Wow it's the last one! Do we get a nice pretty certificate to say we've completed? If not I'll make myself one!!!
Anyway back to the serious stuff. I set up a Hootsuite account. I really like it. I don't need any more than three really. I've added Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. It's much better than I thought it was going to be. Don't know what I expected, but somehow it wasn't that. I have never used any other SM management tools before, I just presumed everything had to be kept separate. Even though I like it, I don't think I'd pay to add other networks, I'll stick with the freebie.It is so easy to set up & I like the way you can follow different bits of the same site.
I do find it difficult to keep up hence Linkedin & at times even Twitter gets forgotten about & I actually like both of them, which is a shame. I will keep up with this though because it's very useful.
I intend to keep all the information from this course & keep looking back at it to remind myself of what I've learned. because of IT issues at work I haven't had the chance to really go into detail on some things because I just couldn't open things to have a look. The issues aren't resolved yet, but surely they must be in time.or else the students will all go elsewhere.
Thank you for an interesting course and thank you for some very encouraging comments. please let me know if you do something similar again.
Many thanks
Carol
Tuesday 13 October 2015
Thursday 8 October 2015
An Addition to Thing 12
I've just been looking through my posts & the comments & realised I was asked to share my experience in Sri Lanka. So here is a shortened version of my time there.
I was really affected by the 2004 tsunami. I don't know why. There are many disasters in the world that really get to us sometimes, but that one I just couldn't get out of my mind. A few months after it, there was a talk at CILIP HQ by Premila Gamage, who had come over to talk about the effect on Libraries. Many libraries and schools were destroyed, not to mention Librarians and teachers killed. I asked after her talk what I could do to help. I wasn't capable of doing any physical work such as rebuild things, but I just wanted to do something. Two months later I was on my way there for 2 weeks for turned out to be the first of 5 trips.
Premila had said I could help by helping with re-training and moral boosting for the children. So I spent 2 weeks travelling own the west coast that had been badly affected. The things I saw were heart breaking. The homes that had been destroyed by the water had to be seen to be believed and there so many tents that people were living in because they couldn't afford to re-build. At this point the Government there were just sitting on all the money that had been raised for these people.
Anyway I could go on, but what I actually did was work with groups of children and library staff and school teachers doing story telling sessions, activities, & workshops. It was fun, I can't deny that, but the stories I heard, & the sights I saw were heartbreaking. The one thing from that trip that stuck with me was how happy the children were despite what they had been through! It was incredible.
I cried all the way home, because when I left the tail end of a cyclone had just hit, & all those poor people in those awful tents were getting drenched & I was going home to a nice dry warm house.
So when I got back I started fund raising and collecting books. I called it "Taking Elmer to Sri Lanka" In total I collected 140 boxes of books, some were new from publishers, some were withdrawn library stock from all over!
I went out a few more time over the next 2 or 3 years - until my personal money ran out & I couldn't afford to go again. The itinery changed a little over the visits, & although I still visited the places worst affected by the tsunami, I also did workshops in the slums of Columbo, two different orphanages, and some very remote areas in the hills around Kandy. Also while I was there the war was still raging with the Tamils and I had to get used to beind stopped at gunpoint by soldiers checking who I was!! The first time was un-nerving, but I sort of got used to it.
On one of my visits I was asked to give a paper to the Sri Lankan Library association on children's librarianship and storytelling. That was far more scary than anything else I did!!
This is obviously a very brief description, & although a lot of it was very enjoyable, I have tried to hide away some of the things I heard & saw.
I hope I helped to make a difference, I'm told I did, & I would so love to go back, but it's so expensive - maybe one day.
I was really affected by the 2004 tsunami. I don't know why. There are many disasters in the world that really get to us sometimes, but that one I just couldn't get out of my mind. A few months after it, there was a talk at CILIP HQ by Premila Gamage, who had come over to talk about the effect on Libraries. Many libraries and schools were destroyed, not to mention Librarians and teachers killed. I asked after her talk what I could do to help. I wasn't capable of doing any physical work such as rebuild things, but I just wanted to do something. Two months later I was on my way there for 2 weeks for turned out to be the first of 5 trips.
Premila had said I could help by helping with re-training and moral boosting for the children. So I spent 2 weeks travelling own the west coast that had been badly affected. The things I saw were heart breaking. The homes that had been destroyed by the water had to be seen to be believed and there so many tents that people were living in because they couldn't afford to re-build. At this point the Government there were just sitting on all the money that had been raised for these people.
Anyway I could go on, but what I actually did was work with groups of children and library staff and school teachers doing story telling sessions, activities, & workshops. It was fun, I can't deny that, but the stories I heard, & the sights I saw were heartbreaking. The one thing from that trip that stuck with me was how happy the children were despite what they had been through! It was incredible.
I cried all the way home, because when I left the tail end of a cyclone had just hit, & all those poor people in those awful tents were getting drenched & I was going home to a nice dry warm house.
So when I got back I started fund raising and collecting books. I called it "Taking Elmer to Sri Lanka" In total I collected 140 boxes of books, some were new from publishers, some were withdrawn library stock from all over!
I went out a few more time over the next 2 or 3 years - until my personal money ran out & I couldn't afford to go again. The itinery changed a little over the visits, & although I still visited the places worst affected by the tsunami, I also did workshops in the slums of Columbo, two different orphanages, and some very remote areas in the hills around Kandy. Also while I was there the war was still raging with the Tamils and I had to get used to beind stopped at gunpoint by soldiers checking who I was!! The first time was un-nerving, but I sort of got used to it.
On one of my visits I was asked to give a paper to the Sri Lankan Library association on children's librarianship and storytelling. That was far more scary than anything else I did!!
