A new program: 23 Things for Professional Development

A few years ago I took part in the 23 Things program that was offered to library staff in Minnesota. I thought it was a great program and I learned a lot of “things” that I have found valuable in my personal and professional life. I came across cpd23 by reading the Tame the Web post on the topic. After looking it over and seeing that it differed greatly from the first 23 Things program I took part in, I knew I wanted to participate. I’m sure a lot of the tools have been changed and updated so it will be fun to revisit those that I learned in my first program which I haven’t used in a long time. Another reason that I am looking forward to cpd23 is because I have not been keeping up with my blog, something that I want to change! I spent a lot of time creating my blog and I look forward to updating it. Ideally, I would like to update it periodically (at least once a month) and I would love to use it as a record of my experiences in getting my graduate degree (which I am almost a year into at this time).

Library School: The Beginning

I'm in the middle of my first year of library school. Last semester was my first and I am glad to say all my reservations and nerves were not necessary, though natural. I'm enjoying my program. I'm glad that so far everyone has been very accessible and I haven't had any problems as far as the institution goes. The content has not been terribly difficult either. It's basically just time consuming to try to get through everything. I definitely didn't get through all the reading I was assigned but have heard that its almost impossible to ALWAYS read everything thats assigned in grad school, so that makes me feel better. Plus, I'm working full time while taking two classes. It can be exhausting.

I got good grades in my classes and feel like I learned some valuable information. The thing that makes me somewhat upset is that one of my professor's didn't give me more feedback on my research project. I spend SO many hours researching Google Books...so many hours...and all I got for feedback was "Solid work, Laurie." I'm not complaining because I got a good grade but I would have liked to have a little more constructive criticism to improve my research and writing skills. I hope this will come in the future.

This is my first week of my second semester and I'm giddy with anticipation. School is one of my favorite things in life. Learning is better than all else. I really feel like I am doing what I should be and I hope getting this degree will get me to where I want to be (though I still have to figure out where that is).

The Brand of Us

One way to think of the Internet, is that it is a vast source of information. While this is true, it does not reflect the participatory nature that the Internet has taken on as of late. Working in a public library computer lab several hours each day, I see the resources which patrons access when using the computers. Often they use the various word processing programs we have but the majority of people spend their time on the Internet. While some of these patrons use the Internet to fill out forms or e-mail, the most common usage I see is that of social networking websites, particularly Facebook and Myspace. For many, the Internet is just another form of communication between family and friends and often times, the primary one. Since so many of us belong to social networking sites, it is important to be aware of the information about ourselves that we are putting out there and the online identity we are creating by doing so.

In his article, How to Promote the Brand of You, Paul Keegan (2010) brings up the idea of branding yourself in the online world. He gives tips for promoting yourself online to be more lucrative to possible employers and emphasizes that any online activity can shape the brand you create. Keegan suggests that to “figure out how you’re perceived” you should “Google your name” and see how you would be viewed by others who do so (p. 32). It is suggested in the article that any social networking profiles which show up in these results should “communicate your brand” or what you would like outsiders to see about you (p.32).

This got me to thinking about my own personal identity online. I decided to give this a try, so I googled my own name. The first thing that comes up is my LinkedIn profile which would be very appropriate for a future employer to find. If an employer were to google my name, I would be happy with the fact that they would see a representation of my work experience in front of them first off. After that, I mainly came up with references to my twitter account and various newspaper articles I have been in.

I’ve never consciously tried to create a specific persona through my online pursuits, but after reading this article, I can see why we should be conscious of the information we often so freely give out. We have the chance to shape how others view us on the Internet and can control the ways in which others can communicate with us. In the same vein, I also think it is important for a library to be conscious of the social networking venues they decide to take part in. A library that is conscious of their online branding can connect with a new (and often younger) audience just by taking part in some of the Web 2.0 technologies that are popular.

