the empty shelf

Prezi Placement Presentation

Aspirant Librarian — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 01:47:23 +0000

I know I have not completed all the entires for my days on placement. Patience. But I am presenting tomorrow on my experience of the professional placement. For the first time, I have prepared a presentation using Prezi software. The content might not make much sense without my commentary, but hopefully you get some idea of the placement setting, the issues facing academic libraries and the projects I worked on. Or at least be dazzled by the presentation’s design and style.

Here is the link to a sneak preview of my presentation:

Professional Practice Prezi Presentation

Now I just need to get a job.

Day 11 or Beyond Wikipedia

Aspirant Librarian — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 07:59:35 +0000

Monash University Caulfield Library – Brutalist Tower (Stairs really)

Reading: Why first-year college students select online research resources as their favorite by James P. Purdy, First Monday, Volume 17, Number 9 – 3 September 2012

You can read the full article here: http://www.firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/4088/3289

Don’t get me wrong, I am not anti-Wikipedia, I use it all the time. It is really useful when you are looking for a quick definition or as a springboard to additional sources of information beyond Wikipedia. However, during my course I would have never used it as a source for a reference (no matter how relevant) in an assignment. I would have felt ashamed. Definitely, not the done thing. Also, I have never attempted to edit/improve Wikipedia, although it might be fun to try. Wikipedia admits it needs help, and has a WikiProject dedicated to adding references to over 230,000(!) unreferenced articles.

Apparently, I am not the only one reluctant to reference Wikipedia, this was contrary to my expectations. The Purdy article reports on the results of a questionnaire that asked over 500 American first year university students,

“which research resources they used and why certain online research resources were their favorite. The study found that students most frequently reported favoring resources for reasons of ease, quality, and connectivity. These results present a more complex picture of student motivation than popular accounts of NextGen college students as disinterested, lazy, and ignorant” (2012). In other words, using Wikipedia.

Purdy argues that many of the students surveyed valued scholarly sources above relevant ones, regarding the scholarly classification of the information as more important than the content. The article argues that students need to be more discriminating when using scholarly databases or journals. Students are having difficulty discerning that a scholarly source appropriate for one assignment may not be suitable for another. For instance, “a source returned by Google Scholar may work well for non–academic research into side effects of a medical procedure. Yet it may be inappropriate for an academic essay on that procedure, despite it being scholarly ” (2012). The study surmises that students may be over reliant on how “teachers, librarians, database providers, or others designate scholarliness” (2012). And I thought librarians could do no wrong.

The article concludes that students could learn and benefit from conducting their own primary research in order to better understand the practices involved in academic research. We can all benefit from learning how to evaluate the “expert information” that is used to shape the governmental policies, and legislative decisions that affect us.

Thankfully we have The Conversation in Australia taking a part in providing this education.

Day 9 & 10 or Not Reading, Writing

Aspirant Librarian — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 03:01:13 +0000

Shirt: Op shop, Tights: We Love Colors, Skirt: Berserk, Reading: Spirax A5 3 Subject Note Book

Librarians spend a lot of time on computers. I did not know this. Blended learning is all the rage in academic education. So, librarians are busy creating material for online use by students. I have been spending a lot of time on computers too, as well as illegibly scrawling down my observations, in….

my office.

I found this funny. CAUTION: Library print materials.

Day 7 & 8 or Read Your Library Guide

Aspirant Librarian — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 23:53:06 +0000

More examples of Australian Brutalism. It’s growing on me.

If you are a student, I have two words for you: Library Guides. These are lovingly and painstakingly prepared by librarians (and librarian students on placement) and are your one-stop-shop for everything you need to know about what and how you are studying, the resources you can access and how to find them and make the best use of them. If you are an academic, I have two words for you: Library Guides. Recommend them to your students. Here is a fine example:

Monash Library Guide – Architecture

I would also like to express my gratitude to library staff for their work on electronic reading lists. These list enable students to link to their reading materials with a click or two or maybe three, from anywhere at anytime. This means you do not have to get up of your arse and go and find anything yourself. If, as a student you have ever complained about these wonderful electronic reading lists then you are a lazy ingrate who should try going and searching for the paper based item instead. So there!

