Thing 15: Advocacy

This is a term I'm well aware of. I was aware of it anyway but then I did an ED X MOOC in Library Advocacy. It's something I needed to do for little things, but recently it's something I'm doing every time I can get my boss on the phone. Not in an annoying shouty way (like protesting) as some people may associate with advocacy, but getting my thoughts in between asking how he is, respecting his time and understanding that these decisions are not always in his hands alone.

You see our library opening hours are under review. I have no idea what way it's gonna go. For me and for my two colleagues. Any chance I get I'm arguing the importance of the evenings. Of the weekend. But it's completely out of my hands when everyone's so busy with the big move they don't have time even for my elevator speech. I'm not even sure my report, my spiel on emails or phone messages will even work, but I'm still gonna try. I have been. I've not only given my reasons why keeping all our hours are necessary but also done what the Ed X course taught- met the people at their level. I.e. the numbers, the money, the students' results. I've also been building up a rapport with the other departments and the decision makers since I started just in case anything like this happened and encouraged my colleagues to do the same, if they aren't already. Advocacy starts before the issues arise not after like the view above of protest advocacy may suggest.

The campaigns mentioned in the Rudai post are more about the outwards advocacy than what I've learned about. Once you have advocated your services to decision makers and gained support from you peers you can then go into the WWW to voice this advocacy to others in the field and to find ways to visually illustrate how your services help the student population. Sowing what the similar institutions are doing also helps and the figures provided by the various groups mentioned would be helpful for this. I myself used opening hours from similar libraries in my argument.


The element of need to be heard is a common one, from Libraries Unshushed (my MOOC) to the next LIA A&SL conference being called (all caps) SMASHING STEREOTYPES: LIBRARIANS GET LOUD. Some of the groups we've been told about include 'voices' and  'speak up'  while some are just promoting love of libraries. I just love the long long article on why public libraries are important. One day I would love to find an example of a  disadvantaged kid that became a great scientific discoverer , particularly if it was lifesaving, just so I could be like 'hey scientists think they're so great and they're role in the world is more important, but literacy came first and that's what librarians do, save lives via literacy'. Not because I'm spiteful or bitter but just a little sick of science majors looking at me like I did a degree in playing with blocks or boardback books or something.
There, vent over, sorry guys!


So anybody want to start a library friends group?  Every library seems like an interesting place for Advocacy as it helps organise petitions to get the people in power to vote for or against changes in funding as well as encouraging people to use their vote. Who says petitioning doesn't work?Speak Up for Libraries raised the interesting question of whether or not volunteer-led libraries work. My question would be why is our role seen as something that could or should be voluntary? But figures to back up the need for qualified people would indeed be a bonus. I have just skimmed the content on the first batch of sites, but its useful to know the resources are there going forward.


Will be taking a look at some of the second batch, ie started in recent years which you can contribute to or use, in a bit and will update with how I get on!


update 10/9
Taking a look at these 'get involved' links it seems that CILIP needs to be joined, so that won't be happening. Library A to Z is a fantastic idea and I wasted quite a bit of time waiting for the letters to change to see what each stood for! Also love the idea of librarians showing their pride via I freaking love libraries. I'm pretty sure I already heard about the 'This is what a Librarian looks like" campaign a while ago because it made me think of stereotypes I could satire for my own post on this topic.I might take a funny #shelfie concerning said stereotypes sometime. I'm wondering if I could do something where I work for Library Ireland week. It's not til November so I have loads of time.


My Hunt Library and Not Your Average Library almost make me want to get on Instagram. Almost. Those libraries are really cool.



Thing 14: Augmented Reality - to be continued

This is a term I've heard only briefly, and usually either on my cert in computing science or in nerdy circles. I know the information profession is connected to evolving technology but this is far out of my normal realm of everyday librarianship. Most people in Ireland's everyday librarianship I'd wager. The most contact I've had with this concept is probably QR codes, which in my experience aren't what they're cracked up to be.




