Thing16: #Rudai23

This blog-post will focus on the collaboration tools utilised by Library professionals in the article for thing16. The task completed was to comment on the public google document provided in the article. When I clicked on the link, I was directed to a document written in Latin which confused me. However, from scrolling down the document, I could see that other people had the same issue.

I am familiar with google drive and shared document files through the application in the past. However, I never heard of Doodle before now. These are applications provide a platform that enables library professionals to collaborate easily and efficiently. Doodle is a useful application, however, there are many similar apps available that provide the same service.

I was very impressed with the Pinterest page dedicated to thing16, Collaboration tools. These tools are valuable assets to library and information professionals and can further aid the development of the profession.

Thing 15: #Rudai23

This blog-post will explore the topic of advocating within the library profession. From reading the Rudai15 article, I learnt about the topic of advocating campaigns and supporting organisations. Before now, I had never heard of organisations that support advocacy campaigns but they showed the different methods through which advocating libraries can be accomplished. I was particularly taken by two organisations; voicesforthelibrary, and speakupforlibraries .

I looked at the library campaigns provided and found they provide important resource material for library professionals, particularly libraryatoz .  The campaigns are different, but all relate to peoples vision of the library. I felt it was important to pay specific attention the national campaigns and I am going to make a real effort to get involved in whatever way possible.

Advocating the library is not something I really taught about before reading this article.  Without realising it, I have been advocating the library in numerous way, from sharing library posts on Facebook to participating in online blogs.  I can see why advocating the library is important to the development of the profession and feel it really does have a positive impact.  

Thing14: #Rudai23

I am somewhat familiar with the topic of augmented reality from the User Centred Design module I am currently studying in UCD. For the purposes of this blog-post, I am going to explore the librARI application cited in the article.

The librARI application is a very useful tool to show and explain augmented reality. I feel this is going to prevalent feature of society in the near future.  The application is effective in providing useful information regarding a chosen topic. From the video I watched, it is clear that augmented reality is advantageous to its users and is a feature that needs to be embraced by professionals. I was also impressed by the digital interface for print books from touching the screen or making certain gestures. Library professionals need to know the different ways it can be used not only to develop the personal skills but to be able to show other users its advantages.

I have been fearful in trying to understand augmented reality in my studies but this article has cleared up some issues for me. The topic is relevant to my future, and I am really delighted to have learned more about augmented reality.

Thing 13: #Rudai23

 The Library Association of Ireland (LAI) website offers information on numerous topics for library professionals. The website is an important resource providing information on careers, conferences, groups, membership, events and publications.

I have currently applied for membership to the LAI in two sections;

·        The academic and special libraries section

·        The public libraries section

There are many benefits to becoming a member of the LAI besides looking good on a C.V. The LAI offers guidance and support for library professionals. It provides a platform that promotes collaboration between peers. The LAI provides information on how to develop my professional skills to progress in my career.

Thing 12: #Rudai23

  

Thing 12 was interesting to read and understand. I never really taught about the value of conferences before now, but the article was very insightful. For the purposes of this blog I have decided to choose option two of the task, but I do see myself attending conferences in the near future.

The conference I would like to attend is titled, Developing as a Professional: Attaining a Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Award of ALAI and FLAI, on 20 November 2015. I became aware of this conference when I was exploring the LAI website, and I really feel it would help my progress in the profession. At the moment I’m a graduate student who is coming to the peak time of term with assessments so unfortunately I can’t attend the conference.

      

The conference is intended to educate people developing their careers and there will be previous award winners discussing their experiences and offering insights. I think the conference would guide me in the right direction for the next stage in my career. It would be a great to hear the experiences of people who were in the same position as me, and to see what route they decided to take in the profession. I know the library profession is for me from my studies and I will need this guidance soon.

I wouldn’t be fearful of attending the conference. In the past year I have welcomed new experiences, particularly group work in college. This involved meeting new people and collaborating together, so I feel ready to attend these type of events. I know two guest speakers on the programme and if the other speakers are as insightful, I know I would learn a great deal on the day.

   

Thing11: #Rudai23

For this task I am going to discuss my time management strategy. At present, I have started my graduate diploma in Library and Information studies. I am in college three days a week and I commute a four hour journey approximately one way by train and bus services. While I am travelling I use this time to study for my college course. 

On the four remaining days, I also study and do practical exercises for my course. The Rudai23 course is very beneficial to me in my future career, teaching the diverse communication sources available while also improving the skills I already possess.

