Today was a great day and the last 'offical' day of prac. I spent the morning fine tuning the Camtasia script and then the first shift on the reference desk. I had few brief directional questions and then met a student who was looking for a German art book - in German (of course). I could not locate it in ECU nad she had tried a few options over the past few days as well - even visitn g UWA library. So I opted for worldcat.org and there it was - the closest copy in Adelaide plus a few other books. We sat down and picked through the list and decided to extend the ECU search to include the influcene of the Bauhaus on design and found several videos and books that would help in further studies next semester. The student promised to look out for me again as we kind of connected.
Before lunch was spent fine tuning the Camtasia script to identify some good examples that would apply to a range of students. After lunch I produced 3 minutes of Camtasia script after converting my main points into powerpoint. Unfortunatly the power point import function was not working so I had to record the screen for each slide. It as lots of fun, very easy to use and I included a nice scene transition effect between slides and search examples. It was a good start and I hope to continue with the project to see it completed.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Week 6 and 7 - May 22nd and 23rd
Well the cold season certainly took its toll and I have had to transfer my prac time to a Thursday and Friday to make up the hours spent at home feeling miserable. My current project is a Camtasia presentation of how students are to approach an online database search. I am continuing work on the script and have a fairly good idea as to how to go about explaining a rather tricky thought process. I believe that everyone thinks about things differently and therefore has a different approach in finding out what they do and don't know. I only hope that it make sense to a majority of the students and that I can produce a finished product. My personal motto is to' know that you don't know' and is probably why I am taking up study again.
I had some concerns with the lateness of my prac and associated assignments but was comfortably reassured by Judy C that so long as all the assessment are submitted I'd be ok. Judy knows that I 'know that I don't know' and is always tempting me with the carrot of knowledge - just a few more units and then you will have this degree, or, have you thought about going for the big one? There is the tempt of small paper presentations, the tempt of informal conferences and workshops, the tempt of degrees by course work and all those amazing jobs that seem to be in the marketplace at the moment. Some time in the future I'd love to be in a position where my skill set, experience and knowledge does qualify me to be in a trendy library 2.0 career with job security, personal growth incentives, with rewards of great pay, great work colleagues and a creative mind.
Friday started with an early desk shift and then I spent the remainder of the day on the Camtasia script. I am trying to piece out exactly the best way to define how students can understand what is required in an assigment and how to search for journals using the ECU catalogue and online databases. It seems simple but is proving to be an interesting thought process for me.
I had some concerns with the lateness of my prac and associated assignments but was comfortably reassured by Judy C that so long as all the assessment are submitted I'd be ok. Judy knows that I 'know that I don't know' and is always tempting me with the carrot of knowledge - just a few more units and then you will have this degree, or, have you thought about going for the big one? There is the tempt of small paper presentations, the tempt of informal conferences and workshops, the tempt of degrees by course work and all those amazing jobs that seem to be in the marketplace at the moment. Some time in the future I'd love to be in a position where my skill set, experience and knowledge does qualify me to be in a trendy library 2.0 career with job security, personal growth incentives, with rewards of great pay, great work colleagues and a creative mind.
Friday started with an early desk shift and then I spent the remainder of the day on the Camtasia script. I am trying to piece out exactly the best way to define how students can understand what is required in an assigment and how to search for journals using the ECU catalogue and online databases. It seems simple but is proving to be an interesting thought process for me.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Week 5 - 5th May Visit to LCA
It is quite a drive to LCA and required a bit of early morning preparation to get Harry up and leaving for daycare a 7:30am. Joondalup is a wonderfully relaxed campus and I always appreciate natural bush landscaping.
LCA is on Level 4 of the Joondalup library building. I was welcomed by Lynette who introduced me to each individual staff member - at last a chance to meet people in person rather than communication via phone or email.
Session One - Acquisitions with Lynette. We discussed the workflow of acquisitions, online orders through DA Direct and Blackwell’s, examined faculty codes, budgets, ordering process and how the Edifact file hooks between the Millennium and book vendor databases. My first question was what is the costing difference between an ebook versus a print version. Interesting that they were generally the same price however the ebook needed to be re-purchased each year. Is this a cheaper option than the actual cost of managing and storing the printed version which can only be accessed by one patron at a time?
Session Two - Cataloguing with Deb. We both agreed that you are either 'into or 'not into' cataloguing and data management. Fortunately for both of us I am very 'into' it so we had a wonderful session that extended into morning tea break about our experiences. Deb has an excellent power point 'Cataloguing 101 by Deb' which I hope that all library staff can view as it gives a good breakdown and appreciation of cataloguing, marc codes and authority files. Our discussion continued into AACR2, MARC, Subject Headings (Main and added entry), realtime exchange and weekly uploads of bibliographic data, Libraries Australia as an authority, Millennium reports, authority checks and the most important of all - data management.
