2 or 3 things to start
To kick-off this project we want to feel the pulse and reflect as Library Services staff, on our needs, desires and abilities in regards to web 2.0, IT communication methods and other learning/social technologies.
You can post under your own name (by logging into Process Arts) or you can remain anonymous (reply to this post without logging in), as we would like to here from everyone, even if you would normally shy-away from contributing to public discussions. This project is intended to help develop and grow our collective strength, and build up strong communities of support that each of us can contribute to, or turn to when we need support.
We would like to know now:
- What tools would you like to be able to know more about and use? (i.e. you know little or nothing about them-beginner level)
- What tools would you like to know MORE about and use in more ways? (i.e. you know enough to get-by, but you know these tools can do so much more- intermediate level)
- What tools do you think you could help others to understand and use more effectively? (i.e you are a Zen master/black-belt/the person everyone asks about these tools- expert level)
Also we would like to know, in reference to specific examples:
- In general, what stops you from learning about a new tool? Is it time (I would love to play but I don’t want to give up sleep), is it confidence (I fear I could break the internet, or look foolish) or is it relevance (I don’t see these tools as relevant to my work)?
Please be as honest and open as possible as this will help to build a community that can support each other and improve our collective knowledge and increase our confidence and resilience when faced with the continuing ebb and flow of the digital world.
I would like more training on the e-library. For instance where do you -Permanently - save your results and searches? Also where can one limit searches to databases in certain subjects. Maybe we could have something like a driving license - you need to be able to do a list of things with the online resources.
someone needs to explain how to use this facility - can't see my posts. Are they 'moderated'? also twice lost all my text when clicking on 'more information about formatting options' link.
Hi
If you add a comment without logging in we have to prevent spam so we have added security, if you login you get to skip all this.You'll find it a lot easier to sign in to process.arts ( top right login http://process.arts.ac.uk/user/login ) no need to create a new account just add your UAL username and password, unless your not UAL then create an account. Your comments will post automatically. If your not logged in they have to go through moderation.
I would like to see some plan first. For instance their are so many facebook accounts for UAL colleges and departments but they don't seem to be joined up, somehow. It looks like individuals have used their own initiative to put them up and the content is a bit patchy [sorry]. We should get together and make a strategy - what tools we use and what for and what the content is to be etc, like a collection strategy.
so many initiatives - for instance what happened to UAL sandpit?
We would like to know now:
What tools would you like to be able to know more about and use? (i.e. you know little or nothing about them-beginner level)
- IM tools. I tend to email or SMS instead so if we were to adopt something using Instant Messaging for reference enquiries, for example, I'd probably nee to know more about it.
What tools would you like to know MORE about and use in more ways? (i.e. you know enough to get-by, but you know these tools can do so much more- intermediate level)
- VLE platforms. I don't think we make enough use of these as a University, given how much we spend on them and once Moodle is up and running I think it would be good for the libraries to make full use of it.
What tools do you think you could help others to understand and use more effectively? (i.e you are a Zen master/black-belt/the person everyone asks about these tools- expert level)
-I use social networking platforms a lot, some professionally and some personally. I'm pretty confident with these and would feel able to help others set them up and use them effectively. In conjunction with this I can also use social media management tools like Hootsuite.
Also we would like to know, in reference to specific examples:
In general, what stops you from learning about a new tool? Is it time (I would love to play but I don’t want to give up sleep), is it confidence (I fear I could break the internet, or look foolish) or is it relevance (I don’t see these tools as relevant to my work)?
- Honestly? The lack of encouragement from my managers to make use of them in an innovative way. The amount of fear surrounding social media in particular astounds me and I feel the UAL is lagging way behind other libraries in going where our users are to disseminate information. I think a coherent, unified approach to the use of these (often free!) tools would benefit us enormously in terms of increased user satisfaction.
I not sure how much this applies to me really ...
I use LinkedIn - mostly in a "lurking" way but do occasionally post, and am a member of a number of groups there.
I have no desire to use Facebook.
I do use twitter - in two guises: as myself (I would tweet at Conferences, sometimes more personally in reply to people I follow) and as the Vice Chair of the National Acquisitions Group for NAG business.
I don't feel that any more than this related to work is really appropriate or relevant to my role at UAL.
