The Unexpected Side of Working in Research Support - CILIP Careers Day

Last week I traveled what is starting to become a familiar route down to London to speak at the CILIP Careers Day. This annual one day event started in 2017 as a way to reach out to those who have been working in the information profession for a while and were looking for a way to take the next step or refresh their career. The sessions included both talks and practical workshops from people working in a variety of different sectors. We also heard about valuable techniques such as networking, reading a job advertisement and how to move on if you are stuck in a career rut.

I was asked to speak about working in research support, an area which is becoming increasingly important in libraries as evidenced by the number of job advertisements that keep cropping up in this area. Librarians sometimes get nervous about the language that is used in these adverts and worry that because they are not experts in areas such as Open Access and Research Data Management that they shouldn't apply for these roles. However, if you actually look at the skills that are being asked for then hopefully it should become apparent that librarians know a lot about this area already:

• We are used to dealing with and describing data in order to open it up to a wider audience
• Librarians tend to be very adaptable and good and problem solving - ideal for dealing with publishers who change their policies (and consequently your department workflows) at a moments notice
• We know about different methods of publishing and the differences between them - for example that journals often appear in print/online faster than books. This is the kind of advice we can pass on to our users
• We are accustomed to explaining sometimes complex procedures and rules to our users in a way that makes sense to them which comes in handy when trying to explain various Open Access policies!

The point that I (hopefully) made on the day was that librarians often expect to be baffled by research support roles but once they start digging a bit deeper then they realise that they know more than they think. As with any librarian role the subject knowledge can be learnt, it is much harder to be the sort of person who has the aptitude to work in research support but I think librarians have all of the necessary traits already.

Every day working in research support is different, even if the tasks can sometimes seem a little bit routine. In my own department there is always something to make the day go faster - like the time that someone uploaded multiple images of penguin guano as the data supporting their publication, the day my office crashed the Cambridge University server by publishing Dr Stephen Hawking's thesis or the fact that I have a Krispy Kreme loyalty card for work purposes! 

As well as getting to meet a great bunch of people (and hopefully not putting them off a career in research support!) I learnt a lot from the other sessions. I've always been a bit nervous of networking but the excellent session by Jo Wood and Michael Jones helped to boost my confidence so will probably be my top takeaway.

For those interested in either working in research support or what colour penguin guano is, my slides are available below:

Penguin Poop, Breaking the Internet and Doughnuts: What It's Really Like Working in Research Support from Claire Sewell

Moving into Research Support: What Librarians Really Need to Know

I've been doing a lot of work in the past year or so on educating the library community beyond Cambridge about scholarly communication and research support from blog posts and surveys to speaking at events. In 2018 I'm aiming to formalize this by offering a course on Moving into Research Support in collaboration with CILIP and CILIP East.

It's quite hard work to condense everything a librarian might need to know about research support into one three hour workshop but I'm enjoying the challenge. What I'm really hoping to cover is what library staff really need to know to get started, whether they are new to the world of research support, have had these duties added to their current post or are just interested in exploring the sector and its various roles. Hopefully this will be enough to get people started and help them to grasp the basics of scholarly communication.

In the course I'll be covering: 

• An introduction to scholarly communication in the 21st century
• What do we mean by scholarly communication?
• What does it mean to be a researcher in the 21st century?
• Where the library fits into the research lifecycle
• The different roles available for librarians in library and information support

• Research Data Management
• What do we mean when we talk about 'data'?
• Why should researchers learn how to manage their data?
• How can libraries support researchers across disciplines with their data?

• Open Access
• What is Open Access?
• What are the implications of research funder policies for researchers?
• How can librarians keep up with the changes? 

• Disseminating research
• How can researchers share their research once it's completed?
• How can they take advantage of new and innovative methods of dissemination?
• How can librarians support researchers with sharing their work with the wider world?

• Metrics and measuring impact
• Why are metrics and why are they important?
• Why do researchers need to measure impact?
• How can libraries support researchers with understanding and applying metrics?

I hope this will be a valuable introduction and there will of course be signposting towards further information on different areas so people can explore further if they want to. If this course turns out to be a success who knows what might be next? I'm really enjoying pulling the content together and it's giving me lots of ideas about the skills that librarians really need in this area which is something I hope to do more investigation on in 2018.  

If you are interested in the workshop the course takes place on February 1st and details and booking information can be found via the CILIP website here. 

Accessibility, Development and Promotion: CILIP Conference 2017

Last week I attended the annual CILIP Conference in Manchester. I've been for the last few years and always found it a professionally invigorating experience. The conference lasted two days but instead of giving a complete run down of everything I thought I would just highlight the top three themes which ran through all of the presentations:

• accessibility
• professional development and the importance of transferable skills
• promoting the value of libraries

Accessibility

This was perhaps the number one theme from the conference. Like many people one of the big draws of CILIP 2017 for me was a chance to hear Dr Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress deliver the opening keynote. She spoke of one of her motivations in taking on the role - to make a large research library like the Library of Congress more accessible. Hayden was asked about how she intended to increase access to the Library in her job interview with President Obama (side note here from the speaker to remember this the next time you are intimidated in a job interview!). The Library is obviously a great institution with a well deserved reputation but it is not always easy to access if you are "not a scholar" as people perceive that the Library is not for them. Hayden also made the point that we often make people jump through hoops to access our collections - something which goes back to the role of the librarian as the curator of unique items. 

