CPD23: Thing 8 - Google Calendar

Week 6

Thing 8: Google Calendar

I have been using Google Calender off and on for the last 3+ years. I actually use it when I have to go on a vacation and still not forget my professional meetings. I am in the process of integrating the Google Calendar in my library blog to keep a record of all the library activities and events.

_ Chinmayee Bhange

CPD23: Thing 6 - Online Networks and Thing 7 - Real Life Networks

Week 5

Thing 6: Online Networks and Thing 7: Real-Life Networks

"Social Networking"...the term keeps popping in every now and then! And that's the essence of it..we cannot   do away with socializing - be it apparent or virtual. Networking enriches your growth, if practiced in a meaningful manner. In the olden times, we networked ( is equal to socialized) with our family and friends at festivals and get-togethers. However, it assumed a new meaning with the onset of online networks. The inherent meaning remains unchanged, although new dimensions creep in! Having said that, let me become a bit more professional:
LinkedIn: Yes, I am on LinkedIn.
Facebook: I and my library - both are on FB.
LISPN, LAT and CILIP: I am not a member of any of these groups but let me tell you about a few on this side of the World:

LIS-Forum: A first of its kind in my knowledge in the series of online networks! Since 1995

NMLIS (New Millennium LIS Professionals):  Since 1999. Group owner: Dr. N. Laxman Rao. Post messages to: nmlis@yahoogroups.com

MLOSC (Maharashtra Librarians Online Study Circle): An excellent initiative by Shri. Ajay Kamble (Annasaheb Vartak Arts, Commerce, Science College, Vasai Rd.) and Shri. Bhupendra Bansod (PVDT College of Education, SNDT University, Mumbai). Post messages to mlosc@googlegroups.com

LM_NET: Although intended primarily for school librarians, the give and take of information is a must visit. One of my favorites indeed!

Another great example is that of WikiEducator. WikiEducator has been conducting several online workshops for the benefit of those who wish to dive in the open learning environment. I have recently completed their EL4C53 workshop and attained the status of a proud Wiki Buddy.
I have currently enrolled for their OLC4Ed (Open Content Licensing for Educators) free workshop. Wikieducator gives us an opportunity to collaborate (network) with our workshop facilitators and co-learners from around the World and so I do not hesitate to include it in my list of Online Networks.

- Chinmayee Bhange

CPD23: Thing 5 - Reflective Practice

Week 4 - CPD23

Thing 5: Reflective Practice

[Image Courtesy: Microsoft Office Image]

Took a long time for this Thing 5 on Reflective Practice. Well, I actually was honest and reflected eagerly on what I have learnt in the past 3 weeks.

Being in the field of Information Science needs that we acquaint ourselves with the right information at the nick of time. As such, I am thankful to CPD23 for making available this wonderful learning tool.

To start with, I already had a blog from April 2010, but being in CPD23, meant I kept our library blog updated to hook the potential information aspirants. And, let me confess, that is a tedious task. I am still working on it.

Secondly, although I had my personal Facebook page, I recently created one for the library to keep them updated about the new arrivals or the newspaper clippings. Twitter is yet to be explored!

The CPD23 impressed me a lot as it threw open an enormous list of blogs of my fellow librarians, most of which I regularly visit and would soon add on my Blogroll.

Once again, I am utmost grateful to Dr. Indira Koneru for listing the professional courses on her Wikieducator page, due to which I am a proud participant of CPD23!

- Chinmayee

CPD23: Thing 4 - Current Awareness - Twitter, RSS and Storify

Week 3 - CPD23

Thing 4: Current Awareness - Twitter, RSS and Storify

I know I am a bit behind schedule but I am sure to catch up in the next week.

As for the CPD23: Thing 4 on current awareness, as I had mentioned in my earlier post, I have maintained two separate accounts on Facebook – one is my personal and the other is SFIT Library. I am keener on keeping active my professional account – SFIT Library as it seems to be the order of the day. Unfortunately, I have been able to gather only 5 people. Just hope I will learn the marketing tactics through the CPD23 course as I proceed!

