Putting 23 things to use

As a nod to things 10 and 11, I have acted as a buddy to a cam 23things participant last year and did post my CV on the website of my College employer to act as a point of contact for any students thinking of a career in librarianship and information science. One enquirer got a graduate traineeship but I had no subsequent feedback from her.

I did not sign up for the 7th round of the Library Day in the Life Project since I had no supply work booked via the University Agency and I had blogged about the Doorstep service to the housebound in my entry for the 6th round of the Project. However, for most of last week and the week before I have been researching and communicating with others the roles of Library Friends in supporting community public libraries under threat.

Last year I set up a wordpress blog to participate in part of the 25 Research Things @ Huddersfield program.
I therefore had a separate identity to use for a Friends page for the local library. Thing one revisited.

I googled other Friends pages and got in touch with organisers, added their blogs to the page I had set up. Thing two revisited.

At the moment I add items to the blog under a pseudonym but calonlanu3a for a retired sailing librarian is fathomable and as soon as the committee is established I will add proper contact details to the information page (if elected onto it) Thing three check

Current awareness is essential when joining or pushing a campaign. I now get RSS feeds from other campaigning sites and @shirleyburnham bounced/retweeted  the Friends page via twitter where is was picked up by @UKpling and then @anniebob. Thing four essential (apart from Pushnote)

Facebook has been used for some of the publicity but the problem with online networks is that they require the audience to be part of the same group, and if you are breaking out of the echochamber the networks have limited value. One campaigner has set up a Save Library page followed by all her friends and I set up a Friends page followed by 2 councillors and my daughter. Still thing six used.

Perhaps the most useful special interest group for this type of activity is Public Library News 
It has useful briefing on volunteer run libraries and provided a link to a new website Locality
which might be worth investigating. Thing seven tangentially use.

Google calendar has not been much use in this activity but I have tried Evernote whilst researching the various campaigning groups ( and reactivated my delicious account which I had transferred to diigo when it was under threat last year) Thing nine, unknown to me before has therefore been of use.


So a BIG THANK you to the cpd23 contributors. It is never too late to learn

Source Ian Baker Spectator 30 July 2011

Face to face networks

I enjoyed the Cambridge 23 things cpd meet up last week in the Maypole pub, networking is always easier with a glass in my hand. Matching real life people to their twitter, facebook or blogging personalities is a great party game although it can be quite disconcerting if you are approached by someone commenting on your activities and you don't know them from Adam.
For the great part of my career, involvement in CILIP was confined to paying the annual subscription and skimming through the Gazette, Sunrise and other publications although I did attend a few CILIP Rare books conferences and a couple of East of England events. In terms of networking and support the CCLF (Cambridge College Libraries Forum), the annual Libraries@Cambridge meetings, the Cambridge Libraries Group, monthly brown bag lunches and the Liberty users group met most needs with the specialized Trumpington Street Disaster planning group providing advice when required.

Training can however come from other sources. For several years I ran a Brownie pack and Girlguiding UK provides excellent training for leaders including event management and publicity. I sail, and the RYA provides specialized courses in first aid (101 things you can do with a fender) and the Cruising Association has meetings  in CA house where people can share expertise.

Networking should not be confined to library workers but should also include participating in committees within your organisation: health and safety, environment, heads of department. You won't make enemies by offering to take minutes and may well get a better feel of what is going on.

On line networks

Have been on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for some years now but do not link the accounts. All notifications go to email accounts (of which I have several).

• Twitter. Wonderful for following trends such as  #ashcloud #savelibraries and colleagues, especially for crowd sourcing quick answers. Columns in Tweetdeck help me keep track of various threads. Orkney Library and Archives can cheer up a dull morning.

• Facebook. Although I follow libraries and professional organisations on Facebook I use it mainly for personal posts and to share photographs with extended family, especially of sailing exploits. There is an argument for maintaining a library page on Facebook but I wonder how many users choose to follow it. Those College Libraries which provide cake and jigsaws during stressful examination terms probably have more student followers than institutional libraries.

• LinkedIn. The notifications from groups go to email and are glanced at but I don't do much posting. I get some messages directly from members but log in one a week at most whereas I am on Facebook  and Twitter daily.