Working in a major research library I could relate to a lot of these points. We experience similar issues with access at Cambridge even though we are open to anyone with a need to use our collections and services. The physical building is not always the most accessible (having been designed and built in the 1930s) and Cambridge sometimes has an undeserved reputation for being unwelcoming. Once they come through the door the majority of people comment on how friendly and helpful the staff are but of course that relies on them coming through the door in the first place! There are also improvements to be made but this is being worked on. Working with Open Access to the research outputs of the University is an increasingly important way for us to promote accessibility. The aim of OA is to make these outputs accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Cambridge's repository Apollo provides a wealth of information to anyone who wants to access it but there is still more work to be done, both in terms of increasing the number of outputs available and promoting it to those outside the University. 

Future accessibility was also mentioned. Preserving information and data today in the right way will help to make it more accessible to future users. Of course librarians have been doing this for centuries but we may have to think about things in a different way now. Formats are constantly changing so we need to keep up with this and use our skills to determine how best to preserve access for the future. 

The issue of accessibility also came up in other presentations.In his keynote Luciano Floridi, Professor of Philosophy and Ethics of Information at Oxford, highlighted the fact that the 24/7 digital culture meant that having a presence no longer necessarily requires being in the same physical location. We can attend events remotely or contribute to discussions online in our own time. Neil MacInnes of Manchester Libraries talked about the recent redevelopment of the city's libraries. He talked about how the fact that everything we do in libraries is about people and how this was at the heart of the redevelopment. Chief Data Officer and CILIP Trustee Caroline Curruthers spoke about her work with Network Rail and the importance of not hoarding data but managing it so that we can access it as needed. She advocated librarians as "data cheerleaders" to promote the value of proper data storage and sharing. Caroline Brazier (Chief Librarian at the British Library) brought the theme full circle in the final session of the conference. Even after extensive changes which have been lauded by many there are still some people who are put off by the "great scholastic silence" of an institution such as the BL. I took note of the lessons from these talks and will be using them to think about my own role in accessibility.

Professional development (and the importance of transferable skills)

Professional development is an interest of mine and at the heart of my current role so I was glad to see this as an emerging theme. In her presentation on Engaging New LIS Professionals to Advance the Profession, Alisa Howlett outlined some of the key concerns of new professionals. Time is as always a factor but there were also worries about feeling that they had nothing to say as newbies. Howlett argued that they had a fresh perspective to bring to the profession and that if development was a priority then time could be made. Equally it's important to know that there is time for development later. Choose the paths that suit you and don't be afraid to circle back to opportunities in the future. 

This theme was also present in Hayden's opening keynote where she outlined a programme at the Library of Congress which pairs younger and more mature staff when dealing with online interactions. This allows for mutual learning - one learns about the technology which may be new to them and the other benefits from a wealth of knowledge and experience in a library. An important message to take away from this session was that professional development can be a two way experience. It's not just about one person passing on their knowledge to another but about making sure that there is a connection between all the knowledge in an organisation.

The importance of transferable skills was another recurring theme. Dan Livesey, Library Manager at Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust spoke about his move from public to health libraries. We all build up transferable skills in our roles and these can be really useful for preparing you for new challenges and identifying your strengths. I can definitely see the truth in this but I think we don't always put these skills to the best use. Hopefully the lesson I can take away from this is to think more about how I can use my own transferable skills.

Promoting the value of libraries
The final theme of the conference is perhaps the most important - the need to promote the value of the library to our communities. It was noted that in a perfect world we wouldn't have to do this but unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world so self-promotion is necessary! In their session on being Loud Librarians Selena Killick and Frankie Wilson talked us through identifying stakeholders and showed us how to target our messages effectively at these stakeholders. Too often we stick to the message we want to give out rather than what stakeholders need to hear so this was a great chance to take a step back. Another valuable lesson from this session was to keep a record of any emails praising your service. Not only is this a nice pick me up but these emails can provide a great qualitative measure of impact through the stories that they contain. This can make a great impact, particularly when it comes to proving how your service impacts the community.

The message about value was also part of the keynote from Neil MacInnes. The redevelopment of Manchester libraries has really highlighted the value of the service to the community through various outreach projects which aim to include all parts of the diverse Manchester community. They have several inspiring sessions which we could all learn from.


Overall CILIP 2017 was a great conference and I'm really looking forward to CILIP 2018 in (hopefully) sunny Brighton! 

Facts Matter at Cambridge

Last week Anglia Ruskin University, CILIP and Cambridge University hosted an evening of discussion on various aspects of CILIP's Facts Matter campaign. The talks were designed to inform the audience about the campaign, how to break out of the fake news filter bubble and get the facts they need ahead of the General Election. 

The collected tweets from the event can be found below for those who didn't get a chance to attend:

Who Educates the Educators?

Another day, another conference presentation! Today marked the end of my presenting duties at LILAC 2017 (top tip: never submit three proposals for the same conference on the assumption that it will increase your chances of the organisers choosing one!). I talked about the Research Support Ambassador Programme - an educational programme for library staff which helps to increase scholarly communication literacy. The slides from my talk can be found below and further details of the programme can be found here.

