One of these is “Enabling learning in nursing and midwifery practice” – a popular text with our users (in paper form – look forward to seeing if they use the oBook).

Sorting out the linking for this item I tried to retrieve it on Wiley Online Library.

I searched for – enabling learning nursing – seems a fair search to me.

Result – “No results found for: enabling learning nursing.”

A search for – enabling learning – works fine.

A search for – enabling learning in – works fine to.

Clearly this is an issue.  Being a helpful customer I report this via the online form spelling out the series of search strings, location of search and so on.

Response – “Please send us screen shots”

This is not a hard to replicate fault – I have replicated it several times to check it really was an issue before logging it.  I click the link to update the enquiry – it fails.

I start a new enquiry (I am a helpful and determined customer) including the reference from last time and spend quality time preparing a document that includes all the screen shots you might want to see.

Response – ” Thank you for your reply and screen shots to 120117-000375

You may use the “Advanced Search” functions to search for the journal you are interested of.

Attached is the User Guide for your reference in using Advanced Search function.

Hope this information helps.”

So a report that your main front page search function is at some level broken draws the suggestion I need to read the manual and /or use an alternative search option?  Of course the link to respond to the enquiry fails so I cannot easily continue the discussion but why bother?

Thing 8 is Google Calendar.  I only started using this relatively recently.

Like most I used to be happy with a pocket paper diary but unfortunately this left my colleagues frequently unsure as to when I was around or where I had disappeared off to.  To help remedy this I acquired a Dell Axim x30 PDA and started using Outlook.  It was already a dated bit of kit at the time but it has served me well and I am not looking forward to it finally pushing up the digital daisies (a relative has taken to buying replacements for his Psion on ebay when they die but I don’t care for it that much).

I have stayed away from Google Calendar for lack of need.  Lately it has also joined the group of sites that do not work with IE6 so it is hard to use at work.  However – I recently took on looking after a Google Calendar for Cilip in London where I am adding events that may be of interest to those working in knowledge, library and information roles.  The Calendar also feeds through to the CILIP in London Twitter account.  The plan will be to slowly build up a group of people who keep an eye out for things of interest and of CPD organisers who want to promote their events.  Please have a look and send suggestions along for  items to add.

The main interest for me in this Thing is LinkedIn.  I signed up without ever being fully convinced of how I would use it.  My profile is fairly skeleton at present (jobs, degrees, MCLIP) and I probably should add some detail.  I have more than few groups – I’ll come back to this.

Over time I have connected with a fair few folk – this seems to go in bursts – both in terms of invitations sent and received.  I got into the habit of asking people I connected with what value they were finding in LinkedIn – not a single person ever came up with a good reason to be there.

What I have been interested in is the way that the CILIP on LinkedIn seems to have started to come to life.  This seems to be in marked contrast to CILIP Communities.  I get regular emails updating me on various discussions in the group and some of these draw many comments.  I wonder if the LinkedIn group could supercede the CILIP Communities Forum?  It has the advantage of convenience (apart from for IE6 people) and neatly links to peoples rich professional profiles.  It would be interesting to see how CILIP could build on this participation.

I wonder also if LinkedIn could support something to officially badge people that are currently Chartered / a Fellow or whatever (particularly if we made recorded CPD a requirement of ongoing Chartered status) .  In this way employers checking us out before interview would have that marker of professional commitment.  It would also knock out those who use the letters but should no longer do so.

I make regular attempts to be more systematic in my reflection but like most am incosistent.  My big hope is that CILIP will bring in mandatory CPD and will help us do this by offering a simple online track and reflect type tool (like pebblepad).  At least that is the excuse I am using today.

The UpToDate article is one of a series of four with the most interesting article for me being about Standards and practice.  This is well worth a read for considering how guidance may and may not be adopted and when considering the Quality standards under development at NICE.

According to this article, “acupuncture, osteopathy, homeopathy, chiropractice and herbal medicine” are supported by scientific evidence. Is this news to you? Because they actually aren’t supported by any real evidence, except to say in some cases there may be a placebo effect. So you could actually be doing more good by prescribing someone a sugar pill, a glass of water or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) if, as the author says, they go to acupuncture in order to talk to someone for an hour and a half.

Why do people believe any of it? Because, as my friend said, “people are stupid.”

