ALIA Sydney

What started as an introduction...

2012-02-25T14:05:00.000+11:00

Hi everyone!

Its Holger here… I’m new to the committee and also to Sydney in general! Actually now that I think about it I’m fairly new to librarianship, having only finished my degree in July at QUT in Brisbane. I have been in Sydney since November, working as a reference librarian at the Law Courts Library. This means we do research and information literacy education for the Judges and staff of the Supreme and Federal Courts. One of the things I absolutely love about my position is that I see the effects that my work has on society directly and immediately. Quite often I will be working on a hefty piece of research for a Judge and then read about the case in the papers in the following days. Often it will mention a point of law that I had the privilege to help clarify for the Judge.

I am also only 24 and so rather junior around the library, though I must admit it is fun being the “baby librarian” of our team! It allows me to bond with our younger clients and engage them both professionally and socially!

I am still marvelling at how lucky I got to find a position that has allowed me to not just pursue my professional interests in reference and information literacy, but to turn them into passions! I also got the opportunity to join ALIA Sydney as an event officer. After our first meeting I was impressed by the variety, passion and most of all ambition of the committee for 2012. It really is inspiring to be surrounded by people that truly believe in the profession of librarianship and want to support it.

The issue of librarianship as a profession has really been interesting me of late. Last week I attended the admission ceremony of two friends of mine that are now qualified lawyers. It was an impressive ceremony, full of pomp, splendour and wigs! What really interested me however, was the fact that they were required to swear an oath and sign a code of ethics. This is of course necessary as they are making decisions and providing services that often have a massive and immediate impact on people’s lives. It is the same for doctors and other such professions. There may be a perception that the services we provide impact people’s lives less than other professions and this is true to a degree. However, I think that it is just that the influence is less direct. We do still change lives and society through the services we provide, whether we are in academic, special, public or any kind of library.

Take a look at this definition of a profession and think about its application to librarianship.

The fact that we don’t require membership to our peak body (obviously ALIA) is both a strength and weakness of the profession. It makes it harder to regulate the profession and ensure that standards are the same across the board but also ensures that those that are engaging with the profession are the ones that are truly passionate. I also see participation in professional development as an ethical obligation to our clients, as we must ensure that our skills will always allow us to find the best possible information. The fact that we can’t really enforce professional standards, only reward those who meet them (through the ALIACP qualification) is a problem for the profession.

ALIA does already have a professional conduct policy which does mention some of these issues. However, It was last updated in 2007 and is however hardly promoted… I didn’t even know it existed until I went searching for it (may have used Google). This hardly suggests it is being taken seriously. It would be an incredibly interesting project to incorporate best practice from other library associations (CILIP and ALA have fairly substantial documents) and from other professions.

I think the main reasons I am so interested in these issues are my dedication to quality client service, the fact that I majored in philosophy (taking an interest mainly in ethics) in my undergraduate arts degree and most importantly of all, my pride in librarianship!

There is so much more to say on this topic but I am already sorry for the size of this post… It was meant to be an introduction and became a rant. Oh well, I will save the intro for next time.

Let me know what you all think about this, or anything else for that matter! Leave a comment, throw us a tweet or just come and accost me at one of our events! The next one is Think Big, Act Small: Sustainability in the Library and it will be fantastic. I’m afraid it’s already sold out but if you missed out, start thinking about the next one… I believe it will be a 20x20 style evening and will be a lot of fun.

Always a pleasure…

Holger

Blogs as authoritative sources?

2012-02-24T00:42:00.001+11:00

I attended a professional development event put on by Web Search Pacific with speaker Linda Moore from CCH on Monday.

Linda spoke about her findings from the research she's been doing on the information finding behaviours of legal professionals using mobile devices.

It was really enlightening, because what she found could be transferred to other client groups. The room was a mix of library & information professionals from various libraries, from academic to corporate to school and independent researchers, and I think everyone took something interesting away from the presentation.

While I took away some really interesting information on the research Linda has done around information behaviours when using mobile devices, what really piqued my interest was the discussion that occurred during question time.

One observation that piqued my interest in particular, which drove some of this discussion, was that a person in her study used to keep abreast of current issues (such as new cases, new legal decisions etc) via journals, but has now moved away from the journals to using blogs to fulfill this information need.

This makes a lot of sense, because blogs are an example of synchronous forms of writing, whereby articles can be published pretty much in real-time.They don't go through a rigorous editorial and peer review process that journal articles go through, therefore the information is really up-to-date and fresh at hand. But it does mean that there are some issues with this, because it has not gone through a rigorous process of review. This is in contrast with the journal publication process. Peer review is still the gold standard for information in the research community, but some people are starting to use the information they find in synchronous environments eg blog posts, twitter streams etc. I'm interested to see the change in the way people are using or not using certain information for particular purposes.

(Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sepblog/3634843977/ CC BY 2.0)

Possibly due to the vast amount of information that people need to deal with, people are starting to rely on less lengthy information sources, or more chunked up pieces of information to fulfill particular information needs. Blog articles fall into this category of information. And this can be difficult, as people are often not reading both sides of a particular argument, or are looking for information that justifies or supports their point of view, without delving deeper to research different sides of a story or argument. (Sir Peter Nurse, from the Royal Society did an interesting bit on this in his doco 'Horizon: Science Under Attack' which aired on ABC (I think) a few weeks ago). This has an obvious implication on the information that is synthesised by the consumer, and implications for any ensuing product which is created, or even on influencing someone's opinion on something. Of course, someone reading strictly peer -reviewed articles could also choose to use articles that supported his or her point of view only, and choose to ignore the ones that don't, but you would hope that that's what the literature review process is used for. I've never written a peer reviewed paper before- do reviewers tell you that you're missing a glaring article in your area that you should include in your lit review if you haven't?

We also embarked on an interesting discussion on how synchronous writing has its place, but that there is an appropriate time and place for it. I love reading blogs, particularly for my own professional development (and of course personal enjoyment!), but ideally, these are used to supplement the journal articles that I print out to read. Often though, I don't have time to read as many journal articles as I'd like, so I do find that blog posts are a really good way to keep abreast of current trends. Luckily, many bloggers in the LIS blogosphere refer you back to the original source, so you can always go back to read the original article or report, which is really handy. Alternatively, if there's no link, you can usually follow up by finding the journal article or even slide share slides or other related material, that have been posted online that relate to the topic of interest.

I also find that blogs tend to verify anecdotally what I have read in the literature, so for me, blogs are a good way for me to join the dots, so to speak, and make connections between what I read in the research literature, and what is practised or observed in non research settings, which I find extremely valuable.

So where do you see the blogosphere fit into all of this? How do you use the information you read in blogs? Has anyone ever cited a blog? Does it make a difference if the writer of a blog post is a renowned expert in their field? Interesting how these questions really relate to the authority of an information source. This is something that I try to teach my students when I talk about finding quality information in my information literacy classes- knowing the context of the information you're reading, knowing what level of information you need and for what purpose, and judging information based on when it can be useful and when it's not.

Another intersting point is that I actually got another ALIA Sydney committe member and colleague within the LIS sphere, to have a look at my post before I sent it out- just to see if it made sense (I drafted it V-E-R-Y late a few days ago!), and to ask her for any feedback. She rightly pointed out that this was in fact a form of 'peer review' which raises another question about whether or not blog posts actually do go through a more informal peer review process? I guess the point here is that the reader won't actually know, unless the author tells them that this has happened.

Sorry, what was originally intended as a brief summary of the event has somehow been hijacked by the ensuing discussion thread on blogs. If you're interested in finding out more about Linda's research you can find Linda's white paper here.

- Crystal Choi is a Faculty Liaison Librarian at the University of Sydney and the ALIA Sydney Convenor. She tweets @crystalibrary. All opinions expressed are my own and do not reflect the views of my employer or any associations I am affiliated with.

Jeff Cruz is excited about the ALIA Sydney Committee in 2012!

2012-02-22T16:08:00.001+11:00

As a returning member of the ALIA Sydney Committee, I’m excited for all the professional development and social events we’ll be putting together for 2012!

As you may know, the ALIA Sydney Blog is staffed by the Committee in addition to guest bloggers. We write about all those fascinating, pertinent and engaging intersections between libraries, information and life. We love to hear from library and information professionals of all kinds, so if you’re keen to be a guest blogger, let us know!

I thought I’d keep my first post of 2012 very simple and simply introduce myself.

My name is Jeff Cruz and I’m one of the Event Officers in our committee. I support any of the Event Coordinators in planning, organising and implementing any of our great professional development events.

In Library Land, I'm the User Education Librarian at the City of Sydney Library network. As part of the Programs Team, I’m in charge of developing, coordinating and delivering education and technology programs across 9 branches. This means I put on events, workshops and courses on anything from beginner computer courses for seniors to social media marketing workshops for small organisations to book trailer workshops for teens.

Before becoming a certified, qualified, card-carrying, ALA and ALIA-approved Librarian, I worked in international and online marketing, I taught English and Spanish (from 11 year olds to adults!) and I worked in a variety of libraries in different roles (mostly library assistant type roles). I definitely think that my previous job experiences have provided me with some key skills in my current library position—especially working with multicultural populations, having strong teaching skills and being all-around awesome at anything social media.

I only recently moved to Australia from the US (about a year ago), having lived in Arizona, Boston, Vermont and Madrid, Spain before coming to the sunshine beaches of Sydney. If this summer had been consistently drier, I would have spent a whole lot more time at the beach, running and biking. Instead, I’ve been spending a lot more time wine-tasting, trying to grow herbs and peppers on my balcony and staying connected with the US through fine American television.

Meet the rest of the ALIA Sydney Committee in the upcoming weeks, or have a look at the ALIA Sydney Facebook Page. And feel free to follow ALIA Sydney on Twitter on @AliaSyd.

Jeff Cruz

Events Officer, ALIA Sydney Committee

@jncruz

Disclaimer: All of the information and views expressed are solely my own, and do not reflect those of my employer or any member organisations.

UPDATE - THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED OUT. ALIA Sydney presents: Think Big, Act Small: Sustainability in the Library

2012-02-06T22:32:00.002+11:00

Due to popular demand this event is now fully BOOKED OUT. Thank you very much for your interest and support. Keep your eye out for our exciting upcoming events. We're in the process of planning our next event so stay tuned!!

