All entries for May 2007

Meeting with Head of Academic Support

Each term the head of department meets with each member of departmental staff to catch up and find out whats going on - my latest meeting was today and here's a bit about what was discussed:

Notes I made prior to the meeting can be seen here meeting notes 

We discussed points from the previous meeting and current projects I am working on.

Ant suggests that I write an article for Impact  - the magazine of the Career Development Group (CILIP) about the BioMed Grid project. This would be good portfolio evidence as it would be brief and would cover a lot of ground, show a different style of writing and has the potential to get published. It could also cut down on the amount of paper I submit to cover the project, rather than 3 project update documents and the proposal, an article would be much less bulky. However, submitting the article alongside part of the project documentation would also show two styles of writing covering the same subject, so that could be useful.

Katharine Widdows : 30 May 2007 20:25 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Inspire visit

Writing about web page http://www.inspire.gov.uk/

Jess and I met with a lady through the Inspire scheme. She is currently working in an FE library and is trying to decide whether or not she wants to make the move to HE (where she has previous experience). This lady is already Chartered but has been out of the Library sector for some time so is in the process of making decisions on her future career, and is considering applying for jobs similar to the ones that Jess and I do.

She wanted to meet with us to find out about what we do and how we fit in to the University.

A whole day was planned for her within Warwick Library, including meetings with various members of staff and visits to various departments. She spent one hour with Jess and myself discussing our roles.

We prepared in advance by finding and printing off various documents, such as our job descriptions and the terms of reference for the working groups that we each belong to etc. We also found examples of some of the work we have produced or been involved in (resource guides, customer guides, publicity work etc.) which she could take away. She had a lot of questions and we tried to answer them, but I did feel a bit like the session was not really long enough to cover all the things that Jess and I had planned for it. 

I also felt that the session could have been better planned, more structured and then we may have covered more material in a way which she might still have been able to absorb. I think this illustrates one of my many fears of teaching. I am not great at planning sessions or putting materials together. Structuring things for other people is not one of my strong points.

It also highlights the fact that there is little time in the day to do these things.  Jess and I had about half an hour to meet and plan for the session and after that we had to find the written information, print and collate it, book the room, set up the pc, log in to the LMS and various bits of web sites we wanted to use and generally figure out what was going on. The first and only meeting we had about it was the afternoon before, and this left us with preparation to do at home. 

Being involved in things outside of my normal job is important to me. But again, I have to be careful not to take too much on (see this entry).

Katharine Widdows : 23 May 2007 14:45 |  Tags: Career Communication Infosharing Libraryschemes Lis Widerprofession |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Research conference

Jess, Jen, Sharon and I staffed a PR stand at the Warwick Uni Research Staff Conference today.

It was much better than the one we did at the Staff Induction earlier in the year because we were better prepared and knew more about what to expect and how to target the audience.

Sharon had been in touch with CAPD who organised the event and so was aware of the research areas that the delegates were interested in, this allowed us to target those subjects and ensure we had relevant material on hand to give out and knew who all the appropriate contact people were to refer delegates to.

I had spoken to relevant Subject Librarians to find out what they were working on in related areas and what services they particularly wanted hi-lighted.

We also had better facilities arranged at the stand, with 2 laptops, 1 showing a rolling powerpoint on a larger screen and one logged into the Support for Research pages of the Library web site available for demonstrations. We also had a targeted leaflet made up specifically for Researchers and Sharon organised for this to be included in all the delegate packs for the day. We had also prepared forms to complete for delegate enquiries which made it much easier to refer queries on to relevant staff when we got back.

MRC were also there, but this time we had separate stands, which had 2 main advantages:

• more space for publicity materials so we could each have better laid out stands and less cramped space to work in

• it effectively doubled the presence of Library Services so potentially increasing the awareness of delegates much more than a single stand would have done

I am really enjoying the exhibition work we are doing and hope to continue to be involved. I think it is vital that the Library is represented at such events, as we need to raise our profile within the University. It also has the obvious benefits for delegates at such events who would other wise not have had that contact and may have never found what or who they needed.

There is a follow up meeting planned, which I will write an entry on.

Has anyone else  been involved in similar exhibitions etc?

Does anyone have any tips? 

Katharine Widdows : 21 May 2007 17:37 |  Tags: Marketing |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

I'm angry.

Writing about web page http://havemercia.wordpress.com/2007/05/18/personal-researchers-in-northants/

Following on from the post on Pete's blog I have to have a minor rant of my own! Please see this article published a few days ago in the Northants Evening Telegraph.

