Monday 30 November 2015

Rudaí23 thing#19: copyright

Copyright: a personal history

Copyright is something that I have been interested in for a while now. It was something of which I was always vaguely aware, but it was when I was working in a bookshop - during a time when digital media really kicked off - that I started to really pay attention. At a certain point the company that I worked for decided to embrace the electronic books market (or at least reluctantly started to sell eReaders). During this time, there was a lot of articles written in trade magazines about the potential issues with eBooks and copyright infringements. Of course, we had seen similar discussions take place with regards to the music industry a few years previous (specifically how illegal downloading of music had 'decimated' the industry). Given the differences between libraries and bookshops, it was no surprise to me when there was a detailed discussion of copyright issues in libraries in a lot of the courses that I studied in UCD during the MLIS.

So, seeing as I have been aware of copyright restrictions in general prior to getting into librarianship, and was introduced to it in more detail during studying and come into contact with it on a daily basis in my job, why did I not apply this thinking to the images that I used in my blog? Not only that, but I have a habit of looking ahead on the Rudaí23 list, so I knew there was one about copyright restrictions. 

Most of the images that I have used on my blog have come from quick Google searches, and I rarely checked to see what copyright restrictions there were and never correctly attributed the vast majority of them. I think the previous blog post about photo sharing reinforced what I already knew, and so I attributed all of those images. The only thing to do is go back through my blog and delete or attribute as appropriate. This will be a time-consuming task, but a good lesson to learn.




It was with all this in mind that I approached one of the specific tasks that Rudaí23 had set for this blog post. I was to locate two photos with no copyright restrictions, and upload them here. The first photo I chose was an interesting one of the famous blues singer, Leadbelly. I got this through searching on Flickr for 'library copyright' (I was a little surprised when I saw Leadbelly using this search). When you're presented with your results, all you have to do is limit them according to their copyright restrictions. It's really easy! The Leadbelly photo is by photographer William P. Gottlieb and is from the Library of Congress's William P. Gottlieb collection. Interestingly, the cataloguing information suggests that while there is explicitly 'no known copyright restrictions', it further notes that 'Mr. Gottlieb has dedicated these works to the public domain, but rights of privacy and publicity may apply'.

I also thought it might be a good opportunity to explore free photo sharing websites on the web. While there are many, I chose one of the first ones I came across, which was gratisography.com, which seems to be a collection of a huge amount of photos taken by one person, Ryan McGuire. Although the photos are all free, with no restrictions whatsoever, you can buy the guy a coffee to say thanks.


Of the photos that I saw, they seemed to be of a very high quality, and they are all nicely catalogued according to six broad categories. Most of them would be perfect for commercial or non-commercial use alike, depending on what it is that you wanted advertised. One thing that I didn't like was that there is seemingly no metadata about the photo available.

How I deal with copyright every day


Despite my previous knowledge of copyright issues in libraries, I was still somewhat unprepared at the complexity of dealing with copyright issues in a practical setting on a daily basis. It's one of those things that should be frustrating, but is actually really interesting. For example, we have the normal issues that you might expect arising from material that is generally available (for example, in a textbook for use by whoever has borrowing rights in our library) but some of these textbooks have material that is exclusively for use by lecturers (usually in an online format). We have to be careful that we are giving out the right material, passwords, or general access and that the people requesting all this are authorised to view the content. This is relatively straight forward when compared to case studies, which require a lot more time, effort, and patience to make sure that we are doing everything right with regards to copyright issues.

Even something as simple as photocopying can be quite complicated when it comes to copyright. Some general points that we follow in the library is determining whether the copying is for private study or research. Also important is knowing how much the person is intending to copy. What's frustrating about this point is that it's not an exact figure, and can depend on what you're copying. For example, you may legally photocopy a certain percentage of a book that in terms of volume far outstrips that of a short poem. However, because the poem is considered to be a complete 'body of work', you may be infringing copyright restrictions by photocopying it. On top of all this, you have to be aware that it is quite rare for a student or a staff member to come to you with questions regarding copyright issues on what they are photocopying. In our library, we have numerous signs around the library reminding users of their responsibilities to avoid copyright infringement as well as including more detailed instruction in some of our information literacy guides.

