Posts Tagged ‘ALIA’

28
Dec
2020

ALIA National Library and Information Technicians’ Symposium 2019

categories: INF305 PD
symp

Summary

Content – Library Technician Symposium

Type – Symposium

Length – 14 Hours (2 days) + 1 day library tours

Level – Library Technicians, Librarians 

Organisers – ALIA

Presenters – Various

Format – Keynote address (each morning) followed by small breakout workshops

Reflection

The symposium’s main focus was to provide an opportunity for library technicians from around Australia to come together to listen to prominent members of the profession, their peers, speak and debate issues that have arisen in the library technician field. It enabled people to network and connect with like minded individuals through informal and formal events that were planned by ALIA. 

One of the reasons I wanted to attend the conference was that as I work within a school library I am the only library technician and it is very difficult to connect with others at my level. I had been working as a library tech for 5 and a half years and apart from connecting with others via social media I thought it would be a great step in my professional development. Another drawcard was that when I looked at the program there were a lot of opportunities to learn and develop new skills that I can use now and later in my career.  

Day 1

On the first day there were a number of library tours that we could attend to see how different library environments worked. My first visit was to the Melbourne City Library to gain an insight to how their main public library branch worked. I have no experience in this field and it was interesting to see how not only is it a library but upstairs there is also a viewing space where local artists can display their work. As libraries are community spaces it was nice to see that the library was also respecting what the community values with a strong emphasis on art and collaboration. 

My second visit was to the Melbourne Cricket Club library situated within the MCG. As this is a specialised sports library focusing mainly on cricket, it does house information about other sports across Australia also. Not only does it run as a library but it also doubles as an archive as was first established in 1873. It is open to the members of the MCG when there is a game being played and a number of researchers from across the world have used the information it houses. 

 

Day 2

The first official day of the symposium was opened with a keynote address by CSU own Dr Mary Carroll who spoke about how the library technician job is today as valuable as it was back when the position was first established. Next we heard from other library techs and their experiences in their libraries, ranging from TAFE libraries to what it was like working within the National Library. 

Breakout Session 1 – Twitter 

The first breakout session I attended was on the value of Twitter as a tool for establishing and expanding my professional learning network. Margie spoke of the importance of making positive connections on the platform and connecting with people from all library worlds to gain exposure to their thoughts and ideas on certain issues. I think that Twitter is such a valuable resource for information professionals as it is a place that is continually updating and you can learn so much from a simple 5 minutes looking at a feed. 

Breakout Session 2 – Video Strategy 

The second session hosted by Jade Koekoe was all about how you can make videos that have a strong purpose and people will gain something from them. In this day and age it is vital that libraries are utilizing every platform they can to help inform their clients. Jade spoke about how to edit a video to ensure it is engaging and informative for the viewer. Now more than ever having a strong presence online comes down to how well libraries can make themselves known. 

 

Day 3

The final day was opened with another keynote presentation by Maddy Medlycott and Michael Hawks who spoke about how we as library technicians need to be confident in our skills and the value we bring to libraries. 

Breakout Session 3 – Canva

Hosted by Jade Koekoe this session was about how creating enticing graphics for the library’s social media page is as simple as having 3-4 elements on an image. Promoting events or new products in the library so people come into the library happen mostly on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram. Thinking about the images I have made for my library I learned that I could have done things differently to enhance the design to convey my message clearer. 

Breakout Session 4 – Escape Rooms

The final breakout session I attended was learning how Nikki Imberger planned a Harry potter escape room within her public library with little to no budget. Nikki took us through how she planned, promoted and built her escape room with simple props and tools she already had within the library and some she hand made. Listening to her experience gave me a view on how I could run one within my library context. 

I really loved going to this symposium as I was able to connect with others on my level and some who were also extending their education and gaining their Bachelor degree. It was valuable as I was able to connect with people and make professional connections as well as develop my skills further with the sessions I attend. I think that skills that I gained made me think about how I can use social media to positively promote the library.  

