Friday, 13 February 2015
Friday, 13 September 2013
Library Camp East - Saturday 7 September 2013
Library Camp East was organised by a small group of brilliant librarians, and attended by a bigger group of brilliant librarians.
It took place at Harlow College in Essex, the number one college in the country.
It was a chance to meet new people, catch up with people I hadn't seen in a while, and finally meet people I only know from Twitter.
There were lots of really interesting session pitches, but you can't go to everything, so I chose Claire Sewell's session on Creative CPD, discussing different ways of accessing learning and development in a time when budgets are being slashed and professional training courses are hard to come by.
I realised that my library service is really good at this - offering a variety of different training and development opportunities both in-house and further afield. We discussed work shadowing, library visits, online courses, lectures, unconferences, networking events and skills sharing between colleagues. One library service asks experts to train non-experts - a peer learning service, rather like cascade training, but the experts aren't necessarily the managers.
The outcome was that we all need to be more proactive in finding out what development we want and finding ways to access it - and we also need to be brave enough to ask our managers for training and support - after all, the chances are they will say yes. And it is important to record your learning, either through a reflective blog, learning log or Personal Development Plan, so that you can refer back to it when you need to.
The next session was a discussion regarding the Purpose of Libraries - what are they for? are they always good? There were lots of good ideas here, as the session participants were not just from academic and public libraries, but also from professional sectors too. There was a discussion about whether libraries have to prove their value too much as they are often running at a loss - should libraries be neutral and runs as not-for-profit organisations, or should they use a more standard business model with profit built in? Although a lot of the early comments related to public library services, there were several crossover points, such as adding value to users' lives; encouraging education and literacy, including digital literacy; creating a safe, welcoming space for all users to feel comfortable in; providing a non-judgemental information service.
Then, there was lunch, which involved lots of cake of varying types, but also my very popular jewelled couscous!
The post-lunch session can be a difficult nut to crack, but I attended Liz Osman's discussion on library refurbishments and RFID, where we discussed our experiences of using the new technology. Having installed RFID technology very recently at my library, I was interested to learn how others have fared. The general consensus was that the benefits of RFID (better stock control mostly) greatly outweight the disadvantages (tags are quite visible and may be removed by users). There was some concern that the trend towards RFID and self-service was designed to remove staff from libraries; however, self-service has been in use for many years so I don't think RFID cannot be blamed for falling staff numbers.
After another foray to the cake table I joined the 20 Questions discussion run by Anna Martin. After a slow start, a lively discussion took place offering words of wisdom regarding "what I wish I had done/known then" and answering questions based on lived experiences. There were a lot of points made about good and bad career decisions - when to go with your gut; whether to quit a job if it's unfulfilling; how long you should stay in a post if it's a safe job. Of course, all of these questions have very subjective answers, and each person's experience was different. However, it is clear that taking charge of your life and career and actually making a decision, whether it turns out to be good or bad at the time, is much better than sticking your head in the sand and hoping that it will all work out in the end. It was universally agreed by the group that you should take every opportunity that is offered and that you shouldn't be afraid of change.
The final session was Disasters in Libraries, created by Sonja Kujansuu, who is investigating this topic for her Masters' dissertation. There followed a discussion which started off with Ian Stringer's experiences at Barnsley library service, where library disasters seem to be part and parcel of daily life: major fire followed by lengthy rebuild; theft of brickwork; roof blowing off in a storm - you couldn't make it up (Ian is writing a book about his experiences, which is sure to be fascinating)! Nobody could top Ian's stories, but discussions about protecting and saving collections soon developed into talking about business continuity management - how to keep services running in a disaster situation. I realised that although I had never experienced a "disaster" to our collections, I have had to deal with heating and power failures and wasps' nest, all of which have closed my library for short periods of time. The important thing here is to communicate with users at all times - letting them know which services are inaccessible, which services they can access and when normal service may be resumed.
All in all, a very interesting day, and worth travelling down the M11 on a Saturday for!
Roll on the next Library Camp!
Thursday, 18 July 2013
Stereotypes - time for a new Librarian?
An old post discovered in the drafts folder (from January 2012) - still relevant now?
My fellow tweeters in the information management profession have been amusing themselves recently with a list of qualities commonly held to represent the Librarian stereotype (compiled by Wordshore).
My fellow tweeters in the information management profession have been amusing themselves recently with a list of qualities commonly held to represent the Librarian stereotype (compiled by Wordshore).
The list was compiled by a group of Birmingham librarians, in a pub, in December 2011. Over 150 librarians have so far scored themselves on the checklist. The highest scorer, and therefore, the most stereotypical so far, has 16 points. Out of 24. Most librarians got fewer than 10 points on the scale. I got 14.5, which means that I am 60% Librarian stereotype.
All of which makes me wonder whether the stereotype (a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group) of the librarian is being kept alive by librarians themselves through these kinds of exercises.
Analysing the list, many of the qualities can be classified in the following distinct categories:
Librarian as alcohol/drug user
Drinks wine
Drinks gin
Member of CAMRA
Uses illicit substances
Librarian as animal lover
Owns one or more cats
Listens to the Archers
Owns one or more dogs
Librarian as obsessive compulsive nerd/geek
Pedantic about definitions of what a librarian stereotype is
Owns a collection of cardigans, sweaters or jumpers
Set up a library as a child, or at school
Arranges their CD collection in a particularly exact or OCD manner
Wears glasses or contact lenses
Plays digital games
Watches Doctor Who
Likes and/or watches Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Listens to Radio Four
Owns or collects bookplates
Owns or collects bookmarks
Librarian as social misfit
Dating, or partner of, an IT professional
Has dated several other librarians
Has or had a parent who was a librarian
You forgot the twinset and pearls!
There are two items on the list which are purely discriminatory, in terms of age or in terms of sex: Has grey or greying hair / Wears their hair in a bun on a regular or frequent basis.
There are many librarians without a touch of grey, and I am the only librarian I know who puts their hair in a bun (because I have long hair and it keeps it neat and tidy). I have never known a man with long hair put it in a bun...
So, the stereotype above is a female Librarian who uses alcohol and drugs, loves animals, is obsessive compulsive, over 50 and doesn't get out much.
Let's rewrite the stereotype based on real information professionals:
1.Cat lover
2.Enjoys home crafts (knitting, cross-stitching etc)
3.Prefers sensible shoes
4.Has short, cropped hair or a bob
5.Wears glasses or contact lenses
6.Dresses informally or individually
7.Member of CILIP
8.Tech-savvy (Tweets, blogs, Googles)
9.Loves information research
10.Drinks coffee regularly
11.Enjoys going to meetings and conferences
12.Overqualified
Which means I score 2/12 - 16% stereotypical.
What is the point of the stereotype? (It's shorthand, a part representing the whole)
Is the stereotype real? (Perhaps in the 1950s it was, very unlikley to still be now)
Who created the stereotype? (Perhaps we'll never know)
Who is perpetuating it? (Now I think it's librarians themselves, in a bid to prove they are more interesting than they actually are: "Look at me, I'm a cool librarian, I'm different from the recognised image, I'm not a stereotype at all!")
 |
| Librarian Action Figure from http://www.mcphee.com |
The figure of an elderly lady with her greying hair in a bun, wearing glasses, an ill fitting skirt suit and sensible shoes, is perpetuating the classic stereotype of the Librarian.
Surely the best way to refute a stereotype is to create a new image based more accurately on the people being stereotyped. But where's the fun in that? So let's change it to: Librarian as Indiana Jones-style action hero and go for some mindless escapism instead.
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
Well hello again!
It has been a very long time since I blogged about anything isn't it?
Well I did draft some posts earlier in the year, then I lost my Blogger dashboard and I gave up blogging as it was getting so frustrating.
As it seems that Google have fixed the problem, maybe I'll resurrect those earlier musings.
Since November 2011 (the last blog post) there have been quite a few library-related changes.
The library I work in is scheduled to close in January 2014 and merge with one of the main campus libraries, so a programme of stock review and reclassification has formed the majority of the last twelve months.
A major review of unique items (not held anywhere else in the university) has culled quite a few items which were, quite frankly, over-the-hill, and the reclassification project is in the home straight.
Changing circa 14000 items from Library of Congress or National Library of Medicine classification to Dewey Decimal Classification is no mean feat. Luckily, we didn't have to reclassify by hand - only a small fraction of our stock was so unique we had to send it to our catalaoguing department.
But, we did have to check each item for correct classification numbers and print off new class labels (because there's no guarantee that everything is right - several human errors have been found and corrected).
And currently, I have 22 shelves of books to relabel. I reckon that's about 750-800 books still to go.
Mind you, I've got arm muscles to rival an Olympic gymnast, so can't be all bad...
Well I did draft some posts earlier in the year, then I lost my Blogger dashboard and I gave up blogging as it was getting so frustrating.
As it seems that Google have fixed the problem, maybe I'll resurrect those earlier musings.
Since November 2011 (the last blog post) there have been quite a few library-related changes.
The library I work in is scheduled to close in January 2014 and merge with one of the main campus libraries, so a programme of stock review and reclassification has formed the majority of the last twelve months.
A major review of unique items (not held anywhere else in the university) has culled quite a few items which were, quite frankly, over-the-hill, and the reclassification project is in the home straight.
Changing circa 14000 items from Library of Congress or National Library of Medicine classification to Dewey Decimal Classification is no mean feat. Luckily, we didn't have to reclassify by hand - only a small fraction of our stock was so unique we had to send it to our catalaoguing department.
