As I'm doing an MSc course at the moment, so having a reference tool will be very handy. At work we have recently had Reference Manager installed, although I haven't managed to use it yet - there will be a training day in September and I decided to wait for that so I won't have to waste time trying to work things out.
As with Thing 13, I can't download software at work, so I will have to try these out at home, although I've had a look at the webpages.
Zotero looks brilliant - I have Firefox at home, and it will be easy to add. It would be good to have at work, too, but that's not possible at the moment. I really like the way they've made it so simple (at least according to the video!)
Mendeley looks good, with the added bonus of the social media aspect. I'm not sure how this will work in practice, and it did seem aimed more at scientific research, but definitely worth downloading to see. Zotero does seem like it could be better for more general research, and it looks like it interfaces with the web more easily.
I can access citeulike in work, and it doesn't seem to have as many bells and whistles as the previous two, but could still prove useful, especially for sharing with colleagues online.
All of these reference tools could be useful in particular for literature searches. It could also be something mentioned to research staff as it can help them collaborate with colleagues.
Monday 13 August 2012
Monday 23 July 2012
CPD23 Thing 13: Google Drive, Wikis and Dropbox
I will have to have a look at some of these at home as I can't access Google Drive at work, and I can't download Dropbox. They both look brilliant in concept though, and I particularly like the look of Dropbox, for sharing photos with family members. It's difficult to email a lot of photos, and you don't necessarily want to put them on Facebook, as they don't every really delete their photos, from what I've read. I definitely will try Dropbox at home for this reason alone! It will also be a great way for my brother to send his documents to me, and I'll tell him about it so he can try it for his work as well. Not sure how secure it is, but for regular family stuff this shouldn't matter.
Wikis - I've used these before, Wikipedia of course, as an occasional editor, and I've looked at a few others. They're as good as their content, and editors, so particularly useful for larger groups, rather than just a few people.
Wikis - I've used these before, Wikipedia of course, as an occasional editor, and I've looked at a few others. They're as good as their content, and editors, so particularly useful for larger groups, rather than just a few people.
Monday 16 July 2012
Thing 12 - Putting the Social into Social Media
I have said it before, but my favourite professional social medium is Twitter - it's a great way to keep in contact with a wide variety of people, librarians, information professionals, Stephen Fry, and so on.
I do read different blogs, but there are so many and it's hard to keep track of them all, while Twitter is so easy to just dip in and out of. I don't tend to have time to post as much as I would like on Twitter due to work pressures, but you can get away with using it like this.
I do read different blogs, but there are so many and it's hard to keep track of them all, while Twitter is so easy to just dip in and out of. I don't tend to have time to post as much as I would like on Twitter due to work pressures, but you can get away with using it like this.
Things 10 and 11 - Librarianship training options and Mentoring
Thing 10 - librarianship training options - This one is pretty easy for me, as I'm undertaking an MScEcon Information and Library Studies via distance learning from Aberystwyth University. I am fortunate enough to be sponsored by work, while I'm in a librarian position. I'm still in my first year, so it's still very general, but there is plenty to be getting on with - lots of information to plough through! I will look at Chartership after I've qualified, but for now I have plenty to do.
Thing 11 - Mentoring - I don't have a formal mentor, but I have had a lot of help from senior colleagues without whom I wouldn't be in the position I am today! I have found people very willing to offer advice and assistance, and it's a great way to develop your professional network.
Thing 11 - Mentoring - I don't have a formal mentor, but I have had a lot of help from senior colleagues without whom I wouldn't be in the position I am today! I have found people very willing to offer advice and assistance, and it's a great way to develop your professional network.
Things 8 and 9 - Google Calendar and Evernote
Thing 8 - Google Calendar - I looked at this just a few months ago, and so I'll just review it again quickly. It's a good, useful calendar but I just don't need it at the moment. If I ever need to arrange things online though, or while moving around, it's definitely worth considering. My Outlook does the job for me now, and I even like to keep paper calendars at home!
