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Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… - The Best Online Sources For Images
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Why Google+ Could be a Game-Changer in Higher Education – Century College Marketing Program Blog
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How to Make a Screencast for Your Website | Webdesigner Depot
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More Than 30 PowerPoint Tips from the PowerPoint Pros! » The Rapid eLearning Blog
#CPD23 Thing 13: Tools for Collaboration
I am so excited for this post - in part because it cannot come at a more opportune time than this! There are several projects and committees that I am a part of with other librarian colleagues cross-campus. Because we are not physically in the same city, we rely heavily on chat and e-mail for communication. Sometimes it becomes difficult, but we're making strides to continue finding new ways to better collaborate with each other.
I have had the opportunity to work with a fantastic group of librarians to co-lead an APA revision committee. Without getting too detailed in the "why" of the committee (it's a bit of a long story, and one I'm happy to share if you ask), just know that there were many many painstakingly long hours/days/weeks/months that we poured over our campus documents - tweaking them to be more user friendly and in line with APA 6th edition style. We also launched a brand spanking new APA Research Guide that I am super duper bodaciously proud of. There is still one more legal resources are that we're tweaking, but it's complete and will be launched to the information literacy courses next week.
I saw all of this background info to give you a picture of how online collaborative tools could have helped us along this process. My co-leader and I did get creative with screenshot links sent via chat by way of Jing (I just love Jing!), but when working on the paper documents, it would have been interesting to see how well Google Docs could have worked - or even drop box for that matter.
I have, however, had the opportunity to suggest Google Docs to a newly formed Research Society (The sexy librarian research society to be exact) that a select few librarians from various campuses in my organization are a part of. We're hoping to use Google Docs for suggestions and revisions of publication material, and potentially Zotero for group article source collaboration.
So now that you have some background of where I'm coming from...I'll get right to the specifics of the tools being discussed for this week's Thing 13 as part of the 23 Things for Professional Development program.
Google Docs
I have been an avid Google Docs user for quite some time. Oftentimes, a flashdrive just takes to long to locate or pop into a computer, and Google Docs allows me to keep my documents handy on any computer, at any time, and it also syncs to my droid phone! My husband has collaborated on a resume document with me too and it worked extremely well! I was able to see, real time, his edits, making it a much faster process than e-mailing the same document back and forth umpteen gazillion times.
Some people are leery of cloud computing and privacy - and that's a valid argument. I just like the convenience of having my documents readily available. And not all documents are uploaded or created in Google Docs... but I do keep my information literacy course material handy, as well as a few other work documents.
The following video does a great job of showing the basics of getting started with Google Docs:
Dropbox
I have used dropbox off and on for a while now too. Recently, it has been super useful when transferring documents between work and home. It's a simple drag and drop to dropbox, it syncs with ease, and when I get home...my document appears like magic!
One aspect of dropbox that I haven't tried is the sharing feature of folders for collaboration purposes. I have however noticed the individual file link that has come in handy a few times.... but for the most part, I have used dropbox as a personal tool.
Wikis
The last portion of Thing 13 talks about wikis. I must say...I'm not a huge fan of wikis. I find them to be somewhat clunky, and the hierarchy of how the information is inputted doesn't make sense to me. I would much rather use Google Sites as a website and archive for documents and information. Google Sites also has a wiki template that works well. I have however edited an existing wiki with ease... but I have nearly pulled my hair out when trying to create one from scratch. I'd rather code a website (lol).
In conclusion, if you can't tell... I am a huge fan of Google Docs, and it will most likely continue to be my number 1 go-to source for collaboration purposes.
Stay tuned for Thing 14 ...
I have had the opportunity to work with a fantastic group of librarians to co-lead an APA revision committee. Without getting too detailed in the "why" of the committee (it's a bit of a long story, and one I'm happy to share if you ask), just know that there were many many painstakingly long hours/days/weeks/months that we poured over our campus documents - tweaking them to be more user friendly and in line with APA 6th edition style. We also launched a brand spanking new APA Research Guide that I am super duper bodaciously proud of. There is still one more legal resources are that we're tweaking, but it's complete and will be launched to the information literacy courses next week.
