Branding (Part 2)

So, I have had a chance to think about branding.
It is not only personal branding that we need to be aware of, though that is particularly relevant to this week's discussion. As Librarians we need to think about the branding of our libraries, our profession and our role in this ever changing world.
We also need to be aware of the effects of branding on our clientele. Why do we think that they rely on Google search for their answers, most of them know that they should check their sources more thoroughly but Google has created such a "safe" brand that people do not look past the first one or two pages of results.
This is where we, the librarians, come in. We need to ensure that we explain the way that Google works, the intricacies of personalization of search results and the impact that this can have if they are trying to access a non-biased view of their world.

Branding?

What do you mean when you talk about branding? My Google search for my name did give me a nice surprise, my LinkedIn account came up as the top response. Okay, so that means that people can find ME, but then I had to think about my LinkedIn account and whether it provides an accurate representation of ME. Looks like I will have to do some more work on that account.
I am very aware of the blur between personal and professional social media on the Internet, something I have been stressing to my children for a while. "ENSURE that your privacy settings are at the highest", "Make sure that your friends don't tag you in photos that are available to others on the web", I think they may be getting tired of my rants.

Health issues for students (and staff)

One of the things that I have noticed while working in academic libraries is the way in which the majority of students study and write their papers. Whilst occasional "all nighters" will not cause long term problems we do need to keep an eye out for symptoms of sleep deprivation. Students are not the only ones trying to fit too much into an otherwise 24 hour day. Let's think about the long term consequences to not only our own health but also to our ability to perform at our best.

Teamwork myths!

I always knew there was some unreliable information out there on teamwork. Here are some myths and their debunking.

Just a thought!

 Here is something that I found very interesting. I have an undergraduate degree in english and history. Subjects that would not survive if there weren't archival documents. Here, the Internet Archive has decided to store e-books in hard copy. They have provided their reasoning and it is sound practice for more than just e-books, think this through to other areas where a loss of "fidelity" to the original could cause major issues.

Thing 2

Blogs, opinions, useful information. I am quite enjoying this course, it provides me with an excuse to read other people's blogs. What a broad range of librarians are undertaking this course! The major thing that I have noticed is that all of us feel the need to keep ahead, to learn of other ways of keeping in touch with not only our clientele but also with each other.

23 things for professional development

23 things?!

Why is cpd so important?

The book world is changing so rapidly that there is a need for those of us who work in it to undertake cpd, I like to think of that as continuous professional development. If we are not continuously learning and applying new information then we are not going to be capable of supporting our clientele.

This course is just one of the ways in which I intend to keep ahead in my profession.