Image source: http://www.theurbn.com/2011/07/sustainable-sustainability-the-fourth-r/

We are very pleased to announce our three wonderful guest speakers, who will share the amazing sustainability projects that they are involved with, at ALIA Sydney's Think Big Act Small event.

Featuring:

Kirsten Woodward: Manager of Environmental Projects and Head of Green Champions from City of Sydney Council

Peter Vun: Corporate Sustainability Co-ordinator from Ku-ring-gai Council

Mal Booth: Acting University Librarian from University of Technology, Sydney Library

Be inspired by our guest speakers, and brainstorm some practical ideas that you can take back to your own workplaces and communities.

So hurry and register your place now! Places are limited!

Monday 27th February 2012 6:00pm- 8:00pm (arrive from 6pm for a 6:30pm start)

Badham Library, Badham Building, Science Road

The University of Sydney 2006

Cost: $5 for ALIA members/$7 for Non-ALIA members (Pay at the Door)

http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/libraries/badham/badhamloc.html

ALIA Sydney presents: Think Big, Act Small: Sustainability in the Library

2012-01-23T13:51:00.004+11:00

Image source: http://www.theurbn.com/2011/07/sustainable-sustainability-the-fourth-r/

It’s a new year and it’s time to reign in the excesses of the holiday season and think green! Join us for the first ALIA Sydney event of 2012 to learn about some amazing projects our guest speakers are doing in their workplaces to improve sustainability.

Come along to learn, share and brainstorm practical ideas that you can implement now, to ensure we create a sustainable future. Kick start the year with some green energy and get inspired to take action in your workplace and community!

Numbers are limited so please register your attendance by RSVPing to aliasydneygroup@gmail.com

Monday 27th February 2012 6:00pm- 8:00pm (arrive from 6pm for a 6:30pm start)

Badham Library, Badham Building, Science Road

The University of Sydney 2006

Cost: $5 for ALIA members/$7 for Non-ALIA members (Pay at the Door)

http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/libraries/badham/badhamloc.html

Virtual info desks for library & information professionals

2012-01-11T17:18:00.001+11:00

I was reading the latest post from one of the library blogs that I follow, by Brian Herzog, aka the Swiss Army Librarian, and he mentioned a Q&A site specifically designed for library and information professionals. You can read his blog post about it here.

My first thought was- Cool! Where has this been my whole librarian life? After some investigation, I've discovered there is a little catch- the site currently needs people to commit to it, before it gets created.

(Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeleeorg/482310954/ CC BY NC-2.0)

After a bit more digging, I discovered that there are several pages that already have enough users to have fully committed websites on various topics eg cooking, gaming, programming and photography.

I decided to commit, to see what all the fuss was about, and because I am an advocate of sharing knowledge, particularly in terms of my own learning, and helping others develop (especially new librarians, because it wasn't so long ago that I was a new librarian myself!). It seems that all I need to do is answer or ask ten questions as part of my commitment. There is also an 'uncommit' option as well, which is always a good sign. If you're interested in participating, click here.

This type of service got me thinking about all of the Q&A-type services out there. For example QUORA, which some of my academics are on, as well as several other librarians I know. Then there are all of the forums and groups on LinkedIn.

What other forums are there for Q&A that you find useful? Are there other specific forums for library and information professionals? Would you be interested in one for the ALIA Sydney group? Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below!

- Crystal

Deadline extended! ALIA Sydney Committee- Call for Expressions of Interests

2012-01-04T09:51:00.000+11:00

Happy new year! My name is Crystal Choi, and I am the incoming Convenor of the ALIA Sydney Committee.

I hope you all had a lovely and refreshing holiday break. I'm looking forward to a busy, challenging and fruitful 2012, particularly regarding the provision of exciting professional development opportunities for you, as well as my own ongoing professional development. As it's a new year, why don't you consider furthering your own professional development by submitting an Expression of Interest to join the dynamic and fun ALIA Sydney committee?

The deadline for submissions of Expressions of Interest has been extended to COB Wednesday 11th January, 2012.

Please see below for details on how to submit.

- Crystal

ALIA Sydney presents a selection of formal and information events to encourage discussion and critical engagement and create networking opportunities across the library and information section in Sydney and beyond. The ALIA Sydney committee is a group of vibrant and committed volunteers who make it all possible.

ALIA Sydney is currently looking for new committee members to join our team. Through these roles you will have the chance to develop skills in event and project management, and make vital professional connections through your contribution to our community of practice plus you can have a lot of fun along the way.

Each of the below positions is voluntary in nature, and each role is for a 12-24 month period. These roles are to commence in the year 2012, which is a very exciting time with the development of the new expanded program for ALIA Sydney.

Expressions of Interest (EOIs) should be received by COB Wednesday 11thof January 2012. EOIs should briefly introduce yourself and cover the criteria outlined for the position of interest. All EOIs and any questions should be directed to the ALIA Sydney Convenor Crystal Choi at aliasydneygroup@gmail.com

Coordinators x 2

These roles share responsibility for coordinating the professional development events of ALIA Sydney in conjunction with our existing coordinators.

Each Coordinator is expected to:

Plan and Organise 2 events each year in conjunction with the rest of the committee.
Liaise with the ALIA Sydney Convener for event ideas and ongoing support.
Liaise with the ALIA Sydney Treasurer for event budget submissions.
Submit updates for the ALIA Sydney blog at least monthly, including upcoming events (http://aliasydney.blogspot.com/)
Post on/Update ALIA Sydney social networking pages regularly, featuring both ALIA Sydney event promotion and current awareness of library and information sector news and issues.
Ensure a consistent and professional format for all ALIA Sydney communications in line with our communication strategy and templates.

Average Time Demand per month: 8 hours (prep plus actual events)

The interested person should:

Be, or be willing to become, a current member of ALIA.
Have an active interest in professional development with the Library & Information Sector.
Maintain an active awareness of new issues and development within the L & I Sector.
Have strong interpersonal and communication skills so they can be good at kick starting conversations and making introductions to put attendees at ease.
Have a head full of ideas for ALIA Sydney events, promotions and online content (eg blog posts)
A strong interest or expertise in technology, career development, emerging or other topics related to the L & I sector

Event Officer x 1

This developmental role helps make events happen. On a rotating basis, the Event Officers will be teamed up with the Coordinators to help with event organisation and management.

Each Officer is expected to:

Assist with the organisation of at least 2-3 events each year in conjunction with the coordinator and convener.
Post on/Update ALIA Sydney social networking pages regularly, featuring both ALIA Sydney event promotion and current awareness of library and information sector news and issues.
Submit updates for the ALIA Sydney blog at least monthly, including reports on ALIA Sydney events (http://aliasydney.blogspot.com/)
Ensure a consistent and professional format for all ALIA Sydney communications in line with our communication strategy and templates.

Average Time Demand per month: 4 hours (2 hours prep plus actual events)

The interested person should:

Be, or be willing to become, a current member of ALIA.
Have an active interest in professional development with the Library & Information Sector.
Maintain an active awareness of new issues and development within the L & I Sector.
Have strong communication and collaboration skills.

International Day of People with Disability

2011-12-03T18:28:00.000+11:00

Today we celebrate International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD). This United Nations sanctioned day ‘aims to promote an understanding of people with disability and encourage support for their dignity, rights and well-being’.

We in the library community have proven to be supporters of those who live with a disability by continually offering products and services to support their needs. ALIA, in the guidelines on library standards for people with disabilities, has set out a series of objectives and principles that libraries can follow to better serve the needs of the one in five Australians living with a disability.

Libraries and organisations around Australia have not only taken on these guidelines, but have discovered new ways to foster a more inclusive environment:

· Monash Public Library regularly includes an AUSLAN interpreter in their toddler storytimes

· IFLA has put together a great resource; Access to Libraries for Disabled Persons Checklist that libraries can use to assess their current facilities.

·On the Gold Coast, the Runaway Bay Branch Library regularly holds an audio book club for both sighted and sight impaired patrons

So today while we reflect how far we have come, we should take a moment to assess our services and facilities and how we might improve going forward. Below is a short (very short) list of thoughts to consider.

·How are the services we have promoted? Is the message getting to the right people?

·What about people with temporary disabilities? How do we serve them?

·Do we ask patrons if they require extra support when they register? What about in our regular user surveys?

·Do we offer large print versions or audio versions of our printed materials?

· The Web Accessibility Initiate offers practical design considerations libraries can adopt when updating web sites to ensure they can be accessed by all users.

What are some other ways we can move towards a more inclusive library environment? Where can we improve? What are other programs making a difference?

Post your thoughts in the comments.

-Amy Barker

ALIA Sydney Committee: Call for Expressions of Interest

2011-11-26T12:38:00.002+11:00

ALIA Sydney presents a selection of formal and information events to encourage discussion and critical engagement and create networking opportunities across the library and information section in Sydney and beyond. The ALIA Sydney committee is a group of vibrant and committed volunteers who make it all possible.

Expressions of Interest (EOIs) should be received by COB Wednesday 4thof January 2012. EOIs should briefly introduce yourself and cover the criteria outlined for the position of interest. All EOIs and any questions should be directed to the ALIA Sydney Convenor, Kate Byrne and Convenor-Elect, Crystal Choi at aliasydneygroup@gmail.com or call 0414 955 258.

Coordinators x 2

These roles share responsibility for coordinating the professional development events of ALIA Sydney in conjunction with our existing coordinators.

Each Coordinator is expected to:

Plan and Organise 2 events each year in conjunction with the rest of the committee.
Liaise with the ALIA Sydney Convener for event ideas and ongoing support.
Liaise with the ALIA Sydney Treasurer for event budget submissions.
Submit updates for the ALIA Sydney blog at least monthly, including upcoming events (http://aliasydney.blogspot.com/)
Post on/Update ALIA Sydney social networking pages regularly, featuring both ALIA Sydney event promotion and current awareness of library and information sector news and issues.
Ensure a consistent and professional format for all ALIA Sydney communications in line with our communication strategy and templates.

Average Time Demand per month: 8 hours (prep plus actual events)

The interested person should:

Be, or be willing to become, a current member of ALIA.
Have an active interest in professional development with the Library & Information Sector.
Maintain an active awareness of new issues and development within the L & I Sector.
Have strong interpersonal and communication skills so they can be good at kick starting conversations and making introductions to put attendees at ease.
Have a head full of ideas for ALIA Sydney events, promotions and online content (eg blog posts)
A strong interest or expertise in technology, career development, emerging or other topics related to the L & I sector

Event Officer x 1

This developmental role helps make events happen. On a rotating basis, the Event Officers will be teamed up with the Coordinators to help with event organisation and management.

