New directions

Just come back from a presentation about Prezi, a fun non-linear way to present information.  Can't wait to get started - for inductions and other training ideas.  Maybe the students won't fall asleep quite so quickly now.

Moving on!

Yes, A homage to my favourite composer - there may be other references scattered around.
How to build up a record of professional thoughts?  This is my next task.

 There's been a glut of children's book award listings (either being awarded or lists announced)  Roald Dahl - Costa and the wonderful CILIP Carnegie/Greenaway too.  A busy time checking that there are copies in stock of those that we can use; as well as the little local irritation that I can't justify buying all those tantalising titles on the Carnegie listing as many of them are aimed at children/Young Adults - not our primary target age range.  Oh well, I'll get to read them sometimes.  I am going to prioritise The Hunger games series though, and the Paolini ones - neither of which I have read and about which there is so much discussion.  (Forthcoming film and the latest in the sequence making such an impact - does everyone choose their "emergency reading" like this?)

Now inductions etc have finished and having just undertaken some library skills training from a course where I am the student, not delivering the session, has made me reflect on my own practice.  In essence I think I need to build in "some familiarity time" for the layout and needs of each database.  Whether that is in the tabled session or by some means outside it - (not just handouts, but interactive quizzes and using technology more imaginatively etc) I'll have to investigate.

Now the thing is over - what next?

Strangely after being so resistant to blogging and any other form of communicating on the web (apart from strictly professional, work reasons,) I may just try to keep this running as a form of cpd running evaluation.  My older word document is very unwieldy and this may just keep my interest going.

I'll try to add some more interesting "gadgets" - a few more blogs that I follow (although I see them from my RSS feed, so is this just duplication or a way of declaring my interests to others? - which pre-supposes that anyone else looks at this!) and try to make it a little more dynamic and interesting rather than purely reflective naval gazing.

My next task is to really get the most out of Twitter.  Let's see how it goes ...

Thing 23, Reflection

So, did this do what I had anticipated?  Yes, it did, introducing me to new tools for working via the web.  It also gave me an opportunity to reflect on other aspects of career development which I hadn't envisaged doing at this stage, so it was useful to have the "space"  and encouragement to do so.  Looking at other's blogs gave me a chance to see how they were interacting with various networks and what could be gained from each one, thus providing a useful guide to see what I might be able to use effectively.

I shall definitely take away with me some new (to me) technologies to use; Evernote, Google Docs and Zotero are among my favourites. I still intend to experiment a little more with Twitter and whether I continue to blog may be a matter of not only having something useful to say, but also the time to maintain a credible presence.

A six word "story" ?
New technologies; better working, reinvigorated thinking.

Thank you for an interesting summer

Thing 21 and Thing 22

As we're nearing the end of the programme work life is becoming busy, so I'm putting both of these together.
It's a timely reminder to maintain the "info for cv" document that I have by updating it now as I'm learning new skills both at work and over the summer (including this little project!).  Thank you for jogging my memory.
Life is a little busy at the moment, but I've found that volunteering has brought me new skills (and the confidence to use them in different settings) which I've been able to transfer into my work.  However, that was a while back in a very different economic climate,  I would now look very hard at any volunteering description to make certain that it complements the main business of the organisation and doesn't undermine the need for qualified (and remunerated) staff.

Thing 20 - Library Routes

Having previously commented about how I got here in Thing 10, I used this time to have a better look around the Library Routes project.  I've not contributed to a wiki before, so took this opportunity to see how it works.  On reflection the only thing I can say is that I'm incredibly lucky that, having worked in so many sectors I can still be interacting daily with users and learn new things ( no pun intended).  Our profession is so varied and constantly evolving that there is absolutely no chance that what I'm paid to do each day becomes tedious or mind numbingly boring.  You can take your career in lots of different directions just by being open to possibilities and transferring skills from one sector to another can be really useful.