In The Ongoing Web Revolution, Stephens (2007) explains the importance of having a “transparent library” which uses Web 2.0 communication tools to connect librarians with the patrons of today (p.13) . He explores the idea that instead of having a library set apart in its own particular place, we should work to “make the library present in user spaces” (p. 13). I find this to be particularly true in a time when the preferred form of communication for many people takes place on the Internet, and particularly in online communities. All the more reason for a library to create an online brand which invites participation with those utilizing the same spaces.

At the library I work at, we are currently utilizing several web 2.0 tools to connect to users in these online areas. Our website has blogs which target teen readers and even one dedicated to the oh-so-popular manga. We have a page on Facebook, a presence on Wikipedia and a Flickr account to share photos of what’s going on. I even tried googling my library and noticed that our Wikipedia and Facebook pages came up near the top of the results. If the efforts of Library 2.0 are to bring libraries more interaction with patrons via tools they use, I think having interactive results listed on our google search results is a step in the right direction towards creating a lucrative online brand/persona.

References
Keegan, P. (2010, August). How to promote the brand of you. Money, 39(7), p.32.

Stephens, M. (2007). The ongoing web revolution. Library Technology Reports, 43(5), 10-14.

LIBR 203: Teamwork

I am glad the assignment for this week was to learn about working in teams. This is something that I am worried about doing in an online format. Watching the presentations by Dr. Haycock and Enid Irwin helped put me at ease as they related how important teamwork is for our future careers in libraries.

I enjoyed Dr. Haycock's presentation “Working in Teams” and was able to take away a few different views of the teamwork I have done in the past. The idea of there being horizontal and vertical teams was something I had never labeled before, but that I experience often at the public library I work in. I notice horizontal teams of just librarians working together but I also know of vertical groups which can include the library director, librarians and technicians from all different departments that pool their collective knowledge and differing skills to improve library services.

Watching the presentations by Dr. Haycock and Enid Irwin made me think about the teams I have been a part of. I had one particularly wonderful team that I was in during my first year of AmeriCorps. Everyone in our AmeriCorps section was divided into groups of about 8 (called peer groups) and we were required to meet several times throughout our year of service. From the first day, I knew I had stumbled upon something great. Every person in our group had different personalities and interests but we were all there with positive attitudes and excitement about the year that would lie ahead of us. Our group leader (who was designated as she was a second year AmeriCorps member) could not have been more motivated or approachable. We did a team building exercise and, although we didn't win the competition, we all recognized how each one in the team contributed the unique skills they had to get us through to the end. Each one of us found the time in our busy schedules to show up to every outside meeting we had and were able to learn from one another by seeing things from the perspectives of each other. Being a part of this team gave me a positive attitude towards working with others and I would like to bring this attitude to the teamwork I do in the SLIS program.

Before this experience, I always dreaded getting into teams with people I didn't know. I've always been the shy kid who doesn't talk much so taking charge while in a group of people does not feel comfortable for me. I would just sit back and wait for someone else to speak up and take on the role of leader. The experiences I've had in the last few years have definitely turned me into more of a leader. Last year I organized and ran an after-school program for fifth graders at a local elementary school. I learned a lot about being the leader of a group and I have taken the skills I learned into my current position of library assistant as I teach computer classes to library staff and the public.

I loved what Enid Irwin had to say about library staff being mentors:

“The other thing is: everything -- just every thing that people do in libraries has to deal with mentoring and leadership. The reference librarian when they're helping a patron is mentoring somebody. When they're looking for new resources, developing collections, working on a budget: this is leadership.”

I see this happening everyday with the librarians I work with and I feel it myself as I help patrons with the issues they may have with our library computers. There are so many small instances where I show someone how to do a task or access a resource they are having trouble finding and I feel that it is a example of mentoring and leadership.

I am glad to have seen these presentation and will be sure to bring some of the tips to my group work in this program. Now that I feel more comfortable taking on a leadership role, I'll be more willing to speak up when my knowledge is applicable instead of waiting for someone else to. I especially like the idea of laying out the rules of the team at the beginning so we all have accountability to stick to what we decided we would do.

I think the best way to keep a positive attitude when going into group work in this online program is to remember that we all have common goals and we all want to succeed.