I can't shout enough about how good Doodle is! It just makes things so easy when it comes to trying to organise meetings or getting a large number of people in the same room at the same time. I started using it in work about a year or so ago and am always surprised now when someone uses the 'old fashioned method' of dates in an email. I don't usually add email addresses into Doodle but let it send me the link and administrator email; then I can email it out to people in my address book. I like the way it notifies you when people have responded to the poll. I even use it now to organise get-togethers with friends spread across the whole of Ireland (must be the librarian in me!).
I haven't really used Google Docs. In work we use the sharepoint application to save documents, policies etc but only really when they are signed off. As with most organisations, there is alot of document and email ping-pong before a document, set of instructions or policy is finalised. There may well be a function within sharepoint for this sort of collaboration but usually it involves a word document with the notes function or track changes. The latter can be a pain to follow at times so it's good to see that Google Docs has suggested editing and comments rather than only hard and fast editing. Do you need to have google account to be able to access Google Docs? If so, that's a downside but perhaps not. I'm not sure that it would still exist if it had to be google account holders only.
As we already use Doodle in work, it fits very nicely and I don't usually have a problem with anyone accessing the link. Google Docs might be worth a try if it doesn't rely on the google account side of things. At the moment we seem to be using another tool called Coggle. I registered to use it with my gmail account but it is used in work to look at complex information e.g. generating mind maps for use with the social persona on our library social media accounts. I haven't had the opportunity to contribute to the mind maps but it looks very straight forward to set up and amend/add material. I then get an update email to say that something has changed so I can only imagine that everyone within the group who has registered for it, gets a similar update.
I'm sure that there are so many tools out there for collaborating together. It's about finding them and using the best one for the job.
Monday 21 September 2015
Sunday 13 September 2015
Twitter Chat on Advocacy
Following on from Thing 15 on Advocacy for Libraries, Rudai 23 planned a twitter chat on this particular topic. As I hadn't been able to take part in the Google Hangouts on Air, I was keen to take part in this get-together.
I know that twitter chats take place but I usually don't remember until after the fact so I marked this one in my calendar. Rudai 23 also posted a number of reminders on twitter so there was no danger in forgetting. A link was also helpfully provided to the questions ahead of the chat so there was plenty of time to think about your answers and what was important to you.
I had never thought a great deal about advocacy which is why Thing 15 and the twitter chat were so helpful. It was great to get different opinions.
Taking part raised the following with me:
Would I take part in a twitter chat again? I would. I'd mark it in my online calendar to make sure that the time was set aside. I'd use my tablet next time as the smartphone was a bit small for sustained typing (and it was a bit hot after holding it for an hour).
I know that twitter chats take place but I usually don't remember until after the fact so I marked this one in my calendar. Rudai 23 also posted a number of reminders on twitter so there was no danger in forgetting. A link was also helpfully provided to the questions ahead of the chat so there was plenty of time to think about your answers and what was important to you.
I had never thought a great deal about advocacy which is why Thing 15 and the twitter chat were so helpful. It was great to get different opinions.
Taking part raised the following with me:
- We very nearly didn't get to answer all the questions so perhaps 9 questions was ambitious? I don't know what the normal number is.
- Not all participants used the question number at the start of their answer so you had to figure out what question they were answering.
- I went to the twitter feed for #r23chat as I thought this was the best way to see the feed coming in. I don't know whether this is the best way but it worked reasonably well for me. Perhaps there's a better way?
- I was quite slow at typing any responses so things had moved on a bit by the time my response appeared.
- There is such a thing as a library calculator. I didn't know this so a couple of people forwarded the link to me. Also a short course on advocacy was highlighted - again a useful tool to have access to.
- Rudai 23 is going to produce a storify on the twitter chat so I'm interested to see how this works.
Would I take part in a twitter chat again? I would. I'd mark it in my online calendar to make sure that the time was set aside. I'd use my tablet next time as the smartphone was a bit small for sustained typing (and it was a bit hot after holding it for an hour).
Advocacy for Libraries - Thing 15
Rudai 23 started this by asking a straightforward question:
What comes to mind when you hear the words advocacy for libraries?
I think public libraries. There has been much in the press and social media outlets about the use of volunteers in the running of public libraries and off the top of my head, this is what I think of when advocacy for libraries is mentioned.
