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Deus Ex... Mentis. Epilogue.
Despite taking an extra long hot shower, Carol’s eyes were still red and puffy from her breakdown in the locker room. Richard had assured her that nobody would notice, which was a sweet little lie, but a lie nonetheless. She had tried her best to conceal the redness with makeup but now it looked like she had been crying and had tried to cover it up. Carol closed her compact mirror with a heavy sigh. It’ll be fine, who hasn’t had a mental break at work before, she figured? Her first stop was the
Deus Ex... Mentis. Part seven.
It was Richard’s turn to chase after a furious Carol as she made her way through the Ex Libris archives. Even the automatic overhead lights switched on with an angry thud as Carol strode through the maze of dark shelving. Aaron’s message didn’t say where in the archive they were so Carol had headed for the last place Tony had been working as a starting point. A single spotlight shone in the distance proving her hunch was correct. "Aaron!" She called ahead, "you ethically devoid shithead." Pain
Looking Back, Looking Forward
I've often started the conversation of what I've been up to this year with 'it's been a bit of a meh year', but that's not right. It can be hard to see the big picture when you're in the middle of it I guess. In February I started a new job and technically a new career (more on that later), and while COVID put the breaks on my dancing life, I used that time to refocus on myself. This post is about taking time out to breathe and reflect on how far I (we) have come this year, and look up and look
A File Format By Any Other PRONOM Signature
November third is World Digital Preservation Day and what better excuse to blog about my journey into digital preservation so far? This time last year I was being interviewed for what would become my new role as Digital Preservation Officer at an Australian State Library. I remember reading the entirety of the DPC (Digital Preservation Coalition) Handbook trying to bring myself up to speed on all the acronyms, lingo, and underpinning values of digital preservation. This was a specialised world t
It Was the Best of Times...
For me, 2021 has been a mixed bag of good and bad. Charles said it best: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” ― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities 2021 didn't start out the best for me. I had put off a lot of things for far too long and t
Three Scenes
I'm finishing a creative writing unit and thought it would be interesting to post up one of the assignments. This was a study in genre, three scenes, three genres. I used existing characters/worlds that I have created and thought it would be a fun way to showcase upcoming stories and have a little sample taste of existing works. Just for the Hecate I should have known better but the lure of a free lunch and a pretty face to spend the afternoon with was too strong. Instead I was getting sawdus
A Year In Read-View 2025
When I write up these reading reflections I always check what I wrote the year before (mostly so I can remember the formatting of these blog posts!). Weirdly, the intro I had been writing in my head for this was almost exactly the same as last year's. I read XX number of comics/books, which was up/down from last year; my novel/non-fiction reading was XX books, up/down from the year before, mostly because my morning reading time on the train has been replaced with writing on the train (mostly); a
A Year In Read-View 2024
I managed to read very nice number of books over 2024, 69 in total. While this is up from the 50 I got through last year, it was interesting to see that the majority of my reading came from graphic novels. This is mostly due to some great titles being available via Hoopla - with the demise of Comixology (and my refusal to help the Amazon juggernaut) I had read fewer and fewer comics over the years, but borrowing them from Hoopla has clearly had an impact. In terms of novels and general non-fict
A Year In Read-View 2023
I managed to read a respectful 50 books in 2023 and for the most part enjoyed all of them, a win. More importantly I developed a great habit of using Scrivener on my phone to write for 20 minutes every weekday. Over the last three months of the year I was able to write around 4,000 words of Deus Ex...Mentis, words that probably wouldn't have been written otherwise. This is a habit I'll be carrying into 2024. Books read in 2023 August Kitko and the Mechas from Space / Alex White Goddesses, Who
A Year In Read-View 2025
When I write up these reading reflections I always check what I wrote the year before (mostly so I can remember the formatting of these blog posts!). Weirdly, the intro I had been writing in my head for this was almost exactly the same as last year's. I read XX number of comics/books, which was up/down from last year; my novel/non-fiction reading was XX books, up/down from the year before, mostly because my morning reading time on the train has been replaced with writing on the train (mostly); a
A Year In Read-View 2024
I managed to read very nice number of books over 2024, 69 in total. While this is up from the 50 I got through last year, it was interesting to see that the majority of my reading came from graphic novels. This is mostly due to some great titles being available via Hoopla - with the demise of Comixology (and my refusal to help the Amazon juggernaut) I had read fewer and fewer comics over the years, but borrowing them from Hoopla has clearly had an impact. In terms of novels and general non-fict
A Year In Read-View 2023
I managed to read a respectful 50 books in 2023 and for the most part enjoyed all of them, a win. More importantly I developed a great habit of using Scrivener on my phone to write for 20 minutes every weekday. Over the last three months of the year I was able to write around 4,000 words of Deus Ex...Mentis, words that probably wouldn't have been written otherwise. This is a habit I'll be carrying into 2024. Books read in 2023 August Kitko and the Mechas from Space / Alex White Goddesses, Who
A Year In Read-View 2025
When I write up these reading reflections I always check what I wrote the year before (mostly so I can remember the formatting of these blog posts!). Weirdly, the intro I had been writing in my head for this was almost exactly the same as last year's. I read XX number of comics/books, which was up/down from last year; my novel/non-fiction reading was XX books, up/down from the year before, mostly because my morning reading time on the train has been replaced with writing on the train (mostly); a
A Year In Read-View 2024
I managed to read very nice number of books over 2024, 69 in total. While this is up from the 50 I got through last year, it was interesting to see that the majority of my reading came from graphic novels. This is mostly due to some great titles being available via Hoopla - with the demise of Comixology (and my refusal to help the Amazon juggernaut) I had read fewer and fewer comics over the years, but borrowing them from Hoopla has clearly had an impact. In terms of novels and general non-fict
A Year In Read-View 2023
I managed to read a respectful 50 books in 2023 and for the most part enjoyed all of them, a win. More importantly I developed a great habit of using Scrivener on my phone to write for 20 minutes every weekday. Over the last three months of the year I was able to write around 4,000 words of Deus Ex...Mentis, words that probably wouldn't have been written otherwise. This is a habit I'll be carrying into 2024. Books read in 2023 August Kitko and the Mechas from Space / Alex White Goddesses, Who
House of Discordia
James Carol is a lousy private eye and a barely functioning human being. While looking for a missing teen he must navigate a world full of gods and thugs with each and every one out to get him. Pulled into the middle of a godly grudge match can James stay alive long enough to solve the case?
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A Year In Read-View 2022
The year 2022 saw the return of my reading, most impart due to my work situation changing and being able to take the train every day. Having 4o minutes a day to just relax and read was wonderful again. My monstrous to-be-read pile has diminished nicely and I've been able to enjoy some great books this year. Writing wise I finished the last of my university courses in creative writing and have started to enter some small writing competitions. Form my uni course I wrote three scenes using existin
A Year In Read-View 2021
My enthusiasm for reading was somewhat diminished this year. I partially put that down to lacklustre book choices early on, my mental health, and COVID/work related stresses. Things picked up towards the end of the year but then stopped when I started my penultimate university unit (I am almost finished my degree!). I managed a total of nine books this year, well below my normal reading rate. There were some great books in there though, and some terrible ones. I am hoping to read more in the new
A Year In Read-View 2020 (Comics)
I didn't realise how much my reading had taken a hit till I compiled this list. Usually it far out weighs my novel reading but this year it's taken a long time for my reading mojo to come back. Even finding solice in the quaint manga that I've been enjoying has been a struggle. Mainstream comics (Marvel/DC) just don't do much for me at the moment either. Hopefully I can find some interesting things to read this year. Single Issues Note: italics indicates series has ceased. * Die * Five Yea
Data, Data Everywhere
For the past three weeks I have been on a practicum placement with the ARDC (Australian Research Data Commons), based at Curtin University. While I have 'feelings' about mandatory, unpaid, practicum placements, that take up all your annual leave (if you're privileged enough to have it), it was a requirement of my current studies. I looked to making the most of it and saw it as an opportunity to a) have a look at University culture, and b) increase my knowledge of data management and the roles li
Do No Harm
Since I listened to the Incendium Radical Library (IRL) cardiCast episode I can't stop thinking about the collecting policy they have adopted (time stamp 17:49). IRL have broad frameworks they align the library with, so when accepting new donations or looking at acquisitions they look at how these items could harm the wider community and balance that against the good they could do. In Annelise's words: "I guess like the frameworks of this library is social justice, anti-oppression, intersection
DoDeDoDo Web – Reference STAT(S)!
Back in July I wrote about an RFID location based enquiry tracking system (DoDeDoDo) and two months later I’ve moved on from prototype to production and they are working relatively ok. There are some bugs to work out before I present a new write up and I’ve modified the code slightly to make it easier to troubleshoot and added an LED because blinky lights are awesome. In the meantime I created a locally hosted, web based solution for staff in the workroom that I’m pretty happy with and wanted to
Hel is a Four Letter Word
James Carol is a private detective who lives in a world where the gods wander the earth, often just to torment him. His latest case will take him to Hel and back...
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Growth and Ethics
I recently undertook a personal development practice and found out that two of my highest personal values is growth and ethics. It explains why I find people who refuse to learn, or grow extremely infuriating, and reinforced my stance on personal and professional ethics. So when a professional library group in my state decided to invite a speaker that (for me) violates both of those values I was deeply disappointed. More so, the response I got from my objection was met with: "Our belief is that
Don't Make Me Tap The Sign...
Ever since I wrote my 'Do No Harm' post late last year, I've seen a few examples of where this model could be used in GLAMs around the word. I'm not the best at self promotion but occasionally I will see twitter conversations around this topic and drop a link to the model. This is usually met with positive comments but is quickly forgotten. I've been encouraged to write it up properly for something like Lead Pipe so it can get a wider exposure, but that will be a bit of a work in progress at the
Do No Harm
Since I listened to the Incendium Radical Library (IRL) cardiCast episode I can't stop thinking about the collecting policy they have adopted (time stamp 17:49). IRL have broad frameworks they align the library with, so when accepting new donations or looking at acquisitions they look at how these items could harm the wider community and balance that against the good they could do. In Annelise's words: "I guess like the frameworks of this library is social justice, anti-oppression, intersection
Deus Ex
Deus Ex, is a secretive government agency formed to keep the old gods in check. Made up of four departments, Ex Libris looks after the archives, Ex Gladius is the armed response team, Ex Mentis deals with the health and well being of the gods, and Ex Machina looks after equipment and technology. These are their stories.
