Thing Two- RSS Q&A

Try as I might, I'm struggling to make this as fascinating as my normal output.  So here we go with some Q& A, a couple of sets of slides which you can watch for extra credit and an unexpected bonus for fans of sleek design: something beautiful and new!

What is RSS?

Simply, it's web content in a special form, which is 'read' by a reader.

How do I get it?

You're going to need two things, something to read and something to read it on.  The good news is that there's plenty to read, most newspapers, blogs and even LOLcats are available in RSS format.  Now all you have to do it pick a reader.  Some browsers, Firefox included, can understand RSS, but most people chose to access it through a web-based reader, a downloaded reader or via their email client.  Web-based readers, Google Reader, for example, can be thought of as your inbox on the web.  On the left you can see my a LOLcat RSS feed displayed on Google Reader.

Why do I want it?

In libraries we are in the interesting position of being information producers as well as consumers, so it's not just about keeping yourself up to date!  A common library application for RSS is keeping readers informed about new acquisitions in a given subject area, this means they can browse print and digital titles they may be interested in without specifically searching the catalogue- good example of some of the subject detail on offer here at the Cincinnati Public Library.  In our role as information producers we can 'curate' RSS content from multiple sources and present it for our readers.  The science@cambridge gateway (below) aggregates news, blogs and library generated content for science students at the University.

science@cambridge

This specially constructed page makes use of University branding and allows users to quickly access other University resources, but this can be done more informally.  Good examples include LK's excelled Cam23 bloglist and the Philosophy feeds provided by the Casimir Lewy Library, both using netvibes.

In short, RSS feeds for libraries are like having a constant newsletter that can be discretely tailored to your readers' interests.

Can it do anything slightly more exciting?

No, well maybe.  New from Google Labs is Google Reader Play which uses the same software as the 'Recommended' function in the standard reader.  It visually displays web content you might be interested in based on feeds you currently subscribe to, you can then further refine it by hitting the smiley faced button.  I've only been playing with it for the last 4 minutes, but it is quite fun!

Extra Credit

Google Reader Play makes your RSS feeds exciting - Pocket-lint
Library Garden's Magical Mystery Tour: RSS Demystified (slides)
RSS and Its Use In Libraries- Sukhdev Singh (slides)

Thing One: Going all Google

I've been using iGoogle for a while, I'm very happy with it and would recommend it to just about anyone.  The reason that it's so good is because it lets information come to you, and in a job like ours the more useful information that finds its way to your desktop unsought the better.  Let's be a little voyeuristic and see what I look at every morning:

Standard start page: click to make big

Ok, so you can see I'm a news junkie and that I'm a fan of the New York Times crossword, but what does this bring to me that I can't get anywhere else?  Time.  From this page I can quickly scan the news headlines from five UK media outlets, three American ones and keep myself sane with indexed.  These feeds are updated throughout the day: I dread to think how long it would take me to actually search for all this.

When I log on in the morning I can instantly see what's happening, if I need a mini-break to clear my head later in the day or am loading data that I have to keep half an eye on, I can pop back to iGoogle and see what's going on.  Interestingly, I read fewer news articles since I started using these feeds.  When I go to a newspaper's website I have to scroll down the front page to check the headlines, something will invariably catch my eye and I'll hop from one article to the next, perhaps I'll check out a columnist I like.  These days the headline is often sufficient; if it does interest me I'll load it up in a new tab, and if I get 2 minutes later in the day I'll have a look at it, or mark it on delicious for the weekend.

I really like the tab options on the left hand of the screen, this means that I can arrange my feeds by subject.  The perfect dovetail to my home tab is my library tab, temporarily named 23 Things!  This has just about replaced my reader as a way to deal with my RSS feeds and is where I keep myself up to date with what's going on in the field.

Library specific feeds and gadgets: click to make big

Whereas my home tab is mostly text based RSS feeds, here we begin to see the seeds of something a little more interactive.  I'm actually logged into the Cambridge Libraries Widget using Raven authentication, I can check my loans or the catalogue as if I was using the main Newton interface.  Not too far in the future I can imagine that similar technology will let me check my bank balance or my text messages, if I choose to trust Google with that information.

The beta tab is just where I test out new apps; most of them don't make it onto the main screen.  Technews is just that, similar to my library feeds but with a more pronounced computing flavour.  Different strokes for different folks!

The last one I want to show you is my demo tab.  I run a getting to grips with Google course here at the UL and iGoogle is my grand finale.  Of course I could demonstrate it with my home tab, but just because I'm a bit boring doesn't mean that everyone else has to be.  I've peppered this tab with useful, current and interesting apps, many of which show the fun side of iGoogle.  The to do list famously belongs to Madeleine Albright, but I'm in charge of feeding the hamster.