This is obviously a very brief description, & although a lot of it was very enjoyable, I have tried to hide away some of the things I heard & saw.
I hope I helped to make a difference, I'm told I did, & I would so love to go back, but it's so expensive - maybe one day.
Tuesday 6 October 2015
Thing 22 - Mobile Things
Is there really only one left after this? I'm actually going to miss it!! Anyway back to the thing ....
I love the Gum app. What a great thing to come up with. I've scanned a couple of bar-codes & I scanned the Fault in Our Stars, but there was only one other comment there. I like the way it's like having a little book club on your phone. I know you can scan other products, but I think I'll save it for books. I'm going to put it out on Facebook too - quite a few of my friends use Goodreads, so I think they may like it too.
The Beacons idea I also really like - but as there is a cost implication I know that isn't going to happen here at the moment. However I can see it working really well in an academic library. The students would know when they were having an information skills lesson, or Harvard etc. We could let them know when we are running events as well. Obviously we let them know all these things now, but doing it this way I think we would reach even more students. So when the financial situation improves I will show the rest of my colleagues & grovel a little!!
I don;t have a problem using my mobile phone for work things, but the powers that be don;t like us to be seen with our phones. Dinosaurs comes to mind. The 23 mobiles Things sounds useful & that is my next task to have a look at that.
I love the Gum app. What a great thing to come up with. I've scanned a couple of bar-codes & I scanned the Fault in Our Stars, but there was only one other comment there. I like the way it's like having a little book club on your phone. I know you can scan other products, but I think I'll save it for books. I'm going to put it out on Facebook too - quite a few of my friends use Goodreads, so I think they may like it too.
The Beacons idea I also really like - but as there is a cost implication I know that isn't going to happen here at the moment. However I can see it working really well in an academic library. The students would know when they were having an information skills lesson, or Harvard etc. We could let them know when we are running events as well. Obviously we let them know all these things now, but doing it this way I think we would reach even more students. So when the financial situation improves I will show the rest of my colleagues & grovel a little!!
I don;t have a problem using my mobile phone for work things, but the powers that be don;t like us to be seen with our phones. Dinosaurs comes to mind. The 23 mobiles Things sounds useful & that is my next task to have a look at that.
 |
| Taken from How to draw funny cartoons .com |
Thursday 1 October 2015
Thing 21 - Creating Infograpghics
Help! I found this really hard. I'm not sure why. I've opened accounts in both. I made a poster in Piktochart but I don't think very successfully. I watched the video, but still didn't really get it, but this is my attempt.
Module 1 is what we are working on at the moment, so I used this as a promotional tool, but i'm not sure I've got that right.
The other one - Easel.ly - well I'm afraid I really didn't understand it. I'm not a total technophobe, but I felt like it looking at this. I looked at the ones on Pinterest & they seemed quite whizzy compared to what I could achieve, so I'm afraid I deleted my attempts (a little in frustration I have to admit)
Having worked my way through the "Things", some have been easier than others obviously, I was beginning to feel a little more confident with things, but this has thrown me. I suppose sometimes it's better to stick with the things that you know & feel confident with.
I'm not saying I won't look at these again, but not at the moment.
I think I have seen infographics in and around libraries, but I don't know how they were done & if I have really grasped what infographics means.
Feel a bit daft now, but I think I have failed on this "Thing"
Carol
Module 1 is what we are working on at the moment, so I used this as a promotional tool, but i'm not sure I've got that right.
The other one - Easel.ly - well I'm afraid I really didn't understand it. I'm not a total technophobe, but I felt like it looking at this. I looked at the ones on Pinterest & they seemed quite whizzy compared to what I could achieve, so I'm afraid I deleted my attempts (a little in frustration I have to admit)
Having worked my way through the "Things", some have been easier than others obviously, I was beginning to feel a little more confident with things, but this has thrown me. I suppose sometimes it's better to stick with the things that you know & feel confident with.
I'm not saying I won't look at these again, but not at the moment.
I think I have seen infographics in and around libraries, but I don't know how they were done & if I have really grasped what infographics means.
Feel a bit daft now, but I think I have failed on this "Thing"
Carol
Thing 20 - Presentations
Like most people I have done quite a few PowerPoint presentations over the years. The I discovered Prezi.. Although I have only done a couple through Prezi, I really wish I could get some sort of training on it as I'm sure it does more than I can do with it.
I changed my Harvard Referencing presentation to Prezi last year & made it so much easier to show the students what I wanted to say and made a dull topic a bit more exciting.
I did another one about 3 weeks ago to do with online safety. It's not a long one, and the students have to do a short test after seeing it. It is part of an online module which they have to do. You can access it here.
http://prezi.com/pk-2sy2pmivv/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share
From feedback so far, the students have understood it - without me having stood in front of the class presenting it. I have worried that a couple of bits of it might be too "wordy", but hopefully it is self explanatory. This time last year I would have presented it in class, but due to staff cuts, we no longer have enough staff to do this & we have had to do it online in our VLE, Blackboard.
I don't think I will use PowerPoint again, but I really do need to find out more about Prezi. It is so visual and can be broken down nicely to put your point across.
I'm a naturally nervous person who really doesn't like talking in public. But if I have a PowerPoint or Prezi there, it really makes me feel much more confident. One bit of advice that I would give is don't put anything in them that you don't understand or can't explain properly. Try to anticipate any questions, & if there's anything you really don't think you could answer properly, either reword it so you know what you are talking about or leave it out completely. Being tongue-tied in front of people when giving a presentation is an awful experience, especially if you have written the presentation!!!