But, we did have to check each item for correct classification numbers and print off new class labels (because there's no guarantee that everything is right - several human errors have been found and corrected).
And currently, I have 22 shelves of books to relabel. I reckon that's about 750-800 books still to go.
Mind you, I've got arm muscles to rival an Olympic gymnast, so can't be all bad...
Friday, 25 November 2011
Marketing Yourself
I recently attended a course entitled "Marketing Yourself" run by Erica Sosna from The Life Project. It was designed to enable library staff to identify their skills and talents and explore different career opportunities in the light of these skills and talents.
Hmm, I thought, I'm looking for ways to make myself stand out in job applications and interviews. Maybe this course will give me some tips!
So I got the train to London and found room G15 at Birkbeck College (not easy when you're not familiar with Bloomsbury and there are numerous workmen digging holes in the road). Unsurprisingly, as the event was organised by the M25 consortium of academic libraries, all the other participants were from London. And what a mixed bunch they were! Half a dozen from the LSE, who are all leaving at the end of the year due to voluntary severance; a couple from Imperial College and University of Westminster; the rest from West London, University of the Arts and King's College.
So little old me, from Cambridge, out on a limb, wondering what to make of it all. Will the event be London-centric, due to the participants themselves and the location? Will they be brash, confident, go-getting librarians? Will they be quiet, unassuming and sheep-like? Will the focus be on library jobs in the academic sector, or just jobs of any kind? Will there be a nice lunch?
Well, the participants seemed nice enough, though on the whole they were a bit on the quiet side. On reflection, this may be because they didn't know what to make of it all either!
The course comprised several practical discussions about which skills each participant had, and how the skills could be used in different scenarios. We discussed how personality types affect these skills and how you use them, taking inspiration from the Jungian archetypes test and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment.
From this discussion, it was discovered that the majority of the people in the room were Idealists closely followed by the Rationalists. These types were predominant in libraries due to Rationalists being good with systems and Idealists being good with people. Some participants were Artisans, those who create, others were Guardians, the managers who like to organise and get stuff done. It turns out that I'm one of the latter (not a great surprise really), with a bit of the Artisan (which explains my creative side).
Some people claimed an affinity with aspects of all personality types, and couldn't fix on a definite archetype. Perhaps there was an element of selectivity in their responses. After all, some of the attributes are less than positive, and we none of us like to admit that an unappealing trait is part of our character.
The purpose of this discussion was to highlight that different personalities are suited to different jobs and working environments, and understanding your type helps you to understand your personal skills. It also helps you to understand why you react in certain ways to different situations. It certainly made me have greater awareness of how I am perceived by other people.
Creative Combining helped us to see our skills in a new light, and to think about using these skills outside the world of academic libraries. We had to define different skills we felt we had, then our interests or passions, then decide what the world really needs. The resulting concepts could then be combined to create a brief job description, for example:
Listening + social history + collaboration = Social Historian / Museum Curator / Archivist
Attention to detail + music + compassion = Music Therapist / Composer / Radio Presenter
A discussion about applying for jobs followed, in which it was highlighted that each job you apply for should contain at least 50% of the things you’re really good at, and 80% of the things you really want. We were also encouraged to think of different examples where we have used our skills (not always in a work scenario) that we could use at interview to support our application form or CV. We were also encouraged to think about our own essential criteria when looking for new careers, as it is important to apply for a job you really want to do!
Even though I had recently updated my CV, so theoretically I knew what my skills were, I still found it hard to separate generic skills from library-specific skills. Erica had said earlier in the session that we had all become institutionalised, and found it difficult to comprehend the differences between Universities and other sectors, both in terms of applying for jobs, the kind of jobs available, and the different working environments in other sectors. I tend to agree that those of us who have worked in the academic sector for a while become so unfamiliar with the wider world that we only look at jobs with similar employers - I know I do!
The end of the session involved considering career goals, action plans and vision statements as tools for focusing the mind on what you want and when you want it. Overall it was a useful day, and although I don’t think I learned anything new, it has encouraged me to look at my skills in a different way, and update my CV to better reflect the experiences I have gained both at work and in my studies. I have now updated my LinkedIn profile to include absolutely everything I am good at, not just my library-related skills.
I have also started considering how I can use my talents in other sectors and business areas. Do I have to continue working in libraries? Can I sidestep into IT? Are there opportunities in the media? We'll have to wait and see.
Hmm, I thought, I'm looking for ways to make myself stand out in job applications and interviews. Maybe this course will give me some tips!
So I got the train to London and found room G15 at Birkbeck College (not easy when you're not familiar with Bloomsbury and there are numerous workmen digging holes in the road). Unsurprisingly, as the event was organised by the M25 consortium of academic libraries, all the other participants were from London. And what a mixed bunch they were! Half a dozen from the LSE, who are all leaving at the end of the year due to voluntary severance; a couple from Imperial College and University of Westminster; the rest from West London, University of the Arts and King's College.
So little old me, from Cambridge, out on a limb, wondering what to make of it all. Will the event be London-centric, due to the participants themselves and the location? Will they be brash, confident, go-getting librarians? Will they be quiet, unassuming and sheep-like? Will the focus be on library jobs in the academic sector, or just jobs of any kind? Will there be a nice lunch?
Well, the participants seemed nice enough, though on the whole they were a bit on the quiet side. On reflection, this may be because they didn't know what to make of it all either!
The course comprised several practical discussions about which skills each participant had, and how the skills could be used in different scenarios. We discussed how personality types affect these skills and how you use them, taking inspiration from the Jungian archetypes test and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment.
From this discussion, it was discovered that the majority of the people in the room were Idealists closely followed by the Rationalists. These types were predominant in libraries due to Rationalists being good with systems and Idealists being good with people. Some participants were Artisans, those who create, others were Guardians, the managers who like to organise and get stuff done. It turns out that I'm one of the latter (not a great surprise really), with a bit of the Artisan (which explains my creative side).
Some people claimed an affinity with aspects of all personality types, and couldn't fix on a definite archetype. Perhaps there was an element of selectivity in their responses. After all, some of the attributes are less than positive, and we none of us like to admit that an unappealing trait is part of our character.
The purpose of this discussion was to highlight that different personalities are suited to different jobs and working environments, and understanding your type helps you to understand your personal skills. It also helps you to understand why you react in certain ways to different situations. It certainly made me have greater awareness of how I am perceived by other people.
Creative Combining helped us to see our skills in a new light, and to think about using these skills outside the world of academic libraries. We had to define different skills we felt we had, then our interests or passions, then decide what the world really needs. The resulting concepts could then be combined to create a brief job description, for example:
Listening + social history + collaboration = Social Historian / Museum Curator / Archivist
Attention to detail + music + compassion = Music Therapist / Composer / Radio Presenter
A discussion about applying for jobs followed, in which it was highlighted that each job you apply for should contain at least 50% of the things you’re really good at, and 80% of the things you really want. We were also encouraged to think of different examples where we have used our skills (not always in a work scenario) that we could use at interview to support our application form or CV. We were also encouraged to think about our own essential criteria when looking for new careers, as it is important to apply for a job you really want to do!
Even though I had recently updated my CV, so theoretically I knew what my skills were, I still found it hard to separate generic skills from library-specific skills. Erica had said earlier in the session that we had all become institutionalised, and found it difficult to comprehend the differences between Universities and other sectors, both in terms of applying for jobs, the kind of jobs available, and the different working environments in other sectors. I tend to agree that those of us who have worked in the academic sector for a while become so unfamiliar with the wider world that we only look at jobs with similar employers - I know I do!
The end of the session involved considering career goals, action plans and vision statements as tools for focusing the mind on what you want and when you want it. Overall it was a useful day, and although I don’t think I learned anything new, it has encouraged me to look at my skills in a different way, and update my CV to better reflect the experiences I have gained both at work and in my studies. I have now updated my LinkedIn profile to include absolutely everything I am good at, not just my library-related skills.
I have also started considering how I can use my talents in other sectors and business areas. Do I have to continue working in libraries? Can I sidestep into IT? Are there opportunities in the media? We'll have to wait and see.
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Thing 21: Promoting yourself in job applications and at interview
I have found this "Thing" quite useful recently, as I have been applying for new jobs after finally receiving my professional qualification. It's interesting to take a good hard look at yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses and how you can use these to improve yourself.
Identify your strengths, take a good look at yourself, your tasks at work, your career, your life: what do you like to do?
At work, I do a lot of problem-solving. Either through helping users to find the information they need, or helping staff track an item or understand a complicated fines issue. I like to think that I am a quick learner, and retain information, particularly when it's technical in nature. I used to work with someone whose catchphrase was "don't give me problems, give me solutions". I receive the problems, and give back the solutions.
I like projects. And I like being left alone to get on with them. That way, I know that things have been done to my exacting standards, and that all parts of the project have been completed.
I like to indulge in amateur dramatics outside of work, which involves a fair amount of problem-solving, teamworking and project work. It's a good outlet for creativity, and when the writing bug comes upon me it means it's time to write a script! It also gives me a chance to do some teaching and work with children, both of which are challenging, but give you a real buzz when everything goes well.
What do you dislike?
I dislike being bored. I work quite fast, and am quite efficient, so sometimes I finish things quicker than others expect, and as a result I am left with nothing to do. When I was a student I actually worked myself out of a temporary job for being too efficient - it appeared there wasn't enough work and they didn't actually need someone in the post. In actuality, there was plenty of work - it's just that I did it faster than they were expecting and didn't spend a fifth of my working day in the smoking shed like the other secretaries.
I don't like needless bureaucracy - the type that is rampant in middle management in every organisation: where people schedule meetings because they think that unless you have a meeting a decision is not valid; where these meetings go on for three hours because someone thinks they should, not because there is so much to discuss; where you have to wait three months for a decision becuase people are afraid to make them; where there are acres of paperwork when one sheet of bullet points would suffice.
I also dislike most forms of sporting activity, mainly because I am rubbish at them (lack of coordination). Luckily, the sportiest part of working in a library is getting on and off a kickstool.
Do you remember the last time you felt that feeling of deep satisfaction after creating, building, completing something? What was it about?
I recently completed a serials rationalisation project at my site library. Basically it was an audit of everything we had, and a drastic reduction in the quantity of print serials held. Now, it is clear to our users what we hold, the most recent issues are not hidden amongst older volumes, and the collection takes up a third less space on the shelves. They also appear to be getting more use. Maybe you can see the wood now the trees have gone. This was a project that I had sole responsibility for, that I was allowed to just get on with in my own time and in my own way.
It's nice to finally finish something and have people comment on it. I produce programmes for plays and pantomimes, and it's nice to hear people say how much they like what you've produced, and how professional it looks.
A couple of weeks ago, we had a really good musical rehearsal for this year's village pantomime. They're not always so satisfying. Sometimes you feel really frustrated that people aren't picking things up as quickly as you'd like, or you don't have the right people at the rehearsal so you can't teach a particular song. This particular night, everything was perfect. If things go well, it validates you as a teacher. If they don't, there are moments of self-doubt and annoyance. But you just have to carry on, learn from your experiences, and plan to do things differently next time.
I'm sure once my pantimime costume for Maid Marian is completed I'll feel satisfied about what I've created. At the moment I have a lot of doubts that it will turn out to look like the image in my head. But that's the thing about projects, you can't reflect upon them until you've completed them.
I'm glad I've done these things, either as work projects or as personal projects, because completing something, especially if it has been a challenge, is not only a relief, but also a reward for all the hard work you've put in.
What skills do you need to do the things you like?
Communication skills are pretty high up on the list. When you're working with lots of different types of people, you need to know how to work with them and how to help them. I think my communciation skills can always be improved.
Time management is another big one. Sometimes it's difficult to know how long soemthing is going to take, but if you plan all the different parts of the project, and give yourself room to manouevre within your set of deadlines, you can usually complete on time. Of course, you can't plan for other people, or the unexpected, but you should always have a backup plan.
I need a lot of creative skills for the things I do outside of work. I enjoy using and updating these skills, and I'm glad that I'm revisiting some of them this year, because I'm really enjoying it.
What next?
I'm attending a course on Marketing yourself and identifying transferable skills. I'm not always aware of how I can use the skills I have to do other things. Being able to demonstrate the application of transferable skills will be very useful to me in the search for a professional post.
I'm also hoping to do some voluntary work in a different library to the one I work in. They need some serials cataloguers. The experience I could gain will fill an experience gap in my skill set.
Identify your strengths, take a good look at yourself, your tasks at work, your career, your life: what do you like to do?
At work, I do a lot of problem-solving. Either through helping users to find the information they need, or helping staff track an item or understand a complicated fines issue. I like to think that I am a quick learner, and retain information, particularly when it's technical in nature. I used to work with someone whose catchphrase was "don't give me problems, give me solutions". I receive the problems, and give back the solutions.
I like projects. And I like being left alone to get on with them. That way, I know that things have been done to my exacting standards, and that all parts of the project have been completed.
I like to indulge in amateur dramatics outside of work, which involves a fair amount of problem-solving, teamworking and project work. It's a good outlet for creativity, and when the writing bug comes upon me it means it's time to write a script! It also gives me a chance to do some teaching and work with children, both of which are challenging, but give you a real buzz when everything goes well.
What do you dislike?
I dislike being bored. I work quite fast, and am quite efficient, so sometimes I finish things quicker than others expect, and as a result I am left with nothing to do. When I was a student I actually worked myself out of a temporary job for being too efficient - it appeared there wasn't enough work and they didn't actually need someone in the post. In actuality, there was plenty of work - it's just that I did it faster than they were expecting and didn't spend a fifth of my working day in the smoking shed like the other secretaries.
I don't like needless bureaucracy - the type that is rampant in middle management in every organisation: where people schedule meetings because they think that unless you have a meeting a decision is not valid; where these meetings go on for three hours because someone thinks they should, not because there is so much to discuss; where you have to wait three months for a decision becuase people are afraid to make them; where there are acres of paperwork when one sheet of bullet points would suffice.
I also dislike most forms of sporting activity, mainly because I am rubbish at them (lack of coordination). Luckily, the sportiest part of working in a library is getting on and off a kickstool.
Do you remember the last time you felt that feeling of deep satisfaction after creating, building, completing something? What was it about?
I recently completed a serials rationalisation project at my site library. Basically it was an audit of everything we had, and a drastic reduction in the quantity of print serials held. Now, it is clear to our users what we hold, the most recent issues are not hidden amongst older volumes, and the collection takes up a third less space on the shelves. They also appear to be getting more use. Maybe you can see the wood now the trees have gone. This was a project that I had sole responsibility for, that I was allowed to just get on with in my own time and in my own way.
It's nice to finally finish something and have people comment on it. I produce programmes for plays and pantomimes, and it's nice to hear people say how much they like what you've produced, and how professional it looks.
A couple of weeks ago, we had a really good musical rehearsal for this year's village pantomime. They're not always so satisfying. Sometimes you feel really frustrated that people aren't picking things up as quickly as you'd like, or you don't have the right people at the rehearsal so you can't teach a particular song. This particular night, everything was perfect. If things go well, it validates you as a teacher. If they don't, there are moments of self-doubt and annoyance. But you just have to carry on, learn from your experiences, and plan to do things differently next time.
I'm sure once my pantimime costume for Maid Marian is completed I'll feel satisfied about what I've created. At the moment I have a lot of doubts that it will turn out to look like the image in my head. But that's the thing about projects, you can't reflect upon them until you've completed them.
I'm glad I've done these things, either as work projects or as personal projects, because completing something, especially if it has been a challenge, is not only a relief, but also a reward for all the hard work you've put in.
What skills do you need to do the things you like?
Communication skills are pretty high up on the list. When you're working with lots of different types of people, you need to know how to work with them and how to help them. I think my communciation skills can always be improved.
Time management is another big one. Sometimes it's difficult to know how long soemthing is going to take, but if you plan all the different parts of the project, and give yourself room to manouevre within your set of deadlines, you can usually complete on time. Of course, you can't plan for other people, or the unexpected, but you should always have a backup plan.
I need a lot of creative skills for the things I do outside of work. I enjoy using and updating these skills, and I'm glad that I'm revisiting some of them this year, because I'm really enjoying it.
What next?
I'm attending a course on Marketing yourself and identifying transferable skills. I'm not always aware of how I can use the skills I have to do other things. Being able to demonstrate the application of transferable skills will be very useful to me in the search for a professional post.
I'm also hoping to do some voluntary work in a different library to the one I work in. They need some serials cataloguers. The experience I could gain will fill an experience gap in my skill set.
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Librarians in Fiction - fantasy or reality?
Skimming through the October issue of CILIP Update, I was struck by the article by Andrew Taylor (pp24-25) regarding the presentation of librarians in the media (he doesn't mention The Hollywood Librarian, maybe he's too young). The gist of his opinion piece is that novelists stand up in public to speak out against library cuts/closures, yet portray librarians in a negative light in their books.
In the literary world, says Taylor, libraries are mystical places, where keepers of knowledge stand guard over a wealth of information inaccessible to the casual reader. I don't know how widely read Mr Taylor is, but his few examples of librarians in print are hardly representative of the whole literary canon.
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (2006) features a vampire librarian. An unsurprisingly unhelpful character, but not exactly representative of real librarians, as vampires do not exist in the real world. Making the librarian a vampire is obviously a plot device to add tension and provide danger for our hero. If you want a positive portrayal of librarians in vampire fiction, I point you in the direction of Rupert Giles from Joss Whedon's TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (he unfortunately lost his job as school librarian when he blew up the library at the end of series 3 - however, he did stop the mayor from eating Sunnydale and destroyed hordes of vampires, so it was for the common good).
The Librarian in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is actually a positive portrayal of a helpful information professional - it shouldn't matter that he is also an orang-utan - he knows where all the books are and actively helps library users. Again, this is fantasy, not reality. The author's creation has attributes unobtainable in the real world, therefore the representation is perfectly valid in the context of the novel.
Summer by Edith Wharton (1917) - the library is underused and the books are dusty. Sorry, but quite a lot of people were fighting a war in 1917, so visiting the library may not have been their top priority. The library represents the protagonist's need for a fulfilling life: it is knowledge and experience personified but unused, another literary device to represent Charity's inner feelings. Her place of work needn't have been a library, but where else would she meet a visiting architect in 1917?
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco is set in a 14th century Italian monastery and is quite probably historically accurate. Medieval libraries were very possessive of the few books they owned (and rightly so, bearing in mind the cost of a book in the 14th century) therefore any librarian would guard his treasures with his life. Poisoned books aren't that unusual as a form of death in crime fiction. An episode of CSI:NY involved the New York Library's collection of antiquarian books, one of which was contaminated with radioactive isotopes [Season 5: Episode 2, Page Turner]. May I also point you in the direction of Susanna Gregory's excellent medieval crime series featuring the physician Matthew Bartholomew, in which 14th century Cambridge College librarians play a part.
