.... keeps me sharp.
It motivates me to speak and write, even though I know I am on a stage in a hall full of empty chairs.
It makes me give the events I attend a thought and write down my notes for later.
It improves my communication, makes me think of what I do and why I do it.
It has become my notebook for my chartership and most probably I will continue to write once I have completed the chartership process.
Friday 28 November 2008
Thursday 27 November 2008
Library tours
I have been practising how to do a library tour in case my colleague who does it is not in a day.
So I have shadowed her a couple of times, taken notes, even done one. Its not much of a hu ha, its more something you just do and since I work in the library you would have thought I know most of the stuff anyway, which I do, but it is a different thing to be standing in front of a bunch of people and speaking about how we can help them. So that is what I will be practicing, speaking to groups and it has actually given me more confidence and I am not thinking about notes anymore. I wouldn't mind doing a proper presentation one day, you know, like we used to in uniy, maybe this will take me to the next step, small steps you know.
So I have shadowed her a couple of times, taken notes, even done one. Its not much of a hu ha, its more something you just do and since I work in the library you would have thought I know most of the stuff anyway, which I do, but it is a different thing to be standing in front of a bunch of people and speaking about how we can help them. So that is what I will be practicing, speaking to groups and it has actually given me more confidence and I am not thinking about notes anymore. I wouldn't mind doing a proper presentation one day, you know, like we used to in uniy, maybe this will take me to the next step, small steps you know.
Thoughts on blogs!
Not everything that you think should be said.
And not everything that you say should be written.
And not everything that is written should be printet.
Menachem Mendel (1787-1859)
And not everything that you say should be written.
And not everything that is written should be printet.
Menachem Mendel (1787-1859)
brain fritatta.....
so much!
There is just so so much information out there! on everything! So much information on information, how to handle information! I understand the purpose of chartership is, among other things, maintaining current awareness and updating skills, but my god, there is so much to be aware of and so many skills that needs updating with the changes happening every 2 minutes in the LIS world! ............. I have visited a library this week, on Monday I am going to CILIP for a course on marketing of libraries and the day after I am planning on attending a dusin of seminars at the Online Information event! I need a holiday soon, but noooh, I need to finish my chartership!
let's hope I finish it before I get information overloaded!
There is just so so much information out there! on everything! So much information on information, how to handle information! I understand the purpose of chartership is, among other things, maintaining current awareness and updating skills, but my god, there is so much to be aware of and so many skills that needs updating with the changes happening every 2 minutes in the LIS world! ............. I have visited a library this week, on Monday I am going to CILIP for a course on marketing of libraries and the day after I am planning on attending a dusin of seminars at the Online Information event! I need a holiday soon, but noooh, I need to finish my chartership!
let's hope I finish it before I get information overloaded!
Am I a librarian?
or an information officer? they have these in councils too, but dealing with council tax and benefits (no degree needed!) Hmm!
maybe I am a knowledge gardener?
a information specialist sounds suspicious....
how bout a k-guardian?
business librarian makes sense?
a researcher? sounds as if I stand on the high st annoying people with my questions, or worse even, over the telephone on a Friday at 6pm!
k-provider maybe?
sometimes a k-warrior? grrr?
So many job titles - all filling a librarianship role .... sigh ... why do people understand exactly who you are if you say your a librarian, it just doesn't need clarification, rather than when I say "hey, I'm a information officer" why??
I would like to be called something that describes what I do, and I don't mind librarian as a title, but it makes it sound like the stereotypical librarian............... because I do have glasses and I do put my hair up in a bun and I do deal with books! ......... but what word can I use to expand the librarian title, I thought something like a business librarian........ at least it tells people I am a librarian but a business one.......... is that me?
Inspiration provided by Lyndsay Rees-Jones in Library and Information Gazette, 28Nov-11Dec 2008, p7
maybe I am a knowledge gardener?
a information specialist sounds suspicious....
how bout a k-guardian?
business librarian makes sense?
a researcher? sounds as if I stand on the high st annoying people with my questions, or worse even, over the telephone on a Friday at 6pm!
k-provider maybe?
sometimes a k-warrior? grrr?
So many job titles - all filling a librarianship role .... sigh ... why do people understand exactly who you are if you say your a librarian, it just doesn't need clarification, rather than when I say "hey, I'm a information officer" why??