It was a fascinating discussion ranging across scifi, science, religion, technology, genre, labels and who can remember what else.

There were demonstrations of IP red in tooth and claw – for example why some comic books are movies and others are not.  And how clashes over IP have impacted on the quality of writing in comics.  Alan Moore apparently gets no money from the sale of V for Vendetta Merchandise – but does get an enormous sense of personal well being from seeing them at demonstrations around the world (DC less so – apparently we won’t be getting any more V movies as a result).

Moore takes an interesting position on technology being extremely interested and reading widely about it but largely refusing to adopt it.  He no longer has a television since they dropped the analog signal in Northampton, refuses to have a mobile and has no email address.

There was a fab quote from Stewart Lee “what is twitter if not voluntary surveillance” that gave me a wry chuckle thinking of all the people who might be signing up for CPD23 over this week.  I originally joined Twitter as part of my involvement in the CILIP Defining our Professional Future exercise so I must be slightly past my one year of involvement.  I do find it useful (as well as entertaining) but access at work is limited which prevents me integrating it into the flow of my day in the way I might like.  I recently signed up for TweetyMail that has helped with some of the link sharing issues caused by using Twitter predominantly via Snaptu.

RSS is not a new thing for me.  I had a long love affair with Bloglines that I used for a good six years and I have commented already about my current RSS consumption.

I was surprised to find that I was able to get Pushnote installed on my work computer.  I say installed as I am struggling to decide if it is working or not.  I follow a fair few people on Twitter but there is little sign of them being involved in this and I cannot really see the point.  I do not seem to be alone in this based on peoples tweets.  Maybe a use will become apparent.

You can find some other Alan Moore & Stewart Lee footage on the web.  At the time of writing there a still tickets available for R.U.R. on the 6th of July – it has been a brilliant series of events.

While I haven’t investigated this for myself, it is interesting to see a complaint about search strategies not being published. This is a brick wall where there should be transparency. Perhaps researchers and publishers need to overcome their reluctance to print what may look like gibberish (diab$ adj3 oedema?.ti,ab anyone?) to some.  Or perhaps many researchers still don’t even see a lack of explicit search strategy as a problem. A study selection algorithm is great, but it is no replacement for a proper foundation to this calibre of research.

Date: Thursday 21 July 2011
Time: 5:30pm for a 6.00pm prompt start – runs till 7:45pm
Venue: CILIP, 7 Ridgmount Street, London WC1E 7AE

Over 700 people are now registered on CPD23 – a self directed course aimed at helping people develop their “personal and professional development as a librarian, information professional or something else”.

CILIP in London are pleased to be able to offer a chance for participants to meet up, network and consider Thing 7 (Offline networks, regional and national groups, special interest groups) during the appropriate week.

The evening will feature brief informal talks looking at the CPD impact of various bodies and networks as a stimulus to discussion and we hope that it will make for some good blog posts!

Drinks and nibbles will be available and there will be the opportunity to relocate to a pub afterwards.

We encourage you to blog or tweet about this event – #CILIPLNDN #CPD23.

This CILIP in London event is free and open to all with a professional interest in the topic; you do not need to be a CILIP member.

Priority will be given to CPD23 participants so please include your blog address when reserving a spot.

As space is limited, please let us know if you are coming to: cilipinlondon@gmail.com

Generally I have been happy to put my own name to my activity online (also shortened versions as my name is distinct enough for people in my sector to recognise me).  My main blogging outlet being a group blog is an issue for personal brand. Indeed the lack of a clear personal brand was one of the issues picked up when myself and Hanna Lewin spoke at HLG Conference in Salford about the group blog experience.  It is notable also that people really struggle with the blog name (and that the “what’s an informaticist” page gets lots of hits!).  I did have an experimental blog for some KM learning which could be revived.  A long with my own name I have been happy enough to use my own picture (mucked about with of late as result of trying out an online tool). I can understand why some might shy away from using their picture though.

I think the professional is personal and my communication online reflects this.  I think about what I do / professional issues a fair bit and this comes out.  Twitter encourages the blurring of the line but I share considerably less there than I might with colleagues in the office.  I also like to show off pictures of pies.

I think my online brand is fairly consistent with offline which is a good thing to my way of thinking.  I probably should have a personal blog rather than the confusion of this group blog but I like it here.