Keeping Up

In the library and information world, even if we aren't familiar with the term Moore's law, which refers to the exponential growth of computing technology, we're familiar with the incredible rate of change in society, and in our profession, where we are constantly changing and adapting to new ideas and technologies.

The question is, how do we keep up with changes? Or better yet, how do we figure out what's coming and prepare for it?

There are different ways to keep up with what's happening, both inside and outside the library and information landscape.

Like 'The Busy Librarian', Matthew Winner, I would now say that Twitter is my PLN (personal learning network). I follow LOTS of people who share interesting thoughts, blog posts, articles, to the point where I'm not really worried that I'm missing out on anything important.

Here are some other ways I keep up (or kept up - pre-Twitter) which may be useful, especially for those not too keen on Twitter:

Steven Bell's Keeping Up Web Site is a thorough listing of resources for librarians about librarianship. It's a great starting point. And if that's not enough, check out the related topics on the left menu, such as Design, Teaching & Learning and Information Technology.

But be aware, on the page he makes the following announcement:

The Keeping Up Web Site is no longer being maintained on a regular basis. It is reviewed annually for link rot and minor changes. To be occasionally alerted to new keeping up resources subscribe to Steven Bell's Twitter feed: http://www.twitter.com/blendedlib

Sally Pewhairangi has a great blog, Finding Heroes, which is a daily roundup of links to interesting, thought-provoking stories or blog posts relevant to the library and information sector, in New Zealand and the rest of the world. You can subscribe via email, download the app, or follow her on Twitter (@sallyheroes). Sally finds the stories on Twitter and lists the Twitter handle of whoever tweeted the link.

The not-so-subtle subtext of the above three suggestions, is that you may want to use Twitter as a way of keeping up-to-date, if you aren't already.

Two other great sources of information are the ALIA Weekly newsletter (anyone can subscribe - ALIA members are automatically subscribed), and the PD Postings (ALIA members only).

There are many other ways (I haven't even touched on RSS feeds, going to conferences, going to awesome ALIA Sydney events, podcasts, and many more) - please add your tips for keeping up in the comments.

Amy Croft

@amyecroft

NBN - A Brave New World

I am very excited to be involved in the Auburn Digital Hub. I commenced work as the NBN Coordinator – Digital Hub in December 2012, not knowing what to expect. I was in for a treat – learning new things, meeting new people, learning about the National Broadband Network and something called a “Digital Hub”.

What is a Digital Hub? Quite simply, it is an Australian Government program. It enables community-based computer training and internet access point containing a number of Internet ready computers. Auburn Council is now able to provide its community with digital literacy training and practical ways to gain skills and benefit from the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Auburn City Council Library opened its doors to its all-new Digital Hub beginning January this year. Free training sessions are held in the Digital Hub, where the public will have access to state of the art computers and equipment. Local residents will be able to attend a range of classes with two types of training available – group sessions and one-on-one teaching.

Lidcombe TAFE will be running an average of three group training sessions per week at the Digital Hub, including:

• Computer Basics
• Internet Basics
• Introduction to Business Applications
• E-Commerce
• Internet Connectivity Options
• Cyber Safety & Data Privacy 

Those that prefer a targeted approach can make bookings for one-on-one training sessions.

The Digital Hub also includes a separate “drop-in” centre where people can access the Internet for self-paced learning using sites such as, the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy’s purpose built website:

http://www.internetbasics.gov.au/

The Australian Government will provide $13.6 million in grant funding over three years from 2011-2012 to establish Digital Hubs in up to 40 communities. The program will help Auburn and surrounding communities take full advantage of the National Broadband Network. It will increase people’s online engagement by improving their level of confidence in accessing digital services. It will also provide key, easily accessible information on services that are currently available.

Group training calendars available in person at the Library or on the Auburn Council website, http://www.auburn.nsw.gov.au.

