Biennial: Discovering Words from the Dust

Day two of Biennial is all about the National Year of Reading, with sessions focused on reading and writing. Following the authors' panel and morning tea, I headed to the Grand Ballroom for a session called Words from the Dust. I had the chance to speak with Ros Dorsman and Jasmine Vidler prior to their presentation, and they were very engaging, and committed to the programs at Central West Libraries (NSW). The session was a story in itself, the story of a writers' centre that developed a writing program.

The Central West Writers' Centre, a function of Central West Libraries (NSW), was awarded a Positive Ageing grant from the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care. In a bid to "counteract isolation and provide a release from the impact of drought in rural communities" (ALIA Biennial 2012 condensed abstracts) a writing program for over-50s was developed. Six locations ran workshops for a total of 68 participants, and the response was very positive. Workshops included activities to help the creative process, often focused on memory and emotion.

One aim of the program was to encourage older people to share their stories - to give them a voice. A few were anxious at first about publishing their stories online, but once they saw them collected, they became excited to share with friends and family. An unexpected challenge was getting the workshopped stories from page to screen. Ros and Jasmine intended to give each participant a username and password so they could upload their own stories, but this did not go as planned. Internet access was not a given, and some of the writers couldn't type efficiently (or at all). The Central West administration team helped out with typing, and Jasmine added the stories to the Words From the Dust website.

 

I visited the QUT Information Studies Group booth and chatted with Helen Partridge, the course coordinator for my Library & Information Studies course, and associate lecturer Zaana Howard. They were handing out bubbles and brightly coloured buttons that read, 'Put us at the top of your LISt' and 'LISten Up.' My lanyard is getting a little heavy! ALIA pin, LIS buttons, #Discovery tweet badge...

Later this month, I will start my final semester at QUT. I'm so excited and nervous, and although I don't think I'm ready, I probably am. This is where I need to be - this profession, this fluid thing called a library, and this time in my life. Biennial has affirmed that I'm on the right track with my studies, and I can't wait to see what job opportunities are out there in 2013.

Biennial: Discovering Authors

Thursday morning, ALIA Biennial kicked off with an authors' panel, in celebration of the National Year of Reading and the 2012 Love2Read program. The panel included Richard Glover, Anita Heiss,  Melina Marchetta, P.M. (Pam) Newton, and Matthew Reilly. I have a lot of reading to catch up on before I'm well-versed in Australian writers.

 

The panellists spoke warmly about libraries, as several of them have spent countless hours there, writing. They all have very different methods for writing - or rather, for being productive while writing. Anita Heiss aims for a high word count in a short time, while Melina Marchetta uses the whole business day to write. Pam Newton is still finding her groove with her second book, but she likes to write longhand, and goes for walks to think. Matthew Reilly writes for two days and then plays golf, writes for two more days, and plays golf again. He says he's getting really good at golf.

Writing is a craft for people who find writing difficult. It should feel difficult; it should feel hard. - Richard Glover

Matthew risked glares from his fellow panellists when he admitted that writing is like eating chocolate ice cream for every meal. He'd write even if he wasn't getting paid, and gets lost in the state of flow when writing, with hours passing like minutes. He likes to plan his story with the hero's movements first, then jump into writing with an energy he hopes the reader can feel. Pam thinks research is the best bit, and finds library archives and databases invaluable for finding accurate historical details. Matthew said, "You have to still go to libraries because there is an illusion that everything is on the internet." Libraries may be occupied with the future of the book and reading, but Pam asks, what about the future of writing?

We grow older, we stop playing, and forget our stories. - Pam Newton

Bookable spaces are essential to make writers welcome in libraries. Anita's first book was written almost entirely in her public library, and she practically had a reserved desk there. Melina takes public transport to the library instead of having an office. When she writes at home she finds it difficult to be alone all day. That said, the life of a writer doesn't have to be anti-social; Anita connects online with other writers, and recommends joining a professional organisation.

A question from the floor steered the conversation to e-books. Uptake is greater in the US than Australia (66% of Matthew Reilly's sales in the US are e-books), and the panel agreed that availability of e-readers has influenced this trend. If Melina has enjoyed an e-book, she'll buy a physical copy. Anita (like myself) looks around on planes to see who is reading what, and whether they're reading e-books or tree books. Of course, the number of iPads and e-readers makes it harder to strike up a conversation that starts, "I've read that book..."

This Storify attempts to capture all tweets on the author panel session, if you'd like to see more.

Biennial: Discovery

Five hundred librarians and information professionals have descended on Sydney this week for the ALIA Biennial conference. It's ALIA's 75th anniversary this year, and it's also the National Year of Reading - so it's a pretty special event to be a part of. The majority of attendees are from the library, with some delegates from archives and the education sector. This year's theme is Discovery. We're talking about discovering partnerships, services, search, library spaces, information, storytelling, research, and books. There will likely be even more to discover by the end of our three days here.



Vendors and universities are well-represented in the exhibition halls on floors 3 and 4, so stop in and say hello! For a chance to win a prize, you can get your "discovery passport" stamped by the vendor booths you visit. An impressive lineup of speakers are on hand to challenge, inspire, and teach us. Today brought Dr Tom Chatfield, an author and speaker from the UK, and The Honorable Michael Kirby AC CMG, a "living Australian treasure" and former high court judge.

Dr Chatfield got us thinking about how we use digital tools. Do they rule us? Do we feed the email machine? He believes we have swallowed the idea that digital tools are casual and impersonal, but they can push us into doing more - more email, more tweets, more work. Technology can give us the illusion of acquiring knowledge. The screen is just a portal, and we enter it to have an experience - but not all experiences are good. How can we improve our experiences? If you want more from Tom, try his latest book, How to Thrive in the Digital Age.

 Robin and I attended the "Demystifying Research" panel session and picked up some tips for our studies, including:  be passionate and share your research! 

Justice Kirby commanded a lot of respect before he even began speaking. He was so engaging and well-spoken, yet relatable - even vulnerable - as he spoke of his history. (You can buy his book, A Private Life, which he cheekily spruiked mid-talk.) In Kirby's future, algorithms don't take over the librarian role, because a machine can't replace values or ethics. Several people tweeted that it took an outsider to see what we're missing, and give us back our purpose: "The will to provide neutral and highly respected information is not going to go away."

He remembered his first librarian, and noted that his success in law was largely due to librarians who nudged him in the right direction and gave him suggestions for what to read. Stripping away technology, various formats, and the march of time, our profession still comes down to this: Providing access to information in safety, and asking the extra question: "Have you thought about this?" Lastly, he reminded us to be kind to one another "on this little blue planet," regardless of our origins, sexuality, beliefs, or refugee status.

 Be involved. Be visible. Be discovered. - ALIA Biennial 2012