A thank you to my PLN friends
May 3rd
I remember at a conference dinner a few years back in Perth, Kathryn Greenhill and another librarian (can’t remember who) left the dinner table to talk enthusiastically about PLN’s (or was it PLE’s?).
Over the years since, I have come to understand what PLN’s are – Personal Learning Networks. I have also come to dearly appreciate the individuals and friendships and connections I’ve made within mine.
This here is a post dedicated to them.
Recently, I have taken part in a secret stork project, initiated by Penny Dugmore (@greengecko29). The project came about as a secret santa type thing for all the women on Twitter that were expecting in the near future. So far, I’ve just been the recipient of gifts from secret storks but it will be my turn soon to post something to a soon-to-be Mum in Australia.
The following I have received in the post from some wonderful women in the New Zealand and Australian library community.
Thank you ladies.
Two banana boxes full of baby clothes from Sabine (@BeezilBeard) in the Far North District.
I’ve met Sabine once in-person.
Thank you so much Sabine.
A knitted starfish man.
This one is part of the Secret Stork project from Kate F in Melbourne (@katejf), a not-so-secret Stork.
Thank you Kate, it’s gorgeous.
Bib and newborn and small size cloth nappies from Penny (@greengecko29) of West Auckland.
Thank you Penny.
A crotched Peanut from Julia (@jaygee35) in Perth.
I think you’d classify this as a rabbit, but I think this one really looks like a Peanut type character. Perfect. Love it. Thank you.
A crotched kiwi from a librarian in Melbourne? It could only be the beautiful Kim Tairi (@haikugirlOz).
Thank you Kim.
Saving the best for last, this is a requested one from the lovely and passionate Naomi (@NaomiDoessel) in Brisbane.
I saw her divvying these up to other fellow Australian PLN’ers at NLS5 and cheekily requested one 
Reflection on the DailyImage2011 challenge
Jan 29th
Well, I piked out of the challenge sometime in September (for good reason) and managed to put in three images in December to round off the year.
Free-wheeling it
The Daily Image 2011 challenge – it was a challenge and I am glad I took part in it, thank you Kathryn for initiating and inviting me to join. The premise of the challenge is simple:
- Take a photo that has you or part of you in it, every day for one year
- Upload it to Flickr
- Tag it with “dailyimage2011″
- Add it to the group “Daily Image 2011“
- Optional extra: post to twitter with hashtag #dailyimage2011
I followed a number of colleagues based in Australia, started following them on twitter and met some of them in Perth in September when I presented at the ALIA 2011 Lib Tech Conference. I’d like to think that I’ve made friends with a couple of them too.
As Kathryn mentioned when she sent out the invitations to join in the challenge, she had tried it in 2009 and found that she was,
really confronted by the choices I had to make about how I presented myself. Did I always want to show myself as a healthy, cheery sort of person? How much of the ugly and everyday was I prepared to show?
- http://www.flickr.com/groups/dailyimage2011/
I managed to come up with 195 photos myself. Out of 365 days in the year that’s more than half of the year in photos – woop! I think that was alright for my first try and finding out I was pregnant three quarters of the way through!
I had quite a bit of fun doing it and found that yes, I did want to portray myself as a little manic and full of energy and life.
I found getting further into it that I was opening up a bit. I let people know that one of my favourite pastimes is sleeping and I think that I am very much like my cat. I even took a photo of myself crying – it was February the 22nd, the day of the major Christchurch earthquake where 180+ people died. I also found that I had to make a conscious decision not to identify my workplace in any photos.
Well here they are – My Daily Images of 2011 – Enjoy!
A few colleagues have started again for 2012 and I said I’d like to join in, so keep an eye out on the right-hand side for another flickr widget of that set.
Thanks guys, it was fun.
The time crunch
Jan 29th
Some of you may know that I am expecting my first child in the near future. I will be taking some time out to devote myself fully to this important role of raising a small human being.
Over the past few years I have been heavily involved in my own personal professional development, and generally trying to contribute positively towards the profession in New Zealand and moving us forward. I thoroughly enjoy where I am at the moment in my career, and the collaborations and relationships that I have established and continue to nurture. I also revel in my day-to-day experiences and learnings from my volunteer roles with LIANZA, and my role at my place of employment.
However, I’m nearly at a cross-roads, and it’s crunch time. Something, sooner or later will have to give.
(Mums, Dads – does it? Will it?)
Over the past 6 months or so, my musings here have definitely subsided with the occasional squirt of a thought making it to “publish”, along with tweets and other miscellaneous tools for social interaction, including the odd coffee or yumcha lunch date.