As I've said, I'm still learning & I'm sure the above Prezi can be - and eventually will be - improved.
Carol
I changed my Harvard Referencing presentation to Prezi last year & made it so much easier to show the students what I wanted to say and made a dull topic a bit more exciting.
I did another one about 3 weeks ago to do with online safety. It's not a long one, and the students have to do a short test after seeing it. It is part of an online module which they have to do. You can access it here.
http://prezi.com/pk-2sy2pmivv/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share
From feedback so far, the students have understood it - without me having stood in front of the class presenting it. I have worried that a couple of bits of it might be too "wordy", but hopefully it is self explanatory. This time last year I would have presented it in class, but due to staff cuts, we no longer have enough staff to do this & we have had to do it online in our VLE, Blackboard.
I don't think I will use PowerPoint again, but I really do need to find out more about Prezi. It is so visual and can be broken down nicely to put your point across.
I'm a naturally nervous person who really doesn't like talking in public. But if I have a PowerPoint or Prezi there, it really makes me feel much more confident. One bit of advice that I would give is don't put anything in them that you don't understand or can't explain properly. Try to anticipate any questions, & if there's anything you really don't think you could answer properly, either reword it so you know what you are talking about or leave it out completely. Being tongue-tied in front of people when giving a presentation is an awful experience, especially if you have written the presentation!!!
As I've said, I'm still learning & I'm sure the above Prezi can be - and eventually will be - improved.
Carol
Thing 19 - The legal side of things
If I'm honest I don't really think I've thought about the legal side of things while writing these blogs! On my last one I did remember to say where the photo was from, but on others I know I forgot.
To me it seems crazy to admit that, as copyright is something I have to keep an eye on at work. With all the Subject Guides I've had to produce, I've had to make sure that any images etc I have used have been referenced.
I teach Harvard referencing to students, therefore I know the importance of it all. I don't know if because I am just writing what I want to say rather than quoting from anyone else, I haven't given it much thought, but the images I've added - fortunately not many - it hasn't crossed my mind.
When I get a bit of time I'll have a look back. It is so easy to forget about these things, & the students must feel the same way. Mind you that's why I'm there to teach about such things.
Carol
To me it seems crazy to admit that, as copyright is something I have to keep an eye on at work. With all the Subject Guides I've had to produce, I've had to make sure that any images etc I have used have been referenced.
I teach Harvard referencing to students, therefore I know the importance of it all. I don't know if because I am just writing what I want to say rather than quoting from anyone else, I haven't given it much thought, but the images I've added - fortunately not many - it hasn't crossed my mind.
When I get a bit of time I'll have a look back. It is so easy to forget about these things, & the students must feel the same way. Mind you that's why I'm there to teach about such things.
Carol
Thursday 24 September 2015
Thing 18 - Communicating through Photographs
I have had an Instagram account for a while, but I have to admit I don't really use it. The College has an account and so does the LRC, but a colleague keeps it up to date, so I tend to leave it to her. I do use photos a lot at work. I tend to take photos of everything then they go onto the Subject Guides or displays around the library.
I tried to get into Flickr as I knew I had an account, but it must have been before the yahoo sign in. I don't want yet another email sign in, so for now I've left that. As the college uses Instagram I will stick with that for now. There are some amazing photos in there of Libraries. It makes you want to go & pack a suitcase & go on a tour of amazing Libraries. I couldn't copy & paste one on here, so I cheated & got one from Google images!!
I tried to get into Flickr as I knew I had an account, but it must have been before the yahoo sign in. I don't want yet another email sign in, so for now I've left that. As the college uses Instagram I will stick with that for now. There are some amazing photos in there of Libraries. It makes you want to go & pack a suitcase & go on a tour of amazing Libraries. I couldn't copy & paste one on here, so I cheated & got one from Google images!!
Thing 17 - Reflective Practice
I've chosen to to write about how I can use reflective practice in my Library experience because as I am doing my Chartership (slowly), it is a really useful tool.
At work we have to justify everything we do, so being able to talk about it reflectively is the best way of getting the message across about what I have been doing. As an example, we have been preparing some Modules to go onto our VLE (Blackboard) covering mainly Harvard. I have had to do Module 1, which is the "Getting Started" Module. It's OK writing one of these things, but if I can't explain why I have put in it what I have, then quite rightly I could be questioned about it. So if I was writing reflectively about it I suppose I would say something along the lines of;
I have created Module 1 for our students to help them get started with Harvard Referencing. I could have just sat down & written it, but there were certain things I needed to take into consideration. What were my aims and objectives? What as I trying to achieve? What did I want the students to achieve? How was I going to set it out. How was I going to see the learning outcomes? - to name a few. I did ponder these for a while, and started with the aims and objectives. Once I had sorted these out, the rest fell into place a little easier. I was worried about my skills using Blackboard, as up to now I haven't used it to it's full potential at all, but as the saying goes "Practice makes perfect", and once I got going and with the help of colleagues who have more experience with it, I found I could do exactly what I wanted. My first draft was ..... well poor, but I wanted to get down on paper, so to speak, my initial ideas. Then came the fun bit, making it how I really wanted it. I kept showing it to colleagues, because advise is the best thing ever when you are working on something new. After the first draft I realised it was too wordy. This was level 1 and was not supposed to but the student off, they are supposed to complete this and move onto the next Module without wanting to run a mile. After quite a bit of tweaking to make it more attractive, more readable, and even have a fun element in it, I was finally satisfied it could be published for the students to use. The feedback has been amazing from tutors and one student has already completed it - it was only launched a few days ago - and they have written a very complementary comment on the Padlet wall I set up. Time will tell if I have got it right, but it can be altered if need be later on. I am relieved about the comments so far, as this was something new to me and I have a nasty habit of doubting my own abilities to do things like this, but I'm more than happy now to have another go and do Module 5 in the next few weeks!