I admit that I have not read Summer, The Historian or The Name of the Rose, but there isn't enough of a range of genres in these examples to conclusively state that librarians are not positively represented in literature.
Further reading may be necessary. Perhaps Librarians in Fiction: a critical bibliography by Grant Burns (1998), McFarland & Co. ISBN: 9780786404995, but as it's out of print, perhaps just look at this useful webpage by Laura Cobrinik: Librarians As Characters In Fiction: Biographies, Poetry and The History of Libraries, Including Textbooks For Library Studies.
An excellent play about libraries and librarians is Alan Plater's 1991 comedy-drama I Thought I Heard a Rustling (available from Samuel French) - just as relevant now as it was 20 years ago, and a pretty real representation of the politics of library service closure (it's also rather funny).
My advice to Mr Taylor is to go to his local library and borrow a book that isn't in the historical/fantasy/horror genre and see if any of his choices portray "real" people doing "real" things. Then he will realise that it's not just librarians who are misrepresented in fiction: it's everyone.
That's why it's called fiction.
In the literary world, says Taylor, libraries are mystical places, where keepers of knowledge stand guard over a wealth of information inaccessible to the casual reader. I don't know how widely read Mr Taylor is, but his few examples of librarians in print are hardly representative of the whole literary canon.
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (2006) features a vampire librarian. An unsurprisingly unhelpful character, but not exactly representative of real librarians, as vampires do not exist in the real world. Making the librarian a vampire is obviously a plot device to add tension and provide danger for our hero. If you want a positive portrayal of librarians in vampire fiction, I point you in the direction of Rupert Giles from Joss Whedon's TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (he unfortunately lost his job as school librarian when he blew up the library at the end of series 3 - however, he did stop the mayor from eating Sunnydale and destroyed hordes of vampires, so it was for the common good).
The Librarian in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is actually a positive portrayal of a helpful information professional - it shouldn't matter that he is also an orang-utan - he knows where all the books are and actively helps library users. Again, this is fantasy, not reality. The author's creation has attributes unobtainable in the real world, therefore the representation is perfectly valid in the context of the novel.
Summer by Edith Wharton (1917) - the library is underused and the books are dusty. Sorry, but quite a lot of people were fighting a war in 1917, so visiting the library may not have been their top priority. The library represents the protagonist's need for a fulfilling life: it is knowledge and experience personified but unused, another literary device to represent Charity's inner feelings. Her place of work needn't have been a library, but where else would she meet a visiting architect in 1917?
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco is set in a 14th century Italian monastery and is quite probably historically accurate. Medieval libraries were very possessive of the few books they owned (and rightly so, bearing in mind the cost of a book in the 14th century) therefore any librarian would guard his treasures with his life. Poisoned books aren't that unusual as a form of death in crime fiction. An episode of CSI:NY involved the New York Library's collection of antiquarian books, one of which was contaminated with radioactive isotopes [Season 5: Episode 2, Page Turner]. May I also point you in the direction of Susanna Gregory's excellent medieval crime series featuring the physician Matthew Bartholomew, in which 14th century Cambridge College librarians play a part.
I admit that I have not read Summer, The Historian or The Name of the Rose, but there isn't enough of a range of genres in these examples to conclusively state that librarians are not positively represented in literature.
Further reading may be necessary. Perhaps Librarians in Fiction: a critical bibliography by Grant Burns (1998), McFarland & Co. ISBN: 9780786404995, but as it's out of print, perhaps just look at this useful webpage by Laura Cobrinik: Librarians As Characters In Fiction: Biographies, Poetry and The History of Libraries, Including Textbooks For Library Studies.
An excellent play about libraries and librarians is Alan Plater's 1991 comedy-drama I Thought I Heard a Rustling (available from Samuel French) - just as relevant now as it was 20 years ago, and a pretty real representation of the politics of library service closure (it's also rather funny).
My advice to Mr Taylor is to go to his local library and borrow a book that isn't in the historical/fantasy/horror genre and see if any of his choices portray "real" people doing "real" things. Then he will realise that it's not just librarians who are misrepresented in fiction: it's everyone.
That's why it's called fiction.
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Thing 23 - Reflection - What next?
The process of completing a Personal Development Plan (PDP) is not new to me, as it forms part of the yearly appraisal process.
As specified in previous posts, the gaps in my experience centre around professional duties, such as delivering information skills sessions, cataloguing and classification, departmental liaison and attending professional level meetings.
Filling those gaps is not always easy, but I'm hoping to do some volunteering at another library to fill the cataloguing gap.
In 2012 my single subject library is changing its book stock from National Library of Medicine classification to Dewey Decimal Classification prior to a merger with a multidisciplinary library. I'm hoping to be involved with some of the reclassification to fill that skill gap.
I've also arranged an extended shadowing programme whereby I will work with professional librarians to gain experience and knowledge of academic liaison and have the opportunity to attend library meetings.
I think the PDP is a useful exercise to complete, as it makes you realise what your development needs are, and think of practical solutions to gaps in your skills set.
When I started cpd23 I don't know what I was expecting to achieve. I think I was interested in learning about new technologies, but I was also hoping to be part of a wider community of library people, all sharing the same experiences. I feel that I know more about the various Things discussed, but I'm not sure I feel part of a community. I think the programme was a really good idea, and I have enjoyed taking part. I'm just disappointed at the number of people who didn't continue with it. I suppose that is to be expected, bearing in mind the length of the programme and the time needed to investigate, evaluate and blog about the Things. A lot of people probably couldn't spare the time to take part.
I will try and continue blogging, now that I have more than 3 published posts under my belt, but I don't think I'll be able to do it as regularly without the impetus of 23 Things!
As specified in previous posts, the gaps in my experience centre around professional duties, such as delivering information skills sessions, cataloguing and classification, departmental liaison and attending professional level meetings.
Filling those gaps is not always easy, but I'm hoping to do some volunteering at another library to fill the cataloguing gap.
In 2012 my single subject library is changing its book stock from National Library of Medicine classification to Dewey Decimal Classification prior to a merger with a multidisciplinary library. I'm hoping to be involved with some of the reclassification to fill that skill gap.
I've also arranged an extended shadowing programme whereby I will work with professional librarians to gain experience and knowledge of academic liaison and have the opportunity to attend library meetings.
I think the PDP is a useful exercise to complete, as it makes you realise what your development needs are, and think of practical solutions to gaps in your skills set.
When I started cpd23 I don't know what I was expecting to achieve. I think I was interested in learning about new technologies, but I was also hoping to be part of a wider community of library people, all sharing the same experiences. I feel that I know more about the various Things discussed, but I'm not sure I feel part of a community. I think the programme was a really good idea, and I have enjoyed taking part. I'm just disappointed at the number of people who didn't continue with it. I suppose that is to be expected, bearing in mind the length of the programme and the time needed to investigate, evaluate and blog about the Things. A lot of people probably couldn't spare the time to take part.
I will try and continue blogging, now that I have more than 3 published posts under my belt, but I don't think I'll be able to do it as regularly without the impetus of 23 Things!
Thing 22: Volunteering to get experience
It was interesting to read Jo's post about volunteering. My previous post about my library routes mentioned the Library Catch-22 and how difficult it can be to stand out amongst other candidates at interview.
I have volunteered in the past: my village library was closed due to budget cuts in 2003 and was reopened as a Library Access Point by a group of community volunteers. I was one of the volunteers who helped to launch the new service, train other volunteers and add donated items to the library catalogue.
Now, I work full time, am currently spending a lot of my time outside of work on a community pantomime, and have few hours to spare for myself, so volunteering isn't something I had really considered at my current stage in life.
However, I have recently been scouting around for new employment, and I feel that volunteering in some capacity would be useful, if only I can find the time to do it in. Working in a library where so much of the "professional" work is outsourced (cataloguing in particular) means I am unable to gain the all-important work-based experience that so many interviewers look for.
I have lots of skills that I can't use in my current post. Being able to use them, even in a voluntary position, would, I think, really enhance my career prospects.
There is, as Jo points out, a danger that library volunteers are a free way of staffing a library, but as long as the volunteers only work for a few hours each week, and are actively helping with a project which would not have been feasible without them, I don't think we devalue ourselves or our profession. And we can gain valuable experience of other aspects of library work while we do it.
I have volunteered in the past: my village library was closed due to budget cuts in 2003 and was reopened as a Library Access Point by a group of community volunteers. I was one of the volunteers who helped to launch the new service, train other volunteers and add donated items to the library catalogue.
Now, I work full time, am currently spending a lot of my time outside of work on a community pantomime, and have few hours to spare for myself, so volunteering isn't something I had really considered at my current stage in life.
However, I have recently been scouting around for new employment, and I feel that volunteering in some capacity would be useful, if only I can find the time to do it in. Working in a library where so much of the "professional" work is outsourced (cataloguing in particular) means I am unable to gain the all-important work-based experience that so many interviewers look for.
I have lots of skills that I can't use in my current post. Being able to use them, even in a voluntary position, would, I think, really enhance my career prospects.
There is, as Jo points out, a danger that library volunteers are a free way of staffing a library, but as long as the volunteers only work for a few hours each week, and are actively helping with a project which would not have been feasible without them, I don't think we devalue ourselves or our profession. And we can gain valuable experience of other aspects of library work while we do it.
Thing 20 - the Library Routes Project
Well I blogged my route into librarianship in Thing 10, so I won't repeat it here. If you missed it, here's the link:
http://lyndseygoddard.blogspot.com/2011/08/thing-10-routes-into-librarianship-or.html
So, as suggested, I've had a look at some of the links already on the Library Routes Project wiki in order to reflect on how they compare with my own experiences.
I looked at a couple of people in my neck of the woods, and began to feel rather envious, as their library careers seem to have followed a better and more profitable trajectory than my own. There are lots of Librarians, or Assistant Librarians, or Deputy Librarians, who are blogging about their routes into librarianship and it made me think that there's nothing like reading about somebody else's success to make you feel totally inadequate about your own career.
My own path is, I suppose, typical, in that it involved a first degree in an arts subject, a graduate traineeship, a library assistant post and a Masters Qualification, but while others' library careers have developed, mine has stalled and I find myself stuck in the Library Catch-22 and unable to progress to the level at which I am qualified.
I think that I have held myself back from opportunities which may have progressed my career because it's safer to stay in a permanent full time library assistant position than take a chance on a contract or part time job which may give you extra brownie points with future employers, but won't pay increasingly extortionate utility bills. Many new professionals have the flexibility to move around the country to a job that suits, but unfortunately I don't have that luxury.
I think career development in libraries is partly down to luck. You can do all the academic qualifications and CPD courses that you like, but if you're up against a set of people with more work-based experience, it doesn't matter about your transferable skills and academic qualifications: you won't progress.
We're in a recession and public libraries are cutting jobs to save themselves. So all the public librarians are moving into the academic sector, so there's more pressure on university library posts. There are more candidates than jobs available, and there are better candidates from which to choose than in the past.
So based on what I have read on the wiki, I am going to take more chances and apply for more things, even if they don't fit my expected criteria for a professional post. Because you never know what a job is going to be like until you actually do it. And you might be pleasantly surprised.
http://lyndseygoddard.blogspot.com/2011/08/thing-10-routes-into-librarianship-or.html
So, as suggested, I've had a look at some of the links already on the Library Routes Project wiki in order to reflect on how they compare with my own experiences.
I looked at a couple of people in my neck of the woods, and began to feel rather envious, as their library careers seem to have followed a better and more profitable trajectory than my own. There are lots of Librarians, or Assistant Librarians, or Deputy Librarians, who are blogging about their routes into librarianship and it made me think that there's nothing like reading about somebody else's success to make you feel totally inadequate about your own career.
My own path is, I suppose, typical, in that it involved a first degree in an arts subject, a graduate traineeship, a library assistant post and a Masters Qualification, but while others' library careers have developed, mine has stalled and I find myself stuck in the Library Catch-22 and unable to progress to the level at which I am qualified.
I think that I have held myself back from opportunities which may have progressed my career because it's safer to stay in a permanent full time library assistant position than take a chance on a contract or part time job which may give you extra brownie points with future employers, but won't pay increasingly extortionate utility bills. Many new professionals have the flexibility to move around the country to a job that suits, but unfortunately I don't have that luxury.
I think career development in libraries is partly down to luck. You can do all the academic qualifications and CPD courses that you like, but if you're up against a set of people with more work-based experience, it doesn't matter about your transferable skills and academic qualifications: you won't progress.
We're in a recession and public libraries are cutting jobs to save themselves. So all the public librarians are moving into the academic sector, so there's more pressure on university library posts. There are more candidates than jobs available, and there are better candidates from which to choose than in the past.
So based on what I have read on the wiki, I am going to take more chances and apply for more things, even if they don't fit my expected criteria for a professional post. Because you never know what a job is going to be like until you actually do it. And you might be pleasantly surprised.
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Thing 19: Catch up week on integrating 'things'
I'm afraid I've fallen behind again. So much for keeping up with the Joneses of the library world. It's been really busy at work due to the start of the academic year, and we seem to have many more students using the library in comparison to previous years.
So I've been having a bit of a think about which of the many tools debated during cpd23 have been of use, which I will use again, and which of them I have used consistently since I wrote about them.
Blogging
I think the most important of the Things has been resurrecting my blog. I started it way back in April 2008 and wrote intermittently about library-related things, but without an obvious audience, it all felt a bit pointless. Since redesigning, refocusing and recommencing the blog, I have got used to putting my thoughts out there, although perhaps I should be more guarded in what I write. Some early posts were a bit too revelatory and have gone back in the drafts bin (I don't know know why I don't delete them - probably the librarian part of me whispering "keep it, you might need it").
Writing about new technologies and having deadlines to meet have made me try new things that I might not have discovered, or that I might have put off to a later date. I feel part of a wider community of bloggers, and am pleased to have had some comments on my posts (I'm impressed by the stats I'm getting as well, which proves there's somebody reading my ramblings!).
Google Reader/RSS Feeds
I am still following several blogs, though around half the people I was following haven't posted for ages. I think a fair few have given up. I think it's important to carry on blogging, partly for your own development, that all important reflective aspect, but also for your blog readers/followers/fans. Every day I look at Google Reader to see if there are any new posts. It makes me sad if I don't see any. It's becoming a bit of an addiction. However, I probably need to go through my subscribed feeds and reassess who I want to read. Anyone who hasn't posted in two months should probably go, as it's likely they've stopped blogging. And maybe I'll search the hundreds of cpd23 blogs for some more active librarian blogs to follow instead.
I love the time saving nature of RSS feeds. All my blogs, all in one place. On a slow connection, Google Reader and RSS have enabled me to access and view content which was constantly crashing my computer. Much as I love embedded images and videos, they're not very friendly to older machines on slow networks. Perhaps this is something bloggers need to bear in mind before they put so much media in their posts.
Twitter
Twitter is one of those services that I used loads and loads and loads, then forgot about for a bit, then used loads, then forgot about. I often find that I don't have anything very interesting to say, and if it is interesting I can't tweet it (a lot of the things that happen at work are student-related, and therefore confidential: can't really tweet about those) and I wonder whether any of my followers really care about what's happening in my life. I do like it as a service, I think it's great for keeping up to date with things like conferences, and I will use it more than LinkedIn (I have registered, but I'm not sure it's really my thing).
Prezi
Prezi is something I need to spend a lot more time with. I've not done that many presentations, but I think that Prezi will enable the creative part of me to be unleashed and it has the potential to make work presentations look interesting, even if the content has the potential to be a bit dull. I think I may continue exploring this one.
Screencasting
Screencast-o-matic, how I love thee! It's not only the jolly Heath Robinson/Wallace & Gromit-esque name, it's the simplicity! I will definitely use this. I really hope it stays free!
So I've been having a bit of a think about which of the many tools debated during cpd23 have been of use, which I will use again, and which of them I have used consistently since I wrote about them.
Blogging
I think the most important of the Things has been resurrecting my blog. I started it way back in April 2008 and wrote intermittently about library-related things, but without an obvious audience, it all felt a bit pointless. Since redesigning, refocusing and recommencing the blog, I have got used to putting my thoughts out there, although perhaps I should be more guarded in what I write. Some early posts were a bit too revelatory and have gone back in the drafts bin (I don't know know why I don't delete them - probably the librarian part of me whispering "keep it, you might need it").
Writing about new technologies and having deadlines to meet have made me try new things that I might not have discovered, or that I might have put off to a later date. I feel part of a wider community of bloggers, and am pleased to have had some comments on my posts (I'm impressed by the stats I'm getting as well, which proves there's somebody reading my ramblings!).
Google Reader/RSS Feeds
I am still following several blogs, though around half the people I was following haven't posted for ages. I think a fair few have given up. I think it's important to carry on blogging, partly for your own development, that all important reflective aspect, but also for your blog readers/followers/fans. Every day I look at Google Reader to see if there are any new posts. It makes me sad if I don't see any. It's becoming a bit of an addiction. However, I probably need to go through my subscribed feeds and reassess who I want to read. Anyone who hasn't posted in two months should probably go, as it's likely they've stopped blogging. And maybe I'll search the hundreds of cpd23 blogs for some more active librarian blogs to follow instead.
I love the time saving nature of RSS feeds. All my blogs, all in one place. On a slow connection, Google Reader and RSS have enabled me to access and view content which was constantly crashing my computer. Much as I love embedded images and videos, they're not very friendly to older machines on slow networks. Perhaps this is something bloggers need to bear in mind before they put so much media in their posts.
Twitter is one of those services that I used loads and loads and loads, then forgot about for a bit, then used loads, then forgot about. I often find that I don't have anything very interesting to say, and if it is interesting I can't tweet it (a lot of the things that happen at work are student-related, and therefore confidential: can't really tweet about those) and I wonder whether any of my followers really care about what's happening in my life. I do like it as a service, I think it's great for keeping up to date with things like conferences, and I will use it more than LinkedIn (I have registered, but I'm not sure it's really my thing).
Prezi
Prezi is something I need to spend a lot more time with. I've not done that many presentations, but I think that Prezi will enable the creative part of me to be unleashed and it has the potential to make work presentations look interesting, even if the content has the potential to be a bit dull. I think I may continue exploring this one.
Screencasting
Screencast-o-matic, how I love thee! It's not only the jolly Heath Robinson/Wallace & Gromit-esque name, it's the simplicity! I will definitely use this. I really hope it stays free!
Evernote
I have been pleasantly surprised by Evernote. It's become quite a useful tool in the search for pantomime costumes (Oh yes it has!). I find a representative image on the web, save it to a note, access it on my phone and voila! I can show it to people without the need for a computer. Liking it more and more.