Members of the public are invited to attend these classes free of charge, but are advised to act quickly to avoid disappointment as places are limited! For further information on the National Broadband Network or Digital Hub and related training sessions, contact Auburn Library on 9735 1250.

Working on the Digital Hub program at Auburn Library has proved satisfying. My previous skills have come in very useful in this role, and the fact that I am working at the Library has given me further skills which no doubt will be useful in any future role in Libraries.

Sofia Silvestri

Me and the MOOC

MOOCs. Heard of them? Taken one? Wondering what I’m on about?

Massive Open Online Courses seem to be popping up all over the Internet right now. The idea is simple: using the Internet to run courses for free for large numbers of people. As one of my favourite blogs - Hack Education - puts it, MOOCs offer “… the promise of scaling a university education to everyone… well everyone with an Internet connection that is”. And it seems that when MOOCs say ‘massive', they mean it, with Inside Higher Ed reporting that over 1.5 million people have registered for MOOCs. Last year, more than 160,000 students around the globe signed up for a free online course in artificial intelligence offered through Stanford University – a class size nearly eight times the size of Stanford’s entire student body. 

I was intrigued (and always up for learning new things, especially for free) so I started looking for some MOOCs to join. 

I looked at MITx, (which has now been incorporated into the site edX - a combined project of Harvard University and MIT), Udacity and Coursera. Coursera is the newest of the bunch, run by two Stanford professors and promising a wide range of disciplines (many of the MOOCs so far have focused on computer science courses, whereas Cousera promises classes in diverse subject areas ranging from poetry to science fiction, sociology to folklore). 

I found a tempting array of courses, and ended up enrolling in a course on physics (a subject I’ve never studied), which starts shortly. 

My motivation wasn’t only to learn about physics, however. Next year some of the major courses I support as an academic librarian will be moving all their lectures online. Students will still have tutorials, but no longer will they be filling a large lecture hall to listen to an academic explain concepts to them. They will need to go online to access their lectures, and make time to listen to them before their tutorial group each week.

As an academic librarian, I often present to lecture theatres packed full of new students, and later on, to those same students in their second year and again in their third year. Many of the students in those massive lecture theatres come and find me in the library in the following weeks as they find themselves confronted with their first essay question … or their tenth. Either way, I’m happy to help, and pleased if my brief appearance at their lecture led them to the library for help. 

So, I’ve been thinking about how to move library support online. And I’ve been curious about online learning – how it can be done well, and what pitfalls to avoid. I did my LIS post grad qualifications at a London university face-to-face, so I’ve never been an online-only student. By taking part in a MOOC I hope to be able to evaluate the experience as a student learning a brand-new subject area. I want to find out what works and what doesn’t in online learning. I’m hoping that this ‘learning by doing’ experiment will enable me to understand what my students are facing as their content increasingly goes online, and how best I can support them in this environment. Oh, and I’d be pretty pleased to learn a bit about physics too. 

I’ll leave you with a final quote from Hack Education blog on the subject, which pretty much sums up what I want to find out.

"…when we switched from scrolls to books, we had to rethink how teaching and learning happened. And now again, it’s time to reconsider these things. Who do we best teach online?  How does pacing change when you move your lectures online?  How much, truly, can we rely on lecture after all?  How often should assessment happen and what does it look like? What’s appropriate feedback? How do we support and connect learners in a MOOC? How do we support faculty? 

And how does this change the university? Are these "disruptions" just online, or is the offline, on-campus experience changed now as well?

… By being able to take advantage of online educational content -- particularly lecture content from some of the best professors at the most prestigious universities in the world -- students will benefit too."

I’ll let you know how I go being one of these students. 

Sarah Fearnley 

Sarah is an Events Coordinator for the ALIA Sydney Committee. She works at the University of Western Sydney Library. All opinions expressed are her own.

ALIA - Benefits for Non-Members

Whether you choose to become an ALIA member or remain a member when it comes time for renewal is a choice for the individual. But the work of ALIA has benefits for all in the sector regardless of membership status.