I saw all of this background info to give you a picture of how online collaborative tools could have helped us along this process. My co-leader and I did get creative with screenshot links sent via chat by way of Jing (I just love Jing!), but when working on the paper documents, it would have been interesting to see how well Google Docs could have worked - or even drop box for that matter.
I have, however, had the opportunity to suggest Google Docs to a newly formed Research Society (The sexy librarian research society to be exact) that a select few librarians from various campuses in my organization are a part of. We're hoping to use Google Docs for suggestions and revisions of publication material, and potentially Zotero for group article source collaboration.
So now that you have some background of where I'm coming from...I'll get right to the specifics of the tools being discussed for this week's Thing 13 as part of the 23 Things for Professional Development program.
Google Docs
I have been an avid Google Docs user for quite some time. Oftentimes, a flashdrive just takes to long to locate or pop into a computer, and Google Docs allows me to keep my documents handy on any computer, at any time, and it also syncs to my droid phone! My husband has collaborated on a resume document with me too and it worked extremely well! I was able to see, real time, his edits, making it a much faster process than e-mailing the same document back and forth umpteen gazillion times.
Some people are leery of cloud computing and privacy - and that's a valid argument. I just like the convenience of having my documents readily available. And not all documents are uploaded or created in Google Docs... but I do keep my information literacy course material handy, as well as a few other work documents.
The following video does a great job of showing the basics of getting started with Google Docs:
Dropbox
I have used dropbox off and on for a while now too. Recently, it has been super useful when transferring documents between work and home. It's a simple drag and drop to dropbox, it syncs with ease, and when I get home...my document appears like magic!
One aspect of dropbox that I haven't tried is the sharing feature of folders for collaboration purposes. I have however noticed the individual file link that has come in handy a few times.... but for the most part, I have used dropbox as a personal tool.
Wikis
The last portion of Thing 13 talks about wikis. I must say...I'm not a huge fan of wikis. I find them to be somewhat clunky, and the hierarchy of how the information is inputted doesn't make sense to me. I would much rather use Google Sites as a website and archive for documents and information. Google Sites also has a wiki template that works well. I have however edited an existing wiki with ease... but I have nearly pulled my hair out when trying to create one from scratch. I'd rather code a website (lol).
In conclusion, if you can't tell... I am a huge fan of Google Docs, and it will most likely continue to be my number 1 go-to source for collaboration purposes.
Stay tuned for Thing 14 ...
#CPD23 Thing 12: Social Media for Professional Development
Thing 12 for the 23 Things for Professional Development program discusses social media as a means for professional development. The post asks several questions, but there's one that I will attempt to answer below:
*Are there any other advantages to social networking in the context of professional development?
Thing 12 discusses the idea that social networking can build communities of people that may not have been possible pre-interactive technology. I have experienced this via twitter and Facebook. I have "attended" conferences that I couldn't physically attend, just by following the designated hashtag on Twitter. Via Facebook, I have able to connect with librarian groups and pages as well. In reality, librarians have overrun my social networking profiles so that any time I open one, I get a whole slew of information that is immediately useful to my job or research interests. This is professional development at its best!
The next question asked whether I see any disadvantages to social networking as a professional development too. Because it has been such an important tool for me, I've not seen any negatives to jumping into social media!
I truly feel that social networking has provided an amazing tool for professionals of all fields to be able to connect, share ideas, and get super fast information on a variety of topics. The networking opportunities are tripled due to the nature of the online interactive technology, and for new professionals, this is huge!
Here's to many more years of online communities!
*Are there any other advantages to social networking in the context of professional development?
Thing 12 discusses the idea that social networking can build communities of people that may not have been possible pre-interactive technology. I have experienced this via twitter and Facebook. I have "attended" conferences that I couldn't physically attend, just by following the designated hashtag on Twitter. Via Facebook, I have able to connect with librarian groups and pages as well. In reality, librarians have overrun my social networking profiles so that any time I open one, I get a whole slew of information that is immediately useful to my job or research interests. This is professional development at its best!