I think the post was very helpful in explicitly stating the issues. Sometimes you 'forget' when it's something like a blog such as this, while being very strict with regards to informing students (and staff) about photocopying issues, for example. What was reassuring was how (relatively) easy it is to write a blog, use images, and be copyright compliant. All it takes is knowing which sites are favourable to the commons philosophy and knowing how to restrict your search terms.

Libraries and copyright

The Rudaí23 post about copyright was a brilliant introduction to the murky and sometimes difficult world of copyright. And it's worth reminding ourselves that every few months the issue of how libraries deal with copyright issues tends to arise. Only very recently All Hallow's College was involved in a dispute over their ability to sell some letters that Jackie Kennedy had written to a priest in the 1950s and 60s. The famous author J.D. Salinger was also involved in a legal case with the publishing company Random House regarding the use of letters that were on display in the libraries of Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Texas. Perhaps most concerning for librarians was the recent case of a group of authors suing numerous American universities over a dispute over what constituted 'orphan' status in books that they were digitising. It's not just a very interesting topic for librarians everywhere, but an absolutely essential one to get to grips with.

Saturday 28 November 2015

Rudaí23 thing#18: the visual world of libraries

An screenshot of the
 National Geographic's Instagram account
Although there are many photo sharing social media platforms, Flickr and Instagram tend to be the ones we think of when we upload our photos. Although previously they served very different functions, those differences are becoming less pronounced as they adopt popular social media practices. While in the past, Flickr may have been associated with a more 'professional' type of photograph, with the all-important metadata, Instagram's appeal was inherent in its name: uploading your photos could be done 'instantly'. Now, however, Flickr has become far, far easier (and quicker) to upload photos since they have launched their mobile app, while with Instagram it is becoming increasingly more likely to see professional photos from sources such as the National Geographic.

My interaction with Flickr and Instagram

 

I have had accounts with Flickr and Instagram since the early days of both, although I use them in very different ways. While the recent innovations that Flickr has introduced are most definitely welcome, I still associate it with a photo storage site, rather than something I actively engage with. Despite this, there are still many positives: the quality of the photos that you upload tend to be better than on Instagram and the detail that people use to describe these photographs tends to be of a higher quality (my appreciation of this may be due to all those countless hours spent cataloguing over the years). With the new mobile app, it is becoming easier to share and interact with others. Also, doing research for this blog post has brought up a wealth of fascinating photographs that I had never come across before, so it's definitely something I need to devote more time to. Buildings under construction aren't everybody's thing, but I love both of these images. The photo on the left is Marina City, Chicago, taken in 1963 by C. William Brubaker. It's taken from the Digital Collections, UIC Library. The one on the right is the Liberty Hall building, taken a little later, in early 1964 (from the NLI's Flickr Commons page).




There are still some issues with Flickr (particularly with the rather cumbersome feel and look of the new beta additions) but hopefully they will be ironed out in time.

Instagram is something that I've been getting more and more comfortable with over the last year or so. It's incredibly easy to use, and everything about it is geared towards sharing and interacting with others on the app. This is especially so with the introduction of hashtags to make finding photos more intuitive. I find that the tendency on Instagram is towards being more relaxed about the quality of the photographs that you're uploading: they don't have to be perfect and often the goal is more about what the picture is trying to say rather than its quality as a piece of art or a historical document.  Having said that, more and more cultural institutions and businesses are embracing Instagram which makes using it an even more rewarding experience.

Libraries sharing their collections


Given the popularity of both of these apps, it is not surprising that many libraries have realised that they are a great way of advertising their services as well as interacting with users that may have either forgotten they were there or are unable to get to their library for whatever reason. A great example of this is the National Library of Ireland's Flickr account.

An example of the selection of photographs available on the NLI's Flickr Commons page
The first thing we notice is a range of high-quality photographs that advertise an essential quality of the NLI: it's a cultural institution of Ireland, and has photos not simply advertising their services but sharing their collection directly online. There's a wealth of information about the photographs, and a lot of interaction with users online. It's interesting to compare this resource and the amount of time that must be put into selecting photographs, cataloguing, and so on, with the NLI's presence on Instagram which is ... nonexistent. There are lots of people posting images about the NLI, but they are not connected officially with the institution. I think with the growing popularity of Instagram, and the fact that other institutions like the New York Public Library and the National Gallery of Ireland embracing the format, there is a opportunity for the NLI to engage with its users through Instagram. Below we can see the National Gallery of Ireland's Instagram account: it's a nice mix of showcasing its considerable quality of world class art, as well as advertising its services and some interesting photographs of staff members.



Using photo sharing apps in your own library

 

Is photo sharing suitable for all types of libraries? I have thought about this question while doing research for this topic, and was initially very skeptical, especially when thinking about the library that I work in. However, seeing how different types of libraries adopt different platforms for photo sharing, and also the different ways that they interact with these apps, has made me reappraise the situation.

As with most things in a library, planning is essential. The first thing that needs to be ascertained is whether there is enough people available to manage the project and whether the library can set up another social media platform within the marketing parameters that may exist in the college. An important thing to keep in mind is that any social media platform should be considered a long-term marketing tool, and may not see any achievable results in the short-term. This means that it may be difficult to argue for its implementation with the relevant college authorities as well as being aware that the library will have to update its account on a regular basis. A general rule of thumb might be to update at least a couple of times a week.

Where I work, the only social media presence that we are engaged in is Facebook. We highlight any news that might be of interest to the students, and have recently started highlighted the services that we provide. As I mentioned previously, I was initially unsure as to whether Instagram or Flickr would really suit a small academic library like ourselves and this was only highlighted when I investigated accounts like the NLI's Flickr Commons and the National Gallery of Ireland's Instagram account. These accounts are showcasing a collection, and the photos themselves are works of art or interesting historical documents. Does somebody really want to look at a photo of the latest statistics must-have textbook?

I thought this article was interesting, however, and shows how an imaginative approach to something like an Instagram account can pay real dividends. There are some great ideas, including a 'Flashback Friday' focusing on old yearbook photos, as well as the occasional picture of a historical document. What seems to be the key to a good Instagram account (for a non-traditional cultural institution) is to mix up the informative with the silly and the esoteric. The article does mention, however, that there are very few students following the account they are using as an example, which might lead to some serious questions as to its purpose and viability.

A good example of how it might work is the Oregon Libraries Instagram account, which you can see on the left. We can see some historical photographs mixed with some quirky ones, as well as library notices advertising opening hours over a holiday period. There is a very brief bio at the top, and appropriate notice of suitable hashtags where you can interact with the different libraries that make up the service. There is considerable interaction with regards to liking the photographs, although interaction in the comments section is somewhat minimal.

Overall, I think an Instagram account might work in the context of the library where I work if we follow some of the good examples mentioned above. I think we might have to wait until we've tried some of the more obvious social media platforms, like Twitter, but it's an exciting prospect.

Thursday 26 November 2015

Rudaí23 thing#17: (the final) reflective practice

I must admit that I find the reflective practices harder than most of the more 'traditional' things on the course. I think it's because it's less about something tangible, where you can chart your progress and see whether you've succeeded or failed. Having said all that, I like how the reflective practices build on each other, and get you to completely reassess how you write a blog entry. And of course, given what Rudaí 23 is all about, it makes you reassess how you look at developments in the library world. And when you look at it like that, the reflective practices are something tangible. It's not just thinking about something, in fact, as mentioned in thing#17,  "action without reflection leads to meaningless activism, while reflection without action means we are not bringing our awareness into the world".

A reflection on reflections


Gibbs' Reflective Cycle, from cumbria.ac.uk
I definitely think I could have used Gibbs' chart on some of my blog posts (for example, thing#5 about social media). I went in to a lot of detail about my own experience of using social media, but failed to make the connection between that and how social media is used where I work (and also in the library world in general). What a thing to miss! It's not even that I missed that social media is huge in the library world (and even if I had, the rest of the Rudaí course would've been a real eye opener!) but it's pretty important where I work. Even a short paragraph about how we use social media to advertise our services to students and whether it works or not would have been a nice way to end the blog.

It's hard to look back over something you've written so long away (in many ways), but I think I was more concerned with completing the task rather than describing the process. I'm beginning to realise the importance of the process: how you approach a task, what preparations you make, and particularly how you apply that task to your career is very important.

Using reflective practice in your job


The task that Rudai has set for thing#17 is "write a blog entry describing how you could use reflective practice in your library experience". As I mentioned before, I like when tasks are concrete and apply to our real world experience, so I'm going to apply this to my job which is in a small academic library in Dublin.


I've worked on some exciting projects since I started in the library, but the one I'm going to apply what I'm learning about reflective practice is a user-testing project I did over the summer. This is because user-testing was something I had never done previously, and had never even (necessarily) associated it with a traditional library role. Either of those descriptions (and sometimes both) can usually be applied to any of the Rudaí 23 things.

Some background about the project


I was lucky in that my boss was very helpful and encouraging about it. She knew I had never done anything like it before, but was keen to give me (nearly) complete control of it. She suggested some reading that I could do to prepare myself for both the theory behind user-testing as well as how to plan and implement it. After doing some reading around the subject, I focused on one particular book, Steve Krug's Don't Make Me Think, which seemed to be geared towards exactly what we were looking for: a cheap model of user-testing that could be conducted with hardware and software that we already had access to. I had regular meetings with my boss about what she wanted from the project and who we wanted to participate.

After this, I needed to take care of some practical issues. I needed to contact various people in the college that might know of some students who would fit our parameters and then book a room in the library based on their availability. I quickly realised that I would have to be very flexible to accommodate a whole group of people who were essentially doing us a favour. This meant that the project would not be completed in the way that I had originally envisaged: students booked in at the beginning of a three-week period, with time in between to write up the reports. It would be messy, but it would be okay. Or at least, I hoped it would be.

What I did next and how I felt about the project


Steve Krug's book, which was
the key to a successful user-testing
project.
After I had got all the practical issues out of the way, I followed the steps in Krug's book about how to prepare for the actual testing. Things flowed relatively smoothly from this point. In nearly all tests I discovered something that would be useful for our new website, and, such is the nature of user-testing, even when you think you're not getting anything from a particular test, the very fact that you're 'getting nothing' is actually telling you something (some users will find the whole process very easy and straightforward). I was beginning to feel more and more confident about the project at this stage, as I could see real, verifiable results, and I was already seeing basic things about navigation of the website that were important issues that needed to be addressed.

Throughout the whole process, my main thought was reminding myself that preparation was the key to it succeeding or failing. I needed to remember the theory, to have everything booked in advance, and to have my generic script altered prior to each individual test. I also needed to set aside time to prepare for the test before it occurred, as well as keeping numerous documents updated about participation, notes, etc.

Evaluating the project


I found the whole project a great learning experience. It definitely challenged my preconceptions about what librarians did and I felt that I was doing something that was important. I could also see how it fit in with the many changes that the library was going through over the summer (we were getting a new website, new libguides, a new LMS). It was also frustrating in parts, but I think any project - especially one that you haven't done before - is going to have elements of that. Another thing that I learned was always go with your gut (in this case, by 'gut' I mean Krug's book). He kept saying that anything over approximately five users meant you were just increasing your workload with no visible impact on the overall test, but we had agreed that we wanted to test as many users as possible, and specifically students in different stages of their academic career as well as international students. After approximately five user-tests, I could see that any issues that students might have with the system were starting to repeat themselves, regardless of their status. Despite this, I think it was good to see in practice what Krug was trying to get at, and when we next do some user-testing, we can avoid this.

Analysis


The most important aspect of the project was that it achieved its main aim: identifying possible issues with navigation around our new website. It was also really interesting to see first-hand how students did this, as well as their reactions to some of our new services that we were offering. On a personal level, I realised that I could manage every detail of a project: planning, implementation, and successful delivery. The project was well-received, both in the library and in the college in general, and it was great to see how it would benefit all the changes that the library were in the process of introducing.

Conclusion


After the project had finished, I used my reports to write up a basic document about what issues the testing had focused on. Those deemed urgent were acted on immediately, while other issues were set aside (either for looking at in the future or because they weren't high up on the list of priorities). This is, of course, an important part of user-testing, and while it seems self-evident (what's the point in user-testing if you're not going to act on the recommendations?) it is repeated in most of the material I read about user-testing, so it seems like it is something that keeps coming up.

I think that for any future user-testing that I do, I will try and follow the theory more, specifically with regards to how many people we use in our testing, as well as trying not to cover too much in the tests. Also, despite my obsessing over keeping notes, I would like to keep more time for this, as well as keeping screenshots to give a better overview of how the project progressed. Using the tips from thing#17 will definitely help with this.

Monday 23 November 2015

Rudaí23 thing#16: collaboration tools

Google Drive: an example of an easy-to-use collaboration tool


I have used Google Drive previously when working with a library career development group, primarily as a means to easily read and transmit documents between committee members. It's an absolutely invaluable resource, but it takes time to get to grips with all that it has to offer. I also found that Google gets a bit confused if you have two or more accounts linked (or maybe it was just me). Prior to adopting Google Drive, we relied on sending around group emails. This worked until we realised that new members did not have access to older material that may be necessary for them to consult. By updating new members (and removing old) this problem is easily circumvented when using Google Drive.

Google Drive: It's more than just document sharing!

In addition to making document transfer relatively straight forward, Google Drive is brilliant at allowing multiple formats to be uploaded, as well as allowing you to work on documents within Google Drive.

Another huge plus is the 'advanced' functions that it has provided. I have a bad habit of forgetting about Google's 'advanced' options (something I like to think that everybody does). For sharing documents, this means that you can determine the privacy of the document, as well as getting a shareable link that you can use on social media.

Of course, you don't have to use Google for your collaboration needs. There are many other similar services available, most notably Dropbox, but also Microsoft's OneDrive. This article has a pretty good summary of the differences (and similarities) between the three.

Collaboration tools in a small academic library


I work in a small academic library, and there is widespread use of Microsoft Office in all levels of the college, including, of course, the library. 'Sharing' of documents isn't something that's done, at least not in the sense of collaboration tools as discussed here. Use is made of the normal drives that our colleagues have access to, and this seems to work well on a day-to-day basis.

This topic has got me thinking about what tools our students use. Group work is becoming increasingly prevalent in the academic world and I realised that I have no idea what collaboration tools students are using. This has a necessary impact on information literacy and it's something that all librarians need to get to grips with, and something that should perhaps be included in our 'how to' guides, along with instructing them on how to access databases and online journals.

Screenshot of Virginia Tech's page about collaboration tools
A good example of a library highlighting collaboration tools is Virginia Tech. Such tools highlighted include conferencing (those focused include Google Hangout, Skype, Virtual Graduate Life Center, and WebEx), shared document editing (Google Docs, Mendeley, WordPress blogging, and Zotero) as well as Bubbl.us, an interesting whiteboard tool that is free to sign up to with your Gmail account, and there is app functionability as well.

I think this is a great example of how a university is adapting to its students' needs and is making available lots of collaborative tools which a lot of people (both students and librarians) may not know are freely available.

Friday 20 November 2015

Rudaí23 thing#15: talking about libraries (to whoever will listen)


#Thing 15 began with an inspiring and positive note: the very act of typing these words, having this blog, means that I’m an advocate.
 
We often see advocacy as a strictly political thing: protests on the street, meetings with your local representative in government, or industry-wide lobbying. And while these are all important, these are certainly not things I would associate with librarians, at least not in Ireland. And that's what was so interesting about researching for this topic. Advocacy isn't (necessarily) protesting on the streets. It's about telling the public about what you do. Advocacy helps us to get our message across, clear up misconceptions about what a library is, and ensure that a more informed message is being heard. Not just by the people in charge, but by everybody.

