Sunday 26 July 2015

Rudaí 23 #thing6: Pausing to reflect (and snoop)

I enjoyed #thing6 which involved some reflective practice while investigating other people’s blogs. The bloggers' experiences are so diverse and there is an enthusiasm that is communicated through all the posts that is encouraging, from the newly qualified to those working in libraries for over 40 years. Some Rudaí 23 members have spoken at conferences, another chaired the judging panels of the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway prizes and go ask a librarian regularly chases pigeons out of her library!

Like me, some of the bloggers started off working in bookshops and MU Library Lady talked about how she discovered her love of books in Raheny’s public library. I was transported back to the blissful hours I spent in the shabby chic 70s surroundings of that very library growing up. Even today it still has that particular smell of book glue, polish and a certain Raheny-specific je ne sais quoi that smells like happiness.

I’ve discovered the blogs of current and former colleagues this week – it has been lovely to meet the online personas of people I already think a lot of in the real world. I've found it's a great way to reconnect with people I haven’t seen for a while by commenting on their blogs and I’ll spend more time this week making sure I’m connected with them on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Many of the Rudaí 23 bloggers give a refreshingly honest account of their experiences of the various social media and professional sites they’ve experimented with over the last few weeks.  Some of the blogs touch on a reluctance to put up personal details or photos online for example, highlighting the importance of getting to know the privacy settings on the various different sites.
 
 
@gwynethjones The Daring Librarian had great tips about engaging readers by sharing personal but not private information on your blog, as well as helpful advice about layout, graphics  and attribution.  I found another guide to Blogging on the Bluffer blog site, 16 Top Tips from Blogging Experts for Beginners which features valuable advice about content, tone and growing your readership as well as memorable quotes like this one...

 

Tuesday 21 July 2015

Rudaí 23 #thing5: Staying connected with Twitter

I signed up to Twitter in 2013 but I was a passive user until about a year later when I started to write a monthly blog for the Irish Film Institute (IFI) in Temple Bar. The blog promotes the document collections of the IFI's Tiernan MacBride Library, the film collections of the Irish Film Archive and events happening in the IFI. The IFI's marketing team publish the blog on the website and tweet about it on the @IFI_Dub which has a very impressive following of over 38,000 twitter users.
 
I loved the immediacy of reactions to the blog on Twitter and I decided to tweet about it on my own @mise_eilis account which I mainly use to find and share library-related information. Firstly, I got some great advice from a friend from the UCD MLIS course about the finer points of Twitter including Twitter etiquette, tone and content, use of hashtags and abbreviations and prime Twitter accounts to follow. She has done great things with the @HurdyGurdyRadio and @NPDIreland accounts and is a fountain of Twitter knowledge.

From there I started to tweet about the blogs and the reaction to them is heartening - it's nice to know there are people out there enjoying the blogs and sharing them with others. I decided to tweet actors, directors and writers involved in the various productions and I still get a thrill when they engage with my tweets about the blog. 

Following today's session, I see how much more I could do with Twitter professionally. I added to the list of librarians I follow from Matt Anderson's '200 librarians to follow on Twitter' list and I subscribed to Irish lists by @martinoconnor3 @michellebreenUL and @libfocus as well as the @Rudai23 group.

I have used #hashtags to share presentations and ideas from library conferences and events and again I love the immediacy of this transfer of information to the vast network of tweeting librarians following events locally and internationally. I haven't as yet tried a twitter chat so I look forward to the upcoming #rudai23twitter chat mentioned in this week's Rudaí 23 #thing5 post.

Rudaí 23 #thing4: Google vs Everyone



During today's #thing4 session I learned that I am criminally underusing Google! I have used gmail on and off for years and currently use Google Drive in work for sharing and collaboration, but that was about the extent of it before the Rudaí23 course started. As mentioned in the #thing4 session, Google faces fierce competition from well established social networks like Facebook and I find that I am already signed up to communication sites and apps that provide similar functions to Google's features including Wordpress, Viber, Skype, LinkedIn and Twitter. Admittedly, I have enjoyed using Blogger for the Rudaí23 posts and it's nice to discover a world beyond Wordpress.

