Thing 19: Catch Up

Another massive gap in my blogging- but at least I now have a deadline to work to!

This gap was partly due to the fact that I was without the internet for a few weeks when I first moved up north to my new job, but since then has been because I was annoyed that I'd written thing 19 and thing 20 already in my own job but not actually posted them (delaying them because of the need to attach a photo- I have truly suffered for my art!)

Catch up week is a difficult thing to write about when looking from a completely different perspective from when CPD23 started. I now spend my working days frantically having to remember new names, new resources to advertise and new excuses for not spending my budget. Before I was able to complete my blog posts whenever it was quiet at work, now I have to motivate myself in my cold flat (I'm too much of a hippy to heat a flat with such high ceilings!) Previously I understood my job and could consider how certain ideas and software could impact on it whereas now I'm still learning what we already offer before I can start suggesting new ideas.

When I wrote the first draft of this blog in London I remember saying how my favourite part of CPD23 so far had been learning the productivity tools to help me be a better librarian. As previously stated, I really don't enjoy the critical reflection (although I seem to be merrily wittering away in this post!) This has proven to be the case in my new job. The induction for new students is on a Prezzi, and while other colleagues are moaning about how dated they think it seems, I'm glad that CPD23 means that I've only just discovered it! Likewise, yesterday I dropped the names Mendeley and Cite-U-Like into a student session (although this means I've now got to properly learn them because I couldn't access them through my old work!) I've got to go back and look again at many of the tools but my favourite so far have been Screencast-o-matic, Prezi and  Google Reader.

And so to finally add a photo to Thing 19! I previously said that the rest of my photos would be of me in London. However, that pledge was SO September. Here I am outside Berlin Library

Thing 18: Screen Capture and Podcasts.

When I first read the synopsis for Thing 18, I was unsure about how successful this week’s post would be. However, Screencast-o-matic required no downloading, was able to work on the work’s PCs, was really relevant to work and was even easy to use. Crikey!

One of our most common telephone enquiries is from people who are unable to access our e-books. I was able to easily create a video that demonstrates where they are having problems, how to resolve these issues and how they can read the e-books once they can access them. It only took me two rehearsals (the first time I wasn’t as great at accessing the books as I should have been and kept clicking in the wrong place and the second time the website didn’t demonstrate the problems that is usually does.) My video is available here http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/clQTXH8la I sent it to other people in my team and they can see real potential for this software being used for a number of information literacy reasons. Thank you cpd23!

Podcasting isn’t really for me. My only skill is that I’m quick at reading and so it is much more convenient to me to receive my information this way- especially when I’m unsure of the quality of the material that I might have to sit through. (I’ve had to sit through far too much awful training in various jobs to want to have to do that voluntarily!)

Here’s a photo of something I did enjoy doing. You can get free tours around the London Library- more details available at http://www.londonlibrary.co.uk/index.php?/tours.html