As for how they can be used in libraries, there seem to be so many possibilities to provide access to resources, information and help via QR codes. In terms of drawbacks, I suppose even if they can be made to look prettier, the library could begin to look very cluttered if these were all over every available flat surface! Some thought would need to go into this to avoid QR overload and how to make it clear to library users what each QR code would do/take them to so they know which ones they are interested in and which to ignore.
Thursday, 22 September 2011
So what are QR codes then? #cam23
Thanks 23 things for explaining this to me! Not having a smartphone, these had completely passed me by (until now!) I liked the University of Huddersfield's idea of using them on journal stands to link to the electronic version and on shelves to link to ebooks. Not knowing how many of our library users have smartphones, I'm not sure what the take-up would be here, but it would be interesting to try. This is my QR code to link to the ebooks@cambridge webpages:
As for how they can be used in libraries, there seem to be so many possibilities to provide access to resources, information and help via QR codes. In terms of drawbacks, I suppose even if they can be made to look prettier, the library could begin to look very cluttered if these were all over every available flat surface! Some thought would need to go into this to avoid QR overload and how to make it clear to library users what each QR code would do/take them to so they know which ones they are interested in and which to ignore.
As for how they can be used in libraries, there seem to be so many possibilities to provide access to resources, information and help via QR codes. In terms of drawbacks, I suppose even if they can be made to look prettier, the library could begin to look very cluttered if these were all over every available flat surface! Some thought would need to go into this to avoid QR overload and how to make it clear to library users what each QR code would do/take them to so they know which ones they are interested in and which to ignore.
Reaching Cam23 Nirvana #cam23
So, here's to the end of Cam23 2.0. I have enjoyed the programme and along the way I've learned lots of new things. I haven't had as much time as I would have liked to read other people's Cam23 things blogs, but look forward to catching up with them at my leisure. Here's my overall summary of the Cam23 2.0 journey...
Things which made you smile
- Prezi was fun and although my first prezi was nothing special, the end result made me smile. I only did a very simple one, but found it easy to use (apart from some difficulties figuring out the path).
- Lightshot - so quick and simple to use!
- Flickr and creative commons licensing can go in this category as using creative commons licensed pictures from flickr can really liven up a blog post and they have so many other library-related uses!
Things which have become a part of the way you live and work
- I still don't engage in that many conversations, but I regularly use Twitter to see what people are talking about and for current awareness.
- Blogging has become much easier (although I still don't consider myself an experienced blogger!) and I will continue with this throughout the chartership process and hopefully beyond. I am finding it a very useful way of putting my reflections down in writing.
- It's too early to tell right now, but here's hoping that Zotero will become part of the way I deal with references.
Things which you'll never go near again
I won't say never, but at the moment I don't have a need for Evernote. I'm also still holding off on LinkedIn and LibraryThing, although maybe one day I will change my mind about these.
Web 2.0 and social media more generally - what role do they really play within libraries and information services?
This sounds like an essay question from my library masters course! For a start, a lot of librarians and information professionals use web 2.0 and social media for their own development, current awareness, networking, sharing information and so on. This is why I think it's great to see people getting involved in 23 things to learn about the technologies and tools that are out there, and decide which ones they like and which ones will be useful for them. I have found social media to be really helpful for my personal development and I have learnt so many new things through them. Some of these things help me to be more effective in my work (even in small ways such as lightshot screenshots saving me time).
Then of course there are library users, who really come first in libraries. I would say that social media increases the number of ways we can engage with users, find out what they want and help them. If library users are on facebook and twitter etc, then it is great that libraries and information services are there if users want to access information or start conversations there. Of course a lot of these web 2.0 tools are directly useful for library users, such as RSS feeds for new books, bookmarking and reference management tools. It's all about providing a better service to library users, and web 2.0 and social media can help with this in many ways.
I'll stop here before this turns into an essay-length post, but will just add that I am looking forward to the party this evening and seeing all the other Cam23 participants! Wordle is currently have technical difficulties, so a wordle of this post will follow...