Thing 17 - Prezi and slideshare

In common with many other people I like Prezi.  It allows you to create a contemporary feel to the visual element of your presentation, emphasising how each individual element is part of the whole and how they relate to each other.  ( I feel very much at home with this concept as I've never been that good at creating linear structures!)  What did impress me was the clarity that it will bring to my presentation planning and the ways that you can draw the audience through the narrative, and by zooming, not lose the overall picture.  I can also see the benefits of visually representing the importance of concepts by size of font - they are there but greater attention can be given to the ideas when needed - not overwhelming all the time.  It may also generate the feeling of a much more "spontaneous delivery" of a talk, as it appears a little less like notes for a written speech and more in line with sharing images and ideas.  That said, the ideas still have to be there in the first place!  I think that many of the points that are made in "steal this presentation!"  still apply to using Prezi though - if I can combine the two people may just stay awake during my talks?

I've only really encountered Slideshare when lecturers have been kind enough to share their presentations to be seen again after the event.  A very valuable opportunity to reflect on any learning points.   
(I really hope virtual cvs don't becoming required - I found that example incredibly superficial, with not enough factual information to back up a serious application.  Marketing glitz irritates me anyway and there does need to be some substance to what is presented.)

Thing 19 - Catching up "integrating Things"

Nearly caught up - which is just as well as a new term is about to start, so a great deal of energy will be directed that way for the next few weeks.  Maybe I'll surface sometime towards the end of October!  Good timing for this breathing space.

In terms of actually using all the "things" rather than merely exploring them, these seem to fall into 3 categories; ones which I am using, ones which I hope to come back to, and those which, although I'm pleased to know about them will be kept in the metaphorical bottom drawer until there is an express need for them.

Of the last category, certain networks such as Linkedin don't really fit my needs just now, and I'm definitely not yet in the market for publishing (advocacy from a couple of weeks ago).  The same goes for actually attending conferences and other networking opportunities, at this end of term there is so much to do that there is little time to consider such opportunities.  Other "things" that I'm pleased to know about such as Dropbox and Google calendar come under the heading of "already have something that does the same job".

I've found some of the tools really useful and now use Google Docs, and Evernote daily, I'm also making better use of my RSS feeds and Zotero sits neatly in the right hand corner of my browser.  I do intend to drop in on the Twitter account and possibly actually Tweet, as well as explore Mendeley and Cilip communities.  Throughout the year I may try some screen captures to help with queries at work, so this intensive look at social media throughout the summer will keep me experimenting with new techniques and ideas for a while yet.  I've also valued the chance to reflect on professional practice, "listen" to what other people are thinking about and have some of my beliefs challenged.

A very interesting and absorbing summer project, so far...

Thing 18, screen capture and podcasting

Jing

I was very impressed with how easy Jing was to use, no problems downloading, intuitive and easy to share information.  I can certainly see the value of this type of recording to help with inductions and frequently asked questions such as searching our catalogue.  At the moment this is restricted to exploring it at home for general interest as we can't download software at work.  Having played with the principles I would certainly be interested in following this up.

I have been involved (at the edges) of creating a podcast, watching the technical aspects from the sidelines, and it demands a great deal of work and expertise to create a professional end product.    I know personally, that I'm much more likely to try a visual explanation (hopefully with sound) than just a commentary.  I'm not sure if that is just my learning style, or if it is indicative of modern ways of communicating information, however I can see that for capturing a seminar or talk for wider dissemination over the  net at a later date this could be useful.  It would allow more people to "take part" than those who were physically present at the time useful in when training and travel budgets are limited and time is a very precious commodity.

Thing 16 - Advocacy

I like the distinction between activism and advocacy and have now had the chance to have a good look at the useful collection of various advocacy tools - something which I always felt I should get around to.  (These "things" are great for giving you space (and impetus and guidance) to get round to doing what you always thought you should do!)
On the smaller end of the spectrum (probably more akin to marketing/promotion though) there is also the creation of networks within your organisation, those people with whom you interact daily and who can be very powerful advocates for your cause in these hard financial times.  If they're using your services (and valuing them) they may be persuaded to add weight to your arguments and demonstrate how useful you are to the organisation, and more importantly what would happen if they were to loose your services.
And of course, the more dialogue that goes on between libraries and their users the better the service will be, so everybody wins.
I'm not that great at public speaking etc, but having the stats and messages from reliable sources is useful; I'm sure there are better people out there to give the message eloquently and more professionally than I can.   However, now I've thought a little about it I'll be in a better position to state the case if necessary and of course publicise the various campaigns to interested people.

