Thing 7 - Face-to-Face networks and professional organisations

Professional Organisations

I joined CILIP at the beginning of my MA course for a few reasons, these being: our tutors recommended it, I thought it would help me meet people, I thought it would help me learn stuff and it is cheap to join when you're a student. If I'm completely honest, the last one probably sold it to me. I thought that joining as a student would give me an idea what CILIP is all about whilst not being too expensive, so that post-MA, when I was employed, I would be able to make an informed decision about whether or not to join.

I then decided to put myself forward as a CILIP Student Representative. I am not usually one to volunteer for such things, but various personal circumstances had made me realise that life is too short to worry and so I decided to put my new-found devil-may-care (ish) attitude to good use. I attended a pub quiz, got added to the email list and attended the AGM in Liverpool - all of which were useful, and I met some lovely people. But I don't think I made the most of the opportunity and I'm not 100% sure why - possibly essay deadlines, possibly because I wasn't totally sure what I was supposed to be doing, possibly because I was mostly listening and trying to learn as much as I could and felt rather overwhelmed. I am glad I did it, but I probably didn't know enough about library-world to contribute as much as I would have liked.

I regularly check CILIP's website for job vacancies and other news - both of these things are incredibly useful. It's also really useful being able to access the Update archives - I actually referenced a few articles from back issues in my essays. I imagine I will remain a member into my professional career.

Out of the other professional organisations, LISNPN seems especially relevant to my current situation and has also popped up in a few of the other tasks. I have therefore registered and will be getting involved!

Face-to-Face Networks

As part of this task, I decided to organise a meet-up in Manchester. Again, not necessarily something that comes naturally to me, but I decided that getting out of my comfort zone is probably a good idea now and again. I wouldn't describe myself as shy, but I'm fairly sure no one feels 100% confident about meeting a bunch of strangers, so I did feel apprehensive! We met at Port Street Beer house, which sells an incredibly overwhelming amount of ale. (I am the type of librarian who prefers ale to gin).



5 people came along: a trainee archivist, an academic librarian, a health library manager (who is also a part-time student on my course), an all-round library-type and soon-to-be-student on my course & a librarian at my old 6th form college! It was informal and it was interesting to meet people from a variety of library/information backgrounds. Many thanks to those who came along!

Thing 6: Online Networks

1. Linkedin

I can't really get the hang of Linkedin. As I have mentioned in previous entries, I quite like combining my personal and professional life, to a certain extent. Linkedin makes me feel like I'm at a job interview and that if I am anything other than completely straight-faced and sensible and that if I, say, try to make a (very tame) joke, I will not get a laugh, but a disapproving look.

I like the idea of Linkedin. I can definitely see its merit. But there is something impersonal about it that just doesn't grab my attention.

I also find a network which resembles a job application form to be a bit, well, boring. Job application forms are necessary, but they're not necessarily the things that are most interesting about people.

That said, the groups are good, I've joined a couple that post updates about job vacancies, which is something especially useful for a new professional coming to the end of their studies. The discussions also offer more than the profiles and give a real sense of the people behind them.

2. Facebook

I actually quite like Facebook. Privacy issues concern me, but I keep my security settings up quite high. I also get weirded out occassionally by the amount people are happy to share, but I think the good things outweigh the bad most of the time.

I regard Facebook as a personal network, as opposed to a professional one. I suppose Linkedin is purely professional, Facebook purely personal, and Twitter is a bit of both (but more on that in a minute).

I enjoy Facebook because so many people use it. I get invited to gigs, birthday parties, art exhibition openings and even weddings on there. It is, though, primarily social.

And there is a part of me that is sad that it's harder to keep in touch with people without it.



Photo by Eric Fischer showing Flickr and Twitter usage.

3. Twitter

I do like Twitter. I just find it fascinating how you can message anyone on there and get a reply. I like the access to information and the scope of the thing. That said, it is a bit of a time-suck for this very reason. The constant flow of information is a little overwhelming and sometimes gets too much. There have been many occassions when I've had to log-off due to the fact that it has become a little distracting.

I am not sure how I feel about the internet in terms of information overload (& Twitter seems to typify this) - it's sometimes difficult to self-moderate how much you take in & I personally feel dazed and confused after being on Twitter for too long. On the other hand, the internet makes more information available to people and Twitter is fairly democratic and that's a good thing, right?

Either way, I will probably carry on using Twitter, but may have to learn when to log out!

In terms of other networks - I am not a member of any online library-related networks and didn't know about them until doing this exercise! I have joined Google+ but have found I rarely check it - not much seems to be going on as yet. I'm not sure about the "circles" feature - it feels odd catagorising people. But I'm sure none of its features will become completely clear to me unless I start using them properly!

Thing 5: Reflective Practice

I am not really sure what to say about reflective practice. I have no experience of it in a professional sense, due to the fact I am still studying, and I only have a small amount of experience from my degree course, where I had to write a reflective report for one of my modules. I feel like I already do reflect a lot (which I often call "overthinking") but not in a way I could call a "practice" or in any way a structured, useful exercise.