Rudai 23 has shown me that advocacy is about this and much much more. I always thought that advocacy was about demonstrations and petitions, never that twitter, collaboration and networking were forms of advocacy. It's about being visible and vocal.
I think it's wrong of me to say that I don't have time to be involved in an advocacy campaign; it is true I don't have time, but it's much more down to the image of advocacy that I have in my head. I don't have to be involved in demonstrations, but I can use how I act, what I do and say everyday to act as an advocate for librarians and libraries.
I had a look at the campaigns and resources that Rudai 23 provided. Despite being a member of CILIP I didn't realise that there were advocacy resources available on the website and while some of the information is dated, it's a worthwhile resource to tap into. I also had a look at the Libraries Change Lives youtube clip, and it made me feel warm and fuzzy - I felt good to be part of libraries.
What comes to mind when you hear the words advocacy for libraries?
I think public libraries. There has been much in the press and social media outlets about the use of volunteers in the running of public libraries and off the top of my head, this is what I think of when advocacy for libraries is mentioned.
Rudai 23 has shown me that advocacy is about this and much much more. I always thought that advocacy was about demonstrations and petitions, never that twitter, collaboration and networking were forms of advocacy. It's about being visible and vocal.
I think it's wrong of me to say that I don't have time to be involved in an advocacy campaign; it is true I don't have time, but it's much more down to the image of advocacy that I have in my head. I don't have to be involved in demonstrations, but I can use how I act, what I do and say everyday to act as an advocate for librarians and libraries.
I had a look at the campaigns and resources that Rudai 23 provided. Despite being a member of CILIP I didn't realise that there were advocacy resources available on the website and while some of the information is dated, it's a worthwhile resource to tap into. I also had a look at the Libraries Change Lives youtube clip, and it made me feel warm and fuzzy - I felt good to be part of libraries.
Augmented Reality - Thing 14
Thank goodness Rudai 23 provided an explanation of what augmented reality is at the start of their post. Basically it is a scanned image that comes to life with video, images, further information etc.
I looked at all the information and links on the post, and even visited the pinterest page. I thought the practical use of AR in public libraries for reading challenges etc was well documented and I could see how it would work in such a location, but I struggled to see how it would work in academic libraries.
The following articles helped to clear that up:
Ideas like video demonstrations of service points (e.g. self service machines, multi-functional devices) and directional maps seem to be a couple of suggestions that would be useful in any library setting. One of the staff options that was mentioned was the use of AR to identify when books were shelved in the wrong location - something every library can identify with.
Having satisfied myself that there could be a use for AR in academic libraries, I looked at Anatomy 4D and LibrARi. I had previously come across Aurasma whilst flicking through a magazine. Using the app to look at the images wasn't at all successful. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing, nor did I know what I should have been looking at. I can only assume that it was me and not the app, or that the app has improved in order to still be around.
Anatomy 4D - I can see this being very useful if you're studying anatomy, physiology, medicine, nursing etc etc. I can't see how this applies to a library context but maybe the library just facilitates the use of this technology. It took me a couple of attempts to get the app to work but once up and running, it was fascinating to see the body come alive. I will mention to the research team in work to see if it is something they would recommend.
LibrARi - I just couldn't see the point of this. Why wouldn't you just ask one of the librarians or library staff that seemed to be sitting at the enquiry desk? It might be useful in an unstaffed library, but surely the app would need to take into account that the item might have been mis-shelved, rather than pointing you to the section it should be in. Isn't it better to inform and educate our users about our classification scheme, whether Dewey or Library of Congress? I'm sorry, I'm not really behind this application.
I looked at all the information and links on the post, and even visited the pinterest page. I thought the practical use of AR in public libraries for reading challenges etc was well documented and I could see how it would work in such a location, but I struggled to see how it would work in academic libraries.
The following articles helped to clear that up:
- Keeping up with Augmented Reality by Carli Spina, posted in the ACRL
- A dose of (augmented) reality by Anthony Humphries, posted in the elibrary team blog of Birmingham City Library
Ideas like video demonstrations of service points (e.g. self service machines, multi-functional devices) and directional maps seem to be a couple of suggestions that would be useful in any library setting. One of the staff options that was mentioned was the use of AR to identify when books were shelved in the wrong location - something every library can identify with.
