Thing 20-Library routes

I've just spent an enjoyable half hour browsing through the career routes of other library staff and it's been a revelation.  It's interesting to see how many fell into being a librarian or came to the career from a completely different job.  It was also reassuring to hear how many people are in the same situation as myself i.e. not a trained librarian but working in a library environment!

Thing 17- Prezi and slideshare

I have used slideshare often in the past and agree that by watching visual demonstrations you can learn much more than reading guides.  I haven't actually uploaded any presentations of my own though so this could be a professional development target for myself!
I have however prepared and used prezi and think it's a brilliant alternative to powerpoint.  This is largely due to the non-linear nature of the presentation-the audience doesn't know what is next and they are more likely to continue listening.  I've had a few layout issues and haven't been able to use Prezi on an iPad but other than that I think it's a really useful tool (and it's free!).

Thing 19-Another breather!

Things I have started using:
Evernote
Twitter (for work purposes!)
Google calendar
Mendeley

I have also been extolling the virtues of Jing, Dropbox, Google Docs and Evernote to others who have not used them yet as I feel these tools will have the most impact on the staff and students here.

Perhaps the most beneficial 'by-product' of the 23 things is the networking opportunities that have come about.  I've really enjoyed reading the blogs of other participants (and 'borrowing' some of their ideas along the way too!).

Thing 18-Jing

I'll be honest from the start and say that I don't make much use of podcasting at all!  However, I love Jing!  It is so simple to use but so effective at the same time.  We find it difficult to get round all the students in college to demonstrate e-resources, infotrac, library catalogue etc but with this we can make a recording, send it to staff and students and hey presto they can play it at their convenience.  It's especially useful for those questions you get asked again and again and links well to our VLE page.  I've seen the Maths department make especially good use of it when working with equations etc.

Thing 16-Advocacy

This post has really opened my eyes to the struggle that people have to raise the profile of libraries (and in some cases to keep the service running).  In my work place we are fortunate in that the library is very well used by students and book usage is rising year on year.  We are proactive as staff and get out into the academic departments when possible to promote our services and resources to as many people as we can.  I enjoyed reading Johanna's post, she obviously has so much passion for the role that libraries play in our society.  With all the recent budget cuts it's more important than ever that we stand up for our libraries and I'm thankful for all the people who do just that!

Thing 15-Seminars and conferences

I certainly haven't attended as many conferences I would like to and I sometimes feel like I am 'out of the loop' in hearing about conferences and other training. Online information always looks very interesting, but I've never had a chance to participate. I was lucky though, to take part in a lot of training and courses, which offered me the most important thing - opportunity for networking in maybe less formal and intimidating (I'm not great at small talk) atmosphere.
Like most people I don't particularly enjoy speaking to large groups so am happy to keep my presentations to groups of students and staff!

Thing 13-Google Docs and Dropbox

We use both of these tools within college and they are great!  The students are also encouraged to use them removing the issues of lost USB sticks and running out of space in email accounts!  Both tools are instinctive and easy to use and both staff and students seem to get to grips with them easily.  I especially like the format and accessibility of dropbox and the fact that you can save multiple formats of documents.