Thing 1 - Blogging

I wanted to write a blog for a long time before I began this one about my library experiences, but what  finally got me started was the requirement of a learning log or blog in the job description for my graduate trainee position. It has taken me a little while to gain confidence sharing my thoughts with others through the medium of blog, but the more feedback and interaction I get from other professionals and trainees makes it all worthwhile. The basis of my blog started out as a 'diary' of my traineeship, a blog which I could use as a reminder of my experiences and an opportunity to discuss topics with others. When I was researching graduate traineeships and library assistant posts, I found it really helpful to read through the blogs and forum posts of current trainees, especially with regards to how they entered the profession, secured their trainee/ assistant posts and what they then did from there. I try to keep this in the back of my mind when I write posts, as I want them to be helpful not only for my personal development, but to be insightful and informative to other new entrants to the profession.

I thought in the spirit of sharing information, I would give a few examples of the resources I used when setting up my blog and finding out information about traineeships.

1)The LIS New Professionals Network is a great place to start. On this wiki you can find out loads of information, ranging from downloadable resources, forum discussions, links to relevant events and blog posts. You need to register to take part in forum discussions and to use some of the sites resources, which I would definately recommend doing. The network allows a platform for past, current and future 'new professionals' to discuss all things Library and Information.
One resource that really helped my blogging experience was thewikiman's How to: Set up a blog which can be found on the downloadable resources page. Here I learnt what sites you should add your blog to, to promote it and gain feedback and other technical things to get the most out of your blog.
You can follow the network on Twitter at @LISNPN

2)The resources I found useful for general library and information sector information and for seeking out trainee opportunities was CILIP's website. They have a section on their website for Graduate Training Opportunities which lists CILIP accredited trainee schemes for graduates interested in getting their first post. You can interact with CILIP Graduate Training Opportunities on facebook, where there is always interesting discussion about the advertised posts.

So to summarise my thoughts for 'Thing 1', I plan for my blog to be a place for ideas, conversation, documentation and learning.

 'Thing 2' will summarise my experiences finding and following other library and information blogs.

CPD 23: Better Late Than Never!

I'm hugely late on the 23 things bandwagon, after only finding out about the course in September, at the start of my traineeship. As there are no plans to repeat the course at a later date, I thought it would be productive for me to undertake the tasks independently, in order to explore the new technology that the 'things' introduce and complement my learning during my traineeship. The premise of CPD 23 is to introduce you to a range of web 2.0 technologies, to help you in your career and professional development as a library and information professional. Each week, participants undertake a new task, aimed to help you interact with and reflect upon a variety of different areas. I will be working on the '23 things' alongside blogging about my graduate traineeship.

Some of the 'things' I have already had some experience with and others I will be experiencing for the first time. I'm looking forward to expanding my knowledge of web 2.0 technologies during my time exploring each of the 'things'. As a new entrant in to the information profession, I think it's really important to seize every opportunity to learn that you can, I see this as a way of updating my knowledge and finding out about other peoples experiences with new technology through their own CPD23 blogs.