The Great Debate

http://www.flickr.com/photos/titusso/5541218890/

There was a very heated discussion at my house last night - a member of my family went to the local library and saw a lady using the computers for online gambling.  This family member was livid and felt that the library staff should not allow this.  I've never worked in a public library (only as a shelver) but felt that it is not the place of library staff to be nannys.  The family member felt that the computers should only be used "to find information".

I'm really interested to hear others' opinions and of anyone who has had to deal with such a situation.

The Phantom Sculptor goes out in style

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2011/11/29/142910393/the-library-phantom-returns

A Library Story

Thanks Kim Koelbel for sharing this lovely depiction of the San Francisco Library:

http://therumpus.net/2011/05/meanwhile-the-san-francisco-public-library/

AH Staff Book Club Book Ideas

Hello all,

Here are some of the books that AH staff will be reading over the next few months for their book club:

Great Expectations
Tess of the Dubervilles
The Mill on the Floss
The Lord of the Rings

We obviously love our classics :)

New bloggers

Had a bit of fun today at Alex Hills showing Vivienne and Nola how to comment on the blog.

Well done ladies for getting on board!

Goodnight iPad

And you thought those hashtags were just for fun.....

                                                                          http://www.flickr.com/photos/danmoyle/6080268246/

Check out the article below:
http://mashable.com/2011/11/11/hashtag-web-data/

If anyone has any bright ideas about hashtags which we can use on the library Twitter feed, email Anna.

Twitter Housekeeping

Good advice for all the Tweeps out there:

http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/2011/11/tune-up-your-twitter-feed-3-ways.html?m=1

Good Reads

Has anyone else discovered Good Reads?  It's a bit like an online book club.  You can follow people like on Facebook, see what they are reading, share books you have read or are currently reading, write a review.

I've only just joined, but if anyone is already there look me up!

http://www.goodreads.com/

Old dog - new tricks!

Hi Lee - I hope you're very impressed - I have been led astray by Anna and apologise already for not keeping my New Year goal - I have done it this year! :)

I'm blogging!!

It's the weekend!

Does anyone have something exciting planned for the weekend?  Check out this guide for options in Brissy:

http://my247.com.au/brisbane/whats-on 

As for me, I'll be enjoying the Gold Coast with my daughter on Saturday and then cheering my Brisbane Roar boys on when they play Melbourne on Saturday evening.

The People's Library

Has anyone been following the development of the Occupy Wall Street Library?

Catalogue on Librarything:
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/OWSLibrary

Blog:
http://peopleslibrary.wordpress.com/


 Image: CC BY-NC-SA by nick221

LOUD Shirt Day

Thanks again to everyone who participated in Loud Shirt Day.  We raised $258 for the First Voice Foundation.

Check out the Loud Shirt Day flickr set for high fashion and eyeball searing colour!

Readers Niche

Check out this online store for book lovers:

http://www.readersniche.com.au/

Rotation of the Fiction Collection

It's great to see this project finally coming to fruition - thanks to everyone for getting involved and also for the ideas flowing.  Please share any thoughts you have on how we can improve the project.  Including summaries and genre headings in this process is a great way to add value.

Keep in mind:

• Weeding out old stock
• Attempting to balance the collection across all campuses
• Promotion of the Fiction Collection

Next year is the National Year of Reading and we can use this huge event to promote this cause.  Let's get our ideas on paper early to celebrate this important library event.

Have a look a the Year of Reading website http://www.love2read.org.au/ for information and ideas.

Student Connect Team Beaten by the Love Shack

Last night, members of the Student Connect team (and friends) attended the MSIT Trivia Night in aid of MS.  We lead the tally most of the way, finally being pipped at the post by the tie-breaking question:

How many times are the words "Love Shack" sung in the song?

Any ideas?

Betascript Publishing

If you like your graphic design to come in a bookish format and commentary to err on the side of snark, look no further than Caustic Cover Critic.

Of recent note is an amusing post on Betascript Publishing's cover designs for their print-on-demand editions of Wikipedia articles.  This is particularly apt as we have recently acquired (through mistake or intent, I'm not sure) a number of these titles for our library.  Hopefully the following article will demonstrate the (lack of) editorial input that goes in to these publications.

 http://causticcovercritic.blogspot.com/2011/10/tutis-has-rival.html

The Two Ronnies - always funny!

Referencing Help

You may have already seen this brilliant referencing tool created by Griffith University.  It works for several referencing styles and is wonderfully interactive.  I've recommended it to many MSIT students, and they can also access it via the study guides.

Have a look and have a play...

http://app.griffith.edu.au/reference_tool/index-core.php

A little light relief

Full credit goes to Michelle Coxsen for finding this gem - I've shared this with a few library friends via my Facebook page and it proved to be very popular.

Sing along!

The Librarian Song

Cheers
Lee

Newsletters

If you want some ideas for newsletters check out the following:

G:\Learning Precincts\Libraries\STAFF\Michelle\AH Newsletter

It has the newsletters that I have sent out to teaching staff.

Book Club - Year of Reading

What a great idea! 

At Alexandra Hills we have a rec room which is going to be used for a heap of things like Wii, and hosting a book club will be a great idea to promote the room, the library and the year of reading!

I would love to join in to a staff book club.

At AH staff have just read Room by Emma Donoghue.

National Year of Reading

2012 is the National Year of Reading

If we start floating ideas now, we can plan something meaningful for Library and Information Week and - potentially - more besides.

Lee and I have discussed running year long Book Clubs. These could be for staff, for students, for ESL or Adult Literacy classes. We could run them ourselves, or we could merely choose to advertise the library as a great space in which to host a book club. They can run at lunchtimes, or after hours, or for the crazy people early risers - before work!

We could also potentially get the Health and Wellness team involved.
"Take time out at lunch to relax with your favourite book!"

Here are a few other ideas....

• Zine making workshops


• Guest speakers (know any authors?)


• Storytelling sessions (this isn't just for kids!)


• 'MSIT's favourite book' poll


• A collaborative fiction writing project (exquisite-corpse-style optional)

So what do you think? Are you interested in running a Book Club? Do you think we'd get the numbers? What other ideas do you have for National Year of Reading and/or Library and Information Week 2012?

Ghoulies & Ghosties

The theme for October here at Mt Gravatt is Halloween!

Here's a display our work experience student Jeannie help me set up.

(She did all the work -- I just brought in the fun stuff!)

Humble Beginnings

Welcome to our new staff blog!

Please feel free to use this communication space in any way you see fit.  Here are some ideas to start us off:

• Report on a recent professional development event you have attended (or tell us about one you're planning to attend)
• Share photos from your latest display or event
• Write a list of tips and hints from your area of expertise
• Link to an interesting article/website/video
• Initiate a brainstorming session or discussion topic
• Share photos of your pet/garden/holidays/shopping find/crafty or culinary creation
• Wish a colleague happy birthday!

Most of all, have fun :)
Anna