My Favourite Tipples from a head of reference services
Jinfo Blog

By Adjoa Boateng

Abstract

My Favourite Tipples are shared by Adjoa K. Boateng, head of reference services at The British Library. She shares some of her preferred online sources in areas from collaboration to future developments.

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I last did My Favourite Tipples for Jinfo (then FreePint) in 2014. Two years on it is interesting to review how My Favourite Tipples have changed and to also note that collaboration is now the main theme. My list is again a mixture ranging from what I view to be professionally essential to the socially useful:

• Basecamp: This is a web-based project management and collaboration tool. I have used it to organise meetings and events working efficiently and effectively with colleagues based outside of the UK. The fact that this tool does not require subscription to any specific email account such as Microsoft or Gmail means that there are less restrictions on who can participate.
  
  
• Slack: Another collaboration tool, Slack allows teams to put all communications in any format, into one place. As workflows today are becoming increasingly complex, being able to watch a video, listen to a recording and use other interactive media in one organised area is useful. It is a freemium model and works for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. A fun extra is that Slack is also available for the Apple Watch, allowing users to send direct messages, see mentions, and make simple replies.

• Twitter: My account has become essential, enabling me to keep informed and discover where to find answers. Specialists on all subject areas frequently post links to blogs, articles and media in their tweets. News from around the world often seems to break on Twitter earlier and faster than on other sources. Most importantly, if you want to know what is not being said or who is not being named within the more traditional news sources, Twitter is where to go. If you are an information professional you should have an account, even just for lurking.

• @uklibchat: This online social group is an example of why I have a Twitter account. #uklibchat is a monthly discussion group that takes place on Twitter, usually from 6.30 to 8.30pm (UK time) on a Tuesday, using the Twitter account @uklibchat. There's a theme for each chat, such as "Librarianship across borders: Connections and collaborations". Discussions are archived (using Storify) in the associated blog. This is definitely worth reading.

• TED Talks: These remain firmly on my list. If you want an overview of the future or a concept explained, this is one of the best sites to visit. As its site explains, TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) is devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. Features that I enjoy include being able to select the length of talk to listen to and choose serendipitous topic areas from the "surprise me" and "discover" options.

An article in Jinfo which I found particularly interesting:

• Keeping in in line with my theme of collaboration I have selected the following Jinfo article as being of interest: "Cultivating Interdepartmental Relationships Through Research and Communication" by Shimrit Janes. Shimrit makes some relevant points and suggestions for actions which are often easily overlooked.

Contribute Your "My Favourite Tipples"

Would you like to share your "My Favourite Tipples" with the Jinfo audience? For contributor guidelines email catherine.dhanjal@jinfo.com or visit the Publish with Jinfo page.

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