The Cat's Eye

Business, community, schools and what we can do to make the world a better place

2011-11-16T22:39:00.001Z

On Wednesday 9 November I attended an inspiring talk delivered by Dame Julia Cleverdon for the Bromsgrove School Foundation Third Annual Lecture in the sumptuous surroundings of The Lansdowne Club in Mayfair, London.

Who is Dame Julia Cleverdon?

To be honest, I was not aware of Dame Julia before this event, which is my fault because she came across excellently as someone of great wisdom, compassion and realism.

For those who are unaware of her, Dame Julia Cleverdon is actually a renowned speaker on corporate responsibility, leadership and career development. She is Vice President of Business in the Community, a movement of 800 top UK companies committed to improving their positive impact on society and is also a Special Adviser to Prince Charles's Charities on responsible business practice. Dame Julia's work at Business in the Community led to her being listed by The Times as one of the 50 most influential women in Britain!

Dame Julia is also Chair of Teach First, which coaches exceptional graduates into effective, inspirational teachers and leaders in all fields. In the last two years Julia has led a review for the Government on Education and Business partnerships and more recently led a three-month Taskforce on Building Stronger Communities in an Economic Downturn.

Additionally, Dame Julia chairs RWE NPower's Corporate Responsiblity Committee and is also a member of Carillion's Sustainability Committee and a Business Adviser to Marie Curie. She is also a Board Trustee for the NCVO and chairs the Newnham College Advisory Board, a Patron of Volunteer Reading Help, the Helena Kennedy Bursary Scheme, and the Teacher Training Awards. She is also an Ambassador of the World Wildlife Fund and a member of the Commonwealth Study Conference Committee.

The world needs more people like her who understand both ordinary people and business and can understand the motivations of the Occupy London protest camp at St Paul's Cathedral (and other protestes worldwide against corporate greed).

Learning from words of wisdom

Dame Julia invited the audience to collectively rewind, pause and fast forward to reflect on what impact we have as a group and as individuals in society. She inspired us to think about what we could do if we could rise our eyes beyond our day to day activities.

Rewind

First we were encouraged to look backwards. There is much that we can learn from studying lessons from the past from both a personal and work point of view (a sentiment I share being a former history student).

One particular example of the insights that we can gain about how people behave, cooperate and inter-relate in business and as leaders, is demonstrated by the experiences of Lord Browne, the former Chief Executive of BP. Lord Browne's memoirs, "Beyond Business" published in 2010 provide a personal, human view of business and leadership. In these memoirs he refers to how his passion and study of history and in particular that of Venice and eighteenth century Venetian prints helped him grow as a businessman and leader. BP during Browne's time at the company could be compared to what was happening in Venice in this period - a hermetically sealed and inward looking society.

At a more personal level, Dame Julia reflected back on her education history - via Camden and then Newham College, Cambridge - which was clearly marked by great inspirational teachers (although careers advice was absolutely hopeless...and often still is to the detriment of many young people).

Pause

Next we were encouraged to pause. In this section of her talk, Julia reflected on her time working in the industrial relations team at British Leyland during the 1970s. The personal experience of working at Leyland absolutely demonstrated that leadership is THE key to making things happen. Across society there is a need for outstanding leaders.

Julia then took time to focus on some simple but effective examples of demonstrating leadership practically and where we all have a part to play (as in the phrase that 'takes a village to raise a child'). Her examples included

setting up of a school breakfast club with the involvement of the bakery firm Greggs providing disadvantaged primary school children chance to have healthy, nutritious food and impacting on educational attainment levels.
a meeting between a KPMG senior partner and a head teacher which resulted in a twinning arrangement and support between leaders and ultimately led to the Teach First programme.

Fast Forward

Lastly, we looked forward and Julia considered the issue of how do you create great schools. She judged the foundations to be built on a talent and cohort of excellence, building on success and building our being fortunate while also seeking to help those less fortunate.

At was clear at the end that we all could go away and do something - whether it be running a breakfast club, being a mentor, running a training apprentice scheme, being a school governor, volunteering for a 'uniformed' organisation like the CCF or the Scouts who are calling out for adult leaders, offering work experience.

I left the whole event feeling extremely empowered and motivated to do more....and hope that feeling stays for a long time to come.

(See photos of the event at http://www.bromsgrove-school.co.uk/third-foundation-lecture-2011/ and a video at: http://www.youtube.com/bromsgroveschool)

CPD23 Things Programme in 6 words!

2011-10-30T21:16:00.002Z

A summary of the CPD23 Things programme of career development learning......

"Keep calm and never stop learning"

Now that's a record -my shortest post ever!

CPD23 - Thing 23 - Final Reflections and what next for this blog?

2011-10-18T14:38:00.000+01:00

It's impressive how much we've covered throughout the CPD23 Things programme which has involved learning not just about new tools and services but also crucially about ourselves and our impact on others.

Throughout the progamme I've tried to be thorough and reflect as fully as possible on each topic, hence some exxxxxttttreeeeemmeeellllyyyy long blog posts (must surely have won the award for the longest posts!).

Overall, I'm pleased to have kept up my personal commitment and to have seen this through to the end of the programme. Surely that stands for something good!

As a specific result of CPD23 Things: I'm now using LinkedIn and Twitter more, have signed up to Google+, have created my first Prezi presentation, used Screen-o-matic and advised others to do the same, reflected (no stressed) over the concept of 'personal branding' - so there's a lot to answer for.

CPD23 Things has also helped make me feel more engaged with other information professionals (sometimes can feel isolating in my current role).

But is it really an end?

October is now mid-year appraisal review time so seems like an appropriate time for the programme to end.

However, I feel that there is much that CPD23 didn't cover and should have done - for instance, such as accessing information via mobile apps and analysing modern search engines - so potentially there is much that could be covered in a follow up programme.

I'm also quite sure that the CPD23 programme could be rolled out much further to other organisations and sectors. For instance, there is room for a dedicated CPD23 Things programme just for government information professionals.

My personal next steps though, are to follow the suggestions and do a SWOT analsyis which will hopefully make my thoughts clearer on where to go next (really don't know). I'm also still planning to revalidate, for what it's worth!

Now that CPD23 Things has come to an end, the question is should I carry on blogging?

For lots of reasons, the answer is yes. As I am increasingly coming to appreciate, blogging is a great (although scary) form of self-expression and dialogue. Being part of the CPD23 Things programme has felt like a community and I hope to continue with this feeling and sense of support.

In continuing to blog, I want to post meaningful thought provoking posts, so I've been thinking about some future topics to blog about on both personal and work related issues:

Government consultations
Stakeholder management
Preparations for Government Libraries Conference 2012
Managers - the good, bad and the ugly
Internal communications
Alpha.gov.uk project

As writers say, the best advice about writing is to write for your own pleasure first and from that everything else will flow....so onwards and upwards.

Yes, I really want to join a book group!

2011-10-10T23:37:00.001+01:00

Do you feel like this?

On Saturday 8 October 2011, as part of the first East London Literature Festival, I attended the Reading Group Conference which took place at the University of East London.

At the event, Dr Roberta Garrett (a Senior Lecturer in Literature and Cultural Studies) considered the value, impact and cultural importance of reading groups. She raised the contraversial question of whether reading groups make a useful contribution to literary culture.

In considering this question, we have to remember several things. First that reading groups are not new and in fact date back to the creation of the novel in the early 18th century. Second, reading groups are not homogenous - they reflect different literary trends, age groups and membership groupings. Reading groups can very broadly be defined into those that meet political or educational needs such as feminist or marxist reading groups and those that are more commercially orientated.

The modern trend in joining a book group is part of this second commerical definition, as demonstrated by the commercial success of the Oprah Winfrey Book Club in the United States (originally set up in 1996) and the equally popular UK equivalent, the Richard and Judy Book Club (set up in 2004).

Like them or not, these groups demonstrated the power of book clubs in relation to publishing. It is estimated that the books featured as part of the Oprah Book Club (70 titles) resulted in an estimated 55 million copies. A prime example is that after featuring Leo Tolstoy's novel "Anna Karenina" as part of the club's selections, the book went to the top of the US bestseller lists. Likewise in the UK, the Richard and Judy Book Club has had an equally powerful effect, so much so that Amanda Ross, the show's producer was listed as the most influential woman in publishing (The Queen of TV Bookclubs Amanda Ross).

Oprah and Richard & Judy are only the tip of the iceberg and it has been estimated that there are around 50,000 book groups in existence in the UK. So why are they so popular?

Roberta Garrett presented various factors for the modern development of reading groups including the end of the price fixing resulting from the Net Book Agreement, the rise of e-commerce, the expansion of graduate and literary education, expansion of literary prize culture.
This is before even touching on some of the most fundamental reasons for book groups:

the opportunity to meet others
chance to expand our reading experiences
it's fun to chat and socialise

The very reasons above are what critics of reading groups find fault in. They dismiss this very social aspect of reading and are inclined to agree with Virgina Woolf's belief that "The pursuit of reading is carried on by private people".

Roberta Garrett highlighted some of the critics of reading groups which primarily seem to focus on a snobbish, elitist view of reading. These critics include D J Taylor or Giles Foden. These criticisms seem to focus on different approach to literary analysis and reviewing which upholds style and technique as the arbiter of judging a book's value.

Reading groups in comparison, by their very nature, are driven by a different agenda. They are more driven to look at context, topics and themes.

Garrett believes that criticism of reading groups is founded on two aspects - class and gender. In terms of gender, it is particularly noticeable that approximately 78% of reviewers in the London Review of Books are male. In comparison, it is estimated that about 69% of book club members are women. Another notable statistic is that 48% of women describe themselves as 'avid readers' compared to only 24% of men.

The presentation offered a really great foundation for a more in depth conference examining the role and power of book groups. Given that the UK's National Reading Group Day took place on 25 June 2011, I personally think there is still room and space for reading groups as part of our reading and literary landscape and there should be more examination of their roles in our society.

The Reading Agency's campaign - National Reading Group Day

Now it's over to you:

What is your opinion of reading groups?
Are you a literary snob who would never join a book group?
If you are a member of a book club what type of member are you and how do you contribute?
How do you think reading groups help libraries and reading?
Does the idea of joining a book club conjure up images of a "troop of bored housewives sitting around their local Starbucks weekday mornings after they’ve dropped off their kids at school, killing time together by offering their empty insights on the latest Nicholas Sparks novel"?
What books would you recommend for a great book club read?

Join the debate.......

CPD23 - Thing 22 - Is volunteering in libraries the answer to all our prayers?

2011-10-10T12:49:00.002+01:00

Volunteering is universally considered as one of the best activities that you can ever get involved with (a potential win/win for all with a supply of willing motivated workers). It is therefore not surprising that libraries and volunteers do cross paths and that volunteering is a focus for discussion and debate within the information sector.

For instance, the issue of volunteering in libraries was considered during one of the sessions at the 2011 Umbrella Conference on New Structures, New Technologies, New Challenges - How Can We Adapt To an Age of Austerity? which was held at the University of Hertfordshire on 12 – 13 July 2011. During this session held under the 'Libraries in the Big Society' strand, presentations were made by Mike Brook about Volunteers in Libraries, Tracey Long spoke about Using volunteers in libraries - the Dorest experience and Tracy Hager spoke about using volunteers as part of the Summer Reading Challenge.

What I sense from these presentations, is that volunteering and libraries do mix and now is an important time to consider volunteering in libraries in a consistent way. As Mike Brooks says, we should use the current economic context in 2011 as an opportunity to truly consider the use of library volunteers and look at what is benefical for both libraries and volunteers themselves.

In assessing the topic of volunteering in libraries I have two questions:

Why is it good to volunteer?
Is volunteering good for libraries?

before providing some general concluding thoughts.

Why is it good to volunteer?

Being a volunteer has the potential of providing a range of benefits for both the volunteer and the organisation involved.

For individuals, volunteering offers the opportunity amongst other things to:

- meet new people and make new friends
- experience new opportunities and challenges
- gives you a greater sense of well-being
- get a legup in your career (or to grindhop according to Bronogh McCrudden)

For instance, in a survey conducted by the charity Community Service Volunteers (CSV), the following benefits were apparent:

More than 50% of volunteers perceived health and fitness benefits
62% said that volunteering reduced stress

For busineses, there are also benefits. For instance this is indicated by a survey among 200 of Britain's top businesses, carried out by TimeBank a national campaign inspiring and connecting people to give time, which found that 73% of employers would employ candidates with volunteering experience, more readily than those without and 94% of employers believed that volunteering could enhance skills.

I am a volunteer myself (currently volunteering once a week at an Age Concern day centre for people with dementia together with my dog as a Pets As Therapy visitor) and know first hand the satisfaction and value it brings to the people and staff as well as myself from something as simple as putting a smile on someone's face and speaking to people.

Is volunteering good for libraries?

YES

As highlighted in the introduction to Thing 22, library volunteering can be invaluable to people looking to find a professional post and to solve the universal catch-22 of needing a job but lacking practical working experience.

The benefits of being a library volunteer are also highlighted by Sally Hughes, guest blogger on the Voices for the Library blog. Sally speaks of being a volunteer at a museum library.

Where library volunteering is beneficial is when the volunteer's role is well defined (maybe as part of a defined project) and not acting as a wholesale replacement of paid staff. Examples might including chairing reading groups, helping to catalogue specific collections or supporting running events such as the Summer Reading Challenge.

There are many examples of libraries using volunteers in successful ways, such as in Gateshead and Kent Library Services. Kent, for instance has had a formal library volunteer programme since 2008 which outsourced to Community Service Volunteers. Kent Libraries benefits from over 37,000 volunteer hours and volunteers work in 93 of Kent's 101 libraries. Gateshead has had a volunteering programme since 2002 and now benefit from help from around 100 volunteers involved in tasks like heritage guiding or digitising records.

MAYBE
The Public Library News website provides a factsheet on Volunteer-Run Libraries, which summarises the current list of UK public 'community libraries' and outlines the pros and cons of using volunteers to run a library service. Volunteer-run libraries are a step further than using volunteers for specific projects and tasks.

