Thing 15: Attending, presenting at and organising seminars, conferences and other events

I have had plenty of experience of attending seminars, conferences and other events but have yet to experience presenting at or organising any.

I have attended courses on topics such as Advanced Searching Techniques, Chartership and interview skills.

The events I have attended in the past have not only kept me up to date with goings on in the profession but have provided me with networking opportunities.

Due to the economic climate both staff and monetary restraints mean that it is currently difficult to attend events.  There is also, as others have mentioned, the geographical aspect, although with a lot of conferences, seminars and training events now being made available through web conferencing this should make it easier for me to participate.

Thing 14: Organising your references

When I was at university tools such as Zotero / Mendeley / citeulike were not available and bibliographies and references were sometimes painstaking to compile, but would I have used them even if they were.  I am going to look at them all with a view to using one of them to help compile my references for my chartership submission.

We do run reference classes for our students that are progressing onto university and have a referencing course set up on Blackboard (VLE) but due to the fact that our computer network does not allow students to download anything to the computer these tools would not be of any use.

Zotero - Probably would not use this one as I tend to use IE rather than Firefox

Mendeley - This requires you to download the software, which I am unable to do on the computers at work so it looks like I won't be using this either.

Cite U like - I like the fact that you can attach PDF's to your references and I think this is probably the best of the 3 tools.

None of the above really fit what I am looking for so I think when I do finally get around to compiling my bibliography for Chartership I will investigate other tools.

Thing 13: Filesharing/Collaboration - Google Docs, Wikis and Dropbox

I have been aware of wikis for a while and we use one at work (on the PB Works platform) to share ideas and information.  This works well as our team is spread across 3 sites and it is difficult to get together for team meetings.

I haven't used GoogleDocs or Drop box before.  We have a shared drive at work that the team can access so haven't really needed to.  I also have my own drive on the college server which only I can access.  The only problem with this is that I can't access any of the documents from my home PC and have been using a USB stick to transfer documents from work to home.  GoogleDocs and Drop box would be the solution to this problem.  Not that I do much work from home really.

These tools will also help me share Chartership documents with my mentor such as my PPDP and evaluative statement.  Previously I had to either post them or attach them to an email which wasn't ideal.

Thing 12 - Putting the social into social media

Before starting cpd 23 I only used social media for personal use and hadn't really thought about using it in a professional capacity. However now I see the potential of social media in helping with the development of my career.  Through cpd23 and the use of social networking I have made contact with other Information Assistants in Colleges in Scotland who have also registered for cpd23, giving me the opportunity to share knowledge and ideas with others. I also intend to use  LinkedIn to market my professional self online. Facebook will still remain a personal social networking tool and I think that what happened with the recent riots just show the negative side of social networking.

Thing 11: Mentoring

Having been both mentor and mentee, mentoring is something I am very familiar with.

Mentee

When registering for chartership, part of the process is to find a mentor, CILIP provided a list of mentors in my area and I just picked one and emailed them to see if they would mentor me. I tried to pick a mentor who was in the same or similar field of work so I went for one who worked in education. My mentor guided me through the first part of the chartership process and offered support and advice as and when I needed it. Unfortunately I am without a mentor at present as he retired so am on the look out for someone new.  My mentor was in the profession for a long time and had specific training from CILIP to be a mentor, so they had a wide range of knowledge and expertise to share.

MENTOR

A previous colleague of mine was working towards an HNC in Librarianship and as I had already been through the process asked me if I would be her mentor.  I pointed her towards resources and let her take a look at some of the assignments I had produced.  In doing this I felt I was giving something back to the profession.

My place of work runs a mentoring scheme where current staff are mentors to new staff.  I was asked to take part in this scheme as a mentor but as yet have not been assigned any mentee's.  Probably something I can blogg about at a later date.

Thing 10 - Graduate traineeships, Masters Degrees, Chartership, Accreditation

Why librarianship?

I knew what career path I wanted to follow from an early age. By the time I reached high school I had read every book in the mobile library that visited the small Stirlingshire village I was brought up in. I remember thinking how great it would be to be surrounded by books and have all that knowledge at my finger tips everyday. So when everybody else was off visiting hospitals and dentist practices for their work experience, there was me sitting sorting out the card catalogue at the local library.

Qualifications

I went from school in 1995 to Bell College of Technology in Hamilton and completed the HNC in Librarianship and Information Science, which clarified for me that librarianship was indeed the right pathway. I then went to Robert Gordon University to study for a degree in Information and Library Studies and graduated in 2000. Since then I've spent 2 years working in public libraries and the last 10 working in further education.   I am now in the process of putting together my chartership portfolio.

Thing 9: Evernote

Before embarking on Thing 9 for cpd23 I had never heard of EVERNOTE so decided to investigate.  I found it easy enough to download and sign up for but I will have to take a more indepth look at all the features and familiarise myself with them.   I tend to use the favourites option in Internet explorer for bookmarking web pages and I feel this is sufficient for my needs, however I do like that you can link the webpage to your notes. I also like the fact that I can access it from any PC that has evernote installed.  I have notebooks and scrapbooks at home filled with newspaper, magazine cuttings and recipes, this is the digital equivalent of those, so I can see how useful this will be. 

Thing 8: Google Calendar

For work purposes we use Outlook and I use the calendar feature on this to organise my work schedule and manage my time.  The features on this are similar to Google Calendar so I will probably just stick to using this.  I do think that online calendars are a useful tool.  I can share my calendar with others, organise my daily tasks, schedule appointments and meetings and set reminders for all of these.

