(Recent) Noteworthy Reads

Last updated on 5 January 2018

In anticipation of the upcoming ‘blog every day of June’ challenge, I thought I’d keep aside some post ideas for now. Goodness knows I’ll need them! So for this PLN project update, I’ll share some recent reads which have prompted thought and (quite) a bit of pondering.

1. iLibrarian – 18 Usability Resources for Librarians

This could not have arrived at a better time. I’ve just started a project at work, re-designing the library’s intranet site – properly cataloguing items in the CMS (for improved control and transparency of content and to increase flexibility for discovery and retrieval), implementing (much needed) functionality to assist efficiency at both library and user ends, and creating a virtual ‘space’ for library users who I may not come into contact face-to-face. I’ve bookmarked a few of these resources already and no doubt I’ll need to refer to them often.

Usability is in a librarian’s or information professional’s ‘DNA’, however I think we tend to rely too much on our judgement or instinct and sometimes forget about involving and asking the users what they think their needs are and what tasks the library needs to support.

2. David Lee King – Skyping from my Car (and other Wow moments)

Hopefully I’ll get a chance to share some of my ‘wow’ moments during ‘blog every day of June’. There’s been a few, especially throughout my ‘PLN’ development and learning about a new world – library and information science. ‘Wow’ moments also exist in the smaller and simpler things in life…..have you had a ‘wow’ moment recently?

3. Alexandra Samuel – Who would you be without the internet?

Now this one really got the brain ticking over. Alexandra shares his reflection with this thoughtful post and an exercise I also hope to do next month. On a serious note though, who would you be without the internet? What profession would you have chosen? What would your work day be like without it?

4. elearnspace – The Problem with Literature Reviews

A somewhat strong view by George Siemens on the value (and problem) with a standard research practice. I have to say, I tend to agree with a response by Jenny Connected. Siemens brings up valid points, and probably some everyone has thought of but hasn’t raised, afraid of the backlash they may bring. A risky post by Siemens, yet no doubt has me thinking about how I may approach literature reviews in my future research.

5. Gigaom (Dawn Foster) via iLibrarian – 5 Tips for Better Performance Reviews

Again, this post is timely. My annual review is coming up next month. I don’t know whether I’d like to ‘brag to my manager’, but perhaps some circumstances requires it (to a reasonable extent). I have the view of ‘actions speak louder than words’. One tip I’ll definitely take on is making sure I keep a record of my achievements. I’ve also implemented reflective practice into my project work as a way of justifying and demonstrating my thought processes for decisions I make and to show continual development of my expertise.

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