Proponents of these community run libraries see them as part of the trend to more localism in service provision (the so-called political agenda of a 'Big Society'). Specific benefits highlighted by the Community Knowledge Hub website are that volunteer-run libraries offer potential for:
NO

Reduced running costs for local authorities
Increased community involvement in and control over local services
Increased take-up of library services
Library service innovation and diversification
Improved access to a range of public services

However, as the factsheet points out only 1% of current UK public service library provision is available via 'volunteer-run' libraries and this approach is 'not for the faint-hearted'.

I wonder if such volunteer-run service provision became more widespread, could these benefits really be replicated everywhere (including in less affluent areas of the country)?

Despite the personal benefits of volunteering, there are potentially many risks in relying on volunteer-led services. For instance, like it or not, volunteers come and go due to life circumstances and volunteer management is a role in itself. In the case of libraries there would be a risk of service provision and hours diminishing.

There are many people who have publically stated that volunteers shouldn't substitute the work of library professionals and I agree with them.

For instance, Liam Godfrey, Press Officer of Surrey Libraries Action Movement has said:

"Librarians are professional people and professionally trained. You wouldn’t ask volunteers to take the place of Doctors, Teachers or Civil Engineers so why would anyone think volunteers can replace librarians just like that?"

The Women's Institute, who are actively campaigning for public libraries, also share this opinion ('WI slams government over volunteer-run libraries' - The Bookseller article ). Ruth Bond, the Chair of the WI has said:

"Whilst volunteers have an important role to play, they should not be a replacement for a trained, professional library service, and local communities have real concerns about their assumed ability to take on the running of local libraries, particularly around their ability to raise sufficient funds to keep library premises running and replenish book stocks."

Final thoughts

It is so sad that we are having this debate about library volunteers but due to the economic situation and the pressures and cuts in public library budgets, I am sure that librarians/information professionals will continue for some time to come to voice the Bethan Ruddock's question of Could we all be replaced by volunteers?

I can't really imagine the UK's public libraries being replaced totally by volunteers (and as referred to above, only 1% of UK public libraries are community led at the moment so there is a way to go yet before the current public library changes totally) but who knows what some councils might try to do to libraries faced with budget cuts by 'sleight of hand' (eg Islington Libraries: The Battle Begins - 7 October 2011).
I also believe that library volunteering should remain a personal choice compared to people faced with the threat of library closures and being forced to "volunteer" with a gun to their heads. As Liam Godfrey states "This is not volunteering, it is blackmail: taking advantage of people’s desire to nurture and protect their local community, and not wanting to lose one of the key hubs of their communities".

I also share the views of Sally Hughes (a library volunteer, herself, remember) who imagines a library closure scenario and considers volunteering:

"if my local library were to close I don’t think I would be the first person at the doors to be a new unpaid employee because without the guidance of the professionals it wouldn’t be half of what it was".

For me that says it all and why volunteering in libraries is not always the answer to our prayers either for organisations or personally.....

CPD23 - Thing 21 - Promoting Yourself

2011-10-09T02:36:00.000+01:00

The activity as part of Thing 21 is to consider how we promote ourselves in the job market and it really daunts me....so I am going to make an attempt to face these job promotion and hunting fears.

Paul Mullan is one particular careers consultant among many whose advice I've stumbled across online. His advice makes some sense to me at this particular moment in likening job hunting to tackling fear. He says that FEAR stands for “Fantacised Events Appearing Real”.

Paul talks about what to do when you are afraid - that you need to challenge the fear and the fact that you are creating a fantasy. You need revisit past experiences when fear was present and how the reality was very different. You need to relive the highs when you overcame fears. By facing your fears you can start to have a more positive impact in searching for a job.

I can't absolutely say I think this way positively yet, but I do understand that my current approach to job hunting is beset by 'fear hurdles' which need to be overcome.

Part 1 is to look at our own career and identify strengths and weaknesses

"Tell us about your greatest strengths" is a very common interview question. Why then that so many of us find it so difficult to answer?

Book title says it all!

Like many others, I probably fall into what Paul Mullen describes as the 'the pit of self promotion'. In other words I have an under performing CV because I tend to hold back on highlighting key achievements or successes because of a lack of appreciation of the bigger picture and fear of being boastful.

To address this will take some time and as a first step I need to develop an achievements log (maybe as part of an extended Revalidation portfolio activities log.

Part 2 looks at CV writing

I have a CV and it works (or has worked) adequately, but after over 3 years in my current job it definitely needs a dusting off now. I'm aware that the approach to presenting CVs has changed in recent years and it is interesting to learn of new techniques and approaches rather than the chronological work based approach that I continue to use. Presentations about CV writing such as Really Ugly Resumes and Resume Zen provide food for thought.

Did you know that in general it can take recruiters as little as 10 seconds (not surprising given CV filtering software) in some cases to judge what you are like from your CV?

It's therefore important that we take the time to think very carefully how we present ourselves in the best light and in a way that stands out from the crowd.

Part 3 looks at job interviews

As Paul Mullen states, the final task in job hunting is the 'dreaded interview'. He advises that the best way to tackle this fear it to PREPARE. This is also the advice from many other people and sources including CILIP which provides Going for an interview - Top Tips.

I've been to a couple of interviews in the past year or so and I find them more nerve-racking than ever. However one thing that does keep me going is an awareness that the interviewers are just as nervous as the interviewee. I've been fortunate to sit on an interview panel and to see first hand how the process works from the other side of the desk. As an interviewer I have found myself willing candidates who are under performing to explain themselves more and show themselves in the best light possible.

Lastly, I found the attached skit from the BBC 2 TV show "Mock the Week" funny. It's all about what not to say at job interviews......

CPD23 - Thing 20 - Library Career Routes and Wisdom

2011-10-06T00:34:00.000+01:00

Career Paths

If you are anything like me, then anything to do with career planning, career pathways, careers guidance and careers advice seems very daunting.

This is where both the Library Routes Project and the Library Day in the Life Project are such great ideas since they help to demystify some of the nature of what working as a modern day information professional involves.

Our perceptions of careers and jobs are built by our own unique mixture of experiences and by talking to friends, family, parents and teachers, learning from the media (TV, newspapers) and from reading online and books. Existing perceptions and prejudicies can be very hard to shift. Therefore these two website resources are as Laura Woods says in her overview to Thing20, "intended to shine a much-needed light on the types of jobs and career paths available within the information profession".

I have previously contributed to the Library Routes wiki already - see my blog post to CPD23 - Thing 10 - Routes into Librarianship.

Do you think your own path was typical or unusual compared to others?

Having a nose around at other contributions, I'm probably one of the few people who actively pursued a career in library and information work, compared to most other contributors who seems to have stumbled a lot more into this career path.

I'm also one of very few contributors from a government or special libraries background (not because there aren't people like me out there but presumably because less people working in these areas are aware of the wiki).

This raises the question of what we can all do to actively promote what it really means to be an inforamtion professional and the value of information management and libraries beyond what Ned Potter and Laura Woods call the 'echochamber' of talking about being a librarian and libraries to ourselves. That battle is not yet won!

Words of advice

True words of wisdom!

My first top tip is that if you get the opportunity, do try to find a job via the CILIP graduate traineeship scheme.

This is beneficial to both employers who are seeking enthusastic graduates looking to find experience in information and library work. It also works vice versa for those same graduates who are looking for real-life working experience to demonstrate work commitments and to start to earn money. CILIP clearly indicate that those who are successful in securing a traineeship are looked on favourably if they then decide to apply for a CILIP accredited course. You have to be organised in applying for these roles, but opportunities do appear throughout the year and they are very varied to suit all personalities and backgrounds (and maybe get your foot in the door with an employer). They are also a competitive job-seeking process, so be prepared for submitting your CV and interviews. To get an idea of some graduate trainee schemes you can check out the websites run by graduate trainees working at Cambridge University (CATALOG), OWL: Oxford Website for Library Trainees and the Albert Sloman Library Assistant pages. Remember these are only three possibilities from around 70 opportunities advertised annually.

Being a graduate trainee definitely helped me with Plan A - ie applying for a Masters in Information Management and finding a full time job.

However, you should also always be prepared for a Plan B (or even C or D) as you come to appreciate the older you get that life is not always straight forward and plain sailing.

By the time you have been around for longer in an organisation and you get associated with a particular job, position or role (particularly if you work in a larger organisation), the more closely you are associated with your existing skillset. For all the talk of the possibility of changing sectors, I personally think that unless you move around when you are a 'newer' or 'younger' professional, the harder it will be disassociate yourself from your perceived skillset later. Be prepared to reach an invisible 'glass ceiling' mid-point in your career and plan for that.

Whatever propelled people into their current situation, I'd also advise everyone to:

continue to keep flexible and current with new technologies and ways of working
volunteer to undertake new work and activities
be positive as long as possible and avoid listening to cynical voices
Wish I had one of these!

Also be open to all the wisdom of others. Here are some words to ponder:

"Analyzing what you haven't got as well as what you have is a necessary ingredient of a career" - Orison Swett Marden
“I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” - Michael Jordon
"What is the recipe for successful achievement? To my mind there are just four essential ingredients: Choose a career you love, give it the best there is in you, seize your opportunities, and be a member of the team.” - Benjamin F Fairless

CPD23 - Thing 19 - Catching Up

2011-10-03T15:44:00.000+01:00

Reflection

This is the second time that the CPD23 Things course has dedicated a specific time and space for participants to reflect (the first time being Thing 5 way back in July 2011!)

This time, however, we need to think about each of our previous posts and consider:

what elements were most useful
how you could integrate them into working routines

Throughout the course we have covered:

social media tools (blogging, RSS feeds, Twitter, LinkedIn)
productivity tools (Evernote, Google Docs, Wikis, Google Calendar, Mendeley, Prezi, Jing, Podcasting, Screencapture software)
professional development (personal branding, reflective practice, advocacy, events, networking, mentoring)

Here are my thoughts in these elements:

Blogging

The first element to reflect on is blogging, which underpins this whole course. Since Week 1, I feel more comfortable writing my thoughts for public consumption. Still not sure anyone is listening but like the therapy value!

Given the work I do, I am still not sure whether I will be to blog in an official work capacity although my department now have a departmental blog (which includes contributions from Ministers and policy officials) and there might be an opportunity to contribute to this in some way in the future.

I am now starting to think about what to do after the end of CPD23 Things ends and will share some thoughts separately.

Social Media tools

I already used all of the social media tools (with the exception of Pushnote) before the course in either a personal or work capacity. I've started to use Twitter and RSS feeds more personally (both following others) and building up more own followers via my work and personal accounts.

Since Thing 6 about online networks, I've actually signed up to Google +. Not sure how much use this will be until friends, colleagues and family also start to use as well - I'm virtually billy-no-mates at the moment on there! I also noted with interest, the changes to Facebook's news feeds in early September (in response to the launch of Google+ beta version), and I have monitored some of the comments and feedback shared by others about these changes.

Productivity tools

Most of these tools were unknown to me before the course. I've particularly enjoyed exploring using Prezi, podcasting and screen capture software which will be useful at work as part of my communications/awareness raising role.

I've downloaded a few of the tools including Evernote and Mendeley but not really had a chance to use them properly. I'm still most excited about using Mendeley to manage and group my PDF documents. I've also been recommended to download Camtasia (a premium screen capture software) which I intend to explore using as well.

Professional development

The CPD23 Things programme generally has been a great opportunity to reflect on things I've achieved and where I can support others. I made a commitment to put my name forward to become a CDG Chartership Liaison Officer - something I've only just done - so great to be reminded.

In summary, I think most of the elements of professional development have a potential impact on my working routine in making me more motiviated and conscious of how I work with other people. Understanding your impact on other people is very important in helping you to progress and grow in life (professionally and personally).

CPD23 - Thing 18 - Screen Capture and Podcasting

2011-09-29T23:50:00.000+01:00

How to summarise Thing 18 to an IT illiterate person?

Podwhating, indeed!!!

Initially both words sound very odd and confusing. In essence, both are simply about using online web tools to communicate.
Depending on the context both tools are very appropriate for my work in engaging with business about export control (and I am sure they can be helpful in your work or personal context too if you can think creatively). I've actually considered using podcasting already, so Thing 18 is definitely helpful in sparking ideas of how to take things forward in reality.

What is 'screen capturing'?

"If you can see it, you can capture it" is the slogan of a piece of screen capture software.
This is the functionality or process of capturing or recording a person's interactions on screen. Screen captures are sometimes referred to as screenshots but in fact they are a short video which some people confuse wrongly with video editing (ie involving a camera). However screen capture does not need a camera - just you and the relevant software (either free, bought, online or downloaded).

It is useful for recording what you might do to navigate a series of website screens (which might be a great alternative to providing a lengthy text description - instead you can share a short video which can be uploaded to YouTube or another website who to actually use a website or piece of software online).

Overview of Picasa - Screencapture video

To demonstrate what you can do with this type of functionality, I produced a short 'screen capture' about using Picasa, a brilliant image organising software tool.
This is exactly the type of short instructional video that is potential useful for my work in explaining how to use websites and databases. It is a real great alternative to a standard text guidance document.

I used Screencast-o-matic, a free online video recorder, for this and found it provided:

clear instructions - countdown to recording - 3,2, 1, go!
stop and start buttons clear
logo on free version not very obtrusive
has option to restart recording
adjustable screen capture window
good clear audio sound recording

so it quickly and very easily did the job I wanted. The trick in preparing a screen capture video is to prepare a properly drafted script (to avoid embarrasing UMs and AHs and random pauses) particularly if the video is to be uploaded onto a professional website and this might take a bit of practice.

Ultimately good instructional videos using screen capture tools also hinge on a good audio ie obtaining a proper microphone rather than an inbuilt PC mic.

What is 'podcasting'?

noun -- a multimedia digital file made available on the Internet for downloading to a portable media player, computer, etc..
verb (past and past participle podcast) [with object] - make (a multimedia digital file) available as a podcast.
(Oxford Online Dictionaries definition) - http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/podcast

This is the process of producing a series of audio broadcasts which are published online. Some people confuse a podcast by associating them with single one-off audio programme or recording. However the key feature of podcasts are that they form a number of episodes which can then be updated and shared via a feed (which people can subscribe to receive online).

There are 4 stages to producing a podcast

pre-production (ie planning what to say)
production (ie recording)
post-production (ie editing)
publishing (ie upload to website and alerting people to the information where they can find it)

As with screen capturing, good podcasting hinges mainly on the pre-production statge in preparing a well-drafted and thought out script (beginning, middle, end). I therefore am aware that podcasting is potentially beneficial in schools and teaching settings in helping in language, comprehension and communication skills.