Each Officer is expected to:

Assist with the organisation of at least 2-3 events each year in conjunction with the coordinator and convener.
Post on/Update ALIA Sydney social networking pages regularly, featuring both ALIA Sydney event promotion and current awareness of library and information sector news and issues.
Submit updates for the ALIA Sydney blog at least monthly, including reports on ALIA Sydney events (http://aliasydney.blogspot.com/)
Ensure a consistent and professional format for all ALIA Sydney communications in line with our communication strategy and templates.

Average Time Demand per month: 4 hours (2 hours prep plus actual events)

The interested person should:

Be, or be willing to become, a current member of ALIA.
Have an active interest in professional development with the Library & Information Sector.
Maintain an active awareness of new issues and development within the L & I Sector.
Have strong communication and collaboration skills.

End of Year ALIA Sydney Picnic: THIS SUNDAY

2011-11-15T20:07:00.001+11:00

Photo by Mykl Roventine

The ALIA Sydney group invites you to join us out in the sunshine for an end of year picnic in the Botanic Gardens.

Please come along and relax, unwind, meet new people, catch up with old friends, and share your stories from 2011.

Friends and family are all welcome.

Where: on the Band Lawn, near the Venus Fountain (number 30 on the map)

When: Sunday, 20th November, from 12 p.m.

What to bring: Food and drink, something to sit on, hats and suncream.

RSVP: aliasydneygroup@gmail.com to give us some idea of numbers, or just turn up on the day.

We look forward to seeing you there to celebrate 2011 coming to a close.

Digitasking like a freak

2011-11-10T12:14:00.005+11:00

According to Amy Gahran, mobile digital omnivores are people who are cross platform consumers of technology who use mulltiple pieces of technology, that is, people who own and use 'smartphones, tablets and other connected devices'.

I'd like to take this idea a step further a suggest that digital omnivores are also digitaskers (digital multi taskers)- people who use not only one, but multiple devices simultaneously.

Case in point:

This is my desk as I write this blog post (you'll have to excuse the mess!) I am simultaneously writing this blog post and checking my emails on my work station, using my iPad to jot down ideas for a paper that I'm working on, using my camera to take this photo (although, I didn't bring my usb cord to work today, so I had to use another device to take the photo so I could upload it!) To the right is the work laptop where I'm preparing a workshop for my colleagues on the use of interactive polling devices, and I'm also reading and highlighing a journal article in between all of this.

So you might be thinking that I'm either A) crazy B) delusional or C) all of the above, and for some people working like this may well drive them absolutely bananas. But I find that I do some of my best work like this- as the above photo is uploading on my work station, I turn to the laptop and do some more work on my presentation. Don't get me wrong, I also have the ability to set my mind to a particular task and work on it continuously, but I do find that sometimes other disctractions can start creeping in (oh look, someone just tweeted me!).

Another case in point: an interesting discussion on Twitter between @newgradlib and @katecbyrne has just distracted me from doing this post, but it has given me some interesting perspectives to think about, which I am now incorporating into this post, as I type... (the idea that digitasking can spell trouble for many people who get sidetracked onto a path that may in fact negate the productivity) But for me, this particular example of a distraction was in fact positive.

I guess what I'm saying is that there are positive distractors and negative distractors. For me, having so many devices and hence things I'm working on, on the go can prevent those negative distractors creeping in. If you want to work productively in this digitasking way, I guess you have to be able to find a way to shut out the distractors that you find work negatively against you.

Alternatively, you could take what researchers are calling a 'mental break', that is- using social media to take a break at work, which apparently can increase your work productivity by 9%!

This is a link to an article I found on ReadWriteWeb on this research, although I'm sure there are lots of people who argue for the opposite (in fact, I'm sure that I've read some of these articles!) Again, I reckon it depends on the type of person/worker you are.... Interestingly, despite all of these technological 'distractions' that I surround myself with, I can't work when music is playing, unlike some people, who can only work when music is playing. Maybe someone should create a Myers-Briggs-type assessment for people to work out what sort of worker they are???

And... while I was finishing this post, two other librarians (@misssophiemac and @pinkfairaedust) have also joined the discussion- they are excellent examples of the digitasking librarian!

My name is Crystal Choi, and I'm a digitasking librarian (and proud of it!)

Crystal is a member of the ALIA Sydney committtee and tweets @crystalibrary.

Notes from the 2012 eResearch Conference, Melbourne.

2011-11-08T16:32:00.000+11:00

I've been spending this week in Melbourne at the 2012 eResearch Conference and as we reach the close of day two I thought I would share some of my notes from sessions I've found interesting at the conference so far. I hope you find them interesting too...

Repository as App: Functionality to attract dark data - Prof. Bryan Heidorn

This presentation was looking at the long tail of data, the small projects that are actually collectively making up the bulk of the data that should be available for people, the non-blockbuster projects. Small data is big science because it is high volume, is information rich, has high entropy, but also because the needs of this wide field are not really understood by either researchers, support staff or vendors.

Where will you find dark data? Literature, Museum specimens, field notes, (un)experimental data sets, citizen observations. A great deal of the dark data we are using now are things that their value is only jut being discovered many years after being created. For example, journal and diary notes from citizens that mentioned when flowers bloomed are now being used for comparisons to identify the effects of climate change.

To better manage this issue the tools and business of science needs to be altered to seamlessly allow support management and communication of data. We need professional development and training to open up the field.

Creating opportunities to have data automatically moving across to support in the cloud or at least back up systems with built in sharing functionality will be vital to avoiding growth in the quantity of dark data.This is all about moving away from a world of the computer overlords who would control access to functional support, towards understanding how can we recycle data for reuses and embracing a democratization of data.

Rediscovering the Treasure

2011-11-05T18:39:00.001+11:00

Since its public launch in 2009, Trove has proved to be a dynamic Australian resource, not just for providing a national catalogue but also as a source for discovery. As library professionals, we use Trove to locate not only books and articles but also videos, newspaper articles and images as well. But there are even more ways to use Trove as a tool as a professional resource.Here are three suggestions

Cite this

So you’re decided to finally submit a piece to Incite. You’ve written your 500-700 word article, asked a few colleagues read it, had a couple of good edits and you are just about ready to go. Problem is you have cited a local council report and you are not 100% on how format the citation you’ll need to include. Trove to the rescue! Trove includes the records to many local and national reports and also has a handy little ‘cite this’ feature’. Just locate the work you want to cite and click the ‘cite this’ button, a pop up window will provide the formatting in APA, MLA and Harvard styles.

Where, oh where?

From time to time books need to be purchased sight unseen. This can be due to the item being suggested for purchase or possibly the vendor has sent through a list of specials. Most of the time it is easy to tell where items can fit into a collection (children’s adults, reference, etc) but occasionally a title can be deceiving. Why not ask your librarian colleagues? Search for the questionable title in Trove to see where others have placed it in their collections. While each library needs to fit its collection to the client’s needs, a little input from other professionals never hurt.

Inspiration

We all contribute (or should be contributing) to the professional conversation by participating in blogs, newsletters and journals. Most of the time the inspiration comes from a recent activity or pet project but once in a while we need something more. Trove can be a space to play, to help find that direction or spin on a subject. Browse the diaries or maps to see what has happened in the past. Find an old newspaper article about your subject like this article about Children's Book Week from 1945 (note the photo of Princess Elizabeth). Looking around for 'future libraries' in the videos has revealed this gem of a video created by Mosman Library.

But these are just a starting point. There are so many possibilities. How have you used Trove in your professional life?

-Amy Barker

ALIA seeks new Executive Director

2011-10-28T14:13:00.000+11:00

ALIA is seeking a new executive director. Visit: http://www.alia.org.au/governance/ed.html for further details.

How are YOU contributing to the library and information profession?

2011-10-18T17:41:00.002+11:00

Excuse me, library professional, but how are you contributing to the profession?

Are you writing a paper for publication or preparing a conference presentation?

If not, you should be.

If you missed ALIA Sydney’s workshop on preparing to present and write a paper—From Little Things Big Things Grow—you missed a great learning and professional development opportunity!

While I wasn’t completely sure what to expect from this workshop, I have been planning to write a paper for publication or a conference presentation for a while (perhaps I’ve been waiting too long!). Not necessarily because I think I am doing amazing things in the library world, but because I do think that what I’m doing in my large metro public library are things I want to share. I know that there are other first-year/new grad librarians out there—or even veteran librarians—who might be interested in the computer courses I’ve developed for seniors or in the comprehensive social media policy I’ve prepared for my library system (and the ups and downs of dealing with emerging technologies with my library and Council).

This workshop really inspired me to write! Which is one of the reasons I dusted off my Macbook and started with this blog entry.

So what did you miss at the workshop?

First off, you missed Janet Fletcher from UNSW Library explain why we should be writing and presenting at all. While she gave some great advice and was a great opening speaker, I’ll boil her presentation down to the things that I, personally, took away with me:

· What’s in it for you?

This varies greatly from the personal (you have something to say that is bubbling in you, or maybe you just completed a great project) to the professional (it will look great on your CV when you are going for a promotion or new job, or maybe it makes you look good within your organisation). Remember, writing and presenting requires a time commitment, but it will probably be worthwhile. Either way, you are probably doing something that will benefit our profession if you share your experience.

· What’s in it for your organisation?

Does your organisation “require” you to present (which may be the case for more and more academic librarians)? Does the paper or presentation you want to do relate to your work, organisation or field within librarianship? If you have to pitch the paper to your supervisor or library, you should spend some time on how your paper or presentation will benefit your organisation.

· What’s in it for the library and information profession?

Sure, you may have great ideas or your library wants its name stamped in a journal, but will other library professionals want to read your paper or listen to your presentation? Is your work in a public library transferrable to an academic, corporate or even prison library?

Developing and pitching an idea

If you missed the workshop, you missed a great activity exploring abstracts of previous paper proposals and looking at the requirements and topics of upcoming conferences (don’t forget that the ALIA Biennial Conference is 10-13 July—and abstracts are due 30 November!).

In small groups, we looked at ALIA Biennial paper proposals from previous years and developed some quick ideas of what we would have presented. We also developed a quick “3 Minute Elevator Pitch” to promote our idea with our supervisor and our organisation. If you would like to present at a conference (or prepare a paper for publication), there are a few things to consider before you even get started.