Having satisfied myself that there could be a use for AR in academic libraries, I looked at Anatomy 4D and LibrARi. I had previously come across Aurasma whilst flicking through a magazine. Using the app to look at the images wasn't at all successful. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing, nor did I know what I should have been looking at. I can only assume that it was me and not the app, or that the app has improved in order to still be around.
Anatomy 4D - I can see this being very useful if you're studying anatomy, physiology, medicine, nursing etc etc. I can't see how this applies to a library context but maybe the library just facilitates the use of this technology. It took me a couple of attempts to get the app to work but once up and running, it was fascinating to see the body come alive. I will mention to the research team in work to see if it is something they would recommend.
LibrARi - I just couldn't see the point of this. Why wouldn't you just ask one of the librarians or library staff that seemed to be sitting at the enquiry desk? It might be useful in an unstaffed library, but surely the app would need to take into account that the item might have been mis-shelved, rather than pointing you to the section it should be in. Isn't it better to inform and educate our users about our classification scheme, whether Dewey or Library of Congress? I'm sorry, I'm not really behind this application.
Professional Organisations - Thing 13
When I started looking at this, I didn't realise that there were so many organisations for library and information professionals. I mean we are well catered for right across the world. Rudai 23 have links in their post on Thing 13 if you need to backtrack and look at a complete list.
The tasks for Thing 13 are:
- Take a look at your country's Library Association website and see what it has to offer
- Write a blog post on your thoughts on becoming a member of a professional organisation
As it stands, I am a member of CILIP. I have been a member of both it, and it's predecessor, The Library Association, since I started my library qualification in 1999. At times I have wavered; I'll admit it - I have wondered why I am a member. For this reason it was interesting to go onto the CILIP website and see what they say are the benefits of becoming a member:
- professional development
- grants and bursaries
- advocacy and campaigns
- deals and discounts
- information and support
- VLE (virtual learning environment)
- professional magazine, e-journals and e-bulletins
- networking and community
Nope.
In fact scratch that. I'd recommend joining no matter what point you are at in your career. The big attraction for many is the professional development aspect. I gained my MCLIP post-nominals in 2007, and although I don't flash them about, I am proud of them. It was a big achievement for me, and there was a lot of work involved. Since then, the professional development mechanism has undergone a huge overhaul, and it should now be significantly easier to develop professionally following the CILIP plan. CILIP also has the professional knowledge and skills base (PKSB) which allows you to identify gaps in your knowledge and identify the opportunities to rectify this. I am now currently revalidating and I plan to complete this/submit this before the end of the year. During my time as a member of CILIP, I have attended courses, read and made use of the magazine and e-bulletins and have joined committees at a local level. I also belong to two special interest groups as part of the CILIP membership. Despite all this, I still questioned my need to be part of the professional organisation every time the renewal came round. It wasn't a serious question but it was still there nonetheless.
Then I realised. A light bulb moment. You can't expect your professional organisation to do everything. You need to engage with it. Like many things, you will only get out what you put in. A certain amount of effort on your part is required. So I have made a small promise to myself. I am prepared to do more. I am prepared to get involved and listen more - only at a local level, on the local CILIP committee to begin with. It might seem like baby steps but who knows where it might lead, and with any luck, the amount of value I place on my CILIP membership will be more that the membership rate I'm charged.
I also was a member of the Library Association of Ireland. And I hang my head in shame that I cancelled my membership. I didn't feel that I got anything out of it. That being said, I still get information emailed to me so I'm not sure what's going on with that. Again the same thing applies. You need to be prepared to engage with the organisation. Rudai 23 is just one example of that. It's a great course run at a local level, but it engages with people far beyond that. I'm contemplating joining the LAI again. If I get this much engagement from not being a member, imagine how much I can get by being a member.
Attending Conferences - Thing 12
Reading through the post from Rudai 23 on attending conferences, it struck me that I haven't attended a conference in a number of years. So I couldn't really complete task 1 of this Thing, which was to write about a conference I had attended. I'm sure that the Rudai team want to read about a conference which has been recent and not one that falls into the 5-10 years ago bracket. So I opted for the 2nd task:
I usually flick over the information about conferences. If I'm honest, I'm not fond of conferences. Two of the reasons for that are that I don't really like to travel (even if for just a couple of days) and I'm quite shy. I find networking a really challenge and the thought of walking into a room where I don't know anyone is actually quite terrifying.