Advocacy in the UK


Voices for the Library serves as a good model for helping us to understanding what library advocacy is. Focusing on public libraries, their approach is aimed at getting across the basic facts and figures to the public, whilst also highlighting areas that libraries are heavily involved in. This is especially important if it focuses on areas that the public is not aware that there is a heavy librarian presence. The website looks good, it's easy to navigate, and encourages contributions from both librarians and the public. And this is an important point with regards to advocacy. People expect librarians to advocate for libraries: and there may be a perception of people simply advocating for their job, regardless of the benefits that job may have for society. For advocacy to really have an impact, we need the public to get involved (or students if you're in an academic institution, for example).

Another important point is that advocacy can help act against misconceptions of what a library is. I have lost count of the amount of time I have had to explain that the library where I work is so much more than just lending books to students, and I can only imagine that that task is multiplied to infinity when it comes to those working in public libraries. A good example of this is the word cloud (produced by Voices for the Library). How many are terms that non-librarians associate with libraries? If people don't associate their libraries with words beyond 'books', then we need to know why this is the case and change the public perception. The only way that we can do this is by advocating for libraries, whether they are in the public, private or academic sphere.

The view from America

I investigated This is What a Librarian Looks Like to see how American librarians are approaching the role of library advocacy. This is a deceptively light-hearted approached to advocacy. You see all these faces, and brief bios, and you're not thinking that this is about the serious business of library advocacy. And that's where its power lies: these are people that look like average members of society, and the bios tell you what they're doing as librarians. Sometimes that's a traditional librarian role, sometimes it's a little bit unique and 'out there'.


And what about ourselves?


It sometimes feels (to me, at least) that advocacy for libraries is something confined to the UK and America. I think that I thought this primarily because I was associating advocacy with the fight against public library closures, which is something that was particularly visible in the UK in the last five years or so. Advocacy in Ireland is just as important, and is something that many librarians and library organisations are actively participating in.

We're in the middle of Library Ireland Week and I would be surprised if anybody outside of my librarian peers were aware of this fact. According to the LAI website, the theme of this year is "books as a portal into a world of ideas and opportunities". Who among us can't get behind an idea as simple and important as that?

There seems to have been a lot of thought put into the promotional side of things (although, to be honest, I didn't see a huge amount outside of social media, but that is probably more an issue with myself than anybody else). The LAI was keen to emphasise the importance on ourselves, as librarians, to advocate for this, and they're absolutely right.

Despite the theme being centered around books, the huge list of events organised by libraries throughout the country expanded on that theme, and I think this is something very important. Libraries are many things to many people, and Library Week Ireland (despite its theme) showcased the wonderfully varied list of things that libraries do, including reading sessions, cultural exhibitions, talks on practical advice, music, and even using a yoga story telling event. 

Friday 13 November 2015

Rudaí23 thing#14: The brave new world of augmented reality

After a couple of posts that veered from the technical side of things, Rudaí 23 are bringing us back into the fold with a post that has caught my eye since I glanced down the list of things. I have been looking forward to it ever since.

 What is augmented reality?

 

An image from L Frank Baum's The Master Key
It sounds like something you'd read in a Philip K. Dick novel (or, interestingly, an L. Frank Baum novel, specifically The Master Key from 1901, which is considered the first use of the idea of augmented reality). Augmented reality is essentially any real-world environment that has been supplemented by computer-generated input, whether that's sound, graphics, video, or whatever you're having yourself. Most of us, if we were pressed on the issue, would suggest something like Google Glass, perhaps without knowing that that particular brand of technology, as is sometimes the case, has already been and gone (or is at least undergoing some serious re-branding).

With technology touted as ‘the future’, it’s sometimes difficult to get to grips with what it actually does in a real world environment. It is often the case (and it definitely seemed to be the way with Google Glass) that it was technology that was in constant 'development' and rarely seen in the real world. This video goes some way to explaining how it would work in the library of the future (or, a library right now in India).


It looks great, and what's even better is that it seems like intuitive technology. Sometimes, when I'm reading about new technological developments, it can seem like I'm reading about things that developers want us to appreciate rather than something we want or need. With the video above, nearly everything featured made me think 'Of course! Why didn't I think of that?'

