#blogjune

It's not quite the end of June yet but this will be my last post for the month. Blog June wasn't the best for me this year. This post is #25 so from that perspective I did ok, but I updated my blog in bursts during the month instead of daily. But quite frankly I don't care. June has been a super busy month and I'm quite proud to have got this far. Unfortunately I only commented on a few other posts but such is life. Until next time xoxo

Card Swap #1 2013 (3/3)

Last lot...

Card Swap #1 2013 (2/3)

Some more...

Card Swap #1 2013 (1/3)

Once again I am partaking in a card swap challenge with friends. Here are some of the first few from this years first card swap. It is hard to pick a favourite!

RAILS9

On June 18th I headed down to the 9th Research Applications in Information and Library Studies event held at RMIT in Melbourne. The day was ok. Very hit and miss with presentations. Much of it wasn't the in depth research I was expecting but lots of student type stuff (not necessarily the student papers) which many of us partake in daily without knowing. My notes are below:

Research consultations revisited: Resource-intensive for libraries but highly effective for researchers (student paper)

Jennifer Warburton, University of Melbourne Library/RMIT
UoM - almost 5,000 Phd's
Only 65% complete - 5% within 5 years
Personalised support based on their needs
Students draw on previous research experience (which isn't always that good)
Contribute - better lit reviews - research rigour - not duplicating
Help to refine lit searching and showing specialist databases
Librarian role/supervisor turf - unsure
go to events/faculties etc. - Get known
Save researchers time - ROI?
Read - Research - Write

Exploring the use of evidence by Australian special librarians in daily library and information practice

Alisa Howlett (student paper) Queensland University of Technology
Often libraries use a combination of all three:
- local evidence
- research evidence
- professional knowledge and experience
Evidence "simmers" before it is used (ie. folders of info)
EBP is messy in practice - not clear cut

The future of knowledge sharing strategies: how elements that influence an individual’s knowledge sharing differ by demographic variables

Alexander Schauer (student paper) The University of Sheffield, UK
Baby boomers retiring - knowledge gap
Interviews in UK, Netherlands, China, US.
6 contradictions:
Too many knowledge management tools/not enough...
Not enough time/time is fine...
Staff not co-located/staff are fine...
Recognition for sharing info/recognition not required...
Familiarity with colleagues/not knowing is fine...
Social opportunities outside work/not an issue...

Differences due to: department allocation; ethnicity; country; language - these were then further explored.

Riding the wave of open access: Providing library research support on scholarly publishing literacy

Deakin University Library Linlin Zhao
Publish or perish! Academia!
Publication pressure - employment; promotion; grant applications; ERA rankings; HERDC; GFC; Research funding cuts.
2002 - 38 OA journals
2013 - 9587 OA journals
Huge growth!

Assessment and Evaluation of Public Library Websites in Australia

Diane Velasquez University of South Australia
Lots of literature out there on Academic libraries - little on public (surely none on health then!)
Website = MARKETING!!!

Curation of "big data" in the public sector: opportunities and challenges

Bob Pymm, Sigrid McCausland and Mary Anne Kennan School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University
150,000 hours of YouTube per day
200 million FB status per day
500 million tweets per day
All of this is BIG DATA. Then other data (like research data in digital repositories)

High volume; High velocity; High variety!

Buried in all this data is new information. Just have to piece it all together and analyze.

GovHack2013 - government release data and let public analyze it and come up with something cool from it.

Shortage of skilled professionals to handle Big Data - potential for LIS Schools to build on existing strengths and move into this area.

Analysis of trends in demand for the skills & qualifications for a future library project manager

Zhixian (George) Yi School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University
Skills required by Project Managers in libraries:

Personal; General Management; Project Management; Professional ILS; ICT

Book: Theodore Boone - The Abduction

Summary: Theodore Boone is back in a new adventure, and the stakes are higher than ever. When his best friend, April, disappears from her bedroom in the middle of the night, no one, not even Theo Boone - who knows April better than anyone - has answers. As fear ripples through his small hometown and the police hit dead ends, it's up to Theo to use his legal knowledge and investigative skills to chase down the truth and save April. Filled with the page-turning suspense that made John Grisham a number one international bestseller and the undisputed master of the legal thriller, Theodore Boone's trials and triumphs will keep readers guessing until the very end.

What I thought: A great little read. Not too much "law" in this one though. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.

Book: Gone

Summary: In 1977, Margaret Wilcox faces every mother's worst nightmare - the abduction of her child. The kidnapper is not a stranger but the child's father, Hadi. When Margaret first meets Hadi at a party on Valentine's Day, 1969, in Libya, she is entranced. Handsome and sophisticated, he is the classic romantic stranger; he sweeps her off her feet, marries her and they embark on an exotic life in Spain, where the fairytale continues. But with the birth of their child, Tanya, Hadi turns from an urbane charmer into a controlling tyrant. When Margaret flees to London, Hadi follows, snatches their now three-year-old daughter and disappears, telling the child her mother is dead. Gone tells the dramatic story of Margaret's long search to be reunited with Tanya, a journey that takes her all over the world and into the darkest corners of the human psyche. At every turn she is thwarted by uncaring bureaucracies and clumsy legal systems that insist when it comes to child custody, possession is nine-tenths of the law. Inspiring, unforgettable and profoundly moving, this is the story of hope against reason, and the determination of a mother whose only dream is to once again hold her child in her arms.

What I thought: A good read but it didn't face the issue that she had taken the child in the first place... She was also wrong. He was horrible yes but hello? Pot calling the kettle black? But overall I did enjoy this book. It would be a horrific situation to be in.

Book: The Confession

Summary: For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn’t understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn’t care. He just can’t believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authorities believe in their case and are determined to get a conviction. He may even watch the trial of the person wrongly accused of his crime. He is relieved when the verdict is guilty. He laughs when the police and prosecutors congratulate themselves. He is content to allow an innocent person to go to prison, to serve hard time, even to be executed.

Travis Boyette is such a man. In 1998, in the small East Texas city of Sloan, he abducted, raped, and strangled a popular high school cheerleader. He buried her body so that it would never be found, then watched in amazement as police and prosecutors arrested and convicted Donté Drumm, a local football star, and marched him off to death row. Now nine years have passed. Travis has just been paroled in Kansas for a different crime; Donté is four days away from his execution. Travis suffers from an inoperable brain tumor. For the first time in his miserable life, he decides to do what’s right and confess. But how can a guilty man convince lawyers, judges, and politicians that they’re about to execute an innocent man?

What I thought: A great read. Back to the racial issues in his previous books. Not as good as some of his work but still a great story!

Book: Fifty Bales of Hay

Summary: Come have a roll in the hay with one of Australia′s leading rural fiction authors, Rachael Treasure, in her romping, rollicking first-ever collection of romantic stories, celebrating the sexy side of rural life. Guaranteed to get your tractor revving, FIFTY BALES OF HAY is an honest and imaginative exploration of everyday men and women getting down and dirty on the land.


From the dairy shed to the Royal Agricultural Show pavilion, Treasure′s cheeky satirical humour and wicked imagination offers up a dozen fun-filled, and sometimes poignant, tales of dust and lust. This collection will have you clamoring for a stock whip, a saddle and a jackaroo.

What I thought: Hit and miss. Really hope her next full length book is good as I'm not into short stories and there are heaps of great rural chick lit authors out there now.

Book: The Business

Summary: Imelda Dooley is scared. Really scared. She's played hard and fast and now she's been caught. She's pregnant and now she's on her own. Her father, not a man to mess with, will see that somebody pays for this. And it's not going to be her. So Imelda Dooley tells a lie. A lie that literally causes murders. When Mary Dooley's husband is killed in the night's events, she knows she must graft to keep the family afloat. And graft she does, becoming a name in her own right. But she still has to watch her daughter's life spiral into a vicious, hate-fuelled cycle of drugs and prostitution. Caught up in the carnage that is Imelda's existence are Mary's adored grandchildren, Jordanna and Kenny. Pretty little Jordanna isn't yet three and she already knows far too much. All she can do is look after her baby brother, Kenny, and try not to draw unwanted attention to herself.

What I thought: I did enjoy this but not one of her best a tad repetitive and boring.

Stamp Club from May and June

The below are from a few different stamp clubs just haven't been that organised. I also did another 4 cards at workshops but have given them all away already!

Kids - couldn't survive without these munchkins

Health Libraries Inc. Training Day - May 17

On May 17th I headed to the State Library of Victoria for the HLI Training Day. I helped to organise the day so a big shout out to our sponsors Ebsco and MIMS for their support in making this event happen. You can see me above with Jeremy and the lovely Rachel from Ebsco who is helping both Jeremy and I with a pilot project about using Ebsco's A-Z to add our holdings to Google Scholar and Pubmed via Athens integration.  Also a big thanks to HLI for making the day happen, especially Jeremy for much of the organisation. Here are my notes from the day:

Systematic reviews - Helen Shipperlee

Great handouts with examples - refer to these.
Overview of how librarians can help and up until what point

Endnote - Danila Durante

OMG. There is now a free web version (though limited). Awesome!

Ebooks forum - Adam Clark and Aleks (Ebsco)

ECM - compatable with most devices - sign up for this
Bluefire Reader - free for iPad

Alfred - prefer outright purchase
Buys packages and individual purchases for high use

Admin dashboards - Kathryn Rough

Monthly featured mobile health apps
Medical librarians - ROI poster - where was this from?
Webcounter for website visits - free. Follow this up
USB's with library details on them
On CAB add training dates poster

Graduation Day

On May the 7th I graduated at the University of Ballarat obtaining my MBA (Master of Business Administration). The course consisted of 10 subjects (I had two RPL's) in which I gained a Distinction in every subject. It took over 5 years to complete during which time I had two kids. I wasn't going to go to the graduation but decided I wanted to show my kids what you can achieve if you put your mind to it. Probably should have left Master 2 at home but Master 4 was great. He sat patiently, and when I was walking across the stage I saw him beaming at me and doing a massive wave. It was so sweet. He also loved wearing my cap! Now it's time to rest!

Clunes Booktown Festival

Once again I headed over to Clunes for this years Booktown Festival. It is always held on the first weekend in May and this year was once again brilliant. On the Saturday I headed over by myself (bliss). I looked at books, at some yummy food and heard a great range of speakers (notes below).

On the Sunday I went over with the family for a few hours. This involved Master 4 having his face painted like Spiderman, a visit to the lolly shop, a horse and carriage ride and a trip down the rabbit hole into Alice in Wonderland where we had stories, singing and dancing. There was also the hay bale maze which the kids loved.  It is such a fabulous event and the fact that it's less than 20 minutes from my door is great :)

Collaboration - Gary Crew & Ross Watkins (illustrator)

RW. As illustrator don't want to disappoint.
RW. Mixed digital media. Had to strip back to basics as ideas overwhelmed
GC. In awe of illustrators.
GC. Sometimes words change as illustrations come forth but not this book.
Collaboration extends to publisher, audience etc.

Everyones a Critic - Peter Rose (ABR) & Kerryn Goldsworthy

Pay for book reviews hasn't increased in 15 years (except at ABR)
Can no longer do as a full time job
Declining. Some papers share the same content
Internet now prolific
Blog - ANZ lit lovers
Many writers are also critics
Constraints with published reviews - ie. word counts

Kate Grenville

Secret River began with phrase "he took up land" and it went from there.
Her non-fiction research became fiction to fill the gaps
Glance on Sydney Harbour with indigenous lady that triggered memory
22 drafts before editor saw it
Lots of research in library first (yah for libraries)
Fascinating research that goes behind all the books
Praised archivists
Excellent speaker

Collaborative Return on Investment Survey

Some of you may have heard about a Return on Investment (ROI) Project that HLI and Health Libraries Australia (an ALIA group) have been working on with a number of other partners. The survey is live and ready to go. The project is especially important in the current, tight financial environment, with special libraries facing strong competition for funding. As a library manager, please take part in the project by completing this survey. Your responses will help build a stronger case for library and information services, which will benefit everyone who works in special libraries across Australia. The survey closes soon - June 21st, so fill it in now if possible.


https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ROI_specials

    (I am helping co-ordinate the above project for both HLA and HLI so encourage all library managers to take part).

Book: The Litigators

Summary: The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who’ve been in the trenches much too long making way too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in. After twenty plus years together, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg bicker like an old married couple but somehow continue to scratch out a half-decent living from their seedy bungalow offices in southwest Chicago.

And then change comes their way. More accurately, it stumbles in. David Zinc, a young but already burned-out attorney, walks away from his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender, and finds himself literally at the doorstep of our boutique firm. Once David sobers up and comes to grips with the fact that he’s suddenly unemployed, any job—even one with Finley & Figg—looks okay to him.
With their new associate on board, F&F is ready to tackle a really big case, a case that could make the partners rich without requiring them to actually practice much law. An extremely popular drug, Krayoxx, the number one cholesterol reducer for the dangerously overweight, produced by Varrick Labs, a giant pharmaceutical company with annual sales of $25 billion, has recently come under fire after several patients taking it have suffered heart attacks. Wally smells money.
A little online research confirms Wally’s suspicions—a huge plaintiffs’ firm in Florida is putting together a class action suit against Varrick. All Finley & Figg has to do is find a handful of people who have had heart attacks while taking Krayoxx, convince them to become clients, join the class action, and ride along to fame and fortune. With any luck, they won’t even have to enter a courtroom!
It almost seems too good to be true.
And it is...

What I thought: BRILLIANT! Loved it. Grisham at his best.

Book: Out of the Blue

Summary: When Joanna Fincham appeared on a popular reality TV program in 2008 looking for love, little did the viewers know that Jo had been suffering from depression on and off throughout life. Jo, it seemed, was a vivacious city girl looking for love with a handsome farmer. On screen she appeared bubbly, warm and happy but in reality she had struggled with depression and bulimia for many years, both illnesses bringing their own difficulties and experiences. Despite her struggles, Jo went on to find love on the show with Farmer Rob. In a fairytale ending Jo moved to the countryside and left her city life behind her. Now living on their farm in South Australia, Rob and Jo got married and had a gorgeous baby daughter. This is the story of how Jo tackled her demons, found love and created a new, healthy, happy life free from depression. It's a story of how love really can conquer all and how life on the land can heal and nurture you.

