• Wikimedia Australia Wikimedia Australia
  • Ryan Donahue Ryan Donahue
  • Sue Gardner Sue Gardner
  • Ruth Kneale Ruth Kneale Ruth Kneale sponsored by the State Library of Queensland
  • Stuart Candy Stuart Candy Keynote Speaker, Dr Stuart Candy - Professional futurist
  • Ingrid Parent Ingrid Parent Ingrid Parent
  • Jenica Rogers Jenica Rogers Jenica Rogers sponsored by the State Library of Queensland
  • Marcus Foth Marcus Foth
  • NLS6 NLS6

Sketchnotes for fun & profit

Feb 252013
 

Hello library friends,

So, we’re back from NLS6, and I’ve managed to finally write this post. I could say it was the #NLS6plague that made me miss the 48 hour window of opportunity Garry Conroy-Cooper taught us about during the Librarians We Love panel, or the fact that I was busy creating a zombie horde for UTS Play Day  and teaching classes for the start of session… But those would just be excuses, and one of the things that I think we all learned from NLS6 was to stop talking, and start doing.

I’ve been asked to share how I “Do Different”. I’m going to be honest – this mostly involves doing sketchnotes while I’m at conferences.

Librarians We Love [sketchnotes]

Ellen Forsyth, Garry Conroy-Cooper, Kathryn Greenhill, Kim Tairi, Mylee Joseph, Paul Brown & Sue Hutley panel

I do these for a couple of reasons. One is that when I used to type up my notes, I would never look at them again because they were boring, no matter how awesome the session was. Drawing my notes forces me to listen and makes me engage with the content more. Because there is such a limited space, I have to really listen to figure out what the key parts are, and how I’d like to represent them within one iPad screen. Ashley England, my partner in library crime helps when I’ve been distracted drawing a Delorean for 10 minutes and missed a really good point.

Continue reading »

 February 25, 2013  Posted by at 11:00 am get involved, your nls6 Tagged with: , , , , ,  No Responses »

Sensational symposium: A reflection on NLS6

Feb 212013
 

Wow, what a show! During the Symposium I tried to attend everything I could- if only I could defy space and time and attend everything.

I started off with the workshops. First with Show me the evidence! With Suzanne Lewis which was a great way to understand how libraries should be making decisions. I also attended the workshop Designing the future vision of librarians with Sarah Drummond and Zanna Howard- it was a laugh a minute.

The breakout sessions were so hard to choose ~ there were just so many sessions I was interested in. Some of my favourite sessions include Holger Amans session Inspiring the leap into law librarianship– sex, drugs and law reports and excellent presentations and workshops from Bonnie Heim, Freya Lucas and Erin Findlay.

The keynotes were also of particular excellence. I enjoyed Stuart Candy’s presentation on the future of the libraries looking 10,000 years into the future and Ruth Kneal‘s keynote on alternative librarian lifestyles that looked at exciting carers such as a beer or wine librarian.

One of the best things about attending the conference was meeting so many amazing people. It was great to meet new people from all different areas in the library world including people that has just started studying or looking into a library career. I’m so glad that I was able to attend the Symposium and learn how “to be different”.

 February 21, 2013  Posted by at 11:00 am get involved, your nls6 Tagged with: , , , ,  No Responses »

Be bold with bananas: A reflection on NLS6

Feb 202013
 

Looking back over my notes from NLS6 I was overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of quality speakers I got to experience within such a short space of time. So many people presented each with so much to offer. As a student relatively new to library studies this experience was both intimidating and inspiring. I learnt so much. However, there were a few things that really stood out.

Mistakes should be turned into learning experiences. To hear this from a number of people who have been in the industry for quite some time was liberating. As a new student who is about to start job hunting within the industry, it’s nice to know that the pressure is off, I don’t have to be perfect and know the best way things should be done immediately, rather I need to strive to do the right thing and be willing to learn from any failures along the way.

Actively seek out opportunities. Opportunities won’t always fall into my lap, sometimes I’ll have to actively look for them in order to grow my skill set and challenge myself. There are so many opportunities out there and the more I become involved in them the more new opportunities will open up to me.

Network like crazy. Networking is important, super important, and as it turns out, it’s also rather fun! Networking isn’t just a way to find new job opportunities, but it opens up the possibility of learning from other peoples’ experiences. By choosing to network I’m opening myself up to a whole wealth of knowledge. People have a lot to offer and I need to seek out what they can teach me. This way, I’ll be a better librarian and a better person from it.

Everyone has their own path to follow.  My own individual journey will be different from everyone else’s. I can learn from them, but I shouldn’t let anyone else’s experiences dictate how my own path pans out. Instead I should relish that I’m different and let my own individual path be a reflection of who I am as a person.

