sallysetsforth

When I first set up this blog, it was partly with the intention of using it to keep my family and friends up-to-date with my life when I moved interstate. Well, now it's finally time to start doing just that!

I arrived in Darwin last night. The weather is perfect. The serviced apartment that I'm staying at is great, and is centrally located in the CBD. Everything feels both familiar and unfamiliar. Love it!

Tim and I have had a crazy few weeks getting ready for this move. Unfortunately, Tim won't be joining me here in Darwin for another week while he finishes our house renovations in Melbourne. He has also supervised most of the packing and uplift, after Roxy (our cat) and I skedaddled out of town partway through. He's been amazing.

I got into town on Darwin Cup Day, not long after the race finished. Which meant the queues for taxis were much longer than usual! Roxy was on the flight with me, so after collecting my luggage I caught a taxi to the freight area of the airport to collect her. A moment of panic when it appeared that they were closed for the public holiday, but they saw me arrive and opened up to let me collect Roxy in her new airline-safe pet carrier. She handled the flight really well, thank goodness! The nice lady from the cattery came to collect her, and she was whisked away to her accommodation for the next few weeks.

I caught another taxi into town, and commiserated with the taxi driver over Darwin house and rental prices. Then I checked into my hotel. I'm staying in a serviced apartment, with a full kitchen, bathroom and laundry. From my balcony, I can see (and hear) the Mitchell St tourist precinct, but I can also see the harbour, and the lights of the wharf at HMAS Coonawarra. I stocked up on supplies at the nearby supermarket, and soaked up the atmosphere in town. The Darwin Cup revellers hadn't gone home after their day out - they had swarmed into the city, and every pub and restaurant was packed! Back in my hotel room, I ate dinner on the balcony, enjoying the warm breezes and listening to the sounds of revelry below.



Tomorrow is the first day in my new job. I'm glad that I was able to come up a day early to acclimatise (and calm down after all the activity!) before starting work. Today was simply a day off - sleeping, reading, wandering, regrouping.

Blog posts may be few and far between for the next month, as internet access will be ridiculously expensive (hotel rates) until we've moved into a place of our own. But I'll try to post something, somewhere every couple of days at least. If I haven't updated my blog, you may find that I've updated on Twitter or Flickr instead.

Speaking of Flickr, I'm attempting to take part in another daily challenge. It's called #1pic1thoughtinAug. Each day (or as close as I can manage) I'll post a photo and a thought/comment/ramble on Flickr. When I have a bit more time, I'll set up a Flickr widget or something here on the blog, but please feel free to check out my #1pic1thoughtinAug Flickr set as well as the contributions from many other folk at the #1pic1thoughtinAug Flickr group pool. Thanks to Ruth for organising it :)

Whee! We're off to Darwin!

We've been looking forward to this day for some time :) We had to postpone our plans a couple of times due to finances and family circumstances, but now the time is right and everything is falling into place!

I've landed a liaison librarian position at the university in Darwin - starting in about 2 weeks(!). I'm looking forward to it so much! :) And I'm getting some good vibes about my new employer too, everyone's been really helpful and friendly so far.

I've been out of the academic library sector for a little while, but I think that the liaison librarian role will be a very good fit for me. I'm passionate about forging win-win relationships between the library and the rest of the organisation, I love preparing and delivering training sessions, and I look forward to the opportunity to develop and implement innovative services for clients. I'm also looking forward to being part of a wider community of academic librarians who are doing terrific work all over the country. :)

Right now, we're a bit frantic with getting ready to move to the other side of the country! Tim's busy working on renovations in preparation for renting our house out. I'm going through boxes, cupboards and rooms trying to lighten our load by doing the biggest "weeding" job that we've ever experienced. We're making decisions on what comes with us and what goes into storage - although we still have the uncertainty of not knowing what size house or apartment we'll be renting in Darwin. And we're also trying to figure out how to transport a cat and a boat! *lol*

But it's worth it! :) The adventure of living somewhere new, experiencing a different lifestyle and climate, meeting new people and making friends, and learning the ropes of an exciting new job in the academic library sector - I have high hopes!

