On 9 April the Museum of English Rural Life tweeted a picture of a big woolly ram. It was a Twitter sensation, with over 100K likes and 30K retweets to date. look at this absolute unit. pic.twitter.com/LzcQ4x0q38 — The Museum of English Rural Life (@TheMERL) April 9, 2018 It's easy in retrospect to see why … Continue reading Go viral on Twitter, with the absolute unit
Category: Outreach and teaching
What difference will Twitter’s 280 character limit make?
Twitter's unique selling point in the crowded world of social media was its 140 character limit. This encouraged tweeters to be creative and concise. However in November 2017 Twitter doubled that limit to 280 characters. Why? Twitter researchers observed that users struggled to fit thoughts into the 140 limit, spending time editing tweets or abandoning … Continue reading What difference will Twitter’s 280 character limit make?
Why I’m applying for HEA Fellowship
This year I am embarking on a journey towards Higher Education Academy Fellowship. This award is given to academics and other higher education workers who can demonstrate professional commitment to learning and teaching. Why should librarians apply for HEA fellowship? To become better teachers (and learners)! It's so easy, given the constraints of time-slots and … Continue reading Why I’m applying for HEA Fellowship
Better buy BLIW
How will librarians of the future learn from librarianship in our time? That's assuming they exist in some form (hope so!) and are interested. And what resources are available to help new librarians now get an overview of the whole profession? BLIW is the very thing these researchers need. Yes, Librarian of the future, we … Continue reading Better buy BLIW
Spooky! The Bod Squad take on the Digital Ghosts
Well hello, Digital.Bodleian! What a lovely, clean and appealing interface, love the big friendly search box. I met Digital.Bodleian at the DCDC conference, where Lucie Burgess gave a compelling keynote explaining the Bod's plans for its new digital library. Digital.Bodleian will allow people to use all the Bodleian's digitised material. "But of course it will! … Continue reading Spooky! The Bod Squad take on the Digital Ghosts
Why do librarians tweet about cake?
I've taken on a challenging/fun writing project for 2016: summing up social media in libraries 2010-2015, for the next edition of British Librarianship and Information Work. Crumbs! The deadline is autumn 2016, but I've started work already as the piece will need a great deal of planning, research and reflection. Finding information and evidence so … Continue reading Why do librarians tweet about cake?
Weeding and Working Together
The National Archives have produced two really useful bits of guidance recently: Deaccessioning and disposal: guidance for archive services will help safeguard vulnerable collections by outlining legal issues and professional principles and practices. Guide to collaboration between the archive and higher education sectors has been produced jointly by TNA and Research Libraries UK. It offers … Continue reading Weeding and Working Together
The Pukka Pad and the Big Cake: #DCDC14 Conference Part 1
Discovering Collections, Discovering Communities, a joint effort by RLUK and The National Archives, is fast becoming a must-attend conference for archives and special collections folk. The idea? We face tough times and huge challenges: let's collaborate and find new ways to survive and thrive. The second in the series was held last week in the … Continue reading The Pukka Pad and the Big Cake: #DCDC14 Conference Part 1
An Alien Territory? Local Studies versus Special Collections
Here's an interesting blog post by Tony Pilmer, a Local Studies librarian sharing what he learned from a year working in a library based in a think-tank/learned society. I agree: local studies and special collections work have masses in common. This is especially true of university special collections. I think I'm right in saying that … Continue reading An Alien Territory? Local Studies versus Special Collections
Show, Tell + Play: sharing heritage projects and stuffed animals in Yorkshire
On 24 October I went along to a great event offering "a playful space" for discussing heritage activities in Yorkshire: Heritage Show+Tell. This uses a very effective format: 3 minutes, 3 slides per speaker. No long presentations to write, no big commitment of time, a friendly and supportive atmosphere. The projects all had some relevance … Continue reading Show, Tell + Play: sharing heritage projects and stuffed animals in Yorkshire
The Special Collections Handbook 