Thing 15 - Attending, presenting and organising events

On the first point, attending events, I endorse this whole-heartedly as I've never been to anything without coming away with new information, new contacts and bags of enthusiasm.  This is despite not being a natural in social situations, so I'm always nervous of networking.  I've found people are really generous and I was lucky enough to go initially with a small group of more experienced folk.  They gave me advice about how to pace myself between lectures, sessions and exhibitors, all of which gave me confidence at this type of event.  (Oh and some practical hints that I've also read on some other blogs for this "thing".  Wearing something comfortable and taking a bag so you're not juggling all the bits of paper that you pick up - those two definitely chimed with me, especially if you're returning home on a crowded Friday afternoon train balancing yourself between suitcases, the refreshment trolley and other people's elbows.)
I can see the value of presenting at events too.  However, I'm still waiting for the right topic, that I know even just a little about, to jump out and say "this is what you can communicate to the world" - or to the 2 people and a dog who've come to the session to get out of the cold.
I have been meaning to see if there are enough people who would be interested in attending an informal local meeting for anyone in the process of, or considering, Revalidation (CILIP). (Probably in a pub as most coffee places are shut by the time people can reach there after work.)  Maybe I should actually get round to doing it, to kick-start some positive action for this "thing".

Thing 14 - keeping it together (referencing)

I appreciate this topic being in cpd23, as it's very timely coming at the start of the new academic year.
Firefox is my default browser at home where I tend to do most of my research, so a browser add-on seemed appropriate.
Remarkably easy to install and use, I like the variety of sources that you can add (useful in this brave new multi-modal world of learning) as well as the note facility.  As I'm starting a course of study this will make life much easier than previous efforts at citing and bibliographies, invariably using well thumbed cards.
I'll probably check out Mendeley so I can comment knowledgeably on both to students who may want to try out other referencing software.

I also liked the search function of Citulike, picking up a nice feel for what people are reading in my specialism.  However, on the prinicple that I will only need, and manage to use, one tool I decided not to sign up to this one, but to go back to it periodically and do a couple of searches to see what topics are being added.

Thing 13, Working together

In common with many other bloggers in this enterprise, at work we have access to our internal drives which means we can all work together on projects; at the moment I'm not collaborating on any project with others outside my organisation.  Also, like many others I can't download any software at work.  With these factors in mind I decided to have a look at Googledocs.

I found it remarkably straightforward to use ( I already have a google account) although getting used to "downloading" rather than just "saving" when I was working on the documents at home was a little unexpected (I was in my own little world and hadn't realised which version I was working on!) and some of the formatting was a little odd.  For my own cpd this will definitely reduce the amount of emailing documents to myself so I can access them during lunch.  I also liked the ease with which you could share information with others (without them having to download or sign up for anything) and the control that you have over the information.  I'm a little concerned about the number of google application that I'm beginning to use now - I may need to explore other options just to be on the safe side.

The only wiki I've used (with caution and usually in library information sessions as an example of "care needs to be taken") is Wikipedia, but I can see the potential of joint working with this one.  I did like the Library Routes project and may contribute my own, though it will only be of historical value as so much has changed since I entered the profession!

Thing 12 - Being social

So, just what do I think about all these "new" ways of communicating.  As animals we are social beings, and that has to imply some level of organisation and communication.  We also continually strive to increase the betterment of our lives, either on an individual level, or for the collective good.  Like many other posters I agree that social media is merely a tool for us to use; how we do so is up to us.

Are there any other advantages to social networking in the context of professional development than those already outlined above?

I think it can decrease a feeling of isolation, especially in solo working.  In addition to the other points a supportive network can provide encouragement, as well as ideas and collaborative working to get the best for our users.

Can you think of any disadvantages?