Thing 9 - Evernote - I have used this at home (there are issues using it at work due to our firewalls), and you can even download an app for your phone. I did download it for my phone, but don't use the internet enough to bother keeping it. It's handy to keep and organise references as you think of them, so you don't have to worry about remembering which webpage you were looking at 3 days ago. I've still got it, but haven't gotten into the habit of using it that much, yet!
Thing 9 - Evernote - I have used this at home (there are issues using it at work due to our firewalls), and you can even download an app for your phone. I did download it for my phone, but don't use the internet enough to bother keeping it. It's handy to keep and organise references as you think of them, so you don't have to worry about remembering which webpage you were looking at 3 days ago. I've still got it, but haven't gotten into the habit of using it that much, yet!
Monday 25 June 2012
Thing 7 - Real-life Networks
I am a member of CILIP, and get regular e-mail updates from them, and have online access to their website, which are both good ways of keeping professionally up-to-date. There's been a lot of discussion lately about the library closures and CILIP's response to this, and the voluntarisation of library staff, which has been fascinating reading.
I attended a CILIP conference in May, which had a leadership theme, and plenty of talks and discussions about the state of the profession. I was also able to meet a number of colleagues who I'd previously only known online, and just generally get to know some new people! I also met a couple of people who are on my MSc course, and was able to have a lunchtime chat with one of them.
I'm fortunate that my dues are being paid by my employer, but I still think it would be worth being a member even if they weren't.
I attended a CILIP conference in May, which had a leadership theme, and plenty of talks and discussions about the state of the profession. I was also able to meet a number of colleagues who I'd previously only known online, and just generally get to know some new people! I also met a couple of people who are on my MSc course, and was able to have a lunchtime chat with one of them.
I'm fortunate that my dues are being paid by my employer, but I still think it would be worth being a member even if they weren't.
Thing 6 - Online Networks
I'll just have a quick skim over this, as I previously completed it, and don't have that much to add. I previously joined LinkedIn, and it is very business oriented, but a good way to connect, as I've joined the CILIP group, amongst others. I don't use it a lot, though.
LISNP (LIS New Professionals) is another group that I'm a member of, but don't really use that much. I look in from time to time, and there is some activity, in particular about meetups and Library Camps, so it's worth a glance.
LAT, or Librarians as Teachers network is not at all busy, and not really related to my work, so not of interest to me.
CILIP Communities - I am now a member of CILIP so can access and post on these, but haven't really done much. I do get email updates which are of interest, though. Having a quick glance at the latest updates, there are a few discussions going on, and useful professional information being posted, so I will try to have a more regular look.
Facebook - as I've mentioned previously, I use Facebook for my personal life, although I do have some professional connections on there, but not of work colleagues! I prefer to keep it that way.
Google+ - I have joined this, but not a lot of other people have, so I haven't used it that much. I did try to use a Google Hangout, as Skype has gotten harder to use since being bought out by Microsoft, but it kept crashing. It really needs to get more popular, I think, before it's any sort of Facebook competitor.
Pinterest is one I haven't tried yet, I may give it a go as it seems very popular at the moment.
LISNP (LIS New Professionals) is another group that I'm a member of, but don't really use that much. I look in from time to time, and there is some activity, in particular about meetups and Library Camps, so it's worth a glance.
LAT, or Librarians as Teachers network is not at all busy, and not really related to my work, so not of interest to me.
CILIP Communities - I am now a member of CILIP so can access and post on these, but haven't really done much. I do get email updates which are of interest, though. Having a quick glance at the latest updates, there are a few discussions going on, and useful professional information being posted, so I will try to have a more regular look.
Facebook - as I've mentioned previously, I use Facebook for my personal life, although I do have some professional connections on there, but not of work colleagues! I prefer to keep it that way.
Google+ - I have joined this, but not a lot of other people have, so I haven't used it that much. I did try to use a Google Hangout, as Skype has gotten harder to use since being bought out by Microsoft, but it kept crashing. It really needs to get more popular, I think, before it's any sort of Facebook competitor.