A desperate attempt to be down with the kids: click to make big

Ange's top iGoogle picks:


Awful Library Books blog
Slate magazine
New York Times Crossword
Tube map
Hamster- got to have the hamster
Mashable blog
Slashdot mini-me
They Work For You- all about your MP
Remember the Milk gadget- still in beta with me

Now as a regular iGoogle user I feel like I'm cheating a bit, so stay tuned to see what happens when I try Netvibes next.

Angie, don't be a hero!

I've been thinking a lot recently about delegation. I watched a colleague struggle to complete a wide-ranging task, and realised she was struggling because of lack of delegation. Normally this is easy to deal with: you have too much work to complete in a given time frame, you delegate tasks to appropriate co-workers- job done. The problem in this instance was that it wasn't my colleague that couldn't delegate, it was the boss.

Good managers need to be able to perform hands-off as well as hands-on. It's easy to spot a colleague struggling with a new task, or one that's utterly snowed under. There are obvious solutions too: restructure their work, offer extra help and training until they've mastered the new task, even just being patient and cutting them a little slack. Great hands-off managers don't hang around your computer screen all day, they don't ask for updates on a project every two minutes: they let you get on with the job and trust you to make the right decisions. What they certainly don't do is delegate a task, watch you perform it, and then redo it themselves. Unless there is something significantly wrong with what your employee has done, this kind of action renders their hard work pointless and makes them feel like they can't be trusted with their work.

It is behaviour I've seen many times, and behaviour I have been guilty of in the past. Often I find it happens to me when I'm working on something really big, or a complex task that has many smaller elements. At times like this I'm blinded by detail- I can't see the big picture because of the little things on my to do list. It's a bit like producing exciting veg and sumptuous sauces for Christmas, but forgetting to put the turkey in the oven. But sometimes the reason that I do this is because I am a hero. I don't wear my underwear over my pants, but sometimes 'I can just do it better than you', sometimes 'I don't mind sticking around until it's finished' and sometimes it is 'five more minutes' which turns into all day. Basically, I might not look like Superman, might not be as good or as useful as Superman, but that won't stop me acting like I am.

The solution. Take regular tea breaks. Take lunch. Leave when your colleagues do. If they won't leave; make them. Most importantly, assess the skills of your team, recognise what people are truly good at and what they may be good at (given the chance). Accept that failures along the way are a risk of pursuing success.

Read more about heroes from Alex Payne. He writes much, much better than me so I'll leave him to it.

Information Overload

Help and hope for friends want to cry when they open their inbox, tear their hair out over RSS feeds and throttle the next person who asks them if they are on Twitter.

I only discovered LiB today but have enjoyed what I read. Her point in the presentation about percieved lack of time really struck a chord with me as this seems to be what I am constantly telling colleagues about new tachnology. I really feel that it is not a case of not having the time, but of not using the time well, an hour spent learning how do use an application to do a job more efficiently is a great investment. My browser has a number of neat little bits of software which help me do my job faster and slicker, I've been using Xmarks since it was Foxmarks and it is probably the most useful piece of lit I've ever installed. I like to try out all the functions of new email programmes, new sofware I'm using to check I'm performing the task in the easiest, most efficient way possible. Even something as simple as evaluating your work methods once a month so see where you can make improvements , or using keyboard shortcuts can be a boon. If you've never tried it, hold down Alt and press Tab on a PC. Takes you to another place, can't promise it's a better place, but at least you didn't have to find your mouse under a heap of paperwork.

Some of my colleagues work incredibly hard but not with maximum efficiency, they don't prioritise tasks well, they are reluctant to deligate or experiment. There is an old chestnut about Brits being the hardest working but least efficient in Europe, I think there is some truth in it. I'm in work today becuase it is my rota'd Saturday, I'm using it to catch up with library blogs; sometimes I may load data on a Saturday morning, I never use it to do my normal tasks, which frankly I spend enough time doing Monday to Friday. I can bet though that there will be some colleagues in, unpaid, beavering away madly- how are you supposed to be refreshed on Monday when you don't switch off and relax properly at the weekend? I may feel I can talk about efficiency and the benefits of working smarter rather than harder, but when it come to being refreshed after the weekend or an evening at home, legs to stand on are in short supply.

One of my aims next year is to take more time to relax. Currently, I make sure I don't take my work jhome with me but I do find if difficult to stop my self writing mental to-do lists late at night or prioritising my morning tasks on the journey in to work. I think tinkering with this aspect of my job, or rather my profession, over the weekend or of an evening is ok, but obsessing over the quotidian is unhealthy. (Note to self, stop thinking about UNIX.) Next year I'm going to try and switch off my machine and that part of my mind at 5.20, bore the missus less in the evening by talking about work.... ok, it'll be tough, but I'm sure I can find something else tedious to bore her with.