Tag Archives: #10MinuteDigitalLibrarian

The 10-Minute Digital Librarian #13: Explore digital work management tools

This third series of posts covers tools available to support productivity and effectiveness, with today’s edition looking at how you can manage your own work, as well as collaborative projects.

This can be particularly important when you are managing a complex or varied workload, or one with lots of dependencies (i.e. one thing needs to happen in order for other things to happen).

In such situations, it can be all too easy to rely on a sea of post-it notes, or simply to focus on the issues that seem most urgent, rather than stepping back and taking a wider perspective. However, this can lead to things being forgotten, in particular longer-term, more strategic activities.

It therefore helps when you can get a better overview of the tasks you have, and so understand better how you may need to sequence activities, or how to prioritise better.

Many of the tools in this space come from the world of project management, where there are deadlines and obligations to deliver. Others originate from programmers, who need to be able to keep a strong overview of development in order to finalise a product on time.

A well-known example is Trello, used by a wide variety of companies and public bodies in order to support team-working. It can serve both as a one-stop-shop for different information needed by everyone involved, or for task-management. For example, you can establish tasks to be done, those underway, and those which are completed, and assign responsibility, through a tool known as a Kanban board.

However, there are other tools out there of course!

Other free options include Notion, which provides lots of opportunities for organising your work, from keeping track of meetings and action points, Kanban boards, contact lists and others. This has been used effectively by teams working on advocacy for example.

Asana and Airtable also have free options, and there is a fuller list available on this blog.

Let us know which tools you prefer to use in the comments below!

 

If you are interested in issues around digital tools in libraries in general, you should take a look at the work of IFLA’s Information Technology Section.

Discover our full series of 10-Minute Digital Librarian posts, as well as our infographics.

The 10-Minute Digital Librarian #12: Explore Digital Brainstorming Tools

The third round of posts in our 10-Minute Digital Librarian series focuses on digital productivity tools – things that allow you to be more effective in your work.

As highlighted in IFLA’s Global Vision, a key characteristic of the library field is collaboration. Libraries and library and information workers are naturally open to working with each other and sharing, in order better to support the needs of users. That’s why we have associations with committees focused on bringing together people to share ideas and experiences.

We also rely on successful engagement with users in order to design services that work for them. We need to hear their views and ideas to know how best to help them.

Of course, seeking views can also take time, so there’s a real interest in finding ways that are fun, interactive and easy to do this. The result will be stronger strategies, plans and outputs.

Digital brainstorming tools can be really helpful as means of doing this, and so exploring these is the focus of our 12th 10-Minute Digital Librarian post.

One option is a service like Jamboard, offered for free by Google to anyone with a Google account. It effectively acts as a digital whiteboard, where you can add in images, lines or text. It can, for example, act in a similar way to a board where you attach post-it notes with ideas. Other free services online include Mural and Miro.

You could also look at tools focused on mind-mapping, using diagrams to try and write down and organise ideas in order to work with them. Options here include MindMeister and MindMup, both of which allow you to generate an attractive output that can be used later.

These tools allow a number of people to contribute at the same time, opening possibilities for group work, or simply giving people time to come up with and contribute their ideas in a way that can easily be read and accessed by others. In particular, they can be helpful for potential contributors who may feel uncomfortable speaking up, or not be so confident in the main language used. They can also allow people to build off each other’s ideas of course.

In this way, you can hopefully make seeking and generating ideas from colleagues as easy and exciting as possible.

Let us know about the digital brainstorming tools that you have found most useful in the comments below!

 

If you are interested in issues around digital tools in libraries in general, you should take a look at the work of IFLA’s Information Technology Section.

Discover our full series of 10-Minute Digital Librarian posts, as well as our infographics.

The 10-Minute Digital Librarian #11: Discover collaborative tools for developing documents

After series of posts focusing on using digital tools to communicate your work, and how to keep yourself and users safe online, the next series of five 10-Minute Digital Librarian focuses on tools that are available to you, for free, in order to get more done, in particular with other people.

In doing so, it draws heavily – as does the whole series! – on the original ’23 Things’ developed by Hélène Blowers, which focused on useful tools available to library and information workers in order to help them in their work.

This post focuses on what is available in order to support collaborative drafting of documents. This refers to tools that allow documents to be shared with others, and for comments, suggestions and edits to be made ‘live’ by others.

Of course, many of you will already be familiar with these in one way or another, although will also come across situations where documents are still sent forwards and backwards as attachments.

In addition to reducing the burden on inboxes, collaborative drafting also helps to avoid trying to reconcile different sets of comments, allows participants to engage more directly with the views of others, and can automatically allow for a form of version control.

It can be used for developing plans, statements, reports or other materials that benefit from having a variety of views shared, as well as demonstrating a more inclusive approach.