Evidence

Tax Invoice – ALIA National Library and Information Technicians’ Symposium 2019

27
Dec
2020

ALIA Training – Reader’s Advisory

categories: INF305 PD
Reading Advisory

Summary

Content – Reader’s Advisory

Type – Online Moodle

Length – 3 weeks 4-5 hours per week

Level – Public or School Librarians

Organisers – ALIA training

Presenters – Julie Barkman & Gary Lom TAFE NSW

Format – Modules & forum postings

Reflection 

Running over three weeks the course was delivered online through the TAFE moodle. Learning online is something that I am comfortable with as I have worked through my uni degree through distance education. Each week a new module was opened to the group and at your own pace you could work through the content, with required readings and forum discussions. This was a great way to be able to learn through other people’s experiences and see how they had approached RA in their role. It also showed me how RA was running within a public library setting, as I work within a school setting making sure students are finding books they want to read and helping them is a weekly task. Seeing them week in week out, it is easier for me to develop a reading relationship with them so RA can be easier in that sense. 

Having worked within a school library for a number of years now asking questions to students about what they wanted to read had become a bit repetitive. Asking questions like “What do you like to read” and “What was the last good book you read” were giving me the same answer back “ummm I don’t know…funny books?”. Working with children this sometimes is to be expected but I wanted to develop different ways to get them to think about what they liked about a book so I could match them with a new book/series to explore. When I saw through ALIA they were running a Reader’s Advisory course I thought that it could help me develop my skills in this area.

There were a number of learning outcomes to help us develop a broader idea of what RA is what and what it looks like within libraries. These outcomes were:

  1. Identify different customer groups, reading levels and preferences
  2. Explore a range of literature and formats
  3. Utilise tools and resources to facilitate RA services
  4. Develop reader’s advisory interview skills and techniques
  5. Promote RA services at your library

Week one of the course was an introduction to Reader’s Advisory was all about the role of RA, the readers and reading. We were provided with a definition of RA:

This type of service is provided by public libraries in response to clients’ requests dealing with all aspects of literature and reading for leisure. It can be called Readers’ Advisory (RA), Readers’ Guidance , or Readers’ Services.

We also learnt what the purpose of RA is and how it fits within a library context. As the role of the librarian is to guide their clients to quality literature, finding out what their reading interests are is integral in doing this. RA services help clients who are stuck finding a book, this can lead them to new authors, themes and genres, opening up more of the library collection to them. Everyone goes through moods when they are reading, I know myself, I go through phases, from high fantasy to romance to action and adventure, it depends on how I’m feeling at the time. Providing RA services can also assist with collection development as you are building relationships with your clients you know what they want to read and this guides what you are adding into the collections. Providing good services like any industry creates satisfied users within the community and they are more likely to keep coming back!

Week two got us thinking about the different tools and techniques that you can access to help with RA services. It also covered how the collection is being accessed by your clients. Is it set up for easy browsing and quick access or are they problems with the arrangement.

Stat


From the graphic above it shows that people are  more dependent on book recommendation databases to help assist them with RA. Knowing different databases and useful websites like these can help guide clients to finding more than one book they would like to read.

  • Inside a dog 
  • Reader2Reader
  • Goodreads
  • Fantastic Fiction 

Understanding the library catalogue is also very important as this is normally the first place you will look at to find similar books. Good subject headings provide useful searches like these:

  • Adventure stories 
  • Romance fiction 
  • Cookery, Italian – Fiction 
  • Friendship – Juvenile fiction 
  • Dogs – Pictorial works — Juvenile fiction

Finally in week three we learnt what is required to perform a good RA interview. The success of finding good books for your client all come from the interview. The better you get to know your client the more of an idea you will have on what they would like to read. 

Good opening questions:

  • What other books have you recently read and enjoyed?
  • What made this book especially enjoyable?
  • What books have you recently read and not enjoyed?

By the end of the course I had become more comfortable with performing these interviews with the children at school. I was able to utilise the new platforms I had learnt about to find new books to select for the library collection. I used different questions to get them to think about what they enjoyed most about a book so I could pair them with their next new read. I have continued to use these skills within my practice.

Evidence

RA – Invoice

RA Certificate