tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24858139875281701972024-03-13T10:22:04.889+00:00Taken for BindingKristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-41569843701365335662015-07-27T13:37:00.000+01:002015-07-27T13:37:24.488+01:00Conferences and note-takingIn the past three months I have been to three library conferences, one big [approx 600 delegates], one medium [I think about 200 delegates] and one small [less than 100 delegates]. I got a lot out of each one as individual experiences, but I also found myself reflecting on them as a group and considering the ways in which my attitude to getting the best use out of them has altered.<br />
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In the past I would write copious notes, which I would then turn in to lengthy blog posts afterwards, generate numerous tweets during, and actually find myself having consumed so much information that I struggled to put it to some productive use. In fact I often found that once I had blogged about my experience, I rarely thought of it again.<br />
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I recently read this very <a href="http://www.davidleeking.com/2014/04/17/taking-useful-notes-at-a-conference/" target="_blank">interesting blog post on conferences and note taking</a>, and as I'd just been to the <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/cilip-cymru-wales/events/2015-cilip-cymru-wales-library-information-conference-14th-15th-may-swansea" target="_blank">CILIP Cymru Wales conference</a> in Swansea [the medium sized one!] it really resonated. It advocates organising your notes into categories and assigning action points to them, this should then [hopefully!] translate into a 'to do' list and make your notes more useful.<br />
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I made very few notes during the sessions at the CILIP Wales conference, other than to jot down references to various articles or resources and a reminder to investigate them further. I barely tweeted at all, other than to comment on how much I liked the food and being by the beach! In short, I mainly listened, talked to other delegates, and generally absorbed the atmosphere, rather than trying to cram in loads of note taking. As a result I came away with what I felt was a more manageable list of ideas that I could explore later, instead of my more usual overwhelming pages and pages of notes that would probably just end up forgotten in a desk drawer because I didn't have time to go through them.<br />
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When I went to a big conference at the beginning of July (the <a href="http://cilipconference2015.org.uk/" target="_blank">CILIP conference in Liverpool</a>) I felt it was important to continue this practice. I did take notes this time, there were so many sessions crammed in that I thought I might start to loose track of what I meant if I just jotted down keywords and to do lists. However I did still stand by the mantra of 'less is more', and tried to avoid copying everything down and attempting to quote speakers. This was made much easier because the speakers slides would be made available online, so we could access them at a later date.<br />
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In the past I have used my tweets as a form of note taking, I find that I am unable to listen properly to the speaker, take notes and compose tweets all at the same time, so combining the tweeting and note taking seemed to be a good solution. I would simply <a href="https://storify.com/KrisWJ/cilip-umbrella-2013-day-1" target="_blank">Storify</a> my tweets after the event and then use them to compose my blog posts. However, as mentioned earlier, the notes I took this time were quite specific to me, things I wanted to try out, or explore further, or ideas they sparked. They weren't a record of what was said, and so would be pretty unintelligible to anyone else but me. It seemed pointless putting them out in public, and so I just took notes and didn't tweet very much.<br />
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And I actually felt more comfortable not tweeting. I've always been happy to tweet from conferences and believe in sharing what's happening, especially for events that can be prohibitively expensive to attend. But I did always feel a pressure to accurately convey the speakers intent and to provide enough context. There was a freedom to not feeling that responsibility, or having my attention split that I quite enjoyed.<br />
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Last week I attended the <a href="http://arlisconference.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">ARLIS conference in Cardiff</a>. It was my first time at an ARLIS event, and it was also my first experience of being part of a conference working party. I found that being part of the organising team meant that I experienced the conference from a different perspective than if I had been a delegate (unsurprisingly!!).<br />
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One of my responsibilities was to blog about the conference afterwards, so I found that informed how I made notes. I didn't get to attend all the sessions, I spent some time manning the reception desk, but when I did I was no longer taking notes for myself, but instead for the blog. It meant the types of notes I took altered, because they had a specific purpose, and I adjusted what I recorded to suit that need.<br />
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So I guess what I mainly learnt was;<br />
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<ul>
<li>For me, notes with a purpose, either because I've been asked to feedback on a session, or as a 'to do' list, seem to be more effective than simply trying to capture everything that happens.</li>
<li>That it's hard to give my full attention to things if I have a competing obligation (like tweeting, or being an organiser) so if I want to do those things I need to make sure I factor it in.</li>
<li>And that one of the things I like best about attending conferences is the networking (although I hate that term, and just think meeting people!) and that I find it a lot easier to do at the smaller conferences.</li>
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Hopefully, having the chance to reflect on what works best for me means that when I attend future events, I can bear it in mind and get the most out of the experience. I'd love to hear other peoples feelings about how they get value from attending them too!Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-60591103551355844472015-06-03T21:42:00.002+01:002015-06-03T21:42:48.032+01:00It's been a while ...It's been over a year since I last posted on this blog.<br />
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Things have been so busy, and I was a little distracted posting on <a href="http://23llyfrgellydd.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">23 Llyfrgellydd</a>, so it's been a bit neglected.<br />
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However, I have good intentions to resume, I'm in the process of <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/cilip/chartership" target="_blank">chartering</a> and plan on using it to chart my progress and reflect. I'm also enrolled on the <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/cilip/about/projects-reviews/cilip-leadership-programme" target="_blank">CILIP Leadership Programme</a>, so it will be a good opportunity to share my experience of taking part.<br />
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Hopefully things will go according to plan!Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-68366768595242920672014-04-30T09:35:00.000+01:002014-04-30T09:35:45.703+01:00Library Camp Wales 2014 in CardiffAfter months of planning the day of the first ever <a href="http://libcampwales.wikispaces.com/" target="_blank">Library Camp Wales</a> dawned bright (although sadly not sunny!). If you've never heard of a Library Camp before, it is an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconference" target="_blank">'un-conference'</a>, a free, participant driven event. The idea is that instead of booking speakers and presentations, the attendees pitch ideas on the day and contribute to the discussions.<br />
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After setting up in our fabulous venue, the <a href="http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/estat/accessibilityinformation/cathayscampus/glamorgan/mainglamorgan.html" target="_blank">Glamorgan Building</a> in Cathays Park, our Library Campers started arriving and got stuck in to playing <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Play-Human-Bingo" target="_blank">Human Bingo</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h8xnZkQk4rc/U2C0UyhnP6I/AAAAAAAAAZs/si_26jMDZto/s1600/reception.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h8xnZkQk4rc/U2C0UyhnP6I/AAAAAAAAAZs/si_26jMDZto/s1600/reception.jpg" height="191" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the Library Camp Wales team manning the reception area</td></tr>
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After the sessions were pitched and the timetable for the day was arranged the day got under way.<br />
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I didn't get to take part in many sessions as I was wandering about making sure everyone had all they needed, but I did get to facilitate the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_networking" target="_blank">Speed Networking</a> event, which was very noisy!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cQHqzNapr-s/U2C0FuQAqHI/AAAAAAAAAZc/8C5lnX_vzeo/s1600/speednetworking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cQHqzNapr-s/U2C0FuQAqHI/AAAAAAAAAZc/8C5lnX_vzeo/s1600/speednetworking.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speed Networking in action</td></tr>
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Lunch involved a lot of food (Library Campers were very generous with their contributions) and we also had our very own customized cupcakes.<br />
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In the afternoon I got to attend a session on library skills and qualifications (which I'll blog about separately). Before I knew it, it was time for the wrap up and awarding the prizes for the badge competition, Human Bingo prize draw, and cake competition.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tz3aZlPa6Cg/U2Cz22lBAYI/AAAAAAAAAZM/uJi3nUw1XAQ/s1600/dragoncake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tz3aZlPa6Cg/U2Cz22lBAYI/AAAAAAAAAZM/uJi3nUw1XAQ/s1600/dragoncake.jpg" height="191" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winner of the Cake Competition!</td></tr>
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We rounded the day off in <a href="http://buffalocardiff.co.uk/" target="_blank">Buffalo</a>, enjoying 2 for 1 cocktails!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aFPBO0ubN0o/U2C1GUugLEI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/ZX5aB4kpQ-I/s1600/buffalo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aFPBO0ubN0o/U2C1GUugLEI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/ZX5aB4kpQ-I/s1600/buffalo.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A card catalogue in Buffalo Bar, photo courtesy of <a href="https://twitter.com/karen_gibbins" target="_blank">@karen_gibbins</a></td></tr>
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Check out a <a href="http://libcampwales.wikispaces.com/Storify" target="_blank">Storify</a> of the day here.Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-845844810555480872014-04-24T17:26:00.003+01:002014-04-24T17:26:49.759+01:00Library Camp UK 2013 part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Slightly delayed part 2 of last November's Library Camp UK!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Uy2uLebnyUs/UrCBrGqBuJI/AAAAAAAAAYg/f08-5_tKkIo/s1600/20131130_134123_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Uy2uLebnyUs/UrCBrGqBuJI/AAAAAAAAAYg/f08-5_tKkIo/s320/20131130_134123_resized.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After lunch I headed to the digitisation session, it was
really interesting to hear about current projects, such as the <a href="http://www.bl.uk/maps/georefabout.html" target="_blank">georeferencing of map and topographical collections at the British Library</a>. Digitisation projects can often be too expensive or time-consuming for some libraries to consider, but suggestions were made to find ways around those barriers. Someone in the group mentioned <a href="http://www.nadfas.org.uk/what-we-do/heritage-volunteers/introduction" target="_blank">NADFAS [National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies</a>] whose heritage volunteers can be brought in to assist with digitisation projects. An interesting discussion also developed on the pros and cons of Google books, which seemed to conclude that the main problem was quality control. That's certainly been my experience, particularly with older texts, some are just unreadable!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The second session of the afternoon was on special librarians.
At the introductions first thing in the morning, I was disappointed (but not
surprised) to notice that after public, academic libraries,
or students, everyone else was somewhat lumped together as ’other’. This
session felt like a good opportunity to redress that a bit. I can’t list all
the different types of library or information environments that people worked
in but it was <em>very</em> varied, TV, legal, NHS, government, cathedral, and museum of
course! </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">There were also a large number (about half the group) who were
students or graduate trainees wanting to hear
more about the wide variety of library and information work out there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The session began with a
discussion on the challenges of working in these types of environments and whether you still define yourself as a librarian, particularly from those working on more corporate sectors. We then explained a bit about what our particular jobs involve, before finishing off with sharing tips on how you might pursue a career in
a special library. An excellent write up relating to the session is available <a href="http://occamstypewriter.org/trading-knowledge/2013/12/04/being-special/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The final session I attended was on catalogues and search interfaces, which although
sharing a space with another group, was small enough that I had no problem hearing
the discussion. The starting point was ‘<em>what if the library
catalogue had a different type of interface?</em>’. Laurence (<a href="https://twitter.com/Lorp" target="_blank">@Lorp</a>, one of the pitcher’s?)
elaborated on this by showing us a number of online catalogues and lists of
books, including Amazon to demonstrate how a more visual approach may be more
helpful in finding material. I certainly agreed with the idea, I have always found
it 100 times easier to find a book if I know what it looks like.