I investigated CILIP Communities and expanded my profile using a picture of me on a boat to maintain consistency. I have been consulting the CILIP site a great deal recently as I have become drawn into the struggle to maintain the branch library in my village. Having not worked in public libraries for 30 years I needed to get up to date with issues and policies.

Reflections

Souce : http://www.oliveislandmarina.com/index.php?menu=1&action=1&id=77

Reading various CPD23 blogs has made me thankful that my route to Chartership all those years ago followed an apprenticeship / mentor route rather than a portfolio / reflective writing route. I'm a roll your sleeves up and get stuck in person, a history degree gave me the ability to collate and analyse information, but blogging has been my main means for recording reactions to new techniques. The blog is an on-line diary, slightly disconcerting at times when you realise that others are reading it.

I have been providing supply cover for a year now, in between sailing expeditions and, as well as doing a daily or weekly report for each employer I maintain a folder of lessons learnt from byom (bring your own mug) to checking where the switches are if I have to close up in the evening to ensuring that passwords are set up at an early stage of each placement.  Perhaps most important bring in biscuits or cake.

Librarian avenger birthday cake commissioned by daughter

Current awareness - somewhat overwhelming

I have previously blogged about twitter, rss feeds and current awareness for the cam 23 things program, but pushnote is new to me, so I have signed up, rated Annie's instruction page and await developments with interest.

Staying in touch or information overload. It is all to easy to be staring at a screen for hours following up interesting gobbets of news, links and so on. Tweetdeck columns (if you can load the application on your desktop) facilitate following specific hashtags or people but google reader is best limited to the beginning and end of the day else it takes over from real life.

I have enforced breaks from internet noise when sailing, with the only information coming from a vhf radio. I have the RYA licence and monitor channel 16 (coastguard) and 68 (weather) a constant feed from the Italian meteomar service (think British shipping forecast with designer shades). After reassurance that nothing nasty is forecast, it is a relief to mute the radio and enjoy the silence.


Calon Lan standing by. (Over and out is WRONG)

Personal brand

Thing 3 of 23 Things for Professional Development suggests googleing your name. It was quite a relief that any skeletons are firmly buried.

Having left full time work to spend more time sailing, it has been quite easy to use images of me by, near or on boats, as logos on various social network sites. When or if supply work gets offered it saves too much explanation of why I can only work a few weeks at a time. The "about me" comments generally feature yachtswoman, but after many years of work I will always consider myself a librarian.

Calon Lan approaching a very narrow channel south of Dugi Otok in a force 5 wind.

CPD23 other blogs

Have just spent a happy hour dipping into other blogs, mainly cam23 friends and viewing the gadgets, themes and comments. For it to be a worthwhile exercise and not just an excuse to lurk, I will have to make an effort to add my comments.

I follow many blogs via google reader, but will have to explore the Delicious bookmarks

Graduation ceremonies are soon underway. The cheerful picture of A Group of Merry Oxford Girl Students
on this blog caught my eye and the blog is of interest to any archivists in the group.

Never too late to learn

I started blogging with the Cam 23 things programme in 2010 and thoroughly enjoyed being part of a community of friends and librarians. I was glad to read that "23 Things for Professional Development is for anyone who thinks they might benefit from it", I have had a very enjoyable career mainly in academic libraries and now volunteer via the County Doorstep delivery service and do some supply cover via the TES when not at sea.

Library day in the life - wearing several hats

This post is part of the sixth round of Library Day in the Life is running from Monday 24 to Friday 28 January. You can find the other participants, and sign up yourself, on the project wiki, and watch the #libday6 hashtag on Twitter.

8am accessed the County Library catalogue in preparation for my first Doorstep Visit. Drove into town and 9.30 started browsing the collection of audio books on cassette and CD. It was like being a child in a sweet shop. Hilary, the co-ordinator suggested some authors and then we drove out to where the material was to be delivered and discussed it for an hour as well as putting the world to rights. A further hour was spent at home with the co-ordinator discussing scope and extent of the scheme and our Library Routes

Quick lunch then off to a Department Library to provide cover via the Temporary Employment Service for a three hour session.

Arrived to find that the invigilators had been off sick and there was a mountain of shelving.
Also on help desk meeting visiting scholars, postgrads and undergrads, emptying book box and advising on copyright regulations.

