And we thought it was all over...

It is now.

I don't wanna sing about freedom anymore...

THING 23: WHAT NEXT?

I gotta take as much as I give

THING 22: VOLUNTEERING TO GAIN EXPERIENCE

It was only when I went to University did I decide to undertake some volunteering.  Before that the only free experience I had was working in a nursery (a couple of hours a week) for 6 months for Duke of Edinburgh award.  

I was studying Art History but had no experience working in any of the areas an Art History degree might set you up for, so I wrote to UP Projects having read an advert in an email and began volunteering on a project called Portavilion.  I got my first taste of invigilating an miniature cinema in Regents Park and assisted at a pin hole camera workshop (I was super into lomography at the time, and this was awesome!)  This saw me working independently; opening up and closing down the cinema, solving problems when facing technical difficulties, talking to people about the organisation and the project, and as a "teacher"; meeting/greeting a large group and chaperoning them, assisting them, answering questions and encouraging creativity.  Some things totally new, others I'd gotten some experience of through working in the library and in retail.

You don't know where I'm going, you ask me where I've been

THING 21: PROMOTING YOURSELF IN JOB APPLICATIONS & AT INTERVIEW

So the countdown for the last Things begins.  I'm not a fan of this internal reflection stuff (maybe I should put that below!) so I have to admit I've been putting these Things off. But here we go: 

Part 1: Identifying your strengths; capitalising on your interests

It's a little awkward listing my likes and dislikes when it comes to work.  By awkward I mean, for the things I like I will be basically listing the main characteristics needed for such a sector: organising things/people, perfecting things, discovering new/interesting information, seeing a project through to completion, being set a challenge/something new, being creative, being competitive (!), collecting things, helping people and working with other people.  

Dislikes would include: not knowing enough and working solo.   

So my interests would be "surfing the web", researching stuff, laughing (!) looking at pretty/ugly stuff (art, architecture, historical things), travelling, live music and collecting/discarding.  I also enjoy writing, but have lost all self-confidence in such -  I often have some good ideas for (work) blog posts but am afraid it is not "academic" "well-researched" enough.  I remember I time when I loved reading and making art too, but haven't made the time to do either in quite a while...

The hounds of love are calling.

THING 20: THE LIBRARY ROUTES PROJECT

Gotta have you on my wall... *

THING 19: INTEGRATING 'THINGS' INTO REAL LIFE

I took a look back at my Things to see what I have learnt, utilised or wholly ignored the existence of, and thought I would break it down in to the 3 main categories to see a clearer picture:

Social media
Before starting CPD23 I already had social media pretty much nailed. I was already on Twitter, had a Facebook and LinkedIn - but CPD23 made me realise (through personal branding and online presence) that if I want to start a professional online presence it takes a lot of work.  I opened a 'perfessional' twitter for library related things which freed up my personal account of library "followings" so I could see important stuff as and when it happens and it doesn't get lost amongst daily waffle, music/book/food (delete as appropriate) reviews in 140 characters and hilarious T.U.I. 

Back on Earth it's all you read about...

THING 18: JING, SCREEN CAPTURE & PODCASTS

Happy Halloween!  I know most of you will be raring to leave work to go Trick or Treating (and apparently us library (stereo)types can just go from office-to-party without thinking twice, but don't forget these top costume tips...) but what better way to celebrate than blogging about "enhanced ways of visualising data with the help of screen capture tools" and... erm, podcasts?!

How very frightful...

THING 17: PREZI & SLIDESHARE

So we march on to raise our voice because we are left with no choice

THING 16: ADVOCACY, SPEAKING UP FOR THE PROFESSION & GETTING PUBLISHED.

Dance like there's no one watching you

THING 15: ATTENDING, PRESENTING & ORGANISING EVENTS

Capture your audience from the get-go: Make an entrance.

Love at first cite...

THING 14: CITING & REFERENCING

Post title refers to JS, obvs.

Alright stop, collaborate and listen

THING 13: GOOGLE DOCS, DROPBOX & WIKIS

I see this, I see beer...

