imagine program

Having just watched Imagine- books the last chapter, I felt I should write something today.

On one hand, I love e books, any tool which appeals to people to improve literacy skills of the population is worth embracing. However as I am the librarian at an art college I'm not sure how this would work here- on a practical level. Some books because of the scale of the images and the detail would loose so much being made in to a small screen.

I can see the advantage of fiction going to Ebooks, but for a generation , of which I am still part of, I love to hold a book.


So, I'm on the fence, I love books and Ebooks.

thing 13 and thing 14

Must get back in the habit of writing here.

Thing 13- I've started using drop box, due to a project I've been working on for a while, it's been pretty useful to shuffle documents to and from each other.


As for Wiki's (apart from Wikipedia) I came across them a few years ago, due to the MIS department in college, they seem to have an addition for them- plus they seem to be able to make the useful and workable.


Moving on to thing 14-
Referencing is one thing I am quiet keen on, mainly as I've struggled with it for years, had to teach students it and created  a document to help students.
I'm always in two minds about referencing software- part of me (the slightly mean bit of me) things, I suffered, so should they. But on the other hand, I think life is too short to get hung up on , and ('s.

Having looked in toZotero I was totally amazed, I think this might be a possible thing to adopt for the college. Spent a fair amount of time watching the promotional video.

Failed

My plan to be more proactive in keeping a blog has failed- simply failed. I just don't get time to.

Today has been  spent working on leaflets for marketing of the library, working out the utilisation stats at course level, doing performance reviews on new staff, hole punching everything in my chartership folder- mind numbing yes but it's fallen out too many times. Plus purchasing new stock and cataloguing what turned up today.

Still need to do more on my chartership, but I've started getting very vague, "stuff" is hardly going to help me complete it. So tomorrow's to do list, will be  more a comprehensive list of what needs to be put in to place for the chartership. I've only got one meeting planned for tomorrow, which I need to attend- on a fact finding mission. Plus catalogue the computer games- a new and exciting media for the library to supply to Game design students. So another busy day is planned for tomorrow.


IIve got to say i'm happy got Friday booked as holiday- but then I have to work on the dinning room- needs to be redecorated so it looks like a dinning room. Missing my table and chairs, I've been eating off of my knees in front of the TV for weeks.

chartership

Trying to have a whole day to collect evidence on my charterhip, I think three out of the four criteria are going well, but it's criteria number three that is being a bit tricky at the moment.

Think I will need to have a chat with my mentor soon.

Should do more...

Feeling very bad for how little I have done recently on my blog, really need to make a major effort next week. My excuse is inductions have been completed and information literacy session have started.

Social networking-
I currently belong to Twitter and follow quite a few other librarians, which is pretty good for information and new technologies.

Currently I am working on benchmarking the Academic art library where I work against other art libraries in the country and seeing where the future is taking us, for this social networking has been very useful, in locating people. But for the actual task for getting information I think it will be easier to visit the libraries, that way i can get a feel of what the other institutions are offereing to their students.

as for CPD23, it has helped locate other people who are interested in the same topics as me. not usre if there is a community linked to CPD23, but there is with Twitter- but maybe that is due to me being more engaged with Twitter.

hello blog

It's been such a mental time at work at the moment, with new students arriving every day, I haven't had a spare moment to write anything. I still have 23 inductions left to do, but I mustn't moan as I have done 39! which is pretty good for one person.

On Wednesday I celebrate my last one, by starting my information literacy sessions! bit of an odd celebration- but it's a start.

Mentor

Luckily I have a great mentor, who also happens to be my best mate. She became my mentor three years ago and I love working with her. Since then a very strong friendship has developed. I think it really helped me in the first 6 months or so to help me find my feet in my role. But she still helps me now.

Where I work all the managers did a 8 day training event and I think at that point something changed in the college, we all started to share information and knowledge to help each other out.

I also have a mentor for my Chartership, which I have just started.

As for informally I have other librarians who can help me out with advice, or for more general managers information- senior management team, HR or MIS. Obviously I have my faviourite people who I know will provide me with honest advice.

If I have a choice I would pick informal mentoring and normally I just ask for someone's opinion or sounding them out on an idea. From the mentors that I have had, they need to be informal about it. you don't need a teacher and you can't learn everything from a job that way. But there needs to be respect. Which is why I think I have benefitted some much from them. As the people I have selected or been selected for me, see that I have specialist knowledge, as do they. So we both approach it with a kind hearted- where you will both will learn something.

I would like now to able to mentor someone, maybe once I have completed my chartership I will formally become a mentor. I suppose as a manager I do it informally now, but it's not something I really think about.

