Thursday 8 April 2010
blogs
Fantastic to see so many blogs across Oxford libraries. Shorter sections, pictures, imported content, make the page more attractive to read.
Wednesday 7 April 2010
23 things
It's been a great pleasure to do this training course. Here are some thoughts:
i) learning new stuff - of the things I hadn't seen Google docs and picnik were highlights. I'd already found Google Reader and really recommend it.
ii) really enjoyed sharing the experience with colleagues - in the common room, whilst visiting other sites, etc. really good way to do training.
iii) personal and professional. Not motivated to blog/tweet/facebook from a personal perspective but there is potential for the library. I thing these will be easier to set up than maintain and we need to make sure we can maintain any web 2.0 sites we initiate.
iv) time. quite a challenge to keep up with 23things and do the day job. Particularly when the Things invite a world of distraction (twitter, youtube, picnik). If I integrated the personal and professional - with all the web2.0 communciation tools I think I'd be drawn into spending half my time on personal communications.
v) big thanks to the organizers of the course for identifying such interesting content and writing such lucid and organized instructions.
vi) more please...
i) learning new stuff - of the things I hadn't seen Google docs and picnik were highlights. I'd already found Google Reader and really recommend it.
ii) really enjoyed sharing the experience with colleagues - in the common room, whilst visiting other sites, etc. really good way to do training.
iii) personal and professional. Not motivated to blog/tweet/facebook from a personal perspective but there is potential for the library. I thing these will be easier to set up than maintain and we need to make sure we can maintain any web 2.0 sites we initiate.
iv) time. quite a challenge to keep up with 23things and do the day job. Particularly when the Things invite a world of distraction (twitter, youtube, picnik). If I integrated the personal and professional - with all the web2.0 communciation tools I think I'd be drawn into spending half my time on personal communications.
v) big thanks to the organizers of the course for identifying such interesting content and writing such lucid and organized instructions.
vi) more please...
Thursday 1 April 2010
Tuesday 30 March 2010
google docs
briliant! my wife is a freelancer and uses google docs to distribute information - so much better than email attachments for keeping track of collaborative work. Quite happily sell my soul to google.
wikipedia
I constantly use Wikipedia for quick reference. I was a shakespeare-librarian for 13 years and a topic sure to cause argument and disagreement is the authorship to Shakespeare's plays. Sure enough, the wikipedia article is disputed with a complicated string of accusations and counter accusations. But, the article made these disputes explicit and info. was fairly accurate.
wiki
I've been a member of SocialOULS for some time although not an active contributor.
I do manage a page on http://realspaceatox.wikispaces.com, a less-open wiki that requires membership. The info. is great but it needs more people to be involved.
I do manage a page on http://realspaceatox.wikispaces.com, a less-open wiki that requires membership. The info. is great but it needs more people to be involved.
I'm twittering as jamesalanshaw - forced to expose my middle name. Love the intimacy of twitter and have read some interesting tweets from people I follow. Not really interested/motivated in tweeting personal info. but I love the intimacy/brevity of the tweets from people I've chosen to follow.
Saturday 20 March 2010
Linked In
Linked in profile created. My wife is freelance publisher and has made many good connections and got work through Linked In.
Facebook Lurker
One way of connecting indirectly to customers on Facebook is to lurk passively and track comments relating to the library.
A few years ago, before the RSL refurbishment and re-purposing, I searched Facebook for RSL/Radcliffe Science Library and was horrified to discover 'RSL = Really Shitty Library' site. It was an attack on the architecture, stern front line image, and unfriendly notices. Very extreme, unfair, a minority opinion, etc. but with considerable public damage.
Not related to the facebook site, we've addressed all the areas that the site attacked us for. Trouble is, that facebook site remains in place and can't be taken down.
Perhaps we should consider launching our own official facebook page which presents a positive image - and perhaps 23 things will give us the impetus to action this.
A few years ago, before the RSL refurbishment and re-purposing, I searched Facebook for RSL/Radcliffe Science Library and was horrified to discover 'RSL = Really Shitty Library' site. It was an attack on the architecture, stern front line image, and unfriendly notices. Very extreme, unfair, a minority opinion, etc. but with considerable public damage.
Not related to the facebook site, we've addressed all the areas that the site attacked us for. Trouble is, that facebook site remains in place and can't be taken down.
Perhaps we should consider launching our own official facebook page which presents a positive image - and perhaps 23 things will give us the impetus to action this.
