Thing 9: Elephants! Or, Evernote

One of my professors was quite enthusiastic about this tool, so I've been excited to try it out in CPD23. I like Evernote's versatility and range, in that you can save not just 'web' content but also material from your computer. Of course, this has the potential to become quickly overwhelming, since I'm still wrangling with my massive load of photos on my Picasa account (but that's another story).

I was most attracted to the Web Clipper feature - especially as I am a very visual person, and sometimes a URL and some notes don't jog my memory enough. I've tried it out on a few pages and liked the results, although the formatting can go a bit wonky on graphics-heavy pages.

As for integrating this with facebook - I've done it, but I'm not sure how much I'll be using this feature, honestly. I'm on facebook enough that when I see a link that interests me, I'll share it then and there. I don't work on long-term projects via facebook that would require dredging up old articles or materials from my computer, and like I said earlier, Picasa has already eaten my photos. I'm far more likely to use the Google connect feature.

One final note: as I've been browsing the Evernote site and help section in particular, I keep getting odd 404's and broken link notices. This is frustrating, and I often have try several tracks to get at a particular link...for instance, a search for 'facebook' in the online help failed twice before I shifted pages slightly and tried again. Is anyone else having this problem?
It may be my sickly Internet connection (or my ancient computer, stranger things have happened), but I'm wondering if I'm alone in my difficulties.

Thing 8: Keepin' in Time: Google Calendar

by janussyndicate

I've had experience with this tool as well - as part of a class project, actually. It came in incredibly handy as we were digitizing a large amount of material and needed to coordinate with our archives department for use of their scanner (they only had the one available to us).

The Problem:

*Everyone in the class was responsible for a certain amount of scanning (I was on the committee for allocating scanning responsibilities, so I remember this well).

*Everyone in the class had different schedules/time preferences for when they wanted to scan their pages.

*The archive wanted to make sure that no one student could monopolize the scanner for more than 1.5 hours.

*The archive had their own hours, separate from the library.

The Solution:
(hint: It involves setting up a Google Calendar...oops, did I give it away?)

*Create a shared Google Calendar with open slots (limited to 1.5 hours max), set within the archive's open schedule.

*Share the calendar with everyone in the class and let them sign up (first come, first serve).

*Resolve any conflicts through moderation between parties - everyone was quite civilized, so this wasn't a problem.

I came away from the experience with a hearty appreciation for Google Calendar in terms of its versatility and ease of use. I also discovered a few useful practices, such as always double-checking which calendar I'm adding an event to (a hard-won lesson, there).

So in my book, Google has done well with this tool, and I plan to continue to use it further in the future.

Thing 7: Getting Physical - Face to face networks

This will be a brief update, as I already belong to a prodigious amount of the organizations mentioned (hurrah for student dues!). ALA and MLA are the ones I've had the most direct experience with, attending conferences and networking with professionals.

I think these conferences are great opportunities to make connections, provided:

1)You come equipped with some focused interests

2) You've done your research about who's in the field

3) You have plentiful snacks/water

Networking is personally a bit daunting to me; I have to work myself up to it, and I'm usually flat-out exhausted for the next day or two after a conference. But it can be rewarding; the current research project I'm working on now is a result of meeting some lovely people at a conference.

So, online networks are well and good, but thus far they haven't replaced the physical and personal connection that attending conferences and joining organizations can provide. Reality still wins.

Thing 6: Online Social Networks

I liked this Thing activity as it reinforced what I already suspected about LinkedIn and Facebook: people use Facebook still primarily as a social/personal tool, while LinkedIn is more viewed as a professional/networking tool.

This was particularly interesting to me because I'm currently working on the early stages of a research project about online communities and health, examining how patients and health professionals interact with tools like Facebook and LinkedIn. And of course, there's Google+ to consider, designed to accommodate our natural instincts to organize (read: separate) our social groups according to purpose.

I've just gotten an invitation to Google+, so it looks like I'll be diving in there as well. We'll see how well it reconciles our desire to connect with our desire for privacy/control online.