And, I really like the idea of the catalogue as virtual bookshelf with photos of the spines of books to identify them [although not as visually attractive as using the covers!]. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The discussion then moved on to metadata and the problems of inheriting poor data, which no-one ever has the time or resources to put right. Some of the tools that could be used to help you fix problems, such as <a href="https://github.com/KDK-Alli/RecordManager/wiki" target="_blank">KDK-Alli Record Manager tools</a> from National Library of Finland recommended by <a href="https://twitter.com/preater" target="_blank">@preater</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YOl4NLdUAzQ/UrCBtiz0IHI/AAAAAAAAAYo/1SiLYU0QS3U/s1600/20131130_134252_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YOl4NLdUAzQ/UrCBtiz0IHI/AAAAAAAAAYo/1SiLYU0QS3U/s320/20131130_134252_resized.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I consciously tried to take more of a backseat and not talk
too much in sessions at this Library Camp because I felt that I just
wanted to enjoy the experience on a slightly more passive level, soaking
everything up like a sponge. I actually found it quite refreshing, at previous events I have been far more of an active participant, but it was nice to try a different approach this time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You can see the full list of sessions<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AuAxs-lWZOa-dEk3SVdmWkU3dFZDNHlURnh3NHpiN2c&usp=drive_web#gid=0" target="_blank"> here</a> and access related social media activity on the Pinboard the organisers set up <a href="http://www.pinboard.in/t:libcampuk13" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-24760241882182448152014-01-09T16:50:00.002+00:002014-01-09T16:50:58.632+00:00Library Camp UK 2013 part 1<span style="font-family: inherit;">Last week I set off for <a href="http://www.librarycamp.co.uk/" target="_blank">Library Camp UK 2013</a> at the new
<a href="http://www.libraryofbirmingham.com/" target="_blank">Library of Birmingham</a>. I’m not sure how many people were attending, but it
certainly seemed as though there was a really large crowd gathered. If you’ve
never heard of a Library Camp before, they are a series of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconference" target="_blank">'unconferences'</a> held around the UK. Free to attend, they operate an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Space_Technology" target="_blank">'Open Space'</a> policy meaning there is no formal agenda or speakers, attendees set the schedule on the day and the direction of the sessions is guided by the participants.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iSg335Vpz-8/UrCBbS6jgZI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/26Fnvy3ED2w/s1600/20131130_102624_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iSg335Vpz-8/UrCBbS6jgZI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/26Fnvy3ED2w/s320/20131130_102624_resized.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Session pitches</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Although I had considered whether or not to pitch a session,
in the end I decided not to. There were so many great pitches to choose from
it </span>didn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> feel necessary.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first session I went to was run by <a href="https://twitter.com/llordllama" target="_blank">@llordllama</a> on
performance in presentation, and it was the perfect start to the day. Unlike
some sessions, it was less of a discussion and more of a teaching and learning experience, although still very interactive. He
illustrated the ways we might convey confidence using body
language, facial cues and voice. It was useful to think about how we can use
our style of presentation to engage with people and get the best out of situations. Not to mention learning to recognise what those cues might be telling us about others, and how that could affect how we approach them. A lot of the session
involved audience participation, and most people seemed to leave
smiling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The secret garden on floor 7</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The second session I attended was Evidence-based
Librarianship, which was a very, very popular. This meant that the group was large and you had to really raise your voice to be heard. We were also sharing the room with a second session and the noise
occasionally made it hard to hear. Such is the burden of popular sessions!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">However despite those issues, I found the session really
interesting and you can read notes from <a href="https://twitter.com/pennyb" target="_blank">@pennyb</a> [who pitched the session] <a href="http://pennybinary.com/2013/12/04/evidence-based-librarianship-at-librarycamp-uk-2013/" target="_blank">here</a>. It
focused on service led research, and although I didn’t really
feel like I had much to contribute personally I still enjoyed it. It was interesting to hear the
difference between academic librarians in the UK and in the US, where involvement in research as part of your job is more widely expected. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Concerns were raised about how difficult it can be to find out about research in the field unless you happen to be actively involved in it. A number of resources were mentioned that could help, such as <a href="http://www.educause.edu/" target="_blank">Educause</a> and the <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/lirgweb/home" target="_blank">LIRG website</a>. But there was also a call for a more formal bringing together of information centrally, and the thought that it should be the responsibility of CILIP to provide it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was also very interested to hear of a scheme run by the University of Brighton that matches dissertation students with libraries looking to undertake research. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PpoCSN9tgRk/UrCD9Jo7WbI/AAAAAAAAAY4/4-KrqKzVNjQ/s1600/IMAG1189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PpoCSN9tgRk/UrCD9Jo7WbI/AAAAAAAAAY4/4-KrqKzVNjQ/s320/IMAG1189.jpg" height="191" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The falafel stand was often mentioned in the run up to Library Camp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As I had been so unorganised as to not bring any food to
share, I decided to go out for lunch to the explore the Christmas market [way too crowded], and look around the library, which is truly stunning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-30053501784707116312013-09-12T15:22:00.001+01:002013-09-12T15:27:33.009+01:00Career Paths and Networking<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Back in July 2012 I attended the CILIP Career Development Group/New Professionals conference and had intended on blogging about it, but I never got round to it and now so much time has passed it doesn’t really seem worth it. Plenty of people who attended wrote up their own thoughts on the event, a couple of which you can read <a href="http://lisnpn.spruz.com/pt/CDG2012---A-no-longer-quite-new-professionals-experience/blog.htm" target="_blank">here</a> or <a href="http://librariansontheloose.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/career-development-group-conference-2012-together-we-are-stronger-an-organisers-perspective/" target="_blank">here</a> or <a href="http://tinareynolds.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/career-development-group-conference-2012/" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US">However I thought one of the sessions I attended might be useful to share as it focused on</span> <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/CareerDevelopmentGroup/j-clarke-cdg2012" target="_blank">Career Paths and Networking</a> <span lang="EN-US">and was presented by Jeremy Clarke of <a href="http://www.suehill.com/" target="_blank">Sue Hill Recruitment</a>. It aimed to
highlight some of the ways in which you can approach career development
regardless of whether you are just starting out or more established.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">To begin with Jeremy highlighted the importance of planning, and asked these questions;</span></div>
<br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Where are you now?</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Where do you want to be?</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">How will you get there?</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Once you begin to answer those questions you can target areas that perhaps need improvement, and focus on trying for jobs
that will help your progression. </span>He also mentioned that it might be worth doing a 'skills audit' at this stage to help you answer some of those questions.<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">If we accept that the idea of a ‘job for
life’ has pretty much gone, then the idea of training for just one particular
type of role makes less sense. Transferrable skills and the need to be more
flexible in our career choices is becoming increasingly important, so Jeremy
suggested we think more in terms of ‘portfolio careers’. Selling your skills
and experiences, and trying out various job roles and ways of working to
demonstrate your flexibility.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hAs23FiHx40/US-Hr2dkNRI/AAAAAAAAAVU/VVrFRQ1E4v4/s1600/IMAG0437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hAs23FiHx40/US-Hr2dkNRI/AAAAAAAAAVU/VVrFRQ1E4v4/s320/IMAG0437.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">He also gave us a number of practical tips
on where you can find out about job opportunities, such as;</span></div>
<br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Local & national papers, and trade publications</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Websites such as <a href="http://www.lisjobnet.com/" target="_blank">Lisjobnet</a></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Recruitment agencies – although these are often better for
temporary positions</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Social media – LinkedIn, or Twitter accounts such as <a href="https://twitter.com/UKLibraryJobs" target="_blank">@UKLibraryJobs</a> or
<a href="https://twitter.com/LISNPN" target="_blank">@LISNPN</a></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Listservs such as LIS-LINK, or ARLIS-LINK if you’re interested
in art librarianship</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Organizational websites – as it’s increasingly expensive to
advertise through traditional channels, some organizations will only
advertise on their own website</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Direct approaches – some organizations will keep a database of
potential applicants and let you know when vacancies arise</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Word of mouth – networking and personal contacts</span></li>
</ul>
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">The second part of his presentation
focused on networking, a skill which many people can find off-putting or uncomfortable,</span><span lang="EN-US"> so he shared some practical
tips he'd picked up over the years that had helped him to get started;</span></div>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Learn to smile & say hello – basic but important, and the easiest way to get chatting to someone</span></div>
</li>
<li><span lang="EN-US">Ask someone you know to make introductions – you probably won’t have to ask outright, just mentioning that you don’t know anyone else there might result in them offering!</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US">Approach singles – always less intimidating than a group, and often grateful for someone to chat to as well</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US">Prepare in advance – if you have a couple of topics/questions in mind it can help fill the dreaded ‘empty silence’</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US">Go with your boss – I’m guessing this depends on how well you get on with your boss</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US">Learn to listen – try not to fall into the trap of panicking so much about what to say next that you forget to pay attention to the conversation</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
S<span lang="EN-US">ome of Jeremy's recommendations for successful networking included;</span><br />
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Picking the right event – some events make it easier to network than others</span></div>
</li>
<li><span lang="EN-US">Realize that there are ‘sliding scales of networking success’ – you shouldn’t expect all networking experiences to be the same, and never compare yourself to others, what you need to achieve your goals may not be the same as someone else</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US">Set yourself targets – ie I will try to talk to at least 3 new people today, as it can help you to feel less overwhelmed and keep you focused</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US">Consider what it is you want to find out – having a goal or purpose can help focus your thoughts</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US">Have an idea of what you want to communicate – networking is a two way thing, you’re not just looking to find information from others, but you are also taking the opportunity to advertise your own skills and experience</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US">Follow up afterwards – a good way to ensure that you don’t get forgotten, particularly if your networking has been done at a large event with lots of people</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">And a related tip I remember from a similar
training session – always have an ‘out’, a way to disengage naturally from the
conversation, rather than see it flounder. Common examples include, 'I'm going to get
another drink/visit the toilet/check out the trade stands/find the next presentation or session'. Personally I’m not a fan of
the ‘there’s so and so I just need to go and have a word with them’ method as
it can come across as a bit rude!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-52784772496608407172013-07-10T18:01:00.000+01:002013-07-10T18:01:20.145+01:00CILIP Umbrella 2013 #ub13<span style="font-family: inherit;">Last week I went to CILIP’s big annual conference, <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/umbrella2013/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Umbrella</a>,