I've been using Google Docs/Drive for a while now (since my laptop at home is so old it cannot handle the thought of word-processing, let alone spread-sheeting or power-pointing) and have only just noticed it's changed to Google Drive.  I like using it for personal use (you can keep things private, as far as private on the internet is concerned...) and I have been able to download documents people have shared on the internet, which are saved so you don't lose them.  It means I get to access a spreadsheet (when I don't have Excel at home) anywhere and on any computer and if I really, really wanted to, I could show someone how awesome it is (as far as spreadsheets go).   Although I see no need for it at work (we have shared networks, remote access, multi-editing in Word, and a collaboration portal which I've just discovered...) but if I had to do a group project if I went back to uni, for example, I would definitely be encouraged to do a power point presentation this way.  It also has 5BG free online storage (better than Dropbox I think) and is perfect to point library users in the direction of if they have forgotten (or don't have) a USB and need to save their work - and then not lose the work they save if they misplace their USB, or do what I did every year at uni, and that's somehow find a corruptible USB and lose... EVERYTHING!   [EDIT: When I suggested using Google Docs to a user they asked if it's the same as SkyDrive.   And although I had used it before (unknowingly) I had no idea... However, it's basically linked to hotmail.com  email accounts so you can download and edit documents without having the necessary programmes, there's a 7GB limit and it can be viewed across different platforms including smartphones (via the app)].  A worthwhile rival perhaps, if anyone is still using hotmail and hasn't jumped on the gmail bandwagon too!]

The first time I came across Dropbox was when a colleague of mine sent me a link to some  photos we'd taken on a visit to the National Art Library.  I found it a little complicated (how embarrassing) and would of rather they'd be put on a shared drive somewhere, but I can see the value of this free online storage as much as Google Drive, and after a little playing around with it can't see it being difficult to navigate in the future.  It's a bit like the Apple Cloud isn't it?  Great for those of us with no external hard-drive to save a back-up too. Last year, all staff were invited to a seminar called Everything you ever wanted to know about Wikipedia but were afraid to ask where we were asked to consider what Wikipedia is ("a knowledge reference, or a powerful means of information dissemination") and how organisations should be working in collaboration with Wikipedia to ensure information is valid and valuable, to promote, to publisise, increase engagement to wider audiences etc.  It was also the first time I ever heard the term 'Wikipedian' (in relation to this project) - which in itself is pretty awesome.  [EDIT: I recommend catching this if you can: http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/inrrooms/stp/workshop/workshops.html#wiki).
So Wikipedia we all know about (pretty dubious, do not by any means cite it in an academic reference!) - a free, public, multi-collaborative and editable hub of all knowledge.   But what about in the library? I'm very fortunate to work somewhere which is pretty in tune with technologies: We have not one, but two wikis!  The first is a staff-wide wiki (in the style of Wikipedia, and looks a bit like the Library Routes Project one) which is a more informal place to share info, resources, ideas and guides across all teams and departments and of course, it's designed to be collaborative to keep it up-to-date and refined.   The other is our very own pbworks Library wiki, which I have to admit is an absolute life-saver - it contains super up-to-date information, guides and trouble-shooting tips - is easy to navigate and holds all the information you'll ever need if faced with a tough enquiry (or just need a quick refresher of training).  It's not massively collaborative (there are specific editors for each department within the library, and I am very lucky to be one of them) but encourages feedback and comments so it can be continually improved.  It's my go-to guide if I face a problem in a pressured situation (IT problems, normally), if behind the scenes project affect certain aspects of the service (digitisation, for instance) or, wonderfully for me as a relatively new staff member dealing with enquiries, there are cribsheets and thematic pointers for the ever growing e-resources collection.  I genuinely don't know what I'd do without it, and how I'd functioned before knowing it's existence!

Stop. Socialize!

Thing 12: Putting the social in social media.

I know that social media has really taken off over the last couple of years, but the emphasis on it for CPD23 has been quite exhausting.  In previous posts I've mentioned how I personally use social media and I am becoming increasingly aware of the importance of using it in libraries and other insitutions.  It benefits us with better communication, networking/online communities, collaboration and easily accessible information from outside own remit. And best of all it's pretty easy to use, free (to some extent) and informal.  Where would we be without it eh?

It's not a cow, it's a Minotaur.

THING 11: MENTORS

There's something about the word 'mentor' that makes me think of Seann William Scott, Paul Rudd (swoon), Ken Jeong and McLovin LARP'ing.  

The future belongs to me

THING 10: ROUTES INTO LIBRARIANSHIP

You must confess this awful mess isn't just a bore

THINGS 8 & 9: TOOLS FOR ORGANISING 

See how I like things to be organised?

If I promise not to listen would you talk to me please?

THING 7: REAL-LIFE NETWORKING

The old virtual vs. reality situation; Kindle or book, computer vs. human...

When I try and speak to you I'm speaking Klingon

THING 6: VIRTUAL NETWORKING 

I look back, you're wonderful

THING 5: REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

Aware of being aware.

THING 4: CURRENT AWARENESS

I have gotten behind on CPD23 and am feeling a bit rotten about it. It’s ironic really when embarking on a course that’s all about keeping up to date with current awareness and all that…