Gluten Free: An Info Lit Presentation

Information Literacy was a challenging class for me. It took about six weeks before the readings, lectures, and concepts began to solidify. The group assignment for Info Lit was a great way to bring all the threads together at the end of the semester. I worked with Uti and Alisa to deliver an "educational event" (supposedly for young adults, at a public library) that would help the attendees learn the basics of gluten-free cooking.

We chose our topic because we had noticed an increasing number of people are coeliac, yet the ins and outs of cooking for someone with a gluten intolerance are not well-known. Presenting the basics of gluten-free cooking - selecting ingredients, choosing a recipe, and following a recipe - fit nicely into several aspects of information literacy.

From the report:

"Active learning strategies were guided by the theoretical framework made up of selected frames of information literacy (C. Bruce, 2008) and the GeST windows (M. Lupton, 2008), as well as faces of informed learning appropriate to the context and the content delivered. Faces of informed learning that were identified as relevant to the educational event included the sourcing of information (second face); processing of information (third face), and the wisdom, or seventh face."




As part of our "team effort" presentation, Alisa, Uti and I taught the class through a brief lecture, an activity, and a cooking demonstration. I had some help from Andrew (orange shirt) and Andre (green shirt) as I put together a gluten-free dish, Almond Asparagus Quinoa.

Following our presentation, several people told me they felt confident they could make the dish themselves, even those who hadn't eaten quinoa before that night. To me, this indicates that our information literacy session was a success. Additional feedback was very positive, and our audience was impressed by how much we were able to fit into our 30-minute teaching session.

The educational event was held on May 25, 2012.

Observation: Special Collections

As part of my practicum in November/December 2011, I shadowed the music librarian at the State Library of Western Australia. I have always been interested in becoming a subject specialist or a librarian who works with a special collection, and wanted to observe what skills and knowledge are required in that type of role.

I first viewed theThe WA State Library's music collection on a tour, as part of the 5th New Librarians Symposium. The collection is one of the largest in the country, with over 70,000 scores available for loan, and not all of it is on the shelves. In addition, there are books and recordings on vinyl and CD.

The music subject specialist, Allison Fyfe, was very patient as she showed me how to search the catalogue, locate items in the stacks, and check that all the parts of a score had been returned. It is not as simple as checking things off on a list. A background in music and the Romance languages is desirable,  as the scores are often titled and catalogued in other languages, with parts of music labeled klavier, not piano.

When a patron needed a score that wasn't on the shelves, Alison would put in a request for someone to pull it from the stacks. I was surprised that this process only took place twice an hour, and even more surprised that most people were content to wait. My customer service training balked at keeping someone waiting, but I'm sure it is more efficient for staff to perform retrievals at set times of the day.

Allison has come by her considerable knowledge through studying music throughout her life. I observed her responding to a patron's request by humming the answer. I can certainly appreciate the specialist knowledge and research skills needed to fill this position - you never know what a patron may ask.


Allison Fyfe has since retired.

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.