· Will it work for the conference or publication?

No matter if you are thinking about presenting at a conference or writing for publication, will your paper topic meet the theme and requirements of the conference? If you are a public librarian writing about innovative story times, it probably doesn’t make sense to submit a paper proposal to a conference on Mobile applications in academic libraries.

· Will your supervisor or organisation approve your participation?

Before you go through the trouble of writing a paper or developing a research project at work, you should get approved through the proper channels. If all you need is your boss’s informal approval, a quick chat might work. But if you need approval from your council or other administrative body, you probably will have to pitch your idea to your supervisor, your library director and/or an administrative personal champion.

· Create a 3 minute elevator pitch

If you need to get formal approval to participate in a conference or write a paper regarding a work project, think about creating an “elevator pitch” to get first-line approval from your supervisor. Then you should start thinking about a more formal pitch for your supervisor’s supervisor’s supervisor (etc, etc, etc).

Planning your research

One of the most useful presentations during this workshop was a Kate’s step-by-step guide of how to plan your research or project. While you might want to present or write about a project already underway, you might think about creating a project or doing research on a completely new project.

While Kate had a set of great slides along with a great presentation, I’m providing my quick notes (you really should have attended!) that I thought were essential for developing your research or project:

Phase 1: Define your objectives

· Ideas: Find ideas from projects you’re working on, journal articles you’ve read, wherever!

· Audience: Describe why someone should care about your project

Phase 2: Create your brief

· Objectives: Create the outline of a strategic plan; what do you want your project to prove?

· Scope: Create boundaries—what your project is & what your project isn’t

· Background: What is the story/context of this project?

Phase 3: Develop your framework

· Create a Brief: An outline like an elevator pitch, structure or plan

· Research: Define your search strategy; Get data: look at primary/secondary resources

· Source Analysis: Material for inclusion

Phase 4: Create your product

· Framework: Flesh out your brief; should include a detailed plan, structure, base

· Writing: Tailor your writing to your objectives; explain and detail collected data

· Source verification: Find out other resources that verify what you are proving

· Editorial review: Get feedback from trusted advisors and colleagues outside your comfort zone

Lastly, I really want to thank Kate, the ALIA Sydney Committee Convenor, because I thought she did a masterful job of separating out the steps required to develop a project. I have to hand it to her—she created a step-by-step guide of a complex activity!

Preparing to write

So you’ve decided on a conference, you’ve decided on a publication and you’ve decided on a project, but before you write, think about your product.

Each conference and publication will have different submission guides in terms of writing style, word count and tone. Remember to look closely at the submission guidelines—and follow them!

Okay, so maybe you don’t have a conference and publication yet. And maybe you’re not sure you want to present. What about just submitting a paper or an article? Here are a few places to think of as a place to publish as a library professional:

· Blogs!

A blog—like this one!—is a good place to get your feet wet. Many libraries and institutions rely on guest bloggers (like this one) for extra content. Have a look at the NSW State Library glob, Mosman Library, Sydney TAFE and, of course, ALIA Sydney blog!

· INCITE

· Public Library News

· Good Reading

· IFLA

· Australian Library Journal

From Paper to Presentation

Another useful presentation that made this workshop worthwhile, Alyson gave an incredible rundown of how to move your conference paper from page to presentation. I was unaware that Alyson was such a great presenter—or how much time and effort she has put into becoming one! While I can’t speak for her, here are the tips that I took away from her wonderful presentation.

1. Show your character

2. Edit your paper for your presentation

· Pair down your paper to just the bare bones

· Have a “maybe pile” of things you are unsure you want to keep

· Add stuff NOT in your paper

· Add anecdotes and stories

· Keep only what’s necessary

3. Things to include

· Who you are

· Context of the project and why it’s relevant to your audience

· The interesting bits of your lit review

· What you did and how

· What you found and what happened

4. Things to leave out

· Most of your lit review (except for the interesting bits)

· Most of your data (except for the interesting bits)

· Most detail of the project (except for the interesting bits)

· Basically, take out anything that won’t be interesting to your audience

5. Work on your presentation skills

· Keep a polished and measured pace (speak slowly and have a conversation)

· Use silence instead of filler words (remove ums, ahs, sos, thens; replace with silence)

· Practice your presentation

· Get presentation skills (PD training, Toastmasters)

6. Visual Aids

· Use PowerPoint only if you need it

· If using PowerPoint, add black/blank slides between slides and pauses

· Create a mood with photos

· Include graphs, lists and videos wisely

· Don’t read your slides!

· Use good templates (not too boring, but not too fancy)

· Trust technology (don’t turn your back to see your slides)

7. 3 Tell’ems

· Tell’em what you’re gonna tell’em

· Tell’em

· Tell’em what you just told’em

Finally, big thanks to everyone who participated and organised the event, especially Crystal, Amy, Kate and Alyson—and an especially big thank you to our video presenters!

Like I said, you should have been there. The practice exercises were spot on and the presenters were engaging (so engaging, I almost missed the delicious afternoon tea!). If you did miss it, however, you should still think about how you are contributing to the profession either by writing or presenting. As library professionals, we have so much to share regarding the innovative programs and projects going on in our libraries. While LIS education and research is great, we have to remember that as practitioners within the field, we’re the ones that are informing our colleagues both locally and abroad. We’re in the trenches—so we should be writing our war stories and our victories!

Jeff Cruz

User Education Librarian

Member of the ALIA Sydney Committee

All opinions expressed are my own and do not reflect the views of my employer or ALIA Sydney.

What kind of reader are you?

2011-10-16T19:24:00.000+11:00

A very good friend of mine, sent me this post. I thought I would share it with you.

The 7 Types of Book Lover,

Posted by Rick – mamamia, Tues 20^th September 2011

http://www.mamamia.com.au

My friends are a metaphorical abyss into which my books tend to fall. They’re like a cosmic black hole just sucking my literature into their unyielding maws. Book grabbers. Thieves. Marauders.

But they do, it must be acknowledged, love books. It’s hard to stay mad at somebody who likes to read. Instead, I’ve decided to categorise and tag them for ease of reference. If you’re a book lover, you’ll relate to these.

1. The Book Thief

You love books so much that you just don’t give them back. It’s all very innocent, of course, but let it be known your bookcase is the product of a sustained pilfering campaign orchestrated by your sheer love of books. I never go around asking for my books back because a.) it would be uncouth and b.) books are such an innate piece of who we are that whenever somebody decides they like a book I’ve loaned them so much they want to keep it, it’s like they’ve decided instead to have that little bit of me stay with them forever. Totally not in a creepy way, I swear.

2. The Dog-Earer

You love your books like you love antiques. Worn. Rustic. Weathered. Sure, the librarians used to mount campaigns against folk of your type in their literary fortresses in days gone by but the reality is: you love books so much you wear them down. There’s no crime in loving a book so passionately that the pages tear and the corners get folded down. Except in Alabama. It’s probably illegal in Alabama.

3. The Serendipity Screamer

If you’re one of these, you read and share. And then tell everyone about how good reading and sharing is. Finished your book? Don’t keep it! Books are meant to be set free you say. So you release a book into the wild. On a park bench. On a train. On a sleeping person’s head in the park. You never know where it will end up but it doesn’t matter because you’ve shared a little knowledge or a little story with the world. And then you tell your friends how avant garde you are.

4. The Self-Conscious Reader

This person isn’t quite comfortable enough with their choice of literature (be it a bodice ripper or a detailed jam-making manifesto) so they pretend to read things like Proust and Hemingway instead. Then they start conversations about the mellifluous nature of prose while secretly hankering to get home and read about heaving chests. The self-conscious reader does not yet understand that we all have our guilty secrets, of course, and would be a lot more easy-going if and when they do.

5. The Did-Not-Finish

This person reads like staccato notes are played in music. Abruptly. Their problem is that they love books too much. They start one book, get distracted by several others, start reading them, get distracted and so on, ad infinitum. This person never quite knows how the books they started reading end, which explains why they think Elizabeth Bennett ends up marrying Ron Weasley in 1984. Or something.

6. The Underliner

Love that sentence? Underline it and save it for a rainy day! The Underliner likes an immersive reading experience and believes the margins were invented for scribbling notes in. These are usually vaguely descriptive affairs like ‘love!’ and multiple asterisks. I have an old study copy of The Great Gatsby which somebody has scrawled throughout. It’s a lovely addition to a great book but whomever took to the margins succeeded more or less in just re-wording what was already there.

7. The Reader-of-Things-You’ve-Never-Heard-Of

It’s not that this person deliberately sets out to be cool and ‘underground’, they really think that people are prone to reading the greater works of revolutionaries from sub-Saharan Africa. Innocent mistake, really. This person reads books you’ve never heard of like ‘The Greater Encyclopedia of Asian Emoticons’ and ‘A Guide to 5th Century Pottery’ written entirely on the inside lip of a clay urn.

But if the goal is simply that people are reading, then who is really complaining?

What kind of book lover are you? What have we missed

Vikki Bell

Bellinform Research, and

ALIA Sydney Committee Member

End of year picnic - Sunday 20th November

2011-10-13T14:45:00.001+11:00

Photo by Mykl Roventine

The ALIA Sydney group invites you to join us for an end of year picnic in the Botanic Gardens.

Please come along and relax, unwind, meet new people, catch up with old friends, and share your stories from 2011.

Friends and family are all welcome.

Where: on the Band Lawn, near the Venus Fountain (number 30 on the map)

When: Sunday, 20th November, from 12 p.m.

What to bring: Food and drink, something to sit on, hats and suncream.

RSVP: aliasydneygroup@gmail.com to give us some idea of numbers, or just turn up on the day.

We look forward to seeing you there!

- Katrina

ALIA Sydney presents: From Little Things Big Things Grow: preparing to present and write a paper

2011-10-03T15:41:00.003+11:00

A FEW FINAL SPACES REMAIN:

Looking for some tools to put in your writing and presenting toolbox to start preparing for your first conference paper? This half day workshop will give you the spade to start growing your ideas into something big on the journey from idea to abstract, and writing to presenting.

Topics will include:

- What is a conference program director looking for in an abstract?

