As we move towards March 2023 and Tasmania Reads ALIA Island decided to ask our members to share their reading tastes. Today we speak to ALIA Island member, Janet Thorp . If you’ve been reading this series you’ll have an ah-ha moment when you realise that two of our interviewees have been reading the same book! Hopefully Janet will have some new reading under her tree tomorrow morning.
We’d love to hear from you! Let us know about your reading style. Hope Santa finds you!
What type of reader are you? My taste in books is a bit eclectic in that I read mysteries, thrillers, Irish, Australian and American chick lit, humorous stories and I have started reading Tasmanian authors but the light ones, I am too tired to read heavy novels.
I am of an age where I am happy to not force myself to read a book that doesn’t interest me. I always read the first couple of chapters and then the last page. If it is really interesting I might read the last couple of pages. If it is really, really interesting I might read the last pages, some middle pages while still reading from the beginning. I like to know what is happening, hate suspense.
What are you planning on reading next? Why? I probably read a book each week so I have too many to recommend. The ones I have enjoyed lately are The angry women’s choir,The mistake, The accident and With love from Wish and Co. – possibly because they are set in Hobart. If you want to be disturbed by a book read the ones by Alice Feeney, they are twisted. What I read next will probably depend on what’s in at Big W or on the book sale trolley at Kingston
Scenario: You open up your beautifully wrapped Christmas present and discover it’s a book. What would your reaction be, and why? (Does it depend on which book you get?) The dogs always give me books for Christmas so I love opening those presents because I know they have chosen well. They go to the bookshops with money and buy them specially for me, that is my explanation.
Janet Thorp is the Manager of Kingston Library/Libraries Tasmania.
As we move towards March 2023 and Tasmania Reads ALIA Island decided to ask our members to share their reading tastes. Today we speak to ALIA Island member, Sonya Moon. We’d love to hear from you! Let us know about your reading style.
What type of reader are you? If I read a book, I absolutely love I will tell everyone, even people in queues at the doctors or airport. I can’t really read more than one book at a time, but I do have a load of unread books on my bookcase, and they do stress me sometimes.
What was the last book/current book you’re reading? I read Shuggie Bain. It was a fantastic, moving book, and I would definitely recommend it. A story of devoted love of a boy for his mum. I enjoyed it very much.
What are you planning on reading next? Why? I am currently supposed to be reading You Need to Know by Nicola Moriarty, one for Book Group. I will probably read it the day before. Book Groups is great as it forces me to read at least a book a month. I absolutely LOVE books and reading, but for some reason my brain isn’t settled enough to read regularly at the moment.
Scenario: You open up your beautifully wrapped Christmas present and discover it’s a book. What would your reaction be, and why? (Does it depend on which book you get?) I just hug any book someone buys me and am very appreciative and excited. I LOVE books as gifts. Even more special if there is a particular reason why it has been given.
Sonya Moon is Community Learning Coordinator at Kingston Library | Libraries Tasmania
As we move towards March 2023 and Tasmania Reads ALIA Island decided to ask our members to share their reading tastes. Today we speak to ALIA Island member, Jan Richards. We’d love to hear from you! Let us know about your reading style.
What type of reader are you? Like everything I do I am a ‘multi’ person – so squillions of quilting projects, professional undertakings, gardening jobs and many ‘reads on the go’. What I pick up to read ( or listen to) depends on what I’m doing so if I’m driving up to Hobart it will be an audio book downloaded from Libraries Tasmania and usually fairly light, If I’m travelling it’s more likely to be a focussed read as I know I’ll have plenty of uninterrupted time.
What was the last book/current book you’re reading? I have just finished The Oyster Girl by Wren Fraser Cameron. It’s set in the far south of Tasmania in the last years of the 1890s. Provides a real sense of place and I’ll be heading down there to explore when I get a chance. I’d totally recommend it if you want to know more about Tasmanian history told through historical fiction.
What are you planning on reading next? Why? Other Peoples Houses by Kellie Hawkins – an airport novel which I picked up ( at the airport) a few months ago only reading a couple of chapters. Brought it with me to Bali (where I’m writing this) to finish. It’s a good poolside read but will stay behind for someone else to enjoy when we return home.
