1) How well does this course meet your expectations / learning objectives?
It covered all of the web 2.0 technologies as promised in the preliminary information. The hands-on approach was extremely useful and fulfilled my learning objectives of being able to put things into practice.
2) What are the difficulties encountered in accessing the course materials on the Internet at your workplace which have NOT been reported before?
During the course I did not experience any problems accessing any blogs or other course materials, however during the final week of the course access to blogs has been blocked, so that although I can view my blog I cannot post any entries on it. I plan to contact the IT department to query whether this is a permanent change, as it affects my plans to introduce new services.
3) Did you need to seek the permission of your trust IT before you accessed certain course materials on the Internet?
I contacted the IT department initially to alert them to the resources I was expecting to access, but did not need to ask permission at that stage.
4) Do the readings meet the learning objectives of each topic?
Yes, the readings were very comprehensive and provided all the background needed for each topic.
5) What is the average amount of time you spent on the course each day?
I did not manage to spend time on the course on a daily basis and found that I needed a longer span of time to concentrate on reading before carrying out the assignments. I spent between half and a whole day each week on the course, although I also had a couple of weeks leave in that time.
6) How do you find the interaction among participants of the course?
I found that the interaction was quite slow at the beginning and I did not feel comfortable using my blog to converse with other participants. I was not in the habit of checking the feeds or other people’s blogs until a few weeks after the course started. However I think that working with a small group was successful although my group quickly diminished to two people. Towards the end as fewer people were left as active participants, the remaining few made up for the lack of contact with regular constructive and helpful posts.
7) Will you continue blogging and/or reading RSS after the course?
My plan was to introduce a library blog to replace the quarterly newsletter we produce. However I need to get support from the IT department before I can progress this. The other tools we plan to introduce are to include setting up RSS feeds as a means of current awareness and Sue is keen to develop podcasts for inductions.
Action planning for the next 3 months: Objectives, Targets, Deadlines
January 2008: Ensure that HEFT libraries can use Web 2.0 technologies
1. Discuss Web 2.0 access problems with the IT dept
2. Discuss plans and proposals at the library team meeting
3. Make a case for the introduction of a library blog, RSS feeds for current awareness, podcasts for training and inductions to submit to IT & HR dept head
February 2008: Draw up plans for the introduction of Library 2.0
1. Delegate tasks for each development to members of the team; ie blog, RSS feeds & podcasts
2. Jointly review the appropriate tools for each development
3. Choose the best tools
4. Draw up a communications strategy and a blog content strategy
March 2008: Market and Implement Library 2.0
1. Draw up a marketing and promotion plan
2. Collate the results of the marketing exercisesImplement the new Library 2.0 tools