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Deus Ex... Mentis. Epilogue.
Despite taking an extra long hot shower, Carol’s eyes were still red and puffy from her breakdown in the locker room. Richard had assured her that nobody would notice, which was a sweet little lie, but a lie nonetheless. She had tried her best to conceal the redness with makeup but now it looked like she had been crying and had tried to cover it up. Carol closed her compact mirror with a heavy sigh. It’ll be fine, who hasn’t had a mental break at work before, she figured? Her first stop was the
Deus Ex... Mentis. Part seven.
It was Richard’s turn to chase after a furious Carol as she made her way through the Ex Libris archives. Even the automatic overhead lights switched on with an angry thud as Carol strode through the maze of dark shelving. Aaron’s message didn’t say where in the archive they were so Carol had headed for the last place Tony had been working as a starting point. A single spotlight shone in the distance proving her hunch was correct. "Aaron!" She called ahead, "you ethically devoid shithead." Pain
Do No Harm
Since I listened to the Incendium Radical Library (IRL) cardiCast episode I can't stop thinking about the collecting policy they have adopted (time stamp 17:49). IRL have broad frameworks they align the library with, so when accepting new donations or looking at acquisitions they look at how these items could harm the wider community and balance that against the good they could do. In Annelise's words: "I guess like the frameworks of this library is social justice, anti-oppression, intersection
We Don't Want Your Donation
GLAM Blog Club's theme this month is Donation which instantly sent shivers up my spine thinking about all the terrible books people bring into the (public) library to donate. As Hugh's example shows, it's often the things we don't put into our collections that make a library. In my own professional life I have seen two types of librarians in regards to donations. One being the accept almost everything librarian, and the other decline's almost everything. I am of the latter persuasion. In one wor
Low Bar
Recently I had the pleasure of attending a talk by Alice Procter entitled Muddling the Museum. It looked at ways museum collections and interactions were being decolonised by external groups, as well as critiquing the internal processes of these colonial institutions. The event was filmed and hopefully it will be available for others to view as Alice is an exceptional speaker and was able to provide a clear picture of the complicated and often messy nature of decolonisation. I came away from thgraphic novels
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A Year In Read-View 2020 (Comics)
I didn't realise how much my reading had taken a hit till I compiled this list. Usually it far out weighs my novel reading but this year it's taken a long time for my reading mojo to come back. Even finding solice in the quaint manga that I've been enjoying has been a struggle. Mainstream comics (Marvel/DC) just don't do much for me at the moment either. Hopefully I can find some interesting things to read this year. Single Issues Note: italics indicates series has ceased. * Die * Five Yea
A Year In Read-View 2019 (Comics)
I read a lot of comics this year, but didn't realise till I started compling it for this blog post! Single Issues Note: italics indicates series has ceased. * Die * Exorsisters #1 * Five Years (Terry Moore) * Giant Days * Hex Wives (2018-2019) * Man-Eaters #1 * Rat Queens (2017-) * Steeple * Strangers In Paradise XXV * Transformers: Lost Light * The Wicked + The Divine * The Wicked + The Divine: 455 AD (special issue) * The Wicked + The Divine: 1373 (special issue) Most anticip
An Annotated Bibliography of the Inside of My Head
I saw this post by Alex Bayley and thought, why not. So in no particular order (actually it ended up in the order I first read them), here are some books that I just can't stop thinking about. You know, those ones where every now and then a line or an image from it just pops into your head. They may not be your all time favourite books, but they certainly stick with you or have influenced you in some way. I've split it up into fiction, non-fiction, and comics. Enjoy. Fiction Powers That Be bSelf-indulgent
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Regular Ordinary Shaddow Meal Time
I took a nostalgic trip back through my YouTube history recently and wanted to share the weird and wonderful cooking shows I found there. Cooking on YouTube isn't new and these days I think Babish has the market cornered, but I've always enjoyed the weird and the wonderful. In the Beginning I think the first cooking show I was introduced to was Regular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time or #ROSMT for short. That was all the way back in 2011 or so. Since then phrases like "It's good for you!", 'MR FOX
Because You Listened To... Steampunk Edition
This is another edition of 'music I'm listening to' that you're welcome to ignore, judge me for, or find some new tunes to listen to. Last night I was called out on my people pleasing BS (thanks Royce <3) because I over thought a car trip playlist and decided to put on the least offensive music I could think of (a Samurai Champloo/Nujabes tribute). After this we started to dive into my more niche musical tastes and the subject of Steampunk came up. This is a conversation I've had before with oth
Because You Listened To...
Lately I've been listening to a lot of music. Well, I should clarify that; I've been listening to a lot of the same music. The same few albums on repeat, bringing some comfort and familiarity to these times. Since I have fairly eclectic tastes I don't get to discuss my favourite albums/songs to many people so decided why not blog about it? That's what this platform is for right? Weird opinions shouted out into the void (or is that Twitter?). Anyway, hopefully you can find some new music or a gen
Deus Ex... Mentis. Epilogue.
Despite taking an extra long hot shower, Carol’s eyes were still red and puffy from her breakdown in the locker room. Richard had assured her that nobody would notice, which was a sweet little lie, but a lie nonetheless. She had tried her best to conceal the redness with makeup but now it looked like she had been crying and had tried to cover it up. Carol closed her compact mirror with a heavy sigh. It’ll be fine, who hasn’t had a mental break at work before, she figured? Her first stop was the
Deus Ex... Mentis. Part seven.
It was Richard’s turn to chase after a furious Carol as she made her way through the Ex Libris archives. Even the automatic overhead lights switched on with an angry thud as Carol strode through the maze of dark shelving. Aaron’s message didn’t say where in the archive they were so Carol had headed for the last place Tony had been working as a starting point. A single spotlight shone in the distance proving her hunch was correct. "Aaron!" She called ahead, "you ethically devoid shithead." Pain
A Year In Read-View 2020 (Books)
This year started out so promising, and by the end of it I had read sixteen books (down from eighteen last year). I made a joke earlier in the year about which would last longer, my to-be-read pile or lockdown, I guess that's one for lockdown. My TBR is still going strong as I only got my reading mojo back mid September (I blame The Rook for killing it, although it was gone before then tbh). Not only did I finish writing my House of Discordia novella, I made a very strong start on the sequel, H
A Year In Read-View 2019 (Books)
Eighteen books this year. A pretty good effort, along with the truck load of comics I managed to get through as well. Still trying to prioritise women writers over men and still having no regrets. For years I've been wanting to try and read poetry and at the end of the year finally got around to looking into the Beat poets, true to form though I sought out women writers first and thoroughly enjoyed Elise Cowen's work. I did try to read more non-fiction and I am quite happy with all the ones I m
An Annotated Bibliography of the Inside of My Head
I saw this post by Alex Bayley and thought, why not. So in no particular order (actually it ended up in the order I first read them), here are some books that I just can't stop thinking about. You know, those ones where every now and then a line or an image from it just pops into your head. They may not be your all time favourite books, but they certainly stick with you or have influenced you in some way. I've split it up into fiction, non-fiction, and comics. Enjoy. Fiction Powers That Be btechnology
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DoDeDoDo (Production)
It’s been several months since I posted up my prototype of an RFID based library reference tracker that I lovingly called the ‘DoDeDoDo’. Since then I’ve worked through several variations of case design, code, and wiring. I even added a blinky light to it! I feel now that it is fit for reproduction and have ironed out the many, many bugs that came with not really knowing what I was doing. I still don’t but I’ve learnt a lot along the way. If you are looking to replicate this system and roll it o
DoDeDoDo Web – Reference STAT(S)!
Back in July I wrote about an RFID location based enquiry tracking system (DoDeDoDo) and two months later I’ve moved on from prototype to production and they are working relatively ok. There are some bugs to work out before I present a new write up and I’ve modified the code slightly to make it easier to troubleshoot and added an LED because blinky lights are awesome. In the meantime I created a locally hosted, web based solution for staff in the workroom that I’m pretty happy with and wanted to
DoDeDoDo – A Location Based Enquiry Tracking System
The Problem For years WA libraries have been tracking information requests/enquiries that staff (mostly front-of-house) handle in their day-to-day work. From this financial year onwards we are now required to break down these enquiries into five categories: * Reference transactions and information requests * eResource enquiries * Technical enquiries (including public PC and photocopier/printing help) * Community information and Government services enquiries * Any other enquiries (Includ
DoDeDoDo (Production)
It’s been several months since I posted up my prototype of an RFID based library reference tracker that I lovingly called the ‘DoDeDoDo’. Since then I’ve worked through several variations of case design, code, and wiring. I even added a blinky light to it! I feel now that it is fit for reproduction and have ironed out the many, many bugs that came with not really knowing what I was doing. I still don’t but I’ve learnt a lot along the way. If you are looking to replicate this system and roll it o
DoDeDoDo Web – Reference STAT(S)!
Back in July I wrote about an RFID location based enquiry tracking system (DoDeDoDo) and two months later I’ve moved on from prototype to production and they are working relatively ok. There are some bugs to work out before I present a new write up and I’ve modified the code slightly to make it easier to troubleshoot and added an LED because blinky lights are awesome. In the meantime I created a locally hosted, web based solution for staff in the workroom that I’m pretty happy with and wanted to
DoDeDoDo – A Location Based Enquiry Tracking System
The Problem For years WA libraries have been tracking information requests/enquiries that staff (mostly front-of-house) handle in their day-to-day work. From this financial year onwards we are now required to break down these enquiries into five categories: * Reference transactions and information requests * eResource enquiries * Technical enquiries (including public PC and photocopier/printing help) * Community information and Government services enquiries * Any other enquiries (Includ
Data, Data Everywhere
For the past three weeks I have been on a practicum placement with the ARDC (Australian Research Data Commons), based at Curtin University. While I have 'feelings' about mandatory, unpaid, practicum placements, that take up all your annual leave (if you're privileged enough to have it), it was a requirement of my current studies. I looked to making the most of it and saw it as an opportunity to a) have a look at University culture, and b) increase my knowledge of data management and the roles li
What Did I Learn Last year?