I have reservations about reflective practice in terms of how time-consuming it could potentially be, although I appreciate that adopting a reflective practice attitude is useful. The structure of reflective practice will, I think, be especially so.

I am going to use the following questions and apply them to my participation in cpd23 thus far:

What did you learn?

So far I have learned about some online tools I didn't know about. I have started participating in the library-related blog world and have met some new people (although as I'm behind, that's actually a week 7 activity-related thing!) I have also realised I get into habits online and this makes me more closed to new things, which is not good.

What did you enjoy?

I enjoyed reading new blogs the most. It's nice to have the incentive to do some exploring online. I have really enjoyed reading other interpretations of the tasks. I also, surprisingly, quite enjoyed considering the concept of my "personal brand". It's an interesting topic of debate, it seems!

I am also really looking forward to the coming activities.

What worked well?

RSS feeds! I should have explored them before. I am still not sure I will continue, but they are useful. I think this activity as a whole worked very well and encouraged me to stop being a lazy internet being!

What, if anything, went wrong?

Nothing has gone wrong so far, hopefully this will continue to be the case.

What would you change?

I would probably try and make more time for the activities. Life always gets in the way. For example, today I spent until 3pm applying for a job, running around trying to find my degree certificate!

In terms of the actual course, I think it's very well-structured and I'm learning things both about how I work and how things, especially online things, work. I've found it difficult to keep up with lots of blogs due to the sheer volume! I wouldn't change that though...it's great that so many people are getting involved.

What (potential) impact could this have in your workplace?

I'm currently applying for jobs so it's useful when jobs have some sort of mention of "professional development" in the job specification.

In terms of practical uses, I'm certainly keen on using technology in any job I end up doing. I'm very keen on working in education, and Web 2.0 technology use in education is definitely an area of interest. I think doing the course has even showed me a new use for Twitter, through the cpd23 hashtag - an example of Web 2.0 being used in an educational context.

Thing 4: Current Awareness - Twitter, RSS and Pushnote

Regarding this task, I first of all have a confession: I am actually a bit of a Luddite. I have mixed feelings about the internet. I have a mobile phone which can't even take photographs, let alone enable me to go online. I am fairly suspicious of new technology. I often wish I could move to a little hut in the countryside with no internet connection.



That said, I do also like the internet a lot and am trying to embrace all it has to offer!

Twitter

Twitter is probably my favourite of the three. I like the social element mixed in with the keeping-up-to-date stuff. I enjoy the debate and conversation. It keeps things interesting.

I first joined Twitter in 2009 and didn't like it at all. I tended to tweet about really banal, boring stuff, or not bother at all because I had nothing of interest to say.

I then started following lots of craft-related people. I found that Twitter became a good way of finding out about craft fairs or other crafters in my local area. I started to see the point of it. I then started my MA last September, and again realised that Twitter could be a valuable source of Library information.

It's only really in the last 6 months that I've enjoyed Twitter. I don't have a Smartphone, which sometimes makes me feel like I'm missing out, but I think it's nice to be able to come away from the computer and switch off. I do find it quite overwhelming at times to keep up with things and the character-limit is frustrating at times, but I much prefer it to any other method of getting LIS-related news due to the potential for interaction.

RSS

Another confession: I have never used RSS feeds. There is no good reason for this, I have just never embraced them. I guess I quite like pottering around online when I have time or am in the mood, rather than having news come to me. However, I fear I am simply letting my luddite side win this argument, so I am going to give it a try! I have set up a feed as part of this activity and so far, so good.

Pushnote

I think that, out of the three, Pushnote is my least favourite. I think it would be better if I knew more people who use it, but at the moment not many do. I also use Internet Explorer at home (which my techie friends always tell me off for!) and it's not currently supported on this browser. I am not writing it off completely; I think it could be really good if enough people got involved, so I will probably check back every now and again.

Manchester cpd23 Meet-up Event

Wednesday 20th July, 6:30pm onwards, Port Street Beer House, 39-41, Port Street, Manchester, M1 2EQ (in the Northern Quarter)

Please comment on this post if you would like to come! Or tweet me @manynicethings

Thing 3: Consider your personal brand

It is only recently that I have considered using the internet in a "professional" capacity. I don't think I even realised that so many people used the internet in such a way until earlier this year when it was discussed as part of my MA course. So before then, my internet use was predominantly related to my personal interests and while I had considered the various implications of public information sharing and was aware of how the way I presented myself online could potentially be perceived by others, I certainly hadn't thought of it in terms of my "personal brand".

I think I have been reluctant to do so for a few reasons:

1) The word "brand". I feel as though there is something inherently false about this word, which is probably wrapped up in my suspicion of commercial advertising and big business. I know that people present different sides of themselves depending on the situation and perhaps this is no different; I also know that appearances and first impressions are important, but it feels somewhat strange and disconcerting to think of my online persona as a brand.

2) My default setting is self-deprecating. I am far more likely to pick out my flaws and make a joke out of them rather than admit to where my strengths lie. I really like self-deprecating humour in others too. I find it charming. Obviously I don't really think I'm bad at everything, but trying to sell myself as a "new professional" just feels slightly odd. Maybe this is something I need to work on!

