Rudai 23 - Thing 13 Professional Organisations

I totally skipped thing 13, for whatever reason I have no idea. Anyhow professional organisations, don't you just love them!

I have been a member of the Irish Library Association since college. The groups within this association have provided me with amazing conferences, excellent networking tools, and brilliant advice.

For me, the above three reasons are why I join year after year. They are crucial to me as a new library and information professional.

The benefits from this membership are as follows:

Conferences:
There are so many, some are small, some big. The smaller ones are super fun I like the most, especially at the beginning of term as each year you get to meet all the new library students.
The high standard of presentations allows you as a professional to engage with all current topics, to have access to up to date information on all library sectors and to be able to engage with the professionals face to face.
There is always a networking event on after so you can have a drink, loosen up and get chatting. The best chats are had over #librarypints!

Networking tools:
This is not all about the pub, networking tools have to be practiced. So by going to conferences I watched how everyone interacts. Who stays on their own, how groups of people know each other, the people that are the social butterflies.
The most interesting part of this is not the type of person but the reason the person is there. A student will act very differently from someone who is there as a personal professional, another will behave differently if they have been requested to attend by their boss, regardless of being a librarian or not. And each set of networking tool you have, will be used if you want to talk to ALL of these people. Make a toolbox, and practice your craft.

Brillant Advice:
For me, this comes in a Q&A session, many people will ask a question like, how do we reach out to others when we have no time? How do you include social media into you working hours? What tactic do you use when asking your boss for time off to attend conferences?
As a new professional listen to the advice, all of it. Don't dismiss it just because you are not in that person's shoes, one day you might be.
Ask for direction in the advice they suggest, so for instance the social media and working hours. If they answer that it is difficult and they do take it outside of work, ask does that bother you? How do your colleagues feel about you doing it outside of work, is there a hostility, or do they applaud you? Understand the context, this can be done after the Q&A on a one to one basis, or if you want to send an email but always follow it through.

Rudai 23 Thing 17 Reflective Practice

In my library experience I feel I should have used a reflection journal for every month of my internship.

Looking back I now realise that I could have been more effective with my approach to the different projects.

When I started I gave myself deadlines and arranged meetings with staff, but I soon realised that other tasks were taking over.

These other tasks did not involve staff in the Heritage Council and required me to work alone outside of the Heritage Council building.
Each time I tried to arrange meetings with staff, they were away at various meetings, too busy, working from home, on annual leave, or sick.
Many times the staff would cancel agreed meetings, and many times failed to rearrange meetings with me as they had forgotten.
I had no prior knowledge of "how" each member of staff worked, and because I was away on another project, I could not watch and see how they worked or the most important part, where they worked.

What I needed to do on reflection was to ask each staff member
(a) Where would you spend most of your working week?
(b) When you are in the Heritage Council what will you be working on?
(c) What are the best days/times/months to contact you?
(d) Would you prefer if we had group meetings?

The answers to these questions would have given me a greater insight in how I would connect with each member of staff in order to plan the library project.

Had I been able to reflect on the situation I would have realised that I needed to leave the library project until the other tasks were completed or plan the library project in blocks which fitted around staff time and availability.

I now understand in the future I can engage with staff that have very limited time. And the need to plan and hold down that arrangement is the key to success.
Instead of me planning the project around my time and the library, have the planning be a part of the staff and organisations working day.

The library project has been a success, I would like to showcase this project and illustrate the many skills a librarian needs when working within a library, as a new professional it has opened my eyes, very wide!

Rudai 23 Thing 16 Collaboration Tools

Playing  catch up!

I love Collaboration, it is fun and very, very easy through the many collaboration tools that exist.

Outlined in the blog post are two tools, Google Doc's and Doodle. I use both, and I find them super easy and quick.

I like to research these terms as I move through my CPD this year and this website is an excellent resource: http://www.aiim.org/What-is-Collaboration

I also like the above diagram, the two elements I find to be very useful is the motivation behind a collaboration, you can have all the tools in the world but motivation is key, and if you don't give it 100% it can damage your reputation as a professional.

