Thing 5: Reflective Practice

Falling behind again, and it's time to catch up. I ought to be well-versed in reflective practice by now as it's something that's been emphasised on my MSc course, but I admit that I've been having trouble thinking of something to talk about! I have attended some training sessions in the past few months and especially enjoyed a session run by Phil Bradley on using web 2.0 in libraries. I'll try and apply their methods:

Recall: The training session took place in April at OUCS (Oxford Uni Computing Services). There were about a dozen people taking part from various different libraries around Oxford, some of whom were already well-versed in web 2.0, others not. Phil Bradley gave a presentation about various different resources that we could use, including tools for podcasting & screencasting, video conferencing/messaging, instant messaging, creating promotional materials for the library (posters, trading cards etc.), and then allowed us time to experiment with the programmes we were particularly interested in. I concentrated on podcasting and screencasting as I'm involved in a podcasting project at the moment.

Evaluate: I learned about some applications that I'd never heard of before, some of which will be very useful, and others that were less so but fun to have a look at. I enjoyed having the opportunity to play around with some of the screencasting software, although it was a shame that one of them (BBFlashback Express)which was highly recommended by Mr B, wouldn't work because it required an admin password to install it. I have looked at it since, though, as an alternative to Adobe Captivate, which is expensive and overly complicated to use.

Action: If management don't object, I think that it would be great to be able to make use of some of these open-source applications. In his presentation and his blog Phil Bradley champions the use of good open-source applications. It's not always the case, but a lot of the time they tend to be easier to set up and more user-friendly than their proprietary equivalents because they're designed by and for people who use that type of application regularly. Take screenr, for example. Compared to proprietary screencasting software like Adobe Captivate, it's a complete doddle to set up and use. I dislike the phrase 'idiot proof' because I think it sets you up for a fall, but in this case I think it does apply. All you need is a current email address and a computer with a mic if you want to record sound as well as images.

Right, I think I've gone on for long enough there! Good luck to anyone else who is venturing into the world of podcasting, and do let me know if you have any handy tips.

Thing 4: Twitter, RSS & Pushnote

Our LMS is currently down, so since I can't do anything with the big pile of journals on our trolley at the moment, I'll continue with this! I've been on Twitter for over a year now, although I really could do more with it. I've started following some libraries (British Library & Library of Congress) and Phil Bradley, as well as some other interesting art-related ones like @designsponge or @CreativeReview. Oh, and @cpd23 of course! I still sometimes have trouble with Twitter, especially coming up with things to say (!), but I do find it really useful for getting/giving out information quickly.
As I've been reading blogs and webcomics for years, I'm also quite familiar with RSS feeds. I've been creating podcasts for the Law Library, so it's useful to understand how they work! As well as the ones recommended ones on the cpd23 site, I also recommend checking out 'Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4' and 'Unshelved' (a web comic about librarians) on Google Reader. If you type either of those into the search box in Google Reader it should bring them up.
Pushnote is one that I haven't really used before. It's a nice idea, and could be very handy for sharing new websites or job ads for example, but without knowing very many other people who use it, it's a bit tricky to form a network! If you want to find me on there, I'm listed under Beth Paton.



(Photo from Adam Foster on Flickr.com

Thing 3: Personal Brand

As it happens, I've been considering these issues quite a bit with regard to my sideline in handmade jewellery, but it's quite different when it comes to libraries. I have to admit that I tend to avoid putting photos of myself on my profile in social networking sites for reasons of privacy, but in a professional context I can see that it's useful for people to be able to recognize your face. To that end, I've updated my LinkedIn profile and added a recent photo (we've just had staff ones done for the website, so I've just used one of those). I've also changed my name to Beth Paton to match my current email. I tend to keep my professional and personal stuff separate, but I try not to make the professional profile sound contrived so it still sounds like me.
Looking myself up on Google was a bit interesting - my Google profile came up straight away, and my entry on Libguides came up quite early on the list. When I looked up my full name, Elizabeth Paton, however, it came up with information about a servant of the famous poet Robert Burns! I may have to investigate the connection in case my husband is actually descended from those Patons...
But I digress - I think I could be more active on Twitter and LinkedIn to make myself more visible, and to attend more networking events organized by groups like CILIP. Networking online is good, but you can improve your connections with people by meeting them face to face as well and then keeping in touch online.