Over the past 12 months I have:
· Created my own ‘Librarian Grazer’ blog
o Reflection: in terms of presenting my Professional Training Plan (PTP) in the form of a blog I am generally happy that I chose such a format as it allowed me to become familiar with the social media side of librarianship. There was a lot of new learning involved (as there was with the wiki) and I ended up having to moderate the time I spent on it working out it's intricacies (e.g., importing images). This is why the layout of the blog is not as developed as I had intended, nor are there enough regular posts to attract visitors, as the time taken to consider and prepare them for publication proved too expensive against all the other aspects of the PTP I needed to consider. I also regret not being able to afford the time to market and develop both the content, the look and the feel of it more.
o Next step (revalidation process):
§ Have it available as an example for other librarians who are considering completing a blog as part of their PTP. I have provided a link to it on my ‘What’s uPD with you?’ professional development page on the National Library of New Zealand internal wiki.
§ Continue to explore ways of pushing it out into the library blogosphere (beyond its current one member) and look at refining it to incorporate only the topics that interest me that also have a broader appeal to librarians (e.g., disability resources).
· Worked through selected activities from the 23 Things for Professional Development blog course including creating a blog, considering my personal brand (Librarian Grazer), investigating the use of RSS feeds, Twitter and Pushnote, and carrying out a form of reflective practice.
o Reflection: this activity on its own could have easily accounted for several tasks. Of the 23 ‘things’ I managed to complete five of them. I would have liked to have worked through the rest as they are all relevant but I simply could not afford the time.
o Next step (revalidation process): continue to go back to the blog course as a way to remind myself of what the current thinking is regarding professional development for librarians and get clues on how to use relevant technologies - i.e., as part of my Wiki development I am currently trying to work how to set up an RSS feed for my wiki.
· Collected a range of internet examples showing when professional librarian ethics are compromised
o Reflection: this task revealed just how professional librarians at the National Library of New Zealand are as the examples I discovered tended to be librarians at smaller public libraries. And while there is always the opportunity to behave unethically, it seems that it all comes down to the professional attitudes maintained by the librarians who work there – a behavioural trait that needs to be regularly recognised and appreciated.
o Next step (revalidation process): this task is complete.
· Developed an awareness and understanding of FRBR and RDA
o Reflection: when I started out on this PTP process part of my job was concerned with cataloguing. Soon after I stopped cataloguing and so the requirement for me to focus on FRBR and RDA lessened (and even more so the need for AACR2 which is why I removed that aspect from the Content Services wiki page). While as an indexer I was still required to attend relevant introductory courses it soon became apparent that I did not have to gain as deep an understanding of it all as the cataloguers did. What I have subsequently focused on is those areas of RDA relevant to my job (e.g., extended version of previously abbreviated terms and relationship terms). While I did not end up presenting the pathfinder to a Content Services meeting I did discuss the wiki page whenever I had the opportunity to introduce my 'What's uPD with you?' wiki to the various library groups within Contents Services.
o Next step (revalidation process): continue to complete the relevant professional development, perhaps refocusing the blog entries to those that more directly relate to indexing. It would also be a good idea to create a page for it on my wiki where the rest of the Indexing Team can have access to it.
· Read and commented on an article about inter-indexer consistency, looking at how its findings could be used in my own indexing and discussing it with other indexers.
o Reflection: while the article reinforced what I already knew in regards to inter-indexer consistency, I was disappointed not to be able to find articles relating to the kind of indexing we do here at Index New Zealand . And while I introduced it to the rest of the Indexing team we did not get an opportunity to discuss it which was disappointing as it would be a good topic to get other people’s opinions on. I have also added to the ‘What’s uPD with you?’ National Library internal wiki and in doing so realised how much information I have set out to read. It is on my list of things to do to summarise it to a more readable length.
o Next step (revalidation process): watch out for articles relating to the kind of indexing we do here at Index New Zealand .
