 

The key driver for this process has been a personal attempt to reconcile and make peace and synergies between the left and right brain modes that underpin my character.

Undertaking this task has led me to identify the two distinct and intertwining strands and threads, professional & creative, that have both ‘driven and given’ me challenges, satisfaction and the enjoyment of achievement. 

The disciplines of Librarianship & Information Science and Economic Development are not as different as one might think. They are about growing people as individuals, within communities and communities of interest. 

Experience suggests that the best practice, when you find it, is based on:  

The highlights are working in teams and in partnership, with diverse groups of professionals, specifically with creative people-authors, poets, sculptors, artists, multimedia in the deprived areas of Scotland and England to open “windows to the world” using books, storytelling and ICT.  

Working to support, provide and encourage lifelong learning and access to reliable information within communities and workplace & other spaces in urban, suburban, and rural areas. These are the fertile places where:  

In strategic economic & operational community development there is no ‘instant fix’. It is, as male colleagues would say “a slow burn” that may take 20 years or longer to achieve meaningful results.  

A simple analogy is a Greenhouse: 

Where seeds are planted in trays; some seeds do well some struggle; some fail; most are transplanted to bigger pots; when ready they are transplanted outside. 

This process continues until a number of the seedlings become large productive plants, much admired by all, who respond by saying 

This is when you know that your work has been successful. 

What is not known, is that the beliefs, hard work and dedication that economic development professionals have put into ‘achieving success’ is backed by a core characteristic of being ‘comfortable with failure’ and being prepared to scrutinise the ‘lessons learnt ‘from both successful and unsuccessful projects. 

Most importantly, they are a group of professionals who are unlikely to be deterred, they have enough spirit, confidence and optimism to adapt and to move forward. This approach often results in success, as the social, economic and political contexts will have changed due to time and technological improvements. The bottom line is hard, productive and enjoyable work.  

Dundee and its recent Waterfront Development, just one element of the strategic Tay Plan, is a prime example of 20-25 + years of imagination, creativity and dedication to achievement and the beginning of another new chapter for the region.

The success of this local process illustrates the Economic Development ethos, at its very best, achieved by engaging in true partnership and team working, sharing and communicating both ideas and resources, whilst engaging meaningfully with the community and communities of interest and in Dundee’s case: