Thing 8 - Curation Tools

 

My friend Tina is a graphic designer and she was singing the praises of Pinterest back in 2010 so I opened up an account.

I didn't think it would be of much use to me and in all honesty I never used it until this year when I started working in the library.  Trying to put on original craft activities for 15 kids with a €20 budget and no experience is a bit of a challenge.  Suddenly Pinterest was the best thing ever.

Apart from looking for craft ideas I now use it to record images of any craft activities that I have done during my time here out in the sticks.  Who knows those images may be of use to somebody else in a similar situation.

Pinterest has also been very useful to look up book display ideas as part of my Frontline library course which aims to actively promote books and reading in libraries.

As a curation tool I find Pinterest is user friendly and I would use it regulary.  

Thing 7 - Podcasts

 

As a lover of radio I was well aware of the existence of podcasts but never actually got round to subscribing to any of them.  The radio is always on at home, even when I'm out I leave the radio on for the dogs to keep them company, I often wonder what they think of Joe Duffy or how Ray Darcy is settling into his new role in RTE...I guess I'll never really know!

So back to Thing 7, I have subscribed to Serial and to Melvyn Bragg's In Our Time on BBC Radio 4.  I had been meaning to subscribe to this programme for ages so thanks again to Rudai23 for getting me motivated.  The first podcast I will treat myself to is about Frida Kahlo...can't wait.

Thing 6 - Reflections

 

Its ridiculous to be lagging this far behind in Rudai23 to then feel happy to have a break, a little reflective time.  But getting the chance to see a sample of all those blogs out there is wonderful, the diversity, all those different stories with such shared enthusiasm and knowledge.  I'm learning loads and still delighted to be here. 

Thing 5 - Online Networks

Having been on Facebook since 2008 and using it for both fun and for business I am happy with my knowledge of how it works.  The business side of Facebook is a bit restricted.  I have a Mutts on the Move Facebook page which can be left to wallow if I don't keep adding regular photo's and updates. 

Twitter is a whole different way of doing things.  I opened up an account recently and figured out how to follow people but was very unsure about sending tweets.  My first ever tweet was to John Creedon on his Radio1 show, and he replied!  I was thrilled and it gave me great encouragement.  I am still a bit nervous of Twitter but delighted to be learning more about how it works.  In many ways I could even prefer it to Facebook. Yesterday evening while watching the Rudai 23 Live Hangout and being able to send a tweet felt very modern indeed.

Thing 4 - Google

The Western Regional Section of the Library Association of Ireland held their Annual Seminar in Gort this summer, it was a great day.  I am new to the library service so listening to these dynamic women was inspiring.  In the midst of it all we had a talk from Paul McEvory about the merits of the Google Chromebook.  Well it sounded amazing.  It costs half the price of an ordinary laptop, its run on Google so no operating system to slow things down and no virus meltdown worries.  Was it too good to be true?  With study for the MA looming and broadband installed I purchased a Chromebook.  Oh the joy!  It is brilliant.  

Learning more about Google for Thing 4 has only made my purchase of the Chromebook even more relevant.  I had never heard of Google+ or Hangouts before, with layers and communities its a bit strange and I'm still unsure of my privacy settings but if I figured out Google Drive and Google Play I will get the gist of this too! Niamh and Stephanie were very good to have Hangout chats with me but I still have to arrange a video chat.  

Not wanting to sound like a total dinosaur but realising that all of this is available to me on Google has been a real eye-opener.  I too am a fan.

Thing 3 - My Professional Brand

https://ie.linkedin.com/in/taraconsidine

As part of Thing 3 I have been considering my professional brand, checking out my online presence and I created a LinkedIn page.  LinkedIn is not what I expected at all.  I thought it was just a recruitment website full of CV's but I was pleasantly surprised and recognised lots of friendly faces.  It will take a bit of playing around with it but so far so good!

Thing 2 - Why I Became a Librarian

 

Education was free in 1990 when I finished school so off I went to Galway RTC to study Aquaculture, it was not my first choice but the experience of being a student in Galway for a couple of years was hard to resist.  Then I took a year out and went working in London, Frankfurt and Prague.  While living in Prague enjoying the beautiful architecture and the bohemian lifestyle I decided to go back to college to study Arts.  I ended up at the University of Derby doing a BA in Visual Cultures, I loved the course but hated the place so I left after two years and eventually finished off the degree through the Open University.

  

In 1996 I returned to Ireland and was accepted onto a Fás course run by Clare Library Service called CLASP.  Clare Local Studies Project (CLASP) was set up to increase access to sources for Local Studies in County Clare.  This was my first experience of working in the Library Service and I loved it.

However my path led me to Local Government, fast forwarding the next 15 years I worked in the Planning Department and Human Resources Department of Clare County Council.  The Library Service is linked to Clare County Council so last year I applied for a transfer and luckily for me I am now back working in Clare Library Service again.  On my first day on the counter in Dev, (Ennis Public Library) I knew I had definitely made the right decision, it was like the mother ship had called me home!  

Since January I have been based in Scariff library, hence the title of this blog. The library is in a gorgeous modern building with big windows looking out onto a field with trees, hedges and plenty of cows munching grass.  It is a beautiful space and is very popular with the local community who make full use of it. Working in the public library is so varied I absolutely love it, meeting people everyday and building relationships, getting to know people and learning so much from them.  My creative side has also been put to use from running arts and crafts workshops, movie nights and art exhibitions, it feels so good to be enthusiastic about my job.

The next step for me will be starting the MA in Library and Information Studies

in September, I'm equally terrified and excited at the prospect!

It took a bit of a journey to get here but working in the library service is definitely the place for me.