Thursday 11 March 2010
Podcasts and You Tube
I've had RSS feeds set up for JISC podcasts - it's a useful to keep up to date and it breaks up pattern of getting info. through reading.
My browser tells me it's going to stop supporting YouTube in 2 days' time! If you're in the same position make sure you quickly take a look at the finest bit of Ocarina playing in East Oxford.
My browser tells me it's going to stop supporting YouTube in 2 days' time! If you're in the same position make sure you quickly take a look at the finest bit of Ocarina playing in East Oxford.
social bookmarking
Set up an account successfully and, for the sake of it, put links to the libraries where I've worked. Could be really useful - I'd have to spend more time rummaging to find out if the links remain up-to-date.
flickr and picnik
Hello Bunny Friends,
Long way behind on 23 Things so forgive me if I do a few cursory posts. Uploaded photos to Flickr successfully - of the RSL in the January snow http://www.flickr.com/photos/48259159@N05
Picnik was really easy to use. Initially I only used the basic tools, but thanks to Gigi's blog, I found the create and other functions - lots of fun and potential for improving the marketing of the library.
Long way behind on 23 Things so forgive me if I do a few cursory posts. Uploaded photos to Flickr successfully - of the RSL in the January snow http://www.flickr.com/photos/48259159@N05
Picnik was really easy to use. Initially I only used the basic tools, but thanks to Gigi's blog, I found the create and other functions - lots of fun and potential for improving the marketing of the library.
Wednesday 10 February 2010
RSS feeds
Weighing up the benefits of i) having updates to all my favourites beamed to Google Reader and ii) the pressure of having increasing lists of unread updates.
So I'm RSSing:
John Peel wiki updates
Oxfordshire news
Cherwell news
JISC podcasts
Science Library pad
News from Times Higher ed.
Oxford Ornithological society
and my fellow RSL bloggers
It's an odd mix of the personal and professional and not quite sure if I'm comfortable with blurring the two. It's possible to create folders for the RSS feeds but it's too tempting to dump it all on one screen.
Also, some key websites (Shaksper Shakespeare discussion; oxford Nightshift magazine) don't have RSS feeds yet so I'm still grappling with having to check the websites for updates.
So I'm RSSing:
John Peel wiki updates
Oxfordshire news
Cherwell news
JISC podcasts
Science Library pad
News from Times Higher ed.
Oxford Ornithological society
and my fellow RSL bloggers
It's an odd mix of the personal and professional and not quite sure if I'm comfortable with blurring the two. It's possible to create folders for the RSS feeds but it's too tempting to dump it all on one screen.
Also, some key websites (Shaksper Shakespeare discussion; oxford Nightshift magazine) don't have RSS feeds yet so I'm still grappling with having to check the websites for updates.
Monday 25 January 2010
23 Things
Things I'm looking forward to during this programme:
1) learning some new things
2) saving time on the things that I already know
3) exploring if I could use these things professionally
4) exploring if I could use these things personally
5) enjoying seeing what colleagues are doing
6) talking about it with colleagues over coffee
7) having fun
8) doing all of the above at my own pace
That's it. It would have been nice to think of 23 positives but 8 will have to do.
1) learning some new things
2) saving time on the things that I already know
3) exploring if I could use these things professionally
4) exploring if I could use these things personally
5) enjoying seeing what colleagues are doing
6) talking about it with colleagues over coffee
7) having fun
8) doing all of the above at my own pace
That's it. It would have been nice to think of 23 positives but 8 will have to do.
iGoogle
I'm now an iGoogler. Each time I select internet explorer I'm now faced with all sorts of information:
'Burnsian' is the OED word of the day
the weather in OX4 is getting colder - more snow? hurrah!!
"stress marriage in sex ed, teachers are told" - perhaps that education news gadget is not going to be relevant
a clock tells me it's 20.25 - just above where my pc tells me it's 20.25
Kan You Handle A Kandle for Your Kindle? - a new electric light for ebooks readers
"fat guy has seizure" YouTube most viewed video
a bird watching gadget keeps throwing up picture of birds - is that really what an Indigo Bunting looks like?
Schumacher 'can win title at 41': I'm 41, perhaps I could make it into Formula One
And then there's more library news, cricket news, maps, nme music news etc. I'll take the Kandle and the weather - the rest can go. If only I could get just a nice, clean page, with a single search box...
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