I've not done a great deal of this personally, but I have been involved in the production of podcasts. Professional sounding pod cats done in a studio take a while to do and even longer editing. If there's an easier way to do podcasting this would be great!
I like the idea of screen capturing tools, and jing being the one mentioned in 23 Things amongst other things, seems like a good solution, relatively easy to use. Not being aware of these tools before, I've done some very basic instruction sheets before on Word functionality for colleagues. Screen capturing tools are a definite upmarket improvement on this and worth remembering for next time I need to show a colleague how to do something!
The only thing to mremember with these tools I think is to keep them short. I think several minutes is actually too long and I've seen many cases where podcasts are ten minutes or longer. If these are especially aimed at college / HE students then they need to be short and sweet. Personally I've never clicked on a podcast or video which is longer than eight minutes, at an absolute push (and only if it's something I really need).
Sunday 11 September 2011
Advocacy and publishing - Thing 16 (cpd 23 Things)
We all do advocacy in different ways. Sometimes it's verbally representing ours organisations or libraries, and others are more public about it. In think we med both. I think we can all do a litle bit if we think creatively enough.
Recently I've become involved in a bibliotherapy group. The attendees of this group wouldn't know that is what this is, but it is. This particular group uses poetry as it's focus. There are groups all over the country using literature in all its forms as a means to help people feel better, connect with libraries, literature, each other, and go home feeling better. This is what happens with this group. We meet once a week and talk about a poem, maybe two or three, and see where it leads us. It leads some members to some dark places where they can talk about problems, illness, mental health, depression, coping with day to day living, and feel supported. It's a safe place where members come together and where a lot of laughter happens: everyone goes home feeling better.
All this as a result of reading a poem. It's not really important that the reading is a poem - it just happens to be what the group is used to, and it provides a springboard for discussion and for everyone to talk about how they relate to the piece and find common ground. All this as a result of meeting in a library once a week, away from problems and away from other distractions.
Our libraries make us feel better.
Recently I've become involved in a bibliotherapy group. The attendees of this group wouldn't know that is what this is, but it is. This particular group uses poetry as it's focus. There are groups all over the country using literature in all its forms as a means to help people feel better, connect with libraries, literature, each other, and go home feeling better. This is what happens with this group. We meet once a week and talk about a poem, maybe two or three, and see where it leads us. It leads some members to some dark places where they can talk about problems, illness, mental health, depression, coping with day to day living, and feel supported. It's a safe place where members come together and where a lot of laughter happens: everyone goes home feeling better.
All this as a result of reading a poem. It's not really important that the reading is a poem - it just happens to be what the group is used to, and it provides a springboard for discussion and for everyone to talk about how they relate to the piece and find common ground. All this as a result of meeting in a library once a week, away from problems and away from other distractions.
Our libraries make us feel better.
Friday 2 September 2011
Seminars, conferences and other events - Thing 15 (cpd 23 Things)
Conference. A word to strike fear into the hearts of those who don't like to make small talk. I think there are more of those who would care to admit it, judging by the numbers of people who go to conferences with a colleague. And in my shame I"m afraid to say that at the last conference I went to, I did seek out some people who I knew and ended up standing in a space that was supposed to pass as a garden talking about the new series of Midsomer Murders starting that evening, and was it worth missing the last session in order to get home for it? I didn't admit that I had never seen it.
Possibly this means that the conference wasn't very interesting?
Anyway.
I went to a few conferences in my former life as a careers information officer, but have never presented myself. I've read many accounts of professionals who urge that whatever your professional position, you can contribute something, but I've never felt sure about this. The service I previously worked at, in all honesty, offered little possibility of innovative practice (too little money) and I now don't work in the information profession officially. It's been a while since I've been to a conference of any type. In any case, I hope that one day I'll be in a position to feel I have something to speak about in which others would be interested.
I''m hoping that I can expand my research literacy knowledge by attending seminars about research practice at some point. I find this interesting because I can look at research from both ends of the spectrum - as an information professional and as a researcher.
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