#Thing 13: Reluctant Networker

I must start by saying .......

I had ruled out applying for this badge Online Networker.   I though I am not that concerned about it.  The concept of having a personal brand didn’t really apply or appeal to me or so I thought.  The more I read (Thing 10 – 12) the more it made me reflect on my online presence and how important it is to take control of it.

Personal Branding and Managing it

The first thing I checked was my online presence.  Yes, I googled myself!  What came up wasn’t that shocking.  The order was interesting Linkedin, facebook and twitter.  Initially I went OMG I haven’t looked at or updated my Linkedin page in years!!  This exercise made me reflect on the social media accounts I have set up and how I use/don’t use them. 

My facebook account was setup for personal use, to stay in contact with family abroad.  I don’t post frequently.  However #Thing10,  prompted me to set up a professional page from this account and I sent requests to join other professional groups and individuals in the Library world. I also checked my privacy settings.

I have two twitter accounts one with my personal name and one under the handle @stpaulscclib.  I decided for now to delete the personal one.  I then linked my twitter account to my professional facebook page.

I realise that I have been very complacent about my professional /personal brand online.  So I set about updating my linkedin account.  My engagement with social media with the exception of my school twitter account has been lackadaisical.  I had registered for all of these platforms but I had not really signed up!  Hence I had not been really taking care of my brand. 

#Thing 11 Creating a Bio

I have worked hard at building my profile on twitter @stpaulscclib, but you wouldn’t necessarily associate it with me “Hilary Cantwell.”  I suppose I view that account as promoting the role of JCSP Librarians rather than an individual.   What gets lost is me as an individual, my passion for promoting the love of reading but also the important role librarians play in their communities, giving access to lifelong learning, culture and the arts.

It may also suit me to be anonymous. I probably lack the confidence in speaking up and I tend to be cautious in my use of social media.  I only share things but I am hesitant to share my opinions.  As a professional working in an environment which is dominated by another profession it is sometimes hard to voice your opinion and it is even harder to make your voice heard.  I need to proactively seek opportunities to make my voice heard and the unique perspective a school librarian has, that "birds eye view." 

I also know that my personal brand needs to evolve, it will change over time but I now realise I need to be in control.  I need to revisit and update my brand more frequently than I have.  It is after all in my best interest. Writing a bio made me focus on what I wanted people to know about me online.

Online networking has made it easier to join, get involved and engage with professional library organisations, so why haven’t I?  At the start of my working life I sent away countless membership forms to join ALA, NYLA – SSL, HVLA (Hudson Valley Libitrary Association) so what’s my problem.  I think there is pressure if you have an online presence you also need to be vocal, comment and post regularly,  For me I have found it a bit overwhelming.   

Orcid 

I had never heard of but found it interesting to read about why it was set up – ensuring individuals and institutions get full credit for their work and research.   I didn’t set up an account as I felt it was not appropriate or relevant to my current work.  But it is good to know what it it and the purpose it serves.

#Thing 12 Collaborative Tools

Although I work as a solo librarian I am part of a larger community of JCSP Librarians. Our work is largely collaborative and this approach has provided much needed support in an environment which could be isolating.  We use google drive to share documents.  We share a project calendar, lesson plans and a myriad of documents to do with library practice.  As well as being part of a large group of 30 librarians, I also work collaboratively regionally with a smaller group.  We have used google drive to plan and organise South East Spelling Challenge which takes place March 15th. This has been really efficient way of delegating and getting work done rather than meeting up, which is not practical.  Alot of  time would have been lost in the commute.

Trello a collaborative tool that allows you organise your projects into boards in one glance was very appealing I liked that it tells you what's being worked on, who's working on what and where something is in the process.  The boards have multiple lists.  I liked it.  The closest tool to this that I am using at the moment is padlet.  It is very popular in the school environment.  I have used it to manage and work on projects with  teachers in other schools.  I recently participated in a paired science project which was a city wide initiative.  We shared work using padlet.  I have also used padlet to share work and get feedback from students and with student council.  I think Trello is far more sophisticated and I will try to encourage my working groups to use it.  

I had never heard of slack I intend investigating all its capablilities in the future.  

With regard to doodle, I have never used it and I am embarassed to say when we have tried to  schedule a meeting for all the jcsp librarian we have used a google form, suggesting possible dates and people selecting the one that works for them and the meeting being determined by the majority.  It seems a little bit laborious after looking at doodle!

I have used skype in the past to participate in projects with schools mostly abroad.  For the most part it was a positive experience but really depended on the quality of the connection and equipment being used.  I am a fan of WhatsApp - video calls when speaking to colleagues and also have used them to conduct interviews.  

Collaoration makes sense for JCSP libraries.  There is never enough time to do everything so rather than duplicating the work using the tools above will help me and my colleagues manage our time more efficiently.  This online networking badge has really opened my eyes to the benefit of being proactive and the need to nurture my online brand.