But I went looking for conferences I'd be interested in. The problem is that at this stage of the year, you only know that a group/organisation is planning to hold a conference; not necessarily what the conference is on. I identified 4 conferences that I would consider going to, topic dependent.
the CONUL Conference
the Academic and Special Libraries Conference (section of the LAI)
the Joint Conference between the LAI and CILIP Ireland
the Health Libraries Group conference (last one 2014, so anticipated that there will be another one in 2016)
I expect to have challenges in terms of funding. Attending conferences can be an expensive business and budgets being tight means that funding is not always available. I would have to be sure that I would really get something from the conference if I was to pay for it personally. If a place was funded by my employer, I would also expect to maybe have to make a case to attend - prove that there was something of value on the programme that could be fed back into practices in the workplace, and I would be expected to cascade information on my return.
My expectations for the event are usually over-shadowed by fear so it's difficult to pinpoint what these are. I would be attending because a couple of topics on the programme appealed to me so it wouldn't just be a jolly day out. At the very least I would expect to come back with a free pen....seriously though, I would expect to come back with a few simple ideas that could be implemented back in my library/workplace. At the very most, I would want to come back with a number of contacts about a particular project we have been wanting to implement in my workplace, or an idea of how to solve or approach a problem that has been hounding us. It's always very useful to tap into someone else's experiences and pitfalls about a particular project, technology or hardware.
You might have guessed that the majority of the conferences I identified are all reasonably local geographically speaking. Only the HLG conference would be held outside of Northern Ireland or Ireland. This kind of addresses my dislike of travelling. The other big one is shyness. I read both links re how to network in the Rudai 23 post, and can identify with both. But both gave some really useful advice about how to approach this and deal with it. It isn't so much the conference but it's the downtime - the coffee breaks, the lunchtimes that I'd be worried about. I thought the post by Dawn Rasmussen in Careerealism was particularly accurate. I'm afraid I have been that shy limpet - the person that clings on. If I can get over that, anything else will be a bonus.
- Identify a conference or seminar you'd like to attend
- What challenges do you anticipate?
- What are your expectations for the event? What will it give you?
- What are your fears about attending the event?
I usually flick over the information about conferences. If I'm honest, I'm not fond of conferences. Two of the reasons for that are that I don't really like to travel (even if for just a couple of days) and I'm quite shy. I find networking a really challenge and the thought of walking into a room where I don't know anyone is actually quite terrifying.
But I went looking for conferences I'd be interested in. The problem is that at this stage of the year, you only know that a group/organisation is planning to hold a conference; not necessarily what the conference is on. I identified 4 conferences that I would consider going to, topic dependent.
the CONUL Conference
the Academic and Special Libraries Conference (section of the LAI)
the Joint Conference between the LAI and CILIP Ireland
the Health Libraries Group conference (last one 2014, so anticipated that there will be another one in 2016)
I expect to have challenges in terms of funding. Attending conferences can be an expensive business and budgets being tight means that funding is not always available. I would have to be sure that I would really get something from the conference if I was to pay for it personally. If a place was funded by my employer, I would also expect to maybe have to make a case to attend - prove that there was something of value on the programme that could be fed back into practices in the workplace, and I would be expected to cascade information on my return.
My expectations for the event are usually over-shadowed by fear so it's difficult to pinpoint what these are. I would be attending because a couple of topics on the programme appealed to me so it wouldn't just be a jolly day out. At the very least I would expect to come back with a free pen....seriously though, I would expect to come back with a few simple ideas that could be implemented back in my library/workplace. At the very most, I would want to come back with a number of contacts about a particular project we have been wanting to implement in my workplace, or an idea of how to solve or approach a problem that has been hounding us. It's always very useful to tap into someone else's experiences and pitfalls about a particular project, technology or hardware.
You might have guessed that the majority of the conferences I identified are all reasonably local geographically speaking. Only the HLG conference would be held outside of Northern Ireland or Ireland. This kind of addresses my dislike of travelling. The other big one is shyness. I read both links re how to network in the Rudai 23 post, and can identify with both. But both gave some really useful advice about how to approach this and deal with it. It isn't so much the conference but it's the downtime - the coffee breaks, the lunchtimes that I'd be worried about. I thought the post by Dawn Rasmussen in Careerealism was particularly accurate. I'm afraid I have been that shy limpet - the person that clings on. If I can get over that, anything else will be a bonus.