Final job will be to clear library, switch off all computers, photocopiers and scanners and all lights. The first time I covered here one bay was left floodlit since I could not locate the switch hidden behind the stack. A very useful plan was added to the supervisors' manual with light switches marked in red. Can turn my hand to most things, but glad that there is a good range of procedure manuals behind the staff desk since all libraries vary how they process new books and journals back from binding.

No work but one meeting tomorrow. Will go to a Pilates class to sort out my back after the shelving.

Library day in the life : Keeping in touch

[The sixth round of Library Day in the Life is running from Monday 24 to Friday 28 January. You can find the other participants, and sign up yourself, on the project wiki, and watch the #libday6 hashtag on Twitter.]

It is Wednesday and my first blog as a sometime librarian and volunteer. I have previously blogged about a varied career before I left to sail Calon Lan in the Adriatic.

8am write memo for next Governing Body meeting about a name to be added to 1st World War memorial. The retired Fellow Librarian had telephoned on Tuesday about revisions to a biographical listing of the College men who had died and the discovery in Carey's War list of a casualty not currently recorded in Chapel

10-11 University of the Third Age French class.

11.15 - 12.30 Research in Cambridge Central Library on ancestry.co.uk database, conversation with Local Studies Librarian and tasty quiche in the cafe.

1-1.45 met up with former colleagues at Social Networking Tools for Libraries talk given by Dr Samuel Chu #ulchu in the University Library.

2-4 Back to the Cambridge Central Library for a meeting of Doorstep Library Volunteers and a subsequent discussion on how budget cuts will affect the library service. Further research on biographical article. Unfortuately had to miss Anne Jarvis' lecture to U3Ac on Are we facing the demise of the Book?

Home and another telephone conversation about one man listed on the memorial but not in the admission registers who may be a member of staff.

Looking forward to tomorrow, selecting material for my first reader and working for pay in the afternoon as a supply librarian in a faculty library

Library routes and CPD

At a brown bag lunch in April 2010, College, Faculty and University participants discussed not only the stereotyped and positive images of librarians but also who and what brought us into the profession. Girl in the moon blogs about her early interest in books and I was library monitor in primary school, reinforcing ladybird books with sticky backed plastic and marching into classrooms demanding the return of overdue books from the class teacher with all the confidence of a final year pupil. However it was my College Librarian, Pauline Adams, who enthused me and provided a vacation post leather dressing the rare book collection, an all important reference and started me on the Library route. I applied to Library School but secured a Sconul Graduate Traineeship at University College Cardiff where I was mentored by a group of librarians whose careers later took them to Sheffield, De Montfort and the National Library of Wales so deferred my place at Aberystwyth for a year.
A year at a SWALCAP (South West Academic Libraries Co-operative Automation Project) library, an early adopter of automated library systems and 9 months at CLW where I took special library options including a placement at an architect's library with early experience of post disaster management (the Taff had burst its banks and the slide library in the basement was flooded) and a PAID vacation work establishing a catalogue and a circulation system for a firm of solicitors found me with a DipLib and no work.
Academic libraries were facing a cut in budgets and cancelling journal subscriptions (sounds familiar...). A few weeks temping in a solicitors firm, photocopying trial bundles, then typing, managing a switchboard (ineptly) and audio typing whilst applying for anything library or information related followed before I joined South Glamorgan County Libraries, initially managing the circulation desk at Barry Town Library (having never seen the Browne circulation system in action) and then becoming Branch Librarian at Trelai in Cardiff. I was able to gain my Charter and therefore become an ALA by following the internal training system within the County Libraries under the old Library Association regulation of two years work and a post graduate qualification conferring Chartered status. Public librarianship offered valuable experience in staff management, mainly organising rosters for coffee and lunch breaks, involvement with community workers in the Branch Library to improve facilities for young people such as homework clubs and summer reading schemes and extensive reference work experience from published works.