- The best ways to pitch ideas to your boss

- Preparing to write

- Tips for presenting

Some tools you’ll take with you:

- Learning to pitch ideas

- Tools to plan and hone your research

- Ideas for expanding your writing repertoire

- Improving your presentation style

Featuring guest presenters Janet Fletcher (Director, Information Services Department, UNSW and Co-Convenor for the ALIA 2012 Biennial)

Alyson Dalby (InSync Surveys and former Co-Convenor ALIA New Librarians Symposium)

Room 209, UNSW Library, University of New South Wales

1 - 5pm Saturday 15th October 2011

ALIA Members $15 and Non-Members $20

RSVPs are essential so please email your details to aliasydneygroup@gmail.com

David Lee King and Sean O'Brien at the SLNSW

2011-09-23T14:17:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to attend part of the ABC+D Reference and Information Services Group (RISG) meeting at the State Library of NSW. I was only able to attend the first half of the day, to see the presentations by David Lee King from the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library and Sean O’Brien from ABC Open.

Having followed David Lee King’s blog for some time, and having not been able to see him at NLS5 in Perth, it was great to hear him speak in person. David’s presentation was titled “Freak Out, Geek Out, or Seek Out: Trends, Transformations, & Change in Libraries.”

David and the audience looked at some of the changes that have occurred both in and out of libraries… the demise of card catalogues, introduction of self-check scanners, the way we access information (e.g. checking email on a smart phone), less landline phones, relying on mobile phones for the time over wristwatches, etc. But another big change is competition.

Libraries now have competition from:

Book stores. In the US, the huge Barnes & Noble stores have books that are easy to browse, in sections that are easy to understand, with cafes, comfy chairs, and even group study and story time!
Amazon. Cheap and the website is easy to use.
Online newspapers. Will this be the end of newspaper-reading areas in libraries?
DVD rental boxes/online rentals. Over a library, these provide new release titles, without a reserve queue, and with DVDs that aren’t scratched or damaged.
eBooks
iPads
Google.

We are now using the web in new ways. The emerging web is real time, decentralized, mobile, multimedia, social, and public. This makes libraries global and easy to access, and provides new opportunities for libraries to engage with their clients. However it also requires library staff to learn and adapt, and libraries to change or die.

On the Topeka Library website the staff create original content across 15-20 blogs, and clients can subscribe via email or RSS. Comments sections allow clients and library staff to have conversations, where even negative feedback can provide opportunities to engage. There are multiple ways to access the catalogue, via different “front doors” – physical, Google, Facebook, YouTube, and other search engines. Using your library should be as easy as switching on a light – the client shouldn’t need to think. Topeka is looking at what clients are doing (David even checks this out over their shoulders), and going to where they are.

David suggests that it is imperative for administrators and leaders to model the way forward. If administrators are expecting to use new systems and tools, they should first learn how and show their staff how to use them. Administrators should also use opportunities to bring in new staff to hire the right staff. Roles and personalities are changing, and hiring staff is a chance to appoint people with skills for necessary changes.

There needs to be a change of focus in libraries, and this should be built into strategic plans. People need to make time to learn and implement new things. If there is time for libraries to participate in the ALAAnnual Book Cart Drill Team World Championships then there is time to make changes in your library.

Sean O’Brien’s presentation followed nicely from David’s. Sean not only detailed the ABC Open initiative, but also started conversations with librarians about the possibilities of how ABC Open might work with libraries.

ABC Open operates in regional areas of Australia, working on projects with groups (such as historical societies) to build a picture of regional life. Two of their projects are ‘Now and Then’ and ‘The Moment Behind the Photo.’ Producers run workshops with regional participants to educate them in how to work with their materials such as photographs, adding new stories to their collections. Once people have learned these new skills they can continue with their own projects, and share their knowledge with other members in the community.

The project uses Vimeo and Flickr, with tags that then feed through to the ABC website. ‘Now and Then’ and ‘The Moment Behind the Photo’ combine photographs, film, and audio to provide snapshots of regional Australia. The created material is owned by the participants, and then licensed by the ABC. Part of the reason Vimeo and Flickr were chosen is the possibility to use different sharing permissions under Creative Commons license.

How could ABC Open work with libraries? For a start they need spaces to work. Being in regional areas they are often without the necessary internet capabilities to upload the material on the spot, so this is something libraries could provide. However there need to be discussions between ABC Open and libraries, to ensure they are working for the same outcomes.

Given that I’ve been trawling through an organisation’s archives for uni, I was excited by the possibilities of what could be done to bring this material to life.

Ellen Forsyth created a storify feed for the day here and I also suggest that once the podcast goes up on the NLS5 website you have a listen to David Lee King's presentation there.

- Katrina

Katrina is a member of the ALIA Sydney Committee and a librarian at the State Library of NSW.

ALIA Sydney Presents: From Little Things Big Things Grow: preparing to present and write a paper

2011-09-17T19:34:00.001+10:00

It's conference season with the ALIA New Librarians Symposium and Library Technicians Conference both happening this month and the ALIA Biennial have already released their call for abstracts for next year's conference in Sydney.

Have you thought you would like to present a paper at a conference?

But don't know where to start?

Or maybe you've done it before but would like to brush up your skills and get some insiders tips?

Well, the latest ALIA Sydney event is here to help you get your hands dirty and start to grow your little ideas into big ones.

This half day workshop is to help you develop confidence and learn some tips and tricks about how to put together a conference paper covering everything from pitching the idea to your manager, submitting an abstract, working with colleagues and brushing up your presentations skills. The workshop will also explore writing a small piece for a professional publication such as inCite as this can be great way to hone sharing your ideas.

Featuring guest presenters:

Janet Fletcher (Director, Information Services Department, UNSW and Co-Convenor for the ALIA 2012 Biennial)

Alyson Dalby (InSync Surveys and former Co-Convenor ALIA New Librarians Symposium)

Room 209, UNSW Library, University of New South Wales

1 - 5pm Saturday 15th October 2011

ALIA Members $15 and Non-Members $20

RSVPs are essential so please email your details to aliasydneygroup@gmail.com

Digital storytelling: the latest fad or somethig more powerful?

2011-09-13T19:43:00.000+10:00

Ok, so what is digital storytelling? Is it just the latest fad or does it have staying power? Let's take a look at what it's all about.

EDUCAUSE say digital storytelling is about combining narrative with digital content to create a movie... "They can be instructional, persuasive, historical or reflective". Digital storytelling allows people to tell true or fictional stories using a range of tools and content such as animation, photos, video, voice and sound. Making them allows people to reflect on their experiences and share their beliefs and values. As a learning/sharing tool, this allows people to develop communication and language skills while creatively combining narrative and images to tell a story. In library speak we call this building multiple literacies! Some tools you can use to create digital stories.

In libraries we can use digital storytelling as a way to communicate with clients in a new way. For example, we can promote an event using digital storytelling. Imagine using a little animation to promote children's storytime! We can also run workshops to help clients (young and old) use these tools and create their own digital stories. A great example of how this could work is the tool Voicethread, which allows people to add voiceover to photos/slides. For example, you could upload selected photos from a local history collection and invite people to share their stories about the place/people in the photo. This could be a great way to engage your community and create cross-cultural, inter-generational learning! There are so many other ways you could use this tool and all the others to create meaningful stories. It's up to you and your community to experiment and play with them to find their true potential!

~ Sophie

Sophie McDonald is an ALIA Sydney committee member and tweets @misssophiemac

History Week

2011-09-05T20:01:00.000+10:00

Here in New South Wales we are celebrating History Week, a time when organisations across the state throw open their doors and showcase the ways they are preserving out rich and varied history. Many information organisations are taking part including The National Archives with a talk titled ‘Eat History’ and Botany Bay Library with a lecture about the Davis Gelatine Company, who inspired many home cooks long before Master Chef.

When sitting down to write this post I had History Week on the brain and wanted to find some little nugget from libraries past that might show us how far we have come….or not…

The references below all come from Jeremy Norman’s From Cave Paintings to the Internet: Chronological and Thematic Studies of the History of Information and Media, an extensive resource for anyone interested in the subject.

According to sources on the subject, the library at the Sorbonne in 1321 encountered some of the same problems modern libraries are grappling with; how to ensure resources are returned, ways to raise money to grow the collection and how to improve the library catalogue.

In regards to loans, the library had a novel way to ensure all loaned books were returned

‘no book was to be loaned out of the house [library] unless a pledge of greater value, whether book or precious metal, be left in its place in the pledge chest’

So if this were in force today, how much gold would it take to borrow a copy of The Help?

And if you thought modern libraries were the first to have a Saturday book sale at the local markets, think again, the statutes of the Sorbonne listed

“certain unbound manuscripts of little worth, such as collections of notes and sermons, were to be disposed of, and the proceeds used to buy books which the library lacked.”

The last point made was in reference to the poor state of the library’s catalogue and that an entirely new one should be undertaken

“because many of the books previously owned by the house could no longer be found"

Maybe stocktakes weren’t invented yet….

So if you have a frustrating day at work this week take heart in knowing that over 600 years’ worth of librarians have been battling the same problems as you.

And if that fails, maybe suggest the idea of a ‘pledge chest’ to your director.

Happy History Week

-Amy Barker is on Twitter @unlikelylibrary

ALIA Biennial Call for Abstracts Now Open

2011-09-05T19:34:00.001+10:00

With a little whisper the team from the ALIA Biennial have released their call for abstracts. You can see all the details over at http://conferences.alia.org.au/alia2012/program.html

If you aren't sure how to get started: stay tuned... help is on the way!

Welcome to the App Sharing Zone!

2011-09-01T10:07:00.002+10:00

For today’s blog post, I thought I would initiate a great app sharing process that I first heard about from a lecturer friend, who regularly tells his students to whip out their iphones/ipads/smart phones during downtimes in tutes, and to go around the room and share the latest cool new app that they can’t live without, with the rest of the group.

Ok. I’ll go first.... but not before I disclaim that this has a kinda self-serving purpose, because I was recently lucky enough to be given an iPad for my birthday – (how lucky am I?) and I’m always on the lookout for awesome, cool apps. I find that I tend to find out about cool apps in a random and serendipitous manner (someone really should create a catalogue for apps, that uses controlled vocabulary, because I find using the itunes store, less useful, but that might be just me) Or is there one already out there?

So, what better way to find out about great apps but to lean on my professional learning network (ie you guys!)?

I’ve listed some of the apps that I’ve recently discovered and/or can’t live without. Note: For the apps that are only available for iPad, I’ve included iPad in brackets after I’ve listed it. Where possible, I’ve listed if the app was free at the time that I acquired it.