Usually I'm fairly good at recording my achievements through the year, so when it comes to performance reviews or job applications I have a handy go-to list. Last year seems like a year of business as usual. While I did manage to do a few exciting things, mostly I just kept myself going. No big projects, no pushing myself and my skills, no major revelations, just one day at a time. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, sometimes we all need to stay the course and enjoy the smooth sailing. It's pos
Looking Forward, Looking Back
In trying to figure out what I want to learn in 2018 I looked back at what I had learnt in 2017 and it turned out it was quite a lot. The way I learn best is through practical projects. The mixture of real-world applications, deadlines, and passion really drive my learning. Inversely, I find learning something for the sake of it frustrating, which is why I tend to struggle in purely academic settings. Sitting down and learning a programming language while not having a project seems a bit useless
My Year in Read-view - Comics, Part Two
Since last year my single issue comic purchases has changed. I used to read quite a few X-men titles and mostly physical copies. Now the majority I read are digital and mostly from indie publishers. I've continued to read most of the stories from last year's list, with many of them finishing up in recent months. Rather than repeat myself I'll just add the new series that I've picked up, but last year's list is still valid and well worth reading! Current Comics * Mystery Girl -
My Year in Read-view - Comics, Part One
While I thought about doing #blogjune again this year, I was reminded of how I struggled to post everyday. While I enjoyed it I think I'll take this June to post a few thought out blogs. Where better to start than looking at my reading lists from the last 12 months. I've split it up over three posts, the first looking at collected volumes of comics, the second single on-going issues, and the third looking at books in general. Below is a condensed list of collected volumes of comics I've read s
Blog June - Day Fifteen
Discfriends Tom Waits – Blood Money You know that old abandoned carnival at the very end of your street? The one that if rumours are to believed closed down after those people went missing on the ghost train. If you go there on a dark, winter’s night and follow the faint smell of whiskey and cigars you’ll find a small bar set up in the remains of the fun house. Inside you’ll find a man singing a low dirge, backed by a dark carnival band. This is what Blood Money sounds like, this is what Blo
DoDeDoDo (Production)
It’s been several months since I posted up my prototype of an RFID based library reference tracker that I lovingly called the ‘DoDeDoDo’. Since then I’ve worked through several variations of case design, code, and wiring. I even added a blinky light to it! I feel now that it is fit for reproduction and have ironed out the many, many bugs that came with not really knowing what I was doing. I still don’t but I’ve learnt a lot along the way. If you are looking to replicate this system and roll it o
DoDeDoDo Web – Reference STAT(S)!
Back in July I wrote about an RFID location based enquiry tracking system (DoDeDoDo) and two months later I’ve moved on from prototype to production and they are working relatively ok. There are some bugs to work out before I present a new write up and I’ve modified the code slightly to make it easier to troubleshoot and added an LED because blinky lights are awesome. In the meantime I created a locally hosted, web based solution for staff in the workroom that I’m pretty happy with and wanted to
DoDeDoDo – A Location Based Enquiry Tracking System
The Problem For years WA libraries have been tracking information requests/enquiries that staff (mostly front-of-house) handle in their day-to-day work. From this financial year onwards we are now required to break down these enquiries into five categories: * Reference transactions and information requests * eResource enquiries * Technical enquiries (including public PC and photocopier/printing help) * Community information and Government services enquiries * Any other enquiries (Includ
Growth and Ethics
I recently undertook a personal development practice and found out that two of my highest personal values is growth and ethics. It explains why I find people who refuse to learn, or grow extremely infuriating, and reinforced my stance on personal and professional ethics. So when a professional library group in my state decided to invite a speaker that (for me) violates both of those values I was deeply disappointed. More so, the response I got from my objection was met with: "Our belief is that
Don't Make Me Tap The Sign...
Ever since I wrote my 'Do No Harm' post late last year, I've seen a few examples of where this model could be used in GLAMs around the word. I'm not the best at self promotion but occasionally I will see twitter conversations around this topic and drop a link to the model. This is usually met with positive comments but is quickly forgotten. I've been encouraged to write it up properly for something like Lead Pipe so it can get a wider exposure, but that will be a bit of a work in progress at the
Covert Censorship, Overt Libraries
“Knowledge, like air, is vital to life. Like air, no one should be denied it.” ― Alan Moore, V for Vendetta The Censorship is Coming From Inside the Library! When I took over as Branch Librarian for an established public library at the beginning of 2015 I knew there would be challenges. If you’ve read any of my previous posts you’ll most likely be familiar with my love of comics so it comes as no surprise that I’m very defensive of the medium. A month or two into my new job I discoveredopen source
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DoDeDoDo (Production)
It’s been several months since I posted up my prototype of an RFID based library reference tracker that I lovingly called the ‘DoDeDoDo’. Since then I’ve worked through several variations of case design, code, and wiring. I even added a blinky light to it! I feel now that it is fit for reproduction and have ironed out the many, many bugs that came with not really knowing what I was doing. I still don’t but I’ve learnt a lot along the way. If you are looking to replicate this system and roll it o
DoDeDoDo Web – Reference STAT(S)!
Back in July I wrote about an RFID location based enquiry tracking system (DoDeDoDo) and two months later I’ve moved on from prototype to production and they are working relatively ok. There are some bugs to work out before I present a new write up and I’ve modified the code slightly to make it easier to troubleshoot and added an LED because blinky lights are awesome. In the meantime I created a locally hosted, web based solution for staff in the workroom that I’m pretty happy with and wanted to
DoDeDoDo – A Location Based Enquiry Tracking System
The Problem For years WA libraries have been tracking information requests/enquiries that staff (mostly front-of-house) handle in their day-to-day work. From this financial year onwards we are now required to break down these enquiries into five categories: * Reference transactions and information requests * eResource enquiries * Technical enquiries (including public PC and photocopier/printing help) * Community information and Government services enquiries * Any other enquiries (Includprofessional development
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A File Format By Any Other PRONOM Signature
November third is World Digital Preservation Day and what better excuse to blog about my journey into digital preservation so far? This time last year I was being interviewed for what would become my new role as Digital Preservation Officer at an Australian State Library. I remember reading the entirety of the DPC (Digital Preservation Coalition) Handbook trying to bring myself up to speed on all the acronyms, lingo, and underpinning values of digital preservation. This was a specialised world t
Growth and Ethics
I recently undertook a personal development practice and found out that two of my highest personal values is growth and ethics. It explains why I find people who refuse to learn, or grow extremely infuriating, and reinforced my stance on personal and professional ethics. So when a professional library group in my state decided to invite a speaker that (for me) violates both of those values I was deeply disappointed. More so, the response I got from my objection was met with: "Our belief is that
Low Bar
Recently I had the pleasure of attending a talk by Alice Procter entitled Muddling the Museum. It looked at ways museum collections and interactions were being decolonised by external groups, as well as critiquing the internal processes of these colonial institutions. The event was filmed and hopefully it will be available for others to view as Alice is an exceptional speaker and was able to provide a clear picture of the complicated and often messy nature of decolonisation. I came away from th
Do No Harm
Since I listened to the Incendium Radical Library (IRL) cardiCast episode I can't stop thinking about the collecting policy they have adopted (time stamp 17:49). IRL have broad frameworks they align the library with, so when accepting new donations or looking at acquisitions they look at how these items could harm the wider community and balance that against the good they could do. In Annelise's words: "I guess like the frameworks of this library is social justice, anti-oppression, intersection
Low Bar
Recently I had the pleasure of attending a talk by Alice Procter entitled Muddling the Museum. It looked at ways museum collections and interactions were being decolonised by external groups, as well as critiquing the internal processes of these colonial institutions. The event was filmed and hopefully it will be available for others to view as Alice is an exceptional speaker and was able to provide a clear picture of the complicated and often messy nature of decolonisation. I came away from th
DoDeDoDo (Production)
It’s been several months since I posted up my prototype of an RFID based library reference tracker that I lovingly called the ‘DoDeDoDo’. Since then I’ve worked through several variations of case design, code, and wiring. I even added a blinky light to it! I feel now that it is fit for reproduction and have ironed out the many, many bugs that came with not really knowing what I was doing. I still don’t but I’ve learnt a lot along the way. If you are looking to replicate this system and roll it o
Once More, With Feeling
I haven’t blogged in a while due to an overwhelming lack of motivation, despite having far more free time due to work from home privileges. In last three months I managed to write just over 1,000 words of a new story that I’m interested in exploring, but I must have stared at the page for longer than I wrote. That said, when I saw the topic for this month’s GLAM blog club was ‘play’, a post started forming in my mind and I had to sit down and write. Motivation is odd like that. Why this topic th
Do No Harm
Since I listened to the Incendium Radical Library (IRL) cardiCast episode I can't stop thinking about the collecting policy they have adopted (time stamp 17:49). IRL have broad frameworks they align the library with, so when accepting new donations or looking at acquisitions they look at how these items could harm the wider community and balance that against the good they could do. In Annelise's words: "I guess like the frameworks of this library is social justice, anti-oppression, intersection
We Don't Want Your Donation
GLAM Blog Club's theme this month is Donation which instantly sent shivers up my spine thinking about all the terrible books people bring into the (public) library to donate. As Hugh's example shows, it's often the things we don't put into our collections that make a library. In my own professional life I have seen two types of librarians in regards to donations. One being the accept almost everything librarian, and the other decline's almost everything. I am of the latter persuasion. In one wor
Do No Harm
Since I listened to the Incendium Radical Library (IRL) cardiCast episode I can't stop thinking about the collecting policy they have adopted (time stamp 17:49). IRL have broad frameworks they align the library with, so when accepting new donations or looking at acquisitions they look at how these items could harm the wider community and balance that against the good they could do. In Annelise's words: "I guess like the frameworks of this library is social justice, anti-oppression, intersection
Symposiums, Symposiums, Symposiums!