for the first time thanks to a bursary from the <a href="http://communities.cilip.org.uk/blogs/catalogueandindex/default.aspx" target="_blank">Cataloguers & IndexersGroup</a>. I will blog in more depth about some of the sessions later, but I wanted
to get down some of my impressions of the event as a whole.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Never having been to a conference of more than about 200
delegates before, I was incredibly excited to attend Umbrella, which I think
had about 600. Before setting off, I had gone through the list of sessions to
try and get a feel for what I wanted to go to and was fairly overwhelmed at the
choice, there was a lot going on!</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W3e348iLtfI/Ud1008cB6qI/AAAAAAAAAXM/itlOoPfbLq8/s1600/untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W3e348iLtfI/Ud1008cB6qI/AAAAAAAAAXM/itlOoPfbLq8/s320/untitled.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biddy Fisher giving the opening address at Umbrella</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<h4>
What were my highlights?</h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/Unbrella2013" target="_blank">Un-brella 2013</a></strong> - I headed up the night before the conference, so
went to the drinks event they put on. It was great for a first timer who didn’t
know anyone else there, as it meant I got to know people before the conference
began, I would definitely recommend it. Un-brella also ran a number of other
events over the two days, including ‘un-conference’ sessions (and ‘Human Bingo’
which was a great ice-breaker) I thought the team were great, and they did a
fab job over the conference.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/JaniceLachance" target="_blank">Janice Lachance</a></strong> (CEO, <a href="http://www.sla.org/" target="_blank">Special Libraries Association</a>) - I found Janice’s talk really inspiring, I
could tell from Twitter that not everyone shared that feeling, particularly
with her suggestion to ‘release your inner executive’ and proposition that the
word ‘librarian’ could be limiting. While I get where people were coming from,
personally I did connect with it. I think if you bear in mind the context of
what she was saying (many members of the SLA work in corporate environments) it’s
more understandable. I found it encouraging that she spoke at Umbrella, it was
a recognition that those of us working in less typical library sectors may need
to consider different approaches to suit our workplace.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://twitter.com/benshowers" target="_blank"><strong>Ben Showers</strong></a><strong> –</strong> although much of Ben's session focused on the skills we need for the future, I found his discussion of projects that use technology to open up collections and the work of the <a href="http://www.oclc.org/research/activities/vandr.html" target="_blank">JISC/OCLC digital visitors and residents project</a> most useful. Likewise
<a href="https://twitter.com/beckyammba" target="_blank">Rebecca Bartlett’s</a> portion of the debate (!) about libraries without walls, outlining mobile technologies and interactive tools at the new Library of Birmingham, was very
interesting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Future skills</strong> – I ended up in a few sessions that discussed
training for library staff, both formal and informal, I’ll blog more on them
later, but it was really interesting to see the approaches of library
professionals in the UK and around the world. Transferable skills were definitely
the buzz words of the conference!</span><br />
<br />
<strong>MOSI</strong> - attending a wine reception in such an unusual venue (<a href="http://www.mosi.org.uk/" target="_blank">Museum of Science and Industry</a>) and hearing about some of the amazing life changing and life saving activities that libraries are involved in at the <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/news-media/pages/news130703a.aspx" target="_blank">Libraries Change Lives</a> award ceremony. It really hammered home the amazing impact libraries can have on their community.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1y4qQOaPknc/Ud131RjZCYI/AAAAAAAAAXc/8ySvI-MQlXs/s1600/untitled2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1y4qQOaPknc/Ud131RjZCYI/AAAAAAAAAXc/8ySvI-MQlXs/s320/untitled2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of @Librarianpocket (Victoria Treadway)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Any down-sides?</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Timings </strong>– a number of the sessions had four talks squished
into the hour, it wasn’t long enough. A good proportion of the presentations I would
have really liked to have heard more from, but there just wasn’t enough time to go
into them in detail. Perhaps less choice would have allowed for longer
sessions?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Seating</strong> – or lack of it! It meant eating lunch (it seems
wrong to complain, it’s not the lunches you are there for, but
they were terrible!) while sat on the floor. At coffee breaks you’re trying to
juggle bags, conference programme, cup and saucer with nowhere to sit or a
table to rest belongings. I wouldn’t ordinarily mind, but I don’t think it
helped to facilitate networking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But, overall it was a fantastic experience, and I’m so
grateful that CIG gave me the opportunity to go, it certainly left me feeling
inspired, and with things to mull over, which I suppose is the purpose of a
conference!</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9J-pB7K8RT4/Ud1njl9XdZI/AAAAAAAAAW8/GxXOUBcHx0o/s1600/unbrella+bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9J-pB7K8RT4/Ud1njl9XdZI/AAAAAAAAAW8/GxXOUBcHx0o/s320/unbrella+bear.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching Phil Bradley give the closing speech</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/umbrella2013/pages/presentations.aspx" target="_blank">Check out presentations from the conference on the CILIP website.</a></span>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-69236844533663094522013-04-17T21:04:00.001+01:002013-04-17T21:08:31.075+01:00New Professionals / Chartership meet up - Cardiff<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Fancy an informal chat with fellow new professionals? Want to know more about chartership? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Then come along to the CILIP Career Development Group Wales New Professionals get together on Wednesday 24th April at Chapel 1877, Churchill Way, Cardiff. We’re meeting at 6pm in the bar on the ground floor.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BF3Bo4r-Njo/UW5yOnUooZI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/8L5ExxZR97I/s1600/chapel3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BF3Bo4r-Njo/UW5yOnUooZI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/8L5ExxZR97I/s320/chapel3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">D</span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">etails on how to find Chapel 1877 can be found on their <a href="http://chapel1877.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. For more information contact Laura Moss (<a href="https://twitter.com/lmossinfo" target="_blank">@lmossinfo</a>) at <a href="mailto:l.moss@bathspa.ac.uk">l.moss@bathspa.ac.uk</a></span><br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rlbadUnXju0/UW5yUOIoVXI/AAAAAAAAAWY/fx4QLk2m1VM/s1600/chapel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rlbadUnXju0/UW5yUOIoVXI/AAAAAAAAAWY/fx4QLk2m1VM/s1600/chapel.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hope to see you there!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-5620502644853683232013-04-04T21:17:00.000+01:002013-04-04T21:17:57.037+01:00Library Camp London part 2I've all ready blogged about the morning sessions <a href="http://kris-library.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/library-camp-london-part-1.html" target="_blank">here,</a> and after an amazing lunch (all provided by the attendees) it was time for the afternoon sessions. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jQJxtZCIJDA/UUCk1hKFQoI/AAAAAAAAAWA/6ofolb8x_-M/s1600/lunch2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jQJxtZCIJDA/UUCk1hKFQoI/AAAAAAAAAWA/6ofolb8x_-M/s320/lunch2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Claire Black</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
First up was a speed networking session, based on the speed dating concept, we were partnered up and given two minutes to introduce ourselves before we swapped to the next partner, and so on till we'd met everyone. It was a great opportunity to meet people, but the two minutes weren't long enough. I wish it had been scheduled for before lunch so you could carry on the conversations that had been started.<br />
<br />
Next up was the <em>'Sweary Session'</em> pitched by <a href="https://twitter.com/richardveevers" target="_blank">Richard Veevers</a>, on dealing with library users swearing at you. I really enjoyed this session, even though I now work in a closed access library and so don't anticipate experiencing this particular problem. It was however, pretty surreal sitting in a session discussing the origin of certain swear words while hearing <em>'The Wheels on the Bus'</em> from the Rhymetime session behind us!<br />
<br />
To start with we made the distinction that there is a difference between swearing and being <em>sworn at</em>. Often it's not the language which is unacceptable, but the manner of communication.<br />
<br />
With this clarified we shared our own related experiences, and discussed the various ways we'd dealt with them (or would have preferred to deal with them!), ending with a list of points that people found useful.<br />
<ul>
<li>Strong support from management staff - backing you up, particularly in front of library users</li>
<li>Clear guidelines on what is and isn't considered acceptable, and procedures to deal with them - although not so inflexible that some personal discretion can't sometimes be used</li>
<li>A consistent message across all frontline staff - if you are all saying the same thing then situations created due to confusion will be less likely</li>
<li>Confidence to call in back up if required - sometimes just a change of face can help to defuse a situation</li>
<li>The understanding that there won't always be a happy resolution - you can do everything in your power to resolve the situation and still end up with an unsatisfactory result, that isn't a failure, it's just how it is sometimes!</li>
</ul>
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The final session I attended was run by <a href="http://uk.linkedin.com/in/stephenbowman1" target="_blank">Steve Bowman</a> called <em>Vacate the Library!</em> I was particularly keen to attend because I missed the excellent <em><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/CareerDevelopmentGroup/stephen-a-bowman-cdgcdg2012-librarians-awake" target="_blank">Librarians Awake!</a></em> presentation he did at the CDG/New Professionals Conference last year, so I was hoping he'd cover similar themes in the session. <br />
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Steve began by telling us about some of the outreach work he's been doing at the University of Chichester, and how as a result it's allowed his department to become more visible both in the local area and within his institution. He pointed out that getting out of the library can be of benefit to you professionally and also to your institution. He also suggested that to get on as a library or a librarian it is 30% skills and 70% visibility!<br />
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There followed a discussion which allowed people to swap stories of the outreach activities they've been involved in, some of the suggestions included;<br />
<br />
Internal<br />
<ul>
<li>Interact more with like-minded departments, such as e-learning for example</li>
<li>Volunteer for things at work - committees, projects</li>
<li>Send out regular newsletters informing staff/students/library users of your activities</li>
<li>Have a strong presence on your institutions intranet</li>
<li>Have pop up libraries - strategically placed by canteen/coffee machines etc.</li>
</ul>
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External<br />
<ul>
<li>Go out to local schools, colleges, or organised groups</li>
<li>Present at conferences or write for professional publications - handy if your institution is keen on raising its research profile</li>
<li>Use social media - it can have a greater potential reach</li>
</ul>
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I found the session really interesting, even if we did feel a bit outnumbered by the <a href="http://www.preater.com/2013/03/10/librarians-and-personality-at-library-camp-london/" target="_blank"><em>Librarians and Personality</em></a> session next to us!Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-24749148518103456592013-03-10T14:25:00.002+00:002013-03-10T14:25:40.221+00:00Library Camp London part 1On Saturday 2nd March I headed to <a href="http://www.senatehouselibrary.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Senate House Library</a> for <a href="http://www.librarycamp.co.uk/2013/03/thats-way-to-do-it-librarycamp-london.html" target="_blank">Library Camp London</a>. If you've never heard of Library Camp before you can read more about what's involved <a href="http://www.librarycamp.co.uk/p/librarycamp-2012.html" target="_blank">here</a>, but to put it <em>very</em> simply they are 'unconferences' whereby the attendees are encouraged to set the programme of sessions and actively participate.<br />
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On arriving at the stunning Senate House there was a great deal of excitment caused by the film crew in the courtyard below, apparently they were filming the next Muppets movie (but sadly I didn't get to see any Muppets).<br />
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After the session pitches, the timetable was arranged and it was down to business! The downside of a Library Camp, is that there are always far more sessions that I want to attend than I am actually able to go to, so you just have to make your choices and hope the ones you missed are blogged about afterwards. In the morning I decided on two related sessions, 'Creative CPD' and 'Design your own LIS course'.<br />
