HTTPS Everywhere

Another fine presentation by Maurice Coleman.  My take aways include using HTTPS Everywhere from the Electronic Frontier Foundation,  HTTPS Everywhere is a fee extension to create a private tunnel between your browser and the web site you are using, by forcing a https connection.    He also reiterated that Terms of Service really work to the advantage of the information provider so they can further their business, not as much to protect the end user.  Good Review of stuff everyone should be doing on their computers and devices.

Protecting Your Online Presence

I attended the workshop 'Protecting Your Online Presence' given by Maurice Coleman. I signed up for this workshop because I teach computer classes at the library, and I like to get as much information as I can. I learned that one can never be too careful while out there on the Internet. People should be aware that anything that is put on the Internet on public websites like Facebook can be viewed by anyone, even potential employers. There are ways to protect one's online activities through privacy settings, firewalls and virus scans. Vigilance is the key! Mr. Coleman is a great presenter. He uses humor to highlight his vast knowledge of his subject. I enjoyed this workshop, and will use the information I learned to help my students here at South Cumberland Library.

Talk to the Hand -a chance to learn to work with all types

In many ways Talk to the Hand: A Guide to Dealing with conflict in the Workplace brought back memories of other workshops in the past, like: Leading from Any Position (many years ago), the Shortcuts to Greatness, and Staying Safe in a Changing Work Environment. In a way, taking this workshop was a chance to help myself not forget what I had learned before and to see more of the whole of libray-staff-to-library-staff and libray-staff-to-patron relationships from another viewpoint. I like workshops that build upon each other, especially when trying to learn that we need all types of people in this world, on our staff, and as our patrons. Visualizing them as diffeent animals really brings that point home, since which of those animals wouldn't we want to exist? Thanks for another great learning opportunity.

Whatever it Takes! with Julie Gaver

Yesterday, on Monday, March 26 in Frostburg I had the chance to attend Julie Gaver's workshop, "Whatever it Takes! Building Camaraderie, Enthusiasm, & Team Play." I'd never had the chance to meet Julie before, though I'd heard OF her as a great training facilitator, so it was a great opportunity to connect. I like that it gave all of us across the region a chance to engage in some fun team building activities in mixed tables as well.

Takeaway #1: I think most of us have heard this phrased in some way before, but it never hurts reminding ourselves of it: We each have tasks that we need to accomplish, so let's get them done in way that allows us to have the most fun at the same time. I think it's very similar to the "Fish Philosophy" idea.

Takeaway #2: Attitude matters. Each of us can very quickly set the tone for those around us. Though I try to always keep this in mind, the next time I feel a sigh coming on I'll try to stifle it before I start spreading Eeyore vibes around!

Takeaway #3: At 3 of the 4 tables the exact same set of four values were identified as most important (table 4 was very similar): Cooperation, Reliability, Responsiveness, & Integrity. Values we can all believe in.

-Joe

Talk to the Hand

The Talk to the Hand workshop was fun and informative. I thought I would end up as a different type of "bird" than I did when I was finished. I think it provided insight for me into different types of personalities and they way they handle conflict. I believe that it is necessary to have those different type of bird personalities and attitudes to provide a well-rounded team approach in a library when interacting with the public and other staff members. It provided me with some insight into the way not only staff reacts to situations and why, as the "bird" type I am, that I interpret their reactions. Thanks, I am glad I attended.

Talk to the Hand

I attended Julie Gaver's workshop 'Talk to the Hand' on March 19. Even though it was billed as 'Tips for dealing with conflict in the workplace', I found that the tips I learned can be used at home and elsewhere when necessary. There is no way to avoid conflict, in fact conflict can be a good thing at times. Julie showed us ways to identify different conflict management techniques. She had us assess ourselves to discover how we deal with conflicts. The bird motif was clever and I am proud to say I am an owl! (That was my high school mascot!). Now I can (hopefully) find ways to manage conflict both at home and at work!

Talk to the Hand

I found this workshop interesting. It gave me some insight as to my co-workers "bird" personalities. I do know that in this job it takes all types to handle the situations that arise. The presenter was humorous and kept our attention. Easy to relate to many of the situations that were shared. Good time!