Last year I was asked to convene the ALIA WA Symposium 2016. I agreed, because, hey you’ve got to try these things out at least once. I also wanted to use the opportunity to try something different and ‘be the change I want to see’ (Rundle, 2014) . Fast forward a good twelve months and the event seemed to be a success, with only minor technical glitches. A good committee, help from the ALIA groups, and a lot of hard work helped bring this experiment to life. While I intend to write a paper about
DIY Arcade Cabinet
It took a weekend of swearing but it’s alive! A while ago I got the wonderful idea to run an adults event teaching library clients how to turn a Raspberry Pi into a retro arcade cabinet. The event went quite well as I had the funds to give clients their own Pi to take home (they’re not that expensive and I limited to 10 Pis). Limited Pis meant encouraging groups so I ended up with families coming along, couples, friends and even one group of four gentlemen who wanted to try their hand at pro
DoDeDoDo (Production)
It’s been several months since I posted up my prototype of an RFID based library reference tracker that I lovingly called the ‘DoDeDoDo’. Since then I’ve worked through several variations of case design, code, and wiring. I even added a blinky light to it! I feel now that it is fit for reproduction and have ironed out the many, many bugs that came with not really knowing what I was doing. I still don’t but I’ve learnt a lot along the way. If you are looking to replicate this system and roll it o
DoDeDoDo – A Location Based Enquiry Tracking System
The Problem For years WA libraries have been tracking information requests/enquiries that staff (mostly front-of-house) handle in their day-to-day work. From this financial year onwards we are now required to break down these enquiries into five categories: * Reference transactions and information requests * eResource enquiries * Technical enquiries (including public PC and photocopier/printing help) * Community information and Government services enquiries * Any other enquiries (Includ
DIY Arcade Cabinet
It took a weekend of swearing but it’s alive! A while ago I got the wonderful idea to run an adults event teaching library clients how to turn a Raspberry Pi into a retro arcade cabinet. The event went quite well as I had the funds to give clients their own Pi to take home (they’re not that expensive and I limited to 10 Pis). Limited Pis meant encouraging groups so I ended up with families coming along, couples, friends and even one group of four gentlemen who wanted to try their hand at promakerspaces
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DIY Arcade Cabinet
It took a weekend of swearing but it’s alive! A while ago I got the wonderful idea to run an adults event teaching library clients how to turn a Raspberry Pi into a retro arcade cabinet. The event went quite well as I had the funds to give clients their own Pi to take home (they’re not that expensive and I limited to 10 Pis). Limited Pis meant encouraging groups so I ended up with families coming along, couples, friends and even one group of four gentlemen who wanted to try their hand at pro
DIY Workshop: Bright Bunnies
In my current job role I’ve been focusing a lot on events and initiatives to run in my small, one branch library and I thought it best to start sharing these ideas to the larger library world! We’ll be starting with the first ‘maker’ event I ran, based on the SparkFun Bright Bunny Kit. I invited parents/guardians along so each teen would, in theory, have their own supervision and assistance. This worked out surprisingly well and my target audience of 13-18yr olds turned up and had a lot of fun,
Libraries, Earl Grey, Hot
For those not familiar with Star Trek this post will look at my experiences purchasing and running a 3D printer in my public library. Back in July 2013 I acquired funding to purchase a Makerbot Replicator 2 and since September 3D printing services have been available to the public (both members and non-members) with positive results. I’m not going to talk about what a 3D printer is or how it works as there are plenty of resources for all that (or shameless plug: you can come to my workshop at
An Annotated Bibliography of the Inside of My Head
I saw this post by Alex Bayley and thought, why not. So in no particular order (actually it ended up in the order I first read them), here are some books that I just can't stop thinking about. You know, those ones where every now and then a line or an image from it just pops into your head. They may not be your all time favourite books, but they certainly stick with you or have influenced you in some way. I've split it up into fiction, non-fiction, and comics. Enjoy. Fiction Powers That Be b
A Year In Read-View 2018 (Comics)
2018 was the year of comics I seems. I was given the opportunity to help with the collection development of my library's comics and manga collections this year, which let me seek out new and interesting titles. You shouldn't bring your work home with you, but when that work is comics how can you not? Single Issues Without quite realising it, I dropped a lot of single issue titles from my regular reading. Not sure if that reflects a lack of ongoing series that I want to read or if I'm just w
A Year In Read-view (Books)
This year I wanted to make a conscious effort to read more non-fiction and I was pretty happy with my effort. I started the year with Mara Wilson's autobiography/essays and finished it with Lindsey Fitzharris' biography of Joseph Lister. Of course I balanced this out with a strong handful of Star Wars, dipping my toes into the wonder (horror) of the EU and the new cannon. I blame Never Tell Me The Pods for my Star War obsession, which is something I'm actually enjoying. I also continued my que
Once More, With Feeling
I haven’t blogged in a while due to an overwhelming lack of motivation, despite having far more free time due to work from home privileges. In last three months I managed to write just over 1,000 words of a new story that I’m interested in exploring, but I must have stared at the page for longer than I wrote. That said, when I saw the topic for this month’s GLAM blog club was ‘play’, a post started forming in my mind and I had to sit down and write. Motivation is odd like that. Why this topic th
An Annotated Bibliography of the Inside of My Head
I saw this post by Alex Bayley and thought, why not. So in no particular order (actually it ended up in the order I first read them), here are some books that I just can't stop thinking about. You know, those ones where every now and then a line or an image from it just pops into your head. They may not be your all time favourite books, but they certainly stick with you or have influenced you in some way. I've split it up into fiction, non-fiction, and comics. Enjoy. Fiction Powers That Be b
Looking For Group
I was reading this article about how to get through your RPG (role playing game) backlog and decided to combine it with this month’s GLAM Blog Club theme of collect. You see, among the main librarian-esque collecting I do of books, comics, and movies, I collect games. My board game collection is quite extensive as is my RPG collection. So in an effort to find people who would want to help me get through this backlog, and also inspire others to find new games to play, I’ve decided to list all the
Growth and Ethics
I recently undertook a personal development practice and found out that two of my highest personal values is growth and ethics. It explains why I find people who refuse to learn, or grow extremely infuriating, and reinforced my stance on personal and professional ethics. So when a professional library group in my state decided to invite a speaker that (for me) violates both of those values I was deeply disappointed. More so, the response I got from my objection was met with: "Our belief is that
Don't Make Me Tap The Sign...
Ever since I wrote my 'Do No Harm' post late last year, I've seen a few examples of where this model could be used in GLAMs around the word. I'm not the best at self promotion but occasionally I will see twitter conversations around this topic and drop a link to the model. This is usually met with positive comments but is quickly forgotten. I've been encouraged to write it up properly for something like Lead Pipe so it can get a wider exposure, but that will be a bit of a work in progress at the
Once More, With Feeling
I haven’t blogged in a while due to an overwhelming lack of motivation, despite having far more free time due to work from home privileges. In last three months I managed to write just over 1,000 words of a new story that I’m interested in exploring, but I must have stared at the page for longer than I wrote. That said, when I saw the topic for this month’s GLAM blog club was ‘play’, a post started forming in my mind and I had to sit down and write. Motivation is odd like that. Why this topic th
Magic Wands and Turtle Demons
When your goddess offeres you a boon, what would you do to help her? Sassy librarian, Iphys, finds herself faced with that very question which somehow leads her to a good old museum heist!
4 posts
View alldigital
3 posts
DoDeDoDo Web – Reference STAT(S)!
Back in July I wrote about an RFID location based enquiry tracking system (DoDeDoDo) and two months later I’ve moved on from prototype to production and they are working relatively ok. There are some bugs to work out before I present a new write up and I’ve modified the code slightly to make it easier to troubleshoot and added an LED because blinky lights are awesome. In the meantime I created a locally hosted, web based solution for staff in the workroom that I’m pretty happy with and wanted to
DoDeDoDo – A Location Based Enquiry Tracking System
The Problem For years WA libraries have been tracking information requests/enquiries that staff (mostly front-of-house) handle in their day-to-day work. From this financial year onwards we are now required to break down these enquiries into five categories: * Reference transactions and information requests * eResource enquiries * Technical enquiries (including public PC and photocopier/printing help) * Community information and Government services enquiries * Any other enquiries (Includ
Blog June - Day Eleven
Early last year I decided to get back into buying single issues of comics collecting many lines. I’ve since then paired back my reading, culling all five X-Men titles I was collecting (really got sick of cross overs) and since have started purchasing more indie and alternative titles. The following list are all the lines I currently collect on a regular basis (italics denotes physical copy). When you collect a lot of issues the order in which you read them is important (to me anyway). What I uraspberry pi
3 posts
START FIX
This month, as I was thinking about the Aus GLAM Blog Club theme of silence, I played Tacoma, the new game from Fullbright who did 'Gone Home'. Apart from being a great game that manages to be fun and inclusive it uses a very interesting mechanic that you could almost skip over - ASL. American Sign Language (ASL) is used almost as an aside when your character wants to interact with the space station's computer interface. Inputing in passwords or using it to run commands like 'start fix' to trigg
DIY Arcade Cabinet
It took a weekend of swearing but it’s alive! A while ago I got the wonderful idea to run an adults event teaching library clients how to turn a Raspberry Pi into a retro arcade cabinet. The event went quite well as I had the funds to give clients their own Pi to take home (they’re not that expensive and I limited to 10 Pis). Limited Pis meant encouraging groups so I ended up with families coming along, couples, friends and even one group of four gentlemen who wanted to try their hand at pro
Mmmmm...Pi
A while ago I got the idea to use Raspberry Pi’s as replacement OPACs in my library. Cheap, linux based computers with a very small footprint made them the ideal choice for slim mount terminals on bay ends. Sadly there were issues with mounting them on the ends of shelving units (no power, networking etc.) so they just remained where they were for now but they still work. There is only one supplier of Raspberry Pi’s in Australia and that’s Element14 who were very helpful in setting up invoicinsoldering
3 posts
DoDeDoDo (Production)
It’s been several months since I posted up my prototype of an RFID based library reference tracker that I lovingly called the ‘DoDeDoDo’. Since then I’ve worked through several variations of case design, code, and wiring. I even added a blinky light to it! I feel now that it is fit for reproduction and have ironed out the many, many bugs that came with not really knowing what I was doing. I still don’t but I’ve learnt a lot along the way. If you are looking to replicate this system and roll it o
DoDeDoDo – A Location Based Enquiry Tracking System
The Problem For years WA libraries have been tracking information requests/enquiries that staff (mostly front-of-house) handle in their day-to-day work. From this financial year onwards we are now required to break down these enquiries into five categories: * Reference transactions and information requests * eResource enquiries * Technical enquiries (including public PC and photocopier/printing help) * Community information and Government services enquiries * Any other enquiries (Includ
DIY Workshop: Bright Bunnies
In my current job role I’ve been focusing a lot on events and initiatives to run in my small, one branch library and I thought it best to start sharing these ideas to the larger library world! We’ll be starting with the first ‘maker’ event I ran, based on the SparkFun Bright Bunny Kit. I invited parents/guardians along so each teen would, in theory, have their own supervision and assistance. This worked out surprisingly well and my target audience of 13-18yr olds turned up and had a lot of fun,Stargate
3 posts
A Year In Read-View 2018 (Comics)
2018 was the year of comics I seems. I was given the opportunity to help with the collection development of my library's comics and manga collections this year, which let me seek out new and interesting titles. You shouldn't bring your work home with you, but when that work is comics how can you not? Single Issues Without quite realising it, I dropped a lot of single issue titles from my regular reading. Not sure if that reflects a lack of ongoing series that I want to read or if I'm just w
Looking For Group
I was reading this article about how to get through your RPG (role playing game) backlog and decided to combine it with this month’s GLAM Blog Club theme of collect. You see, among the main librarian-esque collecting I do of books, comics, and movies, I collect games. My board game collection is quite extensive as is my RPG collection. So in an effort to find people who would want to help me get through this backlog, and also inspire others to find new games to play, I’ve decided to list all the
What If... Stargate SG-1 had a librarian?
