Introduce Yourself Here!

[Ryan Deschamps]

Please use this discussion area to introduce yourself to the community.

[Michelle Helliwell]

It's always awkward to start off writing about yourself (at least it is for me), but I am a newcomer to social networking of the "web persuasion" but I am hooked, so thanks to Ryan for setting this up.

I'm a health sciences librarian and work out of Wolfville Nova Scotia. My job title is frightening long, only because of who pays me. I work for Library & Knowledge Management Services, a shared service of three DHAs (District Health Authorities) in western Nova Scotia - South Shore Health, South West Health, and Annapolis Valley Health. We also support the Yarmouth site of the Dal School of Nursing. Our library is almost entirely digital, as we support 11 different health care facilities and there is no central place to put anything. My job is fairly dynamic and needless to say, I drive alot...some months I think I have driven to Toronto and back and I've never left the province.

One of my primary responsibilities is to look after patient education materials, and how to provide it in a way that's useful to patients and at the same time is clinically solid. That has led me to learn, and think alot about Health Literacy and Plain Language, and I've become quite passionate about both subjects. One of the ironies is that I didn't think that working in health care that adult literacy would be important to me, but if you think for only a moment about the impact of poor literacy skills on a person's health (and ability to deal with health information), you can appreciate how absolutely critical that is.

Outside of work - which I am equally passionate about :) - I live in Brooklyn, a small village in Hants County with my son Tristan (who's 7), my husband Rob, two cats, a dog and a fish. I have more garden than I can possibly keep up, and attempt to have hobbies but am either too lazy or too ADD. I can knit squares and versions of squares but that is the end of it. I love to cook and read cookbooks. I am a first class Jane Austen fan, and have recently come out of the closet as an avid (and now shameless reader) of historical romance novels.

I don't have a blog - I think I'm too lazy for one - but happy to share my thoughts and projects here as they relate to the Library world, and eager to read about others.

[Ryan Deschamps]

I guess I should introduce myself too!

I am Ryan Deschamps, e-Learning Manager at the Halifax Public Libraries. Basically, that means I do policy for the Public Use Computers, keep people up-to-date on the latest in technology (I hope to do a Learning 2.0-ish thing for this year), look at website developments (we will have a new website out in the spring), and keep involved in technology-related partnerships, especially the Community Access Project.

I started from shelver and worked my way up the ranks. I've done just about everything, cataloguing-ish stuff, Reader's Advisory, programming, technology-ish stuff, ILLO, Reference -- you name it, I've done it.

I have a BA (English) at Dalhousie with an emphasis in Canadian Studies and a combined MPA/MLIS at Dal also. I am the first to get this particular combination, which I think is a pretty handy way to go for anyone considering public librarianship.

I set up this Ning because I got excited about the Library 2.0 Ning space and I wanted to see how Ning worked. Then Donna Bourne-Tyson suggested that I promote it to the rest of the world. Of course, I am also aware that the success of any social technology will depend more on the social than it will on the technology. That's why I encourage you to express your opinions, ask questions, play around and really make a world for yourself here.

Most of all, I would really like people encourage others to join. I think this is a great opportunity to share, collaborate in the Atlantic provinces. Lord knows libraries in this region can use all the sharing we can get.

For one, if you want to find out a little bit about open source content management systems, I offer access (and orientation if I have time) to Joomla on my test server. Just send me a note if you are interested in seeing how it works.

[Lana Kamennof-Sine]

Hi folks,
First off - kudos & thanks to Ryan for creating this space. I hope to pick your brains re: technology.
Michelle I empathize re: the driving, & I admit, envy you your digital collection.
Having created a lengthy about me on my page will not duplicate that here. Suffice to say I've lived a long & varied life professionally & personally.
Would love to chat with folks re: Library 2.0+ services, Second Life, creative outreach to a diverse constituency on a limited, or no budget. Of course would also enjoy chats re: a variety of genres, food (from cooking to where to buy ingredients or eat), animals...
Cheers!