Reflective Practive - Thing 11
At last some breathing space! Thing 11 is all about reflective practice and how Rudai 23 is going. And is my time management up to scratch?
Before starting the Rudai 23 course, I would have said 'Yes, absolutely'. I know in my day job I can get distracted by things that others can easily do without my direction, that I am not great at delegation and like everyone like to do the nice stuff before tackling the hard stuff. In fact I would have said that my poor delegation skills were my biggest downfall. However since starting Rudai 23, my time management skills have gone to pot.
It could be that once I come home from work I don't want to spend more time in front of the computer.
It could be that some of the Things are way out of my comfort zone and so I put them off.
It could be that there are other things that crop up that I'd rather do (like reading my book).
Or it could be all of the above.
So as recommended, I made a study plan. And quickly fell behind with it. I will have a look at the Mindtools website as there appears to be a lot of useful stuff and hints on this site; not necessarily just about time management.
Thinking about Rudai 23:
Before starting the Rudai 23 course, I would have said 'Yes, absolutely'. I know in my day job I can get distracted by things that others can easily do without my direction, that I am not great at delegation and like everyone like to do the nice stuff before tackling the hard stuff. In fact I would have said that my poor delegation skills were my biggest downfall. However since starting Rudai 23, my time management skills have gone to pot.
It could be that once I come home from work I don't want to spend more time in front of the computer.
It could be that some of the Things are way out of my comfort zone and so I put them off.
It could be that there are other things that crop up that I'd rather do (like reading my book).
Or it could be all of the above.
So as recommended, I made a study plan. And quickly fell behind with it. I will have a look at the Mindtools website as there appears to be a lot of useful stuff and hints on this site; not necessarily just about time management.
Thinking about Rudai 23:
- I am doing the course alone. I haven't said very much about it in work; preferring to wow colleagues with my knowledge about social media and mobile technologies....not really. I just don't want to draw attention to it in case I don't finish it. It will of course be added to my CPD at appraisal time and also as part of my revalidation with CILIP.
- I thought I was ok at time management, but Rudai 23 has just highlighted that I'm a list maker, and perhaps time management and list making aren't the same thing. I also need to prioritise the items on my list so that the tasks that really need to be completed aren't left to the end of the day.
- I'm enjoying learning the new technologies. The thought of some of them frightened the pants off me but once I settled down and got on with things, they were quite enjoyable. Also useful is the guidance on how to use everything and the hints & tips.
- I know that everyone is taking Rudai 23 at their own speed but I don't really like the feeling of being behind. It's great to know that others are in the same boat, that life just overtakes Rudai every now and again. The Rudai team don't pressure anyone but have left good gaps in the programme to allow for catch-up and reflection. Someone is always reading the blog posts and leaving comments. They are also quick to reassure and offer help if needed. As time goes on, I'm finding that to fully investigate some of the technology, an hour doesn't really cover it. Sometimes it can be a whole evening.
- I need to go back over my posts and notes to see what I said I would go back and look at. It's very easy to forget. I feel a list coming on.....
Live Streaming - Thing 10
Live streaming is really the pinnacle of 'putting yourself out there'. Not only can people hear you but they can see you as well. Eeek!
I have never thought about streaming live so I have never investigated the technology. I've heard of Ted Talks and even watched a few, but didn't ever think of them as streaming live. Sometimes Rudai 23 just gives you the umbrella name for what you've been doing all along. This tool is very useful when thinking of conferences. As funds are squeezed, it is unlikely that we will get to take part in as many conferences so live streaming is a useful way to dip in and out of the conference programme, and participate from the comfort of your own office.
I wasn't able to take part in the Rudai 23 Hangouts on Air but I did watch the video playback on Youtube. Having never seen a HOA, it was great to watch one in action. It works on the same premise as FaceTime or Skype I suppose and from watching the video, I gleamed the following points:
I also signed up for Periscope. Unfortunately the app wasn't compatible with my tablet so I had to download it to my phone. The problems of android. It was extremely easy to sign in with my twitter details and from this, automatically follow people as the information was pulled through from my twitter account. However, no-one I follow has made a periscope video recently. I'll wait in hope and be prepared when I see one popping up on twitter. I have seen people I follow tweeting about their periscope video but when I went to view it, I was too late. I wasn't aware that it only lasts for 24 hours so this explains it. I need to be quicker off the mark.