Do we really need to reinforce the idea that all Librarians do is sit about stamping books and saying "Shhhh!"??????

I was under the impression that a decent enquiry service where people could be pointed in the direction of, oh, I dont know, lets say books and web sites about lace making? was a basic part of Library provision??? 

What on earth would that poor woman have been told if she had come in with the same question 2 weeks earlier?? "Basic research?? no, I'm sorry, we're a Library and we dont do that sort of thing."?!?!

I'm very angry and more than a little confused.

Do any Public Librarians have a view on this?

Am I really being unfair in my reaction to this?

Katharine Widdows : 21 May 2007 17:09 |  Tags: Serviceprovision Usereducation |  Comments (8) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Enquiry desk working group

I have been asked to join a working group to look at the kind of enquiry service the Library will provide following the remodelling. There will be large changes to service due to the developments in the building. For example, the new lay-out of the first floor will allow for more student space and for the accommodation of the short loan collection (currently on the 2nd floor), so the provision of just one desk for issues and enquiries will be required, rather than the 2 desks, and separate services, we currently have.  Also staffing will change, for example, Academic Support staff, who currently are rotaed on to the main enquiry desk will be involved in the running and development of the Teaching Grid (which will be a new library provision following the remodel) so they may not have the same amount of time available to devote to the desk.

The group is made up of a cross-section of the existing Enquiry Desk team along with 2 members of the LMG.

Today was the first meeting of the group and there was much discussion of the basic building layout and the high level management decisions that have already been made. Now the group is required to fill in the detail of how the service will run, which staff will do what and what training and preparation will be required.

Next meeting planned for 31st May.

Follow-up entries will be added. 

Katharine Widdows : 18 May 2007 09:37 |  Tags: Change Communication Otherdepartments Policy Serviceprovision Workinggroups |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Trackbacks (1) |  Report a problem

Time management – a warning and a reality check

I have been concerned recently about the amount of time I dont seem to have.

Work has been busy - with the end of the budget year coming up and lots of info to take in, and work relating to, the Remodelling projectand all the PR type stuffI have been involved in, and there is a new working group I am on that's about to start and some exams to prepare for (examining, not being examined) and the newsletter to edit and the web site to maintain and the BioMed Grid enquiry project to run and blah blah blah.

Even if I wasn't working towards ChartershipI would want to be involved in all of these things and more - I am addicted to my job. But if I wasnt working towards Chartership I might not be writing my blog on my lunch break (which isnt actually a lunch break, it's just a lull in a drop in session I am currently running at the Medical School).

When I applied for Chartership and started looking into what would be involved I was given a very inaccurate impression! Lots of people said you could easily gather the evidence during work time and then put it all together at the end in a few hours. THIS IS A LIE(or at least a very rose-tinted set of distant memories).

I had a meeting with my mentor last week (blog entry to follow) and we talked a lot about this issue:

My major concern is that among all the exciting and interesting stuff I am getting more and more involved in (like the PR stands and the project work) my day to job may be taking a back seat and I am building up a backlog in the office. In order to avoid this I am spending a lot of my lunch breaks at my desk and I even took work home with me over the Bank Holiday Weekend. I often prepare for meetings or proof read documents on the bus to and from work.

So, a few rules for me to follow:

• Consult regularly with line manager re: prioritising (This has already started)
  
• Take proper breaks (I'm trying, I'm trying)
  
• Don't take office work home - only Chartership specific work (Does that HAVE to include the stuff I really enjoy???)
  
• Start saying "NO" - even if it's something I really want to do - until I have completed current projects (Havn't been asked to do anything since my mentor meeting- I'm preparing myself!)
  
• Explain to people who are trying to help me with Chartership by offering me relevant opportunities, that I have TWO WHOLE YEARS TO DO THISand I may have to decline their offers at the moment and take different opportunities later (Warwick is brimming with opportunity, if you miss one thing 5 more will come along later) (Mantra required)
  
• Remind myself, every time a tempting opportunity arises, that I have TWO WHOLE YEARS TO DO THISand I may have to decline offers at the moment and take different opportunities later (Warwick is brimming with opportunity, if you miss one thing 5 more will come along later) (Mantra taking shape)

I think, ironically, my problem is that I love the job so much. I want to be involved in everything, I want to learn about everything and I want to know whats going on all over the place.

Calm down, order books, get the daily paperwork out of the way, and remember that I have TWO WHOLE YEARS TO DO THISand I may have to decline offers at the moment and take different opportunities later (Warwick is brimming with opportunity, if you miss one thing 5 more will come along later). (Mantra confirmed).