The End is Nigh
So there you have it. I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of tools I have enjoyed using. To be honest, I thought a lot of the Things would be good in principle, but not very useful in practice (OK, so some of them have fitted nicely into that box). I only hope I've learned something from using them.
Friday, 30 September 2011
Thing 18: Jing / screen capture / podcasts
Now, I haven't downloaded Jing yet, have to do that on my laptop, but I have played with Screencast-o-matic, which I love. Free, online, no download, simple to use.
I made a video for my colleague demonstrating how to assign a Passcode to a user, which she loved. I can see quite a lot of uses for this, both for training colleagues and students. I'm quite a visual person, and I find that screenshots can help you understand a procedure much better than just instructions.
I've never really been one for Podcasts. I have downloaded some podcasts, and I understand the point of them, but I tend to tune out when listening to things, so they're not really my cup of tea. Perhaps we've moved on from podcasts - they were all the rage a few years ago, due in no small part to the iPod, but I think that video creation tools are now so good and easy to use that people will be able to livestream or download short videos as easily as they can a podcast.
I made a video for my colleague demonstrating how to assign a Passcode to a user, which she loved. I can see quite a lot of uses for this, both for training colleagues and students. I'm quite a visual person, and I find that screenshots can help you understand a procedure much better than just instructions.
I've never really been one for Podcasts. I have downloaded some podcasts, and I understand the point of them, but I tend to tune out when listening to things, so they're not really my cup of tea. Perhaps we've moved on from podcasts - they were all the rage a few years ago, due in no small part to the iPod, but I think that video creation tools are now so good and easy to use that people will be able to livestream or download short videos as easily as they can a podcast.
Monday, 26 September 2011
Thing 17 **Update** - Prezi / data visualisation / slideshare
Oooh, Prezi. I'm having a go at putting my CV on a Prezi at http://www.prezi.com/ (which is quite easy because there's a template) and I really like the way you can visualise and display the content of your presentations.
It has taken me a while to get used to how it all works, and I don't think the interface is as user-friendly as it could be (I ended up using copy and paste a lot, because I couldn't work out how to create a new text box, element or frame) but I think with a bit more practice it will come to me.
It offers you a much more interesting presentation than you can create on PowerPoint, which is limited to a linear progression through a set of slides. With Prezi all the information goes on one slide and you zoom in and out and around the data. This enables you to return to previously discussed ideas without having to create a new slide.
Genius.
I can see me using this a lot in future.
It has taken me a while to get used to how it all works, and I don't think the interface is as user-friendly as it could be (I ended up using copy and paste a lot, because I couldn't work out how to create a new text box, element or frame) but I think with a bit more practice it will come to me.
It offers you a much more interesting presentation than you can create on PowerPoint, which is limited to a linear progression through a set of slides. With Prezi all the information goes on one slide and you zoom in and out and around the data. This enables you to return to previously discussed ideas without having to create a new slide.
Genius.
I can see me using this a lot in future.
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Thing 17 - Prezi / data visualisation / slideshare
Thing 17 has been postponed, but in the meantime, I've had a bit of a think about slideshows. Not the slideshows that my parents sometimes put on, of their life in the 1970s (lots of miniskirts and beige), but the "presentation" that inevitably forms part of a talk or lecture. PowerPoint seems to have become rather too ubiquitous, partly, I suspect, because it moves attention away from the speaker, partly because speakers seem to believe that delivering a talk, lecture or teaching session must involve some kind of visual element, a backup of what the speaker is saying.
When I was an undergraduate, computers in classrooms weren't really the norm. Any visual information came courtesy of an overhead projector and the accompanying transparencies. Cue the probability of a lecturer putting an OHT upside down or back to front, or having to fiddle with the projector to focus or enlarge the image on the screen. Now we have interactive whiteboards: you can press instead of click. I find it a bit weird and do prefer to use the computer to control the presentation rather than the board, but maybe it's inexperience.
I presented a learning session for library staff on Twitter (basic uses and application) and wrote a presentation in PowerPoint. Mainly this was a safety net in case we lost our internet connection (it's also useful for distribution to anyone who can't make the session). It also helped me to plan the session, although in the end I didn't use much of it, and found myself improvising instead. If you know your subject you can get away with improvising, but it's nice to have the backup of planned notes. The dangers with slideshow presentations are putting too much information on each slide; having too many slides; making each slide look the same; not being interesting; causing death by PowerPoint (not sure whether this is a medically recorded cause of death yet, but it's possible).
Maybe we should go back to the days where all you had was your memory and a few sheets of A4 paper with notes on. I remember my English Professor walking into a lecture theatre with just a copy of Henry V and proceeding to talk for an hour on the text with no notes. He didn't even look at the play, just waved it around every now and then. The Master at work.
Prezi and Slideshare I have heard of, and I've viewed presentations in these formats, but as I have access to the perennial PowerPoint, I've never really looked at them in any detail. I use PowerPoint because I'm familiar with the program and have access to the software. I think SlideShare could be useful if you want to host the presentation on the web and make it public, but the ads are a bit annoying. I'd be interested to know if these programs are easier to use than PowerPoint, which I do find a bit clunky at times.
Anyway, I'll post more when we're told what to do with Thing 17.
When I was an undergraduate, computers in classrooms weren't really the norm. Any visual information came courtesy of an overhead projector and the accompanying transparencies. Cue the probability of a lecturer putting an OHT upside down or back to front, or having to fiddle with the projector to focus or enlarge the image on the screen. Now we have interactive whiteboards: you can press instead of click. I find it a bit weird and do prefer to use the computer to control the presentation rather than the board, but maybe it's inexperience.
I presented a learning session for library staff on Twitter (basic uses and application) and wrote a presentation in PowerPoint. Mainly this was a safety net in case we lost our internet connection (it's also useful for distribution to anyone who can't make the session). It also helped me to plan the session, although in the end I didn't use much of it, and found myself improvising instead. If you know your subject you can get away with improvising, but it's nice to have the backup of planned notes. The dangers with slideshow presentations are putting too much information on each slide; having too many slides; making each slide look the same; not being interesting; causing death by PowerPoint (not sure whether this is a medically recorded cause of death yet, but it's possible).
Maybe we should go back to the days where all you had was your memory and a few sheets of A4 paper with notes on. I remember my English Professor walking into a lecture theatre with just a copy of Henry V and proceeding to talk for an hour on the text with no notes. He didn't even look at the play, just waved it around every now and then. The Master at work.
Prezi and Slideshare I have heard of, and I've viewed presentations in these formats, but as I have access to the perennial PowerPoint, I've never really looked at them in any detail. I use PowerPoint because I'm familiar with the program and have access to the software. I think SlideShare could be useful if you want to host the presentation on the web and make it public, but the ads are a bit annoying. I'd be interested to know if these programs are easier to use than PowerPoint, which I do find a bit clunky at times.
Anyway, I'll post more when we're told what to do with Thing 17.
Friday, 9 September 2011
Visit to Cambridge University Library (UL) – 31st August 2011 by 3 Library Assistants
 |
| The iconic logo of the library represents Gilbert Scott's design |
Cambridge University Library:
• A large, intimidating structure on West Road in Cambridge, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott between 1931 & 1934
• The first Cambridge University building to be sited the other side of the river
• The only legal deposit library in the UK and Ireland to lend its stock
• An institution which grants access to students and staff not only of its own University, but others in the UK and overseas
• A library bursting at the seams, which receives 80,000 items a year from publishers to fulfil their legal obligations
I had used the UL before, as a student, when I was granted Reader access (no borrowing) and had navigated the shelves in search of library-related books for my Masters dissertation. But I had not seen the hidden depths of the library, with its basement of rolling stacks, its dark and moody private staircases, and its miles of hidden corridors.
So at 2.30pm, Helen, Sarah and I met Lizz Edwards-Waller at the Entrance Hall for our behind-the-scenes tour. Lizz was very happy to show us round the library, and chatted enthusiastically to us about how the library works and its key features. First stop was Admissions, where we were registered as Readers, which entitles us to access the Library for reference purposes for a period of 2 years. After scanning in, we were able to view the Anderson Room, a beautifully furnished reading room for music with a very plush carpet. The bookcases were beautifully carved and the seats looked very comfortable. As a result, many users prefer to use the room to study in, even if they are not music scholars.
Next, we saw the Catalogue Hall, which is much as it was in the 1930s, except for the catalogue terminals running Newton, the library’s OPAC. The Guard Books listing the manually catalogued items from the library’s earlier days are still available to view, although they have not been updated since 1986. The card catalogue records were transferred to Newton between 1986 and 1996, so the Guard Books are really just for show and historical interest. Through the Reading Room (which houses the Library’s reference collection) to the West Room, dedicated to periodicals. Periodicals are not exempt from legal deposit, however the six national libraries (Cambridge, Bodleian Library Oxford, British Library, National Library of Scotland, National Library of Wales, Trinity College Dublin) share the responsibility for holding a copy of each published issue. This ensures that the periodicals room is not bursting at the seams with GQ and Heat magazine, and has enough academic material to please the many retired researchers and alumni scholars who do not have access to electronic resources.
Down another corridor and a flight of stairs, into the 1972 extension, where Library staff are busy in the basement doing a multitude of backroom tasks. Here we visited the Legal Deposit room, where we saw several stacks of red crates, all containing items published in the UK. Once unpacked, the items are sorted into Academic and Supplementary resources. Academic texts are given priority, as they are of more value to the University Library. The legal deposit staff research the content and publication details of the books prior to sending them to Cataloguing, thus speeding up the process of book to shelf. Supplementary materials (including children’s picture books and knitting patterns) are briefly catalogued before being sent to the stack.