I directed a few questions about the Create Lists function in Millenniumm, what marc tag to locate various parts of information and learnt some vital 'hot' keys which I knew existed but did not know where to find them. Deb concluded the session with a demonstration of copy versus original cataloguing.
Session Three - the very juicy area of Metaquest (MetaLib) with Lisa. This session was wonderful in establishing an understanding of the 280 databases that ECU has access to and its relevance to my Camtasia project. I only hope that the finished project can be included on the Metaquest page and that it can help students find what they are looking for. Lisa covered an explanation of the AARLIN consortium (11 libraries) the development of Metalib/Metaquest as a 5 year pilot project with an annual subscription renewal and a proposed service review later in the year. We worked through using the search interface and looked at various entry points into the 280 databases, user statistics and the various levels of information literacy amongst students. We discussed the Camtasia project and I will keep Lisa informed of its development.
Session Four - Information session with David and James. We had a great discussion on my practicum experience, future plans and our collective experience together covering so many different industries and workplaces. My areas of concern were mostly work based issues on RSS feeds, email traffic (management of bounced emails), proposed ECU mail portal with email auditing and the new ECU catalogue. David and James were interested in my Flickr and Camtasia projects and past work experiences and skills at InfoVision. We joked about the discussion being on par with a job interview! We also covered the importance of workflow, using software functionality, Information Literacy and online tutorial resources. I hope that there will be future opportunities for work in creating online resources.
On the drive home I thought about the collective experience and skills that each staff member has in their particular area of expertise, the advanced use of Millennium software and how I need to better use and understand the software and its functionality, and the tranquillity of the LCA office with wide windows and a view - so different to the hustle and bustle of working in a library.
LCA is on Level 4 of the Joondalup library building. I was welcomed by Lynette who introduced me to each individual staff member - at last a chance to meet people in person rather than communication via phone or email.
Session One - Acquisitions with Lynette. We discussed the workflow of acquisitions, online orders through DA Direct and Blackwell’s, examined faculty codes, budgets, ordering process and how the Edifact file hooks between the Millennium and book vendor databases. My first question was what is the costing difference between an ebook versus a print version. Interesting that they were generally the same price however the ebook needed to be re-purchased each year. Is this a cheaper option than the actual cost of managing and storing the printed version which can only be accessed by one patron at a time?
Session Two - Cataloguing with Deb. We both agreed that you are either 'into or 'not into' cataloguing and data management. Fortunately for both of us I am very 'into' it so we had a wonderful session that extended into morning tea break about our experiences. Deb has an excellent power point 'Cataloguing 101 by Deb' which I hope that all library staff can view as it gives a good breakdown and appreciation of cataloguing, marc codes and authority files. Our discussion continued into AACR2, MARC, Subject Headings (Main and added entry), realtime exchange and weekly uploads of bibliographic data, Libraries Australia as an authority, Millennium reports, authority checks and the most important of all - data management.
I directed a few questions about the Create Lists function in Millenniumm, what marc tag to locate various parts of information and learnt some vital 'hot' keys which I knew existed but did not know where to find them. Deb concluded the session with a demonstration of copy versus original cataloguing.
Session Three - the very juicy area of Metaquest (MetaLib) with Lisa. This session was wonderful in establishing an understanding of the 280 databases that ECU has access to and its relevance to my Camtasia project. I only hope that the finished project can be included on the Metaquest page and that it can help students find what they are looking for. Lisa covered an explanation of the AARLIN consortium (11 libraries) the development of Metalib/Metaquest as a 5 year pilot project with an annual subscription renewal and a proposed service review later in the year. We worked through using the search interface and looked at various entry points into the 280 databases, user statistics and the various levels of information literacy amongst students. We discussed the Camtasia project and I will keep Lisa informed of its development.
Session Four - Information session with David and James. We had a great discussion on my practicum experience, future plans and our collective experience together covering so many different industries and workplaces. My areas of concern were mostly work based issues on RSS feeds, email traffic (management of bounced emails), proposed ECU mail portal with email auditing and the new ECU catalogue. David and James were interested in my Flickr and Camtasia projects and past work experiences and skills at InfoVision. We joked about the discussion being on par with a job interview! We also covered the importance of workflow, using software functionality, Information Literacy and online tutorial resources. I hope that there will be future opportunities for work in creating online resources.
