Monday, August 20, 2012

Road Trip Library Photos

In my previous post I mentioned that on the way to the Public Libraries NSW Conference, we stopped and visited some libraries.

I have finally uploaded most of the photos.  I haven't got to Tea Gardens Library yet but the photos will be up soon.

Here are links to the photos:

  1. Port Macquarie Library
  2. Laurieton Library - a branch of Port Macquarie-Hastings Libraries
  3. Raymond Terrace Library - a branch of Port Stephens Libraries
  4. Tomaree Library and Community Centre - a branch of Port Stephens Libraries
I hope you enjoy and I'd love to see photos of libraries that others have taken.

Monday, August 6, 2012

PLNSW Imagine Conference Final Thoughts - I Promise!

On the way to the conference, my colleague and I visited 3 libraries:
  1. Port Macquarie Library
  2. Laurieton Library
  3. Raymond Terrace Library
And on the way home we visited Tomaree Library and Community Centre, and Tea Gardens Library.  I took heaps of photos but am yet to load them to Picasa.  Once I have, I will share them on this blog.

The library visits were great.  It is always exciting visiting libraries and getting ideas to take back to your own branches - well I think so.

 The conference was well worth attending.  The theme of reading brought me back to our roots - well what I believe a library's roots to be.  Although, Marcus Bauber did get us thinking more about the role a librar has of developing wisdom.  The bottom line, I think, is that we are about reading - be it for gaining information or for leisure, it is what we provide.

I think sometimes we get lost trying to be too many things for our community.  I do believe we have a roll to play in providing access to and instruction on how to use new technology.  I really think we have to focus on what new technology we are going to be good at - what new technology our community will be wanting to use.  Because that is what it comes down to - what our community wants and sometimes I think we all get carried away focusing on what we want.

What I would love to see at a conference is more of someone telling us what we are doing wrong.  It's great to have speakers from outside our industry but often they spend all the time tellings us how good we are.  I don't really want to hear that - although it is nice.  I want to hear where we are going wrong and how we can change that to going right!

Having a chance to talk to the trade exhibitors is also a great thing at a conference but I felt rushed.  I love that many conferences I have attended have the exhibitor passbook to get stamped to go into the draw to win prizes - it does get delegates out there visiting the trade.  But it also gets delegates to the trade without having any questions to ask other than "please stamp my book."

In a past life I was involved in a conference committee and I realised then the importance of making the trade feel that it has been worth while attending the conference.  I don't think they want delegates just asking to stamp a book and then running off.  They want to have a conversation about their products - what's new, what's working, what isn't working.

While some delegates believe that they shouldn't talk to trade because they don't make purchasing decisions - they are often the end users of the product or the one's showing our users how to use the product.  Therefore, they are the most important person, apart from our users, that can talk to the trade about any issues we might be having at the end user end.  They are also the staff member who is hearing what our users want.  So again, they should be talking to the trade about those things!!

On a social note, I have found that the last few conferences I have been sticking to the people I know - which is very unlike me but I think I'm going through a few confidence issues at present, and really have been since moving to a different state.  So I don't feel as outgoing as I used to be and as confident to go up to people I don't know and introduce myself.  It's something I will be working on at future conferences.

The venue was excellent - who can complain about staying at a resort.  The costs of registration and accommodation was very economical.  I would have loved more time to explore the area but it did get me out and about at early hours of the morning to take it all in.

Well that should be all the PLNSW conference blog posts I have.  Till the next blog challenge or till the urge hits me again...

Friday, August 3, 2012

Public Libraries NSW Imagine Conference Continued

Nigel Marsh then came and shared with us how to make reading cool.  Just because something is interesting/important to you doesn't mean it is interesting/important to others.  Use authenticity and honesty to sell and make it cool, don't use tricks!  Be brand appropriate - reading does not have to justify itself.  Use your brand attic - get people to remember the stories.  Remember the McDonald's ad where the kids came out of the adults and headed to McDonald's for lunch?  This was connecting with consumers memories of having McDonald's as kids.  Now think of how a library could do this?  Be creative - money should not be an issue if you are creative.  Unfortunately, the thing that stuck out most for me during Nigel's presentation was his video of how they made a Wrangler's ad.  There was lots of cowboys and bull riding!!

Jane Caro, Cheryl Kernot, Jaye Ford and Dr Bernie Curran then confessed their favourite reads and their guilty secret read. 

Cheryl Kernot = The ascent of man by Jacob Bronowski and A scandalous life is her guilty read.
Jaye Ford = crime and Lee Child, Sue Grafton, Raymond Chandler and Steven King.  Her guitly reads are Mills & Boon and Jane Austen.
Dr Bernie Curran = manuscripts as you get to watch the language grow.  The scarlet pimpernel is his guilty read.

Best practice sessions saw me attend the session about Tweet Reading.  This group meets on Twitter on the last Tuesday of every month.  They try to cover a wide range of topics and people can participate from anywhere.  They have been following the National Year of Reading monthly themes this year and have already developed the themes for next year.  I try to particpate in this event each month either through contributing to the conversation or observing to learn about some good reads.  The group has been going since 2011 and won a 2011 Marketing Award for NSW Public Libraries.  Why does it work? Supportive environment, learn as you work, suits variables workloads, covers geographical distance.  So why don't you participate in this month's discussion theme "question" at the end of the month?

