Crossing Boundaries with Reading

The National Year of Reading is still going strong in Australia, and today I had the opportunity to volunteer at an event. Crossing Boundaries with Reading is a literacy program at a Queensland high school. Know what's super-exciting about this school? It has a manga club!


The program is funded by QUT with an Engagement Innovation Grant, and Logan City Libraries are partners of the program. The official site features a student-drawn logo and news on the program. Here's a snippet from the project's About page:

Drawing on the popularity of digital technologies and Manga in youth culture, the project will enable Year 8 and 9 students to cross boundaries with reading in various ways designed to engage their interest and learning. Boundaries will be understood as spaces of opportunity rather than limitation.

Digital literacy isn't something that "born digital" teens automatically have. Some students don't have equal access to technology at home or school, and many haven't learned how to use digital tools to create content. The project aims to promote reading, equip youth with digital literacy skills, and explore manga and digital storytelling as a way of "crossing boundaries" with reading.

The students split into five groups and cycled through the activities scheduled for the morning. I was originally scheduled to play video games in the library. Yes, QUT Library has a games lounge with a Wii, PS3, and an Xbox 360! Due to numbers, though, I switched to the Blender - a room where students worked collaboratively on TV-sized PC screens.

The Blender room was staffed by QUT lecturer and information literacy researcher Mandy Lupton and Dr Anna Lundh, a researcher and teacher at the Swedish School of Library and Information Science at the University of Borås (SSLIS). I've read some of Mandy Lupton's papers, and attended a workshop by Anna Lundh, so it was nice to work with them.

The PC screens were connected to the Internet, with different word games at each station. Students rotated between tables every ten minutes. Magnetic Poetry and Free Rice were the favourites, and there was some definite competition going on!  I thought the students would think vocabulary games were lame, but they really got into it. At least 2500 grains of rice were donated to the World Food Programme today, and the school will consider using Free Rice in the classroom.

There was also the option to draw with coloured pencils. Some of the students are really gifted - they just sat there quietly, and all of a sudden, they'd show you a piece of art. I took a stab at drawing my name with the "manga head" typeface - check it out!

The event concluded with a combined session and two short presentations. Dr Hilary Hughes of QUT spoke about manga, and Mimi Tsai shared examples of digital stories. It was a great day, and I hope to apply concepts I learned today in future digital literacy programs. Thanks to all the volunteers, librarians, and educators who made the event possible.

Unconference 2012

Over the past few months, I've been involved as a LibraryCamp Queensland "unorganiser." I was nominated as the marketing person, so I have been busy creating blog posts, flyers and advertisements, and sending tweets on behalf of @LibCampQLD. LibraryCamp is an unconference, so it's a fun, loosely planned and informal event - run by participants, for participants.

Other members of the committee have gathered sponsors, arranged catering, and invited panelists to speak on the day. It didn't take much more than word-of-mouth for all the spaces to be filled for this free event, which is happening at the State Library of Queensland this Saturday, March 17th.

Published: my InCite article on NLS5!

In addition to winning a complimentary ticket to NLS5 (the 5th New Librarians Symposium) in Perth this past September, I was published in ALIA's InCite! The January/February 2012 issue included my thoughts on NLS5, professional development, and emerging professionals.

You can read it here, in the Energise, Enthuse, Inspire column.

VALA & why libraries are exciting

Hold onto your smartphones, VALA2012 is here! Librarians, library techs, and museum and gallery staff have descended on Melbourne for four days of 'eMpowering eFutures' - a conference that 'promotes the understanding and use of communication technology in libraries and the related museums, archives and galleries services' (VALA). With our client base becoming increasingly connected via mobile, social media, and emerging technologies, we need to embrace technological change in our organisations.

It's not just the after-conference drinks that are social - Twitter is being lit up with the hashtag #VALA2012 and each session has an additional hashtag. Even if you can't be here, you can follow the official account, @VALAlib, as well as #VALA2012. Delegates are already filling their twitter streams with helpful hints, valuable insights from sessions, social plans for the week, and conversation.