Podcasts and Government Communications

Podcasting is also a great way for governments to communicate (admittedly one-way but in a manageable and potentially more engaging way rather than via screens or pages of writing). Podcasting's biggest asset is that it uses the power of talk.

Some great examples of UK public sector organisations and departments already using podcasting are:

The National Archives podcasts on highlights from collection
Foreign and Commonwealth Office podcasts on arms control and human rights issues and more
UK Space Agency - Space 50 podcast series to celebrate 50th anniversary of space exploration
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) podcasts on tax issues
Number 10 eg speeches and other updates (interesting fact: Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor was the first politician to use podcasting regularly to share speeches online back in 2006!)
Government Art Collection podcast

However, this is just the tip of the iceberg and there is certainly scope for the UK government to use podcasting more strategically. (Note: I can't locate a single consolidated list of all government podcast feeds although the Australian government do helpfully provide a listing!)

Back in 2008, Simon Wakeman, who works in communications and marketing at Medway council, reported that approximatly 32% of local councils were planning to use podcasting in the next six months. I would presume this figure would have gone up somewhat in the intervening years, however, from my own experience there are plenty of untapped opportunities for using podcasting (or indeed other forms of social media).

The trend towards greater use of e-media tools (such as podcasts) is already more obvious, given the financial cuts and is long predicted in IT and media circles.

For instance, the professional service firm, Deloittte produces an audio news podcast called Global Insights which looks at issues affecting the global business community. One of this series has focused on E-Government trends which are seen as moving from an option to an obligation. Deloitte predicted that in 2011 (and I am sure beyond as well) that e-government tools would increase significantly. One of these tools is undoubtedly the podcast itself, which offers a cost effective way to communicate online with a wide range of audiences.
The UK's People and Participation.net website helpfully give some practical examples of podcasting's potential uses in a public service context - such as recording council meetings, interview leaders, audio tours of city, explanation of business services, highlighting case studies.

It highlights the advantages of podcasting for government (locally and nationally) as a cost effective communication mechanism (using at minimum a microphone and some free software). However, to work effectively in the long term podcasting really needs to be thought about in the context of other communication methods.
The challenge for government organisations (across marketing and policy teams) is to ask:

what is the value of audio communication?
how does a podcast fit with other communication methods?
how will we manage any issues surrounding use of tools eg queries about cost? senstivity of topic matter?
who is the target audience?
will a podcast on particular theme generate sufficient interest?
how does podcasting change our communication with our audience?
is business doing something similar or better and are we wasting our time?
how will we measure and evaluate its success and compare with other communication methods?
what skills do we need to make podcasts?

Oral and Communication Skills - writing, listening, questionning, drafting, reviewing
Teamwork Skills
Presentation Skills - preparing structured information designed to meet audience need
Analysis Skills
IT Skills - editing software

Just part of the communications mix....

Screen capturing and podcasting are not rocket science (damn - just done myself out of a job!). However, I'm sure that most people are not aware of these communication mechanisms (and need handholding). There is therefore a lot we can do as information professionals to educate our colleagues and push forward with some practical examples of how these tools can help share the messages we want to communicate collectively for the benefit of our organisations and our customers.

CPD23 - Thing 17 - Presentation Software 'ology'

2011-09-24T21:56:00.000+01:00

Despite a week or so with no CPD23 Thngs related posts, I am still keeping up with the activity programme. Thing 17 was slightly delayed in being published and I wanted to wait until this appeared so that I could keep with the proper sequence (since I like orderliness).

Give yourself a pressie (or should that be 'Prezi')

Prezi is a popular piece of presentation software which enables you to create dynamic (sometimes rather seasick-inducing) presentations that are not bound by the limitatations of a slide pack as with Powerpoint and similar tools. Its power is in demonstrating connections and is potentially more visual if used well.

Here is my first attempt at producing a Prezi-based presentation:

Delivering successful presentations - Is there a better way? on Prezi

Prezi compared to Powerpoint

As a first time user, I found Prezi quite difficult to manipulate and you definitely need to take time to plan and think through the structure. Some of the downsides are that there is no spellcheck, limited font and editing capability. There are also the usual plusses and minusses of being available only online.
Having said that, Prezi is cool and innovative. It offers a refreshing alternative to the problems of Powerpoint which include the following:

screens detract from eye contact with your audience
reading and listening is distracting
slides as crutches
information overload
wordy and bullet points

It's hard to believe that it is over 25 years since Powerpoint was first devised. The idea was developed by Robert Gaskins and Dennis Austin, two employees of a company called Forethought back in 1984, before eventually being bought out by Microsoft. Powerpoint now represents almost a 95% share of the market with over 500 million users worldwide and businesses make an estimated 30 million powerpoint presentations each day (facts and figures from BBC website article on 'The Problem with Powerpoint').
No wonder with Powerpoint's reach globally in business and organisational life, people feel frustrated and are keen to seek alternatives. That's human nature. In fact that's why Powerpoint developed in the first place - as an alternative to overhead projectors and acetate sheets (remember those?) and flip charts. (As an aside you might like to know that it was reported in the Guardian on 28 August 2011, that there is an Anti-Powerpoint Party (APPP) in Switzerland who want to outlaw the software).

How to improve the lost art of presenting

While I can sympathise with the APPP, we have to remember though, that presentation tools are only that - if people are bored by Powerpoint (or other presentation software packages) then is it really the fault of the tool? People are bored by people.
Powerpoint used sparingly and in a considered, structured way can be very powerful. I'd agree that creating presentations is an art and a science. Too many people put no creative thought into the process. But when they do the results can be very appealing and engaging.

This is where I'd recommend everyone to read either:

Slide:ology : The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations by Nancy Duarte (who created the Al Gore slides for the film an 'Inconvenient Truth' and who blogs at the Duarte blog)
or alternatively Garr Reynolds's book Presentation Zen (who blogs on professional presentations at the Presentation Zen blog).

These books both advocate a more creative visual way of delivering presentations. You can read a review of both books on the Powerpoint Ninja blog.

To see what we are all missing I took the following title to heart and include as an example of the potential of great presentations (rather than the bad or the ugly).

STEAL THIS PRESENTATION!

View more presentations from @JESSEDEE

I don't think Powerpoint presentations will die yet given their ubiqutousness, despite the advent of new presentation tools like Prezi (and Google Docs, Sliderocket and others). However we should all do our best to think carefully about audience friendly presentations, bearing in mind scientific opinion and research about cognitive neuroscience which should inform our delivery of presentations (See 'The Scientist' article 'Pimp your Powerpoint').

Maybe there will be a way of integrating Prezi into Powerpoint (if they are bought out by Microsoft?) so we get the best of both tools....and that idea is already taking shape in the form of pptPlex, which is a Microsoft beta version addon that provides similar Prezi-type functionality, although this because it is a test version it has limitations (such as not allowing videos to be integrated into your presentation).

When neither Prezi or Powerpoint will do

It also seems ironic that in this most media orientated of ages we seem to have lost the art of public speaking and delivering confident presentations. As a result, as the journalist Cory Franklin highlights in his article 'Powerpoint: the kudzu of modern communication' bemoaning its dreary reach and strangling of human communication, we seem to value a young novice with highly developed technical skills appears more seductive than a far more polished communicator but who lacks the technical know-how.

In some circumstances we should remember however, that no presentation IT software tool will do. Just imagine our political leaders delivering their major speeches using either Powerpoint or Prezi regardless of their merits in context. Can you really picture when Winston Churchill gave a major war speeh going 'Click' - Next slide: "We shall never surrender." It would never have worked......

Where information professionals can help

As Ned Potter, the Wikiman has shown with his creative Prezi based presentations (such as Escaping the Echochamber), information professionals can aid their organisations in marketing and communications skills (and of course in directing people to using the right tools in the right context). We should continue to seek out these new tools and weigh up their pros and cons to make sure they serve our organisational and personal purposes.

CPD23 - Thing 16 - Library Advocacy and Activism

2011-09-04T01:49:00.003+01:00

Confession time - I don't consider myself to be either a library activist or advocate. I mean this in the narrow sense that I am not very vocal and active in proclaiming the benefits of library and information services (surely not the only one who admits to this?). This doesn't mean that I don't think this issue is unimportant though....

More than just buzzwords

Over recent years, however , more and more librarians (including many new professionals) are defining themselves as activists - in the UK people like Johanna Bo Anderson, Maria Cotera, Ned Potter aka the Wikiman and in the US people like Jessaymn West ('putting the rarin back in librarian'), Alan Molaro (whose blog is the Information Activist Librarian). I envy their enthusiasm, passion and commitment.

WI campaign for libraries

In response, CILIP (who could be accused of not being active enough in this area) are now taking more active steps to focus on advocacy as one of its main roles. One great win is to get the support of the Women's Institute who have adopted libraries as its campaign in 2011.

The idea of information activism is not entirely brand new (witness Dale Carnegie and others from the past), but now in the face of market pressures, political and economic pressures due to recession, competition from online sources and behemoths (the mighty Google and fast nimble new internet service providers), librarians are realising that they need to take more active steps to promote and market themselves and move out of what Ned Potter labels the echo chamber (where librarians are simply talking to each other instead of marketing a message to people outside).

Activism and me

To date as I indicated above, library activism has passed me by somewhat, so to speak. Not sure exactly why. Maybe its because fortunately none of my local library services have been directly affected yet by cuts or have developed an active Friends network of supporters (and people generally become activists eg in climate change most often when they are directly impacted personally).
However, this might change as my local council is currently conducting a review of the library service (which it would be naive to think won't emerge unscathed). If my local library is threatened, I would like to think that I could and should do something, although what I don't know exactly.

Despite this, I have got active in some small ways. For instance, on 5th February 2011, you might remember we had a national Save Our Libraries Day in the UK. CILIP encouraged as a minimum that people borrowed items from the library and this is what I did, but I was kind of frustated and felt it would have been more fulfilling to have done more. I therefore look forward to 2012 and the launch of National Libraries Day and seeing if I can do more.

Be the change

It is said that charity begins at home. Likewise with advocacy and activism which are both like ripples, that spread out from individuals who are inspired, motivated and empowered to connect with others.

We should therefore all look at ourselves and ask whether we are each doing enough to shout loudly and speak up for the work of libraries and information professionals. Getting published is one way to do this but it is often easier said than done.

Why is it for instance that when library closures and campaigns are reported in the press, that there are always authors interviewed but never librarians? This annoyed so much a few months ago in a piece on BBC Breakfast that I wrote in to the producers to complain.

The future of libraries and inforamtion professionals?

Clearly, journalists have their own agenda and visions of how to report a story. Too often they go for cliche, something that will attract maximum attention and therefore alight on people who can sell a story, such as authors due to their fame because they are more in the public eye.

Simple actions we can all take

I think we all have a role in advocating the changing face of libraries and information professionals away from the usual unrepeatable cliches. That means each speaking to all friends and family about the value of libraries and information resources. How many of your immediate circle actually use a library at all?

There are also some really simple steps that we can take (as suggested by the Women's Institute Love Your Libraries campaign:

to carry and USE our library cards with pride.
sign the Petition in support of public libraries on the Government's e-petition website. Any petition that has over 100,000 signatories will trigger a debate in Parliament.....there are only 7,000 signatories so lots of support is still needed.
write to your local MPs and councillors to say how much you value your local libraries (and yes they will reply back from previous experience).

Also not forgetting the very worthwhile forum Voices for the Library which you should all check out for further ideas and campaigning tips.

General thoughts on being an activist

In getting involved with being activists/advocates, I think we have to recognise what success looks like, how it happens and how people interact and work together. Successful advocacy and activism is built on:

People
Passion
Partnership
Planning
Promotion

and this depends on individual and organisational values and culture.

As Johanna Anderson says in her blog piece on activism, we should all be advocates (or as I would put it we should all share our passion and enthusiasm). Activism goes beyond just passion - it is about hard work and doesn't just happen overnight. It means being strategic and being aware of other people, attitudes and opinions and knowing when to act or behave in certain ways ie be strategic. (Basically we need to recognise which projects and campaigns are worthwhile pursuing and which are not).

Advocacy and activism in government departments

I've mainly referred to advocacy in the context of public libraries which seem most embattled in modern 2011 austerity Britain. However, advocacy is also needed within government libraries as well. Government information professionals are needed for many reasons because they help oil the wheels of good government by:

storing and using data effectively so that it is properly protected, accessible as required, and easily available to support good decision-making.
directly impacting on government cost opportunities: the Office of Fair Trading has estimated that stimulating and facilitating the re-use of public sector information could potentially contribute £1bn to the UK economy per year
enabling policy officials to have the information available to do their job eg a permanent secretary knowing information is secure, efficient handling of Freedom of Information requests and collaboration between teams.

Many government information service units/libraries have already learned the hard way to change or face cutbacks and have learned that they need to work to promote themselves on a more strategic basis to colleagues.

Its for this reason that in December 2008, the government published a knowledge and information strategy document called "Information Matters". This is an action plan to guide government in better use and management of knowledge and information. However my feeling is it still needs promoting across government departments. (An advocacy gap here, I think!)

However, time moves on and now all government departments face huge internal organisational changes. There is therefore a risk that "Information Matters" is forgotten in a maelstrom of other activities. At the same time I fear it is becoming all too easy to sideline librarians and information professionals who might not seem to represent the core work of a department eg policy work.

Amidst these change pressures it is important for professional civil service groupings (such as the Knowledge and Information Management Profession) to have a well organised, supportive and active Head of Profession. I don't get this sense of direction or support from within my current department. Additionally while there are senior groups in place (the nebulous Knowledge Council) in government, I don't get any feeling of how this impacts on me on a daily work basis. ((Probably another role for me to advocate internally, there!)

Library advocacy pictures say it all.....

Pictures convey much more than words as these posters show - they convey powerfully what I want to say but far better:

Vintage poster campaign to Love Libraires created by Phil Bradley

Washington State Library Marketing Initiative

PS..

I recognise this posting might not be very coherent....I should have labelled it 'random ramblings', but CPD 23 Thing 16 does give me (and I hope others) lots of food for thought about what more I (and we all) can do personally to ensure libraries are not taken for granted and thrown to the wolves just because they are easy targets.