3) I am interested in so many things! Things like....


Classic Sociology


Parks and Recreation


Superchunk


Margaret Atwood


....and I think this is a good thing. I don't want to filter out all the things that make me "me". I like to think that potential employers would want someone who likes lots of things and is passionate about even more things. I think that if I thought about my personal brand too much, I would get too self-conscious about it all and would never say anything at all.

I use the name @manynicethings on Twitter as this is the name of my craft project and was the reason I started using Twitter to begin with. It's a fairly simple name and doesn't say too much about me as a person, but I have grown to quite like it, even if it is a bit on the twee side. I usually put my real name on all my online sites. I used to worry about this, and what people thought of me, but in the last year or so have realised that it doesn't really matter: life is too short.

On Twitter, I use a picture of myself on holiday in Portugal. On blogger, I use a picture my sister took with one of her "arty" cameras. I should probably have more consistency in terms of my image, but I never seem to get around to it. I also like my sister's photographs!

I don't really keep my personal and professional identities compartmentalised. I use my Twitter account for my craft work, my writing and my professional library stuff. All of these things are important to me, and are all part of who I am. I sometimes wonder if I should start keeping things separate, but I don't think I could...they all overlap too often! I also know that I really enjoy other Twitter accounts that mix the two. That said, I do try to not "overshare" and I tend to talk about things I'm interested in as opposed to personal, emotional-type stuff.

My visual brand is somewhat inconsistent, but I like to think that there is some sort of connection in style between things. I like quite minimal styles and I am interested in colour/design, so I am aware of what things look like. I have three blogs, and I like having different designs for each of them. My Twitter is again different. It would perhaps be a good idea to have one consistent element throughout, which is something I will think about!

When I googled my name, only one of the results on the first page was me, for a story I recently had published on a writing blog. Sarah Reid is a fairly common name. It also seems that there is a Scottish curler who I share my name with. Not sure how I can compete with that really!

If anyone has any comments on my personal brand, feel free to comment below!

Thing 2: Investigate some other blogs

My day of catch-up continues!

I enjoyed this activity, although felt slightly tongue-tied/strange when leaving comments, especially with people I don't actually know. Internet etiquette is still confusing to me, I am always somewhat worried I will end up seeming like this guy.

Also, I fell out with Blogspot for a while when it deleted all the blogs I had so carefully listed using its "Blog List" feature, meaning I had to go through them all again.

I started off by looking at Lauren Smith's 23 things blog because I know her in real life, as well as the fact that she does so much awesome library stuff and knows lots of people. Looking through the links on Lauren's blog then led me to some other blogs by people I recognised from Twitter, and then I left some more comments.

Due to the fact I'm not actually working at the moment, I wasn't 100% sure where to focus my attention in terms of sector. I do have dreams of my "ideal" job (or even jobs I'd really quite like to do) but I don't want to focus things too heavily in one area at a time when jobs generally are quite difficult to find. Basically, I'm trying to be open-minded about where I am going to end up working. With this in mind, I've tried read quite a broad range of blogs. This was also useful in terms of finding out more about different sectors and giving me perspectives on areas I may not have considered.

It has also been interesting to pick up on some of the broader debates going on in the information profession at the moment. Sometimes it can be hard to keep up with everything, so blogs are a useful way of gathering information into one place. Reading some of the cpd23 blogs has made it easier to make sense of LIS-related information which previously seemed completely overwhelming.

It's really interesting to see how differently people have interpreted the tasks. For example, I really enjoyed Helen Murphy's take on the "branding" task.

I am hoping to build up the list of blogs I read gradually. Due to the fact I'm a latecomer, I've been trying to catch up on blogs from Thing 1, so it's probably a bit more time consuming than if I had started this on time. I could have just started from this week I suppose, but I really want to complete all the tasks. 23 is a nice number.

Thing 1

I'm a bit late starting these 23 things, but I decided this morning that I'd give it a go. I'm currently in the middle of collecting data for my Library and Information Management MA dissertation, so have been somewhat distracted and hadn't really engaged with what "cpd23" actually meant, despite seeing it pop up on my twitter feed almost daily. Today I actually decided to find out what it is all about, and I thought it might be a good idea to participate for three major reasons, two of which may or may not be sort of the same reason, worded differently:

1) I think that this summer it would be a good idea to focus on developing some sort of skills and experience outside of my dissertation research. Also, I need the odd break from my research. I feel this is good for the health.

2) I am a new professional (almost) and this is a tough time, not only for libraries, but for everyone. Doing these 23 things seems like it could help.

3) I don't know that many other professionals who aren't on my course. I follow a few people on twitter, but it's hard to know how to open dialogue. I am hoping doing this will help me get to know like-minded people.

I have kept blogs before, but this is the first in a professional capacity. So I hope I do okay!

Out of the 23 things, I am most looking forward to the presenting information week as this is something I have little experience of. I think that this will be especially useful. Oh, and I enjoyed making this blog!

I am least looking forward to considering my personal brand - the word "brand" makes me feel slightly uneasy due to its commercial connotations. Nevertheless, I think it will be an interesting one to consider in more depth.