Participating in 23 Mobile Things

Welcome to day two of June. Early in April ALIA Sydney shared a post by Abigail Willemse, Kate Freedman and Hiba Kanji inviting library professionals to join them in completing 23 Mobile Things. I thought I'd briefly share what we've been up to so far...

Having completed the original 23 a few years ago, I was fascinated by the updated version 23 Mobile Things. So when Abigail Willemse, Kate Freedman and Hiba Kanji organised a collaborative Australia/New Zealand group to work though the 23 things I thought it was a great opportunity to expand my skills. With weekly twitter chats and blog posts, participants are able to share their experiences and tips. The program is set up so that participants complete one task per week, allowing even the busiest of library professionals to get involved.

Thing 1 was Twitter. I’ve been using Twitter now for about 6 months, but as I discovered, you can never know enough about Twitter. Some of the great tips from other users were shared at the end of the week on the 23things Blog. Thing 2, taking a photo with a mobile device was something I had never used before. I got to have a play with Flikr and Snapchat and it gave me plenty of food for thought in integrating these applications to promote library services and programs. Thing 3 is Email on the go. As someone who is trying to juggle work, study, professional advancement and a social life week three has been great. There have been some great tips and tricks on balancing, something I still need to learn! This week has been all about Thing 4, maps and checking in. I’ve been exploring Foursquare and the check in option on Facebook. During the week, there have been some interesting discussions about geocaching and libraries and on Wednesday a thought provoking Twitter chat about smartphonesclosing the digital divide. You can read the article that started this debate here.

With such a fantastic and open group I’ve really enjoyed the past four weeks and I’m looking forward to the next 19 Things!

It’s not too late to join either, check out the ANZ 23 Moible Things Blog and start today!

Kirsty

Blog every day in June!

Hi everyone!

Welcome to day one of June and the ALIA Sydney Group 'Blog every day in June' program!
Every day this month a new post will appear on our blog from a range of exciting guest bloggers and the Sydney gang discussing some amazing library and information concepts and ideas.

Make sure you tune in all this month to join the excitement!

I'll start off with a chat about some excellent ideas I gathered at a workshop I attended last week:

Are you looking for new programming or service ideas for your library users? Have you asked your community yet? Have you thought about what they could bring to the table that you could use or build upon?

Last week I attended a workshop on ABCD in libraries. ABCD is about Asset Based Community Development and during the program we looked at the assets that our communities have, and discussed how we can utilise these to build our services and create stronger relationships with our users. The day was run by the Family Action Centre at Newcastle Uni. You can read further on their blog here http://sustainingcommunity.wordpress.com/

The assets of the community could include the talents and passions of members of the community, the heritage and local identity of the community and the networks, agencies, institutions and organisations such as sporting clubs, Lions and Rotary, RSLs, schools and churches.

Building relationships with these groups means getting active and getting out of the library to talk to different parts of the community to make the connection. Find the leaders of these groups and begin a conversation with them. Being proactive and creative will assist the library to communicate the new role we have all taken on, of being a community hub full of activity rather than only a repository of books. 

An element of the workshop that I found particularly useful is to talk to community groups about what they think are the strengths of the community and what is valued the most in the community, rather than asking 'what are the problems in the community that we need to address?'  This subtle 'glass half full' approach focuses on the positive and on building on the good things that are already happening. This can create an positive atmosphere around a project, rather than a feeling of being deficient from focusing on the negative. There may be an increase in ownership of and participation in a project, rather than a feeling of being patronised.

The things I learnt from the workshop are that through creativity, using connections that we already have and using the skills that already exist in the community, libraries can feel a lot more confident to take some risks, come up with some amazing new services and create a sense of trust and partnership amongst the community.

Before the workshop I did a little research into the concept and came across this article on Chicago Libraries www.abcdinstitute.org/docs/ULCReport.pdf

Have you run any projects with community groups in your area? How did you start the conversation? Do you have any advice to other libraries?

I look forward to hearing your ideas!
Have a great day
Heather

Save the date - Advocate, Promote, Brand. Your Profession, Your Organisation, Yourself

Unsure how to get your name or the name of your library out there?

We at ALIA Sydney have been hard at work to help get you on the right path. We have sought out some of the most experienced individuals in and out of libraryland to share their tips and tricks when it comes to advocating, promoting and branding yourself, your career and your library.