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<em>Creative Continuing Professional Development</em> was proposed by <a href="https://twitter.com/ellyob" target="_blank">@ellyob</a> and got such a large response we ended up dividing into smaller sub-groups. The idea was to look at ways you could continue to develop your professional skills if you can't afford expensive training courses.<br />
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Our group started by sharing experiences of CPD activities we'd been involved in which led to us listing solutions and alternatives to keep training costs as low as possible. They were coming so thick and fast that it was getting difficult to make sure we had managed to list them all properly!<br />
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Top tips included;<br />
<ul>
<li>Join CILIP sub-groups and volunteer for commitee roles</li>
<li>Investigate free online courses (check out the BL's free <a href="http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/3p/bl/" target="_blank">Intellectual Property course</a> for example)</li>
<li>See what in-house training is available</li>
<li>Webinars (see the Open Education Database for <a href="http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/2013/15-free-live-webinars-for-librarians-in-march/" target="_blank">listings of free webinars for librarians</a>)</li>
<li>Speak or volunteer at conferences (you get to attend for free then!)</li>
<li>Pursue sponsorship/grants/awards (try <a href="http://www.sla-europe.org/awards/early-career-conference-award/" target="_blank">SLA Early Career Conference award</a>, CILIP <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/about-us/medalsandawards/john-campbell-trust/pages/conference-travel-bursary.aspx" target="_blank">John Campbell Conference/Travel Bursary</a> or <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/about-us/medalsandawards/aspire/pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Aspire award</a> or <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/about-us/international/organisations/ifla/pages/wlic-grants.aspx" target="_blank">First Timer award</a> for the IFLA conference, <a href="http://www.biall.org.uk/pages/bursaries.html" target="_blank">BIALL conference bursaries</a>)</li>
<li>Ask to visit libraries (lots of libraries offer tours, they just don't advertise the fact!)</li>
<li>Job-shadowing (see Karen Pierce's account of the <a href="http://darksideofthecatalogue.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/thing-22-professional-volunteering-or-volunteering-in-the-profession/" target="_blank">Do Something Different Day</a> run by Cardiff University)</li>
<li>Join <a href="http://www.arlis.org.uk/events.php?link=2" target="_blank">ARLIS</a>/<a href="http://www.sla-europe.org/" target="_blank">SLA</a>/<a href="http://www.biall.org.uk/pages/training-courses.html" target="_blank">BIALL</a> (the courses are often cheaper! See also <a href="http://www.historiclibrariesforum.org.uk/hlf/events.html" target="_blank">Historic Libraries Forum</a> or </li>
<li>Look for informal groups in your area (<a href="http://www.likenews.org.uk/" target="_blank">LIKE</a> [London], <a href="https://twitter.com/likenorth" target="_blank">LIKE North</a> [Yorkshire], <a href="http://www.cliclibraries.co.uk/content.php?nID=5" target="_blank">CLIC</a> [Cardiff], <a href="http://www.leisureandculturedundee.com/library/taflintrain" target="_blank">TAFLIN</a> [Tayside & Fife] to name just a few!)</li>
</ul>
But there were loads more suggested, and I'm sure some of the other groups came up with plenty of things we hadn't even thought of, which hopefully will be writen up and appear on the Library Camp London <a href="http://libcampldn.wikispaces.com/Event+writeups+and+blog+posts" target="_blank">wiki</a>.<br />
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Then it was straight into the second session, organised by the <a href="http://uklibchat.wordpress.com/the-uklibchat-team/" target="_blank">#uklibchat team</a>, <em>Design your own LIS Qualification</em>. The session was live tweeted, with the team monitoring questions and responses from non-attendees so opening up the discussion to a wider audience than just those in the room. They had also set up a Google Doc prior to the session to pose a number of questions that would direct the conversation.<br />
<em>If you've got a LIS qualification, where did you study and what was the best module?</em><br />
<em>Which elements of your LIS qualification have you used the most since starting work?</em><br />
<em>Which elements have you not used so much?</em><br />
<br />
The general consensus in the room was that the practical aspects of librarianship were far and away the most useful, a number of people had found they used the cataloguing skills they'd learnt most, and many others found the IT and web design aspects most useful. <a href="https://twitter.com/liz_jolly" target="_blank">Liz Jolly</a> explained to us that LIS courses are supposed to be vocational, that it is the diploma which is the professional qualification and the dissertation is an academic extra. She also suggested we check out the new <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/jobs-careers/professional-knowledge-and-skills-base/pages/professional%20knowledge%20and%20skills%20base.aspx" target="_blank">CILIP Professional Knowledge and Skills Base</a> for further clarification on skills required.<br />
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It was also interesting to hear the point of view of employeers on what they were looked for in employees, which included project management skills, awareness of the issues surrounding the sector as a whole and practical experience.<br />
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After some discussion on what had worked well, what had appeared to be a waste of time, and what people wished they had had the opportunity to do we started to note down our ideal qualification.<br />
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The proposed selection<br />
<ul>
<li>A greater choice of modules</li>
<li>Stronger links between theory & practice</li>
<li>Practical experience of cataloguing</li>
<li>Opportunities for group work</li>
<li>Teaching</li>
<li>Work experience opportunities</li>
<li>Management skills - people, budgets, projects</li>
<li>Up to date IT skills</li>
<li>Strategic planning</li>
</ul>
<br />
There was a call for more teaching from practitioners rather than academics, and that the library staff of the university should have much more involvement in the teaching of courses than is currently the case. In short the conclusion was that courses needed to be much more in tune with what libraries are doing today.<br />
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Check out tweets from the session <a href="http://storify.com/uklibchat/design-your-own-lis-qualification-with-uklibchat" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-9757889711938763542012-10-10T16:22:00.001+01:002012-10-10T16:22:46.082+01:00Library meet up in Cardiff<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.cliclibraries.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">CLIC</span></a> (Cardiff Libraries in Co-operation) is organising a meet up for library staff in the <st1:place w:st="on">South Wales</st1:place> area. The meet up is open to anyone working in libraries in Cardiff and the surrounding area, or anyone from nearby who fancies socialising with fellow library staff. </div>
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<br />It will take place in the upstairs section of <a href="http://www.baroccocardiff.co.uk/index"><span style="color: windowtext;">Barocco</span></a> in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cardiff</st1:place></st1:city> city centre from 5.30pm-9.30pm on Wednesday 24th October. Parking is available not too far from the bar (click the link to see a <a href="http://www.ncp.co.uk/find-a-car-park?t=link&q=cardiff%20wharton%20st&via=0#cardiff wharton st"><span style="color: windowtext;">map</span></a> of nearby car parks), and as we discovered last time we went there, Barocco does a two-for-one deal on cocktails! </div>
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<br />It's a chance for us to get together and mix with others from different library sectors in an informal setting. If you fancy coming along, but want more information you can contact me via this blog or my Twitter account <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/kriswj"><span style="color: windowtext;">@KrisWJ</span></a><br /><br />Hope to see you there!</div>
Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-72769818534998587822012-07-12T09:32:00.000+01:002012-07-12T09:32:31.333+01:00Cardiff CLIC/CPD23 meet up<a href="http://www.cliclibraries.co.uk/" target="_blank">CLIC</a> is organising a meet up for library staff in the South Wales area. If you are taking part in the <a href="http://cpd23.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">CPD23</a> course, then it can count as your <a href="http://cpd23.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/thing-7-real-life-networks.html" target="_blank">'thing 7'</a>, but it is open to everyone regardless of whether you are taking part.<br />
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The meet up will be held in the yurt at <a href="http://www.milgilounge.com/" target="_blank">Milgi</a> on City Road in Cardiff from 6.00 till roughly 9.00pm on Tuesday the 24th July. City Road is only a few minutes walk from Cardiff city centre, and the <a href="http://www.cardiffbus.com/english/route38-39.shtml" target="_blank">no. 38 & 39 buses</a> stop right outside (parking in the area is not great though!).<br />
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The yurt is right at the back of Milgi, if you haven't been before you need to walk right through the length of the bar and out towards the beer garden.</div>
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So if you work in libraries and live near enough to get to Cardiff, then please come down, we would love to see you!</div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-5739374038469266512012-06-20T17:36:00.004+01:002012-06-20T17:36:33.513+01:00Things 6 & 7 - real-life & virtual networks<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
I’m cheating and combining two things this week, but I feel it’s justified because lately many of my online connections have developed into real-life ones, and much of my real-life connections are supplemented by my online presence.</div>
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When I took part in CPD23 last year I was only just starting to get involved with professional bodies (formal and informal) and I was often a rather passive participant. With the impetus of CPD23 behind me I am becoming more proactive, and I do feel it has been beneficial, not just in terms of what I have learnt and the professional development opportunities it’s created, but just in terms of boosting my confidence. It can be a little intimidating as a (relative) newbie to the profession, but it’s surprisingly easy to get involved, and once you are you wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!</div>
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The <a href="http://cpd23.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/thing-7-real-life-networks.html" target="_blank">list of organisations</a> you can become a part of on the CPD23 blog is really impressive, I thought I’d just add a little about my own experiences of some of them. </div>
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Online Networks</div>
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<a href="http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/kristine-chapman/38/952/190" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> – last year I set up my account, but didn’t really do anything with it. I’ve been planning on updating it ever since, it’s still not happened!</div>
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<a href="http://lisnpn.spruz.com/" target="_blank">LISNPN</a> – I joined a while ago, and have been on a few of the meet ups (see my post on the latest one <a href="http://kris-library.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/lisnpn-cardiff-meet-up.html">here</a>). I think of LISNPN as a really great springboard to help you get acquainted with your fellow library folk. The resources section is full of useful information, from LIS course reviews, to guides to making presentations, and interviews tips. They also post job vacancies on the site, and share them via their Twitter account, <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/LISNPN" target="_blank">@LISNPN</a>.</div>
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Pinterest – I’ve just joined and so far I’ve not done much with it, but I’m looking forward to catching the ‘pinning bug’ </div>
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Real-life networks</div>
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CILIP – I joined a year ago, and so far I’m finding it is worth it. I attended the <a href="http://kris-library.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/cilip-new-professionals-day-2012-part-1.html">CILIP New Professionals Day</a> this year, which was really great and I’ve taken part in some CIG online forum discussions (little bit intimidating) and I’ve just heard that the Rare Books Group is planning on running some events in Wales (hooray!). I’m also heading up to the CDG/New Professional conference this July, as (along with <a href="http://darksideofthecatalogue.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Karen Pierce</a>) I will be doing one of the presentations (scary!).</div>
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<a href="http://www.sla.org/" target="_blank">SLA (Special Libraries Association)</a> – the <place w:st="on">SLA</place> has a Museums group, so it was an obvious choice to join. I’m looking forward to exploring more of what my membership will offer; I’ve heard good things about them.<br />
<a href="http://www.arlis.org.uk/" target="_blank">ARLIS</a> – Although I use our institutional membership, rather than have a personal one, I still try to get involved; the email lists are great for keeping up to date with what’s happening in the art libraries world. I just wish I could make it to the regular <a href="http://www.arlis.org.uk/events.php?link=3" target="_blank">visits</a> they hold, which are too far away for me, they always look amazing.</div>