Who Educates the Educators?: The Research Support Ambassador Programme at Cambridge University from Claire Sewell

Teaching RDM: The Modular Approach

Yesterday I presented a workshop at LILAC in Swansea which looked at how we teach Research Data Management in Cambridge. We use a modular approach which allows us to take a range of ready made modules and activities to create a bespoke workshop for our audience. The presentation can be found below:

Engaging Students with Research Data Management: The Modular Approach from Claire Sewell

I've also shared the cards I used for the workshop activity. Participants were asked to create a workshop for the audience in their packs from a list of defined modules and activities. The cards are available here and are under a CC-BY licence meaning they can be reused. Hopefully they're helpful in planning your own RDM activities.

CILIP Conference 2016

I really do like to be beside the seaside, especially with a group of librarians on Brighton Pier! Although chasing my colleagues around on the dodgems was fun there was also a serious side to the recent CILIP Conference and I felt that I came away with a lot. In this post I'm just going to focus on the keynotes or I will be here forever.

The most inspiring talk for me was given by Scott Bonner, Director, Ferguson Municipal Library. Most people will remember Ferguson as the site of violence following the shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer. During the crisis that followed Scott and his team kept the Library open to the local community, often in the face of personal danger. Teachers began to use the Library to hold classes, ensuring that local children still received an education when the schools were closed. 

Scott talked about the need for libraries in times of crisis, a theme that was echoed throughout the conference. He pointed out that "libraries are awesome all the time" as we do a lot for the communities that we serve, Ferguson was just one extraordinary example. He acknowledged that he made mistakes with his approach such as choosing to close the Library at one point but he learnt from them and took those lessons forward in dealing with the crisis that unfolded. 

One major decision was what the library would be during this time - did they remain a library, become a school or try to find a middle ground? Ferguson did the latter and found a workable middle ground that helped the community it served. This was the undercurrent of Scott's message - libraries do what they can to provide for their communities in emergencies and everyday life. It's hardly the same thing but Scott's talk made me think of the refuge that academic libraries can provide to students in exam term. Sure we're a place to study but we also provide a place to take a break, sleep (!) or a shoulder to cry on in some instances. As Scott pointed out libraries can be a "quiet oasis" in stressful times and I think this is often an underestimated service. His powerful message also made me think about the current Brexit crisis and it's implications for the academic community. I'm not sure yet what libraries can do in this context but I can bet we will be (and already are) doing something!

A Storify of tweets from Scott Bonner's keynote can be found here (many thanks to Emma Illingworth for compiling).

The second keynote was from Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt who talked about 'The Challenges and Opportunities of Open Data'. This is an area I've come to know quite well during the past few months in my new role within Scholarly Communication. Shadbolt highlighted some examples of historical open data use such as Snow's Cholera Map which showed that the disease was spread via water pumps. He also talked about modern uses of data such as Transport for London who made their data available to others who then built travel apps which many people use on a daily basis. 

Whilst the overall message about open data wasn't new to me (and others in the audience and online) it was news to some. As I was coming out of the talk I overheard many people talking about how they hadn't seen things in this context before and how they were going to look into the area more. The keynote could be seen as preaching to the choir as information professionals really should know about these things but I don't think it deserved all the criticism it gained. The CILIP Conference attracts a range of people from across all sectors who may never had a chance to hear this sort of information before. I work in a major academic library and I know many colleagues who don't know about this area - it's one of the reasons my job exists at all. I know about it precisely because I've been to events like this and learnt about it, otherwise I would be just as clueless. My point is that everyone has to start somewhere and sometimes you have to go back to basics to get people interested. If the keynote has educated some people then it did it's job.

Once again a Storify of tweets by Emma Illingworth can be found here.

The final keynote came from Lauren Smith, a researcher in the information world. This keynote really brought together the conference as Lauren echoed Scott Bonner's comments by stating that libraries weren't waiting for a crisis to act - we are IN a crisis situation right now. With Brexit, the state of the UK government, service closures and issues surrounding immigration and refugees this is our time of crisis. Lauren called on information professionals to remember that libraries are political, they tackle issues of socio-political divides and unequal access to information. Although we are safe spaces we are not neutral as we provide a place for people to go to access information on topics that others might consider dangerous. Information professionals are there to provide access to information, not to judge.

Again I heard many comments as we were leaving the hall. Some colleagues complained that it seemed a strange note to end a conference on - at times it wasn't a happy and upbeat message. However I would argue that it was a message that got people thinking and talking long after Lauren left the podium. This is a sign of a good keynote and a good conference. Rather than taking the safe route by reassuring us that everything was perfectly fine it gave us a kick and made us take notice. Well done to CILIP for being willing to hear this message and well done to Lauren for delivering it.

A video of Lauren's speech can be found here (via SL McDonald).

Overall it was another great conference. It was also the first conference I feel I've attended as a 'proper professional' - I have a permanent role and this was a work sanctioned rather than self-funded trip. Hopefully this will continue long into the future - I can't wait for CILIP 2017! 

