Introduce yourself!

[Bill Drew]

Please use this forum discussion to introduce yourself to every one.

[Megan Siemens]

Hi! I'm Megan, and I'm a second year school librarian for grades 7-12. Before I was a librarian, I taught junior and senior English for four years. I'm in the process of earning a Master's Degree in Education, and I'll be getting married in June. I'm very excited about all of the possibilities that stem from Web 2.0, particularly their uses in the classroom. I look forward to getting to know you!

[Abigail Thomas]

Hi all, I am a library assistant and also an artist who makes artists' books. I am organising a touring book arts exhibition in the UK which will be held at several libraries and archive centres around the UK.

I want to promote my exhibition to all the members who might be interested and also promote the discussion of the issues of book displays and the limits of digital preservation. I am very interested to have the viewpoints of library professionals.

'Micro-Pages' will start a conversation about the issues surrounding the display of artists' books.

http://micropages.ning.com/

‘Micro-Pages’ Project Aims:
– Creating and encouraging the opportunity to discuss artists’ books and their display as well as comparing artists’ books to the idea of traditional books and their use and the issues surrounding this.

– Encouraging engagement of public library users, members of the public who are culturally aware but do not know the genre, other artists to encourage cross disciplinary understanding of book art, and art & design students with Artists’ Books as an interest to them.

– Promoting libraries and archives.

– Promoting the book form as an artistic genre.

– Promoting artists who use the book form in their practice.

– Supporting emerging artists alongside established artists.

– To promote the traditional archival side of document preservation by using microfilm in a non traditional way.

– Encouraging Archivists and Information Management professionals to think about the limits of digital preservation.

– Encouraging research into these areas of interest both within arts circles and library and archive communities.

[John Adkins]

Hi everybody! I am the Head of Public Services at the University of San Diego Legal Research Center. After 20+ years in law librarianship, I have seen the wave of changes that have made this profession so dynamic and exciting.

I was a born librarian: I created checkout and due date slips in all my books at home when I was maybe 6 years old! After getting joint degrees in law and librarianship, I practiced law for awhile to get a taste of what I would be teaching, since I wanted to become an academic law librarian.

My goal now is to become knowledgeable about the possibilities available for use in the instruction and outreach to our patrons, and to utilize the tools and resources in an intelligent and strategic way. If I could go back to my alma mater, UC Berkeley, to get another Masters in Librarianship -- now called the iSchool -- I would. Twenty years separates me from current grads who have the benefit of a fresh start and a deeper understanding of the methods and tools I am merely scratching the surface about. My goal here is to connect with others with the same interest and desire to become more knowledgeable, and have fun along the way.

If anyone is in the San Diego or Southern Cal area, please contact me!

[Terry]

Hi Everyone,
I find it totally amazing the amount of information out there both in the virtual world and the real world. It is hard to present good, valuable information that my students can use. I am finding the best I can do is share with them how to evaluate good sources from the spoofs. As one of my teachers said one time. "We may not know everything but we know where to find it."

[jbdiehl]

Hello Everybody! I'm a MLIS student in my last semester at Dominican University in River Forest (right outside Chicago) Illinois, and I have joined the Library 2.0 network for both personal and academic motivations. On the first note, I am currently taking a class called 'Library 2.0 & Social Networking Technologies' with Michael Stephens, and am exploring this Ning network as a part of our ongoing blogging assignment. As a current employee of a major university and total academic librarian wannabe, I also have a pretty strong personal interest in the use of Library 2.0 thinking and technology tools in the realm of academic library services. I've recently become the "person in charge" of all things Internet related for my small academic advising center, a role which has only piqued my interest in how social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter can be used to better reach the millennial generation of students. I'm looking forward to hearing about even more new ideas from this new (to me, anyway) online community.

That's pretty much it in a nutshell for now, but I'm sure I'll jump into more conversations in the not-so-distant future. Thanks for creating this interesting and valuable forum for the collection and discussion of Library 2.0 ideas!

[Amanda J. Holgate]

Hello, I'm Amanda. I completed my MLS in December 2008 at the University of Maryland, College Park. I currently work for the database vendor RIPM, the Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals (aka Repertoire international de la presse musicale), as Manager of Operations and Publications. While I currently hold a position as a non-traditional information professional, I am still extremely interested in staying "in the loop" regarding Library 2.0 issues and news.

I look forward to learning from others on this forum, chiming in when ever I may, and, networking with other library professionals. Please, don't hesitate to contact me--I love meeting new folks!

All best,
Amanda

[Kevin John]

Hello, I'm a Librarian currently based @ Huddersfield Reference Library in Kirklees, West Yorkshire. I don't have a mobile (cell) phone, I don't have a blog and I've never tweeted. I am however very interested in the use of appropriate technology for information and service delivery in a public library context.
Current projects include the development of Basic Information Technology Sessions (BITS) as a package for IT learners, working with local community groups in using social media tools to develop and enhance their online presence and playing with Netvibes, googlesites and the like to develop a Virtual Reference Library. I'm also a member of our local authority social media group which funnily enough also uses a Ning platform.