Scenario: You open up your beautifully wrapped Christmas present and discover it’s a book. What would your reaction be, and why? (Does it depend on which book you get?) Joy. I always get at least one book for Christmas and have dropped some heavy hints about a couple I’d like but there will be a surprise in there too. The delight of sitting down with your new book on Boxing Day can’t be overestimated.
Jan Richards is a consultant working in the GLAM Sector (Jan Richards Consulting). She is also a member of the Tasmanian Library Advisory Board.
As we move towards March 2023 and Tasmania Reads ALIA Island decided to ask our members to share their reading tastes. Today we speak to ALIA Island member, Jo Reeve from Launceston. We’d love to hear from you! Let us know about your reading style.
What type of reader are you? I’m an eBook fan, apart from cookbooks which have to be hard copies. I generally only like to read one book at a time and generally read for pleasure. Once I get hooked on a genre, or author, I will binge read until I’ve had enough. I like to try different genres as well and will also like to read a good biography / autobiography.
What was the last book / current book you’re reading? Apart from cookbooks, I recently finished The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott. I’ve just started, The space between the stars by Indira Nadoo.
What are you planning on reading next? Why? To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It’s been a long time since I read this, so thought I would read it again. Two sets of books by Ruairi Murphy – because it is set in the Hobart Library!!
Scenario: You open up your beautifully wrapped Christmas present and discover it’s a book. What would your reaction be, and why? (Does it depend on which book you get?) I’d be very excited, especially if it is a cookbook or a fiction book (of any genre) that I can read over the Christmas period.
Joanne Reeve is Library Services Coordinator, Policy and Strategic Improvement | Libraries Tasmania and is based in Launceston
As we move towards March 2023 and Tasmania Reads ALIA Island decided to ask our members to share their reading tastes. Today we’ve posed the question to Jen Johnson. We’d love to hear from you! Let us know about your reading style.
What type of reader are you? I read one fiction book at a time and read non-fiction at the same time. If a book doesn’t grab me I ditch it – life is too short to read books we don’t like. When I’ve finished a book, especially one that has really grabbed me, I need a break before I start another one, although I will read short stories.
What was the last book/current book you’re reading? I’m currently reading The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth, I’m only 50 pages in but am enjoying the storyline so far. Sometimes I tell people about what I’ve read, especially if I think it would appeal to them.
What are you planning on reading next? Why? My next book will be Wildflowers by Peggy Frew because it’s from the library and I’ll have to get it back.
Scenario: You open up your beautifully wrapped Christmas present and discover it’s a book. What would your reaction be, and why? (Does it depend on which book you get?) Opening a book on Christmas Day is always a delight, mainly because I write lists about what I’d like Santa to bring, so I get books that I want to read.
Jen Johnson is well known for her role in school libraries. She is currently working for Libraries Tasmania and is based in Hobart.
As we move towards March 2023 and Tasmania Reads ALIA Island decided to ask our members to share their reading tastes. Our first post is from ALIA Island Convener, Libby Levett. We’d love to hear from you! Let us know about your reading style.
What type of reader are you? I used to read everything beginning to end. Not anymore. If I can’t find value in it, I leave it behind. Doesn’t mean I have to LOVE it, it just has to give me a glimmer of hope that by the end of reading it I will feel transformed in some way or grown (whatever that means). Sometimes the simplest stories or parts of stories can do that.
What was the last book/current book you’re reading? I have just finished Any Ordinary Day (Leigh Sales), Silkworm (Robert Galbraith), Flames (Robbie Arnott) and Treacle Man (Alan Garner). The first because my sister told me to read it; the second because someone I admire raved about it; the third because I wanted to know what the fuss was about; and the fourth because the person I am today was formed in part by reading and absorbing the folklore of the Owl Service and Red Shift and The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and I wanted to know if there was something else, another part of the puzzle, I could find in this ‘grown-up’ book.
What are you planning on reading next? Why? I think I’d like to try another Cormoran Strike (Robert Galbraith) novel. Not the first though because I’ve corrupted my reader’s mind by watching it on television first. But I’d like to try another because I’d like to find-out if I eventually think he’s as good as other people tell me he is – we’ll see.
I’ll definitely read The Rain Heron (Robbie Arnott) because Flames left me with a lot of half-spotted truths and I kind-of like that. Then I’ll try a yet-to-be-decided Scandinavian noir novel because I find the brutality and inevitability of the crimes simultaneously reassuring and shocking.