CILIP Leadership Programme - Liverpool, July 2015

Recently I was lucky enough to be accepted to the CILIP Leadership Programme. This is a new programme which CILIP are piloting in 2015-16 in order to increase the leadership capacity within the profession and is based on similar models offered by other associations. The programme will involve face to face meetings, online learning and group project work. The launch of the programme was held last week just before the CILIP Conference in Liverpool.

There are twenty-one participants in all and I was pleased to see a large range of sectors represented. Meeting face to face in this way helped to break the ice and it was really interesting to hear about what people did and what they were hoping to get out of the programme. Quite a few of the participants were there for the same reason as me - to develop confidence in their leadership skills - but it was also reassuring to hear other people's reasons for taking part. It reinforced the idea that leaders can come from anywhere and there is no one special skill that people are born with.

This was something that we discussed at length. After a noisy getting to know you exercise where we shattered the illusion that librarians are quiet we discussed what makes an effective leader. There were a lot of common themes suggested such as someone who is inspiring, approachable and consistent. This very much fits with my idea of a leader but it was interesting to hear what others thought. For example some thought that leaders were those that were good at succession planning to ensure the future of their organisation, something which had not really occurred to me before. We also had a group discussion on how leaders are made. Out of all the options presented I was drawn to the social script option which claims that leaders arise when the situation requires them. This is very much how I have seen my own leadership journey as I never considered myself a leader but like to think I can step up when needed.

We also looked at different leadership styles and their associated advantages and disadvantages. This is something I was quite familiar with through my work on the ILM Leadership Course but it was useful to have the discussion in a library context. I think that all leaders have a tendency towards a particular style but most people are able to adapt it to different situations (known as situational leadership). Having all the styles outlined for me highlighted the importance of this type of training to all leaders as you may not fully realise the disadvantages of your natural approach or indeed the advantages of other approaches. For example I think the term autocratic conjure up certain negative images but in a crisis situation this type of leadership can be very useful.

The next session was a chance for several key members of CILIP to share their own leadership stories. CILIP CEO Nick Poole never set out to become a leader. At the start of his career he made use of every opportunity to talk to leaders about what they did and why they did it. He built his skill set both through work and by taking CPD opportunities such as committee work. Nick also stressed the importance of work/life balance, something I think even the best of us forget at times. CILIP President Jan Parry spoke of how drama lessons helped her to overcome a childhood stammer. To me this was an important lesson in thinking outside the box to solve problems and gain valuable experiences. As an adult Jan was involved in local politics and learnt a lot from observing those around her, something which seemed to be a key theme from all of the talks. Finally Simon Edwards (Director of Professional Services at CILIP) spoke about imposter syndrome, something I know I’ve struggled with. I was also really pleased to hear his shout out to cataloguers! Simon spoke of an everyday kind of leadership. We cope with change and difficult circumstances every day and we shouldn’t underestimate how these feed into leadership potential. He advised creating a career map to show what you have done and what you want to do. This is something I plan to do as I think it will help to consolidate my past (and hopefully future) achievements. At lunch there was another opportunity to observe leadership in action as we were joined by the CILIP Board.

The last part of the day involved the initial planning of our group projects. These will be a key component of the programme and a chance to put theory into action. I am involved in looking at the Member Network CPD offer. As I’m very interested in CPD this project really appeals to me but I think it will also be a chance to test myself. As well as challenging myself with aspects of the project it will force me to think beyond what I consider CPD and look at the point of view of others. I’m really looking forward to getting started!

The next time all the participants will meet face to face is at CILIP HQ in November. In between there are lots of opportunities to interact online as well as additional training scheduled in the form of webinars and online chats. I’m really excited to be involved in the inaugural year of this programme and I hope that my input can help shape it for many years to come. So far it has really rejuvenated me professionally so I’m looking forward to seeing how much further it can take me.

Photo credits: 

David Spinks - Follow the leader

Wesley Fryer - Caution: Future world and local leaders at work and play

 

CILIP Conference 2015

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the annual CILIP Conference in the stunning St. George's Hall in Liverpool. I've attended the conference only once before when it was still Umbrella and enjoyed the experience but CILIP seemed to have upped their game even further with the new annual conference (and especially the conference drinks reception during which we had the run of the Museum of Liverpool). I've compiled some thoughts on the event below and whilst I've tried to make it as short as I can there were many points that I wanted to touch on. The conference had four main themes:

• Information management
• Information literacy and digital inclusion
• Demonstrating value
• Digital futures and technology

Keynotes

Having taken the New Librarianship Masterclass I was already familiar with a lot of the ideas of the first speaker - R. David Lankes. A couple of the things he talked about stuck with me and seemed to provide a recurring theme for many of the speeches over the next two days. Lankes spoke about the need for librarians to 'control the narrative' about libraries and he suggested that we do this through being present, whether that is out in our communities or sitting at the table when decisions are made about our service. Most librarians I know do this in some way but its important to be reminded of it. I know that I sometimes shy away from promoting what I have done and this is something I need to improve on. Luckily the conference gave me a lot of ideas on how to do this. 