Like Uatu I watch our universe and many alternative realities , and like the Watcher before me, I have decided to recount to you a tale of one of these worlds. Recently I have been peering into the reality that is Stargate SG-1 . By 'peering' I of course mean binge watching every episode back-to-back. Late one night I started thinking about dream jobs and I wondered 'does Stargate Command (SGC) have a librarian?' If they did what would they do? What would the JDF look like for that? David LaHappiness
3 posts
Once More, With Feeling
I haven’t blogged in a while due to an overwhelming lack of motivation, despite having far more free time due to work from home privileges. In last three months I managed to write just over 1,000 words of a new story that I’m interested in exploring, but I must have stared at the page for longer than I wrote. That said, when I saw the topic for this month’s GLAM blog club was ‘play’, a post started forming in my mind and I had to sit down and write. Motivation is odd like that. Why this topic th
Looking For Group
I was reading this article about how to get through your RPG (role playing game) backlog and decided to combine it with this month’s GLAM Blog Club theme of collect. You see, among the main librarian-esque collecting I do of books, comics, and movies, I collect games. My board game collection is quite extensive as is my RPG collection. So in an effort to find people who would want to help me get through this backlog, and also inspire others to find new games to play, I’ve decided to list all the
Archiving Australian Twitch Streams - Kappa or PJSalty?
This month’s GLAM Blog Club theme is happiness. Thinking about what makes me happy I reviewed my after work ritual of catching up on my YouTube subscriptions. Since Natalie Tran hasn’t uploaded anything recently I was watching an edit of Bajo’s Twitch stream and couldn’t help but smile. I then got to thinking, are we archiving any of this? As some of you may know, for a librarian business is pleasure, so why wouldn’t thinking about archives make me happy? I put a call out on Twitter but it seeStatistics
3 posts
DoDeDoDo (Production)
It’s been several months since I posted up my prototype of an RFID based library reference tracker that I lovingly called the ‘DoDeDoDo’. Since then I’ve worked through several variations of case design, code, and wiring. I even added a blinky light to it! I feel now that it is fit for reproduction and have ironed out the many, many bugs that came with not really knowing what I was doing. I still don’t but I’ve learnt a lot along the way. If you are looking to replicate this system and roll it o
DoDeDoDo Web – Reference STAT(S)!
Back in July I wrote about an RFID location based enquiry tracking system (DoDeDoDo) and two months later I’ve moved on from prototype to production and they are working relatively ok. There are some bugs to work out before I present a new write up and I’ve modified the code slightly to make it easier to troubleshoot and added an LED because blinky lights are awesome. In the meantime I created a locally hosted, web based solution for staff in the workroom that I’m pretty happy with and wanted to
DoDeDoDo – A Location Based Enquiry Tracking System
The Problem For years WA libraries have been tracking information requests/enquiries that staff (mostly front-of-house) handle in their day-to-day work. From this financial year onwards we are now required to break down these enquiries into five categories: * Reference transactions and information requests * eResource enquiries * Technical enquiries (including public PC and photocopier/printing help) * Community information and Government services enquiries * Any other enquiries (IncludDancing
3 posts
It Was the Best of Times...
For me, 2021 has been a mixed bag of good and bad. Charles said it best: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” ― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities 2021 didn't start out the best for me. I had put off a lot of things for far too long and t
The Year That Was
I wasn't going to do a review piece this year because... *gestures around*. However upon reviewing my year I realised there were some really good things that happened and I wanted to focus on them. A little bit of good amongst the bad. I've mentioned before how bad coffee is actually better than good coffee, so I see 2020 as the bad cup of coffee that makes us appreciate all the good ones we've had before. Professional The year started off with a practicum placement at ARDC/Curtin University,
Once More, With Feeling
I haven’t blogged in a while due to an overwhelming lack of motivation, despite having far more free time due to work from home privileges. In last three months I managed to write just over 1,000 words of a new story that I’m interested in exploring, but I must have stared at the page for longer than I wrote. That said, when I saw the topic for this month’s GLAM blog club was ‘play’, a post started forming in my mind and I had to sit down and write. Motivation is odd like that. Why this topic thThe Order
3 posts
The Impermanence of Suffering
Clay opened her eyes slowly as she came back from the brink of nothingness, her head pounded and her chest burned. She could feel the hard bed through the thin mattress beneath her and was vaguely aware of the heavy blankets covering her clothed body. After a while the pounding in her head gave way to the muted sounds of conversation going on around, but not directed at her. Clay couldn’t yet turn her head but she was aware of another bed in the room. The voices around her seemed interested in w
Three Scenes
I'm finishing a creative writing unit and thought it would be interesting to post up one of the assignments. This was a study in genre, three scenes, three genres. I used existing characters/worlds that I have created and thought it would be a fun way to showcase upcoming stories and have a little sample taste of existing works. Just for the Hecate I should have known better but the lure of a free lunch and a pretty face to spend the afternoon with was too strong. Instead I was getting sawdus
They Shall Be Consoled
The memory of the klaxons still sound in my ears despite the heavy pressure door slamming shut moments ago. Without warning I’m thrust back against the bulkhead, cushioned only by the unforgiving jump seat between me and the cold metal wall. Strong g-forces compress my whole body and I momentarily black out, thankful for the forced break from my own panic. The ship is gone and I am alone. Nobody else came. The small pod is empty except for the corpse strapped in opposite me. An unnatural grin is
Ex Gladius
Deus Ex, a secretive government agency formed to keep the old gods in check. One of four departments, Ex GLADIUS are the enforcers. When powerful and dangerous deities get out of hand, Ex GLADIUS are the hand that strikes back.
3 posts
3D Printer
2 posts
DoDeDoDo (Production)
It’s been several months since I posted up my prototype of an RFID based library reference tracker that I lovingly called the ‘DoDeDoDo’. Since then I’ve worked through several variations of case design, code, and wiring. I even added a blinky light to it! I feel now that it is fit for reproduction and have ironed out the many, many bugs that came with not really knowing what I was doing. I still don’t but I’ve learnt a lot along the way. If you are looking to replicate this system and roll it o
Libraries, Earl Grey, Hot
For those not familiar with Star Trek this post will look at my experiences purchasing and running a 3D printer in my public library. Back in July 2013 I acquired funding to purchase a Makerbot Replicator 2 and since September 3D printing services have been available to the public (both members and non-members) with positive results. I’m not going to talk about what a 3D printer is or how it works as there are plenty of resources for all that (or shameless plug: you can come to my workshop atcensorship
2 posts
Don't Make Me Tap The Sign...
Ever since I wrote my 'Do No Harm' post late last year, I've seen a few examples of where this model could be used in GLAMs around the word. I'm not the best at self promotion but occasionally I will see twitter conversations around this topic and drop a link to the model. This is usually met with positive comments but is quickly forgotten. I've been encouraged to write it up properly for something like Lead Pipe so it can get a wider exposure, but that will be a bit of a work in progress at the
Covert Censorship, Overt Libraries
“Knowledge, like air, is vital to life. Like air, no one should be denied it.” ― Alan Moore, V for Vendetta The Censorship is Coming From Inside the Library! When I took over as Branch Librarian for an established public library at the beginning of 2015 I knew there would be challenges. If you’ve read any of my previous posts you’ll most likely be familiar with my love of comics so it comes as no surprise that I’m very defensive of the medium. A month or two into my new job I discovereddiscfriends
2 posts
Blog June - Day Fifteen
Discfriends Tom Waits – Blood Money You know that old abandoned carnival at the very end of your street? The one that if rumours are to believed closed down after those people went missing on the ghost train. If you go there on a dark, winter’s night and follow the faint smell of whiskey and cigars you’ll find a small bar set up in the remains of the fun house. Inside you’ll find a man singing a low dirge, backed by a dark carnival band. This is what Blood Money sounds like, this is what Blo
Blog June - Day Two
Discfriends. A small group of friends recently decided to create an album club to share and discuss new music (thanks Moriarty!). It’s been active for the past four weeks and so far has been a great success, I’ve listened to bands I’ve never heard of and found some I’ll be following up. Interestingly I’m also using Discfriends to encourage my writing again, each album I review, an enjoyable weekly writing goal. Last week’s album was Blueshift by Splashdown, a band I had never heard of but queservices
2 posts
DIY Arcade Cabinet
It took a weekend of swearing but it’s alive! A while ago I got the wonderful idea to run an adults event teaching library clients how to turn a Raspberry Pi into a retro arcade cabinet. The event went quite well as I had the funds to give clients their own Pi to take home (they’re not that expensive and I limited to 10 Pis). Limited Pis meant encouraging groups so I ended up with families coming along, couples, friends and even one group of four gentlemen who wanted to try their hand at pro
Blog June - Day Three
I was initially going to rant about toaster ovens today (long story) but instead a job advert has prompted a long running thought I’ve had about eServices Librarians. Having been one for a few years I can see the need of the position in libraries but also how it is possibly damaging our profession. Appointing a dedicated person to look after ‘everything digital’ seems like a good idea, why wouldn’t you want someone in charge of a valuable resource? The approach I took to eServices was to run itpublishing
2 posts
Let My Comics Go!