Social Media apps

- Facebook app for iPhone (free) I’m still trying to find a comparable app for my iPad that doesn’t crash or randomly forget to give me notifications. Does anyone have any suggestions? I’ve got MyPad+ and Friendly, but they don’t cut the mustard.

- Hootsuite (free)- a dashboard for updating to all of your SM accounts

Productivity apps

- SpringPad (free)- great for making notes, clipping web pages and generally keeping track of everything in my life

- Paperless- another great list making app (There’s a free lite version)

- PhatPad- (iPad) it does OCR on your handwriting, and converts it to text! This requires the use of a stylus.

- DocsToGo- create and sync Word documents and Excel spreadsheets on the go!

- Dropbox (free)- for document sharing and storage

- Evernote Peek (free) – (iPad) FABULOUS study tool that allows you to use the smart cover to test yourself- great for learning vocab if you’re learning a language!

- Evernote (free, but with option for paying for more storage) – (you need an Evernote account to use Evernote Peek)

- Popplet lite (free)– (iPad) great brainstorming app

RSS feeds/news apps

- Pulse (free)– this is my new ALL TIME favourite app, which allows you to customise your news feeds. It looks pretty, and it’s FREE!

Photo apps

- FlickStackr – (iPad) lets’s you upload photos from your ipad to Flickr and other SM such as Twitter and Facebook

- Instagram (free)- an oldie but a goodie, that lets you customise your photos with fancy filters and share them on your SM networks.

Other

- Scrabble

- Words with Friends (free)

- Goodreads (free)

- Dictionary (free)

- smh (free, for the moment)

- Pkt weather app

- ABC iview (free)

Of course this list is not exhaustive, and I’m sure I’ve missed your favourite app, so please leave a comment and we can start going around the room and sharing!

- Crystal

Crystal Choi is a committee member of ALIA Sydney and tweets @crystalibrary.

ALIA Sydney Presents: Think Outside the Green

2011-08-15T11:41:00.001+10:00

A sustainable library in Villanueva, Columbia as spotlighted at:http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/02/stunning-library-in-tropical-columbia-has-permeable-rock-and-wood-walls.php

Do you hear the words climate change and wonder what you and your workplace can really do to help? Sustainability is about so much more than just recycling and turning off the lights! Join us for a lively night of discussion about what sustainability means for us, our libraries and our communities. Special guest speakers (to be announced) will share their experiences and help brainstorm practical things we can do now to make sure we create a sustainable future.

Numbers are limited so please RSVP to aliasydneygroup@gmail.com to ensure you don’t miss out.

Monday 19^th of September 2011 6:30-8:00pm (arrive from 6pm)

UTS Library, Level 4, Room 4G. Cnr Ultimo Rd and Quay St, Ultimo, 2007

Cost: $5 for ALIA Members / $7 for Non-ALIA Members (Pay at the Door)

PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES OUT OF OUR CONTROL WE HAVE HAD TO POSTPONE THIS EVENT. WE ARE RESCHEDULING AND WILL CONFIRM THE NEW DATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

On Sale - Shops & Shopping

2011-08-14T20:30:00.000+10:00

On Friday I used my lunch break to check out the latest free exhibition at the State Library of New South Wales. Now anyone who knows me well can tell you I hate shopping, yet this is an exhibition all about shops and shopping and I thought it was great!

While I've been working at the Library I've catalogued some collections of news clippings and have always enjoyed seeing the advertisements for different products and clothing styles. These days a lot of them would be entirely politically incorrect, and no doubt some of the products are even illegal. I think it's an interesting way to explore elements of the social history of New South Wales and Australia.

On Sale is, for the most part, made up of items from the State Library's collections. There are paintings, letters, newspapers, ledger books, photographs, food stamps, scrapbooks, posters, booklets, boxes, shopping bags... anything you can think of really, documenting the history of shopping in Sydney and New South Wales from the early colony to the present day.

I particularly liked seeing the development of markets in Sydney and early histories of the department stores. Then there is the washing machine - because "every woman deserves a washing machine." It's alright, you could use your new washing machine for your smart girl, interlocking stitch, dull fabric underwear!

I thought the exhibition was great and the presentation of materials was fun. I know the library is running events to coincide with On Sale (e.g. Tuesday nights in the galleries) so I'd definitely like to go again and have the opportunity to have someone talk me through what's on show.

If you get the chance, definitely pop along to visit. There's more information on the State Library website, and the exhibition brochure is free as well.

- Katrina

ALIA Sydney committee member & librarian at the SLNSW.

These views are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer. I visited and wrote about On Sale from my own personal experience, not as a State Library employee.

Powerhouse Tour 2011 Wrap Up

2011-08-06T13:56:00.002+10:00

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon as 20 or so lucky library and museum enthusiasts gathered outside the Powerhouse Museum waiting to be taken into through the Love Lace exhibition, the collection carefully housed in the basement, the research library and to sit down with Sebastian Chan, Head of Digital, Social and Emerging Technologies at the Powerhouse.

One of the many interesting experiences of the day was the chance to play with the QR (quick response) codes embedded in the Love Lace Exhibition. If you have never tried one of these QR codes it is basically a graphic representation of a URL that can be experienced with a smart phone. By downloading the Powerhouse app or using a bar code reader and then taking a photo of the graphic, the user is directed to a web site related to the resource, in this case further information about the piece and the artist.

We then ventured into the basement to see so many wonderful pieces held by the museum. Everything from toys to dresses to clocks to medical equipment. Every drawer revealed another treasure. The above shoes were originally created for adult women who practiced the custom of foot binding.

After the basement we toured the Research library and discovered the wide range held in this bursting-at-the-seams library. The Research Library has recently started using Koha, the open source ILS out of New Zealand and have experienced great results.

We ended our day sitting down the Seb Chan. He shared his insights into how the Powerhouse is using social media with the upcoming Harry Potter exhibition, the balance museums face trying to justify both the physical and virtual spaces and how an online presence can provide a follow up experience after a visitor leaves the Powerhouse.

All in all it was a very inspiring afternoon, a big thank you goes out to the team at the Powerhouse for being so generous with their time and knowledge. If you missed out on this tour keep watching the ALIA Sydney blog for more opportunities.

There are many, many more images in the ALIA Sydney Flickr photo stream

Amy Barker, ALIA committee member tweets @unlikelylibrary

Tales from a Professional Placement

2011-08-04T09:32:00.001+10:00

It's with great pleasure that I introduce an ALIA Sydney guest blogger for today's blog post, Kristine Boardman. Kristine has just started doing her professional placement as a librarian with me, and I'm enthusiastic about showing her all of the aspects of my job, as an academic librarian. I'm also excited about all of the things that Kristine will be able to teach me along the way, and the things that I will learn being a professional placement supervisor. So without further ado, I introduce Kristine:

___________________________________________________________________________

As part of the Librarian degree through Charles Sturt University I have commenced my Professional Placement at The University of Sydney’s SciTech and Badham libraries this week. As I am employed as a Library Technician, the opportunity to see the difference in the roles is something I am really looking forward to.

After the first few busy days the main difference I have noticed is the amount of teaching and training done by the Faculty Liaison Librarians (FLLs), especially early in semester. I have sat in on two classes and the focus on Information Literacy skills for students commencing their research is a major part of these training sessions. The FLLs have demonstrated their depth of knowledge in database searching, evaluating sources and the use of reference management software, Endnote.

The opportunity to gain knowledge about this role and an understanding of the responsibilities that go with a position such as this will be very beneficial when applying for jobs at this level. There is a lot I still don’t know about the finer details of FLL role and some things which I particularly want to explore include:

· How to develop effective working relationships with academics, research and teaching staff

· Managing the collection and gaining a more specialised knowledge of the subject area and resources

· Planning, marketing and promotion of services and activities for clients

I am very fortunate to have an extremely enthusiastic staff member who volunteered to be my Placement Supervisor and this has a great bearing on the opportunities I will be able to participate in, in my time here. Already the amount of help and goodwill from all the staff and time they have set aside for consultations is wonderful. As the University of Sydney Library is such a large organisation there is so much to learn about and people to meet. The extent to which the library serves its clients will become clearer to me over the next couple of weeks and I am privileged to be able to do this placement in such a dynamic library.

Kristine Boardman is a Library Technician at the Univeristy of Sydney Library and she is currently studying towards her library degree at Charles Sturt University.

Crystal Choi is an academic librarian and a member of the ALIA Sydney committee. She tweets @crystalibrary.

Disclaimer: I didn't in any way put Kristine up to the lovely comments in her blog post!!!

An afternoon behind the scenes at the Powerhouse Museum

2011-08-03T21:52:00.001+10:00

We're so excited about our peek into the inner workings of the Powerhouse Museum. Whilst numbers were strictly limited so many of our community had to miss out, our lovely committee member Amy Barker will be documenting the day so we will be sharing some of the fun. So to get everyone in the mood, I wanted to share the exciting program our kind hosts have put together for us.

Firstly, we will be taken by curators Erika Taylor and Geoff Barker on a tour of the basement of the museum and I am curious to see what gems they choose to show us. The Powerhouse does offer public basement tours from time to time but usually with a focus on a particular collection, I love the mystery element of this tour.

Then they are taking us upstairs to the have a look at the latest Powerhouse exhibition Love Lace, which only opened 5 days ago, to have a look at the App they developed especially for this collection, to enable visitors to connect to more information through QR codes. "This App works as a companion exhibition catalogue in your pocket." They've asked those of us with iphones to download the app before we come so they can show us what it can do.

We will then be delivered to the Powerhouse Research Library where the librarians will be discussing and demonstrating their new Koha open source library catalogue.

Finally, we will be having rest and a chat with Seb Chan, head of Digital, Social and Emerging Technologies, and his team. For those of you unfamiliar with their fabulous work, have a look at their blog Fresh + New(er) but their team does a lot of different things including building their fabulous apps and spearheading their data and digitisation efforts. They are making huge strides towards digitising their vast collections and as a thank you ALIA Sydney will be donating a portion of our ticket price to the their digitisation project. If you think they are doing great work have a think about making a tax deductible donation as well.

So I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings...

More than just books and buildings

2011-07-29T15:50:00.001+10:00

I'm not sure you're ever off-duty as a librarian. The questions about libraries keep coming no matter where you are, not that I mind. Recently one of my friends asked me if there is an age limit on borrowing toys from toy libraries. I've never worked in a toy library, or anywhere that lends toys, but it got me thinking about the different types of libraries that are out there. While libraries battle to define their place in a changing technological landscape, and groups and individuals look towards being more environmentally aware, I thought I'd look at what some libraries are doing to provide services to their clients.

