Thing #54

For this assignment, I chose to create a video with Xtranormal. 

What I liked about Xtranormal -

• It was easy to figure out.
• It was really fast to do.  I had a finished video in just a few minutes.
• I didn't have to get anything ready before hand, like make sure I had the pictures uploaded that I needed.
• I made the video, but I didn't have to be IN it, or try to recruit someone else to be in it.

What I didn't like about Xtranormal -

• The point system.  If you're gonna be free, be free.  If you want people to pay, then just have them pay from the get go.  I had the points to make my video, share it via facebook, twitter, links, etc., but it wouldn't let me download a copy because I didn't have enough points.
• The voices are computer generated and pretty cheesy.  They don't pause in the right places or make inflections like real people do. Although, to me, the goofy voices make it kind of charming.

I can see quite a few uses for this, mainly for online advertising via YouTube, Facebook or Twitter.  You could make a quick little video promoting a library program or new service then post it.  It would be something different, something fresh, and might catch people's attention in a way that an uploaded flyer wouldn't.  It would also be fun to try doing animated booktalks this way.

This was a fun Thing, and here's my video!

CPD 23 - Thing 14

Zotero - Okay, after watching the little promo video about Zotero I think it's totally cool!  However, I am not currently working on any papers, and I'm not planning to pursue another degree any time soon, so I don't think I'll be downloading this plugin.  However, I think this could be used much in the way that I use Endnote now, with saving citations to books I want to read or purchase.  And I would recommend this to someone who was in high school or college as a resource to look into.

Mendeley - If I were in an academic setting doing research, I would definitely give Mendeley a try. It seems very straight-forward and helpful and the feedback from users that I read was very positive.  As with Zotero, this is not something I will be using personally right now, but it is something that I could recommend as a tool for others to use.

CiteULike - This one seemed to be the weakest of all the tools.  Granted, this is a completely shallow thing to say because I have only viewed the overview videos and have not actually used the tools.  However, I cannot see any use for this for me personally.  Zotero and Mendeley seemed to do so much more for the user than CiteULike.  I would be more likely to recommend them (Zotero and Mendeley) to a college student than this (CiteULike).

CPD 23 - Thing 13

Google Docs - I'm a big fan of Google Docs.  I've recently started relying on them quite heavily.  When the event registration plug-in on our website started acting funny, I started using Google Forms as a substitute until we could get it figured out.  They've worked so well for what I need though that I'm going to continue to use them for this purpose.

Wikis - I'm familiar with wikis and have used them sporadically over the years but have never been part of a project where they've been useful over a sustained amount of time.  I was recently part of a planning team that tried to utilize a wiki to help with the planning process and to keep us updated between meetings.  Two of the group members added to the wiki, one watched the wiki but did not add and one did not use the wiki at all.  I think wikis can be good tools, but they are only as useful as the people using them will let them be.  In this case, the wiki was not very helpful because not everyone was participating.

Dropbox - I think that this can be a good solution for some people but I do not feel that its a solution that I personally need right now.  It would be nice for off-site backup, but I already store so much of my stuff in the cloud that I don't see the necessity of it for me.  When I'm working on documents in multiple locations, I store the documents in my email which I can access anywhere I have an internet connection or via my smartphone.  My photos are on my computer hard drive, but besides the regular back-ups I do, many of the photos are also out on the web via Flickr and Facebook or in my email.  So, overall, I think Dropbox is a good tool, just not a tool I'm adding my toolbox right now.

CPD 23 - Thing 12

Thing 12 - Putting the social into social media

Pros
I don't have any novel thoughts on advantages beyond the obvious, and what's been stated here by others. Personally, I have friends and family spread out all across the country, so I was in love with My Space when it first came out. Then we all migrated over to Facebook and that has been much better for keeping in touch with people. It's certainly not perfect, but it's a lot better than anything else out there for the time being.

Cons
I do think there are disadvantages. Beyond the privacy concerns that many have, updating social networks is simply "one more thing" that many of us feel we have to do. Even for those of us who see the merits and benefits and consciously choose to participate in the social media world, it takes time to build an online presence, to keep your pages updated, to upload photos, etc. There was a study done that said, "Facebook users with more friends suffer more stress and "neurotic limbo" from feeling they have to continually update and amuse their larger audiences." (See article.) Although this study is far from conclusive, it does point to something that I think is very true. People now are essentially becoming their own marketing and publicity agents, trying to control the impression others have of them in a 24/7 online world. I think it's a job, that for people like me, takes a lot of time and effort. For someone who already has a busy, fulfilling life, adding something to your plate requires taking something else off.

Social Media for Professional Development
CPD23 has helped encourage me to use the same social media tools that I already use personally in a way more connected with my profession. What's been holding me back from doing this before is simply the "time and effort" concern that I mentioned previously. It's not that I don't see value in it, it's a matter of finding a way to make it fit into the other responsibilities that I already have as a professional. I will keep using these tools after CPD23 is over. What I've been working on is a new schedule/habit/pattern to incorporate these tools into my regular workday.