Libby’s favourite reading spot.
Scenario: You open up your beautifully wrapped Christmas present and discover it’s a book. What would your reaction be, and why? (Does it depend on which book you get?) If I get a cookbook I’m not so interested. My experience is that cookbooks are often on the sale table around Christmas and so I tend to think the giver has gone ‘That’ll do. She likes cooking. She likes books. It’s on sale. Done’. I know, that’s very judgmental of me and Scrooge-like. Mostly though I’m very pleased especially when it’s clearly been chosen because they understand me and my abiding interest in human beings and the world we live in – even if that means challenging me and almost certainly making me cry or laugh or talk out loud (because yes, I’m THAT kind of reader).
Elizabeth (Libby) Levett is Library Services Coordinator, Policy and Strategic Improvement Unit | Libraries Tasmania. She is also Convener of ALIA Island.
This month we welcome Anita Gill, Digital Resource Coordinator/Library Manager, Fr John Wall Community Library (Catholic Education Tasmania) as our guest blogger.
Where and how did you start your LIS career? I started working as a Catholic primary school Teacher/Library Assistant in 2004 in Western Australia. It was in that role that I was inspired to start formal study in Library and Information Science, and I completed the Curtin University Undergraduate Degree in Librarianship & Corporate Information Management when I moved to Tasmania in 2010. In 2011 I landed my first full time professional Librarian role at Guilford Young College, the senior Catholic College in Hobart with two campuses.
Does your role in the LIS field match what you expected beforestarting out? No, I don’t think so. My expectations and roles have definitely evolved over the years. Working in a primary school library environment was very, very different to working in a senior school library environment for example. I certainly never imagined I’d end up as a special/theological librarian. I had thought to move more into the archives and museum sector. I finished my Master Degree in History a few years before I won my current role as Librarian at the Fr John Wall Community Library, which is the central resource centre for Catholic Education Tasmania, and the pastoral lending library for the Archdiocese of Hobart more broadly.
What are the key issues you face in your role? What are therewards? Key issues I face in my role are probably promotion and community engagement. This is easier to do within our school communities but harder to do with the church parish communities. It’s quite a big state for one library to service. There are 38 Catholic schools and 27 Catholic Parishes, as well as a large number of Catholic agencies, including Aged care etc. I am also responsible for a rare book collection (including a Latin Vulgate Bible from 1477) that receives far less of my attention than it deserves due to time constraints.
The rewards far outweigh any issues though. First and foremost, I work with a great team of people who support the teaching of the Catholic Religious Education curriculum throughout the state and are the biggest promoters and supporters of our library service.
I have a large and loyal customer base who regularly use the library in person or online. I provide regular Storytime for the local Catholic Care children’s service who are always a joy to read to. My work is also quite varied, as aside from religious/theological resources I manage the resources our organisation collects for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Education, English as an additional language, STEM Science kits, Student Support, Early Years and General Teaching & Learning.
I also get asked the most interesting questions on a regular basis (including anonymous phone calls from someone who wants theological related crossword puzzle answers).
What is a point of difference about your service? Offering resources in a specialised field like Theology. After 4 years I’m still learning about the major players and themes in Catholic history (even after attending and working in Catholic schools most of my life) and it never ceases to amaze me how many new resources come out in this space on a daily basis. Catering to a wide range of Catholic/Christian beliefs and interests certainly keeps me on my toes.
What career strategies and skills are important for a successfulLIS career? I would say that remaining flexible and always looking for opportunities for innovation and improvement of your service is key. It is important to keep upskilling to remain relevant and adaptable. Networking with colleagues and other LIS Professionals is also invaluable for building relationships and career opportunities.
And finally, tell us about the ‘view from your desk’. This is the literal view from my desk, which looks out into the small library entrance foyer. Here you can see a small tea/coffee station we keep stocked for meetings/events. A display area for topical resources. Also, a painting of our namesake and generous benefactor, Fr John Wall (1937-2004).
