Professional Development

Thing #5: Reflective Practice

Ah, reflection.  As an education major, we did a LOT of reflecting; every lesson plan had to have a reflection at the end.  At first I thought it was pain and would rush through it without much thought.  But, as with many things we are forced to do in school, I eventually began to see the value in the practice and began to do it in other parts of my life.

I’ll begin with the personal branding exercise.  It was good to take stock of what I’ve already done and to get suggestions for other things to try.  It pushed me to finish things that I’d started including buying my own domain name and creating my personal logo.

Second, I was surprised to find that Twitter was more valuable than I’d originally thought.  It’s nice that everything is so succinct; I can judge in seconds what I want to pursue further and what I can skip.

So far, I’ve really enjoyed my 23 Things experience for both the motivation to pursue new skills and the camaraderie with other participants.

Thing #4: Current awareness- Twitter, RSS and Pushnote

Twitter:  It’s official- I’ve entered the world of tweets and hashtags.  I’ve been hesitant about joining Twitter, fearing that it will turn into another excuse to waste time on the web.  I can see the merit of Twitter, though.  In my digital libraries class, I researched how people get news in the digital age.  The preferred way is with short, concise blurbs.  That way, busy people can quickly scan and choose to spend time reading only the things of interest to them.  According to the About Us page on the Twitter, this is exactly how it is intended to be used.  To begin, I am following LCLibraries (my employer), CPD23, NPRNews (my main news source), and AskAManager (my favorite blog).  I plan to keep up with Twitter for a couple of weeks and evaluate its value to me at that time.

RSS Feeds: I subscribed to Google Reader last year as a way to keep current with the happenings at the Nebraska Library Association.  I set up iGoogle as my homepage and put Google Reader right on top where I wouldn’t miss it.  It has served as a reminder to check the site, but I still prefer getting an email.  I also subscribe to 23 Things, Ask a Manager, and Bagel Soup (hilarious comics). 

Pushnote: I downloaded Pushnote last night.  In my mind, it fits under the same category as FourSquare- good for people who like to constantly be connected to others.  Personally, I take more of a passive role in social media; I don’t update my Facebook status regularly or Tweet constantly.  While I would be interested in seeing my friends’ opinions on certain websites, I don’t think Pushnote is something I would use regularly. 

It’s exciting to see different ways people can connect with each other online.  The Internet has made it easy to keep in contact with old friends, to discover other perspectives, and to converse and debate with people all over the world.  I was born in the early 80’s, so I remember a time without the Internet.  For the most part, I think this interconnectedness is a great way to expand our horizons, increase our awareness, and experience what the world has to offer.

Thing #3: Consider your personal brand

I’ve given this topic a lot of thought in the past two years.  It is challenging to walk the line between privacy and visibility for personal branding purposes.  I recently signed up to receive Google Alerts on my name.  This way I can easily monitor if anything new involving my name comes up on the Internet. 

I was pleased with the results that came up when I Googled my name.  Most of the results on the first page refer to me and the ones that do are positive.  The first result, of course, is Facebook.  I have tweaked my privacy settings to show only my (tasteful) profile picture, my name, and my website address.  The second result is my LinkedIn profile.  Later results refer to my website. 

I am currently working on a logo to represent my personal brand.  This logo will go on my business cards and website.  I like the idea of having a consistent image on all of my professional materials.  Last night I bit the bullet and purchased a domain name for myself.  As of today, http://bethanygrabow.com is mine and goes to my website. 

Any suggestions on ways to improve my personal brand would be greatly appreciated.

Thing #2: Investigate some other blogs

There are a lot of blogs out there, written on any and every topic.  It has been interesting to see how other “library types” use their blogs.  I have two different library-related blogs.  In one, I review children’s, young adult, and adult books; it is excellent for recalling books I’ve read to provide reader’s advisory at the library.  (http://bethanysra.wordpress.com)  The other blog (where this information is posted) serves as my professional portfolio and includes a brief biography, my resume, and samples of my work; this is a way to showcase my skills and accomplishments beyond my resume.

I’ve already gotten some great ideas through this assignment.  I’m planning to add a list of my favorite books to my portfolio as well as anything else interesting I find as I work my way through the 23 Things.

Thing #1: Blogging

I’m taking part in the 23 Things for Professional Development course to learn about new technology and how it can be used to benefit the public library.  Currently, I’m a Library Assistant II for Lincoln City Libraries.  I have worked in public libraries for almost 6 years now, and I recently graduated with my MSLS from Clarion University.  I would like to use my experience, education, and skills to become a youth services librarian.  I hope to use the information I learn in this course to strengthen my skills to become a better employee and candidate for a professional position.

I am most looking forward to Week 12- Presenting Information.  I have not had much experience presenting in a formal setting and would like to learn about resources and techniques to improve my presentation skills.  I am anticipating learning something every week, from my own experiences and reading about the experiences of others.  Blogging about these experiences will motivate me to keep my blog current.

Poster Session- Book Bundles

A colleague and I presented at the New Members Round Table poster session at the 2010 Nebraska Library Association conference.

Below is the proposal for our project, Grab & Go Book Bundles:

Grab & Go Book Bundles

Today’s library patrons are busy people.  Some are professionals dropping by on their way home from a long day at work.  Others are parents with impatient children.  In order to best serve those who do not have time for leisurely browsing, we created Grab & Go Book Bundles for children and adults.

Each book bundle for children consists of three to six books and/or DVDs on a specific topic.  Examples of topics include First Day of School, Author Mo Willems, and Things That Go.  These items are held together with rubber bands and have a colorful, laminated tag displaying the topic.  Each book bundle for adults contains two to four fiction and/or non-fiction books on topics such as Author Nicholas Sparks, BBQ Cookbooks, or Murder Mysteries.  These bundles are displayed near the circulation desk and have been used heavily since the inception of the project earlier this year.

In October 2010, circulation statistics for picture books had increased 27 percent over October 2009.  This boost in numbers led us to continue displaying the book bundles.