The next question asked whether I see any disadvantages to social networking as a professional development too. Because it has been such an important tool for me, I've not seen any negatives to jumping into social media!
I truly feel that social networking has provided an amazing tool for professionals of all fields to be able to connect, share ideas, and get super fast information on a variety of topics. The networking opportunities are tripled due to the nature of the online interactive technology, and for new professionals, this is huge!
Here's to many more years of online communities!
#CPD23 Thing 11: Mentoring
I'm a bit behind again, but it shouldn't be too hard to catch up. This post is all about thing 11 as part of 23 Things for Professional Development. The topic of mentoring couldn't have come at a more opportune time. I've been thinking a lot about mentoring lately because of two pretty cool items that have come across my plate recently.
Cool Item #1
A colleague of mine sent along an e-mail regarding ACRL's mentoring program. I have been putting off renewing my ALA membership, but when I saw this come through, I immediately started thinking about renewing and tacking on the ACRL membership as well. Sadly, I think I've procrastinated too long and have missed the deadline of August 8th to sign up to be a mentor, but I'll have this to look forward to for next year perhaps. It's a bit daunting, but would be a good way to give back to the profession.
Cool Item #2
A small group of fantabulous librarians that I work with have banded together to create a Research Society. The premise of this group is to encourage one another along the journey of research, whether for publishing or presentation purposes. Many of us are looking to be published down the line, and this group will help in terms of proof-reading, offering suggestions, etc... We're just getting it started, and none of us have a ton of time to devote to it yet, but it's a great idea that I'm hoping takes off! This group of colleagues will provide a mentoring opportunity for each of us, which after reading the cpd post for this thing is super important. Being able to have a solid sounding board for ideas, but also a place where we are all comfortable to share our thoughts and go out on a limb, never to be made fun of, will be nice. I'm excited about this opportunity!
Hopefully I can get the next 2 things completed in the coming days and I'll be all caught up again. Thanks for reading!
Cool Item #1
A colleague of mine sent along an e-mail regarding ACRL's mentoring program. I have been putting off renewing my ALA membership, but when I saw this come through, I immediately started thinking about renewing and tacking on the ACRL membership as well. Sadly, I think I've procrastinated too long and have missed the deadline of August 8th to sign up to be a mentor, but I'll have this to look forward to for next year perhaps. It's a bit daunting, but would be a good way to give back to the profession.
Cool Item #2
A small group of fantabulous librarians that I work with have banded together to create a Research Society. The premise of this group is to encourage one another along the journey of research, whether for publishing or presentation purposes. Many of us are looking to be published down the line, and this group will help in terms of proof-reading, offering suggestions, etc... We're just getting it started, and none of us have a ton of time to devote to it yet, but it's a great idea that I'm hoping takes off! This group of colleagues will provide a mentoring opportunity for each of us, which after reading the cpd post for this thing is super important. Being able to have a solid sounding board for ideas, but also a place where we are all comfortable to share our thoughts and go out on a limb, never to be made fun of, will be nice. I'm excited about this opportunity!
Hopefully I can get the next 2 things completed in the coming days and I'll be all caught up again. Thanks for reading!
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#CPD23 Thing 10: Routes To Librarianship
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| Creative Commons License by FindYourSearch: http://www.flickr.com/photos/findyoursearch/5179536499/ |
Ah...another reflective post. The 10th 'thing,' as part of the 23 Things for Professional Development program, covers a UK program by the name of CILIP - Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. From what I can understand, CILIP enables those interested in librarianship to get their feet wet with a training program of sorts, enabling them to gain real-world experience before making the decision to pursue the coveted MLS degree. To my knowledge, the United States doesn't have such a program, so I am going to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about my experiences with librarianship, and how I've gotten to where I am now. I'm still on a journey, but it's good to look back and reflect on where I've come from.
