Friday 15 June 2012

#CPD23 Thing 7, revisited

I'd hoped to be able to go to the CPD23 networking event in Cambridge yesterday, but unfortunately Rory needed our car in the evening, so I'll have to settle for writing about Thing 7 instead!

I've not blogged about any of the Things so far this year, as I'm still using them in pretty much the same way as before. However since last year's post on face-to-face networking, I've made a real effort to do more offline networking. Taking advantage of the fact that I've been in London a lot this year, I've been to a couple of LISNPN meetups with lovely London graduate trainees, met up with several people I know from Twitter, and I've started going fairly regularly to London Information and Knowledge Exchange events which has been a great way to meet information professionals from other sectors.

I said last year that I thought joining a committee might be something I'd try at some point in the future, well with some encouragement from Chris, I joined the Cambridge Library Group committee in September, which has been a really worthwhile experience so far. In a few weeks there's the CLG garden party at Newnham, which will be the first event I've organised for the group. I've got my fingers and toes crossed that all goes well and it doesn't rain!

Like many librarians, I'm somewhat of an introvert, and find "networking breaks" with rooms full of people I don't know to be a scary prospect.  But the lovely thing is, the more events you go to, and the more people you meet, the more those rooms become filled with friends rather than scary strangers.

If you're a fairly new librarian and like me are a bit nervous of networking, I'd really recommend LISNPN meetups if you see one going on in your area. They're very informal, usually in a pub, and I've met some really nice people through LISNPN. Getting to know people online before you meet them face-to-face helps tremendously too. So, if anyone fancies another LISNPN meetup in London at some point soon, let me know!

Tweeters getting out and about. Image by tanakawho on Flickr

Friday 1 June 2012

What I've been reading in May

CILIP New Professionals Day 2012

Speaker and workshop presentations

Ned Potter, You already have a brand! Here are 5 ways to influence it (#CILIPNPD12) (contains links to blog posts about the day)

Social Media

Simon Barron, "Pictures or it didn't happen." (Reflections on the negative impact of Twitter)

Andy Burkhardt, Puppies in the library and social media (Puppies! No more needs to be said.)

Google

Lance Ulanoff, Google Search Just Got 1,000 Times Smarter 

Volunteers in libraries

Helen Murphy, 50 shades of volunteering (also known as #CPD23 Thing 22: Volunteering)

Voices for the Library, Arts Chief Executive comments on need for skilled library staff

Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, CILIP's Policy on the Use of Volunteers in Public Libraries: A Review

Ian Anstice, CILIP Policy on Volunteers not explicitly against direct substitution of staff

Gary Green, CILIP Volunteer Policy & Job Substitution: Letter to CILIP Update 

Johanna Anderson, CILIP and "job substitution" 

Phil Bradley, Volunteers in Public Libraries

Lisa Hutchins, Volunteers: What organisations say and what they do

Ian Anstice, Grey is not a popular colour 

Library Masters

Jen Laurenson, Masters schmasters? Rising fees, methods of learning and general confusion

eBooks

Samantha Murphy, Harry Potter Series Coming to Kindle Library in June

Lindsay Barber, Alternative E-Book Lending Models Gaining Ground and Harry Potter Meets Amazon's Lending Library

Anna Baddely, Writers won't lose out if libraries lend ebooks

Alison Flood, Pay us for library ebook loans, say authors

Misc.

Funktious, In which I rant about 24 Hour Opening... 

Ned Potter, 6 useful things Prezi can do (which even experienced users miss)

Library by Ellen Forsyth on Flickr