 Apart from the obvious privacy issues and the demands which certain types of network instigate en masse, the biggest one for me is time management; it's another "thing" or set of "things" to incorporate into my professional life, but this is outweighed by the benefits - see below.

Has CPD23 helped you to make contact with others that you would not have had contact with normally?

Yes, although only at a quite basic level.  I've found following a couple of blogs really useful - and added one this week too! I've also foundinteresting and  timely information via Twitter (which I must start using, rather than just lurking).

Did you already use social media for your career development before starting CPD23? Will you keep using it after the programme has finished?

This has developed my usage from merely subscribing to a few RSS feeds.  I will definitely continue to use various methods, but will also try to build in some regular time to review this activity to make best use of the time available. 

In your opinion does social networking really help to foster a sense of community?

I'm not sure yet, as I'm still on the very edge of actively engaging, rather than using the majority as information seeking tools.  Currently, I can see them cementing professional groups, making communication that much easier and also a way of contacting people.  I'm not sure if this can develop into truly online communities without any other form of engagement (I've never been remotely interested in Second Life for example), but as we work in a much more distributed environment, it will certainly save on airmiles.

Thing 10 and Thing 11- how did you get to be here?

I suppose I've taken a fairly traditional route into Librarianship.  I was working as a library assistant in a public library system, I'd always loved finding information but hadn't considered it as a career before.  I also became aware that I really enjoyed working with other people who shared my passions, outlook and  attitudes to life.

I was fortunate that there was a very good training scheme in place giving you opportunities to visit different departments and, although not on the official trainee scheme, when my intentions became clear I was encouraged to join the visits and courses too. Then to an MA in Librarianship in Sheffield and afterwards my first professional post.  I joined the Library Association (as it was then) and was encouraged by my boss to do the Chartership work as soon as I could.  Despite my grumbles under my breath he was right!  Although I did take slightly longer by a couple of years to Charter, the impetus was important, otherwise I may never have begun, nevermind, completed it.   

All this was a long time ago, and various jobs, counties, different types of service, a few re-organisations later and I am still finding information for people and have gone back to my first love of children's books, albeit in a different sector with a different slant to the user group. 

I'm surrounded by keen, enthusiastic (and younger) colleagues, whose interest has now sparked my own cpd, so I'm working towards Revalidation which I hope will invigorate my professional life.

Whilst never having had a formal mentor until now, (I value the "buddy" who is helping me with the Revalidation paperwork and re-assessment mentality)  I was incredibly lucky to have some fantastic bosses who took me under their wing, gave me sound advice and so much guidance. I have gained a great deal from having interested colleagues to talk thing through with and bounce ideas around with which helped me formulate my way of thinking.  When this is coupled with the more formal reflective frameworks of cpd it can inject new ideas and practices to evolve.  I'm hoping that the new social media can widen the scope of this participation and help me to continue to develop my professional thoughts.

Thing 9 - Evernote

This was the first time I've come across Evernote, and I'm really pleased that cpd23 decided to include it.  This will make my life so much easier.  It was easy to install, intuitive to use and I do like the flexibility of including notes, clippings from the web, photos etc.  I'm also enough of a control freak to appreciate the "usage" function without having to perform endless clicks going through account , settings etc.

With the ability to organise the material into folders, I can easily justify using it at work (for work of course!), as I won't become distracted by other areas.  It's also much less clunky than the "emailing to myself system" that I currently do to flag up things for further consideration.

Time will tell if I do actually get around to going back to my reading if it isn't sitting there when I open my in-box.  Does anyone know if you can integrate it into iGoogle?
I'll probably only use it for current awareness, although I can see the potential for keeping notes for courses of study for example.  I'm fairly cautious about backing up data for things that I'd be stuck without, and, as I'm not sure about the robustness, and continued presence of the account I don't think I'll rely on it for something like that.  This is definitely something that I'll use, probably daily, so thank you cpd23.

Thing 8 - too much organisation?

Google Calendar.