This theme was repeated by Stuart Hamilton, the Deputy Secretary General of IFLA, who discussed the need to talk about libraries in the language of the policy makers. Get invited in to the big discussions and make your case for the importance of your service. Hamilton outlined how access to information supports the development of countries and communities and called on those in the information profession to help protect it. A similar call was issued by Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty who talked about the importance of human rights. She considered access to information as a basic human right and tasked the information profession with helping to defend it. Asked to name the one most important thing that the profession could do she asked us to make sure that people had access to the Human Rights Act. There is a lot of misinformation about the Act in the press and the only way to truly make an informed decision is to read it. Chakrabarti also discussed the differences between secrecy and privacy. The innocent may have nothing to fear when it comes to people prying into our lives but that doesn't mean there is anything wrong with a desire for privacy. Author Cory Doctorow spoke about the same thing and took issue with the assumption that secrecy is a key component of security.

There was also an insight from Barbara Schack into the fascinating Ideas Box project which provides access to information and information spaces in crisis situations. Each box contains the tools to create a local network for online access as well as books and tablets. This project links back to the sessions mentioned above where librarians were called on to preserve access to information. Joseph O'Leary from Full Fact outlined the work of his service which provides fact checking in situations such as the recent election. This service allows people to make informed decisions without the spin.

The final keynote came from Erwin James, a columnist at the Guardian and former prisoner. He gave a very moving speech about his experiences of using a prison library and how this helped in his rehabilitation. He painted an honest picture of life behind bars and how something seemingly as small as a book from the library can help you overcome your demons. I've always found talks about prison libraries fascinating as it is so far removed from anything I have experience of. Having the talk from the point of view of a prisoner rather than a librarian certainly gave me some food for thought. 

Demonstrating impact

This was the strand I attended most as it's a major professional interest of mine. From Output to Impact was a chance to put together a toolkit for measuring the impact of an activity or service that we provide. Tying in with the keynotes on how librarians add value Carolyn Rankin and Sue Reynolds discussed the different ways in which we can add that something extra for our users. The presenters highlighted the need for qualitative information to highlight impact which I was relieved to see as I believe numbers only tell you part of the story. Andy Ryan of CityRead London gave a very passionate talk on her work to encourage more people to read by creating an immersive experience. Again the theme of community was mentioned as the programme helps to get the community reading together. Mary Dunne talked about Communicating your Value in a Way That Works. Linking back to the keynote delivered by Lankes she talked of changing the conversation around libraries by including value propositions. These short statements profile key member groups such as users or stakeholders and target the things they value. For example you might show how the library links to management strategies or how it fulfills a key user need. The trick is to keep these statements short and focused, much like an elevator pitch. Dunne finished by reminding us that what we do is just a mechanism to do our jobs. It makes more of an impact to say why.

Also launched at the conference was the CILIP Impact Toolkit. Further information can be found here. 

Information management

Elisabeth Goodman and John Ridell talked about How to Add Value to your Organisation as a Knowledge Facilitator. The benefits outlined were both organisational and personal and included creating a culture of innovation and enhancing the CPD of the knowledge facilitator. As readers of this blog will know I am always in favor of anything that enhances your CPD! By Making the Right Connections Denise Carter outlined information professionals can engage stakeholders. Carter claimed that preparation is the key to success - if you want people to come along with you then you have to know where you are going. Think of engaging with your stakeholders as a marketing campaign and plan it accordingly including staff time and other resources needed. She also cautioned us not to over-engage with our targets. You don't want to come across as too pushy.

Information literacy and digital inclusion

Adam Edwards and Vanessa Hill gave an engaging Abba themed presentation on methods of teaching information literacy. There are several issues with trying to provide effective information literacy teaching such as a lack of embedding and the bad timing of some sessions. Edwards and Hill argued that librarians often try to teach three to five times as much information as their students can cope with. I know that I've had this experience on library inductions - trying to cram everything in as you don't know if/when you will see the students again. To solve this problem the presenters have gone back to basics and used a game approach to encourage their students to learn. These social activities allow peer learning to take place, something which the presenters have found success with. Although this method might not appeal to all it is certainly something to consider as an alternate approach. We tried out one of the games in the session and it made for some lively discussion. Further information and instructions can be found here.

Digital futures and technology

I'm a big fan of MOOCs so I was really interested to hear about Resisting the MOOC Stampede. Anthea Sutton and Helen Buckley Woods talked about their project which brings small scale web CPD courses to librarians. Numbers are limited to 30-49 participants and focus on various professional topics such as customer care and measuring impact. These smaller coursed have several advantages over huge MOOCs such as creating a tight knit community and the fact that instructors can provide detailed feedback to all participants. Completion rates of the courses average at 97% and is measured by the completion of an e-portfolio. There is also a reflective writing element - no doubt something many CILIP members are familiar with! Further information on the FOLIO courses can be found here.

Leo Appleton and Andy Tattersall looked at how librarians can harness the power of social media. They told us that social media is constantly developing and its important to keep on top of it. Although library use of social media has traditionally been limited to advertising the service the presenters outlined new uses such as an online enquiry service. For this reason it is important that we keep checking our online presence. If we have a presence on sites then our users will find it. They finished by discussing the importance of altmetrics and how social media is used for research. Academics have to measure impact and this can increasingly be done through measuring their online presence, for example the number of Mendeley reads an article has had. Although these altmetrics don't replace traditional measures they can be used as an interesting complement. 

