I’m Heather Braum, and I’m the Technology Librarian at the Northeast Kansas Library System. I’m one of the mentors for the 23 Things Kansas program, but I’m also going to be participating right alongside all of you and learning. The more I dig into the library technology world, the more I realize how little I know. You never can stop learning!
A little bit about me personally (read my professional bio at the 23 Things Kansas mentors page):
I’m a lifelong Kansan, and grew up near Holton in Jackson County on my family’s fourth-generation farm. Dad decided to change careers and became the Valley Falls funeral director as I entered high school, so our family moved to Valley Falls into the town funeral home. That experience always makes for interesting discussions as I meet people. 🙂 I have an adorable nephew and sweet niece, as well as
two cats that are my kids. White Sox and Storm are lovable, and yet their first choice to sit when I’m home is right in my lap, whenever I’ve working on my laptop; it’s ever so convenient! Oh yes, and I’m a diehard KU basketball fan and loathe the colors black, yellow, and purple (you do the color sorting)! 🙂 Rock Chalk Jayhawks!
Mom (who’s participating in 23 Things Kansas (will link to her blog when she starts it)) is the Holton High School librarian, and she told me for years I’d be a librarian. I ignored her, studied political science in college, and started graduate school in political science. I quickly realized it was the wrong field, and returned back to librarianship. After my first semester of library school and focusing on law librarianship, I realized that technology+librarianship=Win! and applied/started at NEKLS, and the rest is history. I finished my MLS at Emporia State a year ago; was so glad to be done with Capstone!!
When it comes to technology, I’m a social media addict (especially Twitter — I’ll be the lead Mentor for the microblogging lesson). I love Macs, especially my iPhone, and enjoy teaching others about technology. It’s scary and frustrating, but it really can make lives easier!
I’m taking part in 23 Things, because the best way to learn is to learn from those around you. I also am excited to be learning alongside so many Kansas library colleagues. It’s a very diverse bunch, and I’m looking forward to “meeting” and “learning” from all of you.
I’ve had this blog for a long time, but it has been mainly serving as a place where I digest my Tweets each day. I hope to get back in the habit of blogging regularly thanks to the schedule of 23 Things Kansas. This weekends’ discussion in response to Seth Godin’s post about the future of libraries was enough to want to get back to writing. I hope to be able to respond to that here later tonight.
Update: I realized tonight, after an adventure of managing to break my blog for fifteen minutes, that I never did say what this blog runs on. I run this blog on the WordPress software. Many 23 Things Kansas participants are using WordPress.com, which also runs the WordPress software. The My Kansas Library on the Web project also uses the WordPress software. I set up a domain that hosts my blog, which gives me a greater ability to customize and gives control over my site. However, the domain hosting is not free, and like I found out tonight, sometimes too much freedom means you break stuff. I always learn from breaking things, though. It’s the way I’ve always learned about technology. You break it, and 99.9999999999999% of the time it can be fixed. So don’t be scared to try something new or be worried you might break something or do it “the wrong way.” There is typically no wrong way with technology. That’s the beauty and the frustration of it! 🙂
I hope you get back to blogging too, Heather, cause I miss reading your postings! 🙂 This one was lovely!
Jan
Librarianship is in my family too! My aunt is a librarian and a great aunt was one as well. So by my calculation, one of my sister’s future children will pursue the profession. 😉
I love your comment about your ‘children.’ My 2 are exactly the same as yours. They usually jump up into my lap right when I open the laptop lid. I’ve had to position the laptop in some rather creative ways 🙂
Looking forward to the 23 Things Kansas experience. Always looking to increase my knowledge of the tools are kids will use. As for your post on my Blog … the key to getting websites open is with the building administrators. I know that isn’t true in all districts but if you have a building administrator willing to make it an issue slowly over time it can be chipped away. Truthfully, I’m a long ways where I want to be in my new job, yet we’ve already moved miles and miles forward already.
Feel free to contact me anytime.
I’m so excited that you’re a part of 23 Things Kansas – you’re amazing, Heather!
A majority of my family is in library science, too – but I was the first one, I promise! They all followed me, even Mom. 🙂