This July we would like to introduce you to Aina Dambitis who is a volunteer at the Maritime Museum of Tasmania in Hobart. She says ‘I look after the books.’ Continuing Aina’s story
“When my family moved to Hobart fourteen years ago, we knew three people in Hobart. After the first flurry of activity to do with moving died down, I looked round for ways to meet people through volunteering. One of the organisations I rang was TMAG. The person I spoke to said they didn’t need volunteers at the moment, but I could try the MMT because they took anyone. So, I did and they did. I was welcomed warmly and told they needed a librarian. They were hoping one would turn up and here I was. And I have stayed.”
Where and how did you start your LIS career? My paid working life was as a secondary teacher in the South Australian education system. I taught in the humanities and spent a lot of time with the teacher librarians. Teaching English and History, the school library was like an extension of my class room. Eventually, I added the Graduate Diploma in Librarianship on to my formal qualifications and became a teacher librarian, juggling classes with library work.
Somehow, each time I changed schools the library was at the stage of changing from paper catalogue cards to computer records. Each time the collection needed to be weeded. I learned to harden my heart and weed out books which were not being used or were out of date. The Bonfire of the Vanities in reverse. Endless lists and checking of records. Now, I am long retired and can please myself.
Teacher librarians have the best job in a secondary school. It is a great pity that those positions are often seen as a luxury and that schools think they don’t need libraries anymore because “you can find everything on the net”.
Does your role in the LIS field match what you expected before starting out? The teacher librarian role was much as I expected. Satisfaction when a student fell in love with a book I had recommended and frustration with the work load.
My role at the MMT is to be the librarian. I was quite anxious about going as I know nothing about boats and as an incomer, I didn’t have the background knowledge that a born Tasmanian has without even being aware of it. I decided I would try to hide my ignorance by working quietly and obediently in the back ground. (Who knew that Terra Linna and Terralinna were two vessels and not a typo? That boats kept changing their names? Is it a “vessel” or a “boat”?) Excel spreadsheets ruled. To find out something you had to ask someone, usually a grizzled seagoing type of bloke. The organisation was at the point of finding an online catalogue system and we decided on eHive. It was cheap, easy to use and Vernon was a reputable company. The MMT is always desperate for funding so the new system had to be affordable. Once again, I was involved in making the move to a new cataloguing system. It was easier this time because we transferred data from Excel rather than from paper cards. And weeding was discouraged.
What are the key issues you face in your role? What are the rewards? For me, one of the issues is an over reliance on spreadsheets. As we know, spreadsheets are useful for those who create them and less so for the rest of the team. Our online catalogue hasn’t been the unifying system that I hoped it would be. Almost every thing we have in the building is recorded on our online catalogue in varying levels of detail and what isn’t yet, will be (about 20,500 so far). But, what if the cloud falls out of the sky? What if the company goes bankrupt? I can’t find what I’m looking for, this is a terrible system. So, we continue to make spreadsheets. At some point, the two methods need to be reconciled and both updated. A lot of volunteer time is spent on this kind of activity. It is time consuming and needs careful oversight. Someone has to keep track of what everyone is doing and this kind of coordination is a huge responsibility for a volunteer.
Another issue is to do with cataloguing and the nature of volunteering. Most of the work is done by volunteers. We are a happy bunch of people, we come and go and we can be a little bit forgetful at times. There are guidelines for data entry which are mostly followed. I no longer lie awake at night festering about the cavalier use of punctuation or abbreviations or wording but at home I do still go back and make corrections in some entries, hopefully without upsetting anyone. Formal cataloguing is specialised knowledge which few have. I have almost reached the point of being able to say that cataloguing inconsistencies really don’t matter as much as they used to because of the powerful search engines we all use now.
Also, museum curators have a different vocabulary and way of describing things.
Also, the MMT has run out of space.
The reward is being with people who are passionate about our maritime heritage and expert in their field. The reward is listening to retired sailors reminiscing over morning tea. The reward is watching a nonagenarian identify a yacht from an old photograph and give the probable date of that particular race, the name of the owner and the builder.
The reward is finding what we are looking for.
What is a point of difference about your service? We have a small collection of books (2,800) to do with the sea and sailing and the history of various vessels and of Tasmania and an increasing section dealing with Antarctica. It is mainly used by the curators and researchers as a reference library. There is a section of more general books for borrowing by members called the Crew Library. The oldest and most delicate are in a compactus, the rest on open shelves. We are very short of space and books and periodicals are stacked on top of each other, wherever they can fit.