Contrary to popular belief, the famous Tower is not full of pornography (the porn cupboard is in the basement). Instead, the 157ft-high Tower is the repository for all material deemed non-academic from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1578614/Secrets-of-Cambridge-porn-library-revealed.html & http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/2006/12/the_dirty_books.html). Currently, the Tower Project is busy cataloguing the 200,000 volumes stored on the 17 floors to make the collection more accessible to library users, and finding some gems along the way (http://vl203.wordpress.com/).
Alas, we were not able to visit the Tower. We saw the basement with its manual rolling stacks, and also a relic from the 1970s: electronic stacks! These stacks could be dangerous – trapping people between cases; stopping suddenly and coming off the tracks; useless in a power cut. But, they are a part of history, so a small section of electronic stack remains for posterity.
A quick scamper up some private stairs, and we were back on Floor 1, thinking about tea. Luckily the UL’s Tea Room was able to oblige. The Tea Room is a space for refreshment and relaxation (no books allowed!) but now it has Wi-Fi there are a few laptops jostling for space amongst the mugs of tea and plates of cake.
There our visit ended. A very interesting, though all too brief, tour of a fascinating library, one which stays true to its original vision while managing to cater for the students of today. I will be back before the end of the year to visit the exhibition, Books & Babies: Communicating Reproduction, which runs until December 23rd (http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/exhibitions/Babies/).
More information about Cambridge University Library may be found on the website:
http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/
This blog post was written for an internal staff magazine and is reproduced here by the author. The author cannot be held responsible for any factual inaccuracies contained within this article. Please feel free to add any corrections in the Comments box.
Thing 16: Advocacy, speaking up for the profession and getting published
Advocacy... seems to go hand-in-hand with Activism. I think a lot of information professionals can see that the line between the two has become blurred, so that advocates are becoming more militant, union-focused, ready to stand, placard in hand, outside the gates singing rousing choruses of We Shall Not Be Moved.
Now, I won't say that I agree with the cuts to public services which has resulted in library closures, because I don't. However, there is a substantial deficit in public finances, which needs to be solved somehow. If you were given a choice as to how to spend the money, would you choose to keep open a hardly-used branch library or spend the money on highway repairs? Would you fund places in special schools for children with learning disabilities or more staff for a library with self-service machines?
These are the questions asked in last year's review of services by Cambridgeshire County Council. I filled in the online questionnaire, favouring libraries at every step. Then I had to do it again with a set of points (or "spending money") and choose which services I would cut and which I would keep. Then I had to do it again, with a smaller points budget. This really makes you aware of the pressure councils are under to pay for services that we take for granted. And I did cut library services, in favour of highway maintenance and special school places, because these things are important too. In some cases, they are more important than library services. Safer roads are achieved by regular improvements and maintenance. Children's special educational needs are achieved by securing places at the right schools in the right area. The needs of library users can be achieved even if the service spends less money, due to self-service, online services and voluntary organisations running library services.
Shock horror! Someone supports letting unqualified librarians loose on a library service!!!! The world is coming to an end!!!!
Calm down dear, it's only volunteers. What harm can they do?
In my experience, volunteer-run libraries have improved the service in communities no longer served by council-run libraries. The myth that only a qualified librarian can run a library has been perpetuated by CILIP and advocates/activists for far too long. Good management skills, an understanding of how to provide excellent customer service, and a group of volunteers willing to learn is all you need to open a library (and some books). To keep it running, you need to listen to your customers, advertise and promote your existence, fundraise, encourage new volunteers and welcome your users. Of course, it helps if your volunteer-run library is in partnership with the council-run library service, giving you access to a library management system, a larger range of books than you could possibly store, and all the other associated services.
When our village library was earmarked for closure, people were up in arms. They formed a friends group and fought it to the end. But when the end came, it came with a proposition: you want to keep your library, you run it. And they did. And it is more popular. It opens when people want it to open, it runs reading groups, children's activity groups, a history group. It's a community resource run by the community, rather than a forgotten branch of an old oak waiting for the tree surgeon to come along.
And libraries are important, but are they more important than health services? Would you pay for a library or an MRI scanner? I'm not saying that an oncology nurse is a more important person than a librarian, but I know who I'd want to see next to my bed if I had cancer. Ditto firefighters. I wouldn't call a librarian if my house was on fire (or even if my library was on fire, come to think of it).
I have digressed woefully without considering what I'm supposed to be writing this Thing on, which is:
why it's important to advocate for the section of library and information sector that you work for or want to work in - is it important? I work in an academic library. we are well used, well funded and well liked by the students - no advocacy needed.
what advocacy you've been involved in. Or, give an example of some advocacy that you think has been particularly effective – library-related or otherwise. I don't know if I do advocate for libraries, apart from working in one, writing this blog and patronising my local volunteer-run library access point (to which I pay gratuitous amounts of fines money because I borrow loads of books and forget to renew them, thus helping to fund the service).
If you haven't been involved in advocacy, reflect on what your skills are (or which you want to develop), what you're most passionate about and think about what you might be able to do. I don't think I'll be using my cataloguing and classification skills to advocate on behalf of libraries...
where advocacy fits in with professionalism – and identify where you think the advocacy might fit within the requirements of the roles. I think it's a given these days to assume that every library professional is an advocate for the profession. In a way, we are. Every time you work in your library and you help someone, you show them the public face of the library service. It's your face, but it represents the library. If you don't communicate with your users you cannot hope to promote the service you provide. You can put up big banners saying "We're the Library. Aren't we great", but unless you prove that greatness by providing the services that people need, all your advocacy will come to nothing. In my library, our users are the greatest advocates we have. Proved by the thank you cards, positive survey responses and occasional boxes of chocolates we receive from our users.
So you can go to big conferences and listen to people champing at the bit to champion library services; you can write open letters to newspapers openly criticising funding cuts; you can even take to the streets and demonstrate against closures. But unless you can prove to the general public how important your profession is by actually working in your profession and being visible, you can't expect people to support you.
Now, I won't say that I agree with the cuts to public services which has resulted in library closures, because I don't. However, there is a substantial deficit in public finances, which needs to be solved somehow. If you were given a choice as to how to spend the money, would you choose to keep open a hardly-used branch library or spend the money on highway repairs? Would you fund places in special schools for children with learning disabilities or more staff for a library with self-service machines?
These are the questions asked in last year's review of services by Cambridgeshire County Council. I filled in the online questionnaire, favouring libraries at every step. Then I had to do it again with a set of points (or "spending money") and choose which services I would cut and which I would keep. Then I had to do it again, with a smaller points budget. This really makes you aware of the pressure councils are under to pay for services that we take for granted. And I did cut library services, in favour of highway maintenance and special school places, because these things are important too. In some cases, they are more important than library services. Safer roads are achieved by regular improvements and maintenance. Children's special educational needs are achieved by securing places at the right schools in the right area. The needs of library users can be achieved even if the service spends less money, due to self-service, online services and voluntary organisations running library services.
Shock horror! Someone supports letting unqualified librarians loose on a library service!!!! The world is coming to an end!!!!
Calm down dear, it's only volunteers. What harm can they do?
In my experience, volunteer-run libraries have improved the service in communities no longer served by council-run libraries. The myth that only a qualified librarian can run a library has been perpetuated by CILIP and advocates/activists for far too long. Good management skills, an understanding of how to provide excellent customer service, and a group of volunteers willing to learn is all you need to open a library (and some books). To keep it running, you need to listen to your customers, advertise and promote your existence, fundraise, encourage new volunteers and welcome your users. Of course, it helps if your volunteer-run library is in partnership with the council-run library service, giving you access to a library management system, a larger range of books than you could possibly store, and all the other associated services.
When our village library was earmarked for closure, people were up in arms. They formed a friends group and fought it to the end. But when the end came, it came with a proposition: you want to keep your library, you run it. And they did. And it is more popular. It opens when people want it to open, it runs reading groups, children's activity groups, a history group. It's a community resource run by the community, rather than a forgotten branch of an old oak waiting for the tree surgeon to come along.
And libraries are important, but are they more important than health services? Would you pay for a library or an MRI scanner? I'm not saying that an oncology nurse is a more important person than a librarian, but I know who I'd want to see next to my bed if I had cancer. Ditto firefighters. I wouldn't call a librarian if my house was on fire (or even if my library was on fire, come to think of it).
I have digressed woefully without considering what I'm supposed to be writing this Thing on, which is:
why it's important to advocate for the section of library and information sector that you work for or want to work in - is it important? I work in an academic library. we are well used, well funded and well liked by the students - no advocacy needed.
what advocacy you've been involved in. Or, give an example of some advocacy that you think has been particularly effective – library-related or otherwise. I don't know if I do advocate for libraries, apart from working in one, writing this blog and patronising my local volunteer-run library access point (to which I pay gratuitous amounts of fines money because I borrow loads of books and forget to renew them, thus helping to fund the service).