The problem with 'future' tech


We all remember Q codes (interestingly, some people are suggesting that augmented reality will finally do away with them) and while Second Life is still around, it never caught on in the way we thought it would. That's the problem with predicting the future: it's next to impossible. So, it would be foolish to think that augmented reality is going to be that tech development that will make us wonder in ten years time how we ever managed without it. The difference with augmented reality, however, is that it is a development that can be adjusted to meet our actual needs and wants.

Augmented reality in the library: the future is now

The video above shows that augmented reality already exists in (some) libraries. The issue to determine is whether it will become as ubiquitous as an online catalogue search or a self-service machine. If this is the case, we can expect many articles like this suggesting that the end is nigh for libraries (interestingly, that article is from 2013, and augmented reality still seems to be something of a niche development). Regardless, if augmented reality is the future, and something our patrons are using and expect to see in their libraries, then it's something that we will have to get to grips with. There are also many possible positives with new technology, of course. A whole new way of teaching information literacy will be needed, as well as understanding how augmented reality will impact on people's lives, from education to leisure, as well as in a business dimension. These are areas that librarians will need to master if our users are going to associate libraries with places to go to get information.

Rudaí23 thing#13: Professional institutions

When Irish librarians think of professional associations, we often thing of the main one, the Library Association of Ireland (LAI) as well as some of the bigger UK ones, in particular the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). The Rudaí post for thing 13 was eye-opening with regards to the amount of professional organisations around. My twitter feed definitely needs an update.

Going that one step further


I was a Committee member of the LAICDG for approximately two years and would definitely encourage people to seek out groups that are looking for Committee members. Membership of professional organisations like the LAI are wonderful, and contain many benefits, but becoming a
Committee member takes these advantages and brings them to another level. You learn skills like organising events, working with others as part of a professional group, as well as gaining knowledge of how sub-committees interact and work together with other sub-committees. It also serves as an excellent way of getting to know people in the library world.

The basics


If you’re not quite ready for that step, the first thing to do is join the LAI, which is easier than ever to do and gives you lots of benefits which might be particularly relevant if you’re just starting off as a library professional, or even still in university. Attend as many events as possible (see my previous post about the benefits of attending events) and get to know some of your peers. If there’s a particular area you think you might be interested (and chances are, there’s a LAI group for that!) then get involved. You may not even be working in that particular field, but it could possibly help for you in the future.
The other thing to do is keep in touch with professional bodies further afield. This is most easily done through Twitter. It can keep you in touch with new developments abroad, but also give you ideas as to how professional organisations here in Ireland might develop.

A problem with terms

 

One final point is not to get too hung up on terms like 'professional' when looking at library organisations. A perfect example of this is the wonderful group New Professionals Day Ireland (NPD Ireland) which aims to appeal to both professional and non-professional people alike, whether you're somebody who thinks they may like to work in an information professional role, whether you're studying in the field, or whether you're working in a traditional or non-traditional library or information professional role. It's a great way to 'dip your toe' into the field and see if it's for you, or if you've already made that leap, to attend some wonderfully innovative conferences and talk to your peers as well as people that you wouldn't normally interact with at similar conferences.

Friday 6 November 2015

Rudaí23 thing#12: A librarian set loose in the real world

What do you think of when you think of library conferences? I started attending conferences soon after I graduated from UCD, and was struck by how varied they are. They range from the intricately organised to the wonderfully loose interpretation of the term 'conference' (we've even had the term 'un-conference' bandied around), from the traditional speaker-and-audience affair to the more collaborative, and even one or two that offer a very fancy meal option. They may seem (to the non librarian/information professional) to be the epitome of all the stereotypes of what librarians are, but I've found them to be (depending on the conference) informative, interesting, radical, sometimes even funny.

Attending a conference


An image from Library Camp 2014
Of course, as with so many things nowadays, there are numerous ways in which to 'attend' a conference. Even if the conference hasn't offered a live stream, chances are you will find you can interact and participate through Twitter or catch up with the slides after everything has finished.