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

CILIP & CILIPS NE

Already being a member of CILIP has help my professional development. My special interest groups are COFHE and (Colleges of Further and Higher Education) and The Careers Development Group.  I chose these groups because I work within a College of Further Education and I am trying to work towards Chartership. 

COFHE produce a Bulletin which is full of information about innovations and developments within College Libraries.

The Careers development Group does exactly as it says on the box, helps with my career development.  The group produce a journal called IMPACT which contains articles about Chartership, Conferences, Courses and much more.

CILIP also produce a journal called UPDATE which includes Gazette, the job supplement.

You get quite a lot for your membership but I still feel the fees are expensive especially with the economy as it is.

I also got involved with a newsletter group for the North East of Scotland Branch of CILIP but due to changes in the Chair for CILIPS NE and the time commitment this is no longer produced.  This is disappointing but it did get me connected within the Profession.

GRAMPIAN INFORMATION

There is also an organisation in the North East of Scotland called Grampian Information. *"Grampian Information is a collaborative organisation that works to provide locally delivered opportunities for sharing professional knowledge and expertise in library and information services through training and networking".

They have an annual conference every year, and run a  number of events and training.  I have attended in the past but due to staffing it has been difficult to do any external training.

*Information taken from Grampian Information Website http://grampianinfo.co.uk/

Thing 6 - Online Networks

I think I will eventually set up a profile for this but I really need to up date my CV.  This would help in addressing the issues I identified in Thing 3. Such as a lack of a professional online presence! I will however have to find a decent picture of myself for this and my blog which doesn't make me look like a convict (does everybodys passport photo make them look like this or is it just mine?)


I already have a facebook account and want to keep this purely for personal use in order to keep my personal and professional online presence separate

LISNPN

I have just signed up to LISNPN.  I like that it is specifically designed for library and information professionals. I like how easy it was to sign up for.  Hopefully I will obtain lots of good ideas and information on developments in the profession, as they say, knowledge is power. I am looking forward to meeting others in the same job as myself.

Librarians as teachers

Due to the fact that I do little teaching as part of my job, this network won't be of much use to me so I will by pass this.

CILIP Communites

I am an associate member of CILIP already but don't at present use CILIP Communities.  When trying to sign up, the system would not take my membership number so I will need to double check that I am entering the right one. Once I have signed up I think I will get a lot from this and help towards my chartership.

Thing 5 - Reflection

Question - What have I gained from this process so far?

Answer - Heaps

When I first started this process I was a bit reluctant to embrace web 2.0 technologies and using facebook had been about as far in as I had dipped my toe.  Now I am a blogger and a tweeter. I know it has taken me a while to get to grips with blogger and twitter but I am learning something new everyday and this is surely what this process is all about.

I have been trying to finish my charter for years now and I feel that participating in CPD23 might enable me to come closer to doing so. CPD23 will also help with the completion of my CPD log at work so in January next year I will actually have something to show my line manager.

I am going to use my blog as an online professional diary and document all activities as and when I do them so when I do start to tackle my charter again, this will be here to help.

Thing 4 - Current Awareness

I am so behind with CPD 23, took 2 weeks off work and have been chasing my tail ever since.

So lets get started on catching up.  I am all for signing up to all these current awarness services which might help in my professional development, the problem I have is remembering all my login details.

Lets start with Twitter - to tell you the truth Twitter has never really interested me, I couldn't really care less about what the so called celebrities out there have named their children, but I thought I would give it a go so have signed up. I am more of a Twit than a Tweeter and I am not sure if what I have to say will be of any interest to anyone out there.  However I think that other peoples tweets will be interesting reading especially in a professional capacity, it will be interesting to hear other peoples opinions on where the profession is heading as a whole and how other academic further education libraries are coping with the changes we are currently facing. The only issue I am having seems to be deciding on whose tweets to follow - suggestions welcome.

RSS Feeds - Slowly finding my way around google reader with help from a lovely lady at work (thank you Jillian).  I like the fact that it lets you view everything in the one place but I am finding it hard again to decide on what feeds to subscribe to.

Pushnote - well it is blocked at work so that will be the end of that :(  I might try at home.  Don't think I will really use it though.

Thing 3: Consider your personal brand

Sad to say, but I have googled my name before.  This time I got far more results than previous, then I remembered that the last time I googled my name was before I got married.  This got me to thinking that everything I have participated in professionally, before I became a Mrs, would only come up under my maiden name.   I guess I really need to update my online presence and contact Cilip to change my details.  Before participating in this activity I never really thought about how my change of name would affect me professionally.

So let’s get back to my google search, the first few results that came up were face book pages, one of which was my own,   I share my name with a photographer but other than that nothing really interesting came up.

I have never really thought about my online presence before and completing this activity has made me consider how I am perceived by others online and how I can improve this and put myself out there so to speak.  Like many others, I prefer to keep my personal and professional identity separate so the challenge now is to find a balance between the two.

Also  for those of you that know me, does my Blog reflect me professionally, for those that don't what does my blog say about me - all comments most welcome.

Thing 2: Investigate some other blogs

Thing 2 on the 23 Things for professional Development was to explore other blogs.  So many blogs, so little time.  A lot of people have signed up for cpd23 and I am hoping to make the most of this wealth of knowledge. I am following a couple of bloggs but have yet to comment on any posts. Still trying to find my way around blogger really.

CPD 23 - 23 Things for Professional Development

So lets start off with why I am taking part in 23 THINGS FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. 
I have been working in the same job now for 10 years and for a number of years have been trying to tackle Chartership.  My colleague brought the 23 Things for Professional Development to my attention and our manager thought it would be good for us to participate.  So here I am, having just created my first Blogg and completed Thing 1 on the list, who knew it could be so easy.