Professional Development
Hana is on the internets. again.
May 24th
Just a little something I have done on the side…
(I did not write it, I was interviewed for it)
One day I am going to have to evaluate my presence on the web and whether or not I should (should’ve – past tense) go about it in a different, slightly more thoughtful and professional way.
In the meantime, isn’t this lovely?
Does this make you want to start studying library and information science and get more involved in the profession?
Turning a new page
Oct 21st
So I’ve just been selected as the new editor of e-Library Life, a fortnightly newsletter to LIANZA members, starting with my first issue due on Monday the 15th of November (was 1st, but I have two assignments due quite soon!!). Let me tell you now, I’m quite stoked 
Who says you can’t do anything without a degree?!?!?
I’m so stoked, and huge props and thanks must go to Mike and Alli and the LIANZA council for selecting me. For all I know, my application was the only one, but still, I’m stoked Stoked that I stay true to myself and keep putting my hand up, and this time it feels like I’ve been professionally accepted YAY
Ok enough with the dang smiley faces man!
I’d just like to let you know that life (to use a nerdy book analogy) is all about reading, and page turning, and book switching. There’s a good quote somewhere that,
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
- St. Augustine
I like that. I feel like I’m starting a new book right now, or just browsing at the title page, still really looking at that and the tp. verso heh and looking at all the publication data. ahhh I’m such a geek.
Anyhooo, I’m going to be calling on all my networks in my role as editor of a fortnightly e-mail/e-newsletter. I’m excited, and I hope you are too.
Expect to hear from me soooooon! Yes, I’m totally going to be sniffing you out, like an alpacca…
Journal Submission : Part Three : Small task on Future Roles
Jun 14th
What is your job title? Would you like to see it changed? If so, explain why.
My Answer: CSTM (Customer Service Team Member). No. It’s just a job title. I don’t like to define myself and everything I do in that position as the title itself. It’s just a title. However, I know that previously at MPOW it was called library assistant. I feel somewhat “over” being a library assistant and the glass ceiling I associate with that.
Do you think the days of traditional libraries and archives are numbered? Explain your answer
My Answer: Yes and no. Yes because structurally they may be unsafe so are being looked at for rebuilding with a different outlook and purpose with new spaces and services to meet the communities needs today.
And no, because these same buildings will have a traditional structure as their redesign instead. It all depends on what the definition of traditional libraries will be in the days to come as definitions change.
Assess the extent to which your particular institution is ‘electronic’.
MPOW is electronic by means of having a fantastic library catalogue with loads of add-on functionality or PIF’s (patron initiated features). Also a website. As far as I know, no digitised heritage material yet, though this is in the pipeline. We don’t create a lot of content on our website currently. MPOW has a great public computing system though.
Journal Submission : Part Three : Small task on Professional Skills
Jun 6th
Do you (or the department in which you work) have a close working relationship with the IT staff in your organisation?
My Answer: I personally don’t, but I imagine that the libraries digital services manager and coordinator do. I’d like to think they do.
Would you agree that collaboration between IT staff and information management professionals is important? Explain your answer
My Answer: Yes. I agree because we need to know the direction each other is heading in, and whether we have similar ideas or if we’re completely on different pages as to each others needs and resources. You can never go wrong with a good working relationship in any environment.
How can this be achieved?
My Answer: by being introduced to each other at a staff induction and being open to communication between each other as individuals, and then building a working relationship from that. If you are not the delegated communicator with IT staff of the larger organisation on behalf of the library, then you need to channel your thoughts to that person.
More issues than I know what to do with
May 25th
The library and information profession isn’t facing just those issues I listed a couple of posts back. There’s more than that. I have, just this morning, started another assignment topic for my assignment that is due tonight by midnight. That brings the total to four. Four running assignments, that I have going for the purposes of this assignment?!
What is it that I want to convey? There is simply a lot to write about, a lot of issues, not just contemporary ones, or labelled as such, that are facing the profession in the “information age”. And what is the information age anyway? Define that please.
My assignment topics so far are as follows:
- “Feeling Overloaded? Experiencing #Filterfail? It could be time to change your settings.”
I shouldn’t really have to explain it, but I have to, so I’ve already failed in one aspect of this assignment, – supply a title that accurately reflects the content of your paper. I like to see html markup out of context, it’s interesting to me. - “Education in Information Literacy, the answer to our digital divide”
- “Information Overload and the Information Professional’s role: how Librarian’s can help”and my latest one…
- “User pays, the digital divide and freedom of access to information : economics and the public library”
You say: