I really like my iPad and think they are really, really cool. I mean, have you seen an apple ad recently?

This presentation won't focus on how "cool" iPads are. Instead, it will focus on ways that I've used iPads to change my workflows to become more effiencent.

This is part of my growing personal and professional philosophy that we should focus on the user and not the tools. See this great article for a library focused example: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/06/opinion/aaron-schmidt/focus-on-people-...

A few examples taken from my library experience. I wanted to "improve the library's facebook page" - but that's focusing on the technology and not the ultimate goal - to connect with people who use the Brandel library.

The article states that "Focusing on the technologies rather than the outcomes changes the way we talk about these topics and the way we learn about them. When we aim for the outcomes, we’re more likely to think deeply about the problems we’re trying to solve and consider multiple strategies that speed us to our goals."

So this presentation is NOT "check out this cool app!" - there are many of those online. This presentation IS on "check out the ways you can use this device to accomplish your goals/tasks.

Now I should say - something are useful AND cool. Those are what I want to focus on today.

So here are the functional aspects of iPads that I'm going to focus on today.

I'm going to jump between this presentation and short demonstrations of several apps that I've used in these tasks. I believe that the context in which you use an app is just as important as the app itself.

I'll take questions at the end of session and should still have plenty of time remaining at the end for broader questions, conversation, and demonstrations.

I love using my iPad to take notes at conferences or in meetings. While this isn't a particularly innovative use of the iPad - it has been transformative.

For this process, I pretty much use on app: Evernote.

I use Evernote as my go-to note-taking app. I'm not alone - it's an extremely popular and versatile app!

Workflow:
-Charge iPad before conference.
-Start taking notes! Every session/topic is a separate note.
-Take pictures of the agenda, the handout, the powerpoint, a business card, someone I meet. The camera is awesome!
-"Clip a website" - do this with the library catalog all the time.

Organization:
-Built in organization works for - I don't spend much time tagging notes.
-Sorting by date and location has been very helpful for me.

Unlike the implication of the name, my Evernote actually tends to be a temporary storage space - a place to jot ideas and record quick notes that I then use for something else (a report, an email, an update) and then discard. A controlled mess.

Zotero isn't an iPad app - but it has become absolutely indispensable to my reading habits. Here is a video that will serve as an introduction to Zotero.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FOu94Ah85Y

And another quick video introduction to Papership!

http://vimeo.com/65134134

Here is my reading workflow:
-Find things online (books, articles, websites, etc.)
-Save to Zotero.
-For PDFs, open those items with Papership.
-Read and annotate in Papership.
-Sync back to Zotero for future use/storage.

I should say that my experience with this reading system comes both my work as a library staff member and as a recent graduate of the seminary - it works well in both scenarios!

Confession time! This presentation is focused on using the iPad in productive ways... and I haven't found a cool productivity app that works for me yet! Or - returning to my organizing principles - I haven't found a way that my iPad has really improved my workflows.

This makes for a boring presentation. I'll keep this part short and will outline my current workflow as well as a app that I'm about to veto because I personally haven't seen any real benefit.

Almost all of my job is in front of a computer and done via email. I've found simply that the standard Outlook features (calendar and tasks) suit me pretty well. I sync them to my iDevices and it works pretty well.

Things I like:
-Integrate with email and NPU culture.
-Recurring tasks, reminders, etc.
-Comprehensive - all together.

On my wish list:
-Subtasks - can I break up tasks into smaller pieces?
-Better web-interface.

Trello is a really cool app that can do really cool things. However, it doesn't fit with my workflows and I probably won't implement it soon.

In thinking about the way I've used iPads in my work, some ways are pretty library specific and aren't really generally applicable. Or - rather - they might require some imagingation to translate into your particular work context. Here is a short list of library-specific uses.

Really, I'm always happy to brag about the great work that is happening in the library!

With my co-workers in the Brandel Library, I found and implemented an open-source program called shelf-list. This is a tablet-optimized program that creates a "live" shelf list between two call numbers.

We've installed a iPad at the circulation desk for our course reserve list. This is easier for student works and saves a ton of paper every year.

I've administered surveys around campus through an iPad.

My co-worker, Sarah Thorngate, designed a library orientation program that used iPads throughout the library. This instructional session used the iPads camera and messaging features and a tablet-optimized website (with a Chicago theme!) to get students exploring the library.

My favorite "innovative use" - using the iPad in the stacks to pull books. Either directly searching the catalog, using shelflister, or sending notes to Evernote.

There are many many apps out there with many different uses and there are many guides to apps and blogs that document and review apps in given fields. To close this session, I'm going to share some basic apps that aren't particularly library related and then open the floor for questions and conversations.

These are essential or "core" apps that I feel like I should mention here.

I'm a huge Google drive fan and think it's really under-utilized. I've done great things with the Google suite:
-Hangouts with other librarians.
-Collaborative document editing
-Quick surveys,
-etc.