Sue McKerracher then spoke about how we can continue the momentum of National Year of Reading.  She shared with us some of the activities/events that had already happened including Flash mob reading groups, displays, giveaways, Simultaneous Storytime--over 2500 events in libraries, schools + more.  The flower logo is going to be continued to be used.  And libraries need to continue working with the partnerships already developed to keep it going.

A lovely session on storytelling with Ashley Ramsden was next.  He reminded us that eveyone can tell a story and it is not necessary for us to understand every story we tell.  Stories are a way of getting to know each other and hold the roots of community.   Stories are little mirrors as we enter into them we find ourselves.  It is not about the story but the act of attention.

I then attended another best practice sesson discussing community driven collection development with Alex Mills from Singleton Public Library.  Alex discussed the teething problems from their first few community book buying sessions but have now found a process that works.  This is timely for me as we will be offering a community book buying session in September as part of our National Year of Reading events - however we hope to continue it in the following years.  It was good to hear that it does work but you need to find what works well.  Thankfully, our book supplier has been involved in these before and has a system that works - I'll keep you posted.

I won't discuss the fun debate - Is the book always better than the movie?  Because I can't give it the justice it deserves via the written word - you really had to be there!!

Marcus Barber was the last speaker of the conference and he gave us an insight into the future.  Which unfortunately I didn't capture in tweets/notes because my tablet battery died.  So I will share others tweets.  Define the future your want, work out barriers, remove barriers, then do.  Use crowdsourcing as a way of making sure you are providing what your users want.  His presentation was rushed because the conference was going overtime, and that was disappointing as he had a lot of good things to say that was missed due to it being rushed.

I will do one more post on my overall feel and thoughts from the conference tomorrow but I'd love to hear/read what others thoughts were from those that attended. 

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Public Libraries NSW Imagine Conference Part 4

Day 2 started with a bookcamp facilitated by Angela Meyer.  The broad theme was Booking into the future: transforming and supporting storytelling with new media.  Angela asked for some members of the audience to come up and help assist the conversation along it's way so the first part of the conversation focused on the never-ending story engaging readers + the power of story.

How do we get current and future readers into the library?  Some ideas included the Bookstart program (from memory this was where a bag of books and library information is provided to new mothers).  Offer a variety of events to cater for all ages.  Does it matter if the person doesn't enter the library but uses it virtually?  Getting people into the library is getting people using library resources and tools, wherever they are.  Some libraries used local bands to draw the young people in by having Live and Loud sessions.

The conversation then moved on to print vs digital.  Libraries should be role models for using new technologies.  We should offer technology petting zoos.  Library staff should have a wide range of digital skills.  Some libraries use volunteers who are technologically savvy to assist library users to use technology.  Library staff should be open to trying, learning and providing opportunities to our communities.  Some libraries have trouble convincing coucil of the importance in having new technology and being able to access it.  We should not forget our core business but the shelf is now also digital.

Does digital change the way we read?  An e-device makes it easier to read titles that the reader may be embarassed to be seen reading e.g. 50 Shades of Grey.  Reading in the digital world is rewiring our brains to how we read and we do more skimming over text.  eReading great for home library service as you can adjust the text size.  And then there are the digital reading groups like the Twitter reading group.

The topic then moved onto trends and constants.  We do have transient genre and must know what our community wants and will read.  How do we predict a trend?  eBooks make supply of popular books easier.  Libraries need to be aware of male readership and cater to their interests as well as those of others.  We must have a balanced collection.

And finally library users as content creators.  Must have qualitative assessment of what you are getting in content creation from your community.  And how do libraries integrate econtent into their collections?

And once more my blogging has been cut short as I have to go to work - more from day 2 tomorrow. 

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Public Libraries NSW Imagine Conference Part 3

Following on from Sophie Cunningham was the best practice sessions.  I chose to attend People of the Book with Chris Jones, manager of Great Lakes Library.  Chris shared how his library had created their book club sets collection.  The collection started via Chris's own book club donating copies of books to the library once they had read them.  They now have a collection of around 102 sets with 31 registered book clubs.  Each book club that registers with the library has to purchase one book club set for the library each year.  This is very similar to how other libraries have been doing it.

Chris said the greatest challenge has been the success of the program and how to manage storing the collections.  To generate interest, put the collection/kits on display and offer annual book club events.

Chris was kind enough to donate some sets to our library to start us of.  We have since purchased more sets - I think we now have about 20 and we will soon launch the collection and start registering book clubs.

The last session of day 1 was a very interesting panel session discussing indigenous voices in literature.  Panel members were Dr Anita Heiss, Nicole Watson and Dr Brooke Collins-Gearing.  All panel members agreed that they are writing Aboriginality to educate the non-indigenous.  And the process of writing has allowed them to follow a journey to their identity.  It was a very interesting session and they did suggest webpages to find lists of good indigenous titles to have in your library but my tablet battery went flat so I didn't catch them.

Nicole Watson is a Brisbane girl and she mentioned something interesting which I didn't know about and am wondering if it is fact or fiction.  She said that there are a number of Boundary Roads in Brisbane and apparently if you are aboriginal you can not cross a Boundary Road as you will be killed.  Can anyone out there verify this for me or has heard of this before?  She also described Brisbane as a city of addiction to construction.  This prompted me to think of tunnels!!

I have once again run out of time so will post thoughts about day 2 tomorrow.