Wikis #cam23
Of course I love wikipedia, but I've never really used any other wikis. It was interesting to read about how wikis have been used for managing project information, and even staff intranets and staff manuals. I wonder if Google Documents would work as well for managing project information? The documents would be all in one place and could be edited by anyone working on the project. My library already has an intranet with manuals, procedures etc on there, so I don't currently need to use a wiki for this. The advantage of wikis when creating staff manuals and procedure documents is that they are collaborative and many people can edit them (useful if more than one person has a great tip that they want to add, or a section to update).
Having compared the BizWiki and the Business Blog, I think the Business Blog has a nicer and clearer look to it. In terms of engaging with users, I know I am more likely to comment on a blog post than to do so on a wiki. The other advantage of blogs is that people can subscribe to an RSS feed to be notified whenever a new post has been added. I'm not sure if this is possible with wikis?
Overall then, wikipedia aside, I think I prefer blogs!
Having compared the BizWiki and the Business Blog, I think the Business Blog has a nicer and clearer look to it. In terms of engaging with users, I know I am more likely to comment on a blog post than to do so on a wiki. The other advantage of blogs is that people can subscribe to an RSS feed to be notified whenever a new post has been added. I'm not sure if this is possible with wikis?
Overall then, wikipedia aside, I think I prefer blogs!
Evernote #cam23 and #cpd23
I like the way the Evernote website makes suggestions of how you can use it. I suspect otherwise I would have opened an account and then thought: now what? I've put off writing this post, which suggests I'm not very keen on it. It's a nice idea and many people I am sure love it, but personally I'm not sure what I would use it for right now. Perhaps if I had a smartphone it would be more use to me! There are some useful-sounding features, like searching printed or handwritten text in images. The web-clipper tool means it could be a great tool for creating a scrapbook containing clips of relevant websites if you had a desire to do that.
Here is my test note:
For me, this is one to remember if I ever find myself thinking "I wish I had somewhere to store notes and clips from the web all in one place..." For now, though, it's not something I think I will use.
Here is my test note:
For me, this is one to remember if I ever find myself thinking "I wish I had somewhere to store notes and clips from the web all in one place..." For now, though, it's not something I think I will use.
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Organising references #cam23
Since finishing university, I haven't really felt the need to use any reference management tools. I have an account for Endnote Web, which I set up and explored so I would be able to help students who were using it. I also tried zotero a couple of years ago, but having no real need to save or export large numbers references, my account languished forgotten. Now I thought I would resurrect it for my chartership references. I like a web-based programme as most of my references are from the web.
I had to remind myself of how to get references in my zotero library. After a brief distraction caused by removing a spider (eek!) from my working space, I got down to work. A look at the very helpful quick start guide was all I needed to get started, and it was very easy to add items to zotero from LibrarySearch. Here is the start of my zotero library:
I aim to keep using this for any possible chartership-related references, and then use this as the basis for my bibliography.
I had to remind myself of how to get references in my zotero library. After a brief distraction caused by removing a spider (eek!) from my working space, I got down to work. A look at the very helpful quick start guide was all I needed to get started, and it was very easy to add items to zotero from LibrarySearch. Here is the start of my zotero library:
Things galore - presentations and visualisation #cam23
I've previously blogged about slideshare here, but haven't used it since. I just had another look to see if there were any interesting new presentations up there. There seemed to be a lot more advert-style presentations compared to last time, but it may have just been the search terms I was using that brought up more of those (e.g. ebook) I found an interesting presentation called Library 2.0 jump-start your library with blogging and Twitter which had some useful tips on it.
I've seen a few Prezis and like their visual appeal, but I've never created one before. First I signed up with Prezi and explored a few. One that caught my eye was on the history of candy. I did find on occasion when moving through it quickly that it was a little bit motion-sickness inducing - one thing to beware of when creating mine! I then found a more serious but effective Prezi on the history of evolution. I think Prezis are harder to make look good than may first appear, but I had fun making mine! Here it is:
Onto Gliffy next. I particularly like the flowcharts, which look just as professional as those done in Microsoft Visio. This would have been really useful to know a few months ago in my previous role, when I had several flowcharts to create. I had to do them on a colleague's computer as it was the only one with a Visio licence. I also found organisational charts can be awkward to create if you have a large or complicated organisational structure which doesn't easily fit into the powerpoint templates. So, is Gliffy any better? Well I didn't have much time to play around with it, but it wasn't as straightforward as I had hoped. Perhaps once you get the hang of it, it will be easy to produce slick-looking things. I definately found it easier to start from scratch rather than use a template. One to come back to perhaps!