In terms of other online networks, I'd never heard of LISNPN, LAT, or CILIP before (the last one, I imagine, because of the UK-based focus). I've joined LISNPN, and I'm intrigued by the bulletin board concept, as well as the downloadable resources.

More updates as I get set up further!

Thing 5: Reflective Practice

By d ha rm e sh at bestpicturegallery.com

Following behind schedule on CPD23, I'm interested in the implications of reflective practice for library students and those not yet professionally engaged.

I can imagine that the primary obstacle for reflective practice in a professional capacity is time; you have other competing demands and priorities on the job that make carving out a space for RP a daunting challenge.

On the other side of the spectrum, there are students and part-time workers, who may be more time-wealthy but may lack the professional projects - grist for the mill, I guess - that one usually reflects on.

I understand that this isn't a valid barrier to reflective practice, at least in the way I've understood it. You can reflect on many levels on various projects - anything from a school project to a reference interaction to your overall academic library career. So, in working on this Thing 5, I've been pondering my career path thus far: what I've done, how that has turned out, and where I'm planning to go from here.

The main result = uncertainty. I'm not unsure about my interests; health sciences librarianship engages my interests and skills fully, and I love being part of such a dynamic atmosphere at my library. I've had the opportunity to contribute to projects that have helped the library overall; working on the 'front lines' has shown me the importance of soliciting feedback from everyone on the staff - people at the Circ Desk get to see a lot that you may not.

However, in terms of professional growth...I know this is a harsh job market. I know that everyone is struggling. And I'm trying to keep my motivation and abilities sharp in an atmosphere that is often discouraging.

Some days are better than others.

CPD23 has been part of my efforts to keep this freshness in my library life, along with staying informed in career trends and skills. And it has certainly helped me to find new avenues - blogs, professionals, and projects to engage with. But as you can see, I am only on Thing 5 here. So I need to increase my own participation, set out the time and muster the motivation to sit and get it done.

That's my reflection, for now at least. We'll see what happens next.

Getting to Know You: Librarian-Faculty Collaborations

The King and I screenshot from tvtropes.org

In the Library with the Lead Pipe has two fantastic posts on librarian-faculty collaboration, a topic of particular interest in our field. Part I talks about why it's important for librarians to shake off the academia inferiority complex and how to go about making connections at the faculty level, and Part II provides more specific examples of projects and approaches at various levels of collaboration.

This means going beyond the one-shot research session or supporting a particular assignment and moving into actively partnering with your faculty members to shape the curriculum - which involves aligning goals and making adjustments on both sides. I'm glad that someone has acknowledged this point: when librarians and faculty work together, we each have to adjust our working styles and goals. Even though we are (hopefully) equals, we do work in different contexts on campus and in our professions.

What I found most refreshing about this two-part feature was its emphasis on the human element. Building relationships is at the heart of librarian-faculty collaboration, and that means connecting on a personal as well as a professional level.

I also loved the emphasis on specific strategies - a battle plan, if you will - that goes beyond attending departmental meetings and sending out email bulletins (which are likely deleted as soon as received). After all, the first question you need to answer when approaching someone on campus is, 'Why would I want to work with you?' In other words, 'Why should I care?'

Building these relationships is intensive in every way - it requires time, personal effort, and an ongoing commitment. But as the posts illustrate, the rewards are worth the effort; rich scholarly projects at the faculty level and a dynamic curriculum that cohesively addresses students' needs in their programs are the fruits of successful librarian-faculty collaborations.

Thing 4 Update: Pushnote

When I heard that this tool was endorsed by Stephen Fry (who openly disclosed that he has shares in this venture), I was inclined to be an instant fan. Because, after all, it's Stephen Fry.

I agree that the concept is intriguing as a method of ensuring transparency and adding a level of interactivity to websites -- the websites themselves have no control over who gets to comment, and this is another avenue for learning about relevant and interesting sites by following your friends' interests.

Having signed up and installed the application, however, I found the experience lacking. It may have been that I haven't reached the critical mass of friends, or I'm not looking at the 'right' sites, but I wasn't finding a lot of original, engaging discussion out there.

