Shared Services For New Zealand Libraries? (via The Room of Infinite Diligence)

Computerworld are reporting on the development of LSynCNZ, the proposed shared catalogue system. I am quite excited about this, and hope it moves forward. Shared services system pitched to NZ public libraries The National Library and the Association of Public Library Managers intend to commission a shared-service library management system, to be offered for licence to public libraries. As a first step, the National Library has advertised for a ma … Read More

via The Room of Infinite Diligence

Reblogging via WordPress

Have you ever come across a blog post that you enjoyed so much you wanted to easily share it with the readers of your own blog? Sure, you can copy and paste the link and perhaps even a snippet of text with your own comments, but overall it's not a particularly enjoyable experience. We wanted to change this and make sharing other posts with your readers as easy as posting to your blog. Today we're introducing a new like and reblog feature enabled … Read More

via WordPress.com News

Library week and Lady Gaga

This week saw LIANZA launch the theme and website for Library Week 2010, “Ask me – You might be surprised! He Taonga Te Pātai”. This year the focus is on raising the profile of librarians:

The theme reflects librarians not just as people who issue books, shelve novels and tell you to “hush” when you have been too noisy but as trained information professionals who have a world of knowledge and experience at their fingertips.

The info about the launch includes an example of  a poster that will be part of the publicity material:

The sample poster … shows a librarian shelving books, as you might expect, but through the “rock music” imagery we can see that is not all there is to a librarian. Indeed, under the surface you don’t know what wealth of information lays within, just ask – you might be surprised!

I don’t know if other professions spend as much time as we do in angst-ridden endless discussions about  “identity” and ongoing attempts to break the stereotypes. These discussions amongst our profession are both trivial and essential. What we can’t afford to do is to let our heritage (for want of a better word) as a lowly-paid, undervalued, largely female dominated profession decide our fate. Whether we are twinset and pearl wearing traditionalists, tat and pierced wannabes or genuine hip young things what we need to be able to do is to become accomplished at how we can really deliver value in a world where there is a clear “information access paradox” – where most people can get by with what they find on a Google search, but there may come a time when that doesn’t cut the mustard.

Apparently there’s been a bit of a debate lately about the UofW Librarians Do Gaga video and whether or not it’s a good thing – I quite like Mal Booth’s response in his Putting yourself out there post:

Well to them I say “BAH, HUMBUG!” I don’t think it has a deep and meaningful message – who cares if the words aren’t completely in accord with what you believe to be the truth about academic libraries. Who knows anyway? The lyrics had to fit in with the bloody music. And I really don’t think they are trying to be cool at all. They look obviously daggy and a range of folk of all ages from the library were included.

Mal Booth also includes a short promo video featuring a MOMA staff member which I think is nicely done:

I await the LIANZA promo material with interest 😉