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Libraries in a Transliterate, Technology Fluent World #intlib10

20 Oct
Libraries in a Transliterate, Technology Fluent World
View more presentations from Bobbi Newman.

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Posted in Internet Librarian 2010, Presentations, Transliteracy

 

Tips and Suggestions to Get the Most Out of Internet Librarian #intlib10

20 Oct

Internet Librarian begins on Saturday and where its your first conference or your 20th here there is something here for you.  Here are tips I’ve shared before and new ones learned the hard way. Below these I’ve also included a reading list with suggestions on networking and tips for introverts.

  • Give people your name – wear your name badge up near your face rather than on a lanyard so it’s easy for people to glance at it while talking to.  Introduce yourself, even if you’ve already met the person.  Some of us have hard time with names and there are a LOT of people to remember.
  • Don’t hang out with the people you came with – Go to different sessions, maximize your time at the conference you can share with each other what you learned.
  • Meet new people – you’re probably not going to meet new people if you’re hanging out with the people you came with.  Get out of your comfort zone, ask people what they want to get from the conference, how far they traveled etc, you never know what you’ll learn or who you’ll meet.
  • Make a schedule, be willing to break it –  One of the nice things about IL is they schedule breaks for coffee and chit chat and since you aren’t racing from one venue to the next you can actually utilize them. It is also a good idea to make a schedule of what you’d like to attend, know what you absolutely must see and what you’d be willing to miss for coffee with that person you’ve been wanting to meet or the awesome new person you just met.
  • Know what amenities your hotel offers – internet access, gym, fridge, breakfast etc
  • Ask for the things you need at your  hotel – you’re a paying guest, don’t be afraid to ask for things to make your stay more comfortable. I almost always ask for more hangers, I like to hang everything up.
  • Make time for down time - conferences can be overwhelming there is so much to do, so many people to meet.  Don’t wear yourself out early, it wont matter how much you see if you are too worn out to remember it or how many people you meet if you are too burnt out to make a good impression. Monterey is beautiful, go see the sea lions, visit the aquarium, walk along the ocean, breathe.
  • Wear comfortable shoes
  • Layer your clothes, bring a jacket, sweater or shawl, temperature can vary widely in rooms and you want to be comfortable
  • Drink lots of water – so easy to forget when you’re on the go and it is one small thing that can make you feel so much better

From others via Friendfeed, Twitter or blogs.

  • In the exhibits, ask yourself before taking swag “would I want this if it weren’t free?” And it is unseemly to push people out of the way to get an advance reading copy. – Steve Lawson
  • Anything you acquire, you will have to bring home. I like to stick a small flattened cardboard box and a roll of packing tape in my suitcase to mail home free books. – Jason P.
  • ALA is very spread out. You need to factor in where a session/meeting is when planning a schedule - Tombrarian

Karen Schnieder has a great list I’ve grabbed a couple of my favorites, so as not to steal the whole thing but go read it.

  • Bring more business cards than you think you need. You will always run out.  I also know I’m ready to go home when I start handing out other people’s cards. When you get back, go through your cards and write people.
  • Always visit the exhibits. ALA conferences survive because vendors continue to send entire cotillion of staff and equipment to the exhibit hall. At the very least, go in and greet the vendors your library uses (yes, even the vendors you don’t like). But if you have more time, wander the halls.
  • Tip the people who make our visit so comfortable. Tip the shuttle driver, the hotel concierge who drags your suitcase to the lobby, the clerk who brings your bags up to the room, the hotel desk clerk who retrieves your suitcase, the maid who cleans your hotel room,  the restaurant wait staff, and the cab drivers who hustle you around the city.  Your tips mean a lot to these service workers, and enhance the image of the profession as a caring, sharing group.  Bring dollar bills for the smaller tips (I rarely tip under $2 these days for anything) and a $20 (at least) for the hotel maid.

Must Read List

What did I miss?

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Posted in Conference Tips, Internet Librarian 2010

 

Get Online Week! How Broadband Benefits Everyone and How You Can Help Others Get Online

19 Oct

It is Get Online Week in the UK! How awesome is this?

Businesses and the government have teamed up in order to persuade Internet virgins to try out and use the World Wide Web.
The UK Get Online Week was launched on Monday and will run from 18th to 24th October 2010. The week-long national drive is being led by UK Digital Champion Martha Lane Fox, who is trying to get the last remaining ten million Brits online. This is despite the fact that Lane Fox has no budget to complete the project.
“There is no money and we don’t need it to make a big stride forward,” Lane Fox said back in August.

The simple idea behind the campaign is to encourage at least some of these estimated 10 million Britons who have never used the Internet, to give it a go.

There are a couple of helpful sites Race to Online 2012 list events, resources and provides a 67 page Manifest for a Networked Nation and research on Digital Inclusion. If you’re interested in broadband access there are a great resources on this site.