Animal libraries

Starting with the endearing, you might have heard about the biblioburro or bibliomulas, travelling libraries in Colombia and Venezuela. In Magdalena, Colombia, Luis Soriano spends his free time operating a biblioburro. Every Wednesday and Saturday Soriano travels with his donkeys Alfa and Beto to visit a rotation of 15 villages, providing books, homework help, and tales to the children.

In Venezuela, the bibliomulas have even been equipped with laptops and projectors, becoming "cyber mules" and "cine mules", bringing technology and internet access to the villages they visit.

Tool libraries

In Australia and around the world, groups have set up tool libraries to lend and share resources (there's even a Wikipedia page). While there are permanent tool libraries, some were set up in the wake of the 2009 Victorian bush fires to provide not only the means for rebuilding, but as a space to provide emotional support for survivors. Tool libraries provide more than just tools. They also offer spaces for woodworking, workshops, DIY classes, and a community environment.

Seed libraries

I'm not sure if these are happening anywhere in Australia, but in the USA there appear to be at least 5 libraries who have opened seed libraries. The San Francisco Library's Potrero branch, Richmond Public Librar, Alameda Free Library, Fairfield Woods, and the East Palo Alto brach of San Mateo Public Library. Patrons can check out vegetable seeds to grown their own, and then save and return the seeds after harvesting the crops.

Floating libraries

Alright, so this one isn't technically a library, in fact it's a bookshop, but a library could do it so I'll include it. The Book Barge is a floating book store in Lichfield, Staffordshire, that is currently taking a 6-month tour of the UK canal network.

The Logos Hope is the world's largest floating bookstore/library. Run by GBA ships, the Logos Hope holds over 6000 books for purchase or loan, and the crew also help to build houses and donate provisions in under-privilege countries.

People libraries

If borrowing books isn't enough, why not borrow a person? Visitors to the Whitehorse Human Library in Victoria will able to borrow people, to provide "an opportunity for people in the community to connect with and learn about people from diverse life experiences and backgrounds." The 'human books' can be borrowed for a short, informal conversation.

This idea has been tried elsewhere. The Human Library has held events around the world to try to "break stereotypes by challenging the most common prejudices in a positive and humorous manner." There have been living libraries in Turkey and the UK and Lismore, to name a few.

Footpath libraries

The Benjamin Andrew Footpath Library provides books to the homeless and disadvantaged in Sydney and Woolloomooloo. Books are donated (by publishers and ordinary people) and are available for the homeless to choose themselves. Unlike a normal library, there aren't any due dates.. the books don't need to be returned.

Unlibraries

The Crouch End Unlibrary in London is managed by a charitable company, interested in "exploring the future of the book in the digital age." The Unlibrary provides a space to discuss books and ideas, use wifi, use workshop space for readers, writers and makers, has a training centre, and even a portable bookshop. The managing company if:book also has a branch in Australia that is part of the Queensland Writers Centre.

It's not the same thing, but this reminds me of The Edge, the digital culture centre of the State Library of Queensland. The Edge provides "a place for experimentation and creativity, giving contemporary tools to young people to allow them to explore critical ideas, green initiatives, new design practices and media making." I've checked it out in person and it's amazing. The tools and technologies are fantastic. While I was there I met one of the artists who took me on a tour and explained how he'd created works that wouldn't have been possible without access to these resources.

I suppose the result of this is to question just what is a library, and to consider what else libraries could be doing with their communities.

And from looking into toy libraries around Australia, no, there doesn't seem to be an upper age limit. So go forth and borrow!

Katrina McAlpine
Librarian & ALIA Sydney Committee Member

The Social Media Presence of Australian Public Libraries

2011-07-26T12:16:00.002+10:00

For a project at a public library, I have been researching the social media presence of public libraries in Australia and internationally.

And, overall, I have to say that I am quite disappointed.

Obviously, I could not go through every single public library website in Australia, so I focused on the State and Territory Capitals and the largest Local Government Areas. Interestingly, Brisbane City is the largest LGA in Australia, while the City of Sydney and City of Melbourne are relatively small (ranked 19th and 79th).

I also looked at mostly English speaking Global Cities (New York, Amsterdam, London, Hong Kong) and a handful of “Sydney-sized” American, Kiwi and British cities.

What did I find?

1) Overwhelmingly, Australian public libraries don’t have their own websites—they live on a subpage of their council. Yes, I’m sure there are politics involved, but how can you have a modern public library webpage (engaging, dynamic, modular, and interactive) when it’s tacked onto a council’s webpage that is basically read-only?

2) 8 out of 16 didn’t have a Facebook Page while 9 out of 16 lacked a Twitter page. This means that half of the Australian public libraries I surveyed don’t have their own social media presence (and these included the Big Boys—City of Sydney, Brisbane City and City of Perth). To be fair, they often piggyback on their council’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, so they do have some information flowing through those channels.

3) Those public libraries that do have some social media presence are not using them successfully. The top social media movers-and-shakers are Moreton Bay Region Libraries with 624 likes on Facebook, and Sunshine Coast Libraries, with 581 likes on Facebook. Not terrible, but not great given that they are two of the Top 5 largest LGAs in Australia.

How does Australia compare with other international cities?

Well, the New York Public Library is not only the largest public library in the world—it is also the largest public library in social media. They have a whopping 37,610 likes on Facebook and 133,841 followers on Twitter. That’s almost the population of the City of Sydney LGA! You may be thinking, “Yeah, well, with 3.5 million people in their library district and almost 19 million in the Metro NYC area, that’s easy.” But NYPL worked for it! They purposefully built their community, jumping from 4,000 Twitter followers in January 2010 to 109,000 followers in March 2011.

The San Francisco Public Library—with a much larger LGA than Sydney (805,235 people vs. Sydney’s 177,920) but with an equivalent Metro area (around 4.5 million)—has 6,027 Facebook likes and 1,183 Twitter followers. The Boston Public Library (5,259 likes and 3,932 Twitter followers) and the Seattle Public Library (11,551 likes and 1,114 Twitter followers) have similar stats—along with larger LGAs but smaller Metro areas compared to City of Sydney.

Yeah, fine, big American cities with large populations and huge LGAs have the resources and lack the politics to do what they want with social media in their public libraries. Have you heard of Salt Lake City, Utah? The Salt Lake City Libraries (with an equivalent-sized LGA and smaller Metro area compared to Sydney) has 1,300 Facebook likes and 4,945 Twitter followers. Not too shabby! Their website and presence online is a wonder—and it goes to show that you don’t have to be rich or big to be interactive with your community online.

So what about non-American cities? Looking at the Inner London Burroughs of City of London, City of Westminster and the Royal Burough of Kensington and Chelsea as well as Portsmouth City, I wasn’t impressed. While they had Facebook and Twitter accounts, the City of Westminster had the only somewhat-impressive number of 843 Twitter followers. Wellington, NZ, however, had a nice number of 1,364 Twitter followers.

Why does it matter?

You may think that social media presence for public libraries isn’t such a big deal.
Oh, but it is!

Think of the marketing potential. With Australians topping the world charts for the number of hours spent online, that means you have the ability of getting across your library’s message—your collections, your info and your events and programming details—to a somewhat captivated audience of information and entertainment seekers.

Think of your library’s relevance. Where are people going for information these days? Unfortunately, it’s not your musty reference section. It’s The Google. Or Wikipedia. Or Yahoo Answers. Shouldn’t your library be right there in their Twittersphere or as their Facebook friend in order to provide the information they need, when they need it?

Think of your library’s web interactivity. Gone are the days of static web pages. Library users want to compliment, complain, comment. They want to be able to get library locations and times without leaving the comfort of their Facebook. They want to be able to RSVP for a library event and have it sent to their iCal (ok, that’s what I want). Librarians and library staff are the faces of the library behind the desk—shouldn’t we also be the avatars behind the HTML5?

Do you know of an Australian public library that is doing some awesome things online?

Even though I focused on public libraries, do you know of an Australian library (state, academic, special) that is doing social media right?

Jeff Cruz
User Education Librarian
ALIA Sydney Committee Member
All those opinions are solely my own and not a reflection of ALIA, ALIA Sydney or my employer.

What do I read next???

2011-07-25T15:03:00.003+10:00

As a librarian in a public library this is a very common question that can be asked day in and day out. How do you equip yourself to satisfy the client request? How do you choose books for book clubs that lends itself to great discussions? Being an avid reader myself I find this aspect of my work the most rewarding and I would like to share with you a few of the resources that I use to provide answers to questions where subjectivity plays an important role.

There is no resource greater than the books that you have read. Some of my favourite reads this year have been Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie, Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey, Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, Indelible Ink by Fiona McGregor, Wait for me: Memoirs of the youngest Mitford sister by Deborah Mitford, Major Pettigrews Last Stand by Helen Simonson, The Pleasure Seekers by Tishani Doshi, We have met the enemy by Daniel Akst, The happiest refugee by Anh Do….and the next one waiting on my bedside table is Super sad true love story by Gary Shteyngart.

Great resources include the catalogue, library reading lists that include mysteries, adventure, literature winners, Who else writes like…? , Fantastic fiction http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ , ABC Tuesday Book club, databases such as Novelist and Books and authors, Nancy Pearl http://www.nancypearl.com/ …

Also Time Magazine July 18, 2011, page 45 – 51, has an article titled The best pages to turn this northern summer from 23 authors we admire. Janny Scott author of A singular woman: The untold story of Barrack Obama’s Mother has recommended The hare with amber eyes by Edmund De Waal. It is a memoir injected with history which should make for an interesting read.

There is also a lot of information on the readers advisory Wiki http://readersadvisory.wetpaint.com/ and you can also go to the 2011 twitter reading group at http://readit2011.wordpress.com/ .

Also for the really keen visit red bubble to purchase a readers advisory hoodie/T-shirt at http://www.redbubble.com/people/nswrisg/t-shirts/6735341-ra2011-readers-advisory-seminar-2011 .

I must confess that at the moment I am just a tad addicted to Library Thing. You can catalogue up to 200 books for free and for an additional charge of $25.00 you can catalogue unlimited books for life. I find this a neat tool to catalogue all of my reads with ratings for each item. It is also a useful tool to find out what others are reading; in fact it is a great social networking site for readers!

Happy reading...