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<a href="http://mlagblog.org/" target="_blank">MLAG (Museum Librarians and Archivists Group)</a> – they used to be the London Museum Librarians and Archivists Group, but have since opened up their membership UK wide. It’s free to join, and is open to anyone working in museum libraries or archives. It can be difficult to make connections with other museum librarians (we are a rare breed!), so it’s great to find an organisation dedicated to it.</div>
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But, probably the organisation I get the most out of is <a href="http://www.cliclibraries.co.uk/" target="_blank">CLIC (Cardiff Libraries in Co-operation),</a> who provide free training and events for anyone working in libraries in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Cardiff</place></city> and the surrounding area (I blogged about the most recent event <a href="http://kris-library.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/clic-marketing-event.html">here</a>). CLIC was set up in 2005 with the help of <a href="http://wales.gov.uk/topics/cultureandsport/museumsarchiveslibraries/cymal/?lang=en">CyMAL ( <place w:st="on"><placetype w:st="on">Museums, </placetype></place>Archives and Libraries Wales)</a> and is free to join. I’m currently a member of the Web Development Team and at the beginning of this year I also joined the Staff Development Group.</div>
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This year CLIC has decided to try and organise regular meet ups for people doing CPD23, we held our most <a href="http://kris-library.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/cocktails-in-cardiff-cpd23-meet-up.html" target="">recent one in May</a>. So, if you live near <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Cardiff</place></city>, or just fancy a visit, then let me know and I’ll make sure you get added to the invite list for the next one!</div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-90085911539726882042012-06-20T17:34:00.000+01:002012-06-20T17:34:47.960+01:00LISNPN Cardiff meet up<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
A couple of weeks ago (31<sup>st</sup> May) I went to a South Wales New Professionals meet up organised by <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/gileslloydbrown" target="_blank">@GilesLloydBrown</a> the CILIP CDG Officer for Wales. We met in the Old Library pub (so called because of its location in part of a building that housed the Cardiff Library & Museum years ago) and it was a great opportunity to interact with other librarians, some who I had met before, and others who I was meeting for the first time.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cardiff Old Library</td></tr>
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We were well represented by a range of different library sectors, university, school, Government and museum, as well as a few people currently working as volunteers. Most of us were either recent graduates or working through a post-graduate course. It was nice to chat to each other and compare notes on our various experiences of ILS courses, and the differences between full-time and distance learning options. Although we were primarily all <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Cardiff</place></city> based librarians, we were did have one attendee who had come all the way from Aberystwyth!</div>
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Meeting everyone that evening highlighted the benefits that meeting regularly to share advice and experiences can bring. Particularly as so many of us are either job-hunting, or looking to take the next step in the career progression ladder, and knowing you have a support group going through similar things is very reassuring. Hopefully this event will be the first of many!</div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-49918970300554032112012-06-16T18:03:00.000+01:002012-06-16T18:03:15.336+01:00CLIC Marketing event<a href="http://www.cliclibraries.co.uk/" target="_blank">CLIC (Cardiff Libraries in Co-operation)</a> held a free training event for staff on the 29th May at the University of Glamorgan's <a href="http://cci.glam.ac.uk/campus/" target="_blank">ATRiuM </a>building. This was my first event as a member of the Staff Development Group, and I had the added responsibility of looking after the <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/CLICLibraries" target="_blank">@CLICLibraries</a> Twitter account during the event and tweeting using the <a href="http://storify.com/KrisWJ/clic-marketing-2" target="_blank">#clicmarketing hashtag</a>.<br />
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We had three presentations, but kept to a very loose timetable. Previous CLIC training sessions tried to pack a lot in to the half-day, but this one had a much more relaxed feel to it and I think most people preferred that format.<br />
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The first presentation was from Alice Percival and Helen Staffer 'Marketing Champions' at <a href="http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/insrv/" target="_blank">Cardiff University</a>, who are responsible for;<br />
<ul>
<li>co-ordination of library marketing projects</li>
<li>sharing of good practice and ideas</li>
<li>providing advice & guidance</li>
<li>liaising with the communications team & communication working group</li>
<li>managing the marketing fund</li>
</ul>
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<div>
Alice and Helen described some of the recent marketing activities they had been involved in, such as the <a href="http://nationallibrariesday.org.uk/" target="_blank">Love your Libraries Day</a>. Aspects included sticking up Post-it notes, offering sweets to patrons and running competitions.</div>
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</div>
<a href="https://twitter.com/#!/butelibrary" target="_blank">@ButeLibrary</a> ran a Twitter draw, students retweeted a message and names are drawn randomly from a hat. Prizes were mugs with a picture of Bute Library on them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pQU9apn5SZ8/T9tUrV2FMKI/AAAAAAAAATk/QlIt0G1IuaQ/s1600/bute+library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" pca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pQU9apn5SZ8/T9tUrV2FMKI/AAAAAAAAATk/QlIt0G1IuaQ/s320/bute+library.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of @ButeLibrary</td></tr>
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The Love your Libraries Day generated so much positive feedback that it was a real morale booster for staff, and they found that they didn't lose their professionalism by engaging in 'fun' activities. <br />
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They explained that students using the different libraries (Cardiff University has 14 of them) often behave in different ways, so they try to combine central themes with the freedom to tailor events to individual sites, rather than a 'one size fits all' approach.<br />
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Alice and Helen rounded off their presentation by pointing out how valuable the marketing strategies were as 'ensuring wide knowledge of their services is a crucial precursor to measuring impact'.<br />
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The second presentation was from Nicola Richards at <a href="http://www.cardiff.gov.uk/content.asp?nav=2%2C2868%2C2970%2C4768" target="_blank">Cardiff Central Public Library</a> who shared a (very impressive) list of marketing events they hold, including;<br />
<ul>
<li>Student Fashion shows</li>
<li>Psychic nights</li>
<li>Speed dating</li>
<li>Laughing matters - empowers young people, builds skills</li>
<li>Vibe - market to ethnic communities</li>
<li>Poetry & pints</li>
</ul>
Nicola then addressed the question 'How do they do it (on no money at all)!<br />
A lot of their events are made possible through working with partners. They are always upfront with their partners that although there is no funding available, they can offer;<br />
<ul>
<li>promotion of their business</li>
<li>to raise their profile in the community</li>
<li>access to potential customers</li>
</ul>
Working with outside partners can also help to alleviate the workload, and in some cases they may take on the bulk of the organisational work. Members of the marketing team tend to fit it in around their regular work, so having that kind of help can be vital to the success of an event.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EGEa-vQJiDc/T9y7vErLYxI/AAAAAAAAATw/Gm4200qkpls/s1600/IMAG0194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EGEa-vQJiDc/T9y7vErLYxI/AAAAAAAAATw/Gm4200qkpls/s320/IMAG0194.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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They also rely heavily on electronic promotion, not just their <a href="http://www.cardiff.gov.uk/content.asp?nav=2868,2970,5863&parent_directory_id=2865" target="_blank">website</a>, <a href="http://cardifflibraries.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">blog</a>, Facebook and <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/cdflibraries" target="_blank">Twitter </a>accounts, but also listings on 'What's on' websites and places like <a href="http://www.gumtree.com/cardiff" target="_blank">Gumtree</a>.<br />
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'The best marketing tool we have are our staff'<br />
Information packs are provided for all staff so that they are all fully briefed on what's happening and can pass that information on to the public. Although many of the events tend to happen at the Central site the branch libraries can also get involved by promoting the events, organising book displays that tie-in etc.<br />
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The final presentation was from Jane Purdie about the resources available to us on the <a href="http://librarywales.org/">librarywales.org</a> site. Even though I had heard of the site before, I had no idea there was <em>so much</em> on there.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fsuu2n0hZrk/T9y8AciBMEI/AAAAAAAAAT4/mrwVMhkXyNI/s1600/IMAG0196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fsuu2n0hZrk/T9y8AciBMEI/AAAAAAAAAT4/mrwVMhkXyNI/s320/IMAG0196.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Library staff in Wales can log into the <a href="http://librarywales.org/en/stafftoolkit/">toolkit</a> section of the site which includes;<br />
<ul>
<li>Reports - such as the Library Innovation Project of 2006/07 that looked at applying retail techniques in libraries</li>
<li>Details of winning entries for the <a href="http://library.wales.org/innovation-awards-2011/">Marketing Innovations Awards</a> which can be used as inspiration</li>
<li>Presentations that can be used in training sessions</li>
<li>Photo bank - over 500 photos cleared for consent for library promotional activities until 2016</li>
<li>Story bank - testimonials from library users that can be used in promotional material</li>
<li>Advertising templates in a range of formats (poster, banner, leaflet) for lots of different events, all free to download</li>
</ul>
It was a really impressive list!<br />
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The day finished with a tour of the ATRiuM library, famous for its very long loans desk! Presentations from the day can be seen on the CLIC website <a href="http://www.cliclibraries.co.uk/content.php?nID=5" target="_blank">here</a>.Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-9501529819832362822012-05-27T15:37:00.000+01:002012-05-27T15:37:49.940+01:00Thing 4 - current awareness<br />
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This post primarily focuses on Twitter, inspired in part by a number of conversations I've had lately. I’ve only been using it for about a year (I joined as part of <a href="http://kris-library.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/thing-4-better-late-than-never.html">Thing 4</a> last year) but I thought I would share my experience of using it so far, which may be helpful to people getting started.<br />
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Like a lot of people I had a perception of Twitter, as something mainly used by celebrities and people tweeting about what they had for breakfast, so I wasn't that interested in it.<br />
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But really I couldn’t have been more wrong, as was pointed out in a recent event we held on <a href="http://kris-library.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/clic-social-media-in-libraries.html">Social Media</a> <em>“Twitter is what you make of it”.</em> I tend to use it for work, 90% of the people or organisations I follow are in the museum or library sector. Most of those people tend to tweet a mixture of personal and professional (the <a href="http://thefuturebuzz.com/2012/01/10/the-rise-of-the-profersonal/" target="_blank">‘profersonal’</a> approach). They share links to blogs and articles, recommend tools and resources, report from conferences and discuss issues in the profession.<br />
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There is a bit of personal thrown in there too, so they come across as real humans rather than crazed, workaholic robots, but primarily I use Twitter as an information resource, and to create and strengthen links with others in the library sector.<br />
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Whenever I talk to people about using Twitter there seem to be three main questions/problems that arise; “how do you know who to follow”; “I’m not sure I have anything to say”; and “how do you fit it all in/keep on top of it?”.<br />
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So here's how I tackled those areas.<br />
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<h4>
Who to follow;</h4>
It can be difficult to know who to follow, thankfully you can usually check out a person's profile first, looking at their tweets can help you decide (plus you can always ‘unfollow’ if you change your mind!).<br />
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As I joined as part of CPD23, I of course followed <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/cpd23" target="_blank">@CPD23</a> and some of the contributors such as <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/girlinthe" target="_blank">@Girlinthe</a> or <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/Annie_Bob" target="_blank">@Annie_Bob</a><br />
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I also followed organisations and institutions like <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/cilipinfo" target="_blank">@CILIPinfo</a> (plus the CILIP sub groups <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ciliprarebooks" target="_blank">@CILIPRareBooks </a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/CILIPCIG" target="_blank">@CILIPCIG</a>); <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/amgueddfacymru" target="_blank">@AmgueddfaCymru</a>; <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/nlwales" target="_blank">@NLWales</a>; <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/HVCats" target="_blank">@HVCats</a>; <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/LISNPN" target="_blank">@LISNPN</a>; <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/LibraryCamp" target="_blank">@LibraryCamp</a> and of course <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/CLICLibraries" target="_blank">@CLICLibraries</a>!<br />
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There were a number of <em>‘uberlibrarians’</em> I thought worth following, as you can count on them to draw your attention to useful blogs and online tools. People such as <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/Philbradley" target="_blank">@Philbradley</a>; <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/theREALwikiman" target="_blank">@theREALwikiman</a> (author of the <a href="http://www.librarymarketingtoolkit.com/" target="_blank">Library Marketing Toolkit</a>); <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/librarianbyday" target="_blank">@librarianbyday</a> (responsible for the <a href="http://librarydayinthelife.pbworks.com/w/page/16941198/FrontPage" target="_blank">Library Day in the Life project</a>) and <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/bethanar" target="_blank">@bethanar</a> (author of the <a href="http://lisnewprofs.com/" target="_blank">LIS New Professionals Toolkit</a>), they are of course many more, but I can't list everyone!<br />
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I also created a network of local librarians; including the <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/get-involved/regional-branches/wales-cymru/pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">CILIP Wales</a> officer <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/Minimorticia" target="_blank">@Minimorticia</a>, and a Cardiff list featuring <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/Darklecat" target="_blank">@Darklecat</a>; <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/helbader" target="_blank">@helbader</a>; <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/Ceridwen339" target="_blank">@Ceridwen339</a>; <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/Gemma_DS" target="_blank">@Gemma_DS</a>; <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/alisonharvey_" target="_blank">@alisonharvey_</a>; <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/MathomHouser" target="_blank">@MathomHouser</a>; <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/glambuslib" target="_blank">@glambuslib</a>; <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/glamlaflib" target="_blank">@glamlaflib</a> to name but a few!<br />
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Also look out for #ff (Follow Fridays) when people tweet their 'follow' recommendations.<br />
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<h4>
What to tweet</h4>
I had no idea what to say for my first tweets and 'lurked' for a while, until I had the courage to say something. Another option is to start by retweeting things that are of interest to you.<br />
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Alternatively you could take part in a scheduled conversation, such as <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/uklibchat" target="_blank">@uklibchat</a> (Tuesdays 6.30-8.30pm GMT). The agenda is always on <a href="http://uklibchat.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">their blog</a> in advance, giving you a chance to see the questions and start composing your replies. All replies need to contain the hashtag <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23uklibchat" target="_blank">#uklibchat</a>, meaning they can be grouped together and afterwards a summary of the discussions is posted. It’s a really great way to start taking part in conversations on Twitter, without the pressure of trying to compose tweets off the top of your head.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bl35OCG92Jo/T8I71Xx3boI/AAAAAAAAATM/3k0mHyvTgQc/s1600/twitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bl35OCG92Jo/T8I71Xx3boI/AAAAAAAAATM/3k0mHyvTgQc/s320/twitter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Or there are the <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/jobs-careers/qualifications/cilip-qualifications/chartership/pages/chartershipintro.aspx" target="_blank">chartership</a> chats for people doing (or thinking of doing) chartership, or those already chartered who would like to give advice and support to others. Chartership chats happen on Twitter on Thursdays and are organised by Jo Alcock (<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/joeyanne" target="_blank">@joeyanne</a>) using the <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23chartership" target="_blank">#chartership</a> hashtag.<br />
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<h4>
How to avoid becoming overwhelmed with tweets</h4>
This can be a tricky one. I'm lucky that I can access Twitter on my phone, as it means I can check it when I'm waiting for the bus or while I'm watching TV. I often save hashtags as columns, allowing me to see any tweets containing that hashtag, which can be very helpful if you are following a conference. <br />
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You can also divide up the people you follow in to lists, and just view what people from a particular list are tweeting. That way if you are a bit pressed for time you can pick and choose what type of tweets you want to look at that day, for example I might choose only to look at tweets from my list of CLIC librarians one day, and tweets from people about their #cpd23 progress the next. <br />
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Another good tip is to save things and come back to them. If tweets contain links to interesting blog posts or online articles, but I don't have time to read them immediately, I'll often bookmark them on my phone. <a href="http://teaandscone.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Jen Gallagher</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/medievaljenga" target="_blank">@medievaljenga</a>) recommends using <a href="http://getpocket.com/" target="_blank">Pocket</a>, and <a href="http://evernote.com/" target="_blank">Evernote</a> is another handy alternative, and you can log in to your account on any PC to view what you've saved.<br />
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I think the main thing though is not to worry to much about it. It's impossible to catch everything, and if something is really important/useful it will be retweeted so much that you'll catch it eventually. A lot of people archive tweets, or use <a href="http://storify.com/" target="_blank">Storify</a>, meaning even if you're not aware of the conversation initially, you can still catch what was said at a later date.<br />
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Wow this post contains a lot of hyper links!Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-44206777554038503462012-05-24T21:52:00.000+01:002012-05-24T21:52:16.742+01:00Cocktails in Cardiff (CPD23 meet up)Last week the <a href="http://www.cliclibraries.co.uk/content.php?nID=5" target="_blank">CLIC (Cardiff Libraries in Co-operation)</a> staff development group organised a meet up for library staff in Cardiff who were thinking about doing, or had started, <a href="http://cpd23.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">CPD23</a>. I'd done the course last year, and one of the best things I got out of it was meeting other participants in my area, first through <a href="https://twitter.com/" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and then at the face-to-face meet ups for <a href="http://kris-library.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/south-wales-cpd23-meet-up.html">Thing 7</a>. Meeting up can really help if you find yourself struggling with any aspects of the course, and you'd be surprised how often other people tend to have exactly the same concerns as you.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4cV3XJYU4-k/T7YjXdW9w3I/AAAAAAAAASU/XdKJIsjdVOU/s1600/CPD+meet+up+16+May+2012+%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" kba="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4cV3XJYU4-k/T7YjXdW9w3I/AAAAAAAAASU/XdKJIsjdVOU/s200/CPD+meet+up+16+May+2012+%5B1%5D.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of <a href="http://squirrellibrary.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/big-hello-to-class-of-2012.html" target="_blank">Squirrel Library</a></td></tr>
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Karen talks a little on her blog (<a href="http://darksideofthecatalogue.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/embracing-an-old-friend-cpd23-revisited/#comments" target="_blank">dark-side-of-the-catalogue</a>) about the time management concerns that a lot of people had. I really liked the suggestion of banding together with colleagues, maybe for an hour after work each week, to work through the 'things' and spur each other on! </div>
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We had a lot of people attending who had started the course last year, but not come to the end yet. Some of them were feeling a bit guilty that they hadn't finished, but I think as more people admitted that they hadn't finished either it was quite reassuring. The best thing about online courses is that you can work at your own pace, but if you don't know many other people taking part you can end up with the misconception that everyone else is way ahead of you. Meet ups can be very helpful to show that often the other participants are actually in the same position as you.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6_Mnl0q7a7c/T7YjEIvplxI/AAAAAAAAASM/9ViYYSc_3kM/s1600/CPD23+met+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" kba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6_Mnl0q7a7c/T7YjEIvplxI/AAAAAAAAASM/9ViYYSc_3kM/s200/CPD23+met+up.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/SiobhanWGLib" target="_blank">@SiobhanWGLib</a></td></tr>
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A few people expressed their nervousness at blogging, and the feeling that they never know what to say. I could definitely sympathise with that, I had never blogged before taking part last year, and I'm not much of a writer, I think my early posts reflected that. The best advice I could think of for overcoming that issue is to take a look at what other people are writing, they're often not blogging all that much either. I think once you make a start and get over that mental hurdle of 'what to write' it does become easier. Like anything, the more you practice the more comfortable you will feel about it.</div>
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Another concern that was raised focused on Twitter, and as we look at Twitter for Thing 4 I thought I might talk about it in a little more depth then.</div>
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It was a great night, the 2-4-1 cocktails were an unexpected bonus (I hadn't known about them when I booked it!) and I'm hopefully it will be the first of many such events.</div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-87515271353232686402012-05-23T18:07:00.000+01:002012-05-23T18:07:55.212+01:00Thing 3 - consider your personal brand<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Thing 3 is all about building your personal brand, a hot topic in library circles at the moment. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Like a number of people who took part in CPD23 last year, I was initially quite reluctant to engage with the idea of creating a personal brand. I had the perception that it was a bit cynical, and wasn’t too keen on the idea of ‘selling’ myself. I wonder if it is the terminology that is off putting, it’s difficult to get past the impression the word ‘brand’ tends to conjure up. Perhaps referring to it more as building or directing your reputation would be easier to engage with? </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I think the most important thing I’ve learnt since then is that there are many different ways to develop a brand, many approaches will seem not appropriate or relevant, but it’s actually quite easy to find one that sits more comfortably with you. At the recent <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/npid2012/pages/presentations.aspx" target="_blank">CILIP New Professionals Day</a> Ned Potter discussed the <a href="http://thewikiman.org/blog/?p=1926" target="_blank">5 ways you could influence your brand.</a> The thing that stood out for me most from his talk was that creating a brand should not be your end goal; it should be more a happy result of pursuing the interests that are important to you.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">I think this method allows you to create a brand in a more organic, natural way, rather than as something you’ve ‘constructed’. It also allows for flexibility, as you pursue your interests and ambitions it’s likely that they will change and develop. Hopefully that means that your ‘brand’ will also develop, rather than feeling like a rigid thing you have to stick to.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">So with this in mind I had a look at some of the ways in which I manage my ‘brand’, and to be honest I don't do much and it hardly takes up any time. </span><br />
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<li>I use the same profile picture for all my online accounts, it's a photo of me, which helps when meeting people face-to-face.</li>
<li>I try and keep the design of my blog and Twitter account relatively consistent, I use the same background image for example. Although I regret not using matching names for them when I first set them up.</li>
<li>My full name does appear somewhere on my online accounts, and a small bio. While I don't want all my personal details 'out there', I'm also not comfortable with the idea of being totally anonymous either, I think people will connect with you better if they know something about you.</li>
