Confessions of a Twitter addict for Rudai 23 - Sharing Online

Confessions of a Twitter addict ...
I was very pleased to see that one of the online networks we are encouraged to use for Rudai 23 Thing 5 was Twitter...
I have not taken to Facebook as this has been actively discouraged by my SLT.  I assure you this is not because they think I have anything to hide, but more as a preemptive strike against potential lax privacy settings of younger members of the school's workforce, whose lives maybe of far more interest than of this particular School Librarian!

But I ...
 Am a true convert to Twitter... and have been for quite a few years...
Happily I will reflect on what has gone well that day, what I'm reading, what pupils are reading, what new worlds from favourite authors await us via the publishers and their marketeers.
I try to to use the power of Twitter for 'good' purposes and not swim down to its depths, being sucked into the myriad worlds that await us , sucking our time and reserves...
However I ...
 have met some amazing new people, had 'direct' contact with favourite authors and fellow librarians,  won quite a few goodies, made such useful connections with professional networks ... Mmm that was Freudian that I mentioned winning goodies...
Perhaps...
But after all, isn't it true that we all need to be motivated?  We do this all the time at work, offering shiny new books for our avid readers, creating competitions to capture the imagination of our time poor students and staff.
In addition, the restrictive 140 characters of a tweet has boosted my productivity and reined in my natural loquacious tendencies & #what's not to love about the hashtag?

However I also use Twitter as my first 'go to' whenever I want insider news...
This is where as a librarian I'm aware that Twitter is not always reliable and must always consider the focus of any narrative account ... Subjective or Objective? Whose News makes the news?  For instance during Hurricane Sandy I followed Reuters news agency and local area news Twitter feeds & hashtags searches delivered content more effectively than the BBC.  My motivation was enhanced as I had family there that were affected in that particular disaster, not as a voyeur.

So I confess I am a Twitterholic and must restrict my time online.

It is a useful tool but also a double edged sword.  When one's tweets are read and retweeted it is gratifying and I could easily expend valuable time with no tangible result.  Perhaps the best things about online networks is we know we are not alone in the fight to keep our students reading and to keep Libraries at the heart of our communities.

... If you are also a #Twitterholic please share your top tips on time management - which is my Achilles heel....  Thanks for reading the ramblings from my particular reading lens....

Reflections of a School Librarian

My earliest ambition was to travel the world, meet lots of interesting people and to be a magician.

A career in School Librarianship has already helped me realize many aspects of this and I'm still working on the rest.


Originally I trained in an industrial library - with shelves of reports & specifications rather than books. The engineers were voracious readers and quite a demanding customer base not unlike my current clientele - the teen reader. 


I've been inspired by so many clever authors and motivated by marvellous speakers at educational & literary events. I love being with likeminded professionals who are happiest when sharing good practice.


In fact this networking is key to why I love being a school librarian. I consider myself fortunate to have worked with some brilliant people, especially but not solely, from English departments.


Currently I'm working in a large state secondary School. It's my 13th year here and the changing educational landscape has been challenging but over the past years I've enjoyed a measure of success in collaborative projects both locally and internationally.


Of course as an avid reader - I had inhabited a variety of worlds and becoming a school librarian has allowed me to continue to explore & share this experience. Sharing stories and listening to young people is an essential part of this job and one of the greatest rewards too.


This job is a challenge. In addition to being a super librarian with great resources & magically tidied shelves you are also a sneaky teacher; helping students build up their reading stamina and to sharpen their information skills.
Plus you have to be a role model and keep on learning yourself.


Being a school librarian means taking a pro active approach and using tried and tested methods but avoiding tired and testing ones!


I still love my job!


#End of My first blog post for 23 things...

This is my first post

I am looking forward to blogging about various things this summer. I do hope that someone will read my musings and respond.

Like most of you voracious readers, when I've just finished a book - I want to share thoughts with others who've loved it too.

I love using the net to explore what others are reading and always discover something new. 

I hope this blog will help me keep these experiences in a more coherent manner.

End#