Confirmed Speakers:

• Sue McKerracher (ALIA Executive Director) shares her tips on advocacy
• Michael Gonzalez (Manager Digital Discovery & Services at UWS Library) talks to us about strategically promoting and rebranding your library and resources 
• Cecilia Kluger (Principal and Founder of CK Design) discusses branding your library
• Julia Garnett on marketing yourself online

This is an ALIA Sydney event that can't be missed no matter what stage of your career you are at or where you work. 

Register your interest at aliasydneygroup@gmail.com and join us on Monday 27 May 2013 at Parramatta City Library.


Essential Information

Date	27 May 2013
Time	6pm for a 6.15pm start
Location	Parramatta City Library (Darug Room)
Cost	$7 (members) $10 (non-members)

Kirsty

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

© Scanrail - Fotolia.com

Have you heard of the 23 things?  How about the 23 Mobile things?  This updated course is a great way of learning new skills, and new things about old skills. 

So what is the NZ/Australian Cohort for 23 Mobile Things all about?  Read on.

What are the 23 Mobile Things?

1. Twitter
2. Taking a photo with a mobile device:  Instagram / Flickr app / Snapchat
3. eMail on the move
4. Maps and checking in: Foursquare
5. Photos + Maps + Apps: Historypin / What was there / Sepia Town
6. Video: YouTube and screencasts
7. Communicate: Skype / Google Hangout
8. Calendar
9. QR codes
10. Social reading: RSS / Flipboard / Feedly / Goodreads / Pocket
11. Augmented reality: Layar
12. Games: Angry Birds / Wordfeud
13. Online identity: FaceBook and LinkedIn
14. Curating: Pinterest / Scoop.it / Tumblr
15. Adobe ID
16. eBooks and eBook apps: Project Gutenberg / Kindle / Overdrive / Bluefire / Kobo, etc.
17. Evernote and Zotero
18. Productivity tools: Doodle / Remember the Milk / Hackpad / any.do /  30/30
19. File sharing: Dropbox
20. Music: last.fm / Spotify
21. Voice interaction and recording
22. eResources vendor apps
23. Digital storytelling

You can view the 23 Mobile Things on the official blog here - http://23mobilethings.net/wpress/the-things/

What is this NZ/Australian cohort all about?

Simple; it is just establishing a group of librarians in NZ and Australia who are keen to do the 23 Mobile Things at the same time. This cohort will give us mutual support and contact with each other so that we can learn together and keep each other motivated. Hopefully it will help you grow your own personal learning network (PLN) and have fun and great collaborations throughout the course!

Who can take part?

Anyone! This is not limited to New Professionals, but is open to anyone who would like to take part - whether newer or older to the profession. I have just put the contact form on the New Professionals blog as that is a place where I know many people will find it. We are creating another blog specifically for this NZ/Australian cohort that will be the hub of our conversations and connections. So please sign up and let's all learn from one another and have fun playing with mobile technologies! Over 60 people have signed up already; this is going to be such a fantastic group to be a part of :D  (It's mainly NZ'ers at the moment so come on Australians- sign up!)

What do I need to take part?

• Access to a mobile device (e.g. iPad, tablet, smart-phone, etc...) - if you don't have one yourself, you could borrow one or use the PC applications to understand the general principles.
• Time to dedicate to investigating the 23 things - it seems most people are keen to do 1 Thing a week so you can dedicate as much or as little time as you need to exploring that thing and engaging in chatting and collaborating with others on the course.
• Willingness to collaborate, experiment, and support each other - it's going to be fun!

How do I sign up?

So you're keen? Great! Here's what you have to do to get involved:

•  fill in the contact form on the blog
• vote in the poll for best time-frame for the course
• share the news with friends/colleagues

I'll be in touch as we create a blog as a hub for the group, a Facebook group (if you are keen) and organize some online real-time events such as Twitter chats and Google+ hangouts so that we can chat and collaborate. It will also give us an opportunity to put into practice what we have been learning!

We are hoping to start with Thing 1 the first week of May. If the course runs for six months (approximately 1 Thing a week), it will finish at the end of November. 

So what are you waiting for? Sign up today and we will be in touch again a bit closer to the date.

If you want more information please don't hesitate to email me (Kate) at mailto:skeetakate@gmail.com.nospam (take off the no spam) or on twitter at @katejf.

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

ALIA 2013 Election results

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

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

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


-Amy Barker

Library Tours

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

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

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

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

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


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Cost: $7 members / $10 non-members

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

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

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

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

-Gabby

Save the Date! 13 April 2013

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

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

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

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

-Gabby

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