Conclusion

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the conference and came away with lots of ideas to try. Although it was a very full few days I managed to meet lots of people I've only known via Twitter. As always with these conferences the most important chats happen over tea and this was no exception. I would encourage anyone who has a chance to attend another conference to give it a go - you will regret it far more if you don't!

CILIP Leadership Programme - Part Two

As I mentioned in a previous post I have recently been accepted to the new CILIP Leadership Programme. I'm really looking forward to getting starting and meeting my new cohort for the first time (and not just on Twitter!).

My participation in the scheme wouldn't have been possible without the generosity of the CILIP Information Literacy Group who have sponsored me to attend the programme. I just want to say a huge thank you to them for giving me this opportunity. They asked me to put together some thoughts on what I'm hoping to get out of the programme and these have just appeared on their blog. If you would like to read more then click on the image below:

CILIP New Professionals Day 2013

I've wanted to attend CILIP's annual New Professionals Day for a couple of years now but the timing has never been quite right for me. Luckily this year things worked out and I was able to attend. I always feel a bit funny describing myself as a new professional and I'm not sure I really fit the criteria laid down for the day - I've worked in libraries for eleven years now but I've only just completed my master's degree. I'm also not in a professional post as my job doesn't officially require a librarianship qualification. However this didn't seem to matter to anyone yesterday and I was pleased to see a mixed bunch of people of many ages and backgrounds in attendance. If nothing else I think I learnt to stop worrying so much about the new professional label!

The keynote speech was given by Barbara Band, school librarian and vice chair of CILIP. Barbara talked about the need for core librarianship skills no matter what sector we work in. It's essential that we meet the needs of our institution first and foremost but we must also remember the values of the profession. Barbara encouraged us to accept and use our traditional skills whilst also moving with the times. This may be easier said than done as we live in a time of such rapid change but it is possible. All these changes represent a chance for us to grow and learn if nothing else. Learning is something which I know many librarians are passionate about and I think one of the main reasons that the profession attracts so many enthusiastic people. It's certainly one of the best parts of librarianship for me - as evidenced by the title of this blog!  Barbara spoke about how librarians are often aware of emerging trends before our colleagues and so can be proactive rather than reactive, an enviable position to be in I think.

I was also glad to hear Barbara talk about the importance of continuing CPD. This is something which I've been thinking about a lot recently and based on the response to both this keynote and the session that I ran at LibCampEast on the topic, many others feel the same way. CPD doesn't have to be all about spending days on end at courses. Saying yes to opportunities and getting involved can provide many ways of developing and learning doesn't just happen on the job. There are many methods of CPD which you can fit in around your schedule, no matter how busy you are!

One last thing that Barbara stressed was that CPD is an important way to advocate for the profession. Every time we put ourselves out there, either in person or online, we are showing that we are part of an engaged profession. I think this is an important point that sometimes gets forgotten. The three main takeaways from the keynote were:

1. grab opportunities
2. keep learning
3. advocate and promote

The rest of the day was filled with workshop sessions. Firstly I attended That Media Librarianship Gameshow with Laura Williams. Laura talked about her role as Media Logistics Coordinator at ITV. Although people might not think of this as a librarianship role it uses the core skills set of the information professional involving a lot of internal information management. It's important to remember that you will be applying against a much wider field for a career in media librarianship. There will be film students and those looking to get their foot in the door of the television business so it's important to remember the skill set you bring to the table as an information professional. Keeping up to date with the changing technology of the information world is a definite challenge but Laura was quick to point out the many rewards of a career in the media. She reminded us to look beyond the vast array of job titles as think about what we could offer with our backgrounds in librarianship.

Nick Stopforth talked about Modern Skills for Modern Public Libraries. He showed us that twenty-first century public libraries are responsive, accessible, transformative and rich in content. Most of this of course is in stark contrast to the perception that many people have of public libraries. Happily there are many in the profession working hard at altering this perception. Nick cautioned us that we should not expect to be doing the same things in two years that we do today, again echoing the theme of fast paced changes that kept coming up over the course of the day. If we are still doing the same thing then this means we haven't changed and as mentioned in the keynote, we should be proactive rather than reactive. The long term drivers for change in public libraries are the people that use them and new technologies. An example of this can be seen in the self-publishing phenomenon. Maybe the modern public library can have a role in the curation of self-published material? You never know when you might discover the next Fifty Shades of Grey...

After a lunch of burritos (which I can confirm live up to the hype!) we were back in workshop sessions. I attended Information Roles in Careers Services led by Megan Wiley, Victoria Stevenson and Matt Bedwell. The careers centre at the University of Bristol sees students at all stages of their academic career. The work involves information management, enquiry desk work, user training and current awareness activities. Resources have to be kept up to date and there is a great deal of judgement involved in the role. No formal 'reading lists' are provided so it's important to keep on top of the latest information on a wide range of careers. The team has to communicate to a lot of different users in a lot of different ways which keeps things interesting! The final workshop I attended was Mandy Powell's session about Developing Professional Skills. This session echoed a lot of what was mentioned in the keynote and so provided a nice way to bookend the day. Mandy stressed the importance of developing skills outside of your current role. This doesn't mean that you have to spend every evening and weekend doing CPD but it will make you CV stand out from the pile if you demonstrate that you have taken the initiative and done something unexpected. It's important to keep a record of your activities, even if you're not actively pursuing Chartership or job hunting at the moment. You never know when a portfolio of developments may come in handy!