CPD23 - Thing 15 - Event participation

2011-09-02T18:05:00.000+01:00

In Thing 15 we are encouraged to think about our involvement in seminars, conferences and events in all their glorious technicolour.

A suitable alternative sub-title would be Why Don't You Just Switch Off Your Television Set and Go Out and Do Something Less Boring Instead?'. Some of you may remember that this was a cult BBC children's TV programme from the 1980s. To be reminded of your mis-spent youth, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/titles/whydontyou.shtml

I've done just what it says on the tin and been fortunate to participate in a number of events, either by attending or organising. In particular as:

Attendee

Aerospace and Defence Libraries Group (ADLG) conference in 2009
CILIP's Umbrella
IFLA's World Libraries Conference held in Durban, South Africa in 2007

There is a tendency to think that being an attendee at an event is equivalent to having a day off. In fact, conferences and events are hard work in themselves if you are truly to make the most of them - by networking, listening hard, asking the right questions. Having said that you should take a balanced approach about pacing yourself throughout the day (and evening if the event runs over a few days).

As a conference attendee, I've always tried to reflect and share on my learning experiences. However, there is always more that I could do better, such as being more prepared in advance and asking more questions. This and other suggestions are offered by the writer and speaker Scott Berkun in his blog post - 'How to get the most out of conferences'.

Organiser

Network for Government Library and Information Specialists (NGLIS) conference on "Do Information Professionals have the key to the door?" in April 2011.

I was slightly reluctant to put my name forward to help with organising this, but it is one of the activities I've been most proud of recently. It provided an opportunity to learn new skills, for instance liaising with suppliers. And I learnt that I can be a bit of a control freak.
By actually organising an event, you really feel you are making a much bigger difference.

I am now looking forward to getting involved in planning the 2012 Government libraries conference and making it even more successful than before.

Presenting

At the moment, I would classify myself as a 'presenting virgin'. I've only had a chance to present at one 'biggish' conference, at a work related Export Group for Aerospace and Defence Annual Meeting in October 2010. I jointly presented together with my manager about export control awareness training and activities.

Given the opportunity I'd like to find many more chances to present although I'm sure to be quaking in my boots and am sure to feel under prepared.

I'm inspired by Lisa Cotter and Donna Robertson, two Australian health librarians, on presented a paper on 'Presenting at a conference - you CAN do it!' and by the experiences of those who've presented at librarian New Professionals Conferences.

Now I just need to find the right events...

CPD23 - Thing 14 - Online reference sources

2011-08-28T10:57:00.001+01:00

This week we are focusing on three online referencing tools - Zotero, Mendeley and CiteUlike.

The very existence of these tools which are designed to help academics and reasearchers in citing sources efficiently, correctly and quickly shows just how times have changed (and consequently I feel very old although in the words of Bruce Forsyth doddery I am not!).

I'd not previously heard of any of the tools, which is unsurprising since I'm not an academic/reference librarian or researcher. While they might not be directly helpful in my day to day work, I realise however they could be useful for drafting and including references when preparing an article for a professional journal such as CILIP Update.

I zeroed in on deciding to explore Mendeley this time (basically because, I don't use the Firefox browser which rules out downloading the add-on and when searching CiteUlike no relevant articles appeared for export control related topics so this seemed less helpful to my immediate needs).

If you've never used Mendeley before, it's been described as the 'Last FM' of online referencing, since it is created by the same people behind that site. Personally it reminds me very much of Google's Picasa image management application (which I love) that lets you store, tag and categorise all your pictures. Mendeley basically does the same thing but for PDFs. It also allows you to annotate, highlight and add notes electronically to a PDF instead of scribbling in the margins on a printed paper copy (which I've done from time to time). From a bibliography point of view, you can incorporate references seemlessly into Word. You can also collaboratively share documents if necessary. There is also a desktop and online version, which means I can sync between work and home PCs.
If you are not convinced of Mendeley's value, one of the best reviews about the site is available on the Makeuseof website - see the posting about 'Organize your PDF files and collaboratively research with Mendeley'.

Basically Mendeley is a tool that I never thought or knew might be useful but now realise might be quite helpful.

In fact, Thing 14 also made me think about all of those online tools, applications and websites that exist but which we haven't stumbled across yet.

You might like to know that PC Mag has a list of the Top 100 Undiscovered Websites which provides some food for thought. For instance, who knows www.bubbl.us, a web app that helps create mind maps or www.zamzar.com, an online tool which can convert anything (images, documents etc) and email them to yourself in 4 easy steps.
In the same vein, I also periodically read with interest, Phil Bradley's Internet Q&A column in CILIP Update and keep tuned in with his Web 2.0 weblog. This is a great resource to keep tabs with applications you might need to use in connection with a particular activity at some point in the future.

This post has also made me sadly reflect on all the things I don't know or will never know, never experience, never see, never touch, never feel...all that is unknown.

Coincidentally it was announced in the news this week that scientists have estimated the number of species in the word at 8.7 million (compared to previous vague estimates of between three and 100 milion). Mankind is only aware, however of a small proportion of this total (around 14%) of all potential species. That indicates how much more there is to learn about the world. A sobering thought!

CPD23 - Thing 13 - Online collaboration and file sharing (Google Docs, Dropbox and Wikis)

2011-08-26T19:46:00.000+01:00

After my mammoth post for Thing 12, I am now turning belatedly to the subject of online collaboration via tools such as Google Docs, Dropbox and Wikis.

Collaborative file sharing tools

To be honest I've not yet had reasons to use Google Docs or Dropbox. So, as suggested I tried out one of the suggested tools - in this case Google Docs (purely because I don't want to get into the rigmarole of downloading more software and because of network restrictions on my work PC).

On first impressions, Google Docs is very easy to use if you want to do simple editing and sharing. And to test it I've uploaded and shared a video of my dog: - https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B1b_6boY5HbLYzQ3ZjQ5NDEtZmE2Ni00ZTIxLTk0ZDgtYmRhNDgyNWIxYWY1&hl=en_US

However, I am more than well aware that it can't provide every functionality, as fellow CPD23 Things blog Sherm Sez highlights much better than I have. He puts out for instance, that it doesn't provide support lots of Excel functions and it is limiting in requiring an active internet connection (which is where Dropbox holds it own more by being accessible in an offline version).

In reality, however I mainly edit documents collaboratively in a work context. Since I work for a large government department we already have our own internal bespoke collaborative secure workspace or electronic document records management system (EDRMS) called Matrix.

This effectively has the same functionality as both Google Docs and Dropbox allowing access to:

edit, create and upload new documents
download, amend, edit and reupload documents
add keywords to describe documents
view author and revision history
access previous document versions
search functionality
connection to email software (eg Microsoft Outlook) and so can send either pointers or files to mail recipients or upload an email to system

The difference between an internal EDRM system such as Matrix, which is quite sophisticated, is that it is only accessible on internal networks and it is not so easy if you are seeking comments from outside government departments or organisations.

I do sometimes seek external comments and I could feasibly see myself using Google Docs to share some draft website guidance material in the future. However, I'd be very wary about privacy issues and settings. Sharing information in this way would only ever be applicable to content that is non-contentious and unrestricted content. For wider government information, alternative secure systems would have to be found.
The value in using free or low cost online collaborative tools, such as Google Docs and Dropbox, is that if used wisely in the right context, they can save money for government departments and organisations looking to find quick and simple ways to share and collaborate on particular issues. This is highlighted in a blog post "Doing more with less: Vive la frugalista" by Jenny Poole who works at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). She highlights the professional value for BIS of using another online collaborative tool called Huddle as an alternative to complex intranet systems where possible.

The issue of taking advantage of the opportunities for online collabarative opportunities offered via 'cloud computing' networking tools while being mindful of secruity considerations is one of the biggest work trends that IT teams across government are grappling with. The Cabinet Office, for instance, has information on how the public sector could use cloud computing in a programme known as the G-Gloud Programme. Also in July 2011 as announced in the IT press, the Foreign Office awarded a contract to Huddle, the online collaborative tools suppliers to provide a cloud computing based system for civil servants to access classified and restricted documents.

Collaborative editing tools

I'd put 'wikis' in a slightly different category description of online collaborative workspace tools. Compared to tools like Google Docs or Dropbox, they have a slightly different end purpose. Google Docs and similar tools are for editing time defined documents or short term collaborative projects. In comparison, wikis are effectively webpages that are constantly evolving. They can be edited, refined and shared into an indefintite future by multiple people - the best example being Wikipedia.

I'll also freely confess here to being a massive fan of Wikipedia. I use it regularly as a ready reference source (eg to check whether Kosovo was a region or a country - answer's on a postcard please! - or to read up on whatever happened to the stars from 'Thirtysomething'). Don't know where I'd be without it!

However, I am of course conscious that its reliability can potentially be called into question because it allows collaborative and anonymous editing is feasibly open to abuse such as false or misleading information. Even if these allegations are not real, its still important for us all to be confident that the information on the site is correct, readable and accurate since it is open to being referenced as fact by everyone including journalists, cited in court, quoted in academic texts and many more daily examples. For this reason, independent analysis of Wikipedia, for instance via the Wiki-Watch software analysis tool, is important.

I've not created a wiki in a work context yet, but have used contributed to others, most notably to the Library Routes project wiki.

In terms of my day to day work, there is the potential need to create a wiki for internal training purposes to replace outdated hard-copy training manuals. One solution to this might be to use the Civil Pages wiki funcationality developed by the Cabinet Office. Daily Mail readers might scoff (see article on 'Civil servants to get own £1m "Facebook" site so they can gossip without fear of public exposure and ridicule') but, this does provide a potential secure internal communications tool.

I'll let you know in a future blog posting what is decided and what route we eventually decide to take - to wiki or not to wiki.

CPD23 - Thing 12 - Puttting the social into social media

2011-08-25T13:43:00.001+01:00

Over the past few weeks, with the riots in the UK, we've seen many of the downsides of social media as Twitter and other social networking sites were used by people keen to instigate looting and violence. In light of this, social media is being analysed by the popular press and the public closely and the questions raised by Thing 12 are very topical.

However, we should remember that the whole concept of social media is not new. The US writer and critic, Howard Rheingold was one of the first people to coin the term 'virtual community' back in 1993 in the early days of the web before general public use.

The benefits of social media in building up networks

Looking at social media from the context of professional point of view there are undoubtedly some advantages from a professional development context by providing:

CPD23 - Thing 5

- saving on formal training costs for instance by providing access to online presentations via Slideshare, instructional films or 'webinars' on Youtube or Howstuffworks or via podcasts such as the TED website or even enabling you to watch a 'live streaming' of a conference.

Many more benefits are highlighted in Debby Raven's article on social media called "Opportunities not to be missed" published in CILIP Update, July 2011 (pages 43 to 45). The article emphasises that using social media professionally can help

share ideas and develop communiations
as reference source particularly for up to the minute ideas
source of engagement eg with policy officials who might otherwise be remote

I'd definitely recommend reading this article if you haven't yet as food for thought to justify to managers why using Twitter and blogging is far from a waste of time!

(And HOT OFF THE PRESS published on 22 August 2011 - a new three page article written by Phil Bradley looking at the social media resources you should use as a librarian. He also covers how we should social media differently and why it is vital we participate in as many networks as possible and become filter authorities, since this is how we will be better able to influence. Its also in social media where the future of search technologies is moving towards)

My own experiences of a truly SOCIAL online networking space

Until now (before CPD23 Things), I've been a very shy blogger and am only just getting comfortable with using it in a reflective context. Personally blogging makes me concentrate on conveying carefully what I think and want to say (unfortunately not always well expressed). Overall it helps me open my thoughts and see connection points and I hope to stick with it!
To be honest, I've also not really taken the opportunity to follow conferences or discussions online via Twitter or other web-streaming sites though I'm aware that this is becoming a way of engaging with a wider professional community online. In fact, when I was involved in organising the Network for Government and Information Professionals (NGLIS) conference in April 2011, we promoted a Twitter hashtag (#opengov2011) to enable attendees to blog about the event which was referenced in CILIP Update and in the information professional blogosphere. This enabled any one not able to attend to get a sense of the main learning points and created a bit of a buzz.

From my limited experience, if used wisely, using Twitter to tap into a conference can be beneficial in changing the event dynamics by allowing attendees and others to get more involved (such as by being able to tweet speakers and ask questions).

If you want to know more I'd recommend checking out Bryony Taylor's blog which provides a great list of 10 reasons why Twitter is great for conferences. She's also posted a summary of the 5 ways I use social media for professional development which provides food for thought.

Being involved with CPD23 Things has encouraged me to start to follow other bloggers and to post comments where I wouldn't have previously. As a result, I've come across people working in areas that I wouldn't normally come into contact with through work. I've picked up a few new followers on my Twitter feed and likewise am following new people and new ideas. So some benefits it seems personally.

Some disadvantages

I am dubious about social media being a unique answer to professional prayers. In reality social media actually oils the wheels for people to connect up in real life and offline. Correct me if I'm wrong but I get the impression that the higher you progress careerwise, the less social networking skills are valued and the more that face to face contact and interactions count. I guess this depends on sector and profession but until the web 2.0 generation start getting into senior management, I suspect that there is still a large cultural change to be made in encouraging people to build a sense of community online.

Another big downside of social media is that it a fast ephemeral medium. When posting, you have to be thoughtful about tone, language, credibility and sense of authority. When participating in online communities, you need to be wary of privacy controls and have some measure of determining who you are communicating with online.
Does social media really foster a sense of community?

To answer this question fully we have to look at what 'community' means. Community is defined as a group of likeminded individuals such as a village, members of sport team, your workplace or school, a group of friends with whom you share a hobby or other interest. People (on and offline) tend come together if they have one or more of the following:

shared interests
shared problems
shared values
shared information

All in all communities need a shared sense of purpose and passion. Online social media groups can of course have all these characteristics (examples that spring to mind include Mumsnet, TripAdvisor).

I don't think that social media communities necessarily need to meet up offline in person to succeed, although this really depends upon the original motivation for the group. Sometimes the best connections are regardless of time and geography with people you might never meet. It depends on trust which is lacking everywhere sometimes.