In addition to business tools provided for cooperation within organisations, perhaps the most widely used tool here is GoogleDocs, which allows for free use to anyone with a Google account.

However, Google is far from the only player on the market, and many can feel uncomfortable using it. Furthermore, it is not necessarily the case that its services are offered in all countries, or are offered in a way that offers the levels of privacy that you may want.

Free alternatives (or at least tools with free options) include Etherpad – an open source collaborative drafting tool – as well as potentially less well known ones like Draft or Zoho Docs. There are, of course, also paid options that exist.

Issues to think about when using these include:

How widely you want to share your text – you may want to make sure that only a smaller group of people have access, at least at an initial stage. For example, you may want to ensure that only your close team consults an initial draft, before seeking wider views. Look at settings for controlling access.

How changes are made – different tools have different ways of deciding whether people can make direct edits, or only suggestions on a document. Using a ‘suggestions’ mode allows for more transparency about changes, although can get confusing if there are a lot of them!

Version control – you may want to create new files from time to time, after rounds of comments. This can both increase transparency by allowing everyone to look back at how a document has developed, but also provide a means of avoiding re-opening discussions that have previously been closed.

Let us know about any other tools you would recommend in the comments box below!

Good luck!

 

If you are interested in issues around digital tools in libraries in general, you should take a look at the work of IFLA’s Information Technology Section.

Discover our full series of 10-Minute Digital Librarian posts, as well as our infographics.

The 10-Minute Digital Librarian #10: Explore digital literacy resources

The previous posts in this sub-series of 10-Minute Digital Librarian posts have focused on the importance of protecting yourself, and your users, online.

However, when we only think about internet use in terms of protection against bad things happening, this risks creating a sense of fear or uncertainty.

This can put users off, holding them back from discovering new information and services, reducing the benefits that they can draw from the internet.

An alternative is to look at how to ensure that people feel empowered to use the internet effectively. How can they gain the confidence to go online and make full use of the opportunities they find there, without putting themselves at risk?

This, in broad terms, is how we define digital literacy. As set out in IFLA’s own statement on the subject, when someone is digitally literate, they ‘can use technology to its fullest effect – efficiently, effectively and ethically – to meet information needs in personal, civic and professional lives’.

Just as libraries have a role in supporting literacy in general, many have become key players in efforts to promote digital participation through providing connectivity and access to hardware. It is only one step further to start offering support in building skills (one that many have already taken).

So for our 10th 10-Minute Digital Librarian exercise, explore digital literacy resources.

In some cases, library associations themselves bring together materials or create their own, as is the case with the Public Library Association in the United States.

Elsewhere, organisations focused on supporting libraries have developed tools, such as the Digital Travellers project originally developed by Libraries Without Borders.

The Technology and Social Change Group at the University of Washington, developed materials to promote digital literacy specifically with mobile phones, and has already promoted these through libraries.

You can also of course look beyond the library field – there are many organisations working on digital inclusion and skills projects, although of course it is important to reflect on whether what is being offered will meet the needs of your community.

One useful approach is to try out available tools for self-assessment, for example the DQ test developed by the DQ Institute in Singapore, whose standard has been adopted by the IEEE.

There will be other tools you can find which can help you – and your community – assess what sort of support would be most useful.

Let us know which resources you have used which are most powerful in helping build digital literacy

Good luck!

 

If you are interested in issues around digital safety and privacy more broadly, you should take a look at the work of IFLA’s Libraries for Children and Young Adults Section, as well as our Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression.

Discover our series of 10-Minute Digital Librarian posts as it grows.

The 10-Minute Digital Librarian #9: Think about how to respect privacy

The second set of posts in our 10-Minute Digital Librarian series has focused on helping users to stay safe online, through adopting good digital hygiene, as well as good cybersecurity in libraries themselves.

At the heart of cybersecurity in particular is the effort to avoid unauthorised access to – or use of – important information, including of course personal information.

In turn, a good way of reducing risk is by reducing the amount of such personal information that is gathered and stored in the first place – in short, the less you have, the less you can lose!

You may of course face calls to gather data in order to demonstrate, or improve performance. However, given the risk of a lack of privacy chilling people’s willingness to search for the information they need, or to express themselves, it is important to remember that privacy itself can be a driver of better results.

IFLA itself issued a statement on the subject in 2015, and there has been a lot of very good work done in institutions and associations around the world in order to promote good practices here.

These include, for example, guides produced by the Carnegie Trust in the United Kingdom, ALA’s guidelines on privacy and the Choose Privacy Every Day site. Please do share other great resources in the comments at bottom!