I joined ALIA last year as a student member, and am still a student member. This has been a worthwhile thing for me. At only $82 a year it is a bargain for the student investigating the possibilities and challenges out there. I have been able to borrow ebooks and journals I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to access, I have been able to read the monthly magazine Incite and get a feel for the state of the sector, I have attended professional development seminars and unconferences run or supported by ALIA, and my library course is certified by ALIA.  I have met library staff from all kinds of different institutions and received plenty of great advice. But before I joined, I had a good snoop through the services that could be accessed by everyone, and tried them out.

You can join elists or follow the special interest groups through their social media, details are available on the ALIA website. Through this, you can be aware of when events are happening near you. They might be social events or professional development events. You do not need to be a member to attend these events, but you will usually pay a little more than members. For the forthcoming unmeash 2 unconference members pay a gold coin donation, but non members pay $5. Similar pricing has applied to other recent Sydney events. You can access some content from Incite each month, and then the whole edition after a certain period (looks like 12 months at the moment). Many of the other activities of ALIA as the representative body of the sector bring benefits for members and non members alike, and I’m certain I don’t know the half of  the activities currently being undertaken or planned.

Maybe it’s not the right thing for you to be a member right now. There are certainly times in your career when there are more direct and tangible benefits from membership. Networking and professional development opportunities may have a greater priority when you are gearing up for a change in work, or entering the profession. But even if you decide not to be a member, don’t lose touch.

Lauren Castan

Professional Development in new places

So, like many people out there I'm working on balancing full-time work with part-time study. To be more specific I'm approximately half way through my undergraduate degree in Library and Information Studies at Charles Sturt University (CSU).  As many of you may be aware, CSU places a heavy emphasis on the practical elements of their courses and this one is no different. One of the course requirements is to complete a minimum of 30 professional development hours by the completion of the degree. This is a great idea for multiple reasons but it's gotten me thinking about what opportunities are out there for professional development. 

Not everyone can afford the time or money for conferences. Groups like ALIA Sydney put on some great events (shameless plug here, if you haven’t been to an ALIA Sydney event yet we have some great things planned for the second half of the year), but again for those that are time poor, travelling all over Sydney isn't always possible. So what can we do from our armchairs to stay current and get those important points??

You can always read an article but that can be a little dull. Have you ever thought about writing one yourself??

When starting on the road to academic authorship, you don’t have to jump into the deep end of the pool. Why not try something that’s a little more straightforward to start with. So when a colleague of mine suggested I write a book review I decided to take the plunge. I got in contact with the coordinator of book reviews for Library Management, a journal published by Emerald, and had my chosen book sent out to me. In comparison to academic writing, a book review is a relatively simple thing to write. All you need is the book and an opinion (and we all have those).

My article was published electronically in early March. I can’t tell you the excitement I felt when I got the link to my review. In addition I got sent a physical copy of the edition of Library Management that my article was printed in (which upon arrival I photographed my name and sent it to everyone). From the start of March to the end of April, my little review had over 250 downloads. It’s not a great piece of academic literature but writing the book review gave me two opportunities, I managed to work up a few PD points and got to read a text that related to my studies and work; and I’m on the road to writing my first academic piece as a professional. 

Kirsty

Library Podcasts

Do you listen to podcasts? I find that I listen to them on and off. If I have more driving to do, I listen to more podcasts, and I sometimes listen to a few in a row when I am doing other jobs around the house. I like using Instacast to manage my podcasts, it's easy to work with and syncs up nicely on various hardware.

In January a library conversation podcast called Library Chat commenced. Corin Haynes chats with different guests about topics in the library and information sector. Typically the talks are about 40 minutes and a new one is posted about every month. I've really enjoyed his style and the topics so far.

Established a while longer is the podcast Circulating Ideas - the librarian interview podcast. Hosted by Steve Thomas and originating in the US, it mostly has interviews with various librarians on their area of interest, but occasionally has a topic under discussion by a panel rather than a one on one. Naturally the focus in on US people and issues, and there were several in a row devoted to the ALA Elections this year.

Another podcast I subscribe to, is the LITTech podcast "hosted by Library Specialist Emily Thompson, highlights the innovative news, gadgets, and resources for the literary educator." LITTech posts each week, and their topics are interesting and worth looking through to see if they have covered something you are currently interested in. Because new recordings are posted so regularly, they often cover whatever the current hot topic is, so it's good for keeping up to date.

One that I haven't yet picked up, but will add to my list is Bibliotech. Perhaps you are already a devoted listener.

Podcasts are an easy way to keep abreast of current affairs in library circles and often refer to other sources which are useful. I'd love to hear from any of you about other podcasts, especially any originating in Australia.

Lauren Castan

Bouncing around ideas: peer mentoring

What is a peer mentor?

A peer mentor is a person you can rely on for advice, encouragement, and perspective. They may also act as a sounding board or editor. Ideally, a peer mentor relationship is supportive and mutually beneficial. The type of partnership you and your peer mentor will have will be as varied as the two of you. You can pair up with someone who has very similar interests and goals, or someone you admire for their different slant on the world. Don’t limit yourself to purely academic or work-related chats, either – get to know one another as whole people. 

Why have a peer mentor?

Having someone to bounce ideas off can be extremely helpful, particularly in the early stages of a career change or further education. Choosing someone who is in a similar situation might help you to understand each other. It can be comforting to know someone else is in the same boat, or has just gone through a similar experience. For instance, if you’re both job-seekers, you’ll be able to encourage your peer when it’s been a tough day, and they can do the same for you.

It’s good to have someone you can call or email when you’re upset and might otherwise send unwise tweets. A peer mentor can be an extra set of eyes on the job boards, a listening ear when you need to rant about that colleague, someone who knows exactly how exasperating that assignment is, or that person who gives you a “sanity check” before you send an important email. It’s just nice to know that someone’s in your corner.

Mentoring Opportunities

Choosing a peer mentor doesn't have to be a formal process. I’m currently partnered with Amy Walduck, because we “get” each other. She and I couldn't stop talking at NLS6. There seemed to be so much to discuss: career paths, the library profession, job shortages, and social media. After multiple attempts to curtail our conversation for the day, I suggested we keep our discussion going by mentoring each other, and Amy agreed immediately. When I still lived in Brisbane we’d meet for coffee, and now we send email or DMs on Twitter.

Keep an eye on The International Librarians Network. At the moment, the ILN is in a pilot phase, but the intention is to facilitate international mentoring relationships. There is no financial commitment, and anyone who is working or studying in the information or library sectors is eligible. When the program launches, participants can enter details about themselves and the type of person they’d like to be matched with. And if you’re not interested in mentoring but you’re gifted in administrative tasks, ILN will be looking for volunteer country coordinators. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, add @InterLibNet to your feed or follow the blog.

What about career mentors?

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) offers a Career Mentor Scheme, which matches students with professionals. Fellow QUT grad Erica Cooke participated in the program and was paired with a public library professional. As a part-time student, Erica met or spoke with her mentor about every six months for two years. She says it was a good way to bridge the gap between uni and entering a career. Her mentor gave her tips and advice on how to apply for jobs and answer selection criteria, which Erica still finds useful.

Many universities have mentoring programs. Some are intended to cultivate peer-to-peer relationships, while others depend on volunteers to mentor students in various disciplines. If you’re currently studying, it’s worth finding out if there’s a program at your college or university.

Julia Garnett is the new ALIA State Manager NSW

Master of IT (Library and Information Science) Grad 2012

Queensland University of Technology

ePortfolio: http://jzgarnettmlis.blogspot.com.au/

Twitter: @jzgarnett

Blog: jzgarnett.com