For my Virtual Symposium presentation, my new program of choice is Haiku Deck! It is quite entertaining and simple to use. I definitely recommend trying it out. Here are some of the themes and ideas I have learned from LIBR287 Spring 2014. I also discuss how this has personally impacted my online presence. Feel free to pause a slide if you need more time to read the notes. Enjoy!~

We've learned that incorporating technology, creating new programs, and even working in libraries in general is simply about the people. It's not about the technology specifically, it's about the people.

We've also discovered that transparency is the best policy! The more transparent an organization, the more likely it is their customers will support them and be interested in their fate. Libraries need to open their practices to the scrutiny and comments of their community in order to include the community and show the library has nothing to hide.

Consequently, one of our goals working in libraries is to create transparent conversations between the community, administration, and librarians. This is a key aspect of today's library environment. Tear down walls, never create them. Reach out and connect with your community as much as possible!

It is important to remember to have heart when creating conversations. Remember to be kind and empathetic. Patrons will appreciate it, and they will have a much better experience because of it. This not only helps the library and its community, but the overall world of library science too.

One way to be kind is to have nice signs! We have all seen a myriad of rude, threatening signs trying to coerce patrons into following impractical rules. Remember, it's about the people and the conversations we can create with them. Beginning the conversation with negativity will not lead to a happy ending. Be positive, kind, and understanding in your policies, rules, and signs!

It is important to remember technology is only a tool, not a goal. Explore emerging technology. Imagine how it could further the goals of your community, but adopting technology at your library simply to have the newest, shiniest toy out there is not the goal. Technology should be used to meet the needs of the community, not to slake an individual's or library's technolust.

(I was quite glad to discover that personally having technolust isn't bad by itself, as long as the library organization doesn't have technolust!)

As an example of technology as a tool, if you have patrons who mostly prefer virtual reference services, adopt chat reference services! Use technology to help the patrons where they need help. If you need a donkey or two to reach your patrons, then perhaps you should try that as well! (Yay Biblioburro!) The important point here is, use the available resources and technology to reach patrons wherever they are. Not all patrons attend the physical library building, and we must help them wherever they are!

I've learned how to keep learning on my own and that formal education isn't the only means to knowledge. There are many avenues of learning. One way to keep learning is to create a personal learning network. One aspect of this is creating connections with individuals and resources you can learn from through social media, RSS feeds, and email newsletters. It's also important to remember websites such as Khan Academy and EdX for free, online learning.

Even when always learning, it is still important to pause and reflect on your practices. Look back over what you've done, what worked, what didn't, and use that knowledge to design a better plan for the future.

Don't only reflect on what you do, also reflect on what you've learned and how you learn. Reflect on what works best for you and what doesn't work at all. Reflect on what you want to learn more of, what you need to learn more of, and what you might be able to teach others. Much can be gained through teaching what you know!

Most importantly, reflect on yourself. Remember who you are, what you want in life, and how you plan on getting there. Apply what you learn not only to your work, but to your life. Make sure you take the time you need to be happy and fulfilled in life. You cannot help others unless you first help yourself. Be kind, transparent, and empathetic to yourself as well!

Although reflection is a key practice throughout life, little can be achieved without imagination. Give yourself permission to imagine. Let your imagination wander and lead you to new ideas, dreams, and goals. By doing this, you will encourage the creation of new library related ideas, such as new ways to integrate emerging technology, new types of programming, and new ways to help your patrons. It will also expand your mind and help you achieve more in life!

(It has certainly helped me during this class!)

Next I'm going to cover several specific concepts and places that resonated with me this semester and why they resonated.

I loved the Ideabox concept! It was a great way to include the community in the life of the library. It became something everyone could be involved in, something to reach out to each other with. It seemed like it made the community stronger, in addition to the library. I loved how it encouraged creativity and free thinking. It was such a unique use of the space available, especially since these days you can get coffee at almost every corner!

The James B. Hunt Jr. Library resonated with me the most I think. I've tried imagining futuristic libraries ever since I joined the field, and this has come the closest to what I imagined. The bookBot was one of the most interesting aspects, since I imagined robotic book delivery the most. The video game lab was something I had never imagined a university library providing. It definitely makes sense for this school, and for other schools in general too! Especially as gaming is becoming a major aspect of our culture now. The creatively designed space also made this library stand out to me.

I never knew about little free libraries until this course. What a wonderful idea! I love its communal nature and how everything inside might be different from one week to the next, depending on how many people use it. It's extremely helpful for individuals who cannot access the library or for those who do not have a library nearby. I also think it is a great community building venture. And it's adorable!