Pinterest is one I haven't tried yet, I may give it a go as it seems very popular at the moment.
Thing 5 - Reflective Practice
Just to follow on from my last post, I tried Storify at home, and had a look at what is being produced, and tried it out myself. It does require a certain amount of editing yourself, and some people will be better at making a story more interesting in this manner, but it's a great way to bring together tweets and other social media in an accessible, readable manner.
Onto Thing 5, Reflective Practice. With this blog I do this already, to a certain degree, and I can see how it helps me to improve, by considering what is useful to me and what isn't, in this case with Social Media. I can also see how in general Reflective Practice is a good idea - I may consider quickly how things are going, but properly looking at your activities and if they are achieving what you want is a positive activity. It really is one I should consider doing more of! I'm not sure that another blog would do the trick - perhaps a simply handwritten diary might be a better idea. I was never very good at keeping a diary, despite plenty of encouragement at school, but with a more narrow focus on what goes into it, I can see it as a genuine tool for improvement.
Onto Thing 5, Reflective Practice. With this blog I do this already, to a certain degree, and I can see how it helps me to improve, by considering what is useful to me and what isn't, in this case with Social Media. I can also see how in general Reflective Practice is a good idea - I may consider quickly how things are going, but properly looking at your activities and if they are achieving what you want is a positive activity. It really is one I should consider doing more of! I'm not sure that another blog would do the trick - perhaps a simply handwritten diary might be a better idea. I was never very good at keeping a diary, despite plenty of encouragement at school, but with a more narrow focus on what goes into it, I can see it as a genuine tool for improvement.
Monday 11 June 2012
Thing 4 - RSS Feeds, Twitter, Storify
Firstly, I love Twitter! I tried it years ago, and it seemed pointless, then as it became more popular I tried it again a couple of year ago and really got into it. I have two accounts, a private one and a work account (@SiobhanWGLib), which I have on my smartphone. I do like the spontaneity of it, although some people have had issues with this! It's good for conferences, and generally getting the zeitgeist of whatever subject you may like. There is also plenty of nonsense, as well as Justin Beiber, for some reason. So, swiftly moving onto RSS feeds - I have set some of these up, and they are a great idea for keeping track of loads of different websites, without having to visit each one separately.
Storify is something that I hadn't tried before, and it reminds me of paper.li, which creates a newspaper out of your twitter feed. This is even better, though, as you can add all sorts of social media and other websites to create your story. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work on my work computer, but I will try it at home, because it's the sort of thing that I may find very useful in the future.
Storify is something that I hadn't tried before, and it reminds me of paper.li, which creates a newspaper out of your twitter feed. This is even better, though, as you can add all sorts of social media and other websites to create your story. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work on my work computer, but I will try it at home, because it's the sort of thing that I may find very useful in the future.
Monday 28 May 2012
CPD23 - Things 1 - 3 review
BLOGGING: Although I did do these Things last year, I've decided that a quick review won't do any harm! I already have my blog, and as it's only for CPD23 I'm not worried about followers - I'd need much more interesting content to make it worth people's time, but I do like looking at other people's blogs, which are becoming better and more likely to pop up with genuinely useful content on internet searches.
Having had a quick look at the Delicious bookmarks, I glanced at a few local (as in Wales) blogs - some have vanished already! I did like this one though:Library Cat: CPD 23 - Thing #2 as it had an interesting link about how to write the perfect blog post. It's really aimed at marketers, I think, but if I really wanted people to read my blog, the tips are spot on.
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/10-tips-on-how-to-write-the-perfect-blog-post/
I do still find using blogger a bit of a pain - it seems to be a bit fiddly, and for some reason it doesn't show the whole post before I publish it, which makes editing it a bid fiddly. This may be because the work computer is still on Windows XP and IE 8 though.
A few of the blogs are genuinely interesting with photos, but I can't do that on my work computer, and don't really want to be doing this at home!