"VALA was established as the Victorian Association for Library Automation in 1978 in response to the emergence of automated library catalogues and other technologies that were revolutionising the industry at the time. In 2006 VALA's name was changed to VALA - Libraries, Technology and the Future. This was in recognition of dramatic changes in the information landscape which include the rise of eBooks and eJournals, the social web, cloud computing and mobile devices."
 - Wikipedia, 17 Jan 2012

Goodness, I'm excited about my future career in libraries! Why?

• The variety of books and media materials available
• Teaching people how to use library services
• Teaching people how to use technology
• Reaching patrons with relevant content & services
• Online and distance education resources
• Social media interaction with users
• Research communities
• Lifelong learning opportunities

VALA's 2012 theme is eM-powering eFutures - and, as Peter Drucker said, "The best way to predict the future is to create it." *

*shamelessly stolen from Jason Griffey's keynote #VALA2012 #k1jg

SLQ Preservation Labs Tour

Part One: Cleaning, Repair and Digitisation

The State Library of Queensland preservation labs are a study in ordered chaos. Everything is catalogued - twice - with an exhibit reference and artefact number. Team members are responsible for particular artefacts and they keep their stations prepped with tools of the task. Rolled-up maps await repairs and flattening, many of them already drycleaned and ready for the more meticulous restoration processes. Japanese paper is in regular use to "infill" tears and holes, where more similar paper cannot be found. The paper is coloured to match as closely as possible to the original document. If pieces survive, they are kept with the document to ease repair work.

Drycleaning paper is just one of the processes the SLQ's donated maps will undergo, and it's hard on your hands so task-switching is a must. Too much drycleaning can also be bad for the artefact, obscuring or erasing pencil marks. Graphite smudges, though, get special treatment. A Staedtler white eraser is grated, then brushed over the surface of smudged paper with a lightly weighted bundle of lead wrapped in cloth, which cleans without rubbing out intentional pencilled notations. Often these notations are the most interesting part of the map or plan - signatures, notes, measurements, dates. An old-fashioned shaving brush is used to gently sweep away the eraser.

How to Get THE Job

It’s time for practicum applications and job hunting, so with that in mind, I thought I’d share some point-form notes from a workshop I attended in Perth. In “How to get THE job” (September 16th, ALIA's NLS5 weekend) Karen, Michelle, and Emma shared their tips on resumes, selection criteria, being prepared, and staying positive.

Resume
Use the CCR model – be Clear, Concise, and Relevant.
Include an overarching statement (some call this a summary or snapshot) that gives the employer an idea of who you are.
The first half of the first page is the most important. Don’t be generic – make it stand out!
Include professional memberships and highlight key skills, tech skills, and achievements.
Adding “contact details available on request” alongside names & job titles of your referees is better than the standard “References available on request” because it shows you have people on hand as referees, but if they call you to ask for their phone numbers, you’ll have the advantage of knowing they’re interested!

Selection Criteria
Provide evidence of how you can meet the criteria with previous experience. Use the STAR method – Situation, Task, Action, Result.
Use the same language as the potential employer. Imagine them going through your selection criteria with a highlighter.
Be reflective.

Before the Interview
Prepare, prepare, prepare!
Research the company/industry
Have examples ready for job situations – they’ll look for how you handle problems in the workplace
Remember, you’re interviewing them as much as they’re interviewing you
Have questions or comments ready for them – it shows your interest, respect, and thoughtfulness
Have a “wrap-up” comment or pitch ready for the close of the interview
Presentation: be early/on time, dress well, use non-verbal cues like a smile and a handshake.
I asked whether you should meet the interviewer on their level if they are more casual in their approach or dress, but Michelle said to maintain professionalism.
If you don’t get the job, call and ask for feedback (but be respectful and polite).