I like this calendar a great deal, it was easy to sign up to, easy to use and is flexible enough to be able to share anyone's calendar, not just those in your organisation.  In fact it does everything I could want from an online calendar, but there is a problem.

I don't think I actually need it right now.  At work we use Microsoft Outlook, so can co-ordinate and view other's calendars, and I do have remote access at home, so can check up on shift patterns when my memory (all too frequently) fails me. I also have an old fashioned paper diary which I still find easier to take to meetings where having online access is difficult.  At home a wall calendar tries to keep track of the household's comings and goings.  That seems more than enough to keep up to date at one time.
The only thing that I feel I'll miss out on is having it on my igoogle page, a very useful visual reminder.

However, it's good to know about other options and I'd definitely consider it if Outlook wasn't available to me.

Thing 6 & 7 Networks, or connect folks, connect!

Putting these two together as it gives me an opportunity to look at the various networks to which I do belong and evaluate these in the light of other suggestions.

Of the online variety I am on Facebook, but have made the decision to keep this for catching up with friends.  Although I have noticed some great library pages. It seems to work really well when there is a project going on (such as a refurbishment) as it creates a fun way for the users to stay in touch with developments, so I'll keep it in mind.

I'm a little wary of putting quite so much information on a profile such as LinkedIn, although I can see the benefits, especially in finding like minded people and possibly jobs, so will maybe save this one to look at in the future.

I will definitely revisit and update my very short profile on CILIP communities though.  I joined it a fair time ago and didn't find much to interest me then, but it seems to have developed, especially the "hot topics" and the blogs so I'll keep it in mind.  (Along with the blogs and Twitter too).

I hadn't heard of LAT Network before and thought the sharing of resources for information sessions and other teaching topics is a brilliant use of collaborative network.  My current post doesn't demand that much intensive tuition but I'll follow them on Twitter to begin with as I'm feeling my way with time commitments for this way of working and need to keep things manageable.  This could be very useful as job roles change all the time.

In considering face to face networks I immediately thought about "networking" as very scary navigating a room full of strangers "pitching your wares".  I hadn't really considered going to courses, although the breaks are always full of chatter and laughter, and belonging to professional bodies.  I do belong to CILIP and find my special interest groups are a mixture of previous and present interests.  I love the cross-pollination of ideas from one type of work to another, so try to skim through articles primarily about different sectors from my current post, probably out of curiosity as much as anything else to see what possibilities are out there. If there is a local cpd 23 meeting I may find enough courage to attend and find out face to face what other folk think about networking.

Thing 5 - reflective practice

Well I suppose the key is in the name "reflective practice" - it has to be pursued actively.  I really liked the "description, interpretation and (especially) outcome" idea.  Currently I keep a free form journal type document (alongside the very structured, almost course orientated, cpd log from CILIP) which, looking back on it, concentrates on the first two stages, but is sadly lacking in stating outcomes. 
I'm also hoping that this blog will provide some documentation for my Revalidation with CILIP.

Having identified that I would benefit from exploring "social media", but always been a little (well quite a lot) overwhelmed by the sheer variety of sites out there, this summer's initiative is very timely and useful.  A slight hiccup in our internet connection served to make me re-examine how much I do use the net and maybe I should participate more professionally online, and take control of my online "brand".  However, this will probably evolve over time, so I'll pick the tools which seem of most use to me at the moment, and concentrate on them, such as Twitter and my RSS feed.  Managing to find time for this new manner of working is going to be quite tricky, so I'm going to need strategies that are easy for me to continue so I don't neglect them.

Thing 4 - So much to be aware of.

Resurrected my abandoned Twitter account to try again.  Maybe I didn’t put enough into it the first time round, but I couldn’t deal with all the “retweets” and life got busy so I stopped using it. This has given me some pointers about how, and who, to follow which is giving me some useful, timely information, especially in the field of children’s literature.  Many thanks for those who mentioned "thewikiman" for the tips and I’ll try to stick with it and put a little more back, so that people may get some idea of the topics in which I’m interested.