My time for Rudai23 is mainly on weekends when I take a break from my college studies for a few hours to clear my head. I'm enjoying the course which makes it easier to make time for it but with my college workload it is more difficult to complete. I feel that my time-management skills have improved dramatically in the last two years for me.  I need to remain focused to have good time management skills.

Thing10: #Rudai23

I attended the hangout-on-air session back in August to have only reached the task now the complete. My camera worked fine on the day, however, my microphone was acting up and I lost my connection to the group. Instead I viewed the hangout session and commented on the Twitter feed #Rudai23. I found the hangout feature in Google+ to be very impressive, allowing people to create a video conference at no expense.

In the broadcast I viewed, there were participants from all over the world discussing their particular roles and experiences in the Library and information fields. This highlights the magnitude of how useful google+ is to professionals. To be able to reach such a global audience instantaneously is just a mere reflection on the revolutionary technological advancements in modern society. From completing the tasks in Rudai23, I  realise there are so many formats through which people can communicate information on a global scale at no cost whatsoever. 

Thing9: #Rudai23

This task was probably the most intimidating task i completed to date in Rudai 23. I was never taught how to create a screencast until now so I kept putting this task off.  I eventually did get down to the task at hand and I learnt how easy a screencast is to create and upload to the internet. I think this task is daunting for anyone who has never made a screencast before but it is an easy process to complete. It is also a very effective way to educate people. I demonstrated  my screencast to some family members and friends to be told how useful this particular screencast is to them.

The recording software i used is called the screencast o matic, which can be downloaded at,http://screencast-o-matic.com/ . Consequently, I uploaded my screencast to YouTube and allowed the video to be viewed by the public. After all, collaboration and the sharing of information is a major feature of library and information services.

My screencast demonstrates how to enhance the volume on a Dell Inspiron laptop. I dealt with this issue recently and I felt it was an appropriate screencast to make for this task. I have attached a link to my YouTube video below. 

https://youtu.be/GRmQFSpGv64

Thing8: #Rudai23

Thing8 was a straight forward task to complete.  I have been familiar with Pinterest for approximately two years now, so instead I decided to open a Flipboard account through Facebook.  I was very impressed by its user friendly design. I setup my page to suit my interests, similar to thing4 when I setup my Google+ account only much easier. I explored the features within Flipboard and found the site to be like a combination of Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.  I think Flipboard is a useful curation tool for Library professionals to display information and to network with others. Unfortunately I'm new to the occupation and don’t have examples of how Flipboard has been utilised by Library professionals to date.

Thing7: #Rudai23

I found thing7 to be most enjoyable task to date. I had listened to podcasts in the past but didn’t how it was made if I’m to be honest. The audio icon was on the webpage, I clicked play and that was it, magic!  In this task, I learned what a podcast is, the software used (most mobile devices), how to create a podcast, how to host a podcast through Soundcloud, and sharing a podcast though social networks such as Facebook, twitter and blogs.

After reading Thing7, I decided to partake in option B and listened to the podcast Circulating ideas created by Steve Thomas. The podcast was very interesting and relative to me in my future career. It was very informative for library professionals. The podcast was a very short 45mins and I would have happily listened to it for longer. The podcast itself illustrates its value as a source for people to create at a minimum cost and of high quality. The library at which I received my experience didn’t create podcasts but that’s mainly due the large workload they already have to deal with. I think podcasts are really useful for educational purposes. Teachers and lecturers could easily upload classes for students to listen to. I hope to listen to podcasts regularly in the future. 

Thing 6: #Rudai23

I reviewed blogs from various Rudai23 participants and was impressed and entertained by what I read.  I was really worried that I falling behind considering this blog post is titled Thing6 and Thing14 is ready to complete.  I should be able to catch up soon though. I just completed my work experience and now l have a week or so free until I start my Masters in Library and Information studies.  I was really impressed by some blogs and others well, not so much. One in particular really related to me and my story, which was interesting to read.  Like me, she completed an Arts degree and the notion of being a librarian unexpectedly came into her head one day.  I left a comment on her blog.  She really seems to enjoy it as well which is very encouraging.  Some Blogs I reviewed from the link provided weren’t started yet, so if they’re participating they will have to play catch up. I also read participant’s blogs from the bottom left column on the Rudai23 webpage which were very professional. 

I taught these blogs were good but too professional if you ask me. I feel a blog should show personality in order to relate to people, and I think that was missing in some. I regularly replied to comments left on my blog so I just reviewed my blog and the previous comments. I wasn't surprised that i only related to few bloggers considering i am only entering the field, whereas most of the bloggers are qualified librarians, working in the profession for many years.  