The second element is reflection this is crucial as most collaborations are about learning how to collaborate as well as the work itself. If the group is using new tools this can be a super challenge, Google Doc's can be a minefield if you don't organise the material as you go.

The need to understand people in a deeper way is very important, in some cases collaboration is virtual so you don't have the face to face interaction. Be careful when writing an email, the tone and use of your language is very important. And know when to stay out of a string of emails that have nothing to do with you. 

In some situations, you will have a team lead the person that set up the collaboration. However other times it will be a democracy, however if you are not happy with situations, let your feelings be known. This is very important, you will meet these people one day and the last thing you want is to dread it over a silly email, you are a professional, go and be one.

As you can see from my Twitter bio, @shivguinn, I am a big collaborator and volunteer and you have to remember you represent that company or association when you get involved, the same way you would represent the organisation you work for. 

I would recommend it to everyone, it is very rewarding and you learn so much!

Rudai 23 Thing 15 Advocacy

Advocacy and libraries. I think our politicians need to do a Masters in this. But this blog post will have to do!

I try to do Advocacy for libraries everywhere! If I am on the train and I notice someone reading, I will try and spark a conversation regarding the book and then I am off, libraries, libraries, libraries.

Recently I was at an archaeology workshop (it was part of Heritage Week) and I thought how will I be able to bring libraries into this. BOOM.
It began subtlely, with people asking what I do and they going "A librarian, why are you here"? When they realised I was with the heritage council and I was looking after the library for a few months they became super interested in the material that was stored there.
For the three-day workshop, I did not stop talking about libraries, books, rare books, history, special collections, etc. etc. you get my drift.
Many of the people there were from a heritage, history, archaeology background and they understood the role of a library but not a librarian and the skill set they possess.
It really was an amazing experience to engage with these very intelligent people and have them be astonished by the fact that I had a Masters in Librarianship.
And I think Advocacy for libraries needs to start with telling people "We are a profession" "We have many skills, look.." and then building the library around us and how we make it function for our different communities and users.

I was at the Ploughing Championships last week with the heritage council and we had a competition to win a 50 Euro book voucher. All the kids wanted to have a go at the questions but one teenager had to let her feelings be known, and she said "A book voucher" I HATE READING.
I nearly cried, I really did. I could not believe my ears. I looked to the mother who threw her eyes up to the sky as if to say "What can I do".
Where is the nearest library, is all I wanted to say. Just go to the library, please!

When schools or colleges invite people to speak for careers day we as librarians need to be there. Start advocating for libraries with the young people, somehow we might get through to the next generation of politicians.

I love libraries, but most of all I love librarians!

Rudai 23 Thing 14 Augmented Reality

When it comes to technology, I am all for it. Many will be skeptical when it comes to technology and libraries and we all have the right to be.
At the beginning of my career, I would not have entertained the no argument. This being that most of the no argument was fear of accepting technology and seeing it as a replacement of a librarian rather than enhancing the skills of a librarian.
And here I am going AR, really? I am not happy with myself one bit, let me tell you.
Do I see this?

Does it scare the hell out of me, yes!
At the moment, I am reading Andrew Keen's The Internet is Not the Answer, if you have not heard of Keen, or this book I am urging you to get a copy. Not saying that I am moving to the no side I just need to understand fully what is going to be the future. A few home truths have surfaced from reading this and I am kicking myself for thinking it was all rosy in the garden.

Enter AR, I am not a fan. But I am trying to work out why I am not a fan. As I read the blog post, I am starting to understand why. I'm not the biggest fan of science fiction (I'm the strange one) and I have only ever played a handful of Sonic the Hedgehog as a kid, so I don't live in the Minecraft world or any other virtual robot world.

But I feel I am missing something, let me explore this new and strange world!
So reading the article on the best AR apps, I have downloaded FieldTrip and Wikitude. FieldTrip is good it quickly gives you the steps to go through and instantly lets you know what is around you. I am going to Lonon next month so I find this will come in handy.