Shortly after becoming Chartered I took a career break to bring up daughters, working part time as a Library Assistant at University College Cardiff and taking various Open University courses in Maths, Computing and Statistics. We moved to Cambridge, and within two weeks I was appointed to the ESTC project based at Queens' and Emmanuel College, having applied for work in advance of the house move, and then to a job-share post at Homerton College in the School Practice Library. A year later the post of Assistant Librarian at St Catharine's was advertised and the OU qualifications were invaluable since the College Library was in the early stages of automation, and the LMS system LIB-Base created by Alan Findlay and Mary Kendall of Churchill College could be modified according to local need.

The initial appointment was for 25 hours a week, ideal with children still in primary school but the post developed, was regraded and became full-time (plus) and the word Assistant dropped. Developments in networked systems and the introduction of the Voyager system resulted in a group of LIB-Base librarians looking for a replacement LMS and selecting Softlink Liberty3 and then customising it (OU coming in handy again) and I attended Rare Books Group study conferences and Historic Library Forum meetings to support my work on the College rare book holdings. Otherwise involvement in CILIP was, I admit, minimal apart from scanning the Gazette, now Update and feeling that my MCLIP was a rented qualification.

It was my involvement in the CCALG (Cambridge College Assistant Librarians Group) which became the CCLF (Cambridge Colleges Library Forum), the Trumpington Street Disaster Planning Group and the courses provided by libraries@cambridge, the Computing Service and the College which contributed to my professional development at far less cost than a traipse to London. Ned Potter in his blog advises finding out what skills are required and seeking out training, in Cambridge we are extremely fortunate that courses are available, the main problem being for sole practitioners is getting away from the office to attend them.

Last Easter I retired (early) to pursue a dream of extended periods of sailing in the Adriatic.
Thus my library route should end with a picture of sailing into the sunset but in May 2010 23 Things Cambridge was launched and I was hooked. For those people who were not able to start it or did not finish may I commend the instructions for Twitter , Creative Commons and of course blogging. I have set up blog feeds to my igoogle page and have a whole new community of librarians, both new to the profession and well established to follow and exchange ideas and information with. This year I will even recognise the names when I come to vote at the CILIP elections. The feeds and tweets also alerted me to opportunities to contribute facts and images to True Knowledge and Wolfram|Alpha, on a voluntary basis. I still refer to Whitacker's almanac and tried and trusted reference works at home but these site are interesting alternative to a google search, try them.

I referred to the enthusiasm for her work, her College and the old members shown by Pauline Adams who recently retired after 40 years as Librarian and Archivist at Somerville. The head of Yale University Library Alice Prochaska was recently appointed Principal of Somerville College and there is a wonderful image of her wearing a hard hat and wielding a sledgehammer on a recent blog. Proof that librarianship is a profession which develops people and management skills and can well open up other opportunities.

And smile

First attendance at Freshers' Fair since I arrived at Cambridge, and I had the chance to get some freebies, including pizza although by no stretch of the imagination, despite dying my hair, can I be mistaken for 18. The Neon Librarian has blogged on the first day of Successful Library Promotion at the Freshers’ Fair, I think that Wednesday was probably quieter, certainly in the morning.
There was some initial confusion when a group of foreign language students confused the Central (Public) Library with libraries@cambridge, but some of them were pleased to learn of the internet terminals available in Lion Yard and that the County's catalogues are also available online. Many attendees are of course not Freshers, I was glad to see several from College who remembered that I had gone off sailing, and realised that librarians have lives.
Those librarians on the libraries@cambridge stall who had delivered induction courses had the advantage in spotting "their" students and being greeted with a smile.
The set was super, a cosy book lined study, (photo of Helen) with a banner and plenty of cards to dish out with the
libraries@cambridge link www.cam.ac.uk/libraries. Sarah's photos on flickr feature the cards on other stalls which should go a long way in raising the profile of both societies and libraries.
A few people had questions but if they register that library staff are friendly and approachable the two days will be worth it. Would I do it again? If I stayed up to date yes, but was flummoxed by one question on the number of books a first year could take out from the UL (5 for 2 weeks)

Final thoughts

Thank you organisers and thank you bloggers. It has been a fascinating programme, and although I am currenly in limbo I have very much enjoyed being part of the Cam23 community.
Looking at my Wordle image, share is prominent, and that typifies what we have got out of the programme, we have shared our enthusiasms and skills and interests, and this should have a knock on effect for the beginning of the Michaelmas Term.