Christmas Edition

Aspirant Librarian — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 23:21:49 +0000

Dress: Op Shop

Necklace: Ebay

Reading: Christmas Eve at the Mellops’ by Tomi Ungerer (Phaidon, 2011).

Sometimes I ignore all the best advice regarding childhood literacy about how reading should be fun, blah, blah, blah and I try to make my children like the same books I do. These books usually contain a worthy message. This approach is often unsuccessful as kids are easily bored by a book with a lesson to teach.

One of these books is, Christmas Eve at the Mellops’. I purchased it last year at Christmas time and despite the lack of interest first time around I am going to persist because the more I read it the more I love it. And they will too. This book shows that you can give to others, (if you give what is needed and not just because you can) and enjoy what you have at Christmas. The illustrations depict the misery, poverty and loneliness that is the reality for many people (or pigs) at Christmas time. Yet, it is not a depressing book. The Mellops children make the effort to give what is wanted rather than giving just because they want to feel good about giving, even though this is the end result.

Tomi Ungerer is a legendary children’s book author and illustrator. You may not know about his anti-war posters and erotica.

Warning: this video contains images of violence and nudity. Sometimes both together.

Source: Far out isn’t far enough

Day 6 or Librarian Cliché

Aspirant Librarian — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:42:26 +0000

Not cardigans, glasses, shushing or gin. It’s cats!

This cat. And no, her name is not Dewey.

Dress: Boden

Damascene Ring & Pendant: Ebay

Reading: Understanding Cats (Animals Around Us) by Bridget Gibbs, Illustrated by John Barber, Colin King and Sam Peffer, (Rigby, 1978).

In the picture above you will notice another issue I have with second hand books. Multiple copies. I know I can’t be the only hoarder out there. Anyone?

Yes, I did start the second week of my placement at Monash University’s Caulfield Library, where I did meet a lot of lovely, clever people and did begin work on an interesting library project. But, I got a SUPER CUTE KITTEN! So I will tell you all about the library stuff some other time.

Day 5 or Good bye, Louis!

Aspirant Librarian — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 11:40:10 +0000

Tunic: Threadz from Birdsnest

Skirt: Op shop

Shoes: Wonders

Ring: Klei

Demonic eyes: Me

Reading: A book, by?

Can we scan or copy book covers to post into a library blog? This is not a library blog, it is a blog about libraries (and shoes) but copyright still applies.

“There is no copyright issue if the cover does not include any copyright works. However, most covers include “artistic works” (such as illustrations or photos) and many also include “literary works” (such as abstracts), and these can be protected by copyright.” Australian Copyright Council. Whoops!

To use all or a “substantial part” of an artistic work in any of the ways reserved to the copyright owner, you will need permission from the copyright owner, unless copyright has expired or a special exception applies.
The creator of copyright material is not always the copyright owner.
The owner of a physical item does not necessarily own copyright in that item.
Intestacy law or the will of a deceased person may determine who inherited copyright owned by the person when they died.
The Copyright Act does not allow you to use copyright material without permission merely because you canʼt identify the copyright owner, or canʼt contact them, or because they fail to reply to your request.
If you have used copyright material without permission, using “good faith notices” or statements that you were unable to contact the copyright owner, does not alter your legal liability for infringement.
Once you have permission to use an artwork, you still need to ensure that you do not infringe its creatorʼs moral rights. Artworks: Getting Permission.
Anyway, enough of that.