As I tend to lurk rather than participate in web 2.0 land, I just need a high level understanding of what is being used. If I find a useful tool, I will use it for as long as I need it then disable it. I have too many accounts to remember at the moment so am precious about creating more. I tend to avoid registering for one tool through another -- eg use Facebook account to follow something on Twitter -- as I have to spend time going through and adjusting settings that were automatically defined.
What stops me from learning new things? TIME. What forces me to catch up -- my son as he keeps fiddling with my computer. ;{!
The main problem for me is that there is just too much of everything. The first couple of questions immediately highlights this; part of me groans inwardly at the prospect of learning more about web 2.0 tools & new learning technologies etc.
I do use Twitter, Facebook and Flickr fairly frequently, but tend to limit what I do with these tools to a few functions which I know well and can do easily. Brain overload otherwise. The more I know the more I forget.
Here (to put my money where my mouth is...) is my contribution:
1. I am probably not the greatest networker in the world, so although I have a twitter account, I use it more to throw random ideas out into the world, than actually use it to follow and contribute to communities and like-minded people. Although I am a visual artist and photographer, I actually seem resistant to using Flickr, Picasa and other image sharing sites- and I am not sure if this is for a particularly good reason, or more down to a fear about the loss of control and how this would fit with what I do...
2. My biggest weakness is having a working knowledge of many technologies and communication methods, but not really pushing many of them to their fullest capacity- I am an inveterate signer-upper, I will join anything that looks new, shiny and exciting, but then I run out of time to fully explore them, and i will sign up to too many similarly 'styled' services. A good example is my phone apps, I have Evernote, Astrid Tasks, Doodle and others, and as a consequence I dabble with them all and haven't really bought into one over the other (though Evernote is creeping ahead).
3. I think that my expertise is in general applications of IT systems to creative ends... but I am pretty good at dealing with Blackboard and I have a fair amount of understanding of how lynda.com works as a resource.
The final question- what prevents me from greater understanding- is quite clear for me at the moment... TIME and (even though I wrote the question, I now feel the need to identify another factor-) FOCUS- I don't have the time to really engage with some systems, and when I identify a need in myself, or in the students we are supporting, my desire to look at the breadth of options sometimes frustrates the successful identification and use of one appropriate tool...
David Bracegirdle
Learning Zone Manager
Following on from David's example -
I investigate new tools that I hear about -so end up with lots of log ins, and a little bit of knowledge about various applications - recently prezi, diigo, mendeley etc. I agree with others that one of the biggest barriers is time - and moving from the "oh that,s what it does then" stage to being a more capable user, which comes with use.
I'm not a big user of social media - I lurk rather than contribute. Maybe that's a generational thing - or a personalty thing -not sure, but I don't use Facebook or tweet . However, professionally I find other people's blogs and tweets invaluable. I think there is an issue here of developing our online professional profiles...
There is a lot going on in the University which I have recently starting tapping into more - the Leaning Studio events - and process.arts.
I think one of the issues for us is sharing knowledge and ideas, and agreeing how to exploit some of these tools in our service delivery, so that people are using them effectively at work as well in other areas of their lives. The DIAL project will help here -this discussion is to help find out what people know/want to know/barriers to knowing about web 2, social media. This will contribute to the design, and scope of some sort of learning programme, There are also projects going on to review our use of social media, develop screen casts etc
I agree with the comments about understanding creative commons etc...this area is about issues and principles as well learning how to use specific tools.
So -I guess for me, barriers in developing this area are time of course - but there are ways round that sometimes -but really more about discussion and consensus about how we can use them.
Thanks, Jess
1. I would like to know more about electronic reference/IM tools. I use IM for personal stuff but it would be great if we could get a proper online library enquiry service, with screen sharing capacity.
2. Tools to help keep and clarify copyright. I hear about things to do with Facebook etc copyright issues- are students sharing their work/in-progress and inadvertently losing their ownership of it? I also know that at least one London university has given the intellectual ownership of all student's content/research sent by email to Microsoft (they excluded staff though!). Doesn't this mean UAL should be hosting a Diaspora pod and showing staff and students how to use it? Hosting our own Buddypress would be cool too- instead of disconnected sites on wordpress.com. I don't know much about 2.0 copyright and it makes me nervous. We could start with our own website- when I check the images for creative commons or any other kinds of licence the fields are blank. Surely there is an automatic tool for image metadata we could host? Or encourage something like http://openattribute.com/
3. I'm better with Wordpress than I ought to be. Luv those custom fields!
NOT ENOUGH TIME I try to cut down on my time in front of a screen because I fear it erodes my soul...