What I thought: A nice easy read. Also made me think about depression and the struggles people face daily.  I loved these guys on Farmer Wants a Wife so when I saw the front cover I just had to read it!

Book: Flame Tree Hill

Summary: Kirsty Mitchell is ready to come home. After a tragic accident that left her scarred, she fled overseas. Now, three years later, she's finally returning to Flame Tree Hill, her beloved family farm. But at twenty-five Kirsty isn't prepared for the terrifying new challenge ahead: breast cancer. Kirsty's never been a quitter and that's not about to change. But can her budding romance with local vet Aden bear the strain? As she battles with chemotherapy and as her past threatens to overwhelm her, Kirsty realises you can never take anything – or anyone – for granted. Drawing strength from her family and the beauty of Far North Queensland, Kirsty finally understands what she must do.

What I thought: Another good rural romance. So many great authors out there it is hard to keep up with them all!

Book: We Are One Village

Summary: Aged eighteen, Nikki Lovell was a typical Adelaide schoolgirl, finishing her exams and planning to study journalism at university. She had a boyfriend whom she loved; she had done well at school; her future looked bright. But first she planned to take a gap year and volunteer at a school in the small Ugandan village of Namwendwa.  Little did Nikki know that decision would change her. Forever.  We Are One Village is the story of how Nikki became a part of the Namwendwa community, of how their needs and her capacity to empower them changed the direction of her life. But it's also the story of how one teenage girl dealt with the loneliness of living in a foreign land, the heartache of a relationship ending, the torment of being torn between your parental home and your spiritual home, and ultimately learning to follow your heart and your dreams. For someone so young, Nikki has a wealth of passion and experience to share with us all. We Are One Village is by turns captivating and inspirational.

What I thought: I really enjoyed this story, and I read it as an e-book. My first ever! I have delved in before and not got far but this was ok on the iPad.

Book: Ford County - Stories

Summary: In his first collection of short stories John Grisham takes us back to Ford County, Mississippi, the setting of his first novel, A Time to Kill. Featuring a cast of characters you'll never forget, these stories bring Ford County to vivid and colorful life. Often hilarious, frequently moving, and always entertaining, this collection makes it abundantly clear why John Grisham is our most popular storyteller.

What I thought: I loved them. I'm not usually into short stories but these were classic Grisham.

Book: Heartland

Summary: When Callie Reynolds arrives at Glenmore, the property she's recently inherited, the last thing she wants is to be saddled with a warty horse, an injured neighbour and a mad goose. Haunted by her sister's death and her fractured family, all she wants is freedom. But Callie hasn't counted on falling for Matt Hawkins, an ex-soldier determined to fulfil his own dream of land and family. Nor could she predict the way the land, animals and people of Glenmore will capture her heart. Callie is faced with impossible choices. But she must find the courage to decide where her future lies, even if it costs her everything she holds dear.

What I thought: A beautiful rural romance. Loved it! And as it was set only a few hours down the road I felt like I really knew the place.

Book: Destiny

Summary: Orphan Kate Fox is determined to make her mark in the world, and what better way to secure her future than to marry money? When she attracts the attention of media mogul Marcus Broder, it seems as though all of Kate's dreams have come true. But marriage to Marcus isn't everything she imagined...

What I thought: Loved it. Just suckered in from the start. Bagshawe has always been one of my absolute favourite chick lit authors. Am a bit behind on her books though!

Monday & Tuesday Night Bookgroup: The Boat

Summary: The book, first published in 2008, comprises seven short stories which take the reader to such places as Colombia, New York City, Iowa, Tehran, Hiroshima, and small-town Australia.

What I thought: Ugh! Don't waste your time. Only one or two I enjoyed. The rest were a struggle.

Book: On the Jellicoe Road

Summary: Taylor Markham is not a popular choice. She is erratic, has no people skills and never turns up to meetings. Not to mention the incident when she ran off in search of her mother and only got halfway there. But she's lived at Jellicoe School most of her life and as leader of the boarders that's her greatest asset. Especially now the cadets, led by the infamous Jonah Griggs, have arrived. The territory wars between the boarders, townies and cadets are about to recommence.


But Taylor has other things on her mind: a prayer tree, the hermit who whispered in her ear, and a vaguely familiar drawing in the local police station. Taylor wants to understand the mystery of her own past. But Hannah, the woman who found her, has suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing but an unfinished manuscript about five kids whose lives entwined twenty years ago on the Jellicoe Road . . .

What I thought: ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! I loved this book. Highly recommend. I've also enjoyed her previous books so not sure what took me so long to get around to this one.