· Attended an Oral History workshop through the Outreach Services of the National Library of New Zealand, and become familiar with the ‘Oral History in NZ’ journal.
o Reflection: Due to the renovation of the National Library of New Zealand I did not get the opportunity to visit the Oral History Centre for an overview of the various processes involved. However, by attending the Oral History Workshop, I did get a taste of that overview so do not feel I have missed out on anything there. The workshop was most worthwhile, giving me all the information I needed to embark on an oral history project. All I need now is the time and motivation to carry it out. Becoming familiar with the Oral History journal was worthwhile in that it gave me ideas for how to go about my interview of my subject.
o Next step (revalidation process): look to see if there is an area within the revalidation journal where I can include completing the actual oral history interview and use it to motivate me to complete the entire process, including the oral history interview.
· Described examples of links between the ‘front-of-house’ aspects of the Public Programmes at the National Library of New Zealand and the ‘behind-the-scenes’ indexing work I do
o Reflection: now that the National Library of New Zealand is officially open we are seeing a greater number of visitors coming into the building and a pleasing number of these seem to be using the Lifelines interface as a way to begin exploring the collections. This is just the evidence we need to see as indexers to propel our own indexing onwards and upwards, looking to make it as accessible to these users as we possibly can. We need to keep an image of these users (whether they be five or 95 years old) in our heads whenever we struggle over the choice of sentences to use in an abstract or key words to choose. Just what terms are these users likely to search on? A good motivator.
o Next step (revalidation process): this task is complete.
· Created a mind-map showing how the various teams within Content Services at the National Library of New Zealand link together
o Reflection: this was primarily a tool for me to use as a way for me to comprehend how the different facets of Content Services fit together (I am visually/big-picture oriented) and as such a tool, it works for me, especially with the amount of interaction I am having within the various teams – it is good to know how they relate to one another. What I found interesting was the difficulty I had in getting access to the software that would enable me to create it. I have incorporated it into the 'What's uPD with you?' wiki for other people to benefit from both in terms of new people starting work at the National Library and in relation to an upcoming professional development session within Content Services looking at the inter-related tasks that affect Indexing, Acquisitions and Legal Deposit.
o Next step (revalidation process): look to develop the map further, where necessary, and ensure that it is maintained and updated whenever necessary.
· Investigated various disability-related resources that may be of use to librarians and library users
o Reflection: this was an interesting task to undertake as it coincided with the redevelopment of the National Library of New Zealand’s website. Where the old website had certain links to disabled-related information the new website seems to have lost these links and I can only assume that they are ‘works-in-progress’ at the time of writing this reflection. Another issue I discovered was how difficult it is to work between the wiki format and the blog format as I have set up a similar page on the ‘What’s uPD with you?’ wiki – it’s not just a case of copying and pasting. So one of my last tasks is to tidy up each page so that they contain the same information. In terms of discussing my findings with staff I did not feel it relevant enough to broach it as a topic suitable for team meetings (we had enough more relevant issues to be working through) so I have instead introduced it to people as part of my Wiki introduction talks to team meetings and inviting people to look at it if they wish. Similar to the article about inter-indexer consistency I need to edit my notes into more bite-sized chunks of readable information.
o Next step (revalidation process): refine the resource list so that it is easier to digest and keep an eye on the National Library of New Zealand’s new website to see if they update it with the previous disability-related information from the old website. I also intend to develop this an an area of interest on this blog.
· Attended a Wellington LIANZA meeting
o Reflection: while I am a LIANZA member I, probably like many others, feel a pang of guilt whenever requests are made for committee members. I consider it for a moment (it would be good for my professional development) before deciding that I simply do not have the time or inclination – there are better things I can do with my time. So, in going along to one of these meetings I was challenging myself to see I this really was something that was worth investing in and committing to. It wasn’t. I saw how a meeting was run and the sorts of topics they covered but I got the impression that there was always something more that needed doing and that as a committee member there would always be the expectation to keep volunteering for tasks (I got an inking of this when I was looking for information on the website and noted how out of date everything was – another job that no one has yet volunteered for/got around too).
o Next step (revalidation process): this task is complete.