When my husband and I first moved to Indiana, it was during a time that I was really searching for what I wanted to do with my life. We had just gotten married, and I had just made the decision to not finish my degree in Piano Performance. Long-story-short ... I was tired of waking up every morning with uncontrollable nerves due to having to perform. So, the move to Indiana was a fresh start for both of us. My husband was beginning a doctoral degree with the IU School of Music, and I was starting fresh as well. During the year that we stayed in Bloomington, I worked as a substitute teacher and afterschool care worker for a number of schools within the system. One week, I had the opportunity to substitute "teach" for a library! I absolutely loved seeing the kids so excited about reading and information, and this planted seed had me thinking I wanted to start on a school library media track. I kept this hush hush for 2 years (even from the hubs)...
After a year, my husband won a position with an orchestra in the northern part of Indiana - so we moved. We spent a year where I did nothing but teach piano. It was rewarding...but I continued to keep the library idea in the back of my mind.
After a year (do you see a trend?!), my husband started talking about wanting to finish his Doctoral degree that was started when we first moved to Indiana, so we made the decision to move an hour and a half south for him to finish with Ball State. Because of the move, I couldn't take my piano students with me, so I was unemployed for quite a while, until I finally got up the nerve to say something about this whole library idea. Keep in mind, I didn't have a bachelor's degree due to the decision to not continue in piano performance (I was a senior recital and a conducting class shy of finishing)...so the hesitancy really was due to not knowing what I would do to finish that initial degree. My husband was (and continues to be) extremely supportive and has always been my biggest fan... so he was all for me wanting to finish and start fresh. He never once questioned my decision (he's truly the best).
So now, I had to decide what to do about the bachelor's degree, and I landed on finishing with Anderson University in their Adult Education Organizational Leadership program. It was the degree that would allow me to finish quickly, enabling me to move right into the MLS. I hated every second of that degree...but it has actually come in handy for much of what I'm currently doing ... but we'll get to that.
So are you wondering yet where the whole library experience comes into play? It's coming I promise!
While going through the Org Leadership program, I was able to land a job as a Page. While this type of entry-level position may not seem impressive on the surface, I gained valuable experience in this job. I learned a great deal about the library collection and was also occasionally allowed to assist patrons in accessing materials and utilizing the library’s resources.
At the first opportunity, I applied for a Reference Assistant position. This allowed me to work more closely with the community, providing customer service through general library OPAC searches and online database searching. As a Reference Assistant, every patron question became an opportunity to improve my research skills, and also to develop my own reference style. This early experience of assisting patrons in their search for information motivated me to continue pursuing my bachelor's degree, working towards a Master of Library Science degree, and ultimately a career as a librarian.
In search of a full-time position, I accepted employment with a different library system about 45 minutes away. This eventually led to an Adult Services Manager position where one of my many responsibilities was establishing and enforcing circulation policies and patron service procedures. I was also responsible for collection development and acquisitions. Once I assessed the collection that included fiction, non-fiction, reference, and audio/video sources, weeding and modernizing the reference collection became my top priority. I gathered and analyzed monthly circulation statistics in order to determine the needs of the library community. Additionally, I maintained records of inter-library loan requests in order to further monitor the demands of the patrons. Balancing community needs with budgetary constraints was a constant struggle, but provided me with great experience. During this time is when I also began my MLS degree, working full time and going to school full time. I was a busy busy gal!
Along with my vision for customer service and reference, I also have a keen interest in technology, particularly technology that advances libraries into the digital age. Libraries are creating an online presence with Web 2.0 applications and interactive library websites. They are establishing digital resource collections that move beyond the physical library walls. Because of my interest and abilities in technology, I was asked to assume the Information Technology Manager position with the same library system. This new position gave me experience dealing with a wide variety of computer technology issues, developing and maintaining the library website, and performing monthly circulation statistical analysis. I also enjoyed the opportunity to teach computer classes, as well as one-on-one instructional sessions. Included among the topics for instruction were Facebook privacy and other social media platforms, digital photography, and Microsoft Office applications.
