Friday 12 April 2013

23 Mobile Things - Join other Australians and New Zealanders in doing the 'things'!

Mobile devices
© Scanrail - Fotolia.com
Have you heard of the 23 things?  How about the 23 Mobile things?  This updated course is a great way of learning new skills, and new things about old skills. 
So what is the NZ/Australian Cohort for 23 Mobile Things all about?  Read on.
What are the 23 Mobile Things?
  1. Twitter
  2. Taking a photo with a mobile device:  Instagram / Flickr app / Snapchat
  3. eMail on the move
  4. Maps and checking in: Foursquare
  5. Photos + Maps + Apps: Historypin / What was there / Sepia Town
  6. Video: YouTube and screencasts
  7. Communicate: Skype / Google Hangout
  8. Calendar
  9. QR codes
  10. Social reading: RSS / Flipboard / Feedly / Goodreads / Pocket
  11. Augmented reality: Layar
  12. Games: Angry Birds / Wordfeud
  13. Online identity: FaceBook and LinkedIn
  14. Curating: Pinterest / Scoop.it / Tumblr
  15. Adobe ID
  16. eBooks and eBook apps: Project Gutenberg / Kindle / Overdrive / Bluefire / Kobo, etc.
  17. Evernote and Zotero
  18. Productivity tools: Doodle / Remember the Milk / Hackpad / any.do /  30/30
  19. File sharing: Dropbox
  20. Music: last.fm / Spotify
  21. Voice interaction and recording
  22. eResources vendor apps
  23. Digital storytelling
You can view the 23 Mobile Things on the official blog here - http://23mobilethings.net/wpress/the-things/
What is this NZ/Australian cohort all about?
Simple; it is just establishing a group of librarians in NZ and Australia who are keen to do the 23 Mobile Things at the same time. This cohort will give us mutual support and contact with each other so that we can learn together and keep each other motivated. Hopefully it will help you grow your own personal learning network (PLN) and have fun and great collaborations throughout the course!

Who can take part?


Anyone! This is not limited to New Professionals, but is open to anyone who would like to take part - whether newer or older to the profession. I have just put the contact form on the New Professionals blog as that is a place where I know many people will find it. We are creating another blog specifically for this NZ/Australian cohort that will be the hub of our conversations and connections. So please sign up and let's all learn from one another and have fun playing with mobile technologies! Over 60 people have signed up already; this is going to be such a fantastic group to be a part of :D  (It's mainly NZ'ers at the moment so come on Australians- sign up!)
What do I need to take part?
  • Access to a mobile device (e.g. iPad, tablet, smart-phone, etc...) - if you don't have one yourself, you could borrow one or use the PC applications to understand the general principles.
  • Time to dedicate to investigating the 23 things - it seems most people are keen to do 1 Thing a week so you can dedicate as much or as little time as you need to exploring that thing and engaging in chatting and collaborating with others on the course.
  • Willingness to collaborate, experiment, and support each other - it's going to be fun!
How do I sign up?

So you're keen? Great! Here's what you have to do to get involved:
I'll be in touch as we create a blog as a hub for the group, a Facebook group (if you are keen) and organize some online real-time events such as Twitter chats and Google+ hangouts so that we can chat and collaborate. It will also give us an opportunity to put into practice what we have been learning!
We are hoping to start with Thing 1 the first week of May. If the course runs for six months (approximately 1 Thing a week), it will finish at the end of November. 
So what are you waiting for? Sign up today and we will be in touch again a bit closer to the date.
If you want more information please don't hesitate to email me (Kate) at mailto:skeetakate@gmail.com.nospam (take off the no spam) or on twitter at @katejf.

Abigail Willemse (NZ) and Kate Freedman (NGAC) and Hiba Kanji (NGG)(AUS)

Thursday 11 April 2013

ALIA 2013 Election results

Congratulations go out to Susan Coker who has been elected as ALIA Vice-President and also to Alyson Dalby and Damian Lodge who have been elected as board members.

Thank you to all of the candidates for your enthusiasm and passion for our industry. It has been an interesting election to witness.

Good luck to the new members as they begin their journey at the ALIA Annual General Meeting on 14 May and thank you to everyone who voted


-Amy Barker

Monday 8 April 2013

Library Tours

ALIA Sydney is delighted to present two Library Tours this Saturday!

How are Academic Libraries responding to changing needs of students? How do you design a library to encompass quiet areas, noisy areas, group and individual study spaces as well as being the single location for over 1.2 million print items?
Macquarie University opened its new library in 2011. Come and join a special 'behind the scenes tour' exploring client areas, staff spaces and the first Automated Storage and Retrieval System in an Australian Library.

Public Libraries are an essential service for the local communities; the demands are diverse and space limited. In July 2010 Lane Cove Council breathed new life into the library, exceeding state benchmarks and community expectations by increasing the Library space from 1,203 sq m to 3,301 sq m. They have filled it to the brim with training rooms with state-of-the-art AV; study and lounge areas; display and exhibition spaces and many, many more facilities without detracting from their physical collection. 
Come along on our library tour and take a look at what all the fuss is about.

Date: 13 April 2013
Time: 10:30am at Macquarie University Library for an 11:00am start

Schedule:

10.30am - Arrival at Macquarie University Library
11.00am - Behind the Scenes tour of Macquarie University Library
12.30pm - Lunch and travel to Lane Cove Library (please advise us if you would like help arranging transport)
2.00pm - Tour of Lane Cove Library


View Larger Map

Cost: $7 members / $10 non-members

Please note this cost does not include lunch or transport. Macquarie Centre is nearby with a wide variety of options for lunch (http://www.macquariecentre.com.au/food.aspx).

Thank you to those who have already registered their interest in joining us for the Macquarie University Library and Lane Cove City Council Library Tours.

For everyone else there is still time- email us now at aliasydneygroup@gmail.com.

Please advise if you would like help arranging transport between venues when registering.

-Gabby

Monday 1 April 2013

Save the Date! 13 April 2013


Ever wanted to have a sneak peak at what other Libraries look like behind the scenes?

Well ALIA Sydney has been working in conjunction with the Macquarie University Library and Lane Cove City Council Library to organise a behind the scenes tour on Saturday the 13 April with the aforementioned libraries.

Both Macquarie University Library and Lane Cove Library have recently undergone some major renovations. Lane Cove Library has recently implemented a new OPAC system as well as upgrading their library space and in 2011 Macquarie University Library became the first Australian library to implement an Automated Storage And Retrieval System (ASRS). The ASRS involves some pretty cool machinery that was adapted from the automotive industry that retrieves an item on request.

If you are interested in joining us on these library tours they will be held consecutively on Saturday 13 April. Please register your interest by emailing us at aliasydneygroup@gmail.com.

-Gabby

P.S. this is not an April Fools joke!