Comics for life, yo In case you didn’t know, I’m a bit of a comic nerd. Every public library I’ve worked in I’ve made it my personal goal to leave the comic or ‘graphic novel’ (they’re comics people, be proud!) section better than I found it. Starting with something as little as begging the collections librarian to take me shopping, to arguing to have an adult comic section, I’ve always pushed for comics in libraries. For years I’ve been looking at ways to improve the way we organise and displ
Stay out of the shadows
Over the past few months I’ve been contemplating starting a new blog and was oddly provided the right motivation by declining to have a conference paper published. Proper etiquette dictates that I should properly introduce myself first. I am currently the eServices Coordinator at a single branch public library in Western Australia and over the span of my 11 year career I’ve managed to pick up several skill sets including server administration, simple programming, graphic design and anything elsetai chi
2 posts
Moving the Centre
The theme of ‘balance’ for the November GLAM Blog Club made me think outside the GLAM box. I’ve been studying tai chi (taiji, taijiquan) with some Xingyiquan and Baguazhang thrown in for almost three years now. Prior to this I studied fencing for two years, but before that I haven’t trained in any form of martial art. I do remember as a teenager begging to learn a martial art. My main motivation was that I wanted some form of mental discipline, physical activity, and self-defence. Looking back I
Blog June - Day Six
About three months ago I started learning T’ai Chi (aka. Taiji, Tai Chi etc.) as a martial art. T’ai chi ch’uan or tàijíquán is an internal martial art that is used for health, mediation, and defence. It took a while to find someone who teaches T’ai Chi as a martial art but I’m glad I did as it’s been one of the best things I’ve ever done. For the past four years I’ve learnt and practiced fencing and I’m finding a lot of cross over between the two which has helped. Something I didn’t count on waworkshops
2 posts
Symposiums, Symposiums, Symposiums!
Last year I was asked to convene the ALIA WA Symposium 2016. I agreed, because, hey you’ve got to try these things out at least once. I also wanted to use the opportunity to try something different and ‘be the change I want to see’ (Rundle, 2014) . Fast forward a good twelve months and the event seemed to be a success, with only minor technical glitches. A good committee, help from the ALIA groups, and a lot of hard work helped bring this experiment to life. While I intend to write a paper about
DIY Workshop: Bright Bunnies
In my current job role I’ve been focusing a lot on events and initiatives to run in my small, one branch library and I thought it best to start sharing these ideas to the larger library world! We’ll be starting with the first ‘maker’ event I ran, based on the SparkFun Bright Bunny Kit. I invited parents/guardians along so each teen would, in theory, have their own supervision and assistance. This worked out surprisingly well and my target audience of 13-18yr olds turned up and had a lot of fun,Symposium
2 posts
Ideas For Your Next Conference Presentation
Inspired by @jinglefrisbee's latest blog post Ideas For My Next Conference Presentation I decided to throw some ideas I've been sitting on for a while out into the world. Sadly the soft focus stopped working on my camera so there won't be any cool bathroom mirror, lip-sync type shots, sorry. It should be noted that these are all sessions that I would like to see or think we need, not ones that I want to run myself. Mainly because for many I am the last person (white, male) who should be runnin
Symposiums, Symposiums, Symposiums!
Last year I was asked to convene the ALIA WA Symposium 2016. I agreed, because, hey you’ve got to try these things out at least once. I also wanted to use the opportunity to try something different and ‘be the change I want to see’ (Rundle, 2014) . Fast forward a good twelve months and the event seemed to be a success, with only minor technical glitches. A good committee, help from the ALIA groups, and a lot of hard work helped bring this experiment to life. While I intend to write a paper aboutTrust
2 posts
Do No Harm
Since I listened to the Incendium Radical Library (IRL) cardiCast episode I can't stop thinking about the collecting policy they have adopted (time stamp 17:49). IRL have broad frameworks they align the library with, so when accepting new donations or looking at acquisitions they look at how these items could harm the wider community and balance that against the good they could do. In Annelise's words: "I guess like the frameworks of this library is social justice, anti-oppression, intersection
Trust No One...
"Deep Throat said "trust no one." And that's hard, Scully. Suspecting everyone, everything, it wears you down. You even begin to doubt what you know is the truth. Before, I could only trust myself. Now, I can only trust you... and they've taken you away from me." - Fox Mulder, The X-Files When the topic of 'trust' was announced for GLAM Blog Club I honestly had too many ideas to talk about. There is the trust people put in libraries, the trust libraries put on people, how much we (don't) tpodcasts
2 posts
Looking For Group
I was reading this article about how to get through your RPG (role playing game) backlog and decided to combine it with this month’s GLAM Blog Club theme of collect. You see, among the main librarian-esque collecting I do of books, comics, and movies, I collect games. My board game collection is quite extensive as is my RPG collection. So in an effort to find people who would want to help me get through this backlog, and also inspire others to find new games to play, I’ve decided to list all the
Casting the Net
Two posts in a month, two months running?! What have I become? #yearofcontent I thought I'd do a post on all the podcasts that I've enjoyed over the years. Recently I was looking for more narrative based/audio-drama ones and had trouble finding something similar to what I already enjoyed. It's a rather long list but hopefully it helps you find something new. Narative Based/Audio-dramas The podcasts I enjoy the most are those that closely resemble 'old timey radio shows'. Full casts, greatSLWA
2 posts
Don't Make Me Tap The Sign...
Ever since I wrote my 'Do No Harm' post late last year, I've seen a few examples of where this model could be used in GLAMs around the word. I'm not the best at self promotion but occasionally I will see twitter conversations around this topic and drop a link to the model. This is usually met with positive comments but is quickly forgotten. I've been encouraged to write it up properly for something like Lead Pipe so it can get a wider exposure, but that will be a bit of a work in progress at the
A State-Wide Koha ILS
This is a blog post I've been meaning to write for a long time now. For those who don't know, a lot of public libraries in WA are currently moving, have moved, or looking at moving to new LMS providers. Legacy systems that most of the state were using are becoming end of life and it's time to move to new, web based services. Along with this is a push to form some sort of 'one library card' system. The South West Consortium have already done a small scale version of this. Something that has becomArchives
2 posts
Archiving Australian Twitch Streams - Kappa or PJSalty?
This month’s GLAM Blog Club theme is happiness. Thinking about what makes me happy I reviewed my after work ritual of catching up on my YouTube subscriptions. Since Natalie Tran hasn’t uploaded anything recently I was watching an edit of Bajo’s Twitch stream and couldn’t help but smile. I then got to thinking, are we archiving any of this? As some of you may know, for a librarian business is pleasure, so why wouldn’t thinking about archives make me happy? I put a call out on Twitter but it see
Time Enough at Last
The GLAM Blog Club theme this month is GLAM 3017. While I'm an avid sci-fi and space opera fan. I tend to avoid looking this far ahead in GLAM, lest I be called a <shudders>, 'futurist'. Who am I to turn down a challenge though? Let us begin. I am not going to reference Star Wars in this blog as that was set 'a long time ago' and is therefore in the past. I will look ahead instead at one of my favourite thoughts, that of a dystopian future. A future where our current world has long since past.sci-fi
2 posts
Three Scenes
I'm finishing a creative writing unit and thought it would be interesting to post up one of the assignments. This was a study in genre, three scenes, three genres. I used existing characters/worlds that I have created and thought it would be a fun way to showcase upcoming stories and have a little sample taste of existing works. Just for the Hecate I should have known better but the lure of a free lunch and a pretty face to spend the afternoon with was too strong. Instead I was getting sawdus
Time Enough at Last
The GLAM Blog Club theme this month is GLAM 3017. While I'm an avid sci-fi and space opera fan. I tend to avoid looking this far ahead in GLAM, lest I be called a <shudders>, 'futurist'. Who am I to turn down a challenge though? Let us begin. I am not going to reference Star Wars in this blog as that was set 'a long time ago' and is therefore in the past. I will look ahead instead at one of my favourite thoughts, that of a dystopian future. A future where our current world has long since past.identity
2 posts
An Annotated Bibliography of the Inside of My Head
I saw this post by Alex Bayley and thought, why not. So in no particular order (actually it ended up in the order I first read them), here are some books that I just can't stop thinking about. You know, those ones where every now and then a line or an image from it just pops into your head. They may not be your all time favourite books, but they certainly stick with you or have influenced you in some way. I've split it up into fiction, non-fiction, and comics. Enjoy. Fiction Powers That Be b
What's in a Name?