I have never thought about streaming live so I have never investigated the technology. I've heard of Ted Talks and even watched a few, but didn't ever think of them as streaming live. Sometimes Rudai 23 just gives you the umbrella name for what you've been doing all along. This tool is very useful when thinking of conferences. As funds are squeezed, it is unlikely that we will get to take part in as many conferences so live streaming is a useful way to dip in and out of the conference programme, and participate from the comfort of your own office.
I wasn't able to take part in the Rudai 23 Hangouts on Air but I did watch the video playback on Youtube. Having never seen a HOA, it was great to watch one in action. It works on the same premise as FaceTime or Skype I suppose and from watching the video, I gleamed the following points:
- The main facilitator has a very difficult job; guiding the conversation, posing questions, checking the technology, facilitating the debate, checking twitter. I think the Rudai 23 team (Stephanie and Martin in this case) did a terrific job.
- The time goes very quickly. I couldn't believe it when Stephanie said that their time was nearly up. For this reason, it is probably better to have a set of questions that you want to go through - useful if the chat dries up, but not so crucial if conversation goes off in a different tangent.
- Sometimes it appears to be difficult to get the flow of the conversation right. People answering over one another, faces freezing etc. I think this is just part and parcel of this type of technology. Alot depends on the connection you have to ensure that freezing is kept to a minimum, that video and voices are in sync. It happens with FaceTime so I don't think that this is an issue exclusive to Google HOA.
- The conversation was really interesting jumping from how people are applying Rudai 23 in their daily work, to Things that they are looking forward to (Augmented Reality seemed to be an attraction) and the debate between personal vs professional social media accounts.
I also signed up for Periscope. Unfortunately the app wasn't compatible with my tablet so I had to download it to my phone. The problems of android. It was extremely easy to sign in with my twitter details and from this, automatically follow people as the information was pulled through from my twitter account. However, no-one I follow has made a periscope video recently. I'll wait in hope and be prepared when I see one popping up on twitter. I have seen people I follow tweeting about their periscope video but when I went to view it, I was too late. I wasn't aware that it only lasts for 24 hours so this explains it. I need to be quicker off the mark.
Video - Thing 9
For this Thing, I produced a very short screencast of how to add a couple of feeds into your feedly app. Why? Well it was something short and sweet and it was something I knew how to do.
I downloaded the Screen-o-matic screen recorder, which I found problematic. I think this was down to my impatience rather than anything to do with screen-o-matic. After a few false starts, I came up with the following:
I didn't upload it to Youtube as I don't really want to have anything up on youtube. If I use this option in work, then it will appear on the youtube account in work.
So how did I find it?
I found the whole process encouraging. I always thought this was something that other people did, but hey! I produced something. It's not perfect by any stretch but it's something. I haven't added subtitles to the video but I would need to to make it properly accessible. I'm surprised at myself as adding the subtitles would mean that I wouldn't have to record my voice but I went for the voice option.
Once downloaded, it was relatively easy to create a screencast and presumably to use this to create online tutorials on how to access and make use of the library facilities and resources. This is one practical element of Rudai 23 that I can see me taking back to the workplace.
I downloaded the Screen-o-matic screen recorder, which I found problematic. I think this was down to my impatience rather than anything to do with screen-o-matic. After a few false starts, I came up with the following:
I didn't upload it to Youtube as I don't really want to have anything up on youtube. If I use this option in work, then it will appear on the youtube account in work.
So how did I find it?
I found the whole process encouraging. I always thought this was something that other people did, but hey! I produced something. It's not perfect by any stretch but it's something. I haven't added subtitles to the video but I would need to to make it properly accessible. I'm surprised at myself as adding the subtitles would mean that I wouldn't have to record my voice but I went for the voice option.
Once downloaded, it was relatively easy to create a screencast and presumably to use this to create online tutorials on how to access and make use of the library facilities and resources. This is one practical element of Rudai 23 that I can see me taking back to the workplace.
Thursday 3 September 2015
Curator Tools - Thing 8
As a librarian, curator tools sounded right up my street. I like things to be organised. I especially like everything to have a place and to be in it's place (one of the reasons I like shelf-tidying though I don't get to do that much these days). The task for Thing 8 included looking at one of the tools covered by the post on Rudai 23, explore it and blog my thoughts.