New social media can spring up all the time, but to really succeed and prosper, all communities (on and offline) need to have a shared sense of momentum or leadership. This might be created in a number of ways, such as by generating debate and consistently ensuring that for instance blog posts are repied to. Alternatively, there might be the opportunity for meeting offline at events. There needs to be a 'buzz' created by giving the impression that there is lots of interest to participate. (Hence Google+ approach of being an invitation only community currently as it builds up interest and mystique before being opened up to the wider public). But somebody somewhere needs to invest time in creating the space to make the community work eg by building webpages, posting comments, providing feedback.

Basically, just as you don't go generally go to a party or a pub on your own, I don't think people join online communities if they have no interests - the what's in it for me question!?

When you join a community, you are investing part of yourself and your time so you also need to be mindful of joining something that has value for you. I think there is a higher risk for social media sites to be ephemeral and a waste of time because there is either no momentum and not enough critical debate or shared communication or lack of relevant information.

Ultimately, whether social media fosters a community sense is both yes and no - and depends on lots of factors and answers to our own personal questions - does the group meet our needs? does it look interesting? is it worthwhile?

Hyper-reality

Social media - we have to remember is the modern day technological re-working of what people have been doing for centuries ie communicating, forming networks and communities of likeminded individuals except that now it is a hyper-reality - where there is more of everything eg more news, information, scandal, comment, opinion and everything is speeded up.

Since I am now touching on the world of philosophical debate (and the concept's of Jean Baudrillard, 'the French philosopher who spoke about hyperreality as 'more real than real') it might be a great time to finish before getting too deep....

CPD23 - Thing 11 - Mentoring

2011-08-08T16:19:00.000+01:00

Like most people, I think that mentoring is intrinsically a great idea.

For a mentor it can be an opportunity to give something back and for the mentee, it can provide a sounding board, exposure to different ways of thinking. A mentor has been described as 'a wise and trusted professional advisor' and this sums up the role very well.

Also, its been analysed that it actually pays to have a mentor.

For instance, in 2006 Sun Microsystems conducted a survey to assess the effectiveness of its company mentoring program. It found that 25% of employees who took part in the program had a salary grade change, compared to only 5% amongst those who did not participate. In addition, 28% of participating mentors had a salary increase, compared
to only 5% of non-participating mentors.
When it works, mentoring can be very helpful for both individuals and organisations - for instance it can help to improve employee retention, build morale, reduce stress, build teams, increase commitment, and accelerate leadership development.

In a nutshell, mentoring is the secret weapon of success in life. Indeed, it is recognised as such by schools and colleges who have successful, active alumni departments and by businesses and individuals who seek a support network.

Unfortunately, personally I've not had any luck with developing a long lasting mentor/mentee relationship until now. I'd be willing to explore approaching someone who is willing and able to act as a mentor for me, but not exactly sure who that might be at the moment.

Probably the reason I've not succeeded in finding a mentor previously is that I've not been ready. You need to be in the right place emotionally to get the most of a mentor/mentee interaction. For a mentoring relationship to work, you need to be able to answer YES to all the following statements:

I'm responsible for my career goals and would enjoy the benefit of a mentor's guidance to create a plan for success.
I'm ready to listen, but I'm also ready to share my ideas so it's a give and take relationship.
I'm ready for objective feedback to consider new ideas and new approaches suggested by my mentor.
I have realistic expectations for my mentor relationship. No one is perfect and good relationships take honesty, effort and time.
I'm busy with school and/or work, but I'm ready to make a commitment for my future by communicating with my mentor.

To expand on the words of wisdom in the CPD23 Thing 11 blogpost and the referenced links such as the inspirational words of Dr Seuss found in the article on 'Sharing Program:The Big Boy Boomeroo of Mentoring', I have done some further research into the importance of mentoring.

One source of reference is a guy called Bud Bilanich from Denver in the United States who brands himself online as the 'common sense career coach'. He has blogged about the link between mentoring and career success. One of his top tips for success is to find a mentor - and he is not alone. Most career professionals advocate the same thing.

Bilanich helpfully highlights what to look for in a mentor, namely:

What makes for a good mentor? A good mentor…
M Motivates you do accomplish more than you think you can.
E Expects the best from you.
N Never gives up on you or lets you give up on yourself.
T Tells you the truth – even when it hurts.
O Occasionally kicks your butt.
R Really cares about you and your success.

This is a very helpful mnemonic and something we can all use to find the right mentor for us. In this process of finding an appropriate mentor he also emphasises that the relationship is built around confidence - with confident people around, you will be well on your way to career success.

This is one of the reasons why mentoring is particularly powerful for young and more disadvantaged people in helping them to succeed.

Until I am clearer about what direction I want to go in with my jobs and career, I am going to be careful about finding a new mentor.

In the meantime, I am mindful that is just as helpful and you can learn just as much by being a mentor, so I want to take the opportunity to give back myself and become either a CILIP Mentor or a Candidate Support Officer for the Career Development Group (whose role is to support people through the Chartership process).

To quote fellow CPD23 Things blogger, Infopromom, says - "being master of my fate will require impetus and proactivity on my part – I cannot be passive but must step out of my comfort zone to continue to grow and learn". Powerful, beautiful and true words!

NGLIS Summer Social 2011

2011-08-05T11:58:00.004+01:00

Who says that working as an information professional doesn't take you places?

On 28 July 2011, the Network of Government Library and Information Specialists (NGLIS) held its Summer Social at the London Eye. The event was kindly sponsored by Moreover Technologies and Thomson Reuters Legal UK and Ireland.

I'd never been on the London Eye before - so this was a great opportunity to visit what is now considered an icon of the London skyline in style. (I would say that I've now 'flown' on the Eye but not sure if this technically correct since EDF Energy are now the major corporate sponsors and not British Airways).

It also showed NGLIS at its best - providing a great networking opportunity. I had the chance to talk in a relaxed atmosphere to retired members, colleagues and fellow professionals from other government departments and with suppliers - all of whom I wouldn't normally get the chance to speak to during my day job.

NGLIS is one of the networking associations that you should consider joining as an information professional (see my blog post on CPD23 - Thing 7 - Face to Face Networks and Professional Organisations) . It is independent of CILIP. If you aren't a member of NGLIS you should think about joining. This is what you get without even breaking the bank (currently £10 per year - a bargain!):

a professional journal - watch out for my article on the Businesslink website convergence project in the Spring/Summer 2011 edition.
a conference
networking events and meetings on topical issues

And by the way here are some interesting facts about the London Eye:

It took 7 years to build and create the Eye
You can see around 25 miles from the top as far as Windsor Castle on a clear day

The Eye welcomes around 3.5 million visitors per year. That is equal to 6,680 fully booked Boeing 747 Jumbo jets.
The Eye can carry 800 people per revolution
Each capsule weighs 32 tonnes
The wheel's circumference is 424 metres - which if unravelled would make it taller than the UK's tallest building at One Canada Square at Canary Wharf, London

This and other facts can be found at: http://www.londoneye.com/ExploreTheLondonEye/InterestingFacts/Default.aspx

Here are some more photos of the event:

A great time was had by all! And thanks to Thomson Reuters for the cakes some of which safely survived my tube ride home - they were delicious!

CPD23 - Thing 10 - Routes into librarianship

2011-08-04T11:00:00.008+01:00

Thing 10 is all about sharing and blogging about our experiences in library and information work to date.
I took quite a traditional route into library and information work by going through the stages of:

Studying for an arts/humanities undergraduate degree
Working as a Graduate Trainee after successfully applying and securing a one-year traineeship at a university library as part of the CILIP Graduate Training Opportunities scheme (or SCONUL programme as it was known in my day - does that show my age?)
Studying for Masters on CILIP accredited course at City University
Starting first professional post in government information service
Achieving Chartered Member status of CILIP
Continuing to progress through my organisation and build up my skills and experience

I was interested in library and information work from quite young - at the very least since working in my school careers library and getting careers advice. I also remember a personality and careers advice test once which recommended a number of possible future careers including becoming a solicitor, arts administrator and a librarian. In fact, I might have had the idea even younger when I loved going to my local library and organised my bookshelves at home in alphabetical order!

I originally applied for the graduate traineeship and to study for the Masters because I was interested in a versatile and flexible career. On the whole, this has been in the case for me. I've had lots of opportunities so far despite mainly working for the same employer within a large central government department. Via my career and jobs I've had the opportunity to deliver training overseas, work with companies, give presentations, organise events, use modern technology, make a difference to the UK economy - which I would never have thought of doing when I first thought originally about librarianship and information work.

I've also moved away from the 'traditional' concept of a librarian (if such a person or concept really exists). Working as an information professional is all about people, customer service and enabling people and organisations to succeed.

I've been mostly happy with my choices so far.

If interested you can read my Case Study on the Info Professional website. The Info Professional website is a site set up the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and Lifelong Learning UK to provide the inside take on library and information careers - taking you places you've never imagined - so definitely worth a look if you are new or young professional. You might also want to check out the Library Routes Project wiki which provides a forum to share your experiences in the library and information profession. I've just added this posting to the wiki. Why not share your experiences or read those of others as well?!

My challenge now is the big what if....what next? To be honest the answer is, I don't exactly know apart from a desire to progress, move on and learn new things, get paid better and become more professional.

CPD23 - Thing 9 - Organising Yourself (Evernote)

2011-08-03T16:21:00.001+01:00

....this is Part 2 of Week 6 of the CPD23 Things for Professional Development online learning programme - and is all about organising yourself and your life online.

Thing 9 is all about an online tool called Evernote which allows you in the words of the site developers to "remember everything - capture anything, access anywhere, find things first".

I'm new to this tool and at this stage not sure whether I'll use it regularly, but am sure it has its uses - it sells itself as allowing you the ability to take notes on webpages and archive from future consultation and the ability to organise, annotate and tag sorted notes. I kind of advanced Delicious (which allows you tag and share bookmarks).

Advantages and disadvantages of Evernote

From my own point of view I'm often sending email pointers to friends and colleagues which I sometimes want to refer back to myself. This can be annoying because typically I'll have forgotten the original weblink and need to remember where I located it online. Also, since I work across several PCs, I have online bookmark links left, right and centre - so Evernote might be helpful here.

For this reason, I've downloaded Evernote onto my home PC. At first glance I don't find the main screen particularly helpful in terms of layout but maybe that's because I'm not using the application in 'real anger' so to speak. However, other existing users of Evernote seem to praise it highly - see:

There's even a blog dedicated exclusively to tips and advice on using Evernote - see: Ron's Evernote Tips

The downsides for Evernote are that I cannot download onto my work PC due to system restrictions, although I could work round and use the online access which is beneficial.

The Cloud

Evernote is just one example of an application on 'The Cloud' where you can store, share, communicate and run your life online. Of course, using tools like Twitter, Facebook, online photo sharing websites and blogging are other examples.

(PS: If you don't know what I'm talking about, there is a great overview of cloud computing including an overview of how it works, the benefits and how to use if for business purposes which can be found in the guidance on cloud computing on the Businesslink website)

In an ideal world cloud computing means no more pesky PCs which run the risk of hard disk failures and crashes but instead promises an integrated, organised, productive way of working from anytime, anyplace, anywhere - pure heaven!

However, cloud computing is not without its problems - the big bug bear being security concerns but also usability, standardisation and connectivity issues. See a BBC news article about cloud computing for business goes mainstream which highlights some of these concerns further.

Back in October 2010, the team at Channel 5's The Gadget Show featured one of their head-to-head presenter competitions to demonstrate the pros and cons of cloud vs non-cloud computing (View the feature at: http://fwd.five.tv/gadget-show/blog/episode-10-cloud-computing). This was designed to look at looking at which performed better across a range of tasks. The competition showed that the cloud was less helpful if editing a movie or sharing large amounts of data but more useful when sharing information or recovering lost data. Brilliant stuff which was presented in an entertaining way and gave food for thought about the possibilities and limitations of cloud computing for people generally.

The trend seems to be for increasing moves to intangible computing in the ether.

Before too long I wouldn't be surprised if loads more tools and apps start to replace Evernote and other services (indeed I've seen talk online that Delicious might be sold off and I've recently had experience of a book sharing website closing which caused me lots of frustration to transfer my 500+ list of books to a new site).

One interesting example of the trend towards 'cloud computing' is looking at the history of IBM which is now 100 years old. IBM shows where computers came from and where computing is going into the future. IBM have a museum at their Hursley research centre site in the US which includes the first portable computer - the IBM 5100. Nowadays, however IBM is focused on software and development and into the future, the museum will have to get more creative about demonstrating the intangible nature of IBM's modern development as a company. (To find out more see IBM at 100: From typewriters to the cloud including a video of how far we've come in technology terms)

The future definitely seems to be about more mobile devices, apps and tools like Evernote and working online from everyone. More reasons for me to keep up to date, get a smart phone and keep up with the trends. What this will do for my work-life balance I dread to think, but at least I'll be taking steps to become less fuzzy round the edges and more organised.

CPD23 - Thing 8 - Organising yourself (Google Calendar)

2011-07-27T23:09:00.005+01:00

"Until you value yourself, you will not value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it" M. Scott Peck

"The great dividing line between success and failure can be expressed in five words: 'I did not have time' "Franklin Field

"Never leave 'till tomorrow which you can do today" Benjamin Franklin

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have a confession, somebody once described me as being a kernel of organisation in the middle but frayed round the edges, which is unfortunately true.
Is Google Calendar therefore the answer to my prayers and will it help me in becoming more organised?
Although I freely use many other Google tools, such as Blogger and Picasa (for photo sharing), I've never been inclined to share my schedule online. I don't particularly feel the desire or need to share my calendar widely to the world.

I do appreciate online calendar sharing might have some advantages (eg for busy families or for use by co-workers) but a calendar is only as useful as connecting with others and having the right tools to access it. For various reasons, Google Calendar does not initially meet my organisational needs since:

My friends and family are not always online and my husband is notorious for not planning - he always famously says 'I'll have to check my diary' as a running joke.
Working for government, there are also restrictions on syncing desktop applications which means I can only effectively use Google Calendar for personal reasons. At work, we use the proprietary Microsoft Outlook system which does the job of communicating my schedule for colleagues.
Finally, I don't have access to an app-enabled phone to make maximum use of an online calendar tool.