This month's #GLAMblogclub topic is identity, and there are some great posts coming out around it. For me, I'm going to stay in my lane and discuss a topic that I get asked a fair bit; who is Edward Shaddow? This comes up fairly regularly for me, most often at conferences and face-to-face meetings. I regularly introduce myself as [real name] and get a polite blank stare. When I follow that up with 'I'm also Edward Shaddow on the internets' most people will change expression to that of recognitsilence
2 posts
START FIX
This month, as I was thinking about the Aus GLAM Blog Club theme of silence, I played Tacoma, the new game from Fullbright who did 'Gone Home'. Apart from being a great game that manages to be fun and inclusive it uses a very interesting mechanic that you could almost skip over - ASL. American Sign Language (ASL) is used almost as an aside when your character wants to interact with the space station's computer interface. Inputing in passwords or using it to run commands like 'start fix' to trigg
Silence of the GLAMs
This month has been a bit of a struggle for me and while I have had many ideas for this month's theme getting the spoons together to write it has taken a while. So here we are on the last day of the month with lots of ideas but not much energy or motivation to write them. If you will permit me, I will walk you through the variations on the theme of 'silence' and hopefully by the end I can wrap it all up with a nice .gif or something. Because, in the end isn't life just a series of .gifs? Silensafe
2 posts
Do No Harm
Since I listened to the Incendium Radical Library (IRL) cardiCast episode I can't stop thinking about the collecting policy they have adopted (time stamp 17:49). IRL have broad frameworks they align the library with, so when accepting new donations or looking at acquisitions they look at how these items could harm the wider community and balance that against the good they could do. In Annelise's words: "I guess like the frameworks of this library is social justice, anti-oppression, intersection
Uncomfortable GLAM
Authors note: I write this blog post from a very privileged position. Being a white male in my thirties, I acknowledge that my 'safe' is not the same as others. I can afford to take risks that might get someone else fired, ostracised, attacked, and silenced. As I wrote in my last GLAM blog club post, I feel privileged people should take risks and stand up for those who can't, but never at the expense of those we hope to help. Safe means many things to many different people and has even more co
Doom Scrolling
I hear the beating of hooves as I scroll lazily on my phone, half awake in the dirty morning light flooding in through my bedroom window. Distant at first, like fat drops of rain against a tin roof heralding in a summer storm, scattered, heavy, with the promise of more to come. Brief snippets of news interrupt a flow of cat photos, memes, and biting satire to talk about viruses, sickness, and quarantine. I scroll past it all, letting the pandemic fade into the distance, like a white horse gallop
Three Scenes
I'm finishing a creative writing unit and thought it would be interesting to post up one of the assignments. This was a study in genre, three scenes, three genres. I used existing characters/worlds that I have created and thought it would be a fun way to showcase upcoming stories and have a little sample taste of existing works. Just for the Hecate I should have known better but the lure of a free lunch and a pretty face to spend the afternoon with was too strong. Instead I was getting sawdusWatch
2 posts
Bon Appétit
A few months ago the algorithm (or Twitter, I forget which) blessed me with a YouTube series from the magazine Bon Appétit where chef Claire Saffitz attempts to recreate various lollies. I noticed in several of the videos there was a colleague of hers called Brad who was pretty hilarious in a bumbling sort of way. Turns out that he had his own series called ‘It’s Alive, with Brad’, a series I consumed with gusto. The cameraman/editor Vinnie adding hilarious text to make fun of the host (wourder)
Angelheaded Hipsters
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked... - Howl, Part I, Allen Ginsberg. It's the end of what feels like a long month and here I am, quoting Ginsberg. This is for a combination of a few things. The first being that the newCardigan GLAM Blog Club theme is 'watch' and that line was the first thing that popped into my head (well, that and Watchman. Quis custodiet ipsos bibliothecam?). Secondly, I re-watched Hackers while I was in Melbourne for VDeath Positivity
2 posts
The Impermanence of Suffering
Clay opened her eyes slowly as she came back from the brink of nothingness, her head pounded and her chest burned. She could feel the hard bed through the thin mattress beneath her and was vaguely aware of the heavy blankets covering her clothed body. After a while the pounding in her head gave way to the muted sounds of conversation going on around, but not directed at her. Clay couldn’t yet turn her head but she was aware of another bed in the room. The voices around her seemed interested in w
the GLAMR of DEATH
Content warning: Death, & dying. I was invited to speak at Museums Showoff WA this month about anything that interested me. After going through several options I settled on death positivity and GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums), especially as I spent half the night thinking about it. As it turns out I'm quite passionate about death positivity, I even have the t-shirt. Nine minutes isn’t long enough to cover everything I want to talk about so consider this to be an introductionnodeMCU
2 posts
DoDeDoDo (Production)
It’s been several months since I posted up my prototype of an RFID based library reference tracker that I lovingly called the ‘DoDeDoDo’. Since then I’ve worked through several variations of case design, code, and wiring. I even added a blinky light to it! I feel now that it is fit for reproduction and have ironed out the many, many bugs that came with not really knowing what I was doing. I still don’t but I’ve learnt a lot along the way. If you are looking to replicate this system and roll it o
DoDeDoDo – A Location Based Enquiry Tracking System
The Problem For years WA libraries have been tracking information requests/enquiries that staff (mostly front-of-house) handle in their day-to-day work. From this financial year onwards we are now required to break down these enquiries into five categories: * Reference transactions and information requests * eResource enquiries * Technical enquiries (including public PC and photocopier/printing help) * Community information and Government services enquiries * Any other enquiries (IncludRFID
2 posts
DoDeDoDo (Production)
It’s been several months since I posted up my prototype of an RFID based library reference tracker that I lovingly called the ‘DoDeDoDo’. Since then I’ve worked through several variations of case design, code, and wiring. I even added a blinky light to it! I feel now that it is fit for reproduction and have ironed out the many, many bugs that came with not really knowing what I was doing. I still don’t but I’ve learnt a lot along the way. If you are looking to replicate this system and roll it o
DoDeDoDo – A Location Based Enquiry Tracking System
The Problem For years WA libraries have been tracking information requests/enquiries that staff (mostly front-of-house) handle in their day-to-day work. From this financial year onwards we are now required to break down these enquiries into five categories: * Reference transactions and information requests * eResource enquiries * Technical enquiries (including public PC and photocopier/printing help) * Community information and Government services enquiries * Any other enquiries (IncludDecolonisation
2 posts
Do No Harm
Since I listened to the Incendium Radical Library (IRL) cardiCast episode I can't stop thinking about the collecting policy they have adopted (time stamp 17:49). IRL have broad frameworks they align the library with, so when accepting new donations or looking at acquisitions they look at how these items could harm the wider community and balance that against the good they could do. In Annelise's words: "I guess like the frameworks of this library is social justice, anti-oppression, intersection
Low Bar
Recently I had the pleasure of attending a talk by Alice Procter entitled Muddling the Museum. It looked at ways museum collections and interactions were being decolonised by external groups, as well as critiquing the internal processes of these colonial institutions. The event was filmed and hopefully it will be available for others to view as Alice is an exceptional speaker and was able to provide a clear picture of the complicated and often messy nature of decolonisation. I came away from thradical
2 posts
Growth and Ethics
I recently undertook a personal development practice and found out that two of my highest personal values is growth and ethics. It explains why I find people who refuse to learn, or grow extremely infuriating, and reinforced my stance on personal and professional ethics. So when a professional library group in my state decided to invite a speaker that (for me) violates both of those values I was deeply disappointed. More so, the response I got from my objection was met with: "Our belief is that
Do No Harm
Since I listened to the Incendium Radical Library (IRL) cardiCast episode I can't stop thinking about the collecting policy they have adopted (time stamp 17:49). IRL have broad frameworks they align the library with, so when accepting new donations or looking at acquisitions they look at how these items could harm the wider community and balance that against the good they could do. In Annelise's words: "I guess like the frameworks of this library is social justice, anti-oppression, intersectiontransgender
2 posts
Growth and Ethics
I recently undertook a personal development practice and found out that two of my highest personal values is growth and ethics. It explains why I find people who refuse to learn, or grow extremely infuriating, and reinforced my stance on personal and professional ethics. So when a professional library group in my state decided to invite a speaker that (for me) violates both of those values I was deeply disappointed. More so, the response I got from my objection was met with: "Our belief is that
Don't Make Me Tap The Sign...
Ever since I wrote my 'Do No Harm' post late last year, I've seen a few examples of where this model could be used in GLAMs around the word. I'm not the best at self promotion but occasionally I will see twitter conversations around this topic and drop a link to the model. This is usually met with positive comments but is quickly forgotten. I've been encouraged to write it up properly for something like Lead Pipe so it can get a wider exposure, but that will be a bit of a work in progress at theMusic
2 posts
Because You Listened To... Steampunk Edition
This is another edition of 'music I'm listening to' that you're welcome to ignore, judge me for, or find some new tunes to listen to. Last night I was called out on my people pleasing BS (thanks Royce <3) because I over thought a car trip playlist and decided to put on the least offensive music I could think of (a Samurai Champloo/Nujabes tribute). After this we started to dive into my more niche musical tastes and the subject of Steampunk came up. This is a conversation I've had before with oth
Because You Listened To...
Lately I've been listening to a lot of music. Well, I should clarify that; I've been listening to a lot of the same music. The same few albums on repeat, bringing some comfort and familiarity to these times. Since I have fairly eclectic tastes I don't get to discuss my favourite albums/songs to many people so decided why not blog about it? That's what this platform is for right? Weird opinions shouted out into the void (or is that Twitter?). Anyway, hopefully you can find some new music or a gen2020
2 posts
A Year In Read-View 2020 (Books)
This year started out so promising, and by the end of it I had read sixteen books (down from eighteen last year). I made a joke earlier in the year about which would last longer, my to-be-read pile or lockdown, I guess that's one for lockdown. My TBR is still going strong as I only got my reading mojo back mid September (I blame The Rook for killing it, although it was gone before then tbh). Not only did I finish writing my House of Discordia novella, I made a very strong start on the sequel, H
The Year That Was
I wasn't going to do a review piece this year because... *gestures around*. However upon reviewing my year I realised there were some really good things that happened and I wanted to focus on them. A little bit of good amongst the bad. I've mentioned before how bad coffee is actually better than good coffee, so I see 2020 as the bad cup of coffee that makes us appreciate all the good ones we've had before. Professional The year started off with a practicum placement at ARDC/Curtin University,Digital Preservation
2 posts
Looking Back, Looking Forward
I've often started the conversation of what I've been up to this year with 'it's been a bit of a meh year', but that's not right. It can be hard to see the big picture when you're in the middle of it I guess. In February I started a new job and technically a new career (more on that later), and while COVID put the breaks on my dancing life, I used that time to refocus on myself. This post is about taking time out to breathe and reflect on how far I (we) have come this year, and look up and look
A File Format By Any Other PRONOM Signature
November third is World Digital Preservation Day and what better excuse to blog about my journey into digital preservation so far? This time last year I was being interviewed for what would become my new role as Digital Preservation Officer at an Australian State Library. I remember reading the entirety of the DPC (Digital Preservation Coalition) Handbook trying to bring myself up to speed on all the acronyms, lingo, and underpinning values of digital preservation. This was a specialised world t
Ex Libris
Deus Ex, a secretive government agency formed to keep the old gods in check. One of four departments, Ex Libris looks after the archives. They are the keepers of knowledge, working with all the Deus Ex departments. They share information and record stories. This is one of them...
2 posts
Deus Ex... Libris. Part two.
Deus Ex, a secretive government agency formed to keep the old gods in check. One of four departments, Ex Libris looks after the archives. They are the keepers of knowledge, working with all the Deus Ex departments. They share information and record stories. This is one of them...
Deus Ex... Libris. Part one.
