Things 12 + 13

We now resume your regularly-scheduled programming...

The reason behind the radio silence is that I've gotten a new full-time position (hurrah!). Sadly, it is only temporary, but I am more than fully occupied in acclimating to my new work environment in order to 'hit the ground running' as much as possible.

Although it's still in the health sciences, this position is very different in that we're actually attached to a hospital, so doctors can come wandering over with clinical queries anytime they like. Which they have done several times already in my first week -- somehow managing to always catch me alone at the desk. Backup is only a phone call away, but I still suspect a conspiracy.

Anyway, to the topics at hand:

• (Thing 12) the utility of social media
• (Thing 13) online collaboration via Google Docs, Dropbox, wikis and more

For the first bit, I can agree that social media has put me in touch with people in the profession who I wouldn't otherwise have met -- but (you knew that was coming, right?) it still isn't at the level that I'd like to see for new members.

It makes sense that social media can't fully bridge that divide between 'professionals' and 'newbies,' since we are creatures of social habit and tend to interact within our immediate professional networks. So, to me, the groups seem to remain fairly separate and homogeneous -- the new librarians post their meetings and get-togethers; the more seasoned professionals socialize via the workplace or their groups of interest. There's exceptions in some cases, as always, but I don't know that these patterns can really be changed overall.

For the second topic -- I have had plenty of experience collaborating online, both academically and professionally, and the most challenging aspects have not been technological so much as social. Setting timelines, establishing shared expectations and goals, and being able to evaluate contributions are essential to successful group work -- and if you don't have these elements laid out at the beginning, it's even easier for people to 'fall off the radar' when you move online.

It certainly isn't impossible to do projects online -- it's necessary, now -- but it requires due diligence to the factors above in order for things to work. Plus, having at least one person on the team who's familiar with these online tools really helps for when troubleshooting becomes necessary (and it always does).

I've actually seen these two post topics -- online socialization and online collaboration -- playing out dramatically in my new position. Due to some HR hijinks, I am not yet 'in the system' -- which means that I don't have access to our library email, our shared wiki, and our blogs. People have been extremely welcoming and helpful, but I've found that I still feel cut off without these resources at hand -- I'm aware that there's another level of work and interaction going on that I am not yet engaged in.

All of which means that I'll be very happy to get my ID next week (fingers crossed!) so that I can fully participate in the workplace culture and numerous online projects at my new position.

Thing 11: Mentoring

Theodor Horydczak Collection (Library of Congress)

I've been incredibly fortunate in finding mentors thus far, so I'm glad the CPD-ers have mentioned the uncertainty and trepidation that can accompany such a venture.

I can actually describe two different processes of mentorship that I've experienced:
1) Put yourself out there
2) Get lucky and reciprocate like crazy

1) The first process happened with one of my professors in library school, who later became my academic advisor. But she nearly wasn't, because I almost lost my nerve standing outside her office that spring semester, my hand hovering in mid-air...

I was already 99.7% sure that she wouldn't be interested in taking on an advisee -- she was a dynamic force in the department, and all of her students either loved her or respected her thoroughly. And here I was, with just a semester and her whirlwind intro class under my belt, imagining that she'd want to talk to me.

We had already had contact during the class, since she made herself extremely available and I was extremely determined to make sure I understood the concepts. So I knew we had a pretty good rapport, and shared some interests.

But boy, knocking on that door was scary.

It turned out for the best -- my professor graciously became my advisor and offered guidance and support through several fraught application processes, including an overseas course and a fellowship.

Whew!

2) The second path consisted of finding a job with a supervisor who believes her professional responsibilities include fostering her employees' professional development. I have yet to meet someone so willing to give back to the profession by sharing with librarians new and experienced alike -- my class came to meet her on a 'field trip' and she soon had a group of eager students planning to meet up with her at an upcoming conference.

So I couldn't take much credit at all for this relationship, except in my reaction (i.e. reciprocation). Every opportunity she presented, in the forms of projects, classroom observations, meetings with vendors -- I jumped into with all my energy and effort. And I constantly expressed my gratitude and commitment in my work, looking for better ways to coordinate at the desk, noting cycles of student use, and generally using my position on the 'front lines' to gather information and suggest improvements in our library operations.

In summary, I can't claim credit for either of these mentorships -- because they are reciprocal exchanges, after all. But I can say that if you find the right person and (*gasp*) take the leap, you'll get many rewards in putting in the time and effort to develop relationships with your fellow librarians.

Thing 10: Trained? Experienced? Qualified? (All Three?)

I was extremely interested to read the post on CPD23 about the UK's routes into librarianship, particularly in terms of the 'traineeship' component. I like the emphasis on practical experience, which I think is lacking in many US programs -- it doesn't seem to be 'built in' in the same way.

At my school, the archives concentration had a required internship, but the general librarianship track was left to fend for itself when it came to on-the-job experience. Before we'd even graduated, my classmates and I were facing the vicious Library Experience Cycle (don't have any = can't get any = don't have any).

While I was lucky enough to find a paid position, many of my friends went for internships that were already saturated with -- you guessed it -- library school students.

I think there is a growing awareness that this is not a viable educational model, as it fails to produce graduates who are actually versed in the 'real' operations of librarianship (it seems that not many employers are interested in theoretical expertise; how odd!). I do remember that a few faculty members were championing the establishment of a required internship for all library 'tracks,' but I haven't heard about progress on that front.

Of course, now that I have my MLIS, I'm facing yet another Experience hurdle. I have diverse library experience, and I'm fresh out of a dynamic program...but I'm also competing with professionals equipped with 20 years' experience or more. I'm staying flexible when it comes to location -- I would move anywhere right now, and I can afford to -- which is an important point as the 'local' market is already packed with recent MLIS grads.

I've heard and read more than enough about how library schools in the US are 'failing' new graduates, and it was a rude shock to enter this job market -- but, I admit, I have also been fairly naive about the whole process.

What I'm working on now -- and really struggling with -- is how to make connections professionally. I have been blessed with an amazing mentor (next post!), and I've gotten involved in some very interesting projects, but...it sometimes feels like there's a covert group of librarians hiding just around the corner, whisking out of sight when I pass by.

One resolution I will take from this experience: When I get a full professional position, I will make myself a resource to any 'newbie' librarian out there looking for help. Because it can be dark and lonely here sometimes, and I want to help make my profession a brighter place for everyone -- especially the newcomers.

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!