Thing 14: Augmented Reality

I can see the future..

I had never really heard the term Augmented Reality before reading the Rudai blog and had certainly never heard of the two applications Layar and Aurasma. I had a vague notion of the concept but had never wondered what the technical term for it was.

My closest brush with augmented reality was when I was used the Word Lens app.  This app translates text from one language to another.  It is a really useful app to have on your phone when travelling abroad and not familiar with the local language.

So while Word Lens is one straightforward example of augmented reality, after reading up about it and seeing the ways that some libraries and other organisations , musicians, medical professionals and even surfers have put it to use to practical effect, I have to say that I am really impressed with the possibilities.  There are an astonishing number of ways that this technology could be put to use to enhance services and improve users’ interactions in a library setting.

In academic libraries, there are lots of areas where AR could be used to enhance the user experience.

It could be really useful to use with literacy training, providing information for students with different languages, to help students find their way around the library environment.

At the moment, because of dodgy Wi-Fi coverage and lack of familiarity with the technology, it might take some work to get mass buy-in in using it but as smartphones get even better and Wi-Fi coverage becomes fully embedded, the possibility of creating added content in different library services is huge. 

Some of the AR apps have been a little bit gimmicky. QSR codes have just never taken off in a big way.  We have tried it in our library and the interest and use from students is very low.  However, there are loads of really impressive AR apps out there and the way companies and organisations have used them to boost their business have been really inventive.  Definitely, something to keep an eye on for the future.

Thing 13: Professional Organisations

The benefits of membership.

For several reasons, I haven’t, up to now become a member of any of the professional library associations. 

Cost was definitely one of the factors and the feeling that it was somehow only for the more senior members of staff.

However, I can see the benefits for staff at any level joining and becoming active in the professional library associations.

If you are looking to change or move jobs, the access to the information and resources of these organisations could prove invaluable. It also shows prospective employers that you are serious about your career and your professional development.

They are a great place to network, share ideas and knowledge, develop and broaden your network and become more actively involved in your profession.  It is an investment in your own career and future. 

And you can’t really place a price on that! 

Thing 12: Attending Conferences

Networking and Learning

The last conference that I attended was the Academic and Special Libraries Conference held last February in Dublin. The theme of the conference was inspiration, collaboration and transformation.

I was only able to attend the conference on the second day but nevertheless found the experience both enjoyable and valuable in terms of learning about some of the thinking currently going on in the library world and some of the different collaborations that have taken place between libraries and other departments in their universities or institutions.

In terms of the practicalities of being able to go to the conference, we were alerted about the upcoming AS&L conference and expressions of interest in attending were sought.  Then, it just came down to the practicalities of how many wanted to go, on what days and the need to keep our own library staffed as well.  The fact that my library is only an hour from Dublin makes it straightforward to go for the day.  We have a budget for Staff Training and Development and all conferences and away days are funded out of that.

At the conference, I met a mixture of new people and old.  As everyone has said, most people working in libraries are enthusiastic and friendly and make it easy to drop into conversations.

I like to get meet people that I have worked with before just to have a quick catch up but it is also nice to get to meet people for the first time.  At the conference, I was amazed at all the different special libraries that are staffed.  Because, I have worked for a long time in academic libraries, I forget that there are libraries in so many companies and government departments and other organisations.

I didn’t really approach the conference as a networking opportunity and maybe this is what I should change in hindsight.  While I spoke to lots of different people, I didn’t take down their names or formalise contact with them by swapping information. Do people do that?

I totally agree about the need to make notes on conferences.  I always find most of the talks so interesting but never make detailed notes at the time and then you forgot the substance of what they were about.

The next conference I attend, I will definitely keep try to keep better notes and be more mindful of the people that I talk to.

Thing 11: Reflective Practice

Reflecting on how far behind I am..

I can’t believe but I am delighted to be at just about the half way point of the course.

It has been challenging and enjoyable and sometimes frustrating – Thing 9 comes to mind - but very rewarding in different ways.

I started this course just before I went on holidays for a few weeks.   I enjoyed the break but it has meant that I really feel like I have been trying to play catch up since I started in earnest with the tasks.

It is a little bit alarming to feel always (more than) slightly behind what everyone else is doing and seeing a new task being posted when you are 4 or 5 tasks behind.

Approaching the tasks and writing the blog posts, I definitely could use a little bit more structure.  Procrastination is very definitely a good friend of mine and bouts of activity followed by lulls is probably not the best way to keep on track or to keep myself motivated. 

As for completing the blogs themselves, I also definitely fall into the trap of writing and rewriting and editing but ending back up with basically the same post anyway but lots of time wasted.

I do try to keep in mind that it doesn’t need to be perfect and it is better to just write but it is hard to leave clumsy phrasing or half expressed thoughts on your blog no matter how few people are reading it.

It’s going to be even harder (am I already making excuses for myself) to keep on track now that we are coming in to a really busy time of the academic year but this catch up week is going to be a great help in getting up to speed (hopefully)!

Thing 10: Live Streaming

Looking down the barrel of Periscope

I was behind starting this Thing so I missed the Rudai 23 Hangout on Air but I have used Hangouts once or twice myself so am a little bit familiar with the application.

I decided to take the option of looking at the Periscope application from Twitter.   I had never heard of it before reading about it on the Rudai blog but since then, I have actually had it mentioned to me by a couple of people so its reach is definitely spreading.  It is quite a new tool but I think the fact that it is used in conjunction with Twitter will mean that it has huge potential for mass use.

Having downloaded the app to my phone and played around with it a little bit, it is very easy to use and join in the broadcasting fun.

There is obvious potential in using it as a marketing tool and the fact that the broadcasts can be played later means that it could also be a useful way of broadcasting conferences or seminars.

It is definitely a great way of allows its users to be “present” at events that otherwise just would not be possible.

So yes, Periscope is a useful, easy to use, interesting tool.  However, it is also easy to see how it could be used in not so positive ways. Now anybody going to a concert or a sports event can effectively broadcast a feed live to whoever has the app and wants to view it. Because the technology is so new, privacy and piracy laws will need to catch up.

The other query I would have about it is how much of your data plan would be used with substantial use. Maybe that’s not a concern for people with “all you can eat” data plans but those on fixed data plans might have more of an issue with cost.

Thing 9: Video

Trials in Screencasting

This Thing is one I approached with definite trepidation.

All the previous Things had been a little bit familiar to me and it was great just being able to build on your knowledge of what they are capable of doing and thinking of ways that they could potentially be incorporated into a library setting.

However, Thing 9 proved to be a bit of trial for me. I was definitely outside my comfort  zone with this one. Despite looking at lots of screen casts on YouTube, I had never really thought about the mechanics of making them.  

I spent loads of time trying to get Screencast-o-Matic to load on my PC to no avail. Very frustrating and I still don’t know if it was me or the software or a firewall or something else.

I then decided that if I was ever going to get this Thing finished, I would move onto plan B and use Jing.  I got that downloaded and completed a recording but then couldn’t load the result into YouTube.  All in all, very frustrating and time consuming.

I then went back to Screencast-o-Matic and tried downloading onto a different PC. I got it successfully downloaded this time and completed a recording.  Unfortunately, due to not having a mic, I was not able to add sound to my recording but I did add in some music from YouTube.

   

Despite all the frustrations of getting the screen capture program to work, they will be extremely useful to use as part of an information training program, showing students how to use library resources. 

Here is my first attempt at a screencast!