The books do not appear on the public online catalogue because it is not a public lending service.
One member devised the catalogue numbering system so we use our own version rather than Dewey.
I have added extra information to the catalogue records of some of the most useful books e.g. the index or chapter headings or key words. This helps the newer researchers who are unfamiliar with the collection. I feel at liberty to do this because the library books are saved as private records and so I can be more relaxed about them than if you were checking them on our website with your critical eye!
What career strategies and skills are important for a successful LIS career?
For a successful career, we need to like people
We need a deep knowledge of our subject
We need to be able to share our knowledge and skills.
The view from my desk shows a workroom which is too small for its contents. The boxes on the far wall are full of new books waiting for me to add them to our catalogue. They are a generous donation from one person.
Well, I think we can confidently say, ‘We’re chilled’. Literally and figuratively.
The last two months we’ve had COVID, gone to ALIA’s national conference in Canberra, found out about street libraries, fish libraries, bats in the library, library floods and librarians being axed from the ABC. Some of us ( looking at you Jan) have been overseas. To a warmer climate no less!!!!
And through all of it, and the cold, we’ve kept on focusing on ways to bring you interesting information and ways to get to know each other, your work and what matters to you. Which leads me to some events coming up.
Saturday 16th July , 11am 12 noon. Launceston. Inveresk Library Tour at UTAS Launceston . A free event but you need to register. We’re also inviting you to join us for and informal lunch at the Blue Café afterwards. A great opportunity to meet each other and catch-up with old friends.
And a heads-up about our Library and Information Week event. More details coming soon. Where? The Trophy Room at the Real Tennis Club (Hobart)/ When? Wednesday 27th July, 5.30 – 7pm/ What? Drinks and nibbles
INFORMATION
We’re pleased to let you know that Libraries Tasmania has reinstated the Taslib-link elist. You can subscribe via taslib-link-join@lists.alia.org.au or http://lists.alia.org.au/mailman/listinfo/taslib-link_lists.alia.org.au . (Please check your Junk folder if you don’t receive a confirmation email in 5 minutes.) It’s freely available to all Tasmanian libraries and library staff to share information, ideas and opportunities. Sign up now to be part of the conversation.
We love reading about your professional journeys and we’ve had great feedback from our series of articles called View From My Desk. Our last contributor was Brad Chugg and we’d like to wish him all the best and bon voyage as he heads off to Canberra and a job in IT at the Australian Defence Forces. Thanks Brad, and stay in touch!
Which leads me to the ALIA Mentoring Scheme. Brad was a part of this and our very own Jan Richards was his mentor. Check out the ALIA website for more information (Applications close 24 June).
And finally, quite a few staff from Libraries Tasmania attended the ALIA National 2022 conference. They’re putting together some short videos about key learnings and we’re negotiating to get links to them for you. In the meantime, you can watch the presentations from the main theatre and read all the papers here . Just click on the program content that interests you and you’ll be linked through.
FEEDBACK TO ALIA
Do you have anything you’d like us to share with the new ALIA CEO, Cathie Warburton? A couple of us will have the opportunity to attend a meeting with Cathie in August. We’re inviting you to tell us what you’d like discussed – thoughts, issues etc. Send them to aliaisland@lists.alia.org.au or aliaislandtas@gmail.com. Or even better, come and talk to us at one of our events – we LOVE a good chat.
So that’s your news for May/June. Stay warm (and chilled) and we’ll talk again in July.
This month we invited Brad Chugg, a Librarian, Systems Support and Delivery with Libraries Tasmania to give us a look into his working life.
Why did you decide on a LIS career? Describe the path you’ve taken to get here. In a past life, I was studying accounting through TasTAFE and had been doing some volunteer work to build up my experience to try and secure my first paid job. As I had not been successful in securing any work for a few years and after having a chat with my accounting teacher, I went down to Launceston LINC to enquire about the different volunteering roles. After a few conversations, an induction and a some more training, I started out as a DigiBar Volunteer. After a few months of doing that, I started doing some relief work at Launceston Library (as the name had changed halfway through 2018).