Thing 5: #Rudai 23

Thing 5: Online Networks. #Rudai 23

I found Thing 5 to be an easy to complete mainly because I already have both a Twitter and Facebook account.  Since I’m more accustomed to Facebook, I decided to complete that second part of the task which deals with Twitter. I edited my profile and uploaded my picture to correspond with my Linkedin account. I also did this to promote my professional brand correctly.

I followed the Rudai 23 group on Twitter and made my first tweet using the #Rudai 23 hashtag. The Rudai 23 group soon responded with a welcome greeting. I didn’t use twitter regularly prior to this task but that is about to change.

Thing4: #Rudai23

Thing 4 was probably more challenging than the other 3 tasks I have encountered with Rudai 23. I began the task by setting up a Google account. I explored the features of Google+ and it wasn’t really what I expected. I heard of Google+ in the past but I never ventured to see what it was about.  I had no idea that it was a social media site. The site lets you design the page to suit what interests you. For example, I have posts from Manchester United alongside posts from Munster Rugby. I think being able to design the page to suit your interests is a brilliant feature and I’m very happy with my page at the moment. It’s also easy to edit, so if you change your mind about something you can just go back and change it with no problems.  I visit the site regularly now and I’m delighted to have done this task. I also added Rudai 23 to my page so I can see the latest posts and keep up with the tasks.

The second part of the task was slightly more demanding for me. I setup a new Gmail account and was fortunate to acquire a Gmail address using only my full name with no numbers or symbols. I feel this address is more professional than the Hotmail account I setup when I was fifteen old and I’m hoping this will aid my professional brand image in the future. The difficult part of the task for me began when I tried to import my Hotmail contacts into my new Gmail account unsuccessfully. However, this did lead me to explore Gmail more comprehensively.  I found that I could search for my contacts in a search bar with either their names or their Gmail addresses.  I added a contact and we had a hangout session. I started the video call so I know how carry out the process. I was impressed by the fun features on the side of the video platform which lets you change the background behind the person in the video. You can also add facial features such as a beard or glasses for entertainment purposes I guess. 

 I found Thing 4 to be a little time consuming but it was really worth it for me.  I learnt about some very useful tools available through my Google account.  I can also see why librarians use the hangouts feature as a free way to hold video conferences because the quality of the video’s audio and visual is very acceptable. 

Thing2: #Rudai23

I don't know what I was expecting when I joined LinkedIn.  I had heard a lot about the site without actually knowing what it was all about.  I found the process of joining the site and supplying personal information straight forward.  I was nervous about uploading my picture and having it out there for the world to see but after reading the reasons why i should, then the pro's outweighed the cons.

The brand I want to portray is one of professionalism and experience.  This is very hard for me to do considering I'm at the start of my journey to become an accomplished librarian.  I took a picture of myself and supplied personal information and my academic achievements to provide the viewer with an accurate description of who I am.  Overall I found the experience to be an enjoyable and I'm happy I decided to join LinkedIn.

Thing1: #Rudai23

Hello everyone,

Initially, I first taught of me working as a librarian about three years ago.  I was studying for my honors degree in the college library feeling pretty uncertain about my future.  I didn’t know if I was on the right path?   As much as I loved my degree and the subjects I studied, I always knew that if I was to get a good job then I was going to have to continue my studies and do either a higher diploma or a masters to specialise in a particular area.  I was looking around the library daydreaming and saw one of the librarians showing a student how to access journals online.  This led me to think, 'I wonder what a librarian actually does'.  I know they give and receive books,order books, put the books on shelf's and taught that was about it really,but when I started to research the occupation I was pleasantly surprised. There is so much more.  The way in which the field in changing and at such a rapid rate appeals to me as being an ever growing part of the education and information sector.  I like the way old fashioned wooden cubicles are slowly being abandoned for more appealing comfortable spaces that promotes and encourages students to learn in a more interactive environment.  This appeals to me as being a good working environment.  I’d also like to work as a librarian because I feel it’s something I can be really great at and that’s very important to me.   I have good social skills and feel I can turn a library into a popular place to be.   I love working with computers, have excellent organisational skills and take great pride in doing a job right. I’m interested in several areas within the library institution such as acquisitions,  cataloging,  marketing, classifications, managing, and the future of libraries.  I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead, if anybody has any advice or can prepare me for any surprises then it will be appreciated greatly. Feel free to share your experience.