Finally for this post - Wordle. My wordle is quite different to the one that I created for the first 23 things. This time library features less, but I'm glad to see 'useful' still features quite strongly!
I've seen a few Prezis and like their visual appeal, but I've never created one before. First I signed up with Prezi and explored a few. One that caught my eye was on the history of candy. I did find on occasion when moving through it quickly that it was a little bit motion-sickness inducing - one thing to beware of when creating mine! I then found a more serious but effective Prezi on the history of evolution. I think Prezis are harder to make look good than may first appear, but I had fun making mine! Here it is:
Onto Gliffy next. I particularly like the flowcharts, which look just as professional as those done in Microsoft Visio. This would have been really useful to know a few months ago in my previous role, when I had several flowcharts to create. I had to do them on a colleague's computer as it was the only one with a Visio licence. I also found organisational charts can be awkward to create if you have a large or complicated organisational structure which doesn't easily fit into the powerpoint templates. So, is Gliffy any better? Well I didn't have much time to play around with it, but it wasn't as straightforward as I had hoped. Perhaps once you get the hang of it, it will be easy to produce slick-looking things. I definately found it easier to start from scratch rather than use a template. One to come back to perhaps!
Finally for this post - Wordle. My wordle is quite different to the one that I created for the first 23 things. This time library features less, but I'm glad to see 'useful' still features quite strongly!
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Reflecting again #cam23
A short post this time, just to jot down answers to a few questions:
What have I gained from this programme so far?
I feel I have updated my knowledge of web 2.0 tools, learnt about some new ones and met some new people - good all round then. Also the discipline to make time to go and explore and reflect on these things (even I haven't been quite keeping up with the programme!)
Which thing did I particularly like or dislike?
I particularly like imagecodr and flickr - fun and easy to use and makes the blog posts much more interesting, not to mention all the potential uses in library posters etc.
Which of the forthcoming things can I really not wait to try?
Data visualisation and QR codes look fun and both involve new things for me.
So that's all for this post, apart from the necessary picture (just to practice using creative commons and imagecodr of course!)
What have I gained from this programme so far?
I feel I have updated my knowledge of web 2.0 tools, learnt about some new ones and met some new people - good all round then. Also the discipline to make time to go and explore and reflect on these things (even I haven't been quite keeping up with the programme!)
Which thing did I particularly like or dislike?
I particularly like imagecodr and flickr - fun and easy to use and makes the blog posts much more interesting, not to mention all the potential uses in library posters etc.
Which of the forthcoming things can I really not wait to try?
Data visualisation and QR codes look fun and both involve new things for me.
So that's all for this post, apart from the necessary picture (just to practice using creative commons and imagecodr of course!)
Pictures, podcasts and creative commons #cam23
Since I last used flickr, the layout has changed a bit, but I'm glad to see the Creative Commons licensed images are still there, and easy to find via a tickbox on the advanced search. This is such a useful feature! Talking of useful (my favourite thing to look for in a web 2.0 tool) Imagecodr really makes it easy to ensure the image is properly attributed, so here is my first shot at using it:
I also find the preview function on Imagecodr very helpful - so far, I think I'm a fan.
I don't use podcasts very often, but in a university and/or library setting they can be great for things like inductions, video tutorials and lectures. A student friend of mine finds podcasts a good way of spending time while he sits supervising an experiment - as they are in short bursts, they don't require a long time concentrating (which is good when you want to keep an eye on your experiment and make sure nothing is going wrong). Podcasts are probably useful for people who are short on time or who have short attention spans, or want to fill time while on journeys etc.
I hadn't explored the CILIP communities podcasts before, but there are some interesting sounding ones there, so it's worth remembering. I haven't subscribed to it, but may go back and search for information on a particular topic. As I have just got an iTunes account, I searched there and came across http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/los-angeles-public-library/id280972438?ign-mpt=uo%3D4. I'm sure there are other public libraries who put on talks and speeches who do this too, but it struck me as a nice way of making the library more visible, reaching out to those who missed the talks, and making the most of the effort that has gone into putting on the talks.