I’ve already use RSS feeds, but the handy bundle of cpd23 is brilliant.  (Although it does remind me of how many “things” are out there waiting to be read).  I try to keep my hobbies and work ones in separate folders, otherwise I’ll get way too distracted at work. 

Never having heard of Pushnote before I thought I’d give it a try. Nice and easy to download and intuitive to use.   But,it doesn't really give any clue to why things are rated as they are, you don't seem to have to justify your rating, so it is subjective, more like a friend recommending sites so professionally I'm a little wary.  I also found it quite difficult to find people to follow, does anyone have any suggestions as to how to get started on this?

Thing 3 Do I have a brand?

Finally our internet is sorted out, so I can get back to working my way through these things.  (There's now a great deal of catching up to do.)

Considering branding is something that, if I'm honest, I've not really thought about before. As I've always worked for large organisations, it's either been a quick fix (ie all our publicity material uses these templates) or I've found it marginally constricting; whilst of course understanding the various needs for a corporate look. (My first thoughts include: immediate identification for the organisation, professional style and a unified look for all departments).  My own brand is not something I've spent any time on.


As I'm beginning to understand there is a great deal of professional use that can be made of online resources, so whilst I try to turn up for work looking vaguely smart, engaged and  interested in what I'm doing there, I suppose that any presence online should reflect that too.  Having said that there are some sections where I really want to keep my personal and work life separate.

Therefore I was very pleased that when I googled my name (first time ever!) my Facebook account was locked down as I use that only for friends.  In fact, perhaps due to my slightly unusual name (and spelling) there wasn't much at all.  An old Twitter account (which I suspect I'll have to resurrect in the next "Thing"), some very old newspaper articles from a previous job and contact details for the current one.   The only thing that did disconcert me was the 192 page; our house would be exceptionally crowded if everyone mentioned lived there!

On the blog I know the title is just what you're not supposed to do, but I'll stick with it whilst I'm learning.  I've played around with the template until I found a colour scheme that pleased me rather than just the basic one, and I have thought about the photo quite a lot.  As I don't want to give folks nightmares, (I'm not photogenic in the slightest) and whilst I'm still really experimenting with these tools I'm fairly happy to be sort of visually anonymous.  However, I do understand that visual images do give very quick clues on screen, so I've chosen to use a compromise. Following Joeyanne Librarianne's advice I've settled on a flowery image which I'll use across all platforms and see how I go from there.

Onto the next "thing" where I'll try to put some of the above into practice.

Thing 2 Investigate some other blogs

Really impressed by the work that people have put into their blogs. 

Already done a couple of new things with this first active foray into this area.  I used Delicious to find some blogs to read, as there are so many I decided to concentrate this time on ones in the UK and working in my sector.  I enjoyed reading other people’s blogs and eventually managed to pluck up courage to post a comment on one. (May be I’ll be a bit braver next time, as I found myself starting to add a comment then deleting it quickly as it didn’t really seem to add anything to the discussion – hopefully as the “things” progress I’ll be able to reflect on the tools with more validity).

I also investigated how to customise my own blog as I started with a very basic one just to get going.   (It is still a work in progress and I hope Thing 3 may help with how I decide what to include and how that will affect people’s perceptions of my online presence.)

Beginning to catch up – but there are “2 things” to do this week, so I’d better get a move on.

 

23 things to explore

Hi

I'm new to blogging and it all feels like a big step as I’m very unsure about writing in public.   However, the idea is to learn something new over the summer and this seems like an ideal place to experiment with ideas and with the various technologies.  (I’m also hoping that it will be fun along the way.)

I’m in my second year of working as an Assistant Librarian in the School Resources section of an academic library.  This is primarily a collection which trainee teachers can use when they are on teaching practice in schools, so it’s a little different from the rest of the university library.  My previous background has been mainly in public libraries, both as a Children’s Librarian and doing outreach work, so I’m hoping to use this blog to reflect on how the work in this sector is different from my previous positions and how the rapid changes in technology can have an impact in helping students to find the resources that they need.  I’m also just starting my second year of the revalidation process for CILIP and hopefully this will provide both part of the learning experience and a way of documenting the reflective practice.