Online Professional Learning Network

I've very nearly completed the Hyperlinked Library MOOC, my final blog post and assignment will be completed at the weekend. It's been everything it promised to be and a really useful experience. One of the things that drew me to the MOOC was the assignments (yes, I'm that much of a geek). I thought they were practical and really made you think rather than just asking you to complete a random task for the sake of it.

One of the assignments was to compile an online professional learning network.  I thought this was really interesting and not totally unlike the Chartership experience. In the words of the assignment, the network is defined as:

The Online Professional Learning Network (OPLN) will stimulate you to begin curating online professional resources that will continue your learning outside of your formal learning experiences here an elsewhere. We define an OPLN in the broadest way possible: If a resource is online and it helps you to achieve your learning goals, it is a part of your learning network.

I've included my OPLN below to give people an idea of what was expected. Even if you're not working towards something like Chartership I still think it's a worthwhile exercise. As the assignment says, it's just normal web surfing but with a purpose!

Online Professional Learning Network from Claire Sewell

   



Promoting Your Collection With Pinterest

I'm probably late to the party but I've recently discovered Pinterest. It's very visual and also very popular at the moment. I've recently taken over the management of our library science collection and I've been looking for something to promote it via social media that didn't require too much upkeep (like a blog for example). I liked the look of Pinterest so I thought I'd give it a go.

For those that don't know it, Pinterest is basically an online pinboard where you can share discoveries from around the web. Users create boards on a theme and then add individual pins. This is a really simple process which I do via an add-on for my Google Chrome browser. You simply click the little Pinterest logo next to the toolbar and this brings up a page with all of the images present. You can then 'pin' whichever image you like.

One of the first things that drew me to the site was the fact that it's very visual so is something a little bit outside the norm. Pins can be easily liked or shared via re-pinning on another users board. Users can also follow your board and/or invite you to pin to their boards. I thought that using Pinterest would provide an interesting way to demonstrate new additions to the library science collection and by linking the pins to the catalogue record I was able to create a sort of visual reading list, something I know other libraries have done with great success.

Once you have installed the Pinterest widget this allows you to pin any image from a site. You can edit the details of the pin, in my example I changed the basic bibliographic details and added a classmark. This can be done by clicking on the little pen symbol in the top right of the pin.

You should then see a box like the one below where you can edit the details as needed. You can also change the board that you are pinning the picture to if you like. Editing doesn't have to be done at the time of pinning, the box can be called up at any time using the little pen symbol (see above).

The next step was to make sure that the pin linked back to the catalogue record so users could go straight to it. We use Library Search so it was important to make sure that the stable URL was used to avoid users seeing just the search screen. Once the URL had been copied I pasted it into my pin details and voila!

The finished product looks like this:

Follow Library Science Collection by Cambridge University Library - the UL on Pinterest

A small word about copyright, which is obviously at the forefront with images. You should always respect the copyright of others when pinning something, especially for professional purposes. If in doubt ask. Having said this Pinterest is essentially free advertising for the book, similar to the way that cover photos are included in our catalogue. As social media copyright was explained to me, if you're using the image to promote/discuss the item in some way then it's a valid use of the image. More details on the use of images, copyright and Pinterest can be found here.

I'm slightly stunned to report that the site has gained nearly 400 followers in a matter of hours! I think that this really shows the popularity of Pinterest. I have no idea if this popularity will last or whether it's just the fact that Pinterest is 'the' site to use at the moment. I guess time will tell...

Barriers to a Great User Experience?

I'm currently working on the Hyperlinked Library MOOC and really loving it. The organisers have created a great community atmosphere and the material is really interesting and relevant.

 

I'm going to share my post this week over on this blog as I think it has a lot of relevance outside of the MOOC. This week we were asked to consider the user experience. The module was very interesting as the user should be at the heart of everything we do. I do believe though that sometimes in our quest to provide the best for our users we overthink things a little. Librarians have been guilty of this for a long time; it was certainly something I came across in my readings on social media use in libraries. My original post is below:

 

The issues explored in this weeks lectures and readings have caused some conflicting thoughts. I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all as it’s not a clear cut issue.