Art and design librarian

Having been asked to research in to the role, and changing role of art and design librarians, I found the handbook of art and design librarianship. Which, after only one chapter is a very good read. My research is looking at how academic art libraries will be changing in the future to ensure they stay relevant and how we have changed to get here.

Reading the handbook, I have come across some ideas, such as the non- traditional library jobs, referred to in the book as emerging tasks. When I think of my own role, emerging tasks seem to become more frequent, such as IT help, social networking and of course blogging.

Must read the rest of the book ASAP.

Why a library?

This is my 5th year working in libraries. Previously I have worked in Public libraries and now in academic.

Why this career? Teaching was always an idea, but I soon realised it wasn't what I wanted to do, after talking to people in the profession. What I love about libraries is that there is a teaching element, and i feel part of somethin. When I look back to my child hood I remember spending loads of time in libraries and in one form or another they have always been there. I have a massive interest in books (but which librarian doesn't) and life long learning, which libraries can be a part of.

Where am I now- right now I'm in my office boiling hot. Career wise, I have just completed my Post grad in information and library studies, I was adviced by CILIP to stop at Post grad level and do my chartership. Currently I am a library manager and have been for three years.

My plan for the future is to complete my chartership. 

Thing 9: evernote

Maybe it's because it's Firday,  and the heat is starting to get to me. But I really don't get why Evernote is so good? I feel like I must be missing the point here. I've created an account and looked at it before, but I still don't get the point of it.

I will have another look this weekend, ask a few people what they think and see how I feel in the new week.

Thing 8

Reading over Thing 8, I don't have a google calendar, I did sign up for one but never seem to use it. Where I work does have Groupwise, which does the same thing. Other people can add, with your permission to your diary, information can be colour co-ordinated. I find the to do list really useful, at the moment if an academic asks me to do something additional in the induction, it means that I can add in some more detail in there. Or for another member of staff to deal with.

first induction

Having read the article yesterday about promoting and marketing the Library services, I put it in to slightly shaky practice this morning. with my first induction, I tried to ensure the students understodd the importance of the LRC/ library and more importantly what there is to do in the library. Trying to highlight the benefits was pretty easy- come here, read and something will be remembered which in theory should result in better grades. Also it means the students will feel more conencted with a space and have another person to contact/ speak to.

As for my first session, I feel it went fairly well, I managed to convey all the information I needed to, dedicated time to speak to each member of the group as well as getting them all to take out an item on self service.  however I have felt that as the day has progressed, I find doing three a day quite hard going and so do the students. It's tough to get them and myself to have the same energy levels as in the morning.

Reviewing the week

As this is the first week of the FE term, I want to take stock and reflect at the end of the week. To kick of the week, the LRC has been tidied at least twice, to provide the best possible impression. Staff returning from leave have been updated on the changes over the summer. Mainly the move of my office, create a more cohensive team and less of a disjointed management/ team structure. I have also created a training pack for the staff, with how to guides for cataloguing books, DVD and journals.

Spent the afternoon on Tuesday doing housework on my desktop, then starting working on my Chartership. Having to look again my PDP, after reading “Building your portfolio” section. 

Read http://thewikiman.org/blog/?p=1717- three simple marketing rules all libraries should live by... and it really got my thinking, with the new cohort of stuents arriving today and my frist induction tomorrow. This is the ideal opportunity to test this out. Instead of listing the resources, I'll tell the students what we do- we provide access to resources, free of charge, we help students use the resources and the benefits are, the more you (the students) use the rsources, the more your knowledge will grow, which should result in better grades for you. I've added in these extra notes in to my induction for tomorrow. I will reflect on my findings after tomorrow and my first induction is done.

Thing 7

The main organisation I am a member of is CILIP, and it's been great, think I am still on a high from the umbrella conference two months ago.

Had several dealings with CILIP, obviously website, but also a couple of phone calls, and they provide really helpful advice and guidance. Also following them on Twitter. I suppose the only thing that is a little disappointing is the number of branches which you can become a member of. Would like like to have been in more than 2, yes I know I can pay, but we are in a recession. Or are we not know. I forget.
Also living and working in the South West there aren't many activities organised by CILIP.


Being updated by newsletter and magazine is great, so I can have five minutes reading something useful connection to my role.

thing 6

Here we are at thing 6.

I seem to have got a better handle on Twitter, I was involved in a live chat #uklibchat organised by CILIP last week, which was pretty good. Managed to keep in contact with other people who were at the event.

Also as part of my Chartership I have created a skype account, so I don't have to travel all the way to Weston Super mare, and she does have to travel to me. I have my first meeting, with her tonight.

I have a linkedin account and I try and update it as much as possible, add in today about my post grad. i've linked myself to other organisations. Plus done the same with my Twitter account. I also have librarians as teachers on my Twitter account.

As I am already a member of a few CILIP communities, I can tick off that one.