It’s getting to the crunch time and I’m a wee bit nervous.
Years later, I’m probably going to look back over this and think, aahhh those were the days, when I worried about retaining my professional identity while raising some kiddiewinkles. Well yeah, I can’t wait for that day when I look back. But right now I have to look forward into wholly unfamiliar territory. People tell me your world changes.
Don’t get me wrong, I will make it clear now, that I am really looking forward to this new journey in my life. I’m excited about that new world.
I have read, talked, asked, enquired, read, chatted, laughed and mused about what it will be like post-children. I am now getting to wonder what it is like specifically as a “new-generation” Librarian, who aspires to be LIANZA president one day and possibly even an LJ Mover and Shaker.
What spurred me to draft this post was reading Bobbi Newman’s (LibrarianbyDay) tweet for a request to an article about how Movers and Shakers were treated after getting the award. Someone found it and Bobbi said she’d seriously like to see a follow-up article.
This is what I learned from reading that article:
Time is the most valuable possession. If you don’t have time, then you can’t do these things.
I am very much looking forward to this new phase in my life and I look forward to the journey and where it will take me.
I will find time to explore, experiment and think.
Institutionalised
Nov 11th
What’s the definition of this?
As a prominent volunteer for the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa as editor of it’s fortnightly newsletter for it’s membership, a small part of me bleeds each time I see a new tool, service or technology being advertised to give you the most up to date news on developments in learning, education, literacy, libraries, whathaveyou.
I bleed.
Why do I bleed?
Because I feel that something that I spend a lot of my spare time working for is being done elsewhere, and I feel my efforts are futile.
No one individual or institution can hold or share all the information there is to share that is of relevance to any one industry.
Why do we continue to work where we do then, in libraries, the archetype institution of collections of various things?
Are we working for the same cause?
Or are we institutionalized, oblivious to the futility of our efforts?
note: I last edited this on August 22, 2011, possibly started the draft earlier than that even. I appear to be cynical and depressed, which is not my usual self. Just thought I’d publish this to let you know that I do have my down days. It’s a pity that I’ve recently attended two conferences and one symposium and haven’t managed to write something positive about those.
The world is your oyster. No, it’s MY oyster!
Aug 30th
I know there’s more out there than what’s in front of me. It’s like how I felt when I was looking at papers to do at Vic. I felt the world was at my feet; the world was my oyster. Scrap that. The world is at my feet; the world is my oyster.
And on that note, may I announce my first professional speaking appearance at …
the ALIA National Library and Information Technician’s Conference
Back to Basics – Perth 2011
Monday 12 – Friday 16 September
Sooo excited! I am going to be visiting my friends and family in Perth and presenting a paper that a colleague (the highly regarded and respected Alison Fields) and I have written together titled,
“Writing Basics: Choosing the right media and the right audience to deliver your message”
I cannot speak more highly of Alison. One of my tutors/lecturers from the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand for approximately 5 years, she asked me late last year if I’d like to write a paper with her for the bi-annual ALIA Lib Tech conference in September 2011. I literally jumped at the chance.
A bit of history
Back in 2008/2009 approximately 3 years ago when I was living in Perth, I put my hand up to speak at the, ALIA Lib Tech 2009 Conference: Technology Technique Unique. I wrote an abstract titled “Aotearoa and Australia: my experience so far“, based on the differences in the library and information industry I’d observed so far in my career. It was accepted. And it would’ve been good. But I didn’t present it. In between having the abstract accepted, and the actual conference, I’d left employment in Perth to returning home to Wellington and finding myself unemployed. Thus, no funds to attend the conference. Mmm I didn’t totally think ahead on that one.
Alison Fields, one of my Open Polytechnic tutors, e-mailed me to say hello and that she’d seen my name on the programme – she was also speaking and was looking forward to catching up in Adelaide [at the conference]. I was too, until I realised I didn’t have any money to get there to present. I told the conference secretariat (and Alison) that unfortunately I could not attend due to lack of finances.
A ray of light
A year or so passes and Alison drops me a line. Would I like to write a paper with her for the next ALIA Lib Tech conference, they’ve just called for abstracts.
“Would I ever?!”
I thanked Alison for thinking of me, a slowly emerging information professional and current Open Polytechnic student. And I have been thanking her ever since. I will continue to thank her for inviting me and taking me on this journey of my first conference paper and speaking appearance.
Reality dawns
I’m presenting our paper in Perth in just over two weeks!
Will you be in Perth mid September? Are you attending ALIA Lib Tech 2011? The New Librarian’s Symposium #5? Or Library Camp Australia?
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