Now, I'd like to give a big shout-out here to my wonderful colleagues and friends in Melbourne and beyond. I have been so fortunate to have people to talk to about my decision making process - so many have helped me negotiate through the pros and cons of different jobs, given interview hints, provided insight into potential employers, and put me in touch with other helpful people. I am blessed. Thank you all!! *hugs*

Well, today is the last day of #blogeverydayofjune



It's also my last day at work, having finished my contract at the Victorian Parliamentary Library. Again.

Although I'm ready for new adventures in new libraries in new places, I will always have the fondest memories of working with the wonderful group of people at "Parl" :)

I played tourist in my own workplace today and got snap happy. I hope you enjoy these photos of the gorgeous library that I've been lucky enough to work at for the last three years ...













You can see more photos of the library in my Victorian Parliamentary Library Flickr set :)

I'm generally reluctant to state opinions on my blog. I really enjoy discussing hot topics with friends and colleagues, but part of my enjoyment of it comes from the fact that the exchange of ideas goes both ways. Although we may agree to disagree, more often than not I'll learn something from the discussion and consider issues from different viewpoints. But blogging isn't really like that. If I put something out there, it feels like I'm publishing a "statement". So I'm going out on a bit of a limb with some opinions here. But I prefer discussing (debating even?) ideas much more than delivering a monologue!

I'd been having a bit of an internal discussion with myself lately about the nature of working as a librarian in the public service (as you do). When I read bookgrrl's "Free-range librarian" blog post on the weekend, I thought it might be time to write them down and see what other people think.

Librarianship is not my first career. It's my third. I studied and worked in the sciences, and then worked in the Australian Public Service for six years. I was engaged in a variety of roles, including coordinating inter-governmental meetings, strategic planning, organisational performance measurement, change management, industry policy, tender evaluations and contract advice. It might sound a bit like buzzword bingo, but I learnt a lot about the public service during that time, and I think I gained quite a different perspective than people who work within a specific profession in the public service. I've brought this background with me into librarianship, and it has shaped my opinions, actions and feelings in this career.

The vast majority of librarians work in public service. Whether they work for a government department, a university, a school, a public library, a hospital, a state library, etc. - most are employed either directly or indirectly by the government and funded by the taxpayer. And that makes us public servants. Right? So we work for the public. Right?

Well, I beg to differ. Sometimes I feel that the name "public servant" is a bit of a misnomer. We work *indirectly* for the public. The people elect their Parliamentary representatives (whether Federal, State or Councillors in Local Government). The Parliamentary representatives who make up a majority form Government. The members of the majority party also select a leader, who assembles a Cabinet of Ministers. These Ministers oversee Government departments and agencies. Public servants are employed by the Government departments to carry out Government policies and programs. And that's where we come in.

So who do I work for? In a Government library, I work for my employer - the Government department. My department works for the Minister, and so on. In a public / council library, I work for my employer - the Council, who works for the elected councillors. In an academic library, I work for my employer - the university. The only people who work *directly* for the public are our elected Members of Parliament (Federal, State or Local Councillors). Sometimes the general public are our clients, such as in a public library. But they are not our bosses. And we cannot presume to act on their behalf against the directions of our employers. If our employers are acting unethically, well, that's what whistleblowers protection legislation is there for. But in other circumstances, it is not appropriate for us to act on behalf of the nebulous public rather than our employers.

But ... we're librarians - a profession within the public service, with values of its own. No, I'm not getting into the profession debate here! But I do want to acknowledge that we are administered (for lack of a better word) by a professional organisation with a statement of core values, and a statement on free access to information. And they are worthy values.
 
But ... as public servants we also operate within a set of values that perhaps we don't often think very much about. And those values are often set out in legislation. In the Australian Public Service, the Public Service Act 1999 includes the APS Values. This is the case at the state level too - in Victoria, public sector values are described in the Public Administration Act 2004.

So, what do we do if our professional values seem to clash with our employer's values, or with our employer's directions? I believe that when such a situation arises, it is our professional responsibility to work within our organisation to promote our professional values, and to convince our employers of their worth. But that's all. Because surely, in the end, our employing organisation must have the final say. And if we can't live with that, then it might be time to change employers.

This post will catch me up for the couple that I missed. And since I've already done one serious blog post today, this is just a fun one :)

I'm a Barry Manilow fan. For real.

The first time I listened to a Barry Manilow album, it was for a joke. But the joke was on me, because I loved it! I promptly stole all of my parents' LPs and picked up some more at op shops. I bought and read his autobiography. I got one of my LPs *signed* by Barry himself at Westfield Doncaster. And I went to one of his concerts back in 1996. I have the t-shirt to prove it. :)

Mandy was Barry Manilow's first big hit, back in 1974. I was just going to pick one video from YouTube ... but I ended up with three different versions of him performing Mandy. Because they're all so different!

This one is from 1975. See the sequins sparkle! Barry preferred to arrange music than perform it (he was Bette Midler's musical director in the early 70s), so it's interesting to observe that he is a little bit shy here :)



By 1978 though, it was a different story. He was a mega-star, and he knew it. Watch him bedazzle and work that audience!



And here he is in more recent years. The video is undated, but his outfit is very similar to what he wore during the mid-90s, when I saw him perform live. He's a confident performer, and he knows that all those middle-aged women in the audience (and me!) adore him :)

This post was actually inspired quite early on in the #blogeverydayofjune challenge by @geomancer's gratitude post, in which she lists her eyesight as something she's very thankful for. This immediately touched a cord in me, as I also feel very fortunate to have my - heavily corrected by optometrists - eyesight.

I started wearing glasses as a teenager. Most of the time it's easy for me to take this vision correction for granted, but now and then I wonder what life would have been like for me in another century. Or, being a bit of a sci fi nerd, I sometimes wonder how I would cope in a post-apocalyptic world without OPSM! *lol*

The reality, of course, is that I'm very lucky to have the kind of easily correctable eyesight that I do. And many people aren't so lucky.

For several years, I've had a strong interest in accessibility issues, especially those that affect the vision impaired and/or print disabled. Print disabilities include blindness, vision impairment, mental impairment, physical inability to hold a book or use a computer, poor literacy skills, learning difficulties, or any issues that create difficulties in reading or comprehending written materials.

As disseminators, and sometimes producers, of information (and leisure) materials, I believe that every library should be considering accessibility issues as part of their everyday business. There's no excuse for failing to consider accessibility in website design (using appropriate file formats, providing text and audio alternatives, etc.), collection development, equipment purchasing and building design.

Why?

- In the 2003 Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers one in five people in Australia (3,958,300 or 20.0%) had a reported disability. (1)

- The total of 3,304,639 Australians with a print disability represents almost 17.5% of the population (17.39%). This total figure is recognised as a conservative estimate. (2)

- About 18% of adult Australians experience a print disability which means they will have difficulty accessing standard printed information. The reasons for print disability vary but may include: vision impairment or blindness; physical dexterity problems such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, arthritis or paralysis; learning disability, such as dyslexia; brain injury or cognitive impairment; English as a second language; literacy difficulties; early dementia. (3) 

- Almost 575,000 Australians over 40 had vision loss in 2009, representing 5.8% of the population in that age group. Of these people around 66,500 were blind. It is projected that the number of people with vision loss aged 40 or over will rise to almost 801,000 by 2020, and those who are blind will rise to 102,750. (4)

- Most websites (81%) fail to satisfy the most basic Web Accessibility Initiative category. In addition, the results of the evaluations undertaken by disabled users show that they have characteristics that make it very difficult, if not impossible, for people with certain impairments, especially those who are blind, to make use of the services provided. (5)

- Blind people have access to approximately three in every thousand printed publications, falling well short of the equity achieved by sighted people in the community. (6)

- 'Where's My Book?' published for Right to Read Week 2006, shows that only 12 per cent of maths and 8 per cent of science GCSE textbooks in England, are available in braille or large print. Not one of the dictionaries or atlases most widely used by 14 to 16-year-olds is available in a format that a blind or partially sighted child could read. (7)

Have I convinced you?