I was lucky enough to be given a tour of the Rare Books Collection at the Sir Louis Matheson Library. You MUST (yes, I am screaming at you!) go and visit a rare books collection and talk to the librarians there, doesn’t have to be Monash, pick one. They are an Aladinn’s cave for art, photography, book, and ephemera lovers. You will never want to leave. Unless you forget your cardigan, it gets cold in the back room, a constant 18 degrees Celsius. Humidity and high temperature, very bad for books. It is amazing what they are collecting, and what they are not telling you they are collecting. Enticed?

The first week of my placement is done, so it is good bye to the Sir Louis Matheson Library and hello to the Caulfield Library. See you next week.

Day 3 or Risk Taking Librarians

Aspirant Librarian — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 10:40:19 +0000

Monash University has a research repository, that is, “a place to securely store and centrally manage selected research data“. WAIT!!! Don’t go. Stay. I haven’t told you what is in it.

It has a digitised copy of every edition of Lot’s Wife student newspaper between 1961-2008, (I hope I have got those dates right). If you ever read, or wrote for student newspapers then this is the place for you. If you ever attended Monash, place for you. Were a student between 61-08, ditto. If you are interested in student protest and Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War, check out the issues between 62-73.

In a nutshell, if stuff is online it gets used more. Use it.

Necklace: Polka Luka
Uncomfortable Shoes: Funkis
Shirt: Deep Blue

Still Reading:

Title Organising knowledge in a global society : principles and practice in libraries and information centres / Philip Hider with Ross Harvey.
Author Hider, Philip, 1971-
Other Authors Harvey, D. R. (Douglas Ross), 1951-
Charles Sturt University. Centre for Information Studies
Edition Rev. ed.
Published Wagga Wagga, N.S.W. : Centre for Information Studies, 2008.
Physical Description xiii, 371 p. ; 25 cm.
Series Topics in Australasian library and information studies, 1030-5009 ; no. 29
Subjects Information organization.
Information storage and retrieval systems.
Cataloging — Standards.
Electronic information resources.
Metadata.

Libraries provide people with access to materials, not a free licence to copy them. Libraries take risks in providing this access, Lot’s Wife is a case in point.

Cautionary tale: William Faulkner Estate Sues over Woody Allen film. I am loving William Faulkner (although, not so much that I am prepared to quote him), but I am not so much loving his estate.

Books in bins, retrieved by cranes. The future of libraries is here.

Day 4 or Fun Lovin’ Librarians

Aspirant Librarian — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 09:38:39 +0000

Getting bored with my poses.

Dress: Op shop
Cardigan: Op shop
Shoes: Op shop
Necklace: Polka Luka

Lunchtime trivia with librarians, very daunting. Our team was made up of four students and one Cataloguing Supremo. If you look closely, (go on!) you will see that the Visitors (us) came in second. Phew. First place to the Trivial Minds. Congratulations.

Thank you Natima for the photos.

Day 2 or Librarians 1 Hackers 0

Aspirant Librarian — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:40:18 +0000

Did you know that librarians prevent hackers from getting into the university’s electronic databases? Kick-ass librarians. You don’t see that in the job description. The task for these librarians is to diagnose problems and find solutions. A bit like hackers really, or detectives. I don’t know why there aren’t more movies about librarians.

Skirt: Friends of Couture

Vest: Laura Ashley

Still Reading: Organising Knowledge in a Global Society: Principles and Practice in Libraries and Information Centres, by Philip Hider with Ross Harvey, (Centre for Information Studies, 2008).

Other things I found out today, that my brain hurts to talk about in detail are:

Librarians strive to get the best access to online materials for users. They negotiate with the vendors for perpetual access. The other condition they try to procure is, “unlimited access” so multiple users can access the digital material anywhere, as many times as they want.

Libraries Australia is the librarian’s friend.

Monash Library offers walk-in terminals to the general public. So, if you want access to amazing electronic resources, like e-journals, why not ask your nearest university library if they do the same?

There are books in the library that have not been catalogued, just sitting on shelves, not recorded in the system, hiding in plain sight, waiting to be discovered serendipitously. Not just one or two, but thousands. But not my books. My books have lovely records, you can find them easily.

My books