I really enjoyed my first experience of New Professionals Day and I'm a little sad that I've never made it before. I would encourage anyone who is thinking about attending to go. It really is an inspiring and motivating day (and I'm not just talking about the post conference pub trip!).

photo credit: candy_gourlay via photopin cc

CIG 2012 - The Value of Cataloguing (Part Two)

This is my report on day two of the recent CIG conference. Part one can be found here.

New Challenges for Cataloguers

The first session of day two had the theme "new challenges for cataloguers", of which I'm sure we can agree there are many. Heather Jardine cut straight to the case by talking about the changes in the cataloguers role in 2012. She outlined three main changes:

• changing rules and formats - I think we can all agree that we're about to go through a big period of change here with the introduction of RDA
• changing materials - as cataloguers we're constantly being asked to keep pace with the latest materials. We're often faced with something new coming across our desks followed by the inevitable question: "how am I supposed to catalogue that?!" Heather showed us that this was nothing new since cataloguers have been dealing with new materials for decades and we have always managed to find a way to cope. Any future changes will be no different
• changing roles - there has been a change in expectations over what it is we actually do. With the cuts across all library sectors everyone has found themselves taking on increased workloads.

I think that these changes have both positive and negative points. Whilst no one wants cuts they are happening. The changing role of the cataloguer can be seen as an opportunity as well as a threat. Maybe a very long time ago all cataloguers did was catalogue books day in day out but I think that this has been changing for some time now. Cataloguers are much more adaptable than people think (see the above two points) and the changes currently taking place in libraries can help to showcase this. If we can prove to our colleagues that we are adaptable and indispensable then we can help to ensure our professional futures. No one can be trained in just one skill and expect to get a job out of it for the rest of their lives and so the more feathers in our caps the better. Proving our worth to our colleagues is an important part of advocacy - something which I feel very strongly that every cataloguer should be involved in. The flip side of this, as Heather rightly pointed out, is that all this extra work leads to a decrease in the time that we have for actual cataloguing. There is a balance to be maintained and I think that the true challenge will be in making sure that we still keep our cataloguing skills strong whilst taking on these new challenges. 

The next paper wins the award for best title, Gary Green's "the incredible shrinking cataloguer meets the Spaghetti Junction automation robot". Gary reminded us of the importance of  keeping abreast of the latest library technology even if we aren't using it ourselves. This is something that I try to do but sometimes struggle with so I know how hard it can be sometimes to take on yet another thing. The main body of the talk was focused on Gary's recent project to automate cataloguing and classification processes at his library service. This was tricky since computers haven't yet reached the level of intelligence of the average cataloguer (thank God!). For this reason Gary has tried to map these processes as if it were a human working on the changes rather than a computer. The project has resulted in a reduction in the amount of in-house manual work and faster processing which in turn has saved money - something which managers are finding especially attractive in the current climate. There are also of course some issues with the process; the mapping process is complex and anything which gets broken can have consequences which are equally complicated. One of the main things that Gary cautioned us about was that changes are not made in isolation, it's all part of a larger process. Work on the project is continuing in order to address some of these issues.

Helen Williams talked about the challenges involved in transforming copy cataloguers into 'metadata creators'. During her work at LSE Helen and her team were tasked with adding metadata to items added to the institutional repository. Helen reported that the same workflows used with print material could be applied to the repository material and helped in adding to the teams skill set. Using our skills in this new way can help to showcase the value of the cataloguing department to the wider institution, echoing the points made in previous sessions. Future-proofing the department and its skills is as vital right now as it has ever been. One point that Helen did raise is that whilst having a multi-skilled team has many advantages, it's also possible to consider specialising in some areas. All of the staff in a department can have a working knowledge of these new processes but since everyone has different strengths they will naturally develop a specialism in a particular skill. This is something to be encouraged from both the individual and institutional point of view. Projects such as this one at LSE make the bibliographic services team the place to go to for information within the wider institution - a definite plus point.

The next session was 'the problems of cataloguing in higher education' which was a slightly altered version of a presentation given at a CIG even earlier in the year. I'e already written a blog post about this event which is here if anyone wants to read it.

Lightning Round Talks

Celine Carty presented the first lightening round talk of the day and focused on the work of the High Visibility Cataloguing initiative. She outlined a project to set up a 23things style programme for cataloguers - Cat23. The first phase of the programme involves interviews with cataloguers working in a variety of roles. More can be read about the programme here on the HVCats website but I will say that I am really looking forward to it. When I first heard about the project I did wonder how it would work in practice but I think that the authors have done a wonderful job of coming up with something new and creative (and I'm not just saying this because I work for one of them!). I'm really looking forward to taking part and will be encouraging my colleagues to do so.

