Stop posting

OK, stop posting (about Cam23 at any rate). Your time is up! Cam23 is officially closed. The project team will now pass among you (well the blogosphere) to work out who has completed the course so we can prep for the Grand Closing Ceremony. Congrats to all finishers!

If you have not yet completed the feedback survey we'd be very grateful if you could please do so now.

You Can Do It!

For all those people desperately trying to meet the Tuesday 10am deadline, this is just a quick post of encouragement to say in motivational speaker style-y: You Can Do It!

Yes everyone else might be enjoying the glorious Bank Holiday weekend weather (!) and you're sat inside tapping away, but think of the wonderful certificate or the voucher, and if that's not enough for you, consider the feelings of life-affirming marvellousness you'll experience when you cross the finishing line.

See you on Thursday...

Communication meeting - action points

Thanks to everyone who attended the communication meeting at Selwyn College today and particular thanks to Sarah Stamford for hosting and preparing a draft document on current communication channels (which it is important to stress is not complete) which helped kick-start the meeting. Several people who could not attend in person, followed and contributed to the meeting via the chat-room on the CamTools Cambridge Librarians site. Your voices were heard thanks to Lyn Bailey's efforts on your behalf.

I don't propose to minute the meeting here, but instead relay the main action points that arose from discussion, but first a brief summary:

There was general agreement at the meeting that while Sarah's document confirms that many communication channels exist most of us are confused about what each are for, who can take part in them and where to find this information. The bottom line, as Libby put it, is: "Where do you go for key information in the Cambridge library world?" We were all particularly concerned about new starters in libraries or newly promoted personnel who don't currently receive the information they need. There was also agreement that library assistants often miss out on communication that would prove beneficial to them. There was also discussion about how protected the communication should be - with strong advocates of both password and non-password access. We also discussed: concern about reliance on blog/social media provision of information as these platforms aren't for everyone; the fact that 'bottom-up' intiaitives can be very valuable; issues of ownership and expectation, the value of multi-platform communication, the benefits of informal (and face-to-face contact) versus formal communication, the ongoing role of the Cam23 blog (agreed that it should remain as a reference source), the worth of the current CamTools site, and equality of access.

Action Points:

• A digital version of the communication channels document will be made available to all Cambridge library staff via a centrally accessible Libraries@Cambridge page. This will include details of what each channel is for, how to access it, who is responsible for it etc. Action: libraries@cambridge team
• Exploration of the possibility of instituting a mechanism whereby new library staff starters recieve a form pointing them to the information they need, or perhaps simply to one relevant URL. Action: Lyn
• A new forum for communication could be a plenary session at the annual conference. Those unable to attend the whole event could hopefully attend at least this one session. Action: Ed and conference organisers.
• Alternatively there could be an end of June event for ALL staff at which we'd get together to share/discuss developments across Cambridge. Action: This idea was raised as a possibility but no-one was assigned to take this forward at this stage.
• The CamTools platform could be utilised more fully, but this is dependent on individual take-up and proactivity. Action: Everyone
• Clarification is being sought on qualification for receipt of the LIB-LIST and UL-WARNING mailing lists. Action: libraries@cambridge team
• Departmental/faculty librarians are considering meeting on a regular basis as the CCLF do. Action: Libby
• The Libraries@Cambridge team want everyone's input on what should go on the Information for Librarians pages that are currently being updated and revised. Please contact the libraries@cambridge team with your ideas and suggestions. Action: Everyone.
• A search box will be added to the libraries@cambridge pages to make it easier to find information. Action: libraries@cambridge team

Clearly these actions are just a starting point and they don't preclude other intiaitives from growing up such as special interest groups or the creation of wikis or blogs for specific events or programmes: Cam23 and TeachMeet being excellent examples of what can be achieved.

There is a definite will to improve communication but it requires everyone's input for it to succeed, so please pass on your ideas and support to all those people/bodies listed against the action points above.

Attendees: If I've missed something important, please do add it as a comment to this post.
Non-attendees: Feel free to add your thoughts too!

And now the end is near...

If you have participated in the Cam23 programme (regardess of whether you have finished it) we would like you to provide your feedback via this Cam23 survey so that we can establish how well the programme has been received. Thank you!

N.B. If you have not already signed up to attend the Grand Closing Ceremony next Thursday then you need to do so before 10am tomorrow morning (26 August). If you miss this deadline please email Kirsty separately.

Communication meeting

The communication meetin, referred to below, has now been arranged for Thursday 26th August at 11.00am in the Walters Room at Selwyn College.

Although the meeting time has now been fixed, if you've not already signed up for this via the Doodle poll (http://www.doodle.com/9qdtxh2a3h4ia8p3), it would still be useful to know (via that same mechanism) if others plan to attend.

Thank you and apologies to those of you unable to make it. Hopefully the outcome of this meeting will be communicated widely, if it isn't it would rather defeat the object of the event!

Stay of execution

Here at Cam23 HQ (there isn't actually a HQ but I very much like the idea of one!) the project team have decided that it would make sense to extend the completion deadline to 10am on Tuesday 31st August, so that those who need it can use the long weekend to complete the programme. We hope this helps those trying to catch up. We need to be strict about this end time so that the project team has time to check that everyone has blogged about each Thing before the certificates are created.

If you haven't done so already please sign up for the Closing Ceremony here and vote in the Red Carpet Blog Awards here.

N.B. Our FAQ page on this blog previously gave an incorrect end date of 20 August - apologies if you've been frantically aiming for that! Also I've heard that some of you are working towards a November closing date which I'm afraid is a new one on me. Can you please email me if this applies to you?

[Executioner mage: Roel Cancio]

Communication problems?

Last week I posted what was intended to be a rather innocent final Cam23 post to my blog, unaware of the strong reaction it would provoke, or the number of comments it would receive (currently 56!). A good dollop of controversy and difference of opinions aside, something potentially beneficial has come out of this blog discussion (and previous discussion over at Aidan's Blurtmetry blog): a shared will to get together for a non-proprietary meeting open to all CU library staff (regardless of rank) to talk about the communication problems and issues that currently cause each of us concern.

The meeting may enable those seen as 'in the know' to share the current avenues and options available, and for everyone to discuss possible ways forward (including evaluation of existing platforms and potential new ones). All anyone need bring to the meeting is an open mind and a willingness to see things from each others perspective. We also need to be realistic that this meeting cannot be a panacea, but simply a means of opening dialogue.

If you want to be a part of the conversation, then provide details of your availability here:
http://www.doodle.com/9qdtxh2a3h4ia8p3
N.B. its unlikely that we'll be able to get a time when everyone is free so we'll have to go for the best match. Can anyone volunteer a meeting room?