I also find the preview function on Imagecodr very helpful - so far, I think I'm a fan.
I don't use podcasts very often, but in a university and/or library setting they can be great for things like inductions, video tutorials and lectures. A student friend of mine finds podcasts a good way of spending time while he sits supervising an experiment - as they are in short bursts, they don't require a long time concentrating (which is good when you want to keep an eye on your experiment and make sure nothing is going wrong). Podcasts are probably useful for people who are short on time or who have short attention spans, or want to fill time while on journeys etc.
I hadn't explored the CILIP communities podcasts before, but there are some interesting sounding ones there, so it's worth remembering. I haven't subscribed to it, but may go back and search for information on a particular topic. As I have just got an iTunes account, I searched there and came across http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/los-angeles-public-library/id280972438?ign-mpt=uo%3D4. I'm sure there are other public libraries who put on talks and speeches who do this too, but it struck me as a nice way of making the library more visible, reaching out to those who missed the talks, and making the most of the effort that has gone into putting on the talks.
Friday, 16 September 2011
Various things, briefly #cam23
First up is LibraryThing. Everything I said in my previous blog post still applies, I think. I haven't used it for my own books, but there are some useful features for libraries.
My thoughts on Facebook for libraries and LinkedIn have already been covered in my previous blog post for the cpd23 programme, so I won't repeat myself here!
I'd no idea what tumblr was until now. I had a look at some tumblrs (is this really the plural of tumblr? It just looks wrong!) and like the look of them. Since I have already started this blog on blogger, it makes sense to me to carry on in this way, but I I like the visual look of tumblr and may be tempted to try a tumblr next time I need to set something up similar up. One for the future then!
Similarly, I hadn't heard of posterous before, but I liked the Judge Business School's idea of using it as an online handout to showcase tools. Having looked at a few posterouses (this also looks wrong as a plural!), I would consider using it for a group blog.
My thoughts on Facebook for libraries and LinkedIn have already been covered in my previous blog post for the cpd23 programme, so I won't repeat myself here!
I'd no idea what tumblr was until now. I had a look at some tumblrs (is this really the plural of tumblr? It just looks wrong!) and like the look of them. Since I have already started this blog on blogger, it makes sense to me to carry on in this way, but I I like the visual look of tumblr and may be tempted to try a tumblr next time I need to set something up similar up. One for the future then!
Similarly, I hadn't heard of posterous before, but I liked the Judge Business School's idea of using it as an online handout to showcase tools. Having looked at a few posterouses (this also looks wrong as a plural!), I would consider using it for a group blog.
Monday, 12 September 2011
Online bookmarking #cam23
I'm not going to talk about Delicious, as I have explored it before. Instead, I had a look at Diigo and Readitlater, which are both completely new things to me.
Diigo
I had trouble adding the Diigolet tool to the favourites bar, but it seemed to work fine from my favourites list. I really liked the highlighting feature, so that I can easily spot which part of a webpage was the important part to me and the reason I highlighted the page. The little 'preview' button on the My Library page is a useful tool as well, as this shows a screenshot of the page you bookmarked. As for the organisation of bookmarks and tags - perhaps not as good as Delicious (as you can't bundle the tags), but it beats the standard browser favourites list. Of course, as with Delicious, the key thing here is that the list is not tied to one machine, but can be accessed anywhere via the web.
Photo: Highlighter in HDR by Arria Belli
Readitlater
Their website says "it eliminates cluttering of bookmarks with sites that are merely of a one-time interest". My usual strategy for dealing with a one-off bookmark (e.g. something I'll read once) has always been to bookmark it until I have looked at it, then delete it or add to a favourites category if it turns out to be useful to refer back to in future. While readitlater is probably great if you have lots of one-off bookmarks, as I only have the odd one here and there I think I will stick to my usual method of bookmarking them, simply so that I have one less place to look for bookmarks.