If you haven't been involved in advocacy, reflect on what your skills are (or which you want to develop), what you're most passionate about and think about what you might be able to do. I don't think I'll be using my cataloguing and classification skills to advocate on behalf of libraries...
where advocacy fits in with professionalism – and identify where you think the advocacy might fit within the requirements of the roles. I think it's a given these days to assume that every library professional is an advocate for the profession. In a way, we are. Every time you work in your library and you help someone, you show them the public face of the library service. It's your face, but it represents the library. If you don't communicate with your users you cannot hope to promote the service you provide. You can put up big banners saying "We're the Library. Aren't we great", but unless you prove that greatness by providing the services that people need, all your advocacy will come to nothing. In my library, our users are the greatest advocates we have. Proved by the thank you cards, positive survey responses and occasional boxes of chocolates we receive from our users.
So you can go to big conferences and listen to people champing at the bit to champion library services; you can write open letters to newspapers openly criticising funding cuts; you can even take to the streets and demonstrate against closures. But unless you can prove to the general public how important your profession is by actually working in your profession and being visible, you can't expect people to support you.
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Thing 15: Attending, presenting at and organising seminars, conferences and other events
Let's be honest here, I balk at the idea of going to library events.
I've only been to a few library events, both related to library careers. The first one, designed for library staff considering the postgraduate route into librarianship, was at UCL in London.
London - big scary metropolis. Me - young, female, from the country, out of my depth in the big city.
Why is this?
I'm not very good in a room full of people I don't know. I sort of latch on to the first person who smiles at me and follow them around hoping that they'll introduce me to more people when instead they're trying to get rid of me. I try to be the person who smiles, engages in conversation, volunteers to speak in front of others, so why do I always feel like the person nobody wants to speak to at a party?
I've only been to a few library events, both related to library careers. The first one, designed for library staff considering the postgraduate route into librarianship, was at UCL in London.
London - big scary metropolis. Me - young, female, from the country, out of my depth in the big city.
Well, I get to UCL early (hurrah for the London A-Z) and find the room we're meant to be in (picking up some stragglers on the way). We wait outside the room, as there seems to be nobody in it. As nobody else appears we bravely venture into the room to discover that in an anteroom there is tea, coffee, biscuits and all the other attendees! Don't we feel stupid!? There should have been a sign on the door inviting us in and specifying that registration/coffee was in another room. I find myself a cup of tea, and as there is a bit of time, try to chat to people. It's like being in a morgue. A deathly hush has descended on the room, and all that can be heard is the crunching of biscuits.
Interesting talks and presentations follow, and lunchtime arrives. Aha! Networking! Surely by now they've loosened up? So I try to talk to people, but they're all suspiciously quiet and don't seem interested at all. I'm standing there with a paper plate thinking: is it me? We're also encumbered by the fact that there are lots of people and no chairs, so we're all trying to sit on the floor whilst eating a buffet lunch. Later there's another coffee break before the end session of the day, and I've given up talking to the attendees and instead chatted to the presenters. This was much more rewarding, though does limit the field somewhat: you have to move away when you run out of things to say and then you're stuck in the corner with a biscuit trying not to look like Billy No Mates.
So although it was an interesting event, and worth attending, it was let down by the cheerlessness of the other participants. I was relieved to discover that on leaving the building my other half was kindly waiting for me (he'd had a meeting in London that afternoon and was kindly escorting me home) and I had someone to talk to!
The other library event I attended was a day for library assistants who were looking to move towards a professional post. Again, the room was too small for the amount of people hoping to use it. Due to my train breaking down on the way to Leicester, I wasn't early, but instead an hour late (no sympathy from the organisers, even though I'd phoned from the train to explain that the train had a fault in the air brakes and we were waiting for a tow). So I and two colleagues were freezing cold (outside temperature -7C) and had missed 2 presentations when we got there. Bad start. At lunchtime I chatted to my colleagues as other participants chatted to theirs. Later, there was the usual reticence when we were asked to work together in groups.
Generally, this event was aimed at people considering the first steps towards a professional post, not people who had already made the choice as to which route they would take. In my opinion, spending three hours on a train at below freezing temperatures was not worth it for the content of the event.
Generally, this event was aimed at people considering the first steps towards a professional post, not people who had already made the choice as to which route they would take. In my opinion, spending three hours on a train at below freezing temperatures was not worth it for the content of the event.
This event could have been improved by advertising the content of the event as well as the title. Even the titles of the presentations would have given us an indication as to whether the event would be useful. The only advantage for me going was to see the newly extended and refurbished library at University of Leicester (my alma mater).
I would like to attend other events, meet other librarians, learn new things, but I have been put off by my experiences in the wider world. My next task is to join a local group so that there is less travelling and more friendliness (and possibly some cake).
Thing 14: Zotero / Mendeley / citeulike
Organising your references... I can see why you might want to use these, but to be perfectly honest, I've never bothered. To me, they seem like an extra layer of hassle. I'm sure that those of you who have fallen in love with RefWorks, EndNote, or other such proprietary software may relish the chance to get your hands on a free version that does much the same thing. My institution uses RefWorks, but I've never had the need to know anything about it.
I've never had so many references that I haven't been able to organise them myself, with a spreadsheet that I can colour-code, sort, filter and organise like any other data document. I don't think I need another piece of software to do my collating. If I'm researching something, I reference as I go, but seeing as I'm glad to be out from under the yoke of studying and I can't see me rushing into any further academic study, I really see no value for me in these tools.
If you're studying, they may be useful, and I was shown cite-u-like when I did my dissertation, but after the presentation I didn't bother using it. Does that imply that my organisational skills are pretty good already, or that I'm just happy doing things my way (or that I'd completely forgotten about the presentation by the time I got home from the study school...)?
I might try out Mendeley (because you can scribble on pdfs, apparently, and it can organise your documents for you), however, I don't need the others because I'm not studying or researching and I don't do teaching.
Thing 13 - Google Docs, Wikis, Dropbox
Google Docs I have used for storage for about 4 years. The disadvantage I have is that it does require up-to-date browsers and a fast internet connection. On slower connections and older browsers not all functionality is available, and it can be quite jerky. Having said that, I have shared some documents with other people and I'm hoping to use it on a collaborative document which is a work-in-progress playscript.
Some examples of the files I stored in my Google Docs:
pdf files of journal articles
scripts, rehearsal schedules, minutes from my amateur dramatic society
works in progress: plays, pantomimes, script ideas
christmas card list, party guest list, present ideas list
I do like the fact that the content is saved to the cloud and therefore wherever you are with an internet connection you can access it (useful if you're in a public library; should also work on smartphones - need to try that). This feature also makes it good for backing up data. I think I could use Google Docs more, but it tends to screw up the formatting of my carefully crafted documents so I don't think it will replace my trusty flash drives just yet.
Dropbox was mentioned to me by a friend as a good online storage facility, and I may use it to back up documents rather than emailing them to myself (which is an easy way to lose track of where your documents are if you have lots of emails!). If it stores files as they are without altering source formatting then it may become my preferred backup utility. It could be useful for sharing documents, but I would have to investigate this more thoroughly.
Wikis keep getting mentioned by colleagues in the context of collaboratively writing procedure manuals, but I'm not sure whether they are actually used for this. I have to say that I'm not used to collaborative working. So many years in academia ensuring that your work is your own makes you a bit precious about your documents, to the extent where you work obsessively to protect your ideas from others. It was suggested that I use a wiki or similar to update a community website I run, but I'm loath to relinquish editorial control (partly because I'm quite precious about my writing style, and partly because I can spell and a lot of people can't - spelling, punctuation and grammar are really important, even in the online world, and it irks me that the world is full of incoherent written English).
So both Dropbox and Wikis need further investigation, when I'm on a computer that I have admin rights to. I might revisit several of these Things at a later date, once I've used them for a while.
Monday, 5 September 2011
We're the Choir!
Saturday 3rd September was a new experience for me: the choir for a day event, where singers of all ages and abilities come together to learn a repertoire of songs to sing at an evening concert. No experience necessary, just an enjoyment of singing and for the first time, no need to read music!
The event is organised by my good friend Sarah Burton, who sings in a Barbershop quartet called Sarsparilla. She recognised that lots of people like singing, but either don't have the time to sing in a choir, or are too intimidated by choirs to join them. Some people just want to sing for fun, without the pressure of learning complicated arrangements for lengthy concerts.
Many choirs in my area are either church-based with a religious slant to the music, or have simply disbanded because of the lack of willing pianists. One exception is Witchford Voices: at 70-strong, they are one of the largest community choirs locally. But they are oversubscribed, partly due to their formidable leader: Naomi D'Cunha. Naomi has been teaching music for many years and is an enthusiastic singing coach. I worked with her in pantomime a few years ago. She can teach anyone to sing.
The event is organised by my good friend Sarah Burton, who sings in a Barbershop quartet called Sarsparilla. She recognised that lots of people like singing, but either don't have the time to sing in a choir, or are too intimidated by choirs to join them. Some people just want to sing for fun, without the pressure of learning complicated arrangements for lengthy concerts.
Many choirs in my area are either church-based with a religious slant to the music, or have simply disbanded because of the lack of willing pianists. One exception is Witchford Voices: at 70-strong, they are one of the largest community choirs locally. But they are oversubscribed, partly due to their formidable leader: Naomi D'Cunha. Naomi has been teaching music for many years and is an enthusiastic singing coach. I worked with her in pantomime a few years ago. She can teach anyone to sing.
And she really proved her skill on Saturday. A motley group of singers was transformed into a fully-fledged choir, singing African songs, traditional spirituals and pop songs, all with only four and a half hours of rehearsal. During the performance, we got the audience to join in the chorus of What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor, which rounded off the evening nicely. Naomi's enthusiasm really pulled us through the day which, although tiring, was well worth it.
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