In other contexts, however, I can see the value of a tool like Google Calendar. For instance, it can prove invaluable to professional networking groups like CILIP's Career Development Group in enabling members to view the latest events programme without resorting to lots of tireless HTML web-coding. Given the rise of blogs and more applications integrated into corporate and personal websites I can see why using Google Calendar would be useful since it lives on 'the cloud' and can be accessed anywhere.

I also remember many times when we were looking to organise Christmas or Summer social events and using Google Calendar would have been very helpful in connecting with other committee members to share our personal schedules more quickly and easily. In this context, we sometimes used an online tool called Meet-o-matic which is described as 'the world's simplest meeting scheduler'. Although it is a bit clunky and badly laid out, it did the job of helping the group in narrowing down on potential dates for holding events - invaluable when you all work in different organisations. The advantage of Meet-O-Matic is that no registration is required and you don't need to share a common diary or website platform. You can use to propose and schedule meetings and invite participants using your own email system. I am aware that there are many other similar online applications around such as Doodle, Diarised, 30 Boxes, Cozi, Yahoo Calendar and many more. I've not used any of these so, I wouldn't feel qualified to comment but you can read reviews and make up your own mind by reading reviews published at http://www.calendarreview.com/ and http://www.pcmag.com/.

In reading round the topic of online calendars I've come across some favourable reviews of Google Calendar. I'd recommend reading "Getting Organised using Google Calendar" published by Simon Haughton where you highlights some useful tasks it has enabled him to do. Another clear and comprehensive review can be found in a blog post called "Getting organised in the Cloud: Google Calendar" (posted on the blog Owen Swart's Don't Fear the Tech). This posting explains more about maintaining multiple calendars for all the different aspects of your life and cool stuff that helps you stay organised such as the ability to add public or interesting calendars others have added, the ability to publicise appointment slots to show when you are available and chance to use extra fun tools in development.

Given these reviews (and also that Google is free and I already have a Google account), I will probably explore Google Calendar more (in the hope that one day I will be able to sync more effectively between work and personal life computers and get even more organised).

There can't be too much harm in this as being as organised as possible improves efficiency and your chances in life and work and making the most of all opportunities that might come your way. Maybe this will help me become less frayed round the edges...there is always hope!

CPD23 - Thing 7 - Face to Face Networks and Professional Organisations

2011-07-25T23:40:00.002+01:00

Being an active member of a professional organisation has always been very important for me.

I've been a member of CILIP since my student days and still retain membership. I am fortunate, however, that currently my employer pays my membership subscription, which is a continuing incentive to remain a member. Would I stay a member if not? Probably and if I didn't I would probably explore joining other groups.

In 2002 I joined CILIP's Career Development Group and became actively involved in the London and South East Divisional committee, firstly as Events Co-ordinator and then in 2009 as Chair.

More recently I have got more involved with the Network for Librarians and Information Professionals (NGLIS) and was the Conference Organiser for a 'highly successful' joint government libraries conference held in April 2011.

Via my active involvement in professional groups, I've had the chance to travel to the IFLA World Libraries Conference in Durban in 2007 (thanks to being awarded a CILIP grant) - something that I wouldn't be able to have done as part of my job.

Being actively involved in professional networks and groups has also increased my self-confidence, given me the opportunity to learn new things such as event planning and financial management, relate to others outside my day job and therefore expand my professional contacts and horizons.

Another invaluable learning point about being on a committee is that you are highly likely to work in association with people with a range of skills, personalities, motivations and differing senses of commitment. Sometimes you need to develop a thick skin to deal with people who might clash with your differing approach and this way you learn more much quicker how to handle people, situations and opinions in a 'political' sense.

In June 2009, I had an article published in the CILIP Update Journal about the benefits of getting practically involved in professional organisations. The article was titled "Don't just sit there, become a Chair" (published in CILIP's Library and Information Update magazine - June 2009 - http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&pnum=&refresh=6Yp107As9k1C&EID=ecb9146e-601b-4ae8-afce-1c4e408148b4&skip=) which was all about getting involved in professional committees. There are so many ways to get involved and more often than not you will be welcomed with open arms.

When I applied for my current job, being able to draw on my professional involvement and activities was a definite plus point. And I continue to try to stay involved when I can, subject to other commitments. Continuing to stay involved keeps me balanced in relation to my job - particularly when I am looking for fresh challenges. (And I'm not alone as highlighted by one of many job articles about the benefits of getting involved with professional organisations published on the Jobsite website)

In many ways, I guess I just like joining groups and having a sense of participating - it feels right and above all I get enjoyment out of being involved.

However I do appreciate why so many people are reluctant to get involved such as a result of time pressures, more focus on paid work, lack of interest, or feeling introverted/shy. Another reason why people might seem less inclined to actively participate in face to face networks or professional groups is because they feel they are out dated and don't see any dynamism or relevance to them. A general sense about fragmentation across the information professions might give people a sense that it is not worth their time in getting involved in professional networks.

I'm now at a particular stage in life where I am rethinking how to be involved professional and how to build up new skills. One area that interests me is mentoring other professionals, so do get in touch if you have any queries...

CPD23 - Thing 6 - Online Networks

2011-07-20T23:29:00.007+01:00

There is a lot of personal reaction to online social networks and rightly so. Given that social networking sites have become such a big part of our lives in a relatively short space of time, we should step back and think as users and information professionals about how we use them, how we post, the messages we convey and what that says about us, and also about who and how our data is being used.

On the whole, I am inclined to have a healthy engagement coupled with some scepticism about online social networks. Here's a quick summary of my experience of some specific tools:

Facebook

I already use Facebook and have done so for over 3 years. I find it very useful to keep in touch with old friends and family and share news and photos.

Increasingly I also use the 'Like' and Groups functions to keep in touch with charities and other community or interest groups that I choose to receive news about such as The Kennel Club, RSPCA, Handpicked London, BBC Breakfast as well as a few work related feeds from the likes of the FCO and others. I think the development of Facebook for organisations and groups to use makes it a very powerful tool and for this reason alone I am not currently convinced by the need for another tool like Google+ since it seems like a 'me-too' application. I am careful about monitoring my privacy settings and also ultimately about the pictures and posts that I put up. People can be very quick to take things out of context sometimes and it is interesting to know who responds.

LinkedIn

Again, I've been a member for a while but in different ways. I'd agree with LinkedIn's founder, Reid Hoffman who describes 'Facebook as the backyard BBQ; LinkedIn is the office'. Initially I found LinkedIn less user friendly to use, but over the past few months I've been using it more, particularly again by subscribing to particular interest groups. I subscribe to a wide range of professional groups such as Sue Hill Recruitment, Export Control Professionals Europe, UKTI, LIKE, KIM Professionals and much more. One of the powerful aspects of LinkedIn is the ability to request recommendations from colleagues and other contacts.

As part of assessing my experiences of using the site for Thing 6, I asked a few of my LinkedIn contacts for recommendations - and many thanks to those who have contributed - all your comments are very much appreciated. I think recommendations are probably one of the most powerful aspects of LinkedIn. If you aren't yet convinced by it, I'd encourage you to think about doing so, since it is increasingly used by recruitment professionals and employers (and is an aspect of how we present ourselves).

I wouldn't say I've cracked using LinkedIn totally though since I need to find a happy medium about checking updates from groups (especially when you are subscribed to so many). I don't like being inundated all the time with emails about new postings especially if they are not always relevant to my day to day work. Secondly I also feel that my profile lacks a pithy summary of my skills (who knows maybe it will help me get a new job) and I intend to look at ways to enhance my profile.

Other online networks

I don't use either LISNPN, the network for new professionals in the library and information sector or Librarians as Teachers network - basically because I don't really fit into either category of information professional since I've been qualified for over 10 years and work in government.

CILIP Communities is also not high on my radar - I don't make a habit of checking it daily although I do appreciate the weekly updates from CILIP which includes a summary of latest news from the CILIP Communities blogs.

I am however signed up a few government online networks including Civil Pages, which is a private social media network for civil servants. Likewise, I am signed up to the Communities of Practice for public service which is the hosting forum for a number of online groups in connection with my day to day work such as the Dotgov workspace for those inolved in webpublishing on the Businesslink, Directgov and NHS Direct websites and other government groups such as a consultations forum.

Room for new online networks?

Despite my scepticism of Google+, who am I to predict the future?

For what's its worth, I do think it is interesting to remember social networks like Friends Reunited which were really popular a few years back but which have lost their way slightly with the rise of new upstarts. (ps does anyone really still use Friends Reunited? Answers on a postcard please...!) I am sure that as long as there is money to be made from online social networks, as long as people feel disenchanted with existing tools and companies (eg Facebooks use of our data) and as long as somebody comes up with new software or a a new business plan, there will be an ongoing stream of new social media tools.

Some basic questions I have about social media are:

how do you keep people constantly interested in new aspects of an online network?
how do you keep realtionships personal if you have more and more followers and friends?
how do you bring on board those who express no interest in digital networks?
how do we keep productive with the allure of online networks to distract and occupy our minds?
how will it continue to develop via mobile applications?
how will it continue to map onto existing connections in the real world?

I think it will be interesting to keep informed about the ongoing debate and also to look back at previous viewpoints. For instance, keeping tabs on other bloggers thoughts about the future media in 2011. If you want to know some good places to keep tabs on current trends, I'd recommend keeping an eye on discussions on the TED network or taking note of the Social Media Today online community. For those who are interested in what we used to say a few years back about social media take a look at a Guardian panel discussion which took place in 2009 and caught my eye - called 'After social networks, what next?'

Two final thoughts

Charles Darwin once said "It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change".

Finally I came across this cartoon (taken from Where's My Jetpack - via theduffyagency) in which, Future Man explains social media and also provides some food for thought for the future:

CPD23 - Thing 5 - Reflective Practice

2011-07-13T18:46:00.001+01:00

Some initial comments about reflective practice

I've been doing a lot of reading lately about how dog psychology - how man's best friend communicates and behaves (see Alexandra Horowitz's book "Inside of a Dog" - http://insideofadog.com/).

This has got me thinking about reflective practice.

Dogs (and other animals) famously live in the 'now'. (although cognitive science research has indicated that animals like dolphins and monkeys share a human's ability to think and reflect - see: Study: Some animals can think about thinking).

What makes us unique as humans is our inclinition as a species to reflect.

Reflective practice is defined as "the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in a process of continuous learning" and this is "one of the defining charatertistics of professional practice" according to Donald Schon who coined the term in "The Reflective Practioner, How Professionals Think in Action"

Taking time to reflect

I try to reflect on what I do, through preparing thoroughly for annual appraisals and reviewing my professional activity to writing articles in the professional press (see article published in the Spring 2011 NGLIS journal). I wouldn't however say this comes naturally and often it seems easier to go ahead and do things. Often time and other activities will be an excuse not to sit and reflect (I was going say 'sit back' but that implies that reflection is not active which is not true). I work in an operational delivery area and the day always seems to come first (and I am not always good at managing my time!).

There seems to be a need for balance in this area (and possibly more reflection).

In my opinion, reflection on professional and work activities is about gaining confidence in listening to ourselves and others and valuing our own and others opinions and knowing which direction or elements of ourselves we need to develop more. We also need to be careful about what we see on reflection and be honest about areas where we fall short. Personally I like the simplicity of Borton's model - What? So What? Now What?

Reflection on the CPD 23 Things Programme so far

Specifically in terms of the CPD 23 Things for Professional Development programme, we've so far covered the following:

Looking back at what we've covered so far, deciding to participate in the programme (Thing 1) has been a great opportunity to re-look at blogging and gain a greater appreciation of how it might be useful from a work point of view, so this has been a positive activity. But more than this it has been an opportunity to reconsider my continuing professional development more generally and question which direction I want my career to go in.

Thing 2 was a step out of my comfort zone to explore other blogs. I still have work to do in adding meaningful comments and choosing which blogs to actively follow. Thing 3 about personal branding was thought provoking. As a result of this task I've updated the image of my blog to give it a sleeker look, I've added a CILIP Blogger tag and included a link to my Twitter account. These steps are just a start as branding is an ongoing process. Finally, Thing 4 was all about looking at the merits of Twitter, RSS feeds and Pushnote. It was good to step back and briefly consider these tools and why in the case of Twitter and RSS they are achieving wide acceptance. To be honest I have yet to explore Pushnote. This makes me ponder how I should be keeping on top of current trends and is an area I should try to get better at.

A final thought

Going back to animals and reflection, an Aesop's Fable omes to mind called "The Dog and its Reflection". This is a story about a dog, who while carrying a bone, sees his reflection in water. The story's moral according to Jean De La Fontaine is not to be taken in by appearances. Building on this viewpoint, if we are not to be taken in, then we need to learn from such experiences and think about our actions and activities.

CPD23 - Thing 4 - Current Awareness: Twitter, RSS Feeds and Pushnote

2011-07-08T00:22:00.001+01:00

I am writing this on the day that it has been announced that the 'News of the World' newspaper is closing after 168 years - stunning the media and political world and in the face of over whelming pressure in the week of the hacking scandal.

In many ways, the demise of the News of the World is in no small part due to campaigners on Twitter such as @the_z_factor, @profanityswan, @thegreatgonzo and @eroticpuffin. Rory Cellan-Jones, the BBC Technology Correspondent, highlights these bloggers and the vast spread of their messages in his blog post Social Media vs the News of the World.

Twitter

Today's news is a great and topical example, following on from other recent news stories including the saga of injunctions and the Arab Spring that have been fuelled by use of social media sites such as Twitter.

It is hard to believe but true that it is only 5 years since Twitter was first set up. But it is now very much part of our society - especially in media, cultural and information led industries.

Yes it's true that Twitter is fueled by celebrity tittle tattle and that the concept of the Twitter name is derived in part from the Oxford English dictionary: "a short inconsequential burst of information, chirps from birds." (See more on the history of Twitter's first 5 years at Twitter celebrates its fifth birthday) but it is also more than this. Twitter has gained popularity worldwide and is estimated to have 225 million users, generating 65 million tweets a day and handling over 800,000 search queries per day. (30 Terrific Twitter Facts and Figures - Jeff Bullas),

Twitter is evolved into its own world or 'eco-system' being used by:

Journalists and the public to monitor politicians and celebrities

Companies and Government Organisation to promote news

Marketers to create branding buzz

Bloggers to promote their blogs

Personally I've warmed to using Twitter and use it in a work capacity as an extension of my organisations' email notification service - Notices to Exporters (see @eco_notices. Using Twitter has the potential for increased reach to individuals, consultants and companies that might not be aware of our 'traditional' notifications medium of email. For instance one recent Tweet about export licence amendments has been retweated to over 600 other people - which is great for informing. Via my work account, I am subscribed to a range of official organisations such as the United Nations, World Trade Organisation, Foreign and Commonwealth Organisation who are all finding new ways to make use of social media to communicate messages.

