Reflections on the ICT Applications in LIS course

I've come to realize that before taking the course I was aware of quite a few library 2.0 tools, including how the publishing arena has changed, challenges around E-books and OA, and have been in the fortunate position to gain experience in some of these technological developments, such as  RSS , wiki, widgets and QR Codes; so not totally a new area, but this is not to say I did not advance my knowledge, skills and attitude in this course.  

My knowledge was a bit fragmented and the course helped to bring it all together. It was an enriching, enjoyable (creative!) experience which by its nature (theory & practical) brought depth to my skills and knowledge; I now have a more positive attitude towards some of these technologies, especially blogs and twitter for instance.  

I  realize the extent to which we implement some of these can be developed even more and others need to be started; if we'd like to market our services and resources through social media. Not all users will embrace these technologies and not every web 2.0 possibility will necessarily fit all libraries, but we need to carefully think about how best to apply what, in order to cater for various learning styles and needs of our clients.

Libraries need to strategically think about and apply social media technologies to reach users and non-users alike.  A social media strategic plan with specific goals might be helpful to implement decisions and keep on track. Let’s face it, to apply and sustain library 2.0 user-centered services needs the right attitude, it also takes time and continuous learning of new skills. The richness of what can be achieved by library 2.0 tools, make it important to  invest time and skills; and keep on developing our skills in this area.

There will continuously be another target to reach as opportunities for ICT Applicatios in LIS keeps evolving with technology, so lifelong learners we'll (have to) be! Even more important, we have to keep up so our users will not regard us as archaic and not regarding libraries as a usable resource!

The course content was delivered in a very clear manner. I always knew exactly what was expected of me. Other than the normal challenges that come with part-time studies, like time management, I had to keep at it and work steadily to help me cope with the assignments and deliver on time. I found the essay writing and 5-minute presentation and to blog most challenging, but I’m grateful for every experience in this well developed and excellent delivered course.

Although we’re not quite at the end of the road with ICT applications in LIS  as we still need to blog and attend to twitter and our wiki assignments, I’d like to say a warm thank you  to Sandy; thank you, dr Zinn it was great learning from you! 

Last, but not least, thank you to my classmates – although we didn't have  time to get to know one another as well as I would have liked to on a personal level, it sure was an enjoyable experience and I've gained by learning together with you. 

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