 

Obviously libraries want to provide their users with the best experience possible in order to keep them coming back for more. There was a lot of focus this week on issues surrounding signs and desks and how they could be barriers to users. This is also something that has been discussed in depth in Cambridge libraries recently so it touched a bit of a nerve for me. I’m just going to come right out and say it:

 

Sometimes a sign is just a sign and a desk is just a desk!

 

Whilst I agree that you don’t want to put up a large amount of negative signage in your library as it’s just going to put people off, sometimes you do need to give them directions or remind them of rules. I liked the idea of having signs saying cell phones welcome here but sometimes you do just need a small reminder that they shouldn’t be used in other places. Otherwise, how will people know? Most people will respect others but not everyone. As much as I would love to have complete trust in everyones ability not to talk on their phones in a quiet study area I don’t see it happening any time soon. I think there is a growing trend against signage as it’s seen as a negative thing but we need to be careful not to take this to the opposite extreme. On a more positive note I did love the sign that asked users to disturb librarians. This is definitely something we should encourage more of!

 

As for the issue of desks as barriers … well you can certainly argue that. They do seperate the library staff from the users in physical terms but that’s not always a bad thing. At the end of the day WE are the staff and THEY are the users. That’s a barrier that we just won’t be able to get around. Sometimes though a desk is just a desk. It’s somewhere for a computer to sit, for people to lean on or work at, somewhere for the user to place their books ready for checkout. We shouldn’t overthink this so much!

 

I’m also not 100% convinced that users see signs and desks as barriers. Of course you can have an overkill on signs, as seen in some of the videos, but at the end of the day it’s important to remember that anything can be a barrier if you make it into one. The important thing to do it try to provide the best experience for your users without giving them what you think they want (or don’t want) rather than what they really need.

 

I’m not sure what reaction this post will get, but I think that debate is healthy. In my experience nothing gets people talking like a disagreement (still in that polite way that the library community has!) and at the end of the day this provides us with new ideas and shows that we are still very much engaged with trying to provide the best possible experience for our users.

 

This post is not aimed at anyone in particular who might have opposing views, each to their own and there are people out there with more experience of this than me. I've seen this issue come up a lot recently and this is just my small contribution to a much larger debate.

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

Bibliography of Resources on Social Media Use in Libraries

The second most read post on this blog has been the results of the research I carried out for my master's dissertation on 'The impact of social media marketing in libraries'. It's nice to know that there are so many other people interested in the topic. It was a rewarding piece of research which I think demonstrates the importance of active social media use by libraries.

  Social media marketing bibliography

Since the post proved so popular I've decided to share my bibliography. This bibliography was completed just over a year ago and makes no claim to be definitive. I'm just sharing it in the hope that it will help others interested in finding out more about the topic, or maybe use it as a jumping off point for their own research. It covers social media, both generally and in libraries specifically, impact studies and marketing. I'd also be interested to know if anyone has other resources that they found useful - feel free to share them in the comments section below.

Happy reading! 

Creative CPD at LibCampEast

Last weekend I attended my first library camp at LibCampEast. Library camps are something I've heard a lot about but not had a chance to attend until now. Once I signed up I started thinking that it would be good practice for me to pitch a session. Since my blog post on CPD seemed to strike a chord with people and fit with the theme of the conference, I decided to pitch a session on creative methods of CPD. The format was a brain storming session in small groups after which participants fed their ideas back. The post below covers the results of this feedback and also serves as a follow up to my first CPD post.

Get Creative With Your CPD from Claire Sewell

Conferences provide lots of CPD but you don't always have to spend a lot of money to get the best out of them. You can follow along on Twitter using a hashtag or use the conference website to access the presentations. If you're lucky enough to attend it's worth following up on ideas or projects that presenters mention, as this is a great way to contextualise the experience. Volunteering to speak at or organise a conference was another method of CPD highlighted. Experience of public speaking and event organisation is always a great addition to a CV. TeachMeets were cited as a great example of this, especially for first time speakers or organisers.