I probably need to work on making it sound more professional, another nasty habit is to write it as I would say it. I could probably pad it out more if needed, but I think it says everything I would say.
Carol
At work we have to justify everything we do, so being able to talk about it reflectively is the best way of getting the message across about what I have been doing. As an example, we have been preparing some Modules to go onto our VLE (Blackboard) covering mainly Harvard. I have had to do Module 1, which is the "Getting Started" Module. It's OK writing one of these things, but if I can't explain why I have put in it what I have, then quite rightly I could be questioned about it. So if I was writing reflectively about it I suppose I would say something along the lines of;
I have created Module 1 for our students to help them get started with Harvard Referencing. I could have just sat down & written it, but there were certain things I needed to take into consideration. What were my aims and objectives? What as I trying to achieve? What did I want the students to achieve? How was I going to set it out. How was I going to see the learning outcomes? - to name a few. I did ponder these for a while, and started with the aims and objectives. Once I had sorted these out, the rest fell into place a little easier. I was worried about my skills using Blackboard, as up to now I haven't used it to it's full potential at all, but as the saying goes "Practice makes perfect", and once I got going and with the help of colleagues who have more experience with it, I found I could do exactly what I wanted. My first draft was ..... well poor, but I wanted to get down on paper, so to speak, my initial ideas. Then came the fun bit, making it how I really wanted it. I kept showing it to colleagues, because advise is the best thing ever when you are working on something new. After the first draft I realised it was too wordy. This was level 1 and was not supposed to but the student off, they are supposed to complete this and move onto the next Module without wanting to run a mile. After quite a bit of tweaking to make it more attractive, more readable, and even have a fun element in it, I was finally satisfied it could be published for the students to use. The feedback has been amazing from tutors and one student has already completed it - it was only launched a few days ago - and they have written a very complementary comment on the Padlet wall I set up. Time will tell if I have got it right, but it can be altered if need be later on. I am relieved about the comments so far, as this was something new to me and I have a nasty habit of doubting my own abilities to do things like this, but I'm more than happy now to have another go and do Module 5 in the next few weeks!
I probably need to work on making it sound more professional, another nasty habit is to write it as I would say it. I could probably pad it out more if needed, but I think it says everything I would say.
Carol
Thing 16 - Collaboration Tools
Bad time of year this, I'm getting a bit behind, such is the joys of working in an academic library with all the students returning!!
We did a course at work about Google documents a few years ago & I remember thinking then what a useful tool it was. However for some reason it drifted by the wayside & I had completely forgotten about it, I suppose that happens when you don't use something regularly. If I'm honest, I'm not sure I do anything where using it would be all that useful, i.e. I don't jointly work on projects where it would be useful. That doesn't mean I will never use it. and this Thing has reminded me about it & I will try & remember it in future. I am going to bring it up at our next team meeting to see what the others think, just in case.
I have never used Doodle as we use the Outlook calendar for meetings etc & it's a college wide thing so we have no choice. Again it is something I will keep in mind if ever I do change jobs.
When this course is finished there is so much I am going to have another look at and do some more reading. It really is very useful.
We did a course at work about Google documents a few years ago & I remember thinking then what a useful tool it was. However for some reason it drifted by the wayside & I had completely forgotten about it, I suppose that happens when you don't use something regularly. If I'm honest, I'm not sure I do anything where using it would be all that useful, i.e. I don't jointly work on projects where it would be useful. That doesn't mean I will never use it. and this Thing has reminded me about it & I will try & remember it in future. I am going to bring it up at our next team meeting to see what the others think, just in case.
I have never used Doodle as we use the Outlook calendar for meetings etc & it's a college wide thing so we have no choice. Again it is something I will keep in mind if ever I do change jobs.
When this course is finished there is so much I am going to have another look at and do some more reading. It really is very useful.
Friday 4 September 2015
Thing 15 - Advocacy for Libraries
This is one of my favourite topics! So where do I start? .......
I hate what is happening to Libraries and Librarians. I don't understand why the powers that be can't see the importance of Libraries from the day you are born till the day you die. I get so cross when I hear parents say that their baby is too young to look at a book. I almost want to scream at them "They are never too young". What do they think board books are for? It helps with
I hate what is happening to Libraries and Librarians. I don't understand why the powers that be can't see the importance of Libraries from the day you are born till the day you die. I get so cross when I hear parents say that their baby is too young to look at a book. I almost want to scream at them "They are never too young". What do they think board books are for? It helps with
- Bonding
- Hand eye coordination
- Listening skills
to name just a very few.
There's so much for children in libraries, not only books, but activities, computers, homework help, etc etc etc
Then when you go to college or uni, it's a vital part of college life, help with research skills, Harvard, Information skills, etc etc
They are vital for adults, to give them access to all the books they can't afford to buy, somewhere to take the children so they can learn to lose themselves in the wonderful world of books etc etc
Then when old age takes a hold, it's a place to go for companionship, plus a book can be the best companion! etc etc.
So the first group I joined was "Save Doncaster Libraries". We held rallies outside the threatened libraries, campaigned to local MP's etc etc. But the council said "why do we need libraries when you can buy books in Tesco?" Augh! So we have gone from 28 Libraries to 3. Some of the ones closed are now run by volunteers - but that's a whole new concept with huge pitfalls!
During our campaign we were joined by some prominent authors. Alan Gibbons being the one who really made his voice heard. He even got us Breakfast TV!!! He also began "Campaign for the Book" which I also joined. He got the backing of many authors & still has as far as I know.