Deus Ex, a secretive government agency formed to keep the old gods in check. One of four departments, Ex Libris looks after the archives. They are the keepers of knowledge, working with all the Deus Ex departments. They share information and record stories. This is one of them...arcade
1 post
DIY Arcade Cabinet
It took a weekend of swearing but it’s alive! A while ago I got the wonderful idea to run an adults event teaching library clients how to turn a Raspberry Pi into a retro arcade cabinet. The event went quite well as I had the funds to give clients their own Pi to take home (they’re not that expensive and I limited to 10 Pis). Limited Pis meant encouraging groups so I ended up with families coming along, couples, friends and even one group of four gentlemen who wanted to try their hand at proMakerbot
1 post
Libraries, Earl Grey, Hot
For those not familiar with Star Trek this post will look at my experiences purchasing and running a 3D printer in my public library. Back in July 2013 I acquired funding to purchase a Makerbot Replicator 2 and since September 3D printing services have been available to the public (both members and non-members) with positive results. I’m not going to talk about what a 3D printer is or how it works as there are plenty of resources for all that (or shameless plug: you can come to my workshop atOPAC
1 post
Mmmmm...Pi
A while ago I got the idea to use Raspberry Pi’s as replacement OPACs in my library. Cheap, linux based computers with a very small footprint made them the ideal choice for slim mount terminals on bay ends. Sadly there were issues with mounting them on the ends of shelving units (no power, networking etc.) so they just remained where they were for now but they still work. There is only one supplier of Raspberry Pi’s in Australia and that’s Element14 who were very helpful in setting up invoicinopen access
1 post
Stay out of the shadows
Over the past few months I’ve been contemplating starting a new blog and was oddly provided the right motivation by declining to have a conference paper published. Proper etiquette dictates that I should properly introduce myself first. I am currently the eServices Coordinator at a single branch public library in Western Australia and over the span of my 11 year career I’ve managed to pick up several skill sets including server administration, simple programming, graphic design and anything elsesewing
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DIY Workshop: Bright Bunnies
In my current job role I’ve been focusing a lot on events and initiatives to run in my small, one branch library and I thought it best to start sharing these ideas to the larger library world! We’ll be starting with the first ‘maker’ event I ran, based on the SparkFun Bright Bunny Kit. I invited parents/guardians along so each teen would, in theory, have their own supervision and assistance. This worked out surprisingly well and my target audience of 13-18yr olds turned up and had a lot of fun,toast
1 post
Blog June - Day Four
My story begins with a toaster oven. Several weeks ago a staff member’s lunch went up in (mild) flames and set off the fire alarm in my library. There was a visit by a wonderful fire crew and all that was hurt was the staff member’s pride. Oh, and the toaster oven. Seeing as it was a very old model long ago donated by a another staffer (long since gone), it went in the bin to be replaced with a newer model. One that hopefully wouldn’t create a fire hazard. I have never had so much trouble. AlmosTroubleshooting
1 post
Libraries, Earl Grey, Hot
For those not familiar with Star Trek this post will look at my experiences purchasing and running a 3D printer in my public library. Back in July 2013 I acquired funding to purchase a Makerbot Replicator 2 and since September 3D printing services have been available to the public (both members and non-members) with positive results. I’m not going to talk about what a 3D printer is or how it works as there are plenty of resources for all that (or shameless plug: you can come to my workshop atwifi
1 post
Blog June - Day Five
A few months ago I was in a vendor presentation for a popular wifi company pitching an upgrade to their login interface. Most of it was pretty stock standard sales pitch and the interface was ten years too late but what made me pay attention was the mention of statistics. Part of this new interface allowed clients to login using their Twitter or Facebook profile, when I questioned this the vendor replied saying it allowed better data collection. Luckily (?), this is an option that can be turnedwhat if
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What If... Stargate SG-1 had a librarian?
Like Uatu I watch our universe and many alternative realities , and like the Watcher before me, I have decided to recount to you a tale of one of these worlds. Recently I have been peering into the reality that is Stargate SG-1 . By 'peering' I of course mean binge watching every episode back-to-back. Late one night I started thinking about dream jobs and I wondered 'does Stargate Command (SGC) have a librarian?' If they did what would they do? What would the JDF look like for that? David La2016
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What I learned in 2016
This post is for the GLAM Blog Club set up by newCardigan. If you aren't in Melbourne check out CardiCast for some great GLAM talks. My professional ethics are something I will stand up for 2016 started off pretty rough for me professionally, over my December/January break some internal censorship of the library I was managing went down. I returned after the decision to remove items from the collection had been made, a decision I deeply opposed both in principle and application. Censorship iPrivacy
1 post
Trust No One...
"Deep Throat said "trust no one." And that's hard, Scully. Suspecting everyone, everything, it wears you down. You even begin to doubt what you know is the truth. Before, I could only trust myself. Now, I can only trust you... and they've taken you away from me." - Fox Mulder, The X-Files When the topic of 'trust' was announced for GLAM Blog Club I honestly had too many ideas to talk about. There is the trust people put in libraries, the trust libraries put on people, how much we (don't) tX-Files
1 post
Trust No One...
"Deep Throat said "trust no one." And that's hard, Scully. Suspecting everyone, everything, it wears you down. You even begin to doubt what you know is the truth. Before, I could only trust myself. Now, I can only trust you... and they've taken you away from me." - Fox Mulder, The X-Files When the topic of 'trust' was announced for GLAM Blog Club I honestly had too many ideas to talk about. There is the trust people put in libraries, the trust libraries put on people, how much we (don't) tkoha ils
1 post
A State-Wide Koha ILS
This is a blog post I've been meaning to write for a long time now. For those who don't know, a lot of public libraries in WA are currently moving, have moved, or looking at moving to new LMS providers. Legacy systems that most of the state were using are becoming end of life and it's time to move to new, web based services. Along with this is a push to form some sort of 'one library card' system. The South West Consortium have already done a small scale version of this. Something that has becomkoha
1 post
A State-Wide Koha ILS
This is a blog post I've been meaning to write for a long time now. For those who don't know, a lot of public libraries in WA are currently moving, have moved, or looking at moving to new LMS providers. Legacy systems that most of the state were using are becoming end of life and it's time to move to new, web based services. Along with this is a push to form some sort of 'one library card' system. The South West Consortium have already done a small scale version of this. Something that has becomidea
1 post
A State-Wide Koha ILS
This is a blog post I've been meaning to write for a long time now. For those who don't know, a lot of public libraries in WA are currently moving, have moved, or looking at moving to new LMS providers. Legacy systems that most of the state were using are becoming end of life and it's time to move to new, web based services. Along with this is a push to form some sort of 'one library card' system. The South West Consortium have already done a small scale version of this. Something that has becomConsortium
1 post
A State-Wide Koha ILS
This is a blog post I've been meaning to write for a long time now. For those who don't know, a lot of public libraries in WA are currently moving, have moved, or looking at moving to new LMS providers. Legacy systems that most of the state were using are becoming end of life and it's time to move to new, web based services. Along with this is a push to form some sort of 'one library card' system. The South West Consortium have already done a small scale version of this. Something that has becomone library card
1 post
A State-Wide Koha ILS
This is a blog post I've been meaning to write for a long time now. For those who don't know, a lot of public libraries in WA are currently moving, have moved, or looking at moving to new LMS providers. Legacy systems that most of the state were using are becoming end of life and it's time to move to new, web based services. Along with this is a push to form some sort of 'one library card' system. The South West Consortium have already done a small scale version of this. Something that has becomHope
1 post
That's A Damn Inferior Cup of Coffee
I've been working in libraries for around sixteen years now. Being in any industry that long it's hard to not become jaded and cynical [citation needed]. I admit that it's hard watching things go round in circles, the same issues being debated, knocked back, debated, shelved, picked up...etc. You know what though, I'm trying to see it differently. Sure, there will be things that happen that I will dislike. Things that cause me to sigh heavily, clutch my pearls, and drink under my desk. HoweverOotS
1 post
That's A Damn Inferior Cup of Coffee
I've been working in libraries for around sixteen years now. Being in any industry that long it's hard to not become jaded and cynical [citation needed]. I admit that it's hard watching things go round in circles, the same issues being debated, knocked back, debated, shelved, picked up...etc. You know what though, I'm trying to see it differently. Sure, there will be things that happen that I will dislike. Things that cause me to sigh heavily, clutch my pearls, and drink under my desk. However3017
1 post
Time Enough at Last
The GLAM Blog Club theme this month is GLAM 3017. While I'm an avid sci-fi and space opera fan. I tend to avoid looking this far ahead in GLAM, lest I be called a <shudders>, 'futurist'. Who am I to turn down a challenge though? Let us begin. I am not going to reference Star Wars in this blog as that was set 'a long time ago' and is therefore in the past. I will look ahead instead at one of my favourite thoughts, that of a dystopian future. A future where our current world has long since past.optical data
1 post
Time Enough at Last
The GLAM Blog Club theme this month is GLAM 3017. While I'm an avid sci-fi and space opera fan. I tend to avoid looking this far ahead in GLAM, lest I be called a <shudders>, 'futurist'. Who am I to turn down a challenge though? Let us begin. I am not going to reference Star Wars in this blog as that was set 'a long time ago' and is therefore in the past. I will look ahead instead at one of my favourite thoughts, that of a dystopian future. A future where our current world has long since past.fear
1 post
The Library of our Discontent
Fear. Fear takes many forms, from childhood nightmares to crippling anxieties. I experienced a lot of fear this past month, mostly around getting this blog post done in time (my fears were realised), but there were professional fears too. Will my public PC system crash (yes, repeatedly), will anyone come to my NLS8 presentation (yes), will I mess it up (no). As I've been mentally writing this blog I've spoken to a lot of people, and over the past few weeks I think I've worked out what I fear theedward shaddow
1 post
What's in a Name?
This month's #GLAMblogclub topic is identity, and there are some great posts coming out around it. For me, I'm going to stay in my lane and discuss a topic that I get asked a fair bit; who is Edward Shaddow? This comes up fairly regularly for me, most often at conferences and face-to-face meetings. I regularly introduce myself as [real name] and get a polite blank stare. When I follow that up with 'I'm also Edward Shaddow on the internets' most people will change expression to that of recognitAUSLAN
1 post
START FIX
This month, as I was thinking about the Aus GLAM Blog Club theme of silence, I played Tacoma, the new game from Fullbright who did 'Gone Home'. Apart from being a great game that manages to be fun and inclusive it uses a very interesting mechanic that you could almost skip over - ASL. American Sign Language (ASL) is used almost as an aside when your character wants to interact with the space station's computer interface. Inputing in passwords or using it to run commands like 'start fix' to triggHow Did I Get Here
1 post
Ghost Writing For Myself
I’ve been trying to think of an interesting angle for this topic all month and have yet to come up with something high level and meaningful. These past few months I’ve been inspired by Caroline J. Dale’s excellent TinyLetter Private Dickhead. The way she spins a tale, weaving interesting history with life experiences into a smashing good read. I lack the ability to match her own unique style so this will be more like an homage, the kind you’ll look at and go “huh, yeah I kind of see it…but not rBiography
1 post
Ghost Writing For Myself
I’ve been trying to think of an interesting angle for this topic all month and have yet to come up with something high level and meaningful. These past few months I’ve been inspired by Caroline J. Dale’s excellent TinyLetter Private Dickhead. The way she spins a tale, weaving interesting history with life experiences into a smashing good read. I lack the ability to match her own unique style so this will be more like an homage, the kind you’ll look at and go “huh, yeah I kind of see it…but not rbalance
1 post