So now, enter yet another move when I landed my current position. I am currently working as the campus librarian for a career college in northern Indiana. My job changes daily due to the nature of being a solo librarian with 1 assistant. If you're interested, you can read the exhaustive list of my job duties below:
* Faculty liaison to the Business, Criminal Justice and Nursing & Allied Health program departments
* Curriculum liaison and subject specialist for the Project Management and Gaming & Interactive Media programs, as well as the Computer/Keyboarding subject area
* Collection Development and Acquisitions for new Learning Resource Center materials
* Cataloging of new library materials
* Providing reference assistance to students and faculty, both online (via online chat reference service and email) and on ground
* Overseeing Interlibrary Loan processes and procedures
* Promoting information literacy through classroom library instruction sessions
* Developing workshops that contribute to success in the students’ coursework
* Member of the ILS Search Committee, Library Website Committee, and co-leader of the APA Guide Committee
* Managing and training a team of 1 assistant librarian and 4 work study students
* Maintaining monthly, quarterly, and annual circulation, reference and classroom instruction statistics
* Social Media coordinator for the Fort Wayne campus
* Staff and Faculty trainer for web 2.0 technologies
* Curriculum liaison and subject specialist for the Project Management and Gaming & Interactive Media programs, as well as the Computer/Keyboarding subject area
* Collection Development and Acquisitions for new Learning Resource Center materials
* Cataloging of new library materials
* Providing reference assistance to students and faculty, both online (via online chat reference service and email) and on ground
* Overseeing Interlibrary Loan processes and procedures
* Promoting information literacy through classroom library instruction sessions
* Developing workshops that contribute to success in the students’ coursework
* Member of the ILS Search Committee, Library Website Committee, and co-leader of the APA Guide Committee
* Managing and training a team of 1 assistant librarian and 4 work study students
* Maintaining monthly, quarterly, and annual circulation, reference and classroom instruction statistics
* Social Media coordinator for the Fort Wayne campus
* Staff and Faculty trainer for web 2.0 technologies
In addition to what's above, I teach 3 sections of an Information Literacy course to students on ground, and online. It's a bit baffling to think that I haven't gone crazy yet with everything on my plate - but it has been a rewarding experience! It has truly enabled me to work within every realm of librarianship, and despite the frustrations, I'm grateful for the opportunity.
I'm not sure where I'm headed at the moment, but the journey has been fun and educational. Here's to a great many more years in the library world!
#CPD23 Thing 9: Evernote for Productivity
A prime example for how I've used Evernote in the past is for my recipe collection. I don't have a lot stored in my account yet, but as I try new recipes and they become ones that I know I'll use again, I add them.
Since I don't use Evernote a lot, I decided to peruse the web a bit to find how others are using the tool. Here's what I found ...
- This post and really like the idea of using Evernote as an "office cleaner." The author describes how a simple text document is used when a phone call comes through, or when new ideas need to be written down (you know the one's you have when you're super duper busy and don't have time to deal with it at the moment). By doing this, you create a digital to-do list of sorts. Evernote, then, can help take it to the next level in that these impromptu notes become synced and fully accessible anywhere, anytime. Brilliant!
- The same post goes on to say that Evernote would be great as a research tool and an "always-accessible idea file." I've kind of been looking for this without even knowing it! With the constant information overload these days, I'm always finding information that can be used for blog posts, newsletters, projects, coursework, and potential publishing research. Evernote could very well be my ticket to better organizing this material.
- Lifehacker did a post that reminded me of the simple fact that Evernote notes and web clip data are searchable. Granted, you can do a CTRL+F within a document to find certain words, but it's good to know that Evernote has the same capabilities. Taking it a step further, Evernote can OCR your handwritten notes that are scanned into the application as an image. This opens up a whole new set of possibilities - and it's a must-have options that will help keep all those notes retrievable (I know there are times when I tag a bookmark but still have trouble finding it!). And speaking of tagging - yep... Evernote does that well too.
- One other use for Evernote that I'm pretty sure I've heard of from someone...but can't remember who... is to take pictures of Business Cards. Remember that the data is searchable, so when the card is scanned, you no longer have to keep the card in hand AND you now have a searchable document in the cloud. Pretty nifty!