It breaks my heart to see all the libraries closing despite the best effort of so many people. Professional Librarians are disappearing by the day, and even School libraries are taking a hit.
Where will it all end? I don't know, it's frightening. Does all this campaigning work? I hate to say it doesn't seem to be.
Thing 14 - Augmented Reality
This is something that has been tried in our Library. But I'm afraid the students didn't take to it. We used Layer. It was the IT bods who developed it & we suggested things to go in it. It was really quite whizzy & I thought the students would take to it more than the tutors. We had a special event where it was launched & special "Layer" posters were placed all around the place. Within a couple of weeks it had virtually been forgotten.
A similar thing happened when we started using Q R Codes. No-one looked at them.
From a personal point of view I think it's a really thing, & maybe when I get my head around the new Planet E-Stream I may have another look at it & see if it would be a good thing, & ask the new intake of students if they would be likely to use it.
I feel a bit as though I've copped out of this one a bit, but there isn't much else for me to say on it.
Sorry!
A similar thing happened when we started using Q R Codes. No-one looked at them.
From a personal point of view I think it's a really thing, & maybe when I get my head around the new Planet E-Stream I may have another look at it & see if it would be a good thing, & ask the new intake of students if they would be likely to use it.
I feel a bit as though I've copped out of this one a bit, but there isn't much else for me to say on it.
Sorry!
Thursday 27 August 2015
Thing 13 - Professional Organisations
I am a member of CILIP and am also on the committee of the Yorkshire branch of YLG and have been for about 10 years I have had a stint of both vice-chair and Chair.
The benefits are great in that you meet a lot of like minded people from different professional backgrounds. You can share ideas, gain a lot of advice and it's a wonderful chance to Network. We have at least one day school a year and if we have the funds 2 a year - although that doesn't happen as often these days. At the day schools you get another chance of networking & meeting lots of new people.
Being a member of CILIP means I am kept up to date with all things Library related. It looks good on your CV! CILIP also offer some really good training, the only problem with it is most takes place in London and is expensive, so those of us up North miss out quite a lot. But I have been to CILIP headquarters a couple of times.
I would recommend joining the committee of whichever interest group is suitable for you, as I'm sure you will gain much from it.
The twitter feed for YLG is @youthlibraries and for the Yorkshire branch it's @YLGYorksHumber.
The benefits are great in that you meet a lot of like minded people from different professional backgrounds. You can share ideas, gain a lot of advice and it's a wonderful chance to Network. We have at least one day school a year and if we have the funds 2 a year - although that doesn't happen as often these days. At the day schools you get another chance of networking & meeting lots of new people.
Being a member of CILIP means I am kept up to date with all things Library related. It looks good on your CV! CILIP also offer some really good training, the only problem with it is most takes place in London and is expensive, so those of us up North miss out quite a lot. But I have been to CILIP headquarters a couple of times.
I would recommend joining the committee of whichever interest group is suitable for you, as I'm sure you will gain much from it.
The twitter feed for YLG is @youthlibraries and for the Yorkshire branch it's @YLGYorksHumber.
Thing 12 - Attending Conferences
The last conference I attended was on 9th July 2015, so it's fairly fresh in my mind. It was A Meg-Lib Conference organised by JISC. Mainly it was looking at Digital Literacy
When we want to attend something like this we have to fill in a form called an SD1, on this we have to say what is is we wish to attend, who it's organised by, where it is, how much it is, any travel costs that are likely to be incurred - or if you're going on the train you have to say which train you went to get as the College buy the tickets for you in advance, we also have to say how the event meets with the Colleges strategic objectives and finally, what the college will gain by you going. I have to say this can be quite off putting, but I haven't yet not attended an event because of this form. This then goes to our line Manager who approves it (you hope!), then it goes to their Line Manager for final approval, before being passed to HR for them to book your place & get your train tickets. It's your Line Manager who decides if there is enough funding available for you to go.
Anyway, obviously I got the go ahead to go to the above conference at Bradford College. Networking was done before it started, during coffee break and at lunchtime. Not afterwards as everyone dashes for their train! I just tend to chat to anyone who will talk to me. Usually I ask where they work and how things are there and other conversations just develop from there, depending on replies. I am a shy person at heart, & sometimes people need to approach me first to build my confidence.
I always use a notebook to take notes as I just find it quicker, I've tried using my IPad, but I seem to miss too much. I always try to type up my notes within 24 hours, because that way it stays fresh in my mind & I always have a copy I can read! I try to make notes of nearly everything, then I can filter out what isn't relevant at a later date.
What would I do different next time? I think I need to work on my Networking skills, because although I will talk to anyone, I find it hard to approach people.
Just as an after-note, my favourite conference I went to was in Colombo in Sri Lanka. I was invited to give a paper on Children's librarianship. Now that was an amazing experience!
When we want to attend something like this we have to fill in a form called an SD1, on this we have to say what is is we wish to attend, who it's organised by, where it is, how much it is, any travel costs that are likely to be incurred - or if you're going on the train you have to say which train you went to get as the College buy the tickets for you in advance, we also have to say how the event meets with the Colleges strategic objectives and finally, what the college will gain by you going. I have to say this can be quite off putting, but I haven't yet not attended an event because of this form. This then goes to our line Manager who approves it (you hope!), then it goes to their Line Manager for final approval, before being passed to HR for them to book your place & get your train tickets. It's your Line Manager who decides if there is enough funding available for you to go.