Press play to begin… on Prezi

Pass it On has a great videos and lists 5 reasons to Pass it On:

  1. Money – An estimated £560 can be pocketed over a year by paying bills and shopping online; not to be sniffed at!
  2. Time – Time saved for them performing everyday tasks at the click of a button, and time saved for you by not having to be a surrogate surfer.
  3. staying in Touch – 3m people in the UK are socially isolated, and the Internet can help them connect with their friends and family.
  4. Smash the Barriers – The Internet isn’t scary, it’s fun! Helping someone get over their initial fears can let them into the wonders of the web.
  5. Create Opportunities – Having Internet access can increase GCSE performance by two grades for kids and give access to millions more job opportunities for adults.

found via Stephen Fry

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Posted in Digital Divide

 

10 Ways Twitter Will Make You a Better Employee, Better at Your Job and Benefit Your Library

15 Oct

In my case this means my day, the 9 to 5 one, not the one on the side where I write this blog and other stuff and do workshops and present and read article and government reports, though it helps there too. For the sake of this post I’m focusing on my 9 to 5 job or more like 7 to 6 job.

Here are 10 ways Twitter has made me a better employee, better at my job and benefited my library.

1. Connection to experts.

Thanks to Twitter I can connect with experts it might take years to connect with otherwise. I might see them in passing at conferences (if I’m fortunate enough to attend) or exchange emails. But Twitter connections so much easier to make. No need to write a formal email, I respond to their tweets starting a conversation that is much faster and easier to maintain than formal emails. Through my tweets they get a feeling of what I am like professionally and as in individual.

These connections include those tweets that aren’t related to work or libraries, personal tweets help build a relationship between people who have never met face to face. They are the mortar between the bricks.  Think of them as office cooler talk, it’s the grease that helps the wheels turn.

These connections are invaluable for asking questions, getting feedback and growing as a professional.  It also means when my library is exploring a new project my network of experts to ask for advise is much, much larger than others. When we are researching a new service the first place I go is to my Twitter connections and I get accurate, up-to-date information faster and more efficiently. What boss wouldn’t love that?

2. Pool of information

The amount of information shared on Twitter is amazing. Even better because the information shared is first vetted by the individual who shared it I am assured of its accuracy timeliness and relevance.

3. Real time awareness of News

Your best bet for real-time, as it is happening awareness of news is Twitter. It is just better than newspapers, radio and TV for instant news. News my patrons are interested in, news my management team needs to know. News that effects the decisions we, the library, make.

4. Real time updates in technology and library issues.

Want to know what latest technology marvel Apple is unveiling that wont work with any of your library services but all your patrons will be asking about? Twitter. Want to know what is happening with Vendor issues like the JSTOR interface change? Or Libraries lending Netflix? Twitter.

5. Connection with patrons

Patrons ask me questions on Twitter all the time. Yes for real. Patrons go to the easiest, most convenient method for them, for some its Twitter.

Technically my librarianbyday twitter account is not related to my library in any way. It doesn’t matter, people who know me in the community know I work at the library, I’m their point of contact.

6. Professional development for free!

Hey budgets are tight. But it is important that we take time to develop our staff. Library staff members need professional development to best serve our patrons.

Twitter is no substitute for conferences or face to face training or workshops, but if money is tight it is better than nothing. I get to interact with my peers, exchange ideas and I get pointed toward important library developments without leaving my office.

7. Contact with local organizations and groups.

Because I live in my community I follow local organizations and groups I am interested in. I ask them questions, retweet their tweets and keep up with upcoming events.  They know I’m a librarian that works at the library, they also know I am a customer/patron of theirs. When they have  need than could be met by the library they’ll think of us first because they know me.

Twitter is a great way to build relationships with other organizations,  something that is especially important in today’s economy. Even better you don’t have to spend two hours of work time eating bad food and listening to bad presentations.

8. I’m always learning

I think it would be next to impossible to be on Twitter and not learn  something new. Librarians who are always learning are more flexible and open to change. One thing we know for sure about libraries right now is times are changing and staff need to be able to change too.

9. Keeps me in touch with the larger world.

As human being we tend to gravitate to people with similar ideas and interests. Twitter connects me with people I might not connect with otherwise, they might have completely different interests outside of libraries. Because I frequently interact by choice with people with ideals different than my own I’m better able to assist patrons with ideals who don’t align with me. Remember we are supposed to be warm and welcoming to everyone equally, even if you think their ideas are abhorrent.

10. Sharing and borrowing

Thanks to Twitter it is easy for me to share information about all the awesome things my library is doing and for others to share what their libraries are doing. Why reinvent the wheel when I can steal programming ideas from libraries who have already implemented them? Even better programs I might never have thought of.

Still not convinced? Check out:

Don’t have Twitter and now want to set up an account? Check out these great guides.

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Posted in Librarianship, Twitter

 
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