· Created an internal professional development Wiki for Content Services (the area within which I work at the National Library of New Zealand) called ‘What’s uPD with you?’
o Reflection: this task turned out to be the biggest task with the most involvement with other people and the biggest expense of time. When I first planned this task I wasn’t sure whether I would do a professional development blog, a wiki or both – I ended up going for the wiki as it was easier to push it out to the rest of Content Services (the area of the National Library of New Zealand within which I work). As I write this I have introduced the wiki to all of the relevant Content Service teams and staff and the general feedback I have been getting is positive. People like the idea of it being the one place to go for anything concerning professional development at the library.
o Next step (revalidation process): as it is intended to be an ongoing resource I intend to continue to develop the wiki, refining it and regularly marketing it amongst Content Services to get more and more people using it and directing its development.
· Investigated the ideas and philosophy behind kaupapa Mäori methodologies in terms of Index New Zealand clients
o Reflection: This was a most worthwhile exercise, especially when considered in light of the Maori journals that showed up in the ‘the Index New Zealand title usage’ investigation, demonstrating that INNZ does have a Mäori user audience who we need to be considering as to the kaupapa Mäori methodologies they are using in their interaction with us. It showed me how isolated we are at Index New Zealand when it comes to our Mäori users when the only contact we have is through the irregular employment of an Indexer of Mäori content.
o Next step (revalidation process): as of writing this I have not had the opportunity to report the findings of this exercise back to my Indexing New Zealand colleagues so that will become the next step. I have however talked about it with my team leader in terms of leading a discussion within INNZ looking in to how and who of our Mäori users we can develop an ongoing relationship with in order to get some real value out of the interaction. Furthermore I intend to develop this an an area of interest on this blog.
· Attended the Matauranga Maori LIANZA workshop
o Reflection: Like the previous task this task alerted me to the Mäori way of viewing the world and that it was different to mine. Without having a regular Mäori presence within INNZ (apart from the aforementioned Index of Mäori and random powhiri as part of the ebb and flow of life at the National Library of New Zealand) it is so easy to keep forgetting the concept of Matauranga Maori, let alone relating it to my indexing work.
o Next step (revalidation process): I’m realising that this area should be an ongoing focus of mine. I mention on the blog how I am only just touching the surface of what there is to learn in this area and the only way this will change is if I make an active effort to learn more about Mäori culture and protocol in relation to indexing. Perhaps my first step could be to approach the Mäori-focussed teams we already have working at the National Library of New Zealand.
· Investigated the Index New Zealand title usage over a 12 month period
o Reflection: this task raised more questions that it answered beginning with what the data we were regularly presented with was actually measuring and how useful to us it actually was. This led to good discussions within the Senior Indexing Team regarding what data we really needed and how we could utilise it to the benefit of our ongoing indexing processes. This in turn led to further discussions with the people at the National Library of New Zealand who can provide such relevant data.
o Next step (revalidation process): through discussions with my team leader we have realised that this is a worthwhile exercise to pursue in order to use this data to inform our ongoing indexing processes and actually find an answer to the questions the investigation raised. The immediate next step is to present these findings to my indexing colleagues and record their impressions of the findings. Furthermore there are the six areas that have been suggested from this investigation that are outlined on the 'Portfolio of learning' page of this blog.
Overall reflections/conclusions:
· If I was to make a recommendation to those who follow me in this endeavour, it would be to try and match up as many PTP activities with their own workplace professional development plans as some of the activities I chose to complete turned out to be more involved than anticipated and could easily have counted for more than one activity (i.e., 23 Things, Wiki, Blog). I was glad I had thought to combine activities as even in doing so I still felt that there was too much to try and cover in depth. While this situation did propel me to prioritise which aspects of my Professional Training Plan (PTP) I could spend less time on and which aspects I could not, it did demonstrate how difficult it was to estimate the level of work that would be required over the course of a whole year. This is one of the selling points of my 'What's uPD with you?' wiki - that people who are interested in becoming registered can have a look at my PTP and talk to me about my experiences with it. Some more examples on the LIANZA website of PTPs would also assist in this workload-related issue.
· Doing this has created lots of new ‘big picture’ links between the different aspects of my work i.e., linking the content services mind map to our upcoming professional development session on explaining the inter-related tasks that affect the Indexing, Acquisitions and Legal Deposit teams at the National Library of New Zealand. It has grounded me in thinking about where my professional development sits in relation to my own interests (e.g., working with Mäori users), strengths (e.g., my dedication to the INNZ user) and weaknesses (e.g., my desire to be part of a LIANZA committee).
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