Hollie White

Every year since 2005 I have attended the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Law Libraries.    In my quest to continue going “paperless”, I decided to forgo all the printing and notebooks that usually go with conference attending and try paperless conferencing.  Here is an overview of how it went.

The Good

I felt like I made good use of my laptop, iPad, and phone.   I used the Tripit app to store all my travel and hotel information.  I typed my notes into Evernote one day using my laptop and the other day using my iPad.    I used Box.net for sharing my presentation with the program organizer and accessed my normal everyday files using Dropbox. Google Places and Yelp were very helpful for finding information about places to go and how to get there.   I even played apps and read ebooks instead of bringing books or magazines to entertain myself on the plane or in the evening.

The Bad

The bad thing about going paperless at convention was that I always (literally) had my phone in my hand.  I was constantly looking at the time, checking my calendar, check the program scheduling, and messaging people with whom I was planning to meet up.  I just felt rude.  When I did put my phone down, I always seemed to miss an important text or “to do reminder”.

The other bad thing was how heavy all my items and their cords were in my bag.  My shoulders are still sore from carrying a briefcase filled with devices, cords, adaptors, and accessories.

The Exceptions

There was one intentional exception and one lazy moment in my “paperlessness”.  The intentional exception was with business cards.   I think it is important to network and exchanging business cards is a great way to stay in touch with new colleagues.  I didn’t want people to feel like I wasn’t engaged in our interactions by rejecting or refusing to give cards.  I know that I could have used a business card app and honestly didn’t experiment with one this time around.  I think my goal next year will be to take the cards to give to people, but to use the apps for storing contacts.

The lazy moment happened when I was getting a quick training session with someone on how to fulfill some of my new TS Executive Board duties.  I did jot down notes on some paper instead of typing them on one of my many devices.   There was no real reason other than just being lazy for a moment about my paperless quest.  After that meeting though, I did put my new TS duties “to do” list in OmniFocus.

So…would I do paperless conferencing again?

Most definitely.   I think process of paperless conferencing will only get better as I refine my personal paperless conferencing style.

On my quest to go paperless in the office, I have found two areas that are stumbling blocks.  Those two are:

• creating lists

• jotting down quick notes

I’m finding it particularly hard to stop doing these two things on paper.    Lists ( daily task lists,etc) are central to my own productivity.  I think a lot about timing, dates, workflow, and schedule.   I just haven’t found the correct app for doing making lists yet.   I know there are a ton out there, but the ones I have tried so far have just not been up the to level of flexibility and visibility I need.  I like to have my list right in front of me on my desk at all times.  I don’t want to turn on the device and hunt for my list.   The lack of paper makes me feel unproductive and I’m just not getting the same “in control” feeling from the iPad as I do a real yellow legal pad.

Quick/short note taking on paper just feels like a bad habit.  I know it would take me just as many movements to open up an app as it would be to open a drawer and pick up a pen.    I think this bad habit can be broken with conscious effort.

After completing my dissertation, I came to a decision.

To go paperless at work.

Here are the reasons why:

1. To be able to give students and faculty real life examples of how to do things digitally.

I’m the Digital Initiatives Librarian and it is my job to help with digital projects related to the library, teaching, learning, and research.   I think this experiment could assist me in the way I work with my user community in terms of instruction and advice.

2. To reduce the amount of items I must carry with me at all times.

I already have a full bag and purse that comes with me to work every morning.   I hope that by going paperless, it will reduce the physical burden that I am under just to walk in and out of the door each day of work.

3. To change the appearance of my desk

I’m what the personal information management literature calls a “piler”. I love using paper and I organize it by making categorical piles on my desk. The different piles and their locations on my desk help to remind me of important things I need to do. I know where everything is, but in shared work environment this system can be visually jarring and distracting for others.