<li>I'm not keen on the idea of merging my professional and private lives, so Twitter, <a href="http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/kristine-chapman/38/952/190" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> and my blog are for work-related stuff, Facebook is for social.</li>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Out of interest I also decided to Google myself, <a href="http://kris-library.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/thing-3_08.html" target="">I did this last year,</a> and was not particularly surprised to discover I didn’t rank very highly in the search results. Well, what a difference a year makes!</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB">My Twitter account (<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/kriswj" target="_blank">@KrisWJ</a>) is second in the listings, and I suspect I am one of those 15 professionals listed in LinkedIn. I haven’t done much with my LinkedIn account, perhaps if I did I could get it working a little harder for me!</span></div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-67754258916729842762012-05-15T17:05:00.000+01:002012-05-15T17:06:33.747+01:00CILIP New Professionals Day 2012 part 3The final part of the day contained talks from <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/bethanar" target="_blank">Bethan Ruddock</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Philbradley" target="_blank">Phil Bradley</a>.<br />
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How to assemble your New Professionals Toolkit</h4>
Bethan introduced us to the <a href="http://lisnewprofs.com/" target="_blank">New Professionals Toolkit</a> and the 5 tools we need;<br />
<ul>
<li>Tool 1 - networks - you probably already have one, people you know at work, met at college etc. You can also create networks using social media, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or join groups such as <a href="http://lisnpn.spruz.com/" target="_blank">LISNPN</a></li>
<li>Tool 2 - mentors - scarily she suggested that there is a chance we could be mentors ourselves, without even knowing it! (I worry for sanity of anyone who would choose me)</li>
<li>Tool 3 - resources - there is so much out there it can be hard to know where to begin, but you could use your networks to help point you in the direction of resources that would be beneficial to your career</li>
<li>Tool 4 - a plan - Where are you now? Where do you want to go? How can you get there? You could do a skills audit, and keep an eye out for job adverts for your dream job, you can check on any gaps in your skills and experience and start working towards filling them now</li>
<li>Tool 5 - a voice - think about the kind of contribution you want to make to the profession (time and skills allowing)</li>
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She finished off with advising that we remember to keep our balance and conserve our energy!<br />
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Social Media now and into you Future Career</h4>
The final speaker was Phil Bradley, who began by stating that social media is information, and as information professionals we deal with information in all its formats. <br />
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"We don't have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we DO it" Erik Qualman (<a href="http://www.socialnomics.net/" target="_blank">Socialnomics</a>)<br />
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He suggested we all make sure we are engaging with social media, and showed us that Google searches now routinely return social rather than traditional media (websites) results. Using social media brings the information you need to you, no longer have to go out looking for it. "Less search, more finding"<br />
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However, when he started listing all the various tools you could use, and the many social media accounts he engages with, I started to feel a bit overwhelmed. It was a <em>long</em> list, and I'm not sure how he manages it, I barely manage to keep on top of the few that I currently use. I wasn't the only one who was feeling this way, one of the questions put to the speakers at the end was whether it was better to try to spread yourself thinly over all areas, or just focus on a few which you can use in more depth. The general consensus seemed to be that while you should spend some time trying everything out, so that you are aware of them and can recommend them where appropriate, it may be better to restrict your own use to only a few social media tools.<br />
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</div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-78854761391867015872012-05-15T16:16:00.002+01:002012-05-15T16:18:34.433+01:00CILIP New Professionals Day 2012 part 2During the mid-part of the day we attended three workshops, pre-selected from a choice of nine, you can see a full list of the workshops offered <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/NPID2012/Pages/Workshops.aspx" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Continuing Professional Development Adventures. What? Why? How?</h4>
The first I attended was Continuing Professional Development Adventures from <a href="http://librariansontheloose.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/new-professionals-day-2012-cilipnpd12/" target="_blank">Emma Illingworth</a> (wearing some amazing printed leggings). <br />
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We started off with a discussion of the barriers and benefits to CPD, Emma asked us all to jot down an idea for each on a post-it (there were a lot of post-its in evidence at the various workshops, is CILIP sponsored by Post-it?) and we stuck them to some sheets on the wall. Time and cost won by a landslide victory over any other barriers, and the benefits were a more even mix of developing new skills, widening horizons and gaining employment.<br />
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Emma gave us a guide for how to plan a CPD journey</div>
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<li>What do I want/need to learn</li>
<li>What will I do to achieve this</li>
<li>What resources or support will I need </li>
<li>What will my success criteria be</li>
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And gave us an exhaustive list of resources we could use to help plan and achieve our CPD goals, which you can access in her slide show presentation <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/wigglesweets/continuing-professional-development-what-why-how" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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The session finished with a brief look at reflection (an integral part of most CPD activities) and I really liked her suggested reflection questions;<br />
<ul>
<li>What did I do</li>
<li>Why did I do it</li>
<li>What did I learn</li>
<li>How have/will I use what I've learnt</li>
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CyberLibrarians: Information management jobs in the digital age</h4>
The second session was CyberLibrarians by <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/myweeklybook" target="_blank">Lisa Hutchins</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/usernametaken10" target="_blank">Richard Hawkins</a>, I was really looking forward to this particular one, I had no idea what to expect as it was so different to the type of work I do day to day (which was primarily why I picked it!) but I felt really inspired by the end of it.<br />
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The session began with Lisa and Richard explaining their backgrounds and the type of work they do. They defined Information Architecture as 'the underlying structure of a website or e-resource, the way in which its content is organised and navigated'.<br />
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One aspect of this type of work is how common freelance work is. Lisa described how the cons (job instability and lack of security) weighed up against the pros (opportunities to work on exciting projects), and some of the personality traits required such as, patience, the ability to see the big and small picture, people skills and hearing what people <em>don't</em> say as much as what they do. She also described how you have to be mentally tough enough to market yourself and the value of what you do.<br />
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The take home message was;<br />
"An entrepreneur is someone who is a taker of opportunities, apply an entrepreneurial spirit to your career".<br />
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The full Prezi for the workshop is available <a href="http://prezi.com/wdjxfp_cqtng/cilip-npd12/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Have you tried logging out and then in again?</h4>
After lunch (the much anticipated burritos!), the final workshop I went to was on managing e-resources with <a href="http://undaimonia.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Simon Barron</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/abbybarker" target="_blank">Abby Barker</a> (who was wearing amazing red high heel shoes, Abby that is, not Simon!).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Usernametaken10" target="_blank">@usernametaken10</a></td></tr>
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After explaining the winding ways in which they became e-resource librarians they started explaining what it is they actually do, including some of the types of queries they tend to deal with (and a clip from The IT Crowd to illustrate).<br />
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Then it was our turn to have a go at answering some (apparently real life) queries. I think what came across most was that rather than having some kind of amazing tech abilities, what an e-resources librarian really needs is good people skills.<br />
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Check out the full presentation <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/npid2012/pages/presentations.aspx" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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</div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-6360252108365111842012-05-15T13:28:00.000+01:002012-05-15T14:48:12.144+01:00CILIP New Professionals Day 2012 part 1There is simply too much information to share in just one post (or it would be so freakishly long no-one would want to read it) so I'm going to break it up into parts.<br />
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I headed down to the CILIP New Professionals Day on the 11th May, the first time I'd ever been to one, and coincidentally the first time I'd ever been to CILIP HQ! My train was at a horribly early time (I am not a morning person) so I was very thankful to the lovely cabbie who took me to the station, and was very helpful even though my brain clearly wasn't switched on, and apologies to the staff of Upper Crust whose crisp display I destroyed (I have nothing against crisps, I'm just clumsy).<br />
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Arriving in London, I negotiated my way to Ridgemont Street just in time for Annie Mauger's welcome.</div>
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The first speaker of the day was <a href="http://thewikiman.org/blog/?p=1926" target="_blank">Ned Potter</a>, who discussed influencing your brand. In the past I lacked real understanding of the usefulness of creating a brand (see <a href="http://kris-library.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/thing-3_08.html" target="">Thing 3</a>, from CPD23 last year) but the more I learn about it, the more I think it is <em>'a very good idea'.</em><br />
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Ned kicked off his talk with four points;<br />
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<li>Don't panic, it will be fine</li>
<li>You already have a brand</li>
<li>You can never fully control it</li>
<li>Don't panic</li>
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He then got us to submit our definitions of brand via Twitter, using the #npdbrand hashtag, and we could see them pop up up on the screen in front of us.<br />
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The purpose was to distinguish the difference between 'brand' and 'branding'. He gave us the definition that a brand is 'the sum total of everyone's perceptions about what a service is or does' that it is 'in the eye of the beholder' and quoted <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Bezos" target="_blank">Jeff Bezos</a> 'your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room'. <br />
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Once we'd establish what a brand is, Ned shared his advice on how to influence it (in 5 ways!).<br />
<ol>
<li>Get online - he recommended Twitter as a good starting point for those who are not already online</li>
<li>Publish something - try something like <a href="http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/" target="_blank">In the Library with the Lead Pipe</a> or check out <a href="http://librarywriting.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">the Library Writer's blog</a> for writing opportunities</li>
<li>Organise something - join a committee & help out with events, or if the kind of events you like aren't happening in your area, organise one yourself (eek!)</li>
<li>Share something - some of the most popular blogs seem to be the ones that share advice & resources that can be helpful to others in the information profession</li>
<li>Present something - apparently after the first time it becomes less scary (hmm)</li>
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He pointed out that it is not realistic to promote yourself as a 'super librarian' 24/7, or to worry too much about what other people are doing, it's not a competition. You only really need to compete with those that are pursuing exactly the same career path as you, and as there are <em>so</em> many different ones to choose from, the chances of you having exactly the same as anyone else are relatively slim.<br />
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I think the most important point I took from his talk was to 'focus your brand on what your goals are', that basically your brand needs to be relevant to your chosen profession. And that ultimately 'the brand is not the end goal it is just a by-product of pursuing your own issues and passions'. <br />
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Ned ended his talk with the following messages;<br />
"Just do something, anything! If you have an idea, try and make it happen"<br />