I was amazed at all the innovations this library in the Netherlands has implemented! The surface board was an amazing service. Very fun, creative, and engaging. I've referenced their library multiple times throughout my MLIS degree, and I am sure I will be referencing them into the future. Hopefully I can visit one day!

Feedly has changed my RSS life! I have tried web based RSS readers, and they never seemed intuitive or smooth. They were always clunky, confusing, and cluttered. It will be really helpful for creating my PLN and for keeping up with news in other areas of interest. I love the idea of RSS feeds, and now I check almost every blog website I like to see if they have their own feed! This will be a great resource for any library to provide as a way to connect to their resources.

(R&D - Robots & Dinosaurs)

Apparently, QR codes are dead! I am quite happy to discover this as I was never able to incorporate them into my social media practice. I would always try to download the right scanning app after seeing one, then I would delete it some time later after never seeing another QR code again. It was often easier just to type in a web address or look it up online. Rest in peace, QR codes!

Crowdsourcing is a great method of gathering opinions and knowledge. Recently, as was shared with the class, a scientist studying sound used crowdsourcing to gather a wider variety of sounds around the world. What an amazing idea. Not only that, there's also the Galaxy Zoo, where everyday people can help identify the type of a galaxy. I think there are many different ways to utilize this concept, and I look forward to how it will be used in the future.

I am very excited about augmented reality applications. I cannot wait for virtual reality programs and gaming, but augmented reality has some intriguing applications as well. There are many different learning applications, such as following the history of a city by walking around looking at the buildings and such for their history. I have never liked history classes, yet I think I would enjoy learning about history in this manner. It puts you right where the events of the past happened, making them all the more real.

I love the concept of the library as a community space. Libraries are not just about books anymore. They are about bringing the community the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to be successful in this Web 2.0 environment, and also those experiences that will enrich their lives overall. Finding a safe community in which to let their imaginations soar and to continue learning throughout their lives is the best way for these to be accomplished. It is necessary for libraries to become community spaces if they want to stay relevant in the lives of their patrons.

From here on, I would like to share how this class has personally helped me achieve some of my online goals, specifically related to social media and my online presence.

I finally feel comfortable streaming my gameplay online! This is something I have wanted to do for a long time, and I have found it is something I really enjoy. This could have uses in a library situation, but it is more of a personal goal for myself. This way, I can work on creating my own community around the games I enjoy and wish to share. It is an avenue for me to share my knowledge about the things I love.

In order to better create my online community, I have created a number of social media pages. I finally tried creating a Facebook Page. This is separate from a Facebook profile, as I have had a profile for many years. I created a Page for my online persona, which I hope to use to share my gaming knowledge and various information literacy concepts. I am just beginning with this all, but at least I have started!

In addition to a Facebook Page, I also redesigned my Twitter to reflect my online persona in order to better support it. I hope to eventually feel comfortable sharing more about myself through these social media sites, but for now, creating an online identity works the best.

I was encouraged to start back on my twitter profile during this class, which is what allowed me to redesign my account. I am very glad I went back to the service as well. I have found that I greatly enjoy using Twitter! I finally was able to use hashtags, and I even tweeted about my favorite series using an @ mention of my favorite author. She re-tweeted it! I am still not completely comfortable with the medium, but I am excited to gain more experience with it. I think it is wonderful resource for reference librarians to use, and I hope to incorporate it into my future library and information science career!

I have not used Google+ much, but in the effort of marketing and gaining more followers on all the resources I have planned, I started using Google+ more. It is another resource that is widely used that I have not tried much. I am excited to explore the communities that have been created there.

Another site I have been able to explore more is YouTube. I have used it for music videos in the past, but now I have my own channel where I can create and share videos of my opinions and library knowledge. I have many playlists planned and look forward to posting more videos!

Finally, I have gained the confidence I needed to put myself out there in the online world. I was not completely comfortable with the idea of being so visible to so many people, but I recognize that there is a great deal of merit in using social media and online content creation resources to reach out to online users. It is possible to not only share my opinions and personal interests, but also to teach critical literacies to those who are interested. I love teaching, and now I have a medium in which to help others. There is much possibility in the online universe, and I can't wait to see what it has in store!

Thank you very much for reading through my presentation! I had a lot of fun searching for just the right picture for each slide and also reflecting on all that I have learned and gained from this semester. Thank you all for being such a supportive and encouraging community. I wish you all the best of luck in your careers and life journeys! :)