I also have a separate personal account @ozzywon, which I use to keep updated and connect with areas of personal and professional interest. My personal network includes library groups such as UKEIG, CILIP, Government Libraries Group, other information professionals and personal bloggers and organisations of personal interest. Up until now, I've tended to flow more tweets rather than posting myself.

The downside of tweeting is that unless you have endless time it is almost impossible to keep on top of all tweeting trends.

Did you know that would take 31 years to read all the 'tweets' posted on Twitter? Did you also know that in 2011 there are over 200 million tweets per day (compared to 65 million per day in 2010 and two million in 2009). (See: Twitter users post 200 million tweets per day).

This is where aggregating sites like Huddle come into play and also where RSS feeds are also helpful.

RSS Feeds

I also use RSS feeds, but like my use of Twitter and other social media sites, I do feel at risk of information overload and feel at a disadvantage because I don't have access to a multimedia phone with apps. Like other CPD23 participants (eg Librarytwopointzero) have commented already, you aren't really able to use these social media sites to their full advantage if you only dip in and out on an occasional basis.

I currently only subscribe to a handful of RSS feeds but will now add the RSS feed of all CPD23 Thing participants. I use a number of ways to access RSS feeds, both via individual browser based feed readers and also via Google Reader. One exercise that I will do as a result of Thing 4 is to rationalise the reader service I ultimately use on a permanent basis.

The great thing about RSS feeds (and Twitter and social media tools) is that they can be issued and incorporated into other websites and on social media phones via great little applications called 'widgets' thus saving time and effort. I've currently been exploring setting up a widget to enable notifications to be quickly uploaded between our websites.
Pushnote

To be honest, I was not aware of this tool. Given my experiences of commenting on previous blogs in previous CPD23 Weeks 1 to 3, I can see the advanage of this type of tool which allows you to rate and comment on any website. However, given that it is only available on Firefox, Chrome or Safari browsers means that I won't be using it in a hurry as I tend to use the browser on the dark side....

Final thoughts on current awareness tools

Looking into online current awareness tools has made me realise how much the landscape of awareness provision has changed (eg witness the demise of corporate and government library provision). Twitter and RSS feeds are so easy to use that they are now a 'must have' rather than a 'nice to have' for the broad mass of individuals across all organisations and as a result there might seem to be less need for information units delivering targeted current awareness activities.

I'd be interested to know what alternatives there are to the ubiqutous RSS feeds and Twitter and whether other alternatives do realistically still exist - such as Listservs and News Groups, Message Boards and Forums - in specialised areas of expertise. And where do information professionals fit into the need to manage new forms of current awareness provision.

For what its worth, based on my experience of working with non-information professionals, I think that there is still a need for information professionals to offer these types of services, given that there is a lack of awareness of even tools such as Twitter and RSS amongst colleagues doing their day jobs.

CPD23 - Thing 3 - Consider your personal brand

2011-06-29T23:56:00.001+01:00

Who am I online?

Everyone likes to 'Google' their own name or 'the sound of each man's name is sweet to his own ear'. Maybe its because I'm vain or because I have quite a distinctive name, but I'm not a stranger to searching for my own name. My search today came up with a whole range of links - mainly to professional, work related activities I have put my name to. For instance, there is a link to my LinkedIn profile, a reference to my committee role in the Network of Government Library and Information Professionals (NGLIS), a few references to work I've done in connection to my day job, a link to a case study profile on the Info Professional website.

In relation to more personal activities, the search also brought up pages including links to my online bookshelf on Visual Bookshelf.

If I do a search in my maiden name, one of my first attempts at a personal website is still live from the early 1990s. Scary! It just shows how long information can remain in cyberspace.

Overall, I don't think that there is too much out on-line that is embarrassing and most of the content I think demonstrates an involved and professional attitude.

I now have a number of online presences including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, this blog and another personal blog for my local book club. I use each of these online forums for either personal (Facebook) or work reasons (Twitter/Linkedin).

Cat's Eye Inc?

I'm wary of the whole concept of 'personal branding'. If it is a concept that is similar to building up a good reputation at work/personally then fine, but I'm inclined to think the whole idea can build up into too much style over substance. For instance other bloggers have mused over the question 'Is Personal Branding a load of BS?' or 'Can Branding Apply to an Individual?'

Where do introverts fit in a world where self-promotion rules?

My scepticism about personal branding comes from a number of reasons - most specifically that I am my own worst enemy and can put myself down constantly (which others are bound to relate to). Maybe it is helpful to learn how to break free from your self-sabotage barriers!

In trying to come to terms with the idea of 'personal branding' and how to be comfortable 'branding ME INC' without losing my essential essence, I came across a helpful post about the '85% rule' on Ryan Rancatore's blog - Personal Branding 101. Ryan points that personal branding is not just about broadcasting all the time - as a rough rule we should spend only 15% of our time in 'public facing' activities such social networking and 85% doing so-called 'behind the scenes' work such as one to one communication, background reading or continuing education. This helps to make personal branding a more manageable idea for me.

I think it'a also important that being less extrovert and self-confident should not hold someone back in a 'shy zone'. We might need more coaching and advice to gain more confidence over time - but we have the human ability to adapt, change and learn over time. 'Personal branding', I realise is all about confidence. As author Marti Olsen Laney who has written a book on the "The Introvert Advantage: How To Work In An Extrovert World" argues introverts have many special qualities and being aware of these can help us promote ourselves better and feel more confident that not everyone is born to be on TV on 'The Apprentice'!

'Personal Branding' - is it for everyone?

There are obviously lots of examples of famous actors, musicians, writers, sports personalities and people in the public eye who have a 'brand' because they are able to capitalise on a definable skill, have access to publicity, have a team to support them, money and a drive to succeed. Depending on your role, 'personal branding' is also essential for freelancers and entrepreneurs. There are also equally many other famous personalities who take a quieter, more considered approach.

But what does that mean for the rest of us in the corporate 9 to 5 medium or junior positions of a large anonymous organisation - can 'personal branding' work for us too? Well...yes, since we need to sell ourselves just as much as other people to try and prove ourselves capable in our next job move, in the face of increasing competition. The very first thing that you will be judged on in any interview is how you come across - do you have a coherent message and image - and at the core of this being 'authentic' to the core of you are - which is at the heart, I think of the idea of 'personal branding'.

I won't be able to resolve all my feelings about feeling confident about my own brand here, but this is definitely an area to explore more.

In the meantime, I'd be interested to know the thoughts of others - Does anyone else struggle with self-promotion and are there any other helpful tips about how to come to terms with 'personal branding' in ways that can work best for us?

Feedback on the UK's Freedom of Information landscape now - a Government Information Group (GIG) event

2011-06-27T21:59:00.000+01:00

On Wednesday 22 June, CILIP's Government Information Group held their 2011 AGM and a small select group of attendees were honoured to hear the thoughts of Maurice Frankel, Director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information.

Maurice gave his take on the current state of FOI in the UK. In a nutshell he wavers between being quietly impressed at the operation of the UK FOI Act (on the one hand) and on the other being highly concerned and paranoid.

He highlighted some example cases which show causes for concern and issues to be aware of as FOI evolves, including the risks posed by greater focus on localism and creation new reporting authorities.

It was refreshing to know that Maurice has a constructive relationship with government officials, even to the extent of once presenting the main thrust of thinking of a government official in their absence at a regional training event. (At least that's better than one French official who was not aware that the French government even had an FOI act!)

And I also came across a conspiracy theory of the week - did Tony Blair hold up the adoption of the FOI Act because of his dealings with Bernie Eccelstone? (as implied in his published autobiography - A Journey). Let me know what you think.

CPD23 - Thing 2 - Investigate some other blogs

2011-06-24T00:08:00.003+01:00

Well, I've gone out of my comfort zone and actually commented on some blogs. Its like putting your head above the parapet and feeling exposed.

I looked at a number of other blogs and found a surprising amount of consensus about reasons for involvement. Quite a few of my fellow CPD23ites have only dipped a small toe in the blogging pool and are tentatively finding their way around. (= snap that's exactly how I feel).

I've learnt that by the simple act of commenting you:

Give to others
Generate new ideas
Get practice in writing

When I first started my blog, I tried to hide it under a bushel - but this goes against its whole ethos. Blogging is all about conversation and relationships. And now I'm inspired to put my blog forward to be listed as a Cilip Blogger. Hopefully this will spark new contacts and opportunities further down the line.

Still though a number of questions remain floating around in my head - such as:

Do you get more hits by making critical comments?
Should you be the first to comment?
How much time and effort should you spend in commenting?
Who really has the motivation to comment - is it always the same people?

If you have the answers to any or all of these questions please let me know.

However, what I secretly enjoyed, just as much as commenting was marvelling at the creativeness and attractiveness of the bloggers taking part in the CPD23 programme - who can but marvel at blogs with titles such as 'Aude Sapere', 'Simple Things to Make Do and Mend', 'Digressions of a Sponge for Knowledge' or 'Diarrhoea of a Madwoman' - brilliant!

Back to Blogging

2011-06-21T18:51:00.010+01:00

I've not been very successful at blogging...as you can probably see from my previous attempts to get started....so when I came across the CPD23 Things for Professional Development programme, I thought it was a great idea and signed up immediately. Hopefully this will inspire me further and encourage me to kickstart my career planning for the future.

CPD23 is an online self-directed learning programme which has been set up by some interprising librarians and information professionals. It is based on a similar programme in the US and at Cambridge University in the UK.

The programme begins with Thing One - Blogging (more of which in a moment...)

About Me
I am currently an Information Manager working for central government working embedded in an operational delivery team. I love my job but sometimes feel quite isolated from some trends. Its not due to lack of innovation or creativity but perhaps because of working in a slower paced job area.

How do I feel about blogging?
I've previously touched on why I started blogging when I first began this blog back in 2008 - see What is all the fuss about blogging?

Given my previous attempts (and failures) at blogging I'd say that I have reservations about the process of blogging. To clarify my current thoughts I've listed some pros and cons of blogging:

PROS

Keeping informed - current awareness
Cheap self-publishing to the masses
Publishing information that some "traditional" publishers might want to steer clear of due to controversy
Human creativity and expression
Allows greater conversation
Creating linkages

CONS

Information in date order - has a sell by date
An issue of vanity publishing in some cases
Issue of reliability and trust - do we really know who is speaking? Eg case of the blogger who claimed to be Israeli lesbian
Streams of random consciousness with little value?
A mirrorworld where reality doesn't actually happen

Overall, for me the best blogs are those that have a clear purpose. I am not a fan of random thoughts spouted online for all and sundry to read. That's the role of a diary and should be private.

Maybe the biggest reason that I have so far struggled with blogging is that I don't have an app phone with quick access to either Twitter or RSS feeds which fuel the blogging phenonomen. I also don't want to be spending my time constantly online sharing my thoughts.

I don't think I am alone in my scepticism of blogging. Yes - it is indeed a powerful medium (witnesss the 'Arab Spring' which was fueled by younger people wanting to have a greater say in their societies and communicating more freely online) - but ultimately it is only one communication medium among many.

Some internet commentators, researchers and other bloggers have discussed that the blogging craze will die out, as people and companies tire of bearing their thoughts for all and sundry. For instance, the New York Times recently reported on the phenonomen of blogging waning as younger people drift to sites like Twitter. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/21/technology/internet/21blog.html?_r=1.

I don't want to make massive predictions about bloggings demise or survival here since predictions are doomed to failure. What is clear is that as blogging technology, methods, techniques, users and reasons for blogging evolve and as society and events happen worldwide - then the blogging landscape will adapt naturally in a multitude of different ways.

Grateful to know if other people share my views and blogging.....and good luck to everyone participating in CPD23 Things. Signing out....Red

PS. If you like reading check out my other blog - http://pondersend-bookclub.blogspot.com

Fancy a game of cards?

2008-06-12T13:27:00.000+01:00

I've been recently been conducting a card sorting exercise at work in my efforts to review and revamp our existing website.

For any information professional worth their salt, card sorting is an excellent technique to involve system users in the re-design and re-organisation of a website or database system.

The basics

Conducting a card-sorting exercise involves:

Careful pre-planning including a clear method and system of recording results.
Thought and planning into who is invited to undertake exercise and whether to conduct. individually or in a group format.
Clear instructions for participants.
Potential Reward for participants.
How to disseminate results.
Analysis and making an ultimate decision based on feedback.

In conducting card sorting exercises for the particular project I am working on, I have used open card sorts with a group. I try if possible to get 2 groups to do the exercise simultaneously so that there is the opportunity to compare results at the end. I've also used a web-based sorting tool for some of the sorts for the first time, which was out of necessity and not my first choice, as I think it is preferrable to be in the room and observe and listen to participants. Having said that, the web sort is flexible in allowing people to participate who I might not otherwise have had access to.

Pros and Cons of card sorting

From my experience, card sorting is a deceptively simple technique but as with anything in a real world situation, it is open to interpretation and there is plenty to learn from the exercise.

At worst card sorting can be biased. The initial labels you produce or your description of the session can be misleading. You can also read too much into the statistics.

Unless you are a fulltime information architectural, usability or website design firm or consultant, I think that personally, even if you have put everything into place with a validated method of conducting, recording and analysing the sort, it is difficult to draw too much out of card sorting. Maybe that is a good thing. Card sorting is at best a method of reassuring your thinking.

It is powerful because it is structured and involves users. As one of the participants who recently took part in one of the exercises said to me, he wished he had known about this technique during a previous project, since it would have avoided many arguments.

Card sorting, it should be remembered is not the only technique available and it best used alongside other techniques depending on the nature of the project.

The Hollywood Librarian - A Look at Librarians through Film

2008-06-07T10:13:00.006+01:00

"The Hollywood Librarian" documentary film has been receiving a wide range of interest and column inches worldwide since being released in the US last year. It finally had an 'official' CILIP in London screening at the London Southbank University on 22 May 2008. It weaves in interviews with librarians, footage from library events and clips from librarians in film and tackles issues such as image, pay, censorship, financial and political pressures and much more.