I’m sad NLS6 is over, but I’m so very glad I impulsively chose to go. I learnt so much and met so many wonderful people who encouraged me and inspired me to keep moving forward. This really was the perfect start to the year, it inspired me to go forward into the job hunt and BE BOLD (with bananas)*.

*Note: Be bold with bananas is a reference to one of the conference sessions, for further information I would suggest twitter #beboldwithbananas…you’re welcome.

 

 

 February 20, 2013  Posted by at 11:00 am get involved, your nls6 Tagged with: , , , ,  No Responses »

Consciousness raised: Achievement unlocked ~ A reflection on NLS6

Feb 192013
 

I didn’t just do my job….I did my job right       Jenica Rogers @ the final keynote of NLS6

Of all the fabulous speakers I listened to over NLS6, it is this statement by Jenica Rogers that has stayed with me in the time that has passed since the conference finished. While I am still an LIS student I also have a day job and the simplicity of this idea, of doing my job right, really struck a chord. Am I just doing my job at work and in my study? Or am I doing my work and study “right”? Upon reflection, I think there is always room for improvement. It’s a matter of being aware, of questioning the way I go about my decision making and problem solving, whether working or studying, and being honest as to whether I am doing a job I can be proud of or whether I am just going through the motions. This was definitely a consciousness raising moment for me and will continue to be so as I move forward in 2013.

There were plenty of other inspirational moments. Ellen Broad’s amazing workshop on copyright in our swiftly changing digital landscape was not just impressive because of her ability to impart gallons of relevant, thought-provoking information. It also meant I can no longer look at any image anywhere and wonder whether there is a copyright infringement happening. If that isn’t a consciousness-raising exercise then I don’t know what is. Similarly, Sue Gardner’s elegant keynote on Wikimedia and the responsibility we have as future LIS professionals to create the Wikipedia we deserve again made me reflect on how much responsibility I actually take for the circulation of information and the creation of knowledge. I returned to my day job and talked the ears off anyone who would listen about the value of Wikipedia and its underlying philosophy of social justice and access to information for all. Once again, something that hadn’t been on my radar was now front and centre. I resolved to explore the possibility of becoming a Wikipedian. Consciousness. Raised.

Apart from the speakers and their presentations there was one other aspect of NLS6 that struck me. Warmth. Now, those of you who attended will know I’m not talking about the temperature in the lecture theatres. That was icy and I was glad I took a cardigan. But the people – from the delegates, to the speakers, to the amazingly hard-working organizing committee – managed to create an atmosphere so welcoming it was almost overwhelming. Meeting and talking with people face to face, most of whom I had only interacted with online, was a privilege and a joy. And even though I’m not yet working in the LIS sector, I felt a sense of belonging that I haven’t experienced for some time. As a result I returned to my daily life resolved to work hard at my studies and to be braver in my personal and professional life. In short, at NLS6 I found the inspiration that I had been looking for to make a concerted effort to start doing things “right”.

 February 19, 2013  Posted by at 11:00 am get involved, your nls6 Tagged with: , , , ,  No Responses »

NLS6 Day one: Be bold with bananas!

Feb 112013
 

We laughed.
We were inspired.
We are capable of leading the information profession.

One-liners like “Be bold with bananas” and “You people have mad skills” will (hopefully) empower us newbies to make the difference we want to see and make throughout our careers.

Catch up on the action from day one of the Sixth ALIA New Librarians Symposium.

 February 11, 2013  Posted by at 6:49 am your nls6 Tagged with: , , , ,  No Responses »

Workshop day catch up

Feb 102013
 

Too much to see in one day? Tried desperately to keep up with yours and the workshop next door? Following from afar?

We’ve captured the narrative – tweets and pics – from yesterday’s workshop day so you can catch up on all the action.

 February 10, 2013  Posted by at 12:12 pm your nls6 Tagged with: , , , , , , ,  No Responses »

NGAC Bursary Runner-Up 2: Sliding to be different

Feb 042013
 
Hi- Kate from NGAC, back again.  Our 2nd $500 runner-up winner is Rachel and below is her entry. We loved how she used her own experiences and photos to create her entry. On behalf of ALIA, NGAC and the NLS6 committee, a well deserved congratulations.

-Kate Freedman, NGAC Chair

Sliding to be different

When I first got the call that I had won a bursary to NLS6 I was busy talking with library users on all the services that libraries could offer. It was exciting to find out that I would soon get the opportunity to engage with new ideas on what other people and libraries were doing by attending the Symposium. There are so many things both libraries and the information profession have to offer library users and the world. Attending the symposium will highlight for me the importance of engaging with library users and investigating professional methods of “being different” and providing outstanding service.

