Military Libraries Workshop, Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama
December 11, 2013
Much of Dr. MacCall’s presentation used examples from his
teaching experience and his requirements that his students make use of social
media.
Technical Agility – as in technology
Use tools – whether or not they are computerized. Not all of the tools that we use as
librarians are computerized. Many are
trusted resources that we know will work
Heidegger wrote of the hammer and the hand/arm as a unit. If you think too much about how to use the
hammer – that’s when problems start.
There is a transparency to tool use
Agility – ability to change rapidly
in response to customer needs and market forces. Adaptability, flexibility, responsiveness –
OED
Technical agility in social communications: what are the
barriers?
Personal technical agility barriers:
- Do we view people who use Twitter as a geek or nerd? Or are they curious or industrious?
- Is social media second nature to you?
- Know your personality and use what works for you – or use it to work for you.
Professional technical agility barriers can be subdivided:
- Technical services – using computers to solve problems and enhance services
- Public services – document delivery and similar services
Overcoming barriers:
·
Require adoption
o
Make the case by using problem-solving
o
Provide scenarios for using social media
·
Encourage agility
o
Overcoming time challenges
o
Deploy what you know to new contexts
o
Tools come and go
Monitor various communications channels (listservs, blogs,
Twitter, Facebook)
- For professional development
- On behalf of clients
Interstitial computing:
- Tweeting, checking email etc. in our downtime – waiting in the checkout line
- Is this smart to do in a 24/7 world – or do we need to take breaks?
Customize your Twitter life:
- Follow a few key people and check the feed once per day or per week – scroll through the tweet history. With only a few people it isn’t too hard to do.
- This doesn’t work if you are following 50 or more people.
- Learn to search on hash-tags for themes
Final thoughts:
·
Draw sustenance from the technical agility of
your colleagues both current and from the past
·
Technology with a purpose:
o
Solve problems
o
Be more efficient
·
Consider the network of your fellow
professionals
·
Document your professional social media
activities:
o
Easier said than done
o
We need better tools!
Social media adoption is merely the next technical agility challenge.