On the drive home I thought about the collective experience and skills that each staff member has in their particular area of expertise, the advanced use of Millennium software and how I need to better use and understand the software and its functionality, and the tranquillity of the LCA office with wide windows and a view - so different to the hustle and bustle of working in a library.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Week 4 - 28th April 2008
Wow, what a day. The cobwebs have well and truly been dislodged. My first task was a reference desk shift which seemed to have plenty of juicy questions on in-text referencing for a chapter summary and how to attach an appendix. The ECU referencing guide was rather useful and I had to refer to the American Psychological reference guide for how to attach an appendix to an assignment. It has been some time since my last big assignment so it is best to refer to the official source.
The next component is a Camtasia project to create an online tutorial on how to use the online journal databases as part of the ECU collection. I spent some time searching for relevant examples on the web and then deconstructed the references and links on the ECU library homepage. I have started on the script with screen captures and call outs. An afternoon meeting with Lyn and Agnes confirmed that I am on the right track. The examples I found were appropriate for the project and some further clarification on scripts and topics for the project have helped me immensely. I will spend the week thinking about it a bit more and quizzing students on their use of the online databases for research.
The next component is a Camtasia project to create an online tutorial on how to use the online journal databases as part of the ECU collection. I spent some time searching for relevant examples on the web and then deconstructed the references and links on the ECU library homepage. I have started on the script with screen captures and call outs. An afternoon meeting with Lyn and Agnes confirmed that I am on the right track. The examples I found were appropriate for the project and some further clarification on scripts and topics for the project have helped me immensely. I will spend the week thinking about it a bit more and quizzing students on their use of the online databases for research.
Week 3 - 21st April 2008
Today I finalised the Flickr project by uploading all photographs and making a selection of suitable subjects and settings and photos that were of a reasonable quality and in focus. After the selection process I used Microsoft Image Editor to crop pictures and improve colour settings. The next task was to upload images into the Flickr account – the uploading part was the least time consuming, however adding a title, description and tags was time consuming due to the slow updating of flickr – possibly due to popularity of the internet site during the day or to ECU network traffic. Several of the photos did not upload on the first instance for reasons unknown so I spent a bit of extra time making sure the images were loaded.
My time on the reference desk was with Graham – a wondrous man with knowledge on education databases and the about education databases. We had a search around the ABS and census database to checkout details of my locality and then a catalogue search where we discovered that it is not possible to search on curriculum call number to lost all items with a number of (CURRIC). Alternately the * wildcard function may not work for call number. Another interesting addition is the search or education items by keyword first (eg marine) and then subject (juvenile) for suitable teaching items. We helped out a student seaching for chart resources on humanists – resorting to a Google search for humanist timelines and charts etc. I used the define:humanist search strategy which gave a good selection of material and the images search on Google as well which lists a good set of results.
My time on the reference desk was with Graham – a wondrous man with knowledge on education databases and the about education databases. We had a search around the ABS and census database to checkout details of my locality and then a catalogue search where we discovered that it is not possible to search on curriculum call number to lost all items with a number of (CURRIC). Alternately the * wildcard function may not work for call number. Another interesting addition is the search or education items by keyword first (eg marine) and then subject (juvenile) for suitable teaching items. We helped out a student seaching for chart resources on humanists – resorting to a Google search for humanist timelines and charts etc. I used the define:humanist search strategy which gave a good selection of material and the images search on Google as well which lists a good set of results.
Week 2 - 14th April 2008
Today was the collection part of the Flickr project. It was a good experience to ask students and staff to participate in posed photos and sign the necessary permission forms. Everyone was helpful - particularly an unknown student who was photographed during a reference interview, and invited me to photograph his group discussion session with fellow students on Level 3.
I attempted to capture an example of the traditional and contemporary information services that are available to library patrons – from an online reference query to microfiche, special collection books to teaching kits and student research theses. For circulation I posed a few photos with the easy loan terminal and staff manning the issues desk and reserve collection.
The library is looking rather smart and it was great to see the number of patrons who do use different parts of the library during the day. I will spend next week uploading the collection of photos to Flickr and apply classification tags.
My time on the reference desk was unfortunately cut short due to noise and general discomfort caused by renovation works – like going to the dentist but much much worse. I really felt for Lutie who stuck out the reference shift with the disturbance. Not many students ask for assistance during renovation noise and the lines of communication are obscured anyway. I did spend some time this morning looking through the various online databases as I think the biggest hurdle in a reference interview is the selection of databases based on information content and relevance. I will feel much more confident once I have browsed for many more hours. The bonus for me is my past experience with search interfaces so entering in terms and navigating and fine tuning results is not too difficult.