I do think this could be a great tool within established communities (hence the interlinking with Twitter), and therefore could also be an interesting classroom tool. Just as one of the professors I know uses Diigo to encourage students to critique and discuss certain web sources, Pushnote could be another avenue for critical discussion -- particularly on websites that don't invite this kind of engagement already through comments, etc.

Have you had a different Pushnote experience? Have you seen it employed professionally or in the classroom? Let me know!

Thing 4: Doin' the Social Thing(s)

I've been a bit behind in the midst of job interviews and family visits (note to self: not a good combination). Thankfully, for this Thing I'm already acquainted with 2 out of 3 of the services: Twitter and RSS.

My first experience with Twitter was at the MLA Annual Conference in Minneapolis, and it added a whole new layer of participation. There were monitors displaying ongoing tweets everywhere, and you could easily get distracted by the Twitter Monitor during a presentation. Sadly, the app I downloaded for my Android phone refused to play nicely with my Twitter account, so I spent more time punching buttons and cursing than actively tweeting.

However, I do have a fun Twitter story to share: I had been following Librarian Lizy's tweets for a good while (she's a solo hospital librarian rife with thrilling tales, and she gives a photo tour of her library here). We'd been trying to connect in the opening madness, to no avail. I was wandering the hotel lobby one evening and spotted two MLA-ers across the way. The Twitter description of a leopard-print scarf floated across my mind, and I took a chance at approaching complete strangers...yup, it was her. ;)

Moral of this story: Find me on Twitter! You can click on the link in the upper right, or search for K4Dag.

I'm working on setting up Pushnote now, but I've just signed up to Diigo and it sounds very similar to this. We'll see what the benefits/differences are...

Thing 3: Branding!

[Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Nevins Memorial Library]

Thing 3 is all about branding, which is something that I definitely need to work on. This has become clear as I peruse the other cpd23 and professional blogs out there who have done a fantastic job of communicating their professional and personal interests and strengths.

As I was looking at my own blog to see what was lacking, I decided to go back to basics and look at the key elements that appeared in other blogs. They were:

• *Consistency
• *Simplicity
• *Accessibility
  

Consistency

The first point refers not only to timely posting (which I've already fallen behind on), but also an overarching theme that unites your output. This includes everything from writing style to format, and it comes together to present a coherent online 'personality.' This doesn't mean that you can't have variety in your posts -- for example, Deanne's Curb Service covers everything from our professional image (think spectacles and hair buns) to electronic health records (a particular interest of mine as a health sciences librarian), but her posts all share the same core focuses: innovation, education, and access.

It seems that keeping true to your primary interests is a good strategy for maintaining consistency -- there's nothing wrong with a few 'look at this cool thing!' posts, but you're probably going to write more in-depth about the topics that really start your engine.

Simplicity

This point struck me as I looked at the designs featured on other blogs and decided what appealed most to me: clean, simple layouts that showcase your online personality and professional philosophy. This is more than 'just' an aesthetic issue; the right layout can go a long way towards making your posts attractive and accessible (leading into my third point…)

Accessibility

The best blogs I've seen have been visually appealing and easy to navigate, which encourages me not only to read what they've written but also engage with them personally. I also enjoy seeing a listing of other blogs that they're interested in -- so that I get not only a great blog to follow but also a network of other professionals who share my interests. I think this 'portal' function helps your blog to act as a platform for exchange, instead of the one-way 'broadcast' model of previous media.

So far, I'm not doing so well on the 'branding' front, but these points have at least given me a place to start. In terms of simplicity, I've changed my blog theme to something that looks 'cleaner' and more open. I'm planning to rebuild my bloglist, since the last redesign wiped out my widgets. And I'm going to work on how best to convey my key interests: global exchange, collaborative learning, and practical ways to make library services as ubiquitous as the tech platforms we use everyday.

Please let me know your thoughts: what is your approach to branding? What do you see as keys to success? What have you found most challenging about the process?