ALIA Sydney Presents: Think Outside the Green

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

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

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

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:

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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

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

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

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.