Okay, it is sentimental and in your face American, but it is great marketing and long overdue.

I particularly like the clips from old Hollywood films featuring some of the stereotypes and images you have when you think of a librarian.

If even my chronically non-library boyfriend can say that he enjoyed the film and didn't walk out after 10 mnutes then I think that it is great and should be shown as widely as possible.

Though it is a shame that the film itself is currently isn't been shown or made available more widely to mainstream audiences either on TV channels such as BBC4 in the UK or PBS in the United States.

To find out more about the film watch the trailer below:

or view the website: http://www.hollywoodlibrarian.com/

The truth is in there!

2008-06-07T09:23:00.005+01:00

It is often hard to step back when working and see the support and assistance of others. That's why it is great to be reminded of the work of world renowned institutions and organisations.

The National Archives is a gem for the general public, teachers, researchers, information professionals.

At heart, it is home to basic stories of humankind - a repository of our collective heritage where we can identify our place in the world and the journey we are making.

I recently attended a free seminar on "Introduction to the Public Record System" which put the National Archives in context, explaining its rationale and remit.

The National Archives is at the heart of information policy. It sets standards and supports innovation in information and records management. The National Archives is also the UK government's official archive, containing 900 years of history with records ranging from parchment and paper scrolls through to digital files and archived websites. It aims to make records open and available to all and make history tangible.

As part of our visit we had the opportunity to see behind the scenes, in particular the stacks. We saw a range of records which revealed the range of the National Archives deposits including:

a document about declaring war on Germany which was lost and then re-found (and helpful stored in a folder which is titled - "Political - Western Europe - Miscellaneous") Lessons for us all to record information carefully!)

a letter written by Lt Gonville Bromhead which detailed the valour of the soldiers who served courageously to protect the supply station at Rorke's Drift on Wednesday 22 to Thursday 23 January 1879 in the face of a force of 4000 Zulus (an event made famous by the film 'Zulu' with Michael Caine)

an army record of an average soldier with the detail of his health record including a noticeable distinguishing mark which remains unrepeatable!

A handwritten note revealing the procedure for informing the Queen in case Britain went to nuclear war - which also reveals how to be very carefully if records are destroyed.

For information professionals, and civil servants, the National Archives is a treasure trove and puts our work in context. It makes you realise why we do what we do and ultimately the value for all.

The same day I was at The National Archives, on the 14th May, the Archives released MOD files on UFO's, Britain's so called "X-Files". This was widely reported in the press. The Guardian headline about the story reads "The truth is out there: National Archives lifts lid on UFO files". I would suggest that the truth is not out there - it is rather inside the National Archives itself.

We do not need to travel to distant universes to find out more about who we are as people and a country but to look inside its walls.

Wednesday Night is Apprentice Night

2008-05-07T10:55:00.001+01:00

"The Apprentice" is must watch TV.

Column inches have already been written in the press and in other blogs about previous series and the current Series 4 (which we are now halfway through). And I just HAVE to add my thoughts to the mix....

The beauty of "The Apprentice" is that it is entertaining, informative and educational. Above all it is about people - with all their brilliance, stupidity and flaws.

Who can forget candidates from previous series such as Tre Azam, Ruth Badger, Katy Hopkins or Saira Khan who have made their mark on the public imagination?

I would never put myself up for such humiliation but I can definitely learn some lessons about work and business including how to work in a team, how to have conviction, how to focus on the customer, how to influence and negotiate with others and importantly how not to behave in work situations.

It is perhaps not surprising that Learndirect (a leading nationwide UK supplier of learning programmes) quickly launched a DVD-Rom of training programmes based on "The Apprentice" on the themes of leadership and management, negotiating and selling, pitching and presenting. I don't have any statistics but I would presume that this learning solution is very popular.

I am not a trained HR professional and from an HR point of view there are bound to be flaws in "The Apprentice" style of recruiting - for a start it encourages the arrogant and self confident to come forward. What about people with other characteristics and skills which are not so TV friendly but vitally important to business such as loyalty and quietly achieving? Having said that, the programme does provide a window on the whole recruitment process - particularly from how candidates prepare and how they come across in their dealings with others.

So what about Series 4 speicifically?

If the series to date is anything to go by, there will still be surprises. Some candidates have a strong tendency to put the proverbial foot in it. For instance what was Jenny Celerier thinking in the greeting card task by effectively pushing the team to except her idea for an environmental card and then during the pitch, admitting that she bought less cards for green reasons. Or what about, Lindi and Jennifer's poor planning and pitching during the laundry task when they had no idea of costs and off the top of the their heads came up with the idea for a telephone hotline to the laundry!

Who will win Series 4? I am routing for Rafe and Lucinda, because they both seem to be effective leaders. Rafe, despite coming across in a very pompous manner, seems to get on well with most of the other candidates and stood up for Sara last week. Lucinda has been under-estimated in my opinion by the other candidates and I am hoping she makes her mark towards the end.

Clearly "The Apprentice" winner needs to have a strategy for applying, for being on TV, for playing their part in the tasks, being team leader, being in the boardroom and for post-Apprentice 'fame'.

Or as Tim Campbell, the winner of the Series 1 says "Being successful in business is all about the five Ps: Planning, passion, perseverance, partnership and planetary assistance - everyone needs a bit of luck. "

Wise advice!

To keep up to date with the latest on the BBC series "The Apprentice" see http://www.bbc.co.uk/apprentice/

What is all the fuss about blogs?

2008-05-06T14:16:00.001+01:00

I think it is about time that I address the issue of blogs and blogging itself.

As an information professional, you are taught to carefully review information sources by authority, relevance. You also need skills of analysis and crititcal evaluation.

The trouble with blogging is also the essence of its popularity - it is the equivalent of writing a personal journal with a powerful sense of immediacy.

The question is how do you know who or what to trust in this sphere.

Some context here is useful and Caslon Analytics, who are an Australian research and statistical company examines the blogging phenonomen - http://www.caslon.com.au/weblogprofile1.htm

In particular, the article looks at the ephemerality, the audience and the demographics of blogging.

What is the value of blogging particularly for organisations?

Ingenta's Library Newsletter, "Eye to Eye " (Issue 22@ July 2007 ) - http://eyetoeye.ingenta.com/library/issue22/insight-blogs.htm - discusses the blogging phenomenon. It identifies 10 reasons to blog:

Product-based eg about a specific service or technology
Role-based
Activity-based
Subject-based:
Format-based
CPD-based
Tool-based
Current awareness-based
Observation-based
Marketing and Publicity-based

For businesses, blogging is attractive in terms of reaching to a certain target, but as with method of communication and marketing, it has to be viewed in terms of the "communications mix" and a clear headed assessment of value. In some segments, blogging might be the answer. Blogging is and its value to business is examined in a Business Week article, "Social Media will change your business" - http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/feb2008/db20080219_908252.htm - published on 20 February 2008. There is also clearly money to be made from blogging with, for intanse, the website - http://www.betterbusinessblogging.com/ - which is aimed at providing advice to businesses on blogging.

In terms of governments, blogs can be another way to reach to citizens and present a more personal view of what can be seen as bureaucratic organisations.

Currently the FCO has launched into the blogosphere with blogs from new starters, ambassadors, trade officers and the Secretary of State. It is interesting that the FCO is one of the first government departments to use blogging. I think that is partly as a counter-weight to what could be perceived as an elitist, conservative culture. If the FCO is to attract new graduates to join the organisation, then blogging is one way to reach people and present a different image.

Blogs are another way of engaging the audience and encouraging participation and that can't always be a bad thing.

Why am I blogging?

I think until blogging was developed, there was no quick and easy way or space to air your views to the world. So blogging for me is a social release, a theraputic tool and a way to actually think through my ideas.

It is as Business Week says, about power - giving power to the people. As with all other communication means, some people will take to it and others will favour other means, and some will abuse it, but that is not to knock the possibilities it affords if thought through.

I am tempted to say that I don't expect anyone to read this but that is putting down my opinions, thoughts and approach. The Blog Herald recommends Blogging for an Audience - http://www.blogherald.com/2007/08/15/blog-for-an-audience-even-if-you-have-none/ to improve your writing and your blogging ability. I think it is a question of value and authority. My question is does publishing always have to be about reading? Maybe that should be the subject of another blog!

The Killer Instinct

2008-05-05T09:00:00.002+01:00

Our little kitten has now graduated into a full blown cat by bringing us a dead mouse into the house.

It is said that cats bring dead prey into our homes because it is their way of bringing us a gift and showing their love and affection for us. According to one website, when giving us gifts of prey, cats see us (humans) as their kittens. In the wild, big cats present prey to others in their den as a social gesture.

I love watching and being with our cats. I think they are beautiful, intelligent creatures who love unconditionally. We can learn a lot about ourselves from our cats and other animals.

Cats are often seen as cruel and unfriendly, but I don't see them in this way. They are the distillations of millions of years of evolution and 'nature' which is all powerful.

Looking at cats and prey they are demonstrating their innate wildness. In the wild, cats are attracted by movement, which attracts the desire to attack. Playing with the prey can apparently be a sign of excitement after the stalking or killing. Simple!

Anyway whatever the explanations, I feel truly honoured!

The Art of Interviewing - Part 2

2008-05-04T09:08:00.000+01:00

I am pleased to say that my 2 days of interviewing went well and I actually got quite a buzz out of it all.

Whether job applicants like it or not, the recruitment interview is probably the most tried and tested way of determining whether to employ someone.

There are many advantages including:

Ability to assess person's verbal fluency and communication skills
Ability to assess person's fit with the organisation and team
Chance to assess job applicant's knowledge
Flexible situation with opportunity to ask more questions if required.

As well as some downsides:

Can make subjective evaluations
Not as reliable as tests
Strong likelihood that decisions tend to be taken in first few minutes

Being on the other side of the desk, I could see how much an interview is a two way process. The better candidates make an interviewer's life easier and the interview seems to flow more, compared to weaker candidates where the interviewers have to gather more evidence and probe deeper, taking more time.

Strong candidates can come from any sector, as long as they are able to demonstrate that they are competent by giving thought through evidence and examples from any are of their current or past work or from a social environment. Interviewers want to see the candidates succeed and demonstrate their skills.

There is occassionally debate in the library professional press about changing sectors. Based on my experience of being on an interview panel it can be done, if you can demonstrate and speak with confidence about your skills in your application and in the interview.

On the other side of the desk, you gain a number of valuable skills including those of listening, questionning and assessing as well as gaining a new enthusiasm.

Interviewing is also about teamwork. Everybody on an interview panel is there for a reason and has something to contribute including, for instance, HR who can bring their expertise from other recruitment rounds and knowledge of the job market overall.

All in all I loved it!!

The art of interviewing

2008-04-27T08:25:00.000+01:00

There are squillions of articles online and books about interviewing skills and techniques aimed at candidates with the aim of securing a new job role. Advice on everything from sample interview questions to advice on how to dress and behave.

But what about from the other side of the desk?

Interviewing is after all a two way process. As a candidate you can easily forget who the other people are in the equation.

Since I am about to sit on an interview panel, this issue is intriguing me. I wonder to myself if I will behave to type and be either an absentee, a buddy, an inquisitor, a laser beam or the shotgun interviewer or even a chatty, nosy, inexperienced, by-the-book or interrogation interviewer. Will I do a good enough job?

Interviewing is an art and a science. It involves so many variables:

Listening + Personal Connection + Focus on job and Competencies + Intuition + Skill + Situation + Verbal and Non-verbal cues

I feel a weight on my shoulders knowing that:

The average cost of filling a vacancy in 2007 has been calculated as being between £4333 and £7750

Bad recruiting decisions result in less productivity, additional training and development costs, wasted time and effort and impacts on team culture and motivation levels.

To pays to recruit well since it is clearly costly to business to recruit. According to Gregory Smith, research shows that those organizations that spend more time recruiting high-caliber people earn 22% higher return to shareholders than their industry peers.

Interviewing is not as easy it looks. So to help me and anyone else who is interviewing for the first time, the following resources might be useful:

The Interviewing Cheat Sheet: 100 Resources for Interviewers and Candidates

The Interviewer's Edge

As with many things in life, it comes down to preparation and planning along with a level of flexibility and openness on the day.

Wish me luck!

"I have rarely seen a place that so attracted my fancy"

2008-04-26T11:28:00.000+01:00

These are the words of Charles Dickens writing to his friend, the actor manager, William Charles Macready, who retired to live in Cheltenham's Wellington Square and whom Dickens visited on several occasions during the 1860s.

I could not agree with Dickens more. Cheltenham is beautiful. It is home to one of the best, most complete examples of Regency architecture in England and it personfies the image of the traditional English town. I'm not an architect and don't have much of an eye, but I defy anyone to say that Cheltenham is not in harmony with its surroundings.

The regency architecture style dates from the early 19th century when George IV was still Prince Regent. The style is typified by elegence and classical design. Think terraces and crescents, wrought iron balconies, bow windows and stucco facades.

I will be going to Cheltenham Spa on Sunday and even the thought of such a beautiful town lifts my spirit. I am minded to think about Alain de Botton and his book "The Architecture of Happiness" where he writes eloquently about architecture's potential to make us realise how full potential as human beings. Architects seek beauty but all also represent ideals, beliefs and values and this is what draws people to look at buildings and see what they represent of ourselves and the world around us - whether making us despondent or uplifted in spirit.

I was fortunate to be in Cheltenham last year for the annual Literature Festival and bought David Dimbleby's book, which accompany's the BBC TV series, "How we Built Britain" - http://www.bbc.co.uk/britain/. His premise is that we are reflected in our buildings - whether fearless, herioc, innovative, industrious, eccentric, aspirational or functional. Through the book and the series we are taken on a popular history of Britain, via some well known and less well known British architecture across the centuries.

(As an aside, David Dimbleby is possibly another subject for a blog in himself representing a comforting vision of Britishness. Indeed, someone has already got there ahead of me in their "How We Built Britain Fansite").

So I'd recommend anyone if they have the chance to visit Cheltenham at least once in their lives and you can find out more about the town from http://www.visitcheltenham.com/.