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You can see the full Prezi for Ned's talk <a href="http://prezi.com/hl392i93n8um/you-already-have-a-brand-here-are-5-ways-to-influence-it/" target="_blank">here</a>, and better write ups than mine are available from <a href="http://intothehobbithole.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/cilipnpd12-ned-potter.html" target="_blank">Annie Johnson</a>, <a href="http://siobhanbinthelibrary.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/cilip-new-professionals-day-2012.html" target="_blank">Siobhan B</a>, <a href="http://neonlibrarian.wordpress.com/2012/05/13/cilip-new-professionals-day-2012/" target="_blank">The Neon Librarian</a> and <a href="http://ladypenstreasuretrove.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/cilip-new-professionals-day-2012.html" target="_blank">Lady Pen (Penelope Dunn).</a>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-82366232671731540582012-05-14T16:56:00.000+01:002012-05-14T16:56:47.330+01:00Thing 2 - investigate other blogsI'm always on the look out for blogs by other people working in special libraries, and particularly museum libraries, so the first thing I did was have a scan through to see if I could find any. As usual there weren't that many, but perhaps as the course goes on more will feel inclined to take part.<br />
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As I'm organising a CPD23 meet up in Cardiff I also went through looking for any participants in my area. I've already started to put together a list using Delicious to find any tagged with Wales, which will hopefully grow as people start setting up their blogs.<br />
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However the best ways I've found to keep up to date with who is taking part in CPD23 is to subscribe to the CPD23 single feed on their website, and to save the #cpd23 hashtag as a column in TweetDeck on my phone.Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-88953700574882157162012-05-09T14:02:00.002+01:002012-05-10T11:34:18.655+01:00Cardiff CPD23 meet-upWith the CPD23 course running again this summer, <a href="http://www.cliclibraries.co.uk/">CLIC</a> has decided to organise an informal meet-up for anyone starting the course or thinking about taking part, based in the south Wales area (or close by). Although CPD meet-ups are often organised as part of <a href="http://kris-library.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/thing-7-face-to-face-networking-and.html">Thing 7</a> (see the <a href="http://darksideofthecatalogue.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/welsh-librarians-do-it-in-a-yurt/">Cardiff #yurtup</a>), we thought it might be nice for people to get to know each other prior to then.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Barocco in Wharton Street, Cardiff</span></td></tr>
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It will take place in the upstairs section of <a href="http://www.baroccocardiff.co.uk/index">Barocco</a> in Cardiff city centre from 6pm-9pm on Wednesday 16th May. A number of CLIC members who took part in the course last year will be on hand to talk about their experiences and offer tips and advice on any aspects of the course. You can check out a presentation made by <a href="http://darksideofthecatalogue.wordpress.com/">Karen Pierce</a> on her <a href="http://prezi.com/g_3jteedkvoa/cpd23-a-voyage-of-discovery/">CPD23 experiences</a> at a recent CLIC event. Parking is available not too far from the bar (click the link to see a <a href="http://www.ncp.co.uk/find-a-car-park?t=link&q=cardiff%20wharton%20st&via=0#cardiff wharton st">map</a> of nearby car parks), and Barocco does really nice <a href="http://www.baroccocardiff.com/dining?iD=22604">food</a>! <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qWgyp_kB3wc/T6pqeVehXhI/AAAAAAAAAPw/V-Jhs9KIK5I/s1600/map3.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="181" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qWgyp_kB3wc/T6pqeVehXhI/AAAAAAAAAPw/V-Jhs9KIK5I/s320/map3.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
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You can pop in at any time, it's an informal event, more a chance to have a chat than anything else, and if you need any more information you can contact me via this blog or my Twitter account <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/kriswj">@KrisWJ</a><br />
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Hope to see you there!Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-12955575592300369202012-05-08T16:16:00.000+01:002012-05-08T16:16:23.825+01:00CPD23 2012The <a href="http://cpd23.blogspot.co.uk/">23 Things for Professional Development</a> course is running again, and even though I took part in it last year I decided to sign up for it a second time. A lot of the 'things' introduced to us during the course were very new to me and that, combined with the fast pace we worked through them, meant I often had to resort to just skimming the surface rather than looking at them in any depth. My mantra started to become "I'll go back and look at it in more detail when I have time". <br />
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Since then I have not had a chance to do any of that further investigation that I promised myself, and I wondered if it was because the motivation had lessened. So, my plan is to do the CPD course again, but this time cover more of the aspects that I didn't have a chance to do first time. For example, last year when we did '<a href="http://kris-library.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/thing-4-better-late-than-never.html">Thing 4</a>' I was new to Twitter, so I primarily focused on setting up an account, finding people to follow, and sending my first Tweets. This time around, now that I use Twitter on a regular basis, I'll look more at organising Twitter feeds and creating lists, so that the volume of information I get in my timeline feels a little less overwhelming (something I have been meaning to get around to doing for a while now anyway!).<br />
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Hopefully by the end of the course I will have explored the tools introduced last time to the extent that I have a greater understanding of them.Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485813987528170197.post-53441370605059334522012-03-27T11:52:00.000+01:002012-03-27T11:52:09.959+01:00Conversations with Cataloguers in Wales<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">At the beginning of March I went to a cataloguing event for people working in libraries in Wales organised by Karen Pierce (<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/darklecat">@Darklecat</a>), who has written up the event on her blog <a href="http://darksideofthecatalogue.wordpress.com/">here</a>. It was an opportunity to get together with others working in the same field and build links.<br />
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The day consisted of a number of presentations (one of which I jointly presented!), followed by a discussion session at the end of the day and plenty of chances to chat to fellow cataloguers. <a href="http://helen-ceridwen.blogspot.co.uk/">Helen Price Saunders</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/Ceridwen339">@Ceridwen339</a>) kicked things off with a fascinating talk on cataloguing the <a href="http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/insrv/libraries/scolar/special/salisbury.html">Salisbury Library</a> at <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Cardiff</placename> <placetype w:st="on">University</placetype></place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The library is made up of books relating to Wales that were collected by <a href="http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Salisbury,_Enoch_Robert_Gibbon_(DNB00)">Enoch Salisbury</a>. The University acquired his collection in 1886, and has since been adding to it. Helen's talk</span> was a great insight into the quirks relating to taking on a private collection and the interesting modifications that private collectors can make to items that can make identifying them a challenge, such as cutting and reassembling books into their own formats!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also talked about the in-house classification scheme used by Salisbury and inherited by the University when they took it over, and how that works (or not) with their own system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She finished by discussing whether the collection will be reclassified to fit in with the <a href="http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/">Library of Congress scheme</a> the University uses, or whether it will continue to use its own. There is a worry that it will lose its identity as a distinct collection if that happens.<br />
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Dorothy Hartley talked about the massive job of reclassifying the <a href="http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/is/library/tp/">Thomas Parry Library</a> at <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Aberystwyth</placename> <placetype w:st="on">University</placetype></place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Thomas Parry Library used to employ <a href="http://www.udcc.org/about.htm">Universal Decimal Classification</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_Decimal_Classification">Dewey Decimal Classification</a> and Library of Congress classification schemes, but they began moving to one unified scheme (Library of Congress) in 2008. </span>It was a mammoth task (well illustrated by a photo showing rows of trolleys filled with books!) which had to be done with as little disruption to students as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However they finally finished in 2011, ahead of schedule! <br />
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After a short break Ken Gibbs and Karen discussed cataloguing the <a href="http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/insrv/libraries/scolar/special/cardiffrarebooks.html">Cardiff Rare Books collection</a> acquired by <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Cardiff</placename> <placetype w:st="on">University in 2010</placetype></place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They explained how overwhelming a task it was as they didn’t have any prior experience, and that even after CILIP training they felt under prepared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have now taken on a full time cataloguer for 3 years to make a start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also talked about the many gems that have been turned up since they started working through the collection.<br />
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Then came the presentation I was dreading! Louise Carey (the Assistant Librarian) and I did a talk discussing the use of the Metropolitan Museum of Art classification system that we use for our art library. It was the first time we had done a presentation on this subject, so we were understandably a bit nervous. After I gave a brief introduction to the history of the museum and our library collections, Louise discussed the classification scheme and its pros and cons. A copy of our slide show is available <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/KristineChapman/cataloguing-the-art-books-at-amgueddfa-cymru-national-museum-wales">here</a>.<br />
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Next was a great talk on the <a href="http://www.termcymru.wales.gov.uk/">TermCymru</a> database from Miranda Morton at the Welsh Government. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">TermCymru is a database of Welsh terminology which in addition to giving the Welsh term for a word, also provides a context and a rating on the terms status (widely accepted, official etc). </span>She talked about the lack of consistency with search terms and the need to formalise and weed it. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IbesvsnvOus/T3GbOt5AqXI/AAAAAAAAAPA/DELCxu3gAFM/s1600/03small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IbesvsnvOus/T3GbOt5AqXI/AAAAAAAAAPA/DELCxu3gAFM/s1600/03small.jpg" /></a></div><br />
During a break for lunch, many of us took the opportunity to look around the newly refurbished <a href="http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/insrv/news/sconulawardsuccess.html">Trevithick Library</a>.<br />
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The first speaker after lunch was supposed to be Elly Cope (<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ellycope">@ellycope</a>) but unfortunately she wasn’t able to make the event so Karen very bravely filled in and talked us through the massive project to reclassify the <place w:st="on"><placetype w:st="on">University</placetype> of <placename w:st="on">Bath</placename></place> library from Universal Decimal Classification to Dewey Decimal Classification. It sounded like a massive project which they were doing in stages, taking it subject by subject. The estimates for how long it would take to complete were in the region of another 15 years! <br />
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The final presentation was from Jemma Francis discussing archiving Welsh Government publications and making them available to both staff and the general public. She also discussed the current program to digitise the 30,000 items currently in the archive.<br />
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The day ended with a discussion, chaired by Steve Hunt from the <a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/get-involved/special-interest-groups/cataloguing-indexing/Pages/default.aspx">CILIP Cataloguing and Indexing Group (CIG)</a>, on whether to create an all <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Wales</place></country-region> cataloguing group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The consensus was that it would be a good idea to create one, but it was left undecided as to whether it should be a regional part of CIG (particularly as so few of the attendees were CILIP members) or a stand alone group.<br />
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We left with the agreement that it might take a little time to decide on the format of the group and what it was to achieve, so to provide a forum for sharing ideas it was agreed that a wiki should be set up. Anyone can sign up to post on the wiki, not just those who attended the event, details are available <a href="http://cataloguersinwales.pbworks.com/w/page/51912333/FrontPage">here</a>. </div>Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05753277563552629160noreply@blogger.com0