Librarians as champions....

I read with interest this statement made by Kathryn Greenhill on her blog.  She says:

"I threw in a bit about the tools that I thought their staff should know about already.  If you work to connect information and people, there is no excuse to still not know about:
- blogs
- wikis
- RSS
- screencasting
- online virtual worlds
- podcasting
- photo and image sharing
- folksonomies
- social bookmarking
- cloud computing
- gaming and libraries"

Phew!  What a very cool list of tools that we as librarians should know about!  The fun starts in discovering ways to use these tools to promote who we are and what we do, thus encouraging greater access to our online and physical environments. I have said it before, but  for our library this could mean a Flickr account that all the regional libraries can have access to, telling our library's story through digital photo stories (I have done this and am hoping to do another when I finish uni) an internal and external library blog and a  local history wiki.  Many of the members of our staff have worked at our library for over ten years, with some 22 and 25 years!  An internal wiki would allow them to share some of the knowlwdge they have with the rest of us. If along the way we discover that a particular tool is not relevant to what we do, well that's ok, because at least we know about them, and can, if need be impart this information.

I read this quote in  the American Library Journal, and I have it written above my desk, "Librarians must be viewed as champions of new forms of information and access" - Eisenberg 2008.  May I continue to do so.

There is hope wherever you look

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buecherwurm/2555677834/

I was struck by this photo I found on Flickr, entitled 'There is hope wherever you look'.  The photographer had written a haiku underneath the photo: 

                                                      In friendly waters...

                                                      Caressed by a tender light..

                                                      Hope and love unfold...

                                                               by Ines Langs 2008

The beautiful photo reminded me that there is always something to look forward to, and not to give up hope.

So, thinking along these lines I thought about the things I have to look forward to.  I have one last assignment to do, and if I pass I will have completed my Grad dip in Applied Science and Library technology(or something like that!).

I have enrolled to attend a virtual 'webinar' in a week or so about gaming and libraries.  What a very interesting topic.  The Shanachie boys have produced a video on this topic called if you are not gaming you are losing.  One of the librarians quoted in this production talks about her YA circulation statistics going up 200% after introducing gaming!!!  The downside is that it starts for me in Australia at 4am!!

The annual QPLA conference is coming up again, and it is being held at the State Library in Brisbane instead of Bundaberg this year.  Because it has been shifted, I am able to attend the conference for one of the days.  Such a good time to listen and learn.

Also coming up in November is the Unconference, hosted by the State Library.  I really can't wait for this one!  Great chance to learn heaps about how librarians are implementing Library 2.0 technologies, and I get to hear Erik and Jaap from the DOK Library Concept Centre talk on telling the library's story.  These guys, also known as the shanachie's, will also be at the New Librarian's Symposium being held in early December, so I get to hear them twice!!

What an amazing time of learning coming up for me - can't wait.  Isn't that what libraries really are about?  Encouraging life long learning regardless of what format it takes.

Will...... as in I will keep learning, I will be open to learning new things

I read this quote on a blog posting  this morning and was very taken by it:

"In times of change learners inherit the earth while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to work in a world that doesn't exist".                     - attributed to Eric Hoffer

I have not had the greatest last few days as I have come to fully understand a few things that I had kind of known, but was hoping against hope would not be.  I followed a link and  and was very encouraged by this article from Seth Godin.   I set up my blog as a way to document my personal learning journey, with the title reinforcing what it was to contain - me learning about new things.  May I always continue to do so.

Three beautiful things

I followed a link on a blog posting the other day that took me to Three Beautiful Things.  I was very taken by the idea and thought my post would reflect this.

1.  The gift of friendship.    A colleague's husband passed away suddenly last week.  As I sat at the funeral, I was humbled by how many of our staff were there to offer condolences,  friendship and support in which ever way they could. 

2.  Family.  My niece turned four on the weekend and we celebrated with some friends and family members.  Truly, what can be better than hanging out together, cooking a BBQ, laughing, sharing stories and catching up?

3.  School holidays.  Firstly I love them because it means I don't have to make the school lunches for two whole weeks!  Also because I get to spend time with my kids, just hanging out. 

Never in my wildest dreams...

Sometimes, you just have to be careful what you wish for.  Because just sometimes they may come true, and not in the way you think!

I was sitting at home, minding my own business and moaning about doing my uni assignment when the phone rings late wed afternoon.  It was Clare Snowball ringing to let me know that she was unable to fly out that day to Brisbane to give her talk as she was very sick.  I felt so sorry for her, as she had put so much time and effort into her presentation, and was really looking forward to hearing Stephen Abram talk.  That was until she asked if I could go in her place to give her presentation.  I beg your pardon?  Not quite sure if I caught that right!

So, there I was, on thursday, sitting by myself in the foyer of Z block at QUT.  I was pondering  how just a few days ago, I was going to miss Clare and Stephen's presentations because I had missed out on a ticket, wishing there was someway I could have seen them.  And never in my wildest dreams, would I ever have believed that not only was I going to hear Stephen talk, but going to give Clare's presentation as well.

Stephen's talk was great, and he was sad to hear that Clare was sick as he was looking forward to meeting her and hearing her presentation.  I did not trip or fall over, and hopefully presented Clare's information to the best of my ability.

Teenagers' reading?

I would not exchange my love of literature for all the gold in the world

http://www.flickr.com/photos/happyaslarry/436601676/

Am not sure if I have said how excited I am by the fact that Clare Snowball is coming to our library to talk!  She will be talking on Teenagers and Web 2.0 technologies.  I have been following Clare's blog Teenagers' reading? for awhile now, and 'met' her via comments I had placed on her blog.  She will be in Brisbane next week speaking at a seminar for Information Professionals called Reality 2.0, run by SLQ and ALIA. This seminar sold out very quickly, and I was moaning to Clare that I was going to miss her talk, and since she was in the area (Warwick/Toowoomba) did she want to come and talk our library!!  I still can't believe she said yes.  She will be talking at the Toowoomba City Library on Monday 15th September at 9.30 am.  All welcome.

Come to the Library...

I have been thinking about and talking about self promotion for awhile now.  The new council budget was passed down last week and it was decided that the Library would no longer charge for computer and internet classes.  YEAH!  The question then arose of how to attract people to actually attend the classes.  I mentioned Brisbane Square and the way the Learning Lounge has put aside certain times on certain days for this purpose.  This got me thinking, and reminded me of the post by David Lee King on new ways to think about technology and tools.  What I got out of his blog was connections, and our need for them. 

So, this takes me back to promoting what we do, for example our basic computer and internet classes.  Do we try and sell it as the learning of new technology? (well, that is part of it), but for me it is about the connections.  Come to the Library and learn how to keep in contact with friends and family in far away places.  Come to the Library and we'll teach you how to set up an email account.  Come and bring a friend to share your new learning journey. Come along and laugh and play!  Come and learn how to see the photos of the new baby/wedding that they want to send you.  Come and we'll teach you about Flickr.  Just come to the Library!!

So, my goal at work this week is to ask any interested library staff to come up with five free(or very cheap) ways to promote our computer and internet classes.  I have great faith in the answers I will receive from the many assistants, shelvers, casuals and librarians, and it won't cost a thing!  Except the knowledge that staff are thinking and talking about how we 'do' libraries, and what can be better than that?

Feel free to comment!  You can do so anonymously via the comment box below, or feel free to write your name.  Can't wait to hear your thoughts....