I decided on Flipboard. It was one that I had previously signed in to and had started using when I first got my tablet but after a while I had dropped it. I was interested to see what it could do now. For a start up there now was a web version - this was great. I find sometimes that it can be a bit easier to set things up on the PC and then continue to use them on the tablet or mobile phone. The web version made it a lot easier to search for things and move back and forth between the screens. And another thing, it seemed to sync perfectly with my tablet! I had my tablet beside me (some might say I had a command centre going on) and all the changes I made on the PC came through to the tablet. A revelation! I always have problems syncing devices so it was a great feeling to know that I didn't have to do anything. Flipboard works better on mobile devices not least because of the flipping motion to turn the page of information over. You don't get that same action with a standard PC/laptop.
However, after this I was a bit disappointed.
Firstly, I wanted to include blogs but I couldn't see an easy way to do this. I tried to search for a number of blogs I follow but to no avail. I went to the blog itself and looked for a way to add it to Flipboard but a lot of blogs ask you to sign up via email so you're notified of a new post. I looked at the help section on Flipboard (which rather unhelpfully was a bit tricky to find) but again there was a nice little video but no real information on how to do add blogs. So this was strike 1 against Flipboard.
Strike 2 followed close behind in the way that the magazines are created. I want a magazine to contain all the information about a topic that I follow. So if I follow the topic 'Libraries' and the topic 'Information Science' I want a magazine that pulls this all together. It seemed to me that you read the article/post etc and then decide to put it into a magazine, thereby pulling together all the information you thought relevant or interesting enough to refer to again. I'm afraid Flipboard, I want the flip of this.
Possibly I'm just being awkward. I already use feedly. And it does just this. I have a folder called Library Stuff and when I look in it, I can see the posts etc pertaining to Library Stuff. It also allows me to add some blogs (not all of them for some reason but some is better than none). The only thing is that feedly is a bit sparse on images and colour - something which Flipboard does very nicely.
I have been trying to think of how you would use the other curation tools mentioned. Storify is one that I intend to come back to. In work, we have a number of social media accounts and frequently we post questions about our services etc. Storify, from the description provided, seems to be the ideal way to collate the responses together from the social media tools we use and present these to senior management as evidence on how a campaign worked or progressed. Used in the right context, this could be a really useful tool to have to hand. Pinterest seems at first glance to be a bit more personal than work based. I'm struggling to see how an academic library could use this effectively. I'm going to hold back on this one for now.
I decided on Flipboard. It was one that I had previously signed in to and had started using when I first got my tablet but after a while I had dropped it. I was interested to see what it could do now. For a start up there now was a web version - this was great. I find sometimes that it can be a bit easier to set things up on the PC and then continue to use them on the tablet or mobile phone. The web version made it a lot easier to search for things and move back and forth between the screens. And another thing, it seemed to sync perfectly with my tablet! I had my tablet beside me (some might say I had a command centre going on) and all the changes I made on the PC came through to the tablet. A revelation! I always have problems syncing devices so it was a great feeling to know that I didn't have to do anything. Flipboard works better on mobile devices not least because of the flipping motion to turn the page of information over. You don't get that same action with a standard PC/laptop.
However, after this I was a bit disappointed.
Firstly, I wanted to include blogs but I couldn't see an easy way to do this. I tried to search for a number of blogs I follow but to no avail. I went to the blog itself and looked for a way to add it to Flipboard but a lot of blogs ask you to sign up via email so you're notified of a new post. I looked at the help section on Flipboard (which rather unhelpfully was a bit tricky to find) but again there was a nice little video but no real information on how to do add blogs. So this was strike 1 against Flipboard.
Strike 2 followed close behind in the way that the magazines are created. I want a magazine to contain all the information about a topic that I follow. So if I follow the topic 'Libraries' and the topic 'Information Science' I want a magazine that pulls this all together. It seemed to me that you read the article/post etc and then decide to put it into a magazine, thereby pulling together all the information you thought relevant or interesting enough to refer to again. I'm afraid Flipboard, I want the flip of this.
Possibly I'm just being awkward. I already use feedly. And it does just this. I have a folder called Library Stuff and when I look in it, I can see the posts etc pertaining to Library Stuff. It also allows me to add some blogs (not all of them for some reason but some is better than none). The only thing is that feedly is a bit sparse on images and colour - something which Flipboard does very nicely.