ONLINE BRAND:
I'm glad to see none of my shocking escapades have made it online, although there is now a Mirror columnist of my name, writing about her life as a widowed mother of one. The girl who previously had some quite embarrassing stuff on her facebook appears to have locked it down a bit more, although she lists Poodle punching as an interest, which may be a euphemism, and my Linked In profile is available with professional details, which I'm perfectly happy about.
Having had a quick look at the Delicious bookmarks, I glanced at a few local (as in Wales) blogs - some have vanished already! I did like this one though:Library Cat: CPD 23 - Thing #2 as it had an interesting link about how to write the perfect blog post. It's really aimed at marketers, I think, but if I really wanted people to read my blog, the tips are spot on.
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/10-tips-on-how-to-write-the-perfect-blog-post/
I do still find using blogger a bit of a pain - it seems to be a bit fiddly, and for some reason it doesn't show the whole post before I publish it, which makes editing it a bid fiddly. This may be because the work computer is still on Windows XP and IE 8 though.
A few of the blogs are genuinely interesting with photos, but I can't do that on my work computer, and don't really want to be doing this at home!
ONLINE BRAND:
I'm glad to see none of my shocking escapades have made it online, although there is now a Mirror columnist of my name, writing about her life as a widowed mother of one. The girl who previously had some quite embarrassing stuff on her facebook appears to have locked it down a bit more, although she lists Poodle punching as an interest, which may be a euphemism, and my Linked In profile is available with professional details, which I'm perfectly happy about.
Monday 21 May 2012
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!
I'm rejoining CPD23 Things again, hopefully to finish it in line with the schedule this time. Really, I've already done the first 7 things, but a review is no harm! Last week I went to the CILIP Wales 2012 conference, as well as attending a meet-up to discuss CPD23 Things after work, so I've really properly explored Thing 7 now.
The meet-up was an enjoyable few hours having a couple of drinks and general chat about what is involved, and how it can be useful career-wise. The conference was useful, interesting and exhausting in equal measures, plus added cake, which is always a Good Thing. It was particularly good to see the Welsh Minister for Housing Regeneration and Heritage (libraries are in the last bit!) Huw Lewis show such interest in public libraries and say how important the Welsh Government thought they were. There was also a fascinating talk on the redevelopment of Birmingham Public Library, which looks magnificent, and well worth a visit. Phil Bradley boggled everyone with the massive diversity of online social media available, a real eye-opener. It was nice to meet up with someone on my Masters course, as well!
The meet-up was an enjoyable few hours having a couple of drinks and general chat about what is involved, and how it can be useful career-wise. The conference was useful, interesting and exhausting in equal measures, plus added cake, which is always a Good Thing. It was particularly good to see the Welsh Minister for Housing Regeneration and Heritage (libraries are in the last bit!) Huw Lewis show such interest in public libraries and say how important the Welsh Government thought they were. There was also a fascinating talk on the redevelopment of Birmingham Public Library, which looks magnificent, and well worth a visit. Phil Bradley boggled everyone with the massive diversity of online social media available, a real eye-opener. It was nice to meet up with someone on my Masters course, as well!
Monday 5 March 2012
Things 8 and 9 - Google Calendar and Evernote
Thing 8 - Google calendar. I was really impressed with this, and despite using google quite a bit, I don't think I'd even heard of it before. I don't really need it for work as everyone uses the Microsoft Outlook calendar, but it's good to know about this, and having read about the way it can be integrated into websites and blogs, it's really one to remember. The only thing is to do with privacy - and google finding out even more about you. I would be very happy to use it for work, and unimportant personal things, like maybe setting up an event with family or friends, but nothing really personal is going to go on there. That's just asking for trouble! I do wonder if the privacy issue is going to be google's downfall.
Thing 9 - Evernote. I have got an account already, but I haven't been using it much. Reading this week's CPD23 blog and looking at the Evernote website has reminded me how useful it could be, so I will be trying it out to report back next week. I don't think I've used it to its full capability so far.