In my entry I tried to capture some the ways in which attending the Symposium will help me in both a visual and personal way. I used some of my holiday snaps from around Australia and the world to demonstrate how attending the Symposium will promote the exchange of ideas and the development of new perspectives. I used Slideshare as a way to link the photos and ideas together on how “being different” can be useful for information professionals.

http://www.slideshare.net/redhenbooks/dare-to-be-different-15555905

Dare to be different from redhenbooks

Each slide provides an insight into what I seek in attending NLS6.

In slide 2 of the presentation I used a photo of some of the Berlin Wall that is now protected by a fence. To me this photo demonstrates two competing ideas that are relevant in the modern world.

Slide 3 is a view of Paris on a wet day, it represents new ways of looking at a place or embracing new ideas helps us find beauty and relevance.

Slide 5 shows an unusual sign in Italy with people crossed out, which represents the need to engage with the community and not block them out.

Slide 6 shows the work of a street artist in London that represents harvesting creativity from those around us, through engaging people that use the library, the community and the profession.

Slide 7 shows some ruins in London that represent the past of the profession; these foundations are the story of the past and the foundation that the profession is built on today.

“Being different” is also about creating new ways in which to interact with information.

Slide 8 demonstrates new ways of presenting information with a traditional warning sign with street art on it.

In slide 10 I’m clearly excited about attending the symposium. See you there!

 February 4, 2013  Posted by at 2:00 pm your nls6 Tagged with: , , , ,  No Responses »

The NLS6 mobile web app

Feb 012013
 

The web team has been busy, behind the scenes, to put together a web app for you to use during the Symposium.

The app lets you access:

  • A customisable schedule
  • Speaker bios and Twitter feeds
  • The NLs6 Twitter stream
  • Other handy information

Customising the schedule is super easy. Simply tap the star on the top-right of the screen when you’re viewing a session and it will be added to your custom schedule. Then, when you’re viewing the whole schedule, you can tap the star on the top right to display only your starred sessions.

  

How awesome is that?

To access the app, scan the QR code below or, visit bit.ly/nls6app on your mobile device (Safari or Chrome on iOS or Android devices. Sorry, Windows Phone users, but Internet Explorer is not supported).

We’re still making some tweaks here and there, but the schedule is in its final form and good to go!

 February 1, 2013  Posted by at 10:30 am your nls6 Tagged with: , , ,  No Responses »

NGAC Bursary Runner-Up 1: Here’s to the Symposium!

Jan 312013
 

Hi- Kate from NGAC here.  Today we introduce Emily, and her $500 runner-up winning entry.  We loved her creativity and sense of humour.  Have a look below at her entry- we think she should invent a real (drinkable) version!  On behalf of ALIA, NGAC and the NLS6 committee, a well deserved congratulations.

-Kate Freedman, NGAC Chair.

 Here’s to the Symposium

When I initially saw the call for entries to NGAC’s travel bursary competition I was hesitant. My student brain was in full holiday swing and the thought of creatively responding to the theme ‘be different’ was daunting, I promptly forgot about it. Sometime later I saw a reminder and with impending car registration the idea of financial aid of any kind was very appealing. Nothing I thought of seemed particularly inspired or “different”. The evening following I happened to be spending the night with three close friends (my pseudo housemates). Between discussing my upcoming trip and their good humoured mocking of my insistence in calling it a ‘Symposium’ we found ourselves on Wikipedia (the final, if not somewhat iffy destination of many a modern discussion). To our delight we discovered that in Ancient Greece a Symposium was, among other things, a drinking party! It was from this that my idea evolved… I would create a cocktail, the unofficial beverage of the NLS6!

INTRODUCING FRUIT SYMPOSIA

http://spoonforkladle.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/fruitsymposia.jpg

Although creating a cocktail was rather a light-hearted approach to the competition it enabled me to allude to key elements of the upcoming NLS6, especially the coming together of individuals to share ideas and inspire one another to move forward into the future of librarianship, consequently the Symposium is still to this day like a drinking party (albeit with less alcohol…). As individuals we come together and share a little part of ourselves with one another. Through the Symposium this sharing will encourage and inspire us to move forward, to take what we learned, combine it creatively with our own unique approaches and as a result we will ‘be different’.

As a student relatively new to the information profession (I’m just about to commence my second semester of a Master of Information Management) I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to attend an event full of individuals who care about the information profession, who understand the industry and who are willing to engage with others in looking optimistically towards the future. I hope to learn more about what the future might look like for librarians and what my individual role in that future may be. I am eager to hear stories of the different approaches to embrace the information chaos of the modern world. I want to learn from others, and through learning from others I hope and trust that I will in turn be inspired to ‘be different’.

 January 31, 2013  Posted by at 2:00 pm your nls6 Tagged with: , , ,  No Responses »
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