Other Tips

• Highlight your transferable skills and consider life experience as skills
• Don’t forget the cover letter, and tailor it closely to the application/company every time – it tells the employer why you’re applying
• Call ahead and ask questions; eg, What software do they use, or why is the position vacant
• It’s okay to say you’re open to training if you don’t have the qualification they’re asking for
• If they ask about your greatest weakness, turn it into a positive and mention an area you’re working on
• Take a pen and paper with you so you can take notes – it’s terrifying to receive a double or triple-barrelled question and be unable to recall the whole question when you’re halfway through replying!
• Don’t underestimate or undersell yourself

Why Go to NLS5?

On July 11, 2011, I entered to win free registration at the upcoming ALIA conference, NLS5 (New Librarians Symposium). My submission was a video, created with iMovie and uploaded to YouTube. I have never created YouTube content before, and it was suggested that entrants use a tool that was new to them.

The lyrics are meant to chronicle my journey from young girl to English lit undergrad to library student. I thought this was the best way for me to express metamorphosis, which is the conference theme. My entry will also be judged on my reasons for attending NLS5, and what I can contribute to the LIS community.

Thinking Ebooks: the Future of Lending in Libraries

Today I attended a forum at the State Library of Queensland (SLQ) that was all about ebooks. Librarians and student librarians were tweeting throughout the event, and socialising over morning tea and lunch on the slightly chilly terrace.

Presenters included:

Martin Taylor - founding director of the Digital Publishing Forum for digital publishing in NZ, publisher and managing director at Addenda Publishing.
Kate Eltham - CEO of QLD Writers Centre since 2006, founder of if:book Australia.
Sherman Young - Assoc. Professor and Assoc. Dean of Learning & Teaching in Arts at Macquarie, author of The Book is Dead, Long Live the Book.
John Scott - Burdekin Library Services Manager (via recorded video)
Jacinda Woodhead -  associate editor of Overland literary journal, runs blogs Overland and Meanland.
Jennifer Moran - panelist and contributor to Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian.

Ebook lending may be the way forward for libraries, but there are many challenges along the way. Ebook channels are still evolving and the lifecycle of the ebook is not yet stable, so although there is room for error, there is also room for experimentation.

Martin Taylor had a tough job today - speaking from the publishing side. If you're unfamiliar with the cloud over publishing lately, Harper Collins USA has been very unpopular with libraries and librarians since they changed their terms of service to allow only 26 checkouts per ebook before requiring the library to repurchase the title. They say that is the average number of checkouts a paperback can withstand before it needs replacing. Some librarians have responded with an intention to boycott, and others are fighting to increase the arbitrary number of loans.

Taylor expects that ebooks will eventually follow a model not unlike the movie industry, where cost to the user decreases post-release, and the publisher makes more money in the long run than in the opening days of a release. He says public libraries will face new challenges for patrons' time, and that the greatest threat to libraries' digital success will be a bad customer service experience. He adds that terms are needed to manage channel conflict (ie; publishers-authors-libraries-schools), and that libraries will face new competition.

A partnership between publishers and libraries is Taylor's hope for the future. Within this partnership, they would talk directly to authors and publishers, challenge traditions by "opening the door" to a hybrid paid/free model, and help the public understanding of the need to experiment and change. As to the libraries themselves, they should consider and trial several access models, creating options that work at each point in a book's economic lifestyle.

Kate Eltham discussed ebook lending, both in libraries and peer to peer. New consumer models include commercial peer to peer services, which she likens to 18th century private libraries, where chosen members could borrow books. The Lendle (Kindle) and Lend Me (Barnes & Noble) "matchmaking service" style services available to US ebook readers is a step in the right direction, but it's limited by geography and a single-loan model, neither of which helps Australian libraries.

Eltham notes that the library sector is shackled with policies at the moment, but believes that libraries will deal directly with self-published authors in the near future. She thinks the internet can tackle issues of geography, access, and convenience, and that we should think about the book as a service, not as a product.