Karen Pierce talked about ways of promoting the work of the cataloguing department both internally and externally. This was a strong theme at the conference which came up in many of the papers. Karen talked about the importance of maintaining a physical presence and actually being seen by colleagues. Cataloguers are often tucked away in offices and too often it's a case of out of sight and out of mind. Getting involved in wider institutional events and committees are two ways in which the department can maintain a presence and raise its profile. One popular initiative that Karen talked about was "Do something different day" which gives staff at her institution a chance to do what it says on the tin. The day allows the cataloguing department to give an in-depth look at what it really does on a day to day basis and hopefully this will help to correct some common misconceptions about the work that the department does. Karen also gave us several hints on external advocacy:

• conferences - both attending and presenting. And don't think that you have to be limited to cataloguing conferences - get out of the echo chamber!
• report back from events - show people that you do sometimes escape from your desk
• have an online presence - this can be important in sharing your experiences with a wider audience

One of the key themes of Karen's presentation was to grab unexpected opportunities. The more widely you and your department get known the more chance that colleagues will approach you if they need something you can provide.

Rachel Playforth carried on the professional development theme by talking about her experience of changing her role from cataloguer to repository coordinator. Rachel pointed out that even if your job role changes you probably won't get training for your new role. I think this is something we can all relate to! She advised us to be strategic about taking on new responsibilities as it's important not to take on too much. We need to be selective and learn to say no occasionally. Consider how the change will benefit you in the long term - will it add a new skill? is it something that you've always wanted to try? Always be open to new opportunities but remember that you can't do everything at once.

Karen Pierce returned to tell us about the benefits of regionality when it comes to professional development. Karen was part of the organising team for Conversations with Cataloguers in Wales, an event which brought together a group of cataloguers with a common region. There are many benefits to holding regional events such as this; people often find these events easier to get to and they can be identity forming. One interesting point raised was that conferences and events can create a great sense of community but this is often only temporary. We need to be looking at ways of carrying this on and local groups are one way to do this. Karen encouraged us to look into developing our own local groups - you never know what could come out of it!

The open mike session was a chance for delegates to discuss any issues which had been raised so far. Unsurprisingly the chief topic of conversation was RDA and its impact on cataloguing practice. One issue raised was that of training. Once an institution has made the decision to implement the new standard the staff have to be trained in its use. There is lots of training freely available on the Internet but we were warned to check the material for currency. RDA is a constantly updated standard and so web-based content can become dated very quickly. The cost of RDA was also mentioned. It is not a freely available standard and this has caused problems for some libraries who would like to implement it. It was pointed out that whilst there is a cost to moving there is also a cost to not moving and the consequences of either action need to be weighed carefully.

Developing Working Practices

The theme of the final full session was "developing working practices" and began with a talk from Elly Cope about reclassification at the University of Bath. The library used a number of classification systems which had led to negative feedback from students. The decision was made to implement a more consistent system and gradually switch from UDC to DDC which is a more widely known system. User feedback to the change has been positive and plans have been made to continue with the scheme. Elly made the point that although it's a lot of work, one of the added benefits of reclassification is that it provides an opportunity to work on the records and ultimately produce a better standard of cataloguing.

Neil Robinson talked about his experience of developing cataloguing and classification at Marylebone Cricket Club library. The library houses one of the biggest research libraries on the sport and so is an important resource. Neil was tasked with updating the original classification scheme used by the library since the 1940s. The scheme was unsurprisingly out of date and in need of serious attention. The key decision to be made was whether to adapt the current system or to start again with something new. Neil went with the decision to adapt the scheme and said that it has led to an increased knowledge of the collection. One top tip that he shared was not to be afraid of changing something that you have just changed if you think you can make it better - be constantly on the search for improvement.

Daphne Kouretas from OCLC gave the final full paper of the conference on managing metadata for ebooks. Libraries need to acknowledge that resource discovery is changing and we need to keep up with these changes. She talked about the importance of cataloguing as a public facing library service, something which I am very keen to promote. Cataloguing is one of the backbones of a successful library and I think that this is something that non-cataloguers forget and that cataloguers forget to shout about.

Lightning Round Talks

The final lightning round talk session opened with Katrina Clifford talking about harvesting repository data for use in an LMS. She explained how rich data for repository contributions was available but all too often this wasn't being linked to records in the catalogue. Research has been done into this problem and although I'm afraid the technology is beyond me, a way to export this data into the LMS has been developed. This has led to an enrichment of the cataloguing records which had aided user discoverability. Needless to say, this is proving very popular with library users!

Helen Garner talked about cataloguing media materials and its associated problems and benefits. The workflow for this at Sheffield Hallam University has been streamlined so that cataloguing staff now only need to view the first iteration of a program in order to catalogue it. Helen also raised the point that libraries need to maintain a consistent display across the catalogue so that users understand that they are looking at a media resource.

The final two sessions by Emily Bogie and Christina Claridge focused on the issue of shelf ready. Working in a library which uses its own classification system this isn't something that I've had to deal with personally but it is still an interesting development which needs to be monitored. Both sessions reported on the advantages and disadvantages of projects at the speakers' libraries. The scheme provides an important way to free up staff time but it is important that errors, however small, are spotted and corrected. This of course requires human intervention. Accurate records are even more important in today's catalogues with their faceted searching capabilities. The most important thing to check is if the records reflects the item that you have, obvious but still easy to miss in a busy environment.

I really enjoyed the conference and came away really energised and positive. To me this is one of the primary benefits of any event. I will take away several points and try to spend my time until the next conference focused on advocating my job and keeping the momentum going!

photo credit: Rijksmuseum Research Library via photopin cc