If they're not already, these affected people *will* be part of your library community / client group. Let's make sure we include them in the information society now and in the future.

References:

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings, 2003
2. Market Equity: Secondary research to determine the size of the national print disabled audience, for RPH Australia, 2002
3. Vision Australia: Print Accessibility, 2010
4. Access Economics: Clear Focus: The Economic Impact of Vision Loss in Australia in 2009, for Vision 2020 Australia, 2010
5. Disability Rights Commission: The Web: Access and inclusion for disabled people, 2004
6. Blind Citizens Australia: Library Services Policy, 2006
7. RNIB: Where's my book? campaign, 2006

 

We have a cat. Her name is Roxy. I love her.

Except when she throws up on the carpet, scratches the furniture, sheds hair all over my clothes, sprays on the laundry hamper (only once, when she was stressed), won't swallow the darn tablet, causes an allergic reaction when she scratches me, hogs the doona, and rips up the carpet at the front door so that we can't get into the house.

But then she snuggles up to us in bed each night, follows us around the house because she likes to be in the same room as a human, supervises the laundry, runs crazily around the house for no reason, is happy to be carried around without struggling, chases lights and shadows, sits on our laps when it's cold, is friendly to visitors, and rolls over for a tummy rub at the drop of a hat.

Here's a video of Roxy playing with a rubber band. She only likes toys that cost less than $2.00. Preferably with a human being attached to the other end. Such as pieces of paper, cardboard boxes, aluminium foil or soft toys scavenged from goodness-knows-where (or Tim's sock drawer as the case may be).



If the video is too small, you can expand it to full screen, or view it on my YouTube channel HERE.

Well, I missed another #blogeverydayofjune post yesterday due to illness. I don't know if I can make up for it in the few days left, but I'll do my best ;)

I love flicking through vintage craft books. Occasionally I will buy one to add to my book collection, but there are so many out there that I have to restrain myself! I try to only collect books that have continuing appeal, but I must confess to having picked up a so-bad-it's-good book from time to time :)

This book is one of my faves. It was originally from my Mum's collection of craft books. Its contents fall more into the good than the bad, so I wouldn't put it in the category described above. But the vintage 70s styling has to be seen to be believed!

It's called "Crafts for Fun and Profit" (1972) by Eleanor Van Zandt, and here is a sampling of photos from it, for your enjoyment:















No copyright infringement is intended.

Yesterday was manic. So crazy, so busy, so packed, that if I tried to tell you all about it I would probably collapse in an exhausted heap just from thinking about it!

Anyway, something had to give, and in this case it was my daily blog post. I'll do an extra one over the weekend to make up for it :)

Tonight, I'm having a deliberately unproductive night. I'm going to make a pizza and watch Poirot telemovies on the couch.

Then I'm going to make like the cat and sleep, sleep, sleep ...

I have a real soft spot for nonsense verse :)

On the Ning Nang Nong by Spike Milligan

On the Ning Nang Nong
Where the Cows go Bong!
and the monkeys all say BOO!
There's a Nong Nang Ning
Where the trees go Ping!
And the tea pots jibber jabber joo.
On the Nong Ning Nang
All the mice go Clang
And you just can't catch 'em when they do!
So its Ning Nang Nong
Cows go Bong!
Nong Nang Ning
Trees go ping
Nong Ning Nang
The mice go Clang
What a noisy place to belong
is the Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!!