Shoba Abraham - Public Librarian and ALIA Sydney Committee Member

Not just one way communication

2011-07-25T00:13:00.000+10:00

Question came up as what do you do when the Manager or CEO decides that you are not to use web 2.0 technology to engage the community but that the only point of engagement is to be the official website. The website is a good tool for disseminating the information the community needs but doesn't allow for community engagement as you are only pushing the information that you say the community needs, not listening to the community tell you what it needs. Any response to email request takes at least a few days to go through the right channels before you even get a response and the structure is very rigid.

This goes against what most libraries want to do - they want to reach the audience where it is found currently, whether that be via blog, Twitter, Facebook or as currently is the case Google+. You want to interact and be able to provide the user with the information they may want in a timely and relevant manner. You want the potential user of the library to feel a part of the community and be able to contribute whether with a book review or with a comment that is answered in a timely manner.

Showing the Manager or CEO that the website is not the only form of communication that is available and that you can achieve much more by having multiple access points to your information is important. Explaining the checks in place to ensure the accuracy of the information and the moderation of comments should be explained as should the benefits of using the blog or other web 2.0 technology. Question remains whether you can change someone's mind about the use of a technology in the organisation or does it become an issue better left as is.

Vesna Cosic, ALIA Sydney Treasurer

What we know, what we need to know

2011-07-20T09:42:00.000+10:00

Recently I found myself talking with some colleagues from academic libraries about the importance of qualifications and training. Inspired by some recent recruitment we have been undertaking, we turned to wondering about whether people should hold a full librarian based qualification to be considered for appointment in a tertiary library position. Many librarian level positions express a desire for applicants to be eligible for Associate membership with ALIA as a proxy for some form of Information Management qualification. In this digital age the skills that are required for many positions are based around technology, data management, IT, web design and online access. Additionally, some libraries take more of a corporate business approach in the promotion and delivery of their services and resources. So should professionals outside of the information management field be included in the staffing of today’s libraries or is it still imperative to have strong ‘traditional’ training?

How do we as library professionals learn the necessary ‘traditional’ skills such as the reference interview and information retrieval for clients if it has not been the main focus of our degree and training? I think back to when I started working in libraries. I was half way through my information management degree and lacked experience. Databases, information retrieval and the library world were still so foreign to me. I must have bluffed my way through my degree to this stage. My assessment tasks were full of imposed theories and concepts. Realising the difficulty of even landing a job interview without experience I started volunteering my time in areas that I thought would help me.

Luckily I scored my first library position working for an Interlibrary Loans department; an opportunity which I now realise was perfect in starting me out in my library career. I was thrown in the deep end having to locate and deliver a wide range of resources quickly across a myriad of discipline areas. More coincidently my work was being mirrored by the courses that I was studying at the time. Putting the theories into practice made so much more sense. This experience holds me up to this day.

Reflecting on this experience and my career to date there have been a few key influences that that have given me the confidence, skills and experience that I now put into practice as a librarian.

· A learn by doing approach: Being throw in the deep end with queries and tasks on unfamiliar topics has been one of the greatest growth experiences. This includes having to plan for in-depth research consultations, classes and answering on the spot reference question in unfamiliar subject territory.

· Mentoring: Peer mentoring and working collaboratively with ‘experts’ in particular areas has provided me with such a wealth of knowledge. I have done this both formally and informally and have gained so much from other people’s ideas and experiences.

· Training: Training opportunities, involvement in resource development and product demonstrations is what I find tops off the learning and profession growth experience.

It has been a collection of training, experiences and support that has provided me with the necessary tools in my library career so far. We need to have flexibility when it come to ‘qualifications and training’ to accommodate the fast changing nature of today’s libraries.

What are the experiences and training that you hold up as main influences in your career?

Bruce Munro is an ALIA Sydney committee member

FINAL PLACES LEFT: ALIA Sydney Presents: Knowning Me, Knowing You

2011-07-19T12:03:00.000+10:00

ONLY A FEW PLACES LEFT so please RSVP to aliasydneygroup@gmail.com to ensure you don’t miss out.

Have you ever looked at the job ads and wondered how do you become the person who gets that job? And with so many jobs having generic titles these days, what are these jobs really about?

Come together to widen your library circle and hear a bit more about of those jobs you've always wondered about. Our discussion leaders will share their stories and then it is your turn to bring out your networking skills and get to know the people around you as we open some great topics up for discussion and you can find out all about those great jobs you never knew even existed.

Featuring:

· Larissa Reid, Reader Services Librarian, Law Courts Library

· Jo Croucher, Digital Library Services, UNSW Library

· Bernard de Broglio, Internet Coordinator, Mosman Council

· Shardee Hoff, Facilities Coordinator, Shine Media

· Vikki Bell, Freelance Researcher, Bellinfom Research

· Leonie Smallwood, Library Programmes Coordinator, City of Sydney

Monday 25^th of July 2011 6:30-8:00pm (arrive from 6pm)

Upstairs, City Hotel, 347 Kent St (cnr of King St) Sydney City, 2000

Cost: $5 for ALIA Members / $7 for Non-ALIA Members (Pay at the Door)

EMAIL, EMAIL, and MORE EMAIL!

2011-07-16T15:53:00.001+10:00

I get so much email these days based on the many different things I am involved with professionally, socially and out of interest, I know I have to be organised. Given that more and more organisations are limiting the size of our inboxes I thought I would share with you some of the tips and techniques I use to keep my inbox virtually empty.

I know there are rules for minimizing our emails. These usually look something like this:

· Use thoughtful headings so people know what they are going to be reading about and why they should do so

· Keep the email short and to the point

· Don’t go into email loop whereby you keep replying to each other

· Don’t REPLY ALL if not everyone needs to stay in the loop

· Don’t send to all and sundry if they are not directly involved in the conversation

· PICK up the phone if what you really need is a quick answer or decision

· Don’t keep everything “just in case”

You get the idea?

Not everyone follows these rules, so we don’t always have control over what comes in. How we deal with email is what keeps us organised.

Some active hints:

· Where possible, turn Your Email Notification Off

If your email program checks for new emails automatically, turn it off. Having a constant beeping sound when new emails come in can be very distracting and will make you lose focus – this in turn wastes time and causes you to be less efficient and effective.

· Stop Constantly Checking Your Emails

Being at the beck and call of your emails will drain you of time and energy. Diarize to deal with your email at certain intervals during the day and avoid the temptation to keep checking your inbox every few minutes. Unless you’re waiting for an important email there is no reason to keep ruining your productivity with this nasty trap that so many of us fall into!

· Keep Your Inbox Clean

Don’t use your inbox as an archive, hanging on to every single email ‘just in case’ you might need it. If you must keep certain emails, create a folder and file them as soon they have been dealt with. Opening up an inbox full of stuff that you don’t need is energy-drain that impacts on our focus and productivity. Keep your inbox as clean as possible – aim for empty by clearing out regularly.

· Create Templates

Stop keep writing the same type of email over and over again. If you find yourself sending similar emails create a template or draft email and use this to save time.

· Pick Up The Phone – did I say that already?

Be selective in your use of email and always question whether picking up the phone or meeting someone would be a more effective way to communicate. Resist the temptation to rely solely on email – it’s a great tool, but it isn’t appropriate for all situations.

So, back to keeping your inbox to a minimum

· Set up a good folder system – mine has folders for school, sports, crafts and hobbies, professional, projects, friends, family and so on, with subfolders underneath (including and “archive” folder for each if I find I need to keep things “just in case”

· Use an online calendar system so that when an arrangement is made or meeting organised the details can be transferred to that. I also use a calendar to note to self when I need to do something by, similar to Project Management processes

· If it is relevant some of you might need to create a “to do” list (like in Outlook) where again you read the email, note the action required, when by etc. and move the email out of your inbox, in to one of those folders

· Set aside a regular time to deal with your email – uh, I think I said that before, right?

What does YOUR inbox look like now? How do we turn it around?

Pretend you have been on holidays. What do you come back to (assuming it is away from your email)? If you want to start reducing your inbox here are some steps to follow:-

· Sort

You need to be able to see the wood for the trees in your sea of emails so the first step to recovery is to filter the ‘From’ column in your inbox so that you can clearly see who your emails are from in order to work out your priorities.

· Delete

You will have pockets of emails that you receive purely because you’re on a distribution list or have subscribed to a newsletter for example. Some of those will be important, but a lot won’t.

Depending on how long you’ve been away for, many of those emails may be out of date or irrelevant by the time you get to read them, some may have been there from before you went! Get delete-happy! Be ruthless, brutal and quick – cast your eye over the ‘From’ list and hit delete on any newsletters that aren’t critical to your goals or job, and any distribution-list emails that are old and out of date.

Importantly, get rid of the dead wood so that you can see clearly and prioritize effectively. By deleting as much of the irrelevant routine stuff as possible you will allow your mind to focus on what is important rather than being distracted by a screen of chaos.

· Prioritize

As your screen becomes clearer, you’ll start to get a sense of what’s in your inbox that’s actually important. Think about the purpose of your email and prioritize accordingly. Create those folders I mentioned above and move things into them if you need to.

· Action

Once you’ve identified your priorities, work through your emails in that order and importantly only ‘touch’ each email once where possible. What I mean by that is that once you’ve read an email take action on it there and then, and then move on. As you read each email, deal with it. Whether you send a quick reply if that is all is required; note a time and place on your calendar if it is a meeting or a time sensitive action to be taken; and then delete it. Move it to the relevant file if you cannot delete it.

· Be Time Aware

Finally, so that you don’t let your whole day fade away into an email-abyss, make sure you block out a set amount of time in your diary to deal with your “holiday” inbox, and keep to that timeframe without fail. The longer you give yourself, the longer you’ll take – so be ruthless, and push yourself to get on top of your email quickly.

Managing our inboxes seems such a basic thing, but is one which often gets away from us. By staying abreast of what comes in, and focusing on the important and time sensitive notifications, handling (reading) emails only once, keeps us on track in our professional lives. We all know we have too many balls in the air. I suggest we put some of those balls into folders and work on the appropriate folder without the distractions of those electronic “beeps” calling us to read them first.

Does EMAIL still even count as an issue? We are also monitoring our Twitter Streams, Facebook accounts, LinkedIn profiles, RSS feeds, G+ circles and the ever increasing ways of receiving information as well as requests to DO something or BE somewhere.

How do YOU stay on top of it all?

Vikki Bell of Bellinfom Research supports the ALIA Sydney committee behind the scenes.