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.

CPD 23 - Thing 6

I feel pretty comfortable with online networks, although my use of them seems to come in waves. I've tried to make updating the facebook page for work a part of my "Weekly To Do List" and that has worked fairly well. My personal use of facebook is much more sporadic. I spend so much time on the computer during the day that I am often loath to look at the screen once my work day is over.

I have not made use of LinkedIn and am choosing not to at this point. I do like that idea of a separate social network just for professional stuff, but it seems that the line between personal and professional is very blurry right now. With so many professional organizations having a presence on facebook, I feel that I'm pretty connected already without creating an entirely new profile on an entirely new site. If I were looking for a job, I'm sure that I would take advantage of LinkedIn and the professional connections, but for the time being, I'm opting out.

I found the librarian-specific networks interesting, but very UK focused. I did add the CILIP blog posts to my Google Reader and am interested to see what comes up.

I would like to explore Google +. I think enough people (like me) are either bored with facebook or angry about their privacy policies that there's room for another, better social network. I've signed up for Michael Sauer's NCompass Live session this Wednesday on Google+ and am looking forward to hearing his take on the matter.

CPD 23 - Thing 5

Ahh, reflective practice. This was part of what initially attracted me to cpd23. I think it is vital to take time to reflect on what's been learned and see what place, if any, it has in your life/work. But now that the week for reflective practice is here...well, I don't feel that I've had enough time with the new technologies I've learned or refreshed on to have a good perspective.

I will say that the Thing on one's online presence really resonated with me. The tools we are learning about are important but they all relate back to that one thing - what impression are you giving people by your online activity? And if you don't have any online activity or an online presence that says something about you too.

Hmmm.....

CPD 23 - Thing 4

This Thing is about current awareness, focusing on Twitter, RSS feeds and Pushnote.

Regarding Twitter - okay, so I've had a Twitter account for a long time, but I've never found a place for it in my life. I feel that through my RSS feed and reading journals, etc. I already have more information coming at me than I can possibly manage and retain. That being said, I'm going to give it a little more of a try this time around and see if it sticks.

I have used Google Reader to manage my RSS feeds for awhile now. I only subscribe to about 10 and I don't understand how people who subscribe to hundreds of these feeds ever get any of them read. And if they get them all read, how do they have time for anything else? Again, my feeling that I already have more information available than I am able to digest.

Pushnote is totally new to me and I've got it installed. I am intrigued by the commenting on specific websites concept and am curious to see how it works out. I'll post more thoughts on this when I've had it installed for a few days and had more chance to play with it.

CPD 23 - Thing 3

What a fun exercise! I admit I have googled myself before, but its been a while and there were some really interesting (read "bad") things posted with my name attached. Of course, my name - Jessica Chamberlain - is very common, but there are a lot of really naughty Jessica Chamberlains out there! Luckily, I didn't find anything embarrassing that actually pointed to me. I did find my picture under the snippet of Images that google adds to their results, so I was actually on the first page of results.

I guess what I found is that I don't really have much on an online presence.

I do consider my personal branding a lot however, when I am involved in online activities, whether they're on social media or another form of online interaction.

CPD 23 - Thing 2

So, Thing 2 is to investigate some of the other cpd23 blogs. I checked out a few on the "official" cpd23 site which was really interesting. Sometimes I get so focused on local issues and resources that I forget just how big the world of librarianship is.

It was also fun to read the Nebraska cpd23 participants' blogs. There are many people participating that I don't know personally, so it's a great way to connect and see what others are thinking.

CPD 23 - Thing 1

I'm participating in CPD 23 because I love to learn new things. Looking through the program, there were several Things that I don't know about and I think will be really useful in my job. The more I know, the better I'm able to help the libraries and librarians in the Northeast Library System.

I also like that this program has Things built in for reflection time. My brain needs time to absorb new information, especially in a program like this where you are learning new tools at a rapid pace. I like the idea that we'll get some time to reflect on what we've learned and see how we can apply it to our lives and our jobs.

Learning is cool! :)