Needless to say, I was a bit sceptical starting this module as to how relevant or useful it could be to me and my job. The mere mention of downloading something 4D kind of made me giggle. I understand how apps such as field trip, or at least apps that exist around the same idea of providing additional information about what somebody is looking at, may be useful, but some of the apps such as Aurasma seem a bit frivolous on the outset. They are interesting developments in lenses etc but much like popart on your old Nokia they're fun but don't really add anything useful.




The Anatomy app could indeed be useful but I can barely update the apps I have at the moment, never mind download a new one. I will give it a go later though.




Testing out either or these apps, realistically, either involve the user setting up an account or me paying money. I'd be inclined to agree that Layar would be the better option for a real project but as it's only a tester I'd be more inclined to consider Aurasma. For a second I thought I'd seen the Summer Buzz bee in Maynooth library, but I thought it was just that; a picture of a bee.




>Update<


I later decided that if I want to do this for a purpose, i.e. for my fan blog, Layar would be better, but I'd have to set it up so it only runs for a month.
As I began to use the AR I also began to see what Niamh was talking about as regards it being a way of teaching young people digital literacy, a big part of our job. It could be something more fun or interesting I could use to promote library use in my own institution but obviously only for a short period. I will try it for my own mini fanblog project first and see how I get on.


I will update once I use it and also once I take a look at the librARi demo....

Update 2: 

Much like with Screencast, my lack of decent technology has limited my ability to try these things out. No matter hoe much I delete, my phone doesn't have enough room to download Anatomy 4D or Layar, meaning I can't truly try them out. Layer also doesn't seem to have a less than 6 months/extortionate charge option but the free one month plan seems cool enough if only I could actually get the app to see the results. Anybody want to take a look and tell me? https://www.layar.com/campaigns/W9DAXTR0F6

The demo for LibrARi is pretty cool with the related texts and latest additions in given topic. At first I thought it was for lazy people with the "your book is here" function though haha.

Thing 13: Professional Organisations

Before I begin talking about this topic, it's important to point out I'm one step closer to my screencast because I have a screencast-o-matic account set up and the latest version of Java on my netbook. I tried to get further than that yesterday evening but my computer is deadly slow and there was IKEA furniture to be made. A slight setback to my study plan, but the set-up is done and I can do the screencast this evening. I will stick to my new post study plan!

The only group I'm officially a member of is the Library Association of Ireland (got use of my countdown card last week at the Wax museum) but I will definitely investigate some of those blogged about. I am in a few groups in LinkedIn , as discussed in Thing 3/5 as well.

As IFLA is 63euro to join, even as an unwaged which I technically am not, I think I will keep an eye out for streaming and or more local locations, but this years was in Cape Town and the next two years seem to be Ohio and Warsaw. The have an e-forum coming up on Sustainable Development Goals: The Impact of Access to Information on our Societies between 7-18 September 2015 that I'll be joining if you don't have to pay  . Looking at their last conference all I can think is Oooh some rare books photos!

Eblida sound interesting, particularly since the term 'lobbying' is used in the description. Libraries need advocacy all the time so the fact that this group actively lobbies is a good thing. Yeesh, it costs €624,55 to join? That's for people under 25,000 a year as well! Again with the watching out for streaming stuff! Interestingly Ireland participated in their Knowledge and Information Centre survey and it seems they do good work.

CILIP is something I get updates from on LinkedIn and Twitter. Membership is a bit steep unless you are a student, which I am not anymore. My average pay grade means I'd be paying A CRAY CRAY £112 a year or 10 instalments of £11.20. I don't even earn that much money. That's a lot considering the LIA is so much less. They have a conference this month in London but it's a bit steep. They also have a free New Professionals Day like us, I'm assuming that's where the idea came from. If you happen to be in Edinburgh for the LMS showcase, which is free, tell us all about it! They post very interesting stories, particularly UK stories which are somewhat more relevant to us here in Ireland.

The ALA is another group I follow but I don't see the point in joining since all their events are in the US.

I'm technically in the Academic and Special Libraries section of the LAI but haven't gone to anything yet. I have thought about joining a committee but haven't got around to it yet. I will look into the Repository Network Ireland seminar on open access :)