Key principles set out, which can already be a basis for reflection as part of this 10-Minute Digital Librarian exercise include:

  • Think about which activities you carry out that involve the collection of data about people. This includes both information about them (names, addresses etc) and/or about their behaviour
  • Think about whether you really need to collect and use this data (and of course if you have permission to)?
  • Think about how you are storing data – is it in a safe place (certainly not a GoogleDoc)? How soon can you delete it?
  • Think about where services are provided by a third party and could involve the collection of data – such as databases, other services, or even simply internet access. Do the terms under which you access these services maximise privacy? Are you ensuring that the most private settings are used by default, for example on browsers?
  • If you need to gather data to monitor and improve performance, think about how you can do this in a way that maximises anonymity, that gives users a meaningful choice about taking part, and that ensures that data is not retained for longer than needed.

Take a look at the examples given above, and as underlined, share your own in the comments box below.

Good luck!

 

If you are interested in issues around digital safety and privacy more broadly, you should take a look at the work of IFLA’s Libraries for Children and Young Adults Section, as well as our Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression.

Discover our series of 10-Minute Digital Librarian posts as it grows.

The 10-Minute Digital Librarian #8: Check your cybersecurity

The pandemic has led both to growing reliance on the internet and other digital tools to go about our lives, but also growing awareness of the risks that come with them.

Cybersecurity is all about keeping information and services safe from unauthorised access and use. It helps ensure not only that library systems are working as they should and that information is available when people need it, but it is also a question of protection of privacy.

There are various tools that exist to promote security, for example through encrypting information sent online, or defending against viruses or malware (malicious software). There is also an important role for individuals in adopting practices that reduce risks.

In the case of libraries, it will not always be the case that it is possible to control all aspects of cybersecurity. For example, key decisions may be in the hands of a host institution or local/national government.

However, as part of libraries’ mission to promote online safety and privacy, it is good to be aware of what the risks are, and to act – either yourself or by calling on others – where there are risks that can be easily avoided.

So for our 8th 10-Minute Digital Librarian, check on your cybersecurity!

There are various useful and simple steps you can take to do this.

For example, making sure that your computers have received the relevant updates and patches is important – this can help ensure that you are protected against the most recent threats.

Another is to make back-up copies of key information – this can help mean that a ransomware attack does not end up preventing you from accessing key data.

A further idea is to enforce a strong password policy, in order to ensure that yours and colleagues’ devices do not become entry points.

If you have more time, you can carry out more of a review of the assets you have, and the risks you might face. For example, you may want to think about whether to encrypt your website (using https rather than http) if you have not already.

You can also consider which third party vendors, such as databases or other services, have access to your users’ data. Do they have proper policies in place to promote cybersecurity?

A step further, as highlighted in our last two posts, is to become more proactive, and integrate cybersecurity into your wider work to promote digital literacy.

You can find further ideas in our blog on cybersecurity from last year.

Let us know what steps you have taken to improve cybersecurity in your library in the comments box below.

Good luck!

 

If you are interested in issues around digital safety and privacy more broadly, you should take a look at the work of IFLA’s Libraries for Children and Young Adults Section, as well as our Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression.

Discover our series of 10-Minute Digital Librarian posts as it grows.

The 10-Minute Digital Librarian #7: Help users protect themselves online

This is the second post in a sub-series of our 10-Minute Digital Librarian series focusing on online safety. With the first looking at how to protect yourself, today’s challenge is to think about how you can help users protect themselves.

Arguably, the ability to manage risks when using the internet is a key component of digital literacy. To be a skilled and savvy internet user doesn’t just mean being able to find information or apply tools effectively. It also involves being able to spot risks and avoid falling victim to a loss of privacy or cybercrime.

As such, promoting digital hygiene among users is arguably a core part of libraries’ work to build digital skills among all members of the community.

What to do about it?

A first step of course is to ensure that you understand what is needed to protect yourself, as set out in the previous 10-Minute Digital Librarian exercise.

In doing this, you may well find tools that you think you can share with users, for example the Data Detox Kit, or materials prepared by the Library Freedom Project.

Looking beyond, however, there are growing numbers of resources out there, increasing the chances that you will find the one that is best suited to your own situation. There may be tools produced by actors in the digital space, including governments and civil society organisations.

For inspiration, you could look at the sort of activities organised as part of Safer Internet Day, held in February each year, in different parts of the world. Check out in particular the stories IFLA published on how libraries in Latvia and Lithuania.

We are also looking forward to the results of survey work carried out by IFLA’s Children and Young Adults Section into relevant work, with over 400 responses received.

Of course, in promoting internet safety, make sure not to scare users, but rather to empower them, giving them the confidence to go online.

Share the materials or methods you have found most effective in promoting internet safety in the box below.

Good luck!

 

If you are interested in issues around digital safety and privacy more broadly, you should take a look at the work of IFLA’s Libraries for Children and Young Adults Section, as well as our Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression.

Discover our series of 10-Minute Digital Librarian posts as it grows.