Thing 9 - Evernote. I have got an account already, but I haven't been using it much. Reading this week's CPD23 blog and looking at the Evernote website has reminded me how useful it could be, so I will be trying it out to report back next week. I don't think I've used it to its full capability so far.
Monday 27 February 2012
Thing 7 - at last! Face-to-face networks and professional organisations
With Xmas, New Year, and a button-eating cat, I've gotten quite behind in my 23things!
With some reference to the Thing 6, I've become a member of CILIP now, and I'm just waiting for my details to arrive so I can have a look at the members-only area of the CILIP website.
While I haven't been working my way through 23things, I have been keeping an eye on Twitter, although I don't really post that much. I usually only have time to glance at it, and I don't want to just retweet, or post without thinking, and I don't have that much time to ponder over what to tweet! I suppose it's just a habit I still need to get into, to consider what I could tweet earlier in the day, what may be of use or of interest. For quick, bite-sized news though, Twitter has no equal!
Thing 7 - Face-to-face networks and professional organisations
Well, I haven't cheated and read all the things in advance (I may have skimmed over them..), so this is perfectly timed! I am on the LIS-Wales webmail list, from which I get items of interest in the library professional area, such as important press releases and training courses, helping to keep me informed.
As I mentioned above, I joined CILIP, as I've been meaning to do, but the offer of £25 of gift vouchers to the member who sponsored me (to be spent on library books, of course!) gave me the impetus to fill in the form and get it sent off. Although I already kept an eye on the CILIP website, I will now have access to some member-only areas, which will hopefully be of use. I am already a member of the CILIP Linked-In group, as it's got open membership, and have followed some discussions on various areas of interest.
I have noticed various training and networking opportunities, and was able to take part in a local tour of the Atrium library not far from where I work, and have a little chat to some fellow librarians the day before the general Save Our Libraries Day on 5th February. There was mainly discussion about the various cutbacks, and how people are doing their best with ever-more limited funds.
There are definitely plenty of training and networking opportunities available. A fellow student posted on a facebook group, as well as LinkedIn about a library unConferenence in Leeds, which sounds good, but is a bit far, and the tickets sold out very fast too! This Library Camp idea sounds like fun, and I do intend to try and get to one eventually.
With some reference to the Thing 6, I've become a member of CILIP now, and I'm just waiting for my details to arrive so I can have a look at the members-only area of the CILIP website.
While I haven't been working my way through 23things, I have been keeping an eye on Twitter, although I don't really post that much. I usually only have time to glance at it, and I don't want to just retweet, or post without thinking, and I don't have that much time to ponder over what to tweet! I suppose it's just a habit I still need to get into, to consider what I could tweet earlier in the day, what may be of use or of interest. For quick, bite-sized news though, Twitter has no equal!
Thing 7 - Face-to-face networks and professional organisations
Well, I haven't cheated and read all the things in advance (I may have skimmed over them..), so this is perfectly timed! I am on the LIS-Wales webmail list, from which I get items of interest in the library professional area, such as important press releases and training courses, helping to keep me informed.
As I mentioned above, I joined CILIP, as I've been meaning to do, but the offer of £25 of gift vouchers to the member who sponsored me (to be spent on library books, of course!) gave me the impetus to fill in the form and get it sent off. Although I already kept an eye on the CILIP website, I will now have access to some member-only areas, which will hopefully be of use. I am already a member of the CILIP Linked-In group, as it's got open membership, and have followed some discussions on various areas of interest.
I have noticed various training and networking opportunities, and was able to take part in a local tour of the Atrium library not far from where I work, and have a little chat to some fellow librarians the day before the general Save Our Libraries Day on 5th February. There was mainly discussion about the various cutbacks, and how people are doing their best with ever-more limited funds.
There are definitely plenty of training and networking opportunities available. A fellow student posted on a facebook group, as well as LinkedIn about a library unConferenence in Leeds, which sounds good, but is a bit far, and the tickets sold out very fast too! This Library Camp idea sounds like fun, and I do intend to try and get to one eventually.
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