Wikitude is strange and not much of an AR experience, but I am at my desk so that is not interesting anyway! I keep trying to see the restaurants near me, one it could not locate me and yes the location was enabled then it seemed to find some places but the message to enable my location settings would not go away and then the app would close down because it was all confused!

It was not a hopeful AR experience, my phone is old which could be a contribution as to why the app Wikitude would not work, FieldTrip is a good idea, but I feel like I can do the same with Google Maps?

I will keep an eye on this wonderful new world of AR, it may take a while for me to bring it into the library world. A new iPhone should do the trick!

Any excuse!

Rudai23 Thing 12: Attending Conferences

The event I recently attended was the DPASSH, 1st Conference for Digital Preservation.

The heritage council are extremely good at leaving staff attend conferences, however, most of the staff here would be presenting rather than attending.
Having approached one of the members of staff to see if she intended on going both days, she suggested that I stay on for both! Thinking the prices of hotels in Dublin I suggested maybe it might be good to go the day she would not be there, so we could then swap notes.
In solving the problem, they not only paid for my ticket but also to stay in a very nice hotel! I never want to leave!

What to do at a conference?

1. The main aim for me is to see which presentations I am interested in and pick one or two (depending on the length of the conference) that is different.
2. Network - I haven't made a business card and I feel it is something I would do in a few years I don't think now is a good time for business cards maybe when my skills and profile have grown.
3. Chatting to people after the conference - if library drinks have been added to the event, - GO! It is so much fun, you do talk about different things and you do talk to different people, you make friends with like minded people, what is not good about that!
4. Note taking - I do write notes during the important presentations, and with the others I will tweet, having the presentations afterwards is a huge help. The most important part for me is to write a blog post, and I would usually contact Libfocus to see is they needed a guest blogger for that event.
5. Reflection: if there has been a number of new people presenting or at the event I will search for them on twitter or do some research into their background and add them to my list of "People to watch" list.

The aim of this conference was for the heritage council as they hope to begin a new project so I needed to link in with a few organisations to get their thoughts and advice on the process. In turn, I helped out a few people regarding library issues and put various people in touch with others that were not there, all through twitter of course.

It is a conference I will go to every year as the quality of the presentations and presenters were second to none!

Next event for me is NPD event in Rathmines Library!

Rudai 23 - Thing 10 - Video Streaming

Video Streaming, this is something new to me so it is something I am going to explore in depth.

Along with thing 10, I have been thinking of doing a small screencast about the new library database that the team here in the HC library has been working on, this might be very useful for the staff.

It would be interesting if people who use video streaming and/or screencasts in their library to add them to their blog post, I have a few ideas of things I could create if in an academic library setting, however, I am not sure how useful they would be in a public library setting.

Setting up screencasts in a public library might be useful for the elderly when using the internet, and they could teach themselves how to navigate different sites and how to set up email etc. It can be very daunting and confusing when you teach them one on one however by giving them access to these screencasts or live streaming videos it could make the teaching easier.

Live streaming is great at conferences and takes the pressure away when you know you can't make an event.

I have downloaded periscope, and I am not impressed! It seems weird that strangers around the world have these random videos about nothing, you feel like you have stumbled on something that you shouldn't be watching I clicked on one and it was someone recording people at the border to Serbia and it was not nice, another one was the national archives in New York, which was more along the lines of normal! It is all rather scary and you have to be careful about what you click on!
This is the blurb for Periscope: I am still not convinced!

Just over a year ago, we became fascinated by the idea of discovering the world through someone else’s eyes. What if you could see through the eyes of a protester in Ukraine? Or watch the sunrise from a hot air balloon in Cappadocia? It may sound crazy, but we wanted to build the closest thing to teleportation. While there are many ways to discover events and places, we realized there is no better way to experience a place right now than through live video. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but live video can take you someplace and show you around.