ARLG Southern Teachmeet at Southampton Solent University 16/07/2015

I had a really useful afternoon at this local Teachmeet at Southampton Solent University Conference Centre.

Some of my favourite sessions.
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/LIS-ARLG-SOUTHERN.html

Library Games: the CRAP game, or how to evaluate information.  This activity developed by Kathryn Ballard is aimed at developing students awareness in evaluating the information sources they use.  I can see potential for using this in some level 3 sessions.

Library Vines: Antony Groves, University of Sussex.  I was aware of creating Vines, the 6second stop motion animation software.  The downside of this is in order to create a vine, I have to have a mobile device on to which I can download the app.  The tip to use a stand rather than handheld wherever possible was appreciated.

I would like to think that I might be able to make some Vines by the end of the summer holiday.  It would then be where to display them which might be rather more problematic.

Creating a music video: Karin Jazosch
I am so much looking forward to seeing the final product having long been an admirer of some of the offerings from the US.  "Librarian's do gaga" and "Library Thriller" being two personal favourites.  I would love to do a version of Beyonce "Single Ladies" with the line "If you want it, you should have put your name on it" as a chorus line.  The volume of unamed printouts that we then have to unite with their stressed owners is unbelievable.  Alas without a College TV station to manage copyright, I suspect that it will have to wait for another time.

It was heartening to find Bath Spa University being prepared to pilot a considerable investment of time in their digital literacy programme for International pathway students.  Less heartening to discover than another colleague at a different institution was being allowed 90 mins to do information skills for Faculty of Medicine MSc students.  Personally I think that this distance learning thing only works really well with the considerable investment behind it, to make those distance learning resources really good.  Having students on campus for a very limited period of time in order to shoehorn everything in, just feels like short changing them.  But that's only my opinion based on very little evidence.

So, I need to think up something to do as a Vine.  I suppose that there is always why you should put your name and student number on every sheet of paper you hand in...

not really catching up

It's been a while, and I haven't got much to report on the 23things front apart from the fact I do intend to keep going with it.  I haven't really got to grips with Twitter and as for the hierachical vs horizontal bookmark arrangements, that hasn't been started.

I can make excuses for myself until the cows come home as to why this isn't the case...but fundamentally it comes down to guilt, guilt that I should be doing something slightly more, work related in work time.  Trying to get Twitter to work just seems like 'playing', trying to sort out the FdA Computing pathway reading list,  add QR codes and generally tidy it up, (and the other three I haven't started yet), is 'proper' work.  That coupled with all the North Road moving stuff is quite enough to keep me distracted from sitting down and doing some proper investigation. 

Ironic really considering my stock in trade used to be investigating stuff, and indeed I have in a past life spent time playing/investigating some digital representation software.  Not that it came to fruition but I did spend time with it.  The main problem was that all the really 'good' functionality had to be paid for, and as is often the case that put the kybosh on the whole thing.

So, what is the conclusion of tonight's philosophical rambling.  What I (and at least one other I have spoken to) need to get their heads around is that this "23 things" is proper work, not just an excuse to have spent an afternoon on the computer and potentially have not a lot to show for it. 

Maybe it's time to start scheduling 2 hours for 23 things alongside allocating a ridiculous number of hours to tidy up reading lists? 

Twitter, yet again and library quotes

I retweeted last week.  It was a nice quote about librarians.  I found some more as well.

“[Librarians] are subversive. You think they're just sitting there at the desk, all quiet and everything. They're like plotting the revolution, man. I wouldn't mess with them.”
― Michael Moore

“Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one.”
― Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman has another quite pithy quote about librarians, basically suggesting that our customers shouldn't mess us around, except more succinct.  I suspect that won't be included on the walls of the new North Road library, although seeing the sentiment inscribed across the lintel as students enter might encourage better behaviour.

Does any one else have some good quotes, maybe we could give them out as bookmarks with the studentship books...or maybe not.  Feel free to comment!

Twitter and tweeting

Well, what a pleasurable way to spend a few hours, Twitter.

Slightly sad but I need some followers if i'm going to complete things 6 which is tweeting.  Otherwise I am tweeting to resounding silence, which would be even sadder.

so try and follow me on @23bookwormthings on twitter, and when I have some followers I'll tweet something.

BTW, we may have a number of potential library books for entry on this tweeting site @awfullibbooks especially the two sociology books which HappyChappy has just withdrawn.

ho hum, I suppose I had better go and do some more tangible work now...time to rework a training course on evaluation of material!

Exploring Evernote

I started exploring Evernote late last week, and I like it.  I even like it enough to try and run my work "to do" life from it. 

I have been trying for sometime to think of a way of successfully tracking my liasion interactions with staff members, and in that way have a better handle on who I need to chase up, and about what.  The notes pages in Evernote seem perfect for this.  I just need to be disciplined enough to keep it updated!

It's also a really useful place to save my passwords for my work access.  I know I shouldn't be working at home, but on those ocassions when I have wanted/needed to then discovering I have forgotten to bring home my little notebook of passwords has been rather annoying.  It is mostly the ebrary administrator password that I have needed to play with those horrible usage statements.

I just wish that Evernote would do more colour options, but perhaps that's in the 'pay' version.

More on Twitter

I've got there, took so many goes that I lost count, but I have created a twitter account and have sent a friend a tweet.  

I have also signed up to follow people...but I have got a sneaking suspicion that I might have to amend some of my selections, I can see them being rather too frequent 'tweeters'.

Thing 6 - Twitter

So, I gritted my teeth and decided to explore tweeting, went to create an account, and what happens?

Twitter is over capacity and can't create my account at the moment.  Just when I had got the nerve.  Are there really that many people over the world sharing their thoughts with the world?  Apparently so.  So I will try again tomorrow morning...whilst most of America is still asleep.

Proving that one thing only leads to another, I actually got distracted whilst trying to set up the link to follow the feed from the Women's prize for fiction 2013 website, but the website is such that since the prize has been announced I can't find the normal feedlink, just that for Twitter.

Oh well, off to find another Twitter conversation.