Anyway, obviously I got the go ahead to go to the above conference at Bradford College. Networking was done before it started, during coffee break and at lunchtime. Not afterwards as everyone dashes for their train! I just tend to chat to anyone who will talk to me. Usually I ask where they work and how things are there and other conversations just develop from there, depending on replies. I am a shy person at heart, & sometimes people need to approach me first to build my confidence.
I always use a notebook to take notes as I just find it quicker, I've tried using my IPad, but I seem to miss too much. I always try to type up my notes within 24 hours, because that way it stays fresh in my mind & I always have a copy I can read! I try to make notes of nearly everything, then I can filter out what isn't relevant at a later date.
What would I do different next time? I think I need to work on my Networking skills, because although I will talk to anyone, I find it hard to approach people.
Just as an after-note, my favourite conference I went to was in Colombo in Sri Lanka. I was invited to give a paper on Children's librarianship. Now that was an amazing experience!
Monday 24 August 2015
Thing 11 - Reflective Practice
Time Management
I have to say I'm quite big on time management, I don't know why, but I'm always early to work so that I don't get caught in traffic. I would rather be sat at my desk getting on with things than sit in my car waiting for the queue to move.
It is the busiest time of year for us getting ready for the students to come back, and preparing all the research skills modules and getting book lists from tutors. Because of this I try to make sure I get at least an hour away from that in a week to work on this, sometime in 2 half hour bits. The main reason is that I can see some of it being very useful and am incorporating it into my planning. I have also passed some of it onto my colleagues so they can use it too - mainly the screenomatic, I really love that. It maybe means some of my blogs aren't very long, but it's getting me into the habit of blogging regularly, so that when this is over I will continue to blog.
I'm a bit strange in that I work better under pressure & if I know something has to be done & time is running out I can seem to work better & quicker!!! But I know that's not for everyone. So I would just suggest looking at what you have to do in a week & making sure you make at least two 30 minute slots within the week & stick to them. If it takes longer than that - add another 30 minutes somewhere.
It is going to be well worth it I think, so I'm going to continue on this strategy - I hope! - if it starts to break down when the students return, I'll rethink it!
I have to say I'm quite big on time management, I don't know why, but I'm always early to work so that I don't get caught in traffic. I would rather be sat at my desk getting on with things than sit in my car waiting for the queue to move.
It is the busiest time of year for us getting ready for the students to come back, and preparing all the research skills modules and getting book lists from tutors. Because of this I try to make sure I get at least an hour away from that in a week to work on this, sometime in 2 half hour bits. The main reason is that I can see some of it being very useful and am incorporating it into my planning. I have also passed some of it onto my colleagues so they can use it too - mainly the screenomatic, I really love that. It maybe means some of my blogs aren't very long, but it's getting me into the habit of blogging regularly, so that when this is over I will continue to blog.
I'm a bit strange in that I work better under pressure & if I know something has to be done & time is running out I can seem to work better & quicker!!! But I know that's not for everyone. So I would just suggest looking at what you have to do in a week & making sure you make at least two 30 minute slots within the week & stick to them. If it takes longer than that - add another 30 minutes somewhere.
It is going to be well worth it I think, so I'm going to continue on this strategy - I hope! - if it starts to break down when the students return, I'll rethink it!
Thing 10 - Live Streaming
What can I say? - Gutted! I was all ready for the Rudai 23 Hangout, I'd opened up & checked everything was ok. I'd looked through the proposed questions & jotted down possible answers, I'd re-read all my blogs. Everything seemed fine, so I sat & waited & ................ nothing! I can't work out what I did wrong. I use Skype a lot, so it's not like I'd never used that type of thing before. I kept re-reading the Thing 10 about Google hangouts to see if I'd missed something. In the end all I could do was watch the YouTube live feed. I was so cross with myself!
Anyway rant over It was interesting to hear what the others were saying, although the audio feed was quite poor, & it kept freezing a bit. Although it was the first time I'd "used" Hangouts, I wasn't as inpressed with it as Skype, it was a bit jumpy, & hard to hear, & that can't have been totally my machine, as it's the same one I use with Skype.
However, I can see the usefulness of it for work purposes. Because of the Feltag Report, we have to deliver some modules on line and if the students have any difficulties, then we could use this for mini workshops, especially with work based learners.
Anyway rant over It was interesting to hear what the others were saying, although the audio feed was quite poor, & it kept freezing a bit. Although it was the first time I'd "used" Hangouts, I wasn't as inpressed with it as Skype, it was a bit jumpy, & hard to hear, & that can't have been totally my machine, as it's the same one I use with Skype.
However, I can see the usefulness of it for work purposes. Because of the Feltag Report, we have to deliver some modules on line and if the students have any difficulties, then we could use this for mini workshops, especially with work based learners.
Why have a stuck a picture of Daleks in my blog? I've just re-read it & it's a bit negative, so I thought I'd cheer it up a bit.
I'm not going to give up on Hangouts, & if someone can please let me know where I went wrong, I'll be eternally grateful.
Onwards and upwards to thing 11 ........
Monday 17 August 2015
Thing 9 - Video
Well I'm back from my holidays & raring to go and ....... it actually worked!! I was convinced it wouldn't work on my machine & then suddenly pow! There it was. I can't do audio on here, but this is a start & I'm really impressed with it. Not with my attempt, but with what it does!
Here is my attempt I used my Animal care Libguide. I know it needs smartening up, but I can really see a use for this, and am quite excited at this new piece of technology (to me it's new), that I can use in the new modules we are preparing for our students. Hopefully I'll get access to audio too at some point.
I will definately practice with this, and hopefully get chance to use it quite a bit.
All I have to say at this point is thank you so much for teaching me about this!!!