I attempted to capture an example of the traditional and contemporary information services that are available to library patrons – from an online reference query to microfiche, special collection books to teaching kits and student research theses. For circulation I posed a few photos with the easy loan terminal and staff manning the issues desk and reserve collection.
The library is looking rather smart and it was great to see the number of patrons who do use different parts of the library during the day. I will spend next week uploading the collection of photos to Flickr and apply classification tags.
My time on the reference desk was unfortunately cut short due to noise and general discomfort caused by renovation works – like going to the dentist but much much worse. I really felt for Lutie who stuck out the reference shift with the disturbance. Not many students ask for assistance during renovation noise and the lines of communication are obscured anyway. I did spend some time this morning looking through the various online databases as I think the biggest hurdle in a reference interview is the selection of databases based on information content and relevance. I will feel much more confident once I have browsed for many more hours. The bonus for me is my past experience with search interfaces so entering in terms and navigating and fine tuning results is not too difficult.
Week 1 – 31st March 2008
This week has launched me into a new way of thinking about libraries. Having had many months of working as a library officer and acting technician on a part time basis, it was rather alien to pass the issues and returns area and know that I did not have to participate in a busy morning shift. Strange also to be here on a Monday with staff acknowledging my presence on such an early day in the week.
My introduction was an induction by Swee Kit. A brief overview of a well structured timetable that allows me to have access to reference Librarians and experiences across the multifarious faculties, including a few days at Joondalup. Having not been there physically, but virtually, I was looking forward to having a library experience from the other side of the software – the systems management, acquisitions and collection services that you hear about and imagine what staff do at their workstations.
An overview of the structure of the KITSC business area was complimented with background history of ECU library services and the role of Swee Kit as the senior library manager.
My first reference posting was with Lyn Leslie. We discussed the various databases with their search strategies and interfaces, wildcards and those with Australian content. Several students came for her assistance, with the most interesting request for the history and symbolism of the paint brush. A very interesting question and I will see what I can locate for myself if there is a quite moment. Lyn focuses on educating the student about the catalogue services of the library, and directs a search through the Ecu catalogue first, with particulars on the existing reference collection for a primary source of information, then on to the online world of Google Scholar and online databases. Students were shown various search strategies and how to access the search results, as an abstract, full text document or pdf file.
I assisted students with non-reference queries with the most popular being the location of a particular music score for choir which will see over 200 students involved.
After lunch break Julia Gross, Faculty librarian briefed me on the flickr project which requires the creating and classification of stock photos for public relations purposes at the Mt Lawley library. My points of interest were the format and size, some artistic quality and hope to snap at just the right moment in time. Some time was spent looking at existing library photos and examples on the flickr web site. I sourced the official photo release form as a link on the ECU governance web site, located a fine camera for the task and sold the project to several staff members who were willing to volunteer their services in a few posed photos. I think I will need to provide morning tea as part payment!
My introduction was an induction by Swee Kit. A brief overview of a well structured timetable that allows me to have access to reference Librarians and experiences across the multifarious faculties, including a few days at Joondalup. Having not been there physically, but virtually, I was looking forward to having a library experience from the other side of the software – the systems management, acquisitions and collection services that you hear about and imagine what staff do at their workstations.
An overview of the structure of the KITSC business area was complimented with background history of ECU library services and the role of Swee Kit as the senior library manager.
My first reference posting was with Lyn Leslie. We discussed the various databases with their search strategies and interfaces, wildcards and those with Australian content. Several students came for her assistance, with the most interesting request for the history and symbolism of the paint brush. A very interesting question and I will see what I can locate for myself if there is a quite moment. Lyn focuses on educating the student about the catalogue services of the library, and directs a search through the Ecu catalogue first, with particulars on the existing reference collection for a primary source of information, then on to the online world of Google Scholar and online databases. Students were shown various search strategies and how to access the search results, as an abstract, full text document or pdf file.
I assisted students with non-reference queries with the most popular being the location of a particular music score for choir which will see over 200 students involved.
After lunch break Julia Gross, Faculty librarian briefed me on the flickr project which requires the creating and classification of stock photos for public relations purposes at the Mt Lawley library. My points of interest were the format and size, some artistic quality and hope to snap at just the right moment in time. Some time was spent looking at existing library photos and examples on the flickr web site. I sourced the official photo release form as a link on the ECU governance web site, located a fine camera for the task and sold the project to several staff members who were willing to volunteer their services in a few posed photos. I think I will need to provide morning tea as part payment!
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