#CPD23 Thing 8: Google Calendar
I will first tell you a little bit about my history with Gcal - my first Google calendar entry happened on February 19, 2008. This was right around the time that I finally let go of my very first e-mail account made with yahoo. Part of what I like about online calendars is the ability to go back in time, reliving the memories from the calendar entries. You can see an example of this in the image screenshot shown from the weekend of my very first ALA conference in Chicago. I had mapped out all of the sessions I wanted to attend and was able to sync them to my phone (a blackberry at the time). My husband is the same way, and likes reminiscing when looking back at his yahoo calendar (I have just recently convinced him to make the switch to Google - partly because he is now a droid user.). His Yale years hold many good memories, and he has been hesitant to make the switch in fear of losing those date entries. But, he finally got fed up with yahoo and has been learning all about the tools that Google provides.
For me, Google calendar (really, all things Google) has enabled me to have a fully synced life. With my droid revolution, I'm able to sync my google calendar, tasks, e-mail, docs, reader, and google plus accounts with ease. Further uses include:
*Public calendar options for embedding
When I built the website for the North Madison County Public Library system, I chose Google calendar as the event calendar for the site. The coding was easily customizable and patrons were able to "subscribe" to the event calendar by adding the public calendar to their personal account. Additionally, the color coding options that Google provided made it easy to view events for certain departments at a glance.
*Public calendar options for subscribingAfter my husband switched over to Google, I was able to help him make his calendar public, in order to share it with me. The public link was then added to my own calendar account, with the option to hide the calendar from view when not in use. We have a unique situation where we are very much coming and going at opposite times As such, it has been nice to view his calendar to see when he's tied up with something I shouldn't disturb.
I have also found that Wunderground.com provides an ical option for weather locations. I love this feature since it gives more detailed weather descriptions than the built in weather option Google gives you.
*OutlookI haven't been successful in finding a streamlined process for integrating Google calendar with Outlook, but I have a pretty good workaround. I have my work e-mail forwarded to my Gmail account and am using filters to place these forwarded e-mails in a work folder. After doing this, any outlook meeting request sent to my work e-mail is automatically added to both outlook and Google calendar. I have also added all of my individual calendars to outlook through the internet calendar option. It gets a little cluttered, but seems to be the option that is working best for me for now.
*New FeaturesIn an effort to continue with the collaboration options that Google provides through many of its tools, Gcal has now integrated appointment slots. I'm in the process of building a website for my husband. As a music teacher, has has wanted a system that would allow students to sign up for lesson times with ease. Using Google calendar will enable him to set appointment times, students will then be able to grab those appointments, and it will automatically update his personal calendar. The only downside is that the students will need to have a google account, but shouldn't everyone have a google account?!
The possibilities really are endless with Google calendar and I would love to hear how others are utilizing this great tool!
#CPD23 Thing 7: Professional Organizations
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| Flickr Creative Commons License by Opensourceway |
I have been a member of ALA for 3 straight years now, and during that time, have had the opportunity to attend the annual ALA conference in Chicago (year 2008). It was a great experience - in part because of the networking options it opened up. Also, as I have mentioned in a previous post, I have been active in the Library Society of the World (LSW) for many years now.
One area I would like to consider joining is ACRL, a subdivision of ALA that focuses on research in an academic setting. I am most intrigued by the mentoring program being offered, and am seriously considering applying since I am now teaching an Information Literacy course.
Additionally, myself and a few of my colleagues that are interested the mentoring program have partnered to form a research society (yes... we're calling it a research society) with the intent to gain feedback on pieces being written for potential publication purposes. I am so thankful to be able to work with such a great group of people - there is trust amongst us, and we know that we will have nothing but support from each other in whatever we pursue.
Finally, I know listservs weren't mentioned in the original cpd23 thing 7 posting, but I feel that listservs are also a way to network and gain feedback from peers. I am a member of a handful of listservs (I don't always keep up with them the way I have in the past due to information overload), and below are a few of my favorites:
-Information Literacy Instruction Discussion (ili-l)
-College Libraries Section (collib-l)
-Library and Information Technology (lita-l)
-Reference Librarianship (LIBREF-l)
That's it for today, but stay tuned for tomorrow's Thing 8 post!
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