As for the other two, I have a sort of allergic reaction to Facebook, which is totally unfounded.

Think at the moment, maybe it's connected to a lack of time, I find Twitter the most useful.

Thing 5- Reflective practice

As I had my PDR (Professional development review) last week, which is all about reflection, I thought this topic woould be good to start. I suppose it's not until you stop and think that you realise how much you've achieved and how much you've learnt.

12 months ago it felt link there was a massive void in my knowledge on things like social networking, and not I'm pretty good at twitter, even explained what it was to someone the other day. With CDP, I seem to have found my love of twitter again.

As September is almost here and I will be leading on the LRC inductions, it's time to reflect previous years, what went well and what needs to be improved. Having no training/ advice on how to set up an induction, I created a one hour talk, tour and task session. Which seemed to go really well, the tour was a bit of a lull, but it provided students with a chance to see the whole of the LRC and what it has to offer them. But I did feel a little strange walking in to the quiet study room, saying "this is the quiet study room" a bit like an estate agent. The only issue I had was with the IT, either the laptops lost wifi connection, the system would crash on the LMS only has 10 licences, so getting 20 students online, while still having the self service machine up and running as well as two members of staff working was always going to be tricky. So instead of running around trying to fix three IT issues at once, this year I will be doing a 30 minute induction, which will be talk, tour and informal wander around. The latter part will also be helped by another member of my team, so the students get to know more than one person.

Overall I am pretty pleased with the inductions and the students enjoy it too, NSS results are (for the third year running) very good for the LRC. Long may in continue.

Productive day

Felt today like I should write about what my day is like. Even with no students around there is still loads to do. Hopefully, as I am starting my Chartership, this will help focus my mind.

For my Chartership, I've needed to write my CV, after a few phone calls to friends and family, I have worked out where and when I was employed- really must keep hold of this information. But I think I have everything in place now. Oddly I have found writting about my current role the hardest, working out what my duties are, previous jobs I seem to be able to remember better. Spoken to HR several times about what training I have done since being in post, don't think I will include everything, as I have done several things i don't feel are relevant- OFSTED reporting etc.

Need to spend some time cataloguing some of the more random items, such as the sound recording - Barbican archive. As well as adding new journals to the LMS and getting my new office ready for me to move in to.

Going to spend this afternoon tidying the LRC, managed to get to 770 yesterday, so not too far to go. After that I need to crack on with the admin work for Athens. 

thing 4

Started to use Twitter and RSS feed not sure I actually like the RSS feed idea, but I don't thinkg I have got my head around it just yet.

Love Twitter and have done for quiet a while, I like the idea of make a short and sweet statement about what I'm up to rather than typing a massive paragraph.

Thing 3

Had a go at using http://personas.media.mit.edu/personasWeb.html
But again I found nothing on me.

Thing 3

Having recently got married, I checked both names. The only thing I was able to find was my linkedin account, which is totally professional. This is probably as I don't have a facebook account, and tend to see social networking as a something I do professionally, but you never know I might fall in love with it and create a facebook account by the end of the session.

I'm not sure if I should be concerned about not having much of a online presence, on one hand, there are very few pic's or information of on me online, so for instance my boss can't see what I did at the weekend (kayaking), but it also means that my other work mates on facebook have to remind themselves to tell me about a social event etc.

Reasons to increase online presence

• become more fluent in using them
• networking
• potential connections to employement

Reasons not to

• having to remember to update it and log in
• Working in education has made me see the level of almost addicitve like behaviour students have over using facebook.
• potential connections to employment

Thing 2

Having returned from the CILIP conference the other week, I managed to meet a few people, who told me about the CDP23 thing. So I'm following them and a few others, i've tried not to focus on one area of libraries. As I work in an academic one and I am expected to work on the E resources, physical stock, networking as well as information literacy and manage a team. So it means my days are busy, at least at the moment it is non- term time. On the flip side it means that the offices, including mine will be moved over the summer. So I've spent the morning packing and now the server has broken in IT, so this afternoon my work is limited.

starting out

Starting to become a bit more brave using my blog, found some people who I'm interested in following, so far I know the people from a conference I attended last week, but everyone has to start somewhere.

My plan is to link to others, by the end of tomorrow. Mainly as I'm on holiday next week, so i'll feel guilty if I don't do any work on this.

I have my professional development meeting this week, so I'm going to chat about this and try and sign some more people up.

First post

Ok this is not the most imaginative title for my first post, but I am new to this.

Having recently completed my post grad and having attending the CILIP conference this year, I wanted to see what else I could do professional.

What I would like to get out of CPD 23 is a better understanding of social networking, as I work in an Art college, where everyone seems to be fluent in this. Also having a chance to network is useful, for support and ideas.