Diigo
I had trouble adding the Diigolet tool to the favourites bar, but it seemed to work fine from my favourites list. I really liked the highlighting feature, so that I can easily spot which part of a webpage was the important part to me and the reason I highlighted the page. The little 'preview' button on the My Library page is a useful tool as well, as this shows a screenshot of the page you bookmarked. As for the organisation of bookmarks and tags - perhaps not as good as Delicious (as you can't bundle the tags), but it beats the standard browser favourites list. Of course, as with Delicious, the key thing here is that the list is not tied to one machine, but can be accessed anywhere via the web.
Readitlater
Their website says "it eliminates cluttering of bookmarks with sites that are merely of a one-time interest". My usual strategy for dealing with a one-off bookmark (e.g. something I'll read once) has always been to bookmark it until I have looked at it, then delete it or add to a favourites category if it turns out to be useful to refer back to in future. While readitlater is probably great if you have lots of one-off bookmarks, as I only have the odd one here and there I think I will stick to my usual method of bookmarking them, simply so that I have one less place to look for bookmarks.
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
#cpd23 Online networks
I really liked Helen Murphy's summary of the benefits of online networking on the cpd23 blog - simple and I think she's right! I'm glad I have got involved in online networking to some extent : better known, better connected and better equipped are all good things to aim for. I have really noticed with Twitter that there are trends, events, discussions that I would not have heard about if it weren't for Twitter. Here are my thoughts on some other online networks:
LinkedIn - I first heard of this when doing 23 Things Cambridge last summer. I had a look, decided it wasn't for me so didn't join and promptly forgot about it (and ignored an invitation to join from my father - sorry Dad!) I've gone back to look at profiles of those kind people who let themselves be linked to from the cpd23 blog, but I'm still hesitant to put my CV online. I can see there are benefits to joining, but I don't want to join unless I'm sure I will keep it up to date.
Facebook - I'm a regular on here, but in my personal life only. If I worked in a small library then I would probably create a Facebook page for the library, along the lines of the Cambridge college and department library websites e.g. Selwyn College or English Faculty Library.
LISNPN - This is a great idea. I'm a member here, and find the resources really useful e.g. chartership portfolio information, events etc. I don't remember to log in all that often though...
Librarians as Teachers Network - not relevant to me at the moment, but I will remember this for the future if I end up in a role that includes a lot of teaching.
CILIP Communities - I've heard of this but never investigated it before, so had a play around with it and found my own page (which I hadn't realised existed and is of course currently completely empty!). It's quite useful to have a list of CILIP blogs in one place. I'd be interested to hear how others use CILIP Communities.
Overall, I'm a fan of online networks, but I prefer to join the ones that I think will be most useful and relevant, and then leave the others. I figure there's not much point in joining networks and setting up profiles if I only ever log in twice, my profile gets out of date and I don't actually connect with anyone!
LinkedIn - I first heard of this when doing 23 Things Cambridge last summer. I had a look, decided it wasn't for me so didn't join and promptly forgot about it (and ignored an invitation to join from my father - sorry Dad!) I've gone back to look at profiles of those kind people who let themselves be linked to from the cpd23 blog, but I'm still hesitant to put my CV online. I can see there are benefits to joining, but I don't want to join unless I'm sure I will keep it up to date.
Facebook - I'm a regular on here, but in my personal life only. If I worked in a small library then I would probably create a Facebook page for the library, along the lines of the Cambridge college and department library websites e.g. Selwyn College or English Faculty Library.
LISNPN - This is a great idea. I'm a member here, and find the resources really useful e.g. chartership portfolio information, events etc. I don't remember to log in all that often though...
Librarians as Teachers Network - not relevant to me at the moment, but I will remember this for the future if I end up in a role that includes a lot of teaching.
CILIP Communities - I've heard of this but never investigated it before, so had a play around with it and found my own page (which I hadn't realised existed and is of course currently completely empty!). It's quite useful to have a list of CILIP blogs in one place. I'd be interested to hear how others use CILIP Communities.
Overall, I'm a fan of online networks, but I prefer to join the ones that I think will be most useful and relevant, and then leave the others. I figure there's not much point in joining networks and setting up profiles if I only ever log in twice, my profile gets out of date and I don't actually connect with anyone!
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