Unfortunately, once Chartership is completed, I have the rest of my working life to do this, and will probably spend it reminding myself that I have THE REST OF MY WORKING LIFE TO DO THIS,and that I may have to decline offers at the moment and take different opportunities later. . . . .  (Mantra in practice)

(Entry started 12th May, finished 17th May - hmmm, what does that tell you??)

Katharine Widdows : 12 May 2007 21:49 |  Tags: Balance Personaldevelopment Reflections Stress Time |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Trackbacks (1) |  Report a problem

Registering with Google

Follow-up to Technorati from When I grow up I want to be a Librarian!

I am working on a (non-library-related) web site for a family friend at the moment, and she is concerned about how to market it when it finally gets up and running (it is taking rather longer than expected).

By way of research (and just playing with online stuff in the middle of the night) I have just registered this blog with Google. Apparently this may or may not mean that it gets added to Googles index, and that may or may not happen any time soon. And I also don't know how I will know either way about either thing. But I suppose it is worth investigating in the name of research for when I launch the web site I may or not finish in time.

Katharine Widdows : 06 May 2007 00:33 |  Tags: Blog Blogging Communication Elearning Google Marketing |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Portfolio planning

Well, I've spent most of my Saturday planning my portfolio structure. I decided it would be easier to work around a self-imposed structure right from the start, instead of trying to squash them into criteria categories later.

I am following the Body of Professional Knowledge document written by Hertfordshire County Council Libraries. And also, obviously, the CILIP assessment criteria. 

So my evidence will be divided into the following sections:

1. Knowledge Management

2. Applications Environment

3. Transferable Skills

4. Additional Considerations
(there are bound to be some - the document was originally aimed at ACLIP candidates) 

And each of these sections will contain evidence to show:

1.  Ability to reflect critically on personal performance and evaluate service performance

2. Active commitment to continuing professional development

3. Ability to analyse personal and professional development and progression with reference to experiential and development activities

4. Breadth of professional knowledge and understanding of the wider context 

This will (hopefully) help me to decide which evidence should be submitted, based on how many actual criteria each piece fulfils.  And that (hopefully) will keep portfolio size down to a minimum.

It should also concentrate my planning of what to do to meet the criteria.

Does this seem like a good idea or am I being too anal about it all?? 

(And no, it didnt take me all day just to come up with this! - but I cant type everything I did today here, or my hands would drop off and your eyes would bleed!) 

Katharine Widdows : 05 May 2007 18:41 |  Tags: Chartership Cilip Portfolio Qualifications |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Technorati

Writing about web page http://www.technorati.com

I have just added this blog to Technorati. My understanding is that Technorati is a searchable web catalogue of active blogs. You choose whether to be listed or not (and the process of adding your blog seems easy, but took me about 5 attempts) and you choose, I think, which of your entries are made available via it. You send a "ping" (see Netlingo for what seems like a reasonable definition)  with each entry you want Technorati to know about. 

Technorati also ranks the blogs listed there, I am ranked 676,464 today (this changes all the time). I think this means that 676,463 blogs listed on Technorati have more other blogs linking to them than mine has. Initially this number can make you feel a little insignificant, but when you realise that (today) Technorati tracks 79.2 million blogs world-wide, you begin to get the bigger picture.

Hopefully adding it to Technorati (starting to sound like a silly word as I have used it so many times in this entry already) will increase traffic to my blog - thats the idea - makes it easier to find. You can also add tags to your blog so that people searching for your topics get pointed in your direction. 

I will track this with Google Analytics, but I think Technorati do a bit of that for you as well - I'll have to look into it. Anyway, I'll be interested to see if adding the blog to Technorati - (I really have typed it too many times now) actually does increase page views.

Anyone else used T......?

Katharine Widdows : 04 May 2007 22:14 |  Tags: Blog Blogging Communication Elearning Google |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Trackbacks (1) |  Report a problem

The cost to the profession

Follow-up to Stop smoking! from When I grow up I want to be a Librarian!

I will add an entry later, when I have done a bit of research, about how smoking, and the stopping of it, relates to the Library (and any other) profession.

I think the following general points are noteworthy:

• Environmental impact
• Health and Safety
  
• Personal satisfaction
• Personal development
• Efficient time keeping
• Employee relations
• Networking
  

Katharine Widdows : 04 May 2007 21:17 |  Tags: Change Personaldevelopment Smoking |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem