Radio National -Australia Talks - Library/book today 6pm

It may be worth listening to ABC Radio National tonight (26 March) at 6pm for a discussion on the future of libraries and books.

Richard

Thought for the week !

One of the most enjoyable tasks I have set myself each week is to send our staff a thought for the week.

As life becomes busier and more complex, I believe it is important to make some time to reflect and understand what opportunities exist for us to engage with all aspects of our human condition. It is vital for our quality of life to make time for non-task activities.

Nurturing the human spirit and soul (whatever you may choose to understand that is!) is often overlooked and ignored. The hour I invest most weeks trying to engage more with the good aspects of my humanity, provides a fantastic return. So many aspects of my life receive a benefit. I sometimes wonder what would happen to our world if we all spent a bit more time nourishing the positive aspects of the human spirit.

So here are the thoughts I sent out this week.


Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you. - Oscar Wilde

Sometimes to be silent is to lie. - Miguel Unanamo

Thoughtfully,

Richard

Publishing in a Digital Space - APA workshop

The Australian Publishers Association ran a 2 day workshop in Sydney for small to medium publishers on 2,3 March

I was asked to speak at the well attended workshop. The library perspective is often misunderstood and sometimes even overlooked by many publishers.

Being able to discuss the library perspective for both learning and leisure sectors was a great opportunity.

I'm sure we will see more Australian digital content in the near future.

Purchasing Australian electronic products provide publishers with the resources to invest more into the digital space. A significant barrier has been overcome with digital as export opportunities are not restricted by freght and shipping costs. Australian publishers and authors have excellent export oportunities as more digital content is adopted globally.

As an aside as I was researching content for the paper I found that typically 3-400 tones of water is required to produce 1 ton of paper. 'E' has a significant environmental impact too.


Richard

Guiding Principles for Library and Information Science Education 2.0 project.

As a participant in the QUT research focus group on

Guiding Principles for Library and Information Science Education 2.0 project

it was encouraging to see how some librarians are embracing this new technology and making it their specialty.

I found it very valuable to engage with a range of librarians commenting on issues they identified were in need of further development to adopt Web 2.0 (W2.0) services and concepts effectively.

Some questions I have include:

How does W2.0 it fit within the overall strategy of the library
What are the skill sets required to exploit W2.0
Who is the target market?
What outcomes do we expect?
Can outcomes be measured easily?
Does W2.0 deliver more value add than existing services?
Should we stop other activities and if so which ones?

Could we consider developing a Web 2.0 'toolkit' for librarians in each of the sectors eg. academic, specials, public,schools,etc, or has it already been developed?

Aren't we fortunate to work in the world of libraries - never a dull moment!

Richard

Victorian Bushfire response by libraries

The Victorian Bushfires disaster has touched so many lives across our nation. It is difficult to comphrehend the enormity of the loss, pain and suffering being felt by the affected families.

The road to recovery and restoration is a very long one. However as the Chinese wisdom says: "a thousand mile journey starts with one step".

The public library has a special place in the community. Disaster relief 'stations' may well be gone after the initial physical support has been delivered. Fortunately public libraries will be embedded in the local communities long into the future, supporting and servicing the unique needs of their local communities in many special ways.

Already some affected public libraries have identified needs that could be met by the provision of new books.

The library, publishing and bookselling community is collaborating to supply those libraries with books. Fortunately a well coordinated approach to service this short term immediate need has been put in place.

As we move forward there will be aspects of the recovery and restoration process that I'm sure will engage more librarians.

Supporting the families financially is important also. ALIA has suggested support of the Red Cross Bushfire appeal.

Richard

Online Conference Sydney

The conference has a buzz this year with positive comments about the papers and the exhibitors.

Attendance at these conferences provides a number of opportunities for members to discover best practice as delivered by libraries across the country and the world. Professional development opportunities that bring the diversity within our community together on a large scale are relatively rare so it is encouraging to see the high numbers of delegates and exhibitors.

An interesting comment from one delegate was that after missing the last 2 conferences she felt this conference was on the mark and it was worth the investment.

For those interested in seeing what the official and other bloggers are saying

http://blog.information-online.com.au/

http://www.bhatt.id.au/blog/alia-information-online-conference-exhibition-review/

If you have comments on what you think could be improved, changed or stopped at meetings like online please let me know.

Richard

Welcome

Deciding to nominate for the ALIA Board Decision was not an easy decision to make. However after celebrating 25 years in and around the library community, I felt it was important to contribute in a manner that may be helpful to the profession of librarianship in general.

The encouragement by numerous ALIA members was the catalyst for deciding to run.

In my various roles as an employee, director and volunteer, many life skills have been learnt from situations, both positive and negative. Hopefully these skills, attitudes and values can be put to good use in my role as n ALIA Board member

The issues facing the profession are very much mirrored in the library supply sector. We also understand the pressures and pleasures that our community experiences. Responding to these events and changing environments requires us to deliver the best outcomes possible.

5 key strategic issues will be my primary focus if elected to the Board :

1. Enhancing the perception and roles of librarians and information workers in the
community
2. Providing increasing value for ALIA Membership
3. Responsible management of the Association finances
4. Developing more professional development opportunities
5. Improving job opportunities for Association members

Any comments, questions or ideas are welcome and very important. Your interaction and engagement will make a difference.

Let's engage!