As a College Librarian I knew a little about most things on the programme but had only ever faced one question about Endnote. Citation software was a known unknown and I have been glad to find out more about it.

My regret was not posting more comments on other peoples blogs, there were so many good ideas out there, which will enable professional development, but feedback and discussion is an essential part of that development. Social media, web 2.0, call it what you will can engage the profession with the users but needs staff time budgeted for to make the most of it.

Thing 22 Wikis

Will look at Library Routes wiki, after the end of the Cam23 programme to avoid cold turkey.
I registered with wikispaces last year to contribute towards the NewMunford library history wiki, another thing on my to do list.

Podcasts

My saved itunes podcasts at present consist of the Archers omnibus editions I mean to catch up on but prompted by Andy's Podcasting thing I searched on the British Library and found audio links to the re-unification of Codex Sinaiticus.

I did like the link to the L-team and thought that there was a Judge induction podcast using that theme but could not find it on the website.

The promo video for Catz (For the wheel), and I do not suggest that you watch it all, has some lovely shots of the Sherlock Library in the opening minutes. Good to see that it is viewed as an asset to the College.

Google docs libraries on Twitter

Link to Cambridge libraries on Twitter. Feel free to edit.

Marketing Libraries and Librarians

Oh dear. Whereas I have enjoyed working through the Cam 23 things I do wonder if the Fellows and authorities who manage the finances have quite as much enthusiasm for social media. When I suggested that I could be followed on Twitter and Facebook the following email exchange took place:

No, Fairport Convention, Marmalade, The Archers, Corduroy trousers, Sandals
..... are all indicators of sentient humanity!, which is more than can be
said for

Simon Cowell, Facebook, Russel Brand, Twitter, Big Brother, etc etc

R

--On 25 February 2010 10:40:25 +0000 Suzan wrote

> Went to a Fairport Convention gig last week where they dedicated a song
> to Phil Archer aka Norman Painting.
> Does that count?
> Suzan
>
> r@cam.ac.uk wrote:
>> Twitter!
>>
>> Facebook!
>>
>> You'll be telling me that you listen to boy-bands next!
>>
>> And very best wishes to you two, including on the Adriatic

Andy's marketing suggestions the 4 Cs of content, context, connections and conversations can be achieved by regularly updated websites, engaging with academics and managers in committees and meetings with student reps. Blogging, and setting up links to blogs via twitter, facebook, the library home page etc is probably the most useful thing that Librarians can do to raise awareness of resources, services etc on offer rather than hope that institutional accounts on the various social media will attract followers

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Zotero

Catch up time.
Am sure I loaded Zotero on the office machine, some time ago but never used it, have now loaded it at home, and tried to save some items but doesn't want to play.
Ah well you cant win them all.

LinkedIn and networking

There is an over the pond feel to LinkedIn with its openness about educational background and work experience and the ability to post recommendations about co-workers. Perhaps it is of more use in employment areas with high turnover. The weekly digest of group news to my in box has not yielded much of interest yet, and I have been a member for about a year, and I am bemused by the people you may know suggestions. I would also like to know who has been headhunted as a result of joining.

Library use of facebook

A year or so ago I created a College Library facebook page loaded some interesting images of the older and newer library and put useful links on it to COPAC, the library OPAC and JSTOR. Eight or so librarians became fans plus a few randoms with no Cambridge connection and then Facebook had one of its revamps, the carefully designed pages were split over several tabs and advertising appeared down one side. No College students were fans so I took the page down.

For several years however, I became a fan or liked the Freshers page and shortly before the beginning of Michaelmas term posted a reminder about Library tours to the wall, or to a discussion. Don't think it had much impact but I did get an invite to an 18th birthday party. Think I was washing my hair that day.

There are various facebook groups which might be of interest for networking or professional development but in general the activity in them is slight. I use Facebook to stay in touch with family and friends and share photographs and apart from Scrabble have resisted the lure of the various games on offer. If students want to befriend me that is fine, but each summer I weed my friends list. Facebook offers a means of staying in touch, offering support, organising social activities and establishing an online persona distinct from that portrayed in the office at home. It's fun, and we all need that, but perhaps it is not worth the time needed to maintain and update an institutional page when websites, emails, camtools etc are already used.