TLDIG Forum

On Tuesday, 23rd Oct, Hawthorn hosted the 2007 Tertiary Librarians Disabilities Interest Group (TLDIG) Forum. Approx 30 people attended including library staff from each Swinburne campus.

The topic of the morning program was Mental Health issues in the Tertiary Education context. The presenter was Frank Hytten, who had previously worked at the Prahran Campus with the Psychiatric Disabilties course.
Frank provided some useful strategies when dealing with students with mental health issues. He felt libraries need to develop a culture which is supportive and inclusive, advising to be friendly not friends. When dealing with a problem, keep it clear and simple and set the boundaries.

In the afternoon we visited Vision Australia. Both the Reader Services Manager and the Information Access Manager addressed the group. A tour of the various Departments at Vision Australia followed the presentations.

The focus of the library service which provides alternative format material is recreational reading.
DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) format is the latest technology that has been introduced for the talking books. These books are read using a digital playback device. The DAISY book can be easily browsed in much the same way as a sighted reader and usually only requires one CD.

More information about Vision Australia is available from their web site
http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=520

ALIA National Library & Information Technicians Conference 2007

On Thursday (11th Oct) I attended day 2 of the Conference. The Grand Hyatt in Melbourne was the venue for the Conference. The theme of Thursday’s program was Initiate.

In the Plenary session the topic of the presentation was Secondments, also be known as rotations or exchanges. Sharon Uthmann, Ipswich Library and Information Service, talked about her own experiences plus the findings of the Research she had done. Advantages and benefits for both the workplace and the staff were explained. Opportunities for mulit-skilling, transfer of knowledge & experience, introduction of new ideas, personal development were some of the benefits to be experienced.

There were challenges to be managed as well. Issues for staff such as fitting in, feelings of uncertainty, adequate training and false expectations need to be addressed. The workplace can suffer too with disruption to rosters and movement of staff.
However, the challenges can be overcome with good management and an adequate Secondment policy.

You can view Sharon's blog
http://dunnandwilson.blogspot.com/

This presentation provided food for thought and I came away from this session thinking of the possibilities of establishing a rotation program for our library desk staff. Apparently, it was something that had been done at Hawthorn a number of years ago. Is anyone else interested in developing such a program?

Another session which I felt supported the theme of initiate was the Australian Bureau of Statistics presentation.
The ABS presentation demonstrated a shift to a more client based focus with its recent web site changes. Free online statistics with 3 levels (tourists, harvesters & miners) of information being provided has been the approach taken to help achieve statistical literacy for the web site users. RSS is also another strategy introduced to reflect a client based focus.

ALIA National Library & Information Technicians Conference 2007

I also attended Day 3 (Fri 12th Oct) of the Conference. The theme of Friday’s Conference program was “Inspire”

The keynote address was given by Dr Annemarie Lloyd from Charles Sturt University. The topic of her presentation was Information Literacy. She emphasised the need for library professionals to take risks and move beyond the library walls to reach their communities.

Libraries are no longer just physical spaces but are also networked and virtual. It is important to make Information Literacy more relevant and take it into the workplace.

Another interesting point made was “People are important information sources in the workplace". People prefer people to disseminate information. She acknowledged the emergence of the “Living Library” as another information source.

Another presentation that I felt “inspired”, was given by Andrew Thurley from Vision Australia Information Library Service.

The title of his presentation was Libraries as a training nexus. Andrew advocated an investment in training equals an investment in the library’s future. He identified 5 ingredients to ensure excellent training (Empowerment, Confidence, Flexibility, Rapport and Patience).

His recommendation is to complete the Certificate 1V in workplace training & assessment qualification.

In his conclusion he stated that the Library Profession has the staff, the skills, the place and the power to provide excellent workplace training.

Task 4 - Blog visiting and commenting

My blog visits revealed that the library staff are a very diverse group.
The blogs enabled an opportunity to go behind the scenes and discover the many talents and interests. Leaving and receiving comments was satisfying, particularly when a new link for a common interest emerged.

The sharing of information via the blogs proved a useful problem solving tool. Following a "step by step" instruction, I was able to correct the time setting in my blog.

My blog has even had a "make over"

Cross Country ski resorts in Victoria

Hi Dana

I think the best Cross Country ski resort in Victoria is Falls Creek located in the North East. This resort has the best gromming and facilites.

http://fallscreek.com.au/website/default.asp

Unfortunately, at the southern resorts such as Lake Mountain and Baw Baw, the snow is not so reliable.

Cheers
Margaret

An answer to my question

Well done!
Jane W correctly identified the location as the Dolomites. The picture shows the Three Peaks known as Drei Zinnen (German name) or Tre Cime di Leverado (Italian name).

Try these links for more pictures and information about this great location in the Italian Alps.
http://www.altapusteria.info/en/index.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tre_Cime_di_Lavaredo

Yes, I will join the Swinburne BUGS. Bike riding is another activity I enjoy. Thanks for the prompt.
Margaret

Welcome to my blog

Well here I am on the road to achieving the 23 things. Having reached the first marker of creating a blog, I am looking forward to the remaining challengers.

Are there any other Cross Country skiers out there in blogger land?

I have been skiing for over 30 year
Are there any other Cross Cos and this activity has provided me with many wonderful experiences and opportunities.

Does anyone know the name of the peaks in the background of the picture?

Here's a clue - It's definitely not in Australia.