The Internet provides lots of opportunity for CPD. ITunes U and other podcasts can often be downloaded for free and can be listened to/watched on the commute. There are a wide variety of podcasts available so you don't have to limit yourself to the library ones. You can even skip to the good bits! Other online suggestions included:

• Webinars
• SlideShare
• 23Things programs
• MOOCs
• Librarian blogs
• RSS feeds of relevant sites
• Skype
• Email lists
• Email alerts for journals

There are also several low cost CPD methods in the real world. Exhibitions like the London  Book Fair are a way of speaking to vendors and some will even provide free training in using their products. Vendor events are also a great place to network with other librarians. Visiting other libraries is a way to get an insight into workplaces outside your sector. CILIP special interest groups often run tours to various libraries so it's worth keeping an eye out. 

Setting up or taking part in professional networks was another popular suggestion. The International Librarians Network provides a way to connect professionals across the globe but less formal local networks were also mentioned. If the idea of formal networking intimidates you then why not attend a library social event to get to know others in the sector? Some participants had organised coffee mornings in order to meet other staff in their organisation. Taking online relationships into the real world such as Twitter meet ups can work well. Participants will already have a common interest and it's a lot easier to talk to people you already 'know' online. Other suggestions for online groups included reading groups, journal club and organised chat such as #uklibchat.

Getting involved in a professional organisation like CILIP or SLA can be a great way to develop professionally. Committee work can give you experience of teamwork or budgeting and shows a commitment to the profession. These organisations also offer grants and bursaries to their members which can be used to fund CPD. 

Other methods discussed included:

• Learning boxes - these started out as actual boxes but can also be used online. The basic idea is that you describe a situation, what you learnt and what you would do differently. You then come together to go through the box and learn from others experiences
• CPD happy hours - taking an hour a week to work on your development. From reading blogs to learning how to use software these can be adapted to the individual. The important thing is to keep a log of your activities
• Writing articles or book reviews 
• Using outside interests such as working with youth groups to illustrate team work or organisational skills

Participants rounded up the session by sharing their general CPD tips. It's important to keep track of any training or other activities, whether for a formal program or just for your own use. Methods suggested included:

• IFTTT
• Keeping a diary
• Reflective learning journals
• Reporting back to your team on any activities such as conferences which might be useful for them to know about

Many people highlighted the crucial role that support has to play in CPD activities. This support can come from managers and other less formal sources, either online or in person. It's important to remember to ask for support, especially if you're undertaking a formal process like Chartership. Get together with a group of like-minded people or online friends and you will soon find yourself motivated.

A final point from the session was that it's OK to say something doesn't work for you. Not every method works for everyone and there's nothing wrong with that. The important thing is finding the method that works for you and I hope that the session gave people some ideas to take forward.

Bibliography:
No-Nonsense Guide to Training in Libraries / Barbara Allan

Getting the Job Done (or Just Getting the Job!)

Recently I've been giving some advice to colleagues who have been applying for jobs, both inside and outside the library sector. Together with my current work on Chartership this has led to me thinking a lot about transferable skills and the importance of knowing how to get a job. I've learnt a lot in the last few years about filling in job applications, conducting myself in interviews and the importance of building a professional online presence. Unfortunately for me most of these skills have been learnt the hard way which meant that I didn't always get the job that I was applying for. I'm just glad I can stop others from making the same mistakes!

The following webpage is geared towards an American audience but I think it offers valuable advice for anyone applying for a job. I don't know what goes on today but certainly when I was at school, and even university, career skills weren't really focused on. I remember visiting my university careers department only to be told to come back about a week before I needed a job!

Hopefully the article above is of use to people who are looking for a job or thinking about the next stage of their career. It's never too early to start planning....