Here is my attempt I used my Animal care Libguide. I know it needs smartening up, but I can really see a use for this, and am quite excited at this new piece of technology (to me it's new), that I can use in the new modules we are preparing for our students. Hopefully I'll get access to audio too at some point.
I will definately practice with this, and hopefully get chance to use it quite a bit.
All I have to say at this point is thank you so much for teaching me about this!!!
Tuesday 4 August 2015
Thing 8 - Curation Tools
Hi again
I really enjoyed this. I've briefly used Pinterest before & I quite like it. We have one set up for the LRC at work for the students to know what is going on, however in my view it hasn't been advertised enough, so when the new term starts in September I'm going to push it more. I love the visual aspect of it & the ease of use. My only problem - which isn't totally Pinterests fault is, it doesn't work properly on the Colleges Internet Explorer & I have to remember to open Crome, but that's not a big issue.
Flipboard is new to me & I really like it. There are so many interesting articles on there I could have sat reading all day - but work won't let me!! I have made a start on flipping a magazine together, but will spend more time later & have a good read at lunchtime, I'll download it to my IPad later too. I may even set up a personal account to keep private just for me. I'm also going to bring this up at our next team meeting as I feel we can get a lot out of this.
Storify - not quite as excited by this, although I think that could be that I haven't got my head round it properly yet. I have set up an account, but will have a closer look at it at a later date.
This was a very useful Thing 8 for me. Thank you.
I really enjoyed this. I've briefly used Pinterest before & I quite like it. We have one set up for the LRC at work for the students to know what is going on, however in my view it hasn't been advertised enough, so when the new term starts in September I'm going to push it more. I love the visual aspect of it & the ease of use. My only problem - which isn't totally Pinterests fault is, it doesn't work properly on the Colleges Internet Explorer & I have to remember to open Crome, but that's not a big issue.
Flipboard is new to me & I really like it. There are so many interesting articles on there I could have sat reading all day - but work won't let me!! I have made a start on flipping a magazine together, but will spend more time later & have a good read at lunchtime, I'll download it to my IPad later too. I may even set up a personal account to keep private just for me. I'm also going to bring this up at our next team meeting as I feel we can get a lot out of this.
Storify - not quite as excited by this, although I think that could be that I haven't got my head round it properly yet. I have set up an account, but will have a closer look at it at a later date.
This was a very useful Thing 8 for me. Thank you.
Wednesday 29 July 2015
Thing 7 Podcasts
Although I found it interesting, we don't use podcasts at work because we have other stuff we use. I personally don't use that sort of thing at all, so I'm afraid you won't find a homemade podcast on here. I have however looked at others, have to admit I found the "circulating ideas" too American.
I can see the use of them & if I felt I would use them I would into them deeper, but at this stage that's not going to happen. They would be a good educational tool, for some people, but we have a new "streaming" system & I need to get my head around that.
Sorry this is a short blog, but for now I am going to pass on this.
I can see the use of them & if I felt I would use them I would into them deeper, but at this stage that's not going to happen. They would be a good educational tool, for some people, but we have a new "streaming" system & I need to get my head around that.
Sorry this is a short blog, but for now I am going to pass on this.
Thing 6 Reflective Practice
Now I should be able to do this as I'm in the middle of my Chartership & the big thing is reflective writing. However that's what I find hard!!! But I'll give it a go.
I have actually enjoyed reading other peoples blogs - I was worried they'd freak me out & make me feel inadequate, even though people have viewed my blogs, I've only had 1 comment & that was about a Dalek!!! Many people have said similar things to me though, & I don't feel quite so daft. I do maybe need to try to add some whizzy things like pictures though, but I'll see how I go.
The first part of the course has been interesting, although I've had to play catch up a bit with daring to take leave in the middle of it!! It has made me bring Linkedin out of mothballs, I don't know why I don't use it, maybe because I'm not really confident with it. I occasionally dib in, but I will try to look more often now.
When I clicked on the link for the Delicious page it came up with a gaming site, so I'm not sure whose fault that is - work or the link!!!
Right I've nearly caught up now, time to move onto Thing 7 .........
I have actually enjoyed reading other peoples blogs - I was worried they'd freak me out & make me feel inadequate, even though people have viewed my blogs, I've only had 1 comment & that was about a Dalek!!! Many people have said similar things to me though, & I don't feel quite so daft. I do maybe need to try to add some whizzy things like pictures though, but I'll see how I go.
The first part of the course has been interesting, although I've had to play catch up a bit with daring to take leave in the middle of it!! It has made me bring Linkedin out of mothballs, I don't know why I don't use it, maybe because I'm not really confident with it. I occasionally dib in, but I will try to look more often now.
When I clicked on the link for the Delicious page it came up with a gaming site, so I'm not sure whose fault that is - work or the link!!!
Right I've nearly caught up now, time to move onto Thing 7 .........
Oh look I managed to add a photo!!! Maybe I can do this!
Thing 5 - Online networks
As a regular user of both Facebook and Twitter this wasn't too much of a trial. My only problem was finding a list in Twitter, but that was because of our archaic computer system at work which is using a browser miles out of date, so it threw me out. I will however try again at home.
I'm looking forward to a #rudai23 twitter chat, I find those very useful.
I think Facebook is a good professional tool, we use it at work to try & reach the students & draw them into the LRC - as we do Twitter. We also use twitter for each of the subject areas - using the hashtag, to let them know when any new resources are in - books, e-books etc. I still enjoy Facebook as a fun & social tool, but I can see & do use both sides of it.
I have ploughed through the list of Facebook groups for Librarians & just don't know where to start - there's so many I want to link up to!! Anyone got any advice please on which are the best & how many to join as I don't want to get too bogged down!! Thanks
I'm looking forward to a #rudai23 twitter chat, I find those very useful.