As part of today's tasks, I've just signed up to Google + though all my main contacts remain on my hotmail account, which I'm stubbornly clinging to after over a decade. Admittedly, its functions are looking pretty pale in comparison to Google's after this session...

The feature that impressed me the most was Google Hangouts as a way to IM and video chat with contacts who are online. The test video chat was straightforward too so Skype may be facing some competition.

Overall, the thought of using Google as a tool from which to conduct all my reference queries, communications and access apps is a tempting prospect. I'm looking forward to the Rudaí 23 group hangout in a few weeks and in the meantime I can fully explore Google's great features.

Sunday 19 July 2015

Rudaí 23 #thing3: Getting connected, avoiding profile picture fails and developing my professional brand


This week’s task was to work on my professional brand by updating my LinkedIn profile and by creating an about.me profile online. I already had what I thought was an up to date LinkedIn profile that I could use to create an about.me account so I thought Thing 3 would be sewn up in no time! I emerged from updating and creating both profiles a few hours later surprised at how absorbing the tasks were but happy my profiles are complete and truly representative of my current professional roles and achievements.

I’ve always valued LinkedIn for the way in which it allows me to present my professional profile online and to build professional networks. If I’m being honest with myself though I haven’t used it enough to connect with current and former colleagues and classmates but I’m intent on doing that now with the Rudaí 23 course as my motivation.  Posting my first comment in the Rudaí 23 group on LinkedIn today was my first step in engaging in a meaningful way with professional groups I follow.

About.me is a great way for me to present a snapshot of my professional skills, experience and personality to the library community online and I’ll take the time to explore it now my profile is up and running.


It was a challenging but valuable exercise to edit and update my LinkedIn information and to make sure that this profile was in line with my current C.V. as well as my Twitter, Blogger and about.me accounts. Doing more research about LinkedIn profile pictures on Youtube I discovered that black and white photographs are classed as a FAIL so quickly updated mine! If you're in any doubt about yours maybe this short video is worth a watch...

I wanted my professional brand to communicate how much I enjoy working in libraries, how engaged I am with my current roles, with continuous professional development and with the library community. I worked in the private sector for almost ten years before embarking on my library career and I wanted my professional summary to convey how my experience of both working within and managing teams has enriched my professional experience. The Rudaí 23 tips about writing professional summaries and refining my profile were really helpful and I finally added a summary to my LinkedIn page. 

Onwards and upwards to building my professional network!


Sunday 12 July 2015

Rudaí 23 #thing2: The how and why of becoming a librarian




I worked for almost ten years as a manager in a bookshop and in 2011 I was given the opportunity to return to college and embark on a new career path. For me, my love of books, reading and the sharing of information naturally mapped on to a career as a librarian and so I chose to complete the Master’s Degree in Library and Information studies in UCD.
One of the main aspects of being a librarian that appealed to me was the myriad of potential roles it offered. With the MLIS I would gain an internationally recognised qualification that would allow me to pursue a career in public, academic, school or special libraries and to undertake information roles that ranged from archivist to web developer.
I chose the UCD course because it covered all the bases in terms of preparing students for traditional library roles including courses in research methods, cataloguing and the librarian as teacher. It also focused on valuable information technology skills including HTML coding, creating and publishing digital media content and the effective evaluation of emerging technologies for library use.

I would definitely recommend librarianship as a career to others. Not only does it open up a world of opportunities in different fields, but it also offers a vast support network within a community of Irish and international librarians who are incredibly engaged, dynamic and inspiring. Continuous professional development and networking opportunities are regularly provided by professional bodies such as the Library Association of Ireland and it is a career that makes me feel connected and energised.
I currently work within public and academic library environments and there are many aspects of both roles that I love. Within public libraries I enjoy engaging with the different members of local communities and the excitement involved in moving towards a single library management system and membership for all public libraries. Within the academic environment I enjoy providing information literacy sessions to staff and students and seeing that ‘eureka’ moment of understanding appear on their faces. I also enjoy exploring emerging technologies to build virtual learning environments and to further engage users with our services.