Twitter: To be unpleasantly honest, I am a bit apprehensive about setting up a Twitter account and giving the usual updates about “every happening thing” around me. All the same, I know this is just one side of the coin and so I would set up a Twitter account for SFIT Library in the following days.

RSS: I have been using Google FeedBurner on my library blog.

Storify: Yet to learn how to use it advertently. Actually I am not able to draw the thin line between Facebook and Storify for giving updates to my library users. I can might as well link to the news-article or clipping from the my facebook account.

Hence, need to look into Storify a bit more scrupulously!

These libraries have been around for 100 years

When Gajanan Deshmukh read about a unique meet for 100-year-old public libraries, he was determined to travel for more than 10 hours from Jamkhed in Ahmednagar district to Mumbai.

Rare books at Dadar Sarvajanik Vachanalay. More than 40 representatives from 83 libraries in the state were felicitated by the Maharashtra Seva Sangh.

Last week, Deshmukh made that long journey to the city to represent Lokmanya Taluka Vachanalay that was started by his great grandfather in 1887. More than 40 representatives from 83 public libraries of Maharashtra were felicitated by Maharashtra Seva Sangh, a cultural organisation, as part of their 75th anniversary celebrations.

“The library is very close to my heart and the next step is to computerise the library so that rare books are preserved,” said Deshmukh, who retired as a school principal in 2001 and is now involved in library work.

The oldest library was in Ratnagiri, set up in 1828 and libraries such as the Dadar Sarvajanik Vachanalay – popularly known as DASAVA - and the Mumbai Marathi Grantha Sangrahalay, Dadar east were also felicitated.

“These books are invaluable for historical research because Maharashtra and India witnessed major social upheavals in 19th and 20th century,” said Pratibha Gokhale, chief librarian, Mumbai University. “They have maps, letters and manuscripts written by thinkers such as Lokmanya Tilak and Babasaheb Ambedkar.”

Added Nandini Hambarde, secretary, Maharashtra Seva Sangh, “The event gave representatives a chance to exchange notes on issues such as preservation of rare books and financial challenges.”

Source: Hindustan Times dated 22/05/2012

CPD23: Thing 3 - Consider your personal brand

Week 2 - CPD23

Thing 3: Consider your personal brand

Maintaining a consistent image – both personally and professionally reveals the nature of a person. Moreover, it makes more sense when you are in a service-oriented profession – like ours! People almost (always) refer to us as a Librarian and most of them do not even know our names. Thus branding becomes important in more than one ways. It is up to us to decide whether we would be like to be referred to as “Library Madam” (as they call it!) or “Chinmayee Bhange”. I feel I would not mind either, although I would be elated if they know me personally!

For the Thing 3: Consider your personal brand, I am a bit thoughtful, since my online presence is linked with my library’s online presence and vice-versa. Both of them almost go together, except for the Facebook account (which I admit was linked to my personal account earlier). I am beginning to take it easy with my online presence as I feel; an overdose would maul the positive effect. I am taking to the social networking and micro-blogging sites – one at a time.

Having said that, I googled “SFIT Library” and was contented to see the results. One the first page, the first four links were though my Institute’s website. The fifth to eighth ones were my Library Blog (Happy, happy…), followed by Facebook account. Let me now reflect on the things to be considered whilst creating a personal brand.

Name Used: As a norm, I always use my real name – Chinmayee Bhange across my personal accounts. As for the library, it has always been “SFIT Library”.

Photograph: I am a bit reluctant to post my personal photo on my accounts, although this decreases the chances of identification and so I have been using Gravatar. At least my “identification type” does not change with my accounts.

Professional / Personal Identity: As mentioned already, I am thankful to myself for keeping the two identities separate.

Visual Brand: The font and the colour-combination used may vary, but I try to stick to the main theme.

TOC - Recent Issues of Journals

NAME OF THE JOURNAL	ISSUE DATE	VOL. No.	ISSUE No.
LINUX FOR YOU	May 2012	10	03
DEVELOPER IQ	May 2012	12	05
JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH	May 2012	71	05
RESONANCE	May 2012	17	5
JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE	Jan – Mar 2012	92	1