I think Facebook is a good professional tool, we use it at work to try & reach the students & draw them into the LRC - as we do Twitter. We also use twitter for each of the subject areas - using the hashtag, to let them know when any new resources are in - books, e-books etc. I still enjoy Facebook as a fun & social tool, but I can see & do use both sides of it.
I have ploughed through the list of Facebook groups for Librarians & just don't know where to start - there's so many I want to link up to!! Anyone got any advice please on which are the best & how many to join as I don't want to get too bogged down!! Thanks
#thing4
Before this "Thing" I knew nothing about Hangout. I have always used Skype, but to be honest I found this one really interesting & I learnt a lot. As we are going to have to deliver most of our sessions on-line, this looks really interesting and the students may be more into Google features than we are. I was able to chat to my partner, but as yet I no other connections on Hangout.
I have always used Google as a search engine, and I knew there were other "strings to it's bow" However I never realised just how much more there is. I found it really interesting & look forward to connecting up with other users.
I have always used Google as a search engine, and I knew there were other "strings to it's bow" However I never realised just how much more there is. I found it really interesting & look forward to connecting up with other users.
Tuesday 14 July 2015
Linkedin and My personal brand.
I have been on Linkedin for a while, but never really use it much. I am hoping that now I will use it more professionally and develop a good professional network. I struggled to join the Rudai 23 group to begin with as I tried to find it from Linkedin, but had to resort to using the link from the Blog as it didn't come up.
My personal brand is very personal to me. I hate with an absolute passion having my photo taken. Therefore all my photos are either of my late dog Jess, on my personal things like Facebook etc, or a Dalek on my work things. The students think it's great that their Librarian's photo is of a Dalek, it makes me seem more real to them in a strange way - I'm normal (well I think am)!!!.I have never taken a selfie in my life & will continue to avoid doing so as long as possible.
As regards searching myself of Google. All seems well, & no impostors yet as far as I can see.
Back to Linkedin to see what else is on there .........................
My personal brand is very personal to me. I hate with an absolute passion having my photo taken. Therefore all my photos are either of my late dog Jess, on my personal things like Facebook etc, or a Dalek on my work things. The students think it's great that their Librarian's photo is of a Dalek, it makes me seem more real to them in a strange way - I'm normal (well I think am)!!!.I have never taken a selfie in my life & will continue to avoid doing so as long as possible.
As regards searching myself of Google. All seems well, & no impostors yet as far as I can see.
Back to Linkedin to see what else is on there .........................
Monday 13 July 2015
How I became a librarian
I started life as a teacher in a special needs school in Doncaster. Although my main subject was music, i started to diversify and became more specialised in language needs using Makaton as my base. However after 10 years I decided this was not my chosen career path & left.
I didn't know what I wanted to do at first, but on a trip to my local library, there was an advert on the counter for a relief library assistant. "Great!" I thought, "now that's something I'd love to do!". So I applied & got it. After my first day on the job, I knew I loved it. Eight months later I got a full time job in the Central Library & settled down to life a a library assistant. I loved the fact that every day was different, I spent time in the main library, the music library and the children's library. I even had the odd day in the reference & local history library. My days as a teacher drew me more & more into the children's library & after four years I got the job as Library assistant in charge of the children's library.
That was the best six years ever, I loved all the different things I did down there, such as story-times, activities, school visits, helping with homework etc. and it was during this time, that I decided to become a Professional Librarian. I had a meeting with the head of the library service & although I had to pay myself, she was more than happy to give me day release. So three years later I was a qualified librarian, but there was no qualified post for me. So I had to start applying elsewhere.
So I can became an Early Years Librarian with SureStart. Very different, it was fun, but had it's moments. Part of my role was to establish a new early years library, which took over 3 years to build as it turned out & then someone new took over the children's centres & six months later he closed it saying there was no need for an early years library! So after four years I was job hunting again.
I was lucky enough to get a job as Subject Librarian at Doncaster College where i have been for six and a half years & for the most part have really loved it. We have just had a restructure in the last month & I had to be interviewed for my post, but I'm still here & I really am so pleased that I am. The job has changed, but it's a new era for the College LRC & it's a case of wait & see what the future holds.
I didn't know what I wanted to do at first, but on a trip to my local library, there was an advert on the counter for a relief library assistant. "Great!" I thought, "now that's something I'd love to do!". So I applied & got it. After my first day on the job, I knew I loved it. Eight months later I got a full time job in the Central Library & settled down to life a a library assistant. I loved the fact that every day was different, I spent time in the main library, the music library and the children's library. I even had the odd day in the reference & local history library. My days as a teacher drew me more & more into the children's library & after four years I got the job as Library assistant in charge of the children's library.
That was the best six years ever, I loved all the different things I did down there, such as story-times, activities, school visits, helping with homework etc. and it was during this time, that I decided to become a Professional Librarian. I had a meeting with the head of the library service & although I had to pay myself, she was more than happy to give me day release. So three years later I was a qualified librarian, but there was no qualified post for me. So I had to start applying elsewhere.
So I can became an Early Years Librarian with SureStart. Very different, it was fun, but had it's moments. Part of my role was to establish a new early years library, which took over 3 years to build as it turned out & then someone new took over the children's centres & six months later he closed it saying there was no need for an early years library! So after four years I was job hunting again.
I was lucky enough to get a job as Subject Librarian at Doncaster College where i have been for six and a half years & for the most part have really loved it. We have just had a restructure in the last month & I had to be interviewed for my post, but I'm still here & I really am so pleased that I am. The job has changed, but it's a new era for the College LRC & it's a case of wait & see what the future holds.
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