{"id":6886,"date":"2018-09-06T11:56:39","date_gmt":"2018-09-06T18:56:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bclaconnectrev.wpengine.com\/perspectives\/?p=6886"},"modified":"2025-01-22T11:25:55","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T19:25:55","slug":"five-tech-based-tools-to-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/2018\/09\/06\/five-tech-based-tools-to-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Five tech-based tools to love"},"content":{"rendered":"

Though technology is not always my best friend, especially when the \u2018blue screen of death\u2019 appears \u2014 it has given me some truly can\u2019t-live-without-you tools. Here\u2019s a show and tell of five tech-based tools I love and regularly use to accomplish my work, find inspiration, and spark innovation. They are all freely accessible for anyone to use or subscribe to. I encourage you to check them out, give them a test, and see how one of these tools can change the way you work<\/p>\n

1. Trello |\u00a0<\/b>A<\/i>\u00a0<\/b>web-based application for project management\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\"Tools_1Trello\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You can use\u00a0Trello<\/a>\u00a0to create project boards in order to manage tasks and timelines. I use it everyday to track and break down my own work; my team uses it to manage project workflows and organize, track, and delegate assignments. It\u2019s an easy-to-adopt tool that\u2019s so flexible you can use it to plan a launch of a new library service\u00a0or<\/i>\u00a0chart meal plans for the month.<\/p>\n

This is a tool for\u00a0anyone who appreciates a visual way of managing tasks.<\/p>\n

2. Figma<\/b>\u00a0|\u00a0A web-based application for interface and document design\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\"Tools_2Figma\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Figma<\/a>\u00a0is typically used for creating prototypes for websites or interface design. It was a great tool for my work on our library\u2019s web team. It had just the right simple, streamlined features I needed, and it made creating sketches of webpages quick and easy. I\u2019ve shifted roles temporarily and no longer do web design, but to my surprise and delight, I can still use\u00a0Figma\u00a0to think creatively. I now use it to design documents and create quick sketches for ideation\u2014others might consider using it for space and display design. Although I have yet to test\u00a0Figma\u2019s\u00a0team collaboration features, it seems promising, and it\u2019s easy to share work by exporting a file or sharing via generated links.<\/p>\n

This is a tool for\u00a0anyone who enjoys visualization and design.<\/p>\n

3. NN\/g Articles\u00a0<\/b>|\u00a0Articles from industry experts on topics that can translate to the library including user experience, human computer interaction, assessment and evaluation methods, communication and marketing<\/i><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Nielson Norman Group publishes articles<\/a>\u00a0that cover a range of topics related to usability and user experience (UX). I follow the feed to keep apprised with trends in the web and UX world. This is not a conventional library-specific journal, but articles such as \u201c28 Tips for Creating Great Qualitative Surveys<\/a>\u201d\u00a0<\/i>and\u00a0<\/i>\u201cThe State of Transactional Email<\/a>\u201d cover topics (like evaluation and communication) that cut across industries.\u00a0 It’s worthwhile for libraries to seek out best practices and learn from experts in the larger world.<\/p>\n

This is a tool for\u00a0anyone interested in translating knowledge from other industries to your library.<\/p>\n

4. Code4Lib Slack Community<\/b>\u00a0|\u00a0Community network on all things library and technology via Slack, a web communication platform<\/i><\/p>\n

The Code4Lib community (learn more about them and our local BC chapter on\u00a0their website<\/a>) has a number of communication channels; one of them being\u00a0a Slack team<\/a>. Code4Lib\u2019s Slack team is\u00a0used for discussion, announcements, interest groups, and working groups. A few topics\/interest groups include web accessibility, metadata, data visualization or modeling and DevOps.\u00a0The Slack team is\u00a0a welcoming low-barrier (chat room) space that I often go to in order to ask questions to the larger library community. I learn from folks in other systems who have experience and lessons to pass on.\u00a0 For example, I was recently conducting preliminary research related to a project with our ILS, and I sent message to the #general channel \u2014 broadly and openly asking if anyone has done anything similar in their libraries. As a result, I connected with a colleague in Seattle and downloaded a wealth of knowledge from her on the subject. It\u2019s a great resource\u00a0whether you want to follow the discussion quietly or actively engage with thoughts, questions, or some wordplay and puns every now and then.<\/p>\n

This is a tool for\u00a0anyone seeking a broader library community.<\/p>\n

5. [Create Your Own Tool]<\/b>\u00a0|\u00a0Create your own tech tools to make your work easier, fun, and creative\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

This year, I was inspired by projects I found on GitHub (a development platform) and I created a\u00a0persona generator<\/a>\u00a0using HTML,CSS and JavaScript. The generator offers up a combination of attributes in order to create a potential user. Whether in a workshop or at my desk, I can quickly generate simple starter personas in order to assess a problem or test solution by seeking to understand users who may use a library service. Using personas can help us step into the shoes of our (potential) patrons so we can problem solve and generate ideas that are responsive to their needs. I created a customizable tool for myself that would be a helpful aid whenever I need to apply user-centred\u00a0thinking to a problem. Creating your own tool requires time and patience, especially if you\u2019re tackling a learning curve, but the reward is great and you may be able to continue to build upon it in the future.<\/p>\n

This tool is for\u00a0anyone looking for a custom tool to fit your needs.<\/p>\n

Jessica Whu<\/b>\u00a0is a Web Librarian at Vancouver Public Library<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Though technology is not always my best friend, especially when the \u2018blue screen of death\u2019 appears \u2014 it has given me some truly can\u2019t-live-without-you tools. Here\u2019s a show and tell of five tech-based tools I love and regularly use to accomplish my work, find inspiration, and spark innovation. They are all freely accessible for anyone […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4617,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[214,200],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-issue-2-the-technology-issue","category-volume-10-2018"],"yoast_head":"\nFive tech-based tools to love - BCLA Perspectives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bclaconnect.ca\/perspectives\/2018\/09\/06\/five-tech-based-tools-to-love\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Five tech-based tools to love - BCLA Perspectives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Though technology is not always my best friend, especially when the \u2018blue screen of death\u2019 appears \u2014 it has given me some truly can\u2019t-live-without-you tools. 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