Social Media and a Sense of Community
I do think that social networking can foster a sense of community to a limited degree. For example, someone recently set up a Facebook group for alumni of my college. I went to a very small liberal arts college, so there aren't that many of us out there. The Facebook group has been a fun way to share memories with people I may or may not actually know in person but with whom I share a common experience. However, while I was posting to this group and commenting on the posts of others, I was also on the phone talking to one of my closest college friends. So, for me, the sense of community created online wasn't enough on its own.

CPD 23 - Thing 10 & 11

Why libraries?
Well, like many other librarians I know, I joined the library world quite by accident. I have always loved reading and learning, but I didn't grow up using the library much. I really started using the library in college (they had a computer lab!), but never thought about it as a career. After I got my BA in Sociology and English, I managed a group home for adults with disabilities. It was a wonderful opportunity for me, and one that touched my life very deeply, but it was also a job I was totally unprepared for and one that demanded 24/7 attention. After about 18 months I was completely exhausted and emotionally drained. I shed some tears, okay, a lot of tears, then quit the job. My PLAN was to go back to school and get my MEd and become a high school English teacher. Well, about the same time that I got into grad school, my husband got laid off. We were prepared to live off one income when I quit my job, but living off zero income? Not really possible. We both applied for jobs to anywhere that had doors open. Long story short, about 6 months later the local public library offered me a part-time Children's Library Associate job. I took it, loved it, and never looked back.

How on earth did I get here?
I went from part-time to full-time, then from Associate to Youth Services Coordinator at that same library. (Shout out to Franklin-Springboro Public Library in Ohio!) There, I met some of the most wonderful people/librarians who served not only as mentors to me as a fledgling librarian, but who are among my dearest friends. I quickly decided to get my MLIS and went through Kent State University's distance learning program. I then became the Children's Team Leader at the Middletown Public Library in Ohio. I was really torn about leaving my first library job, but I was anxious for an opportunity to work in a larger library. And really, isn't middle management everyone's dream job? Seriously though, I had the opportunity to work with some really incredible people there. My fellow Team Leaders, Donna and Stella, were amazing mentors to me. They had completely different management styles so I got to learn from them both and really found my own style through their guidance. After being there for about 4 years, the job opening for the Director of the Northeast Library System came up. By this time, I had two small children and the thought of returning to my home state and living near my family was an opportunity I couldn't resist. I've been back here in Nebraska for a year and half now and am enjoying my job tremendously.

What next?
I have no idea. I believe in being open to the opportunities that life presents, and beyond that, I know better than to try to plan the future!

More on Mentors
As I mentioned above, I have been very lucky to have had several mentors thus far. None were formal arrangements. They just grew organically out of the relationship I had with these people. I have found them unbelievable valuable in the development of my professional career and my own personal growth. I am deeply grateful for them.

CPD 23 - Things 8 & 9

Thing 8 - Google Calendar
I currently use Google Calendar to manage my schedule. I like it because I can access it anywhere, including on my Blackberry. What I don't like is the sharing functionality. The choices are to share it individually with people who also use Google Calendar or to publish it publicly, announcing your schedule to the entire world. I WISH that I could send people a link to my calendar and they could view it - not edit it - whether they use Google Calendar or not. Just because I find it a useful tool doesn't mean that everyone else will and I hate that having your own Google calendar is a requirement to see someone else's.

Thing 9 - Evernote
I've been using Evernote for a few months now, and although I don't make a ton of use of it, I have been using it on a regular basis for a few things. When I come across something that I think would make a good gift idea, I save it in Evernote, because by the time holidays and birthdays roll around I've totally forgotten about the amazing/cute/original thing I saw that I wanted to get for someone. Same with reading lists - I love getting suggestions for what to read next, and I've been keeping these in Evernote. I still have scraps of paper tacked on my bulletin board and buried at the bottom of my purse, but hey, it's a start.

CPD 23 - Thing 7

My experiences with professional associations have been, well, quite limited until very recently. I have been a member of ALA for about 8 years and I like the idea of being connected to a national organization. I only started getting involved recently by going to the national conference the last two years and then by joining the Learning Round Table. I am hoping to get active in this Round Table in some way, but as of yet haven't had the opportunity to do so.

On a regional level, I'm a member of MPLA (Mountain Plains Library Association), but I haven't been involved with this organization at all since joining last year. I've looked into a few of the scholarships or grants they offer, but you have to be a member for at least two years in order to apply. I think this is quite counterproductive and pretty unfriendly.

On a state level, I'm a member of NLA (Nebraska Library Assocation) and I've been active in this group since I arrived back in Nebraska last year. Last year I presented at two sessions at the fall conference and will be presenting at two more at this year's conference. I'm currently the chair of the Publicity Committee and am running for Vice-Chair of the Public Library & Trustee Section. I've enjoyed being involved on a state level. I've enjoyed getting to know more librarians through NLA and being involved in something that benefits librarians across our whole state.

Overall, I think that as more and more of our interaction goes online that real face-to-face interactions will get fewer and farther between. I find it rewarding to have both online and "real world" interactions with people. I enjoy keeping up with people online in between the times when I get to see them in real life.