I would like to be called something that describes what I do, and I don't mind librarian as a title, but it makes it sound like the stereotypical librarian............... because I do have glasses and I do put my hair up in a bun and I do deal with books! ......... but what word can I use to expand the librarian title, I thought something like a business librarian........ at least it tells people I am a librarian but a business one.......... is that me?
Inspiration provided by Lyndsay Rees-Jones in Library and Information Gazette, 28Nov-11Dec 2008, p7
Tuesday 25 November 2008
Public Library visit- after the visit
First thing that would describe today is: so so much information!
There is so much information here in this three story building! and now there is so much of it in my head! I can't possibly write down my thoughts, experiences and my reflection, firstly there is such a mess in my head right now and secondly, the pcs here at the library have quite useless keyboards, the monitors are clear but keyboard doesn't want to work with me, if i type abc, it chooses a and c and ditches the b! so this is very time consuming and it is very noisy here.
I will quickly write down my thoughts, the most important ones anyway:
- I had sort of forgotten what a public library is all about, forgotten the wealth of information available! This has reminded me!
- They have online access to FAME and anyone, yes anyone, can access it! We dont even have that!
- I must admit, you meet everyone from the community here, business people, small people, elderly people, noisy people and creative people, mums and dads, grannys and grandads, librarians about to retire, librarians just graduated.........
- Here you will find info in over 39 languages!
- There is a 24/7 online enquiry service among public libraries and the type of enquiries are usually the ones where people have tried finding information themselves but did not succeed, so the enquiries are often in dept ones. For Free!
- The CPD visitors we'll get would be interested in how we as a marketing library, market ourselves! So much think about that one!
- I met a librarian who didn't know what a blog was!
- Another librarian I metdid a google search by typing in www in the search field
- Lots and lots of things I didn't know about and probably never will unless I work in a public library, maybe one day I should!
- Many of the people I met knew about the CIM!
- While we catalogue and index our stock, here everything gets downloaded from the suppliers!
- INSPIRE is the name of a scheme to make libraries of all sorts available to non-members and the public!..... a librarian asked why our library is not part of this? "one would have thought......." so must look into that!
- Observation from the front desk: some librarians are more service minded than others, I noticed many cases where the library users knew more about the library than the librarian did!
- Would want to work in a public library? yes, but only in the info section!
Overall, it was a seriously great day! I am quite happy I contacted the library and that they welcomed my visit, it was definately worth it! I am actually visiting again this Saturday to work on my chartership!
Monday 24 November 2008
A visit to Slough library - thoughts before the visit
Tomorrow I will be visiting a second library and I have chosen a public library. This way I will have visited a membership organisation's library which is very similar to where I work now, and also a public library which is completely on the other end of the scale.
My thoughts before going are:
- is a public library a dull, kiddy, fiction focused, tea drinking kinda place? Is slowpaced the word I am lookign for here?
- do public librarians read/scan and select all the books?
- are money always short? I read in today's newspaper (must have been either Guardian or Telegraph that in 2008 38 public libraries closed and in 2007 35 libraries closed!)
- does the library get many business related enquiries?
- and what sort of services does the public library offer businesses? any sources I can use?
From my questions above you wouldn't think I myself am a librarian would you? I seem to have the same prejudice thoughts as a non-librarian....... and to change this, or at least to challenge this I have chosen to visit a public library, not a small one either, its Slough Library at the heart of Slough.
My thoughts before going are:
- is a public library a dull, kiddy, fiction focused, tea drinking kinda place? Is slowpaced the word I am lookign for here?
- do public librarians read/scan and select all the books?
- are money always short? I read in today's newspaper (must have been either Guardian or Telegraph that in 2008 38 public libraries closed and in 2007 35 libraries closed!)
- does the library get many business related enquiries?
- and what sort of services does the public library offer businesses? any sources I can use?
From my questions above you wouldn't think I myself am a librarian would you? I seem to have the same prejudice thoughts as a non-librarian....... and to change this, or at least to challenge this I have chosen to visit a public library, not a small one either, its Slough Library at the heart of Slough.
Wednesday 12 November 2008
Networking
While I tend to sieze every networking opportunity that is offered, I still haven't quite learnt the skills of networking it seems. The feeling of being snubbed prevents little beings like me to walk over to a person with a big smile on my face. Which is the biggest hindrance. I am still thinking about this, so I will leave this one floating in space ........ untill something hits it and it changes direction! (Think Newton!)
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