I have been trying to think of how you would use the other curation tools mentioned. Storify is one that I intend to come back to. In work, we have a number of social media accounts and frequently we post questions about our services etc. Storify, from the description provided, seems to be the ideal way to collate the responses together from the social media tools we use and present these to senior management as evidence on how a campaign worked or progressed. Used in the right context, this could be a really useful tool to have to hand. Pinterest seems at first glance to be a bit more personal than work based. I'm struggling to see how an academic library could use this effectively. I'm going to hold back on this one for now.
Tuesday 1 September 2015
Reflection on Thing 7
I could lie and say that I've been reflecting on podcasts for the last two weeks, but that wouldn't be fair to the relationship we've built up. Honestly I just got caught up in other things (not Rudai 23 Things) but annual leave type things. I'm still on annual leave so I should take the opportunity to get back on Rudai track before the start of the academic term hits me.
Podcasts don't wow me. They've obviously got their place but I won't be hunting them down with any great regularity. As I said in my post about Thing 7, I am much more interested in Serial.
I tried to listen to episode 1 in bed before going to sleep one night. You might think that given the subject material of Serial, that I didn't sleep very well. On the contrary....I slept too well. I fell asleep before the episode had even finished so that wasn't much good. I'm much better listening to the podcast when I'm standing up (less chance of falling asleep) so now I listen when I do my ironing. I do my ironing on a weekly basis, and it usually lasts an hour - so perfect for listening to the Serial podcast and enough to keep the suspense building during the week. I actually look forward to ironing now.
On a different note and a more library-related note, as the new academic term approaches, we always start thinking about ways to embrace new students - to make them feel welcome and comfortable in approaching us for help, but also enabling them to be independent users of the library. Perhaps a podcast tour of the library would be one way to do this. There are lots of things to think about before doing this:
There are, I'm sure, plenty of other questions to consider and 2-3 weeks before the start of term is not the time to be voicing them. This is something that would need to be raised at the end of the academic term in May/June, with a lot of work happening over the summer months. I think that users would also need to be asked whether they would find it useful - perhaps international students might find it particularly of assistance especially if it could be produced in other languages. But is it worth the effort if no-one uses it? Have students already moved onto something else while the library and librarians are still playing catch-up? I'd be interested to hear how other libraries have incorporated podcasts into their building/collections/services. Perhaps someone can point me in the right direction for an enlightening podcast...
Podcasts don't wow me. They've obviously got their place but I won't be hunting them down with any great regularity. As I said in my post about Thing 7, I am much more interested in Serial.
I tried to listen to episode 1 in bed before going to sleep one night. You might think that given the subject material of Serial, that I didn't sleep very well. On the contrary....I slept too well. I fell asleep before the episode had even finished so that wasn't much good. I'm much better listening to the podcast when I'm standing up (less chance of falling asleep) so now I listen when I do my ironing. I do my ironing on a weekly basis, and it usually lasts an hour - so perfect for listening to the Serial podcast and enough to keep the suspense building during the week. I actually look forward to ironing now.
On a different note and a more library-related note, as the new academic term approaches, we always start thinking about ways to embrace new students - to make them feel welcome and comfortable in approaching us for help, but also enabling them to be independent users of the library. Perhaps a podcast tour of the library would be one way to do this. There are lots of things to think about before doing this:
- How do we do this?
- What do we want to say?
- Who will say it? (lets face it, there are very few of us who like listening to our voices on playback)
- Will it be used?
- Do we have to lend technology to the library user? For example ipods? Or do we rely on them using their own devices?
- Can it be incorporated with the use of QR codes?
- Do we want to do this, and more importantly do our users want us to do this?
There are, I'm sure, plenty of other questions to consider and 2-3 weeks before the start of term is not the time to be voicing them. This is something that would need to be raised at the end of the academic term in May/June, with a lot of work happening over the summer months. I think that users would also need to be asked whether they would find it useful - perhaps international students might find it particularly of assistance especially if it could be produced in other languages. But is it worth the effort if no-one uses it? Have students already moved onto something else while the library and librarians are still playing catch-up? I'd be interested to hear how other libraries have incorporated podcasts into their building/collections/services. Perhaps someone can point me in the right direction for an enlightening podcast...
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