Whilst I was a relief Customer Services Officer, I realised that I was enjoying working within the library environment and, never wanting to be an accountant, I decided to enrol into the Diploma of Library and Information Services through Swinburne University of Technology as something to do study wise. It wasn’t until I started working at the Launceston College library as a Library Technician and part-way through my diploma that I settled on a career within the LIS industry. The decision to become a qualified librarian was a bit different and started out with a ‘well why not as I have nothing else to do after work?’ whilst I was at Launceston College.
How does your current role fit with your reasons for joining the profession and your career goals? My career goals have not been fixed since starting out with the profession, as I have been bouncing around positions. However, the longer-term goal for me is to have the opportunity to work within the profession in different parts of the globe and to experience the different cultures that are out there!
Being a Librarian with Systems Support and Delivery helps me achieve that goal as I am having the opportunity of being able to develop an understanding of different library professions (such as TasTAFE). Also, because of some of the projects I am working on, I have been exploring how different libraries globally tackle different issues, such as children memberships (and how we could improve the renewal experience for guarantors) and manipulating information through SharePoint to improve user experiences. These, along with working on the administration side of the library management system, is providing me with experiences that I can take to other libraries and other industries.
What are the key issues you face in your role? What are the rewards? One of the key issues that I face in my position is the need to liaise with a wide range of stakeholders (both within the Department of Education but also externally such as suppliers). This is particularly relevant for the selection of the prison library management system, which has been a product I have been working on over the past month since I started in the role. The added difficulty is explaining what a library management system does and how it supports library staff to perform their work. It becomes rewarding when everything falls into place, or you manage to find a solution so you can progress forward with the plan.
What are you doing to support diversity, equity and inclusion in the sector? One of my strong beliefs, which has really strengthened as I’ve worked in different libraries within the Tasmanian Library and Information Sector, is the need to make sure that there are as minimal barriers for people to access the information that they are after, and that their experiences are as inclusive as possible. This was in particularly whilst I was working within the school libraries at Launceston College and Kings Meadows High School, where school libraries are one of the few places where young people can access information.
The way I generally go about this is by asking ‘stupid questions’ (very ironic in our realm of work) when I notice something that doesn’t seem right, makes no sense or if something is missing. From these stupid questions grow discussions which leads to changes which, whilst are sometimes very small and minor, can make a major impact for library users. Some of these have included:
Identifying inappropriate call numbers in the Launceston College non-fiction collection and rectifying the issue.
Having the ‘Mx’ honorific included when members join Libraries Tasmania online.
Figuring out ways to help young people to become Libraries Tasmania members when their parents are not physically present.
What career strategies and skills are important for a graduate starting out? Being a graduate starting out, it has been important for me to maintain an open mind and always keep up to date with what is occurring within the industry. I’ve done this through:
participating in the ALIA Mentorship Scheme (which I am very grateful for having my mentor, Jan Richards)
attending/watching information sessions provided not just by ALIA, but also CILIP and ALA for an international perspective on the industry
participating in networking opportunities so I can know who’s who within the industry (as library professionals never work in isolation, even if they are the only one of their kind within the library)
always asking questions to find out why something happens the way it does
Additionally, I have always gone for whatever job opportunity that I could go for to have different experiences and not restricting myself to a specific library environment. Whilst my permanent positions have been Customer Services Officer and Library Services Officer at Launceston Library, I have found myself spending most of my career thus far working in different positions within Libraries Tasmania (such as the COVID-19 Response Coordinator and currently a Librarian) but also within the schools and colleges. These all have provided me with unique experiences which I have been able to draw upon when working on services or information for colleagues and clients. The experiences also have provided me with a better understanding of the joys and challenges that people face, from both a client and staff prospective, when interacting with different libraries for their information needs.
In addition to the above, I’m also the group secretary for the new ALIA Rainbow group, which was formed after the success from ALIA’s entry to Mardi Gras 2022. The aims of the group going ahead is to facilitate networking, support and professional development for library staff, particularly LGBTQIA+ and allies. Monthly meetings are held with plans to have discussions about different topics at the meetings in the future (such as representation within the industry, safe cataloguing, reading groups, etc).
The view from my desk Seeing that the view from my immediate desk is a wall, that is a bit boring. Though if I take a couple of steps to the other side of the office, I get a stunning view of kunanyi / Mount Wellington!
ALIA Island 