I think there is a lot to say for physically attending a conference, however. Seeing things in a real-world environment is (for me, anyway) a positive, more engaging experience. I tend to interact more with what's said and with the people with whom I'm attending the conference. Even the very act of committing to attending a conference means I make preparations that I have to stick with. I find that I engage more with people in the field and take away points of interest that I may not do if I am checking out live tweets on my phone.

Of course, it can be difficult to get time to attend conferences, especially if you're in a full-time job. And if you're not in a full-time job, it can still be difficult, especially if there is a fee to attend (although many will offer bursaries or reduced fees for unemployed or those still in education). Another issue can be location. That conference in Sheffield may look very attractive, but you will have to add transport costs and time, which may make it somewhat less attractive.

Some practical issues

I tend to come to conferences with my phone, some paper and a pen. I take notes of things that I might want to follow up on during questions (or after the conference). Caroline Rowan’s Rudai post has a great idea that you should take notes of people you meet and what area they are working in. I have that terrible affliction that causes me to immediately forget people’s names even as they are being introduced to me.

An example of tweets during a recent LAICDG conference
On breaks from the conference (and sometimes during the talks), if I have a spare moment I will try and see what’s happening online, share my thoughts and interact with others (either at the conference or those who couldn’t attend).

I'm quite lucky in that I can reasonably expect to attend a conference, providing there is adequate cover in work and that the conference is broadly suited to my career development. I find that I got the most from conferences that I attended where I was required to write up a brief description of the day for a Committee that I was involved with at the time. I have attended conferences since, and while I take brief notes, and usually participate online, I have definitely noticed that my engagement isn't as complete as it was before. Another important aspect of conferences is the opportunity to talk to people that you don't know and don't interact with on a regular basis. This can be difficult to do at the best of times, but it's important to get outside of your comfort zone.

Thursday 5 November 2015

Rudaí23 thing#11: Reflective practice

The reflective practice for this week is perhaps particularly relevant to me. As I’m writing this, Rudaí 23 has finished and I’m still not even halfway through. I’m came late to the course, and this definitely had an impact on viewing some of the things as being relevant (like catching up on live tweeting events or participating in online broadcasts with all the other bloggers). I also seemed to coincide my engagement with Rudaí 23 with other ‘career development’ things like learning Irish. The points about time management in the reflective practice definitely apply here!

My biggest issue, however, is with the specifics of blogging. For a while there, I had a fair few posts in the ‘draft’ phase, while I tweaked them, looked at how others were approaching the same material, and even spent some ill-advised time looking for the perfect photo accompaniment for the particular blog post. I have been a sporadic user of blogging over the last decade or so, and whenever it comes to the more public types of blogs, I hesitate. I need to remind myself of the point that Siobhan mentioned in the Rudaí 23 post that not everybody is reading my blog. That is both heartening and disheartening.

Let’s hope this post doesn’t stay in blog purgatory for too long.

Rudaí23 thing#10: Live streaming

The last few 'things' on the Rudaí23 list have been very interesting, and have definitely allowed me to experience areas that I either hadn't experienced before, or had never seen them as tools that I could use in the library world. This brings us to live streaming. And of course live streaming is something that could be used in the library world.

Professional live streaming


Live streaming library conferences makes sense, particularly the more popular ones. Of course, popularity means a lot of disappointed people who won't be able to make it, but there are also many of us who have other commitments that we can't get out of, or sometimes issues like cost or distance come into play.

Professional live streaming also makes sense for the organisers. It can help engage with people who traditional don't (or can't) attend events and it increases 'attendance' (if we're so heavily invested in the digital world, shouldn't digital attendance count?)

A more personal streaming service?


The introductory video on Periscope of course focuses on short videos to entice you to sign up, but
beyond the nice glossy videos, what does it do?

Firstly, it's important to know that it's linked to your Twitter account, so you'll need one before you get started. After that, it's remarkably straight forward.

Periscope is a very easy-to-use app. All you need is a good WiFi connection, and you're good to go. What is particularly appealing about it is its connectivity. You can see who's logging on and you can send messages. I think it would be a very useful addition to a conference that's being live streamed.

Like with any application, the positives of Periscope depends on its popularity. If it's successful, then it's a legitimate option that libraries should use, depending on their user base.