Thing 20: Laying down roots.

I’ve enjoyed looking at the Library Routes Project wiki and seeing the paths other people have taken to get into the wonderful world of librarianship. However, I’ve decided to go a little off piste for this Thing as I wanted to do something a bit different and have a go at implementing a new skill learned through cpd23. Thus behold! I have had a go at creating a Prezi presentation of my library roots/route! Perhaps not the most comprehensive biographical run down of my library experience, but here goes. This is the link http://prezi.com/nxhpwhx2ox6r/copy-of-library-roots-and-routes/

Thing 17: Opening my Prezi!

I have had a quick nose around Slideshare, but I’ve concentrated most of my efforts for this Thing on Prezi. This is entirely new to me and I have to say I’ve really rather enjoyed getting to grips with it. It is an utterly different kettle of fish to the now much familiar PowerPoint presentation. You know pretty much what you are going to get with PowerPoint (no offence) but Prezi is indeed rather dynamic! Moving well away from linear presentation styles and allowing a more free-flowing, bells and whistles approach! I’m really rather taken with it!

Does take a bit of getting used to getting a handle on the different features (all that talk of bubbles and zebras) and generally overcoming some initial bouts of motion sickness from some of the whizzing about, but once you’ve got that sorted it is actually quite fun! There was a helpful video on YouTube which I made reference to which helped me to get a handle on things. Then I was off playing about with it! Even some very basic and frankly shoddy creations ended up looking relatively swish (though they were quickly deleted for fear of initial trials being actually seen and judged).

Admittedly I think creating a Prezi does definitely benefit from having a bit of a plan of action laid down before you start (as the very sage Ned Potter advises), just so you know where you are going and don’t end up roving all over the place and making yourself dizzy!

This will be a marvellous tool for future presentations or generally using to get some ideas across. Indeed, I’ve already got a little project in mind for it….watch this space!

Thing 16: Use it or lose it, advocating things!

Have to admit initially I was rather daunted about tackling this thing, as I wasn’t really sure what I would have to contribute. I don’t really feel I have done much advocating in any formal sense. I haven’t had anything published on the subject and I certainly haven’t crossed the divide from advocacy to activism on behalf of libraries (I have done a bit of placard shaking when younger in defence of ducks of all things…...don’t ask!) Saying this though I do take an active interest (as we all should) in the current state of libraries- their position and future and one of the initial things that I wanted to gain from cpd23 was more current awareness (and with greater knowledge I hope that I can make a meaningful contribution with regards to advocacy).  This is something I have pursued and I follow groups such a Voices for the Library, the Library Campaign, We Need Libraries etc. and various blogs.

However, having thought about things a bit more I suppose I have played a small hand in advocating libraries. I sign petitions in support of threatened libraries (for example the recent Mendham petition to save this precious collection from dispersal) and would encourage others to follow suit (here’s a link to this particular petition by the way, if you too would like to sign). Also, I’m all for (as a family phrase runs) giving ‘praise where praise is due’, offering positive feedback on the marvellous work of libraries and librarians.

I’ve also been lucky enough to be involved in a small degree in encouraging younger users to gain an appreciation of the fantastic resources and opportunities which the library and glorious librarians can offer (start them young I say…..I was hooked from a young age!) Indeed something I’m very desirous to achieve in my career is opening people’s eyes to libraries and archives and all that can be gained from them and their ultimate value to all.

I think something that everyone should try and do by way of advocacy is simply using libraries and the sad fact is that in this day and age it is a case of ‘use them or lose them’, which would be an absolute tragedy. I for one am an avid library user and proud (quick get me a soap box!)!

Things 5 and 19: Reflections on the state of Things

Right time to start thinking about reflecting on what I have learnt so far (sorry rather overdue), although I have to say the whole keeping a blog thing is a good exercise generally in reflective practice. It has certainly given me the opportunity to follow a sort of ‘identify, do, consider, discuss’ course which is good for keeping me organised and thinking! I identify what needs to be done, have a go at doing it, consider what I’ve gleaned from it and then have a witter about it on my blog. Indeed, I have to say that out of all the things I’ve done so far through the course, keeping a blog has been a bit of a revelation! I enjoy making postings (keeps me amused if no one else) and it is good to look back over my old postings and see how far I’ve come!  Feels like a rather bizarre online time capsule, if you will! Something I can open up at a later date and think ‘oo is that really how I felt about so and so?’, ‘why on earth was I worried about that?’ or ‘oh crumbs, I still need to do that!’

 The most important element that I have gleaned from cpd23 which I will integrate into my working life is without doubt confidence!  I have learnt a vast range of new skills and tools, but the confidence this has afforded me will be invaluable. I am now far braver about trying new things and giving things a go. In particular things such as creating an online presence for myself was previously really rather daunting and the thought of ‘putting myself out there’ was something I had admittedly shied away from in the past, but I have definitely grown to see the value of this now!

Through cpd23 I have learned and gained a massive amount- from organising myself with things like Google Calendar and EverNote, keeping up to date with RSS feeds, interacting with the wider library community through social networking and sharing and the potential for collaborative projects with things like Google Drive and different ways to present ideas with things like Jing.  I’ve also really benefitted from hearing other people’s experiences, learning from everyone at different stages in their careers- from trainees to professionals.  I definitely feel more poised to go into the workplace and make more of a contribution now that I am armed with the tools that I have learnt and hopefully I can share this with others too!

Thing 18: By Jing(o)!

Screen capture for me has amounted in the past to no more than the PrtSc button on my keyboard and the closest I’ve ever come to podcasting has involved growing peas, so Thing 18 was a bit different for me! Having read the posting on cpd23 and watched some of the suggested videos, I also went and had a poke at those offered on the free Alison course page (really not going to rock the world a great deal, but they do the job of offering an overview of what’s what if anyone is interested). 

Jing all looks remarkably straightforward, which is what I like (why make life more complicated I say). The download was simple enough, although had to stall a bit in order to install Microsoft .Net Framework 4 (???)  which you apparently need to have Jing (I just let it do its thing) and then Jing itself was done in a flash. Then all that was needed was the basic registration (another password to remember…feel like I’m collecting them at the moment!) and off you go!

First thing I tackled upon installation was to add a customised ‘Embed’ button so that I could add my Jing ‘captures’ to my blog (i.e. a button that would give me the HTML code). Again, very easy to do (here’s the video of how to do it just in case). And now I’m up and running!

Confession time, I’ve not downloaded or got into the podcasting stuff as yet in terms of making my own. I have listened to some and quality can be rather hit and miss (heard one the other day that sounded like it had a door constantly banging in the background…drove me a bit potty). Just don’t feel I have need of this for now, maybe one day I’ll think ‘oo you know what this needs? A podcast’ and in fairness, I’ll know what to do to make it happen (which is handy, thank you very much)! But at the present moment I’ll stick to being an audience member.

Ah well, here’s my very first Jing Thing: