Dumpling in a Hanky

For each library, a librarian. Preferably in it.

2012-02-22T10:24:00.000Z

It happens to the best of us. Nomatter how horrible the thought, sooner or later, at some point in your career,someone’s going to suggest relocating your library. This can involve anythingfrom a relatively simple move to a new location within the same building, to ashift to another town, but no matter what the scale of the move, there arecertain truths to the library relocation process. This is what I’ve gatheredabout that process, both from personal experience, and the painful struggles ofother librarians.

Things that you will be told:

You will be kept involved andinformed at all stages of the process.

Your knowledge of how the physicallibrary is actually used is important, and your contributions to the bestlayout and use of space/furniture in the library space will be taken intoaccount.

Your shelf space will not bereduced. In fact, it may actually increase, in acknowledgement of the fact thatas time goes on, library stocks and the space needed for them tend to increase.

The books will be carefully packedand moved by expert movers.

The library will be in anattractive, central, easily accessible location, to encourage all staff to useit fully.

The reality:

Nobody will remember you existuntil the day before the move, when in desperation, you finally pin anImportant Person down, and rip the new floorplan out of their hands.

Anything you say about librarylayout and actual library space/furniture use will be completely disregarded infavour of the plans of someone who thinks libraries are just an element ofattractive interior design (“Those old books will look just *lovely* over there,beside the radiator. Wait, what do you mean heat’s bad for books?”).

Your shelf space WILL be reduced.And you’ll continue to be told it’s the same amount, until you try and reshelveyour stock, and find you’re short of at least 15 feet of shelf space.

Your books will be packed andmoved by expert FURNITURE movers, who have no idea why you’re upset when youunpack the boxes and find that books have been put in them in no order at all.Other than perhaps size. Or colour.

You will be placed in anout-of-the-way corner, perhaps originally planned to be a staff breakout area,but later decided against as it was felt to be too gloomy and/or poky. Naturallight will be a distant memory.

There’s also quite a highlikelihood that, at some point, some Important Person is going to have an idea.A bad idea. An idea that pops up now and again, and unfortunately, occasionallygets listened to.

The idea tends to go along theselines: “I don’t visit the library in person myself very much, therefore nobodydoes. And, of course, everything’s online now, isn’t it? I know…why not put thelibrarian somewhere else, then the library can just be a pretty space withdecorative books, and people can use it for informal meetings!”

*sigh*

Lets reason this one out. TheImportant Person doesn’t use the library much themselves: that’s true. It’strue because they delegate the research work to their staff….who use thelibrary heavily. So while they think the library’s not being used, it’s in factbeing used a lot, just not directly by them. And yes, a lot of libraryresources are available online, in order to make sure as many people haveaccess to the best materials as possible, but there’s also a continuous highdemand for current textbooks on a wide range of subjects – lawyers don’t stoplearning just because they’ve qualified! Staff of all levels of experience cometo ask the librarian for help on lots of topics, and a lot of those times, tobe able to help with those topics, the librarian will refer to textbooks.

Ofcourse, no matter what stock tracking or circulation system you have in place,that will be comprehensively ignored by fee earners, so the actual physicallocation of books as claimed by the catalogue is only a hypothetical idea. Thereality is, the librarian’s continuously running an informal log in their headof who they last saw looking at/using a certain text, who called/emailed orspoke to them to ask for it last, how disposed that person is to actually signingbooks out on the system, and the level of qualification of the person who waslast sighted with a book (and therefore the likelihood of them still having it –it is a universal law of law firms that if a trainee borrows a book, they can’texpect to leave it alone on their desk for more than 2 minutes without someonemore qualified helping themselves to it). A combination of all these factorshelps track whether a book is likely to be where the catalogue says it is, or ifit is in reality actually lurking somewhere in a random department.

Without the librarian beinglocated in the library, there’s no way to maintain this type of an overview ofstock movement. Which means a huge waste of time as the librarian escalates thehunt from checking shelves in case the books have been replaced randomly on theshelves (a popular one – apparently shelfmarks are hard to understand, with allthat crazy alphabetical order malarkey), then wandering around checking desksand paperwork piles for them, to sending office-wide emails trying to locate them.I’m not even going to get into how frequently journal issues can disappear whenthey’re not kept somewhere that the librarian can keep an eye on them, but letsjust say it’s far cheaper to NOT lose an issue in the first place, than to haveto pay to replace it!

And a librarian being away fromthe library stock means it’s harder to easily help the people coming along withan obscure question, which will often involve checking a dozen textbooks, andmoving between different shelving areas as the hunt develops. To have to go andask a librarian for help can be hard enough, without highlighting the fact toeveryone in the vicinity by having to follow them across an office to get tothe library.

The library is also a place wherepeople can come to be dumb. Not dumb as in “unable to speak”, but dumb as in “askingquestions because you don’t know the answers and need help to find them”. In alaw firm hierarchy, things can get competitive, and it’s hard to admit that youdon’t know something, particularly when you’re a trainee (“But we didn’t coverthis on the course!” is a frequently heard and plaintive wail). But, in the library,the librarian’s not your line manager, or anyone who will be concerned that youdon’t know something – they’re actually the person who’s there specifically just to helpyou. And to be able to feel confident that you can ask the librarian for thathelp, you need to be able to access them in a place where it doesn’t feel likeanyone is listening in on conversations and waiting to pick holes in yourknowledge, or checking exactly what books you’re looking at. You need a placewhere you can explore vague ideas without feeling you’re being assessed…youneed a library. And the librarian, who can act as a sounding board to tease outthose meandering thoughts on a topic, and firm them up through questioning and analysis.That isn’t something a trainee can do while sitting at their desk, with theirline manager lurking behind them!

Nor should the library ever beviewed as some sort of a meeting space, decorated with those pretty thingscalled books – as stated above, it needs to be a neutral and easily accessibleplace, available at all times, and to all staff. And, despite stereotypes,libraries are no quieter than any other part of the office!

So, if ever you see someImportant Person in your workplace wandering about looking at the library shelving with agleam in their eye, and hear them mutter about hotdesking, and breakout areasin the library….grab a rope, whip up a lasso, and pull them aside for a quietchat about why librarians might actually just be the best people to help informdiscussions on how the library is and could be used?

Oh, and a parting mention of myfavourite library relocation problem – an office which had a library area wherethe lighting was linked to a motion sensor on the roof. Under that motionsensor was placed….a shelving unit. As shelving units are not well known fortheir vigorous activity, this meant the lights turned off every 45 minutes.Unless the librarian performed a gymnastic stretching and waving routine attheir desk…

Anyone else care to share theirnightmare move stories?

Legal threats for recommending art

2012-01-18T13:51:00.003Z

Early last December, as the year before, I put together a series of blog posts, recommending as Christmas gifts various library and library-themed items for sale that I'd found on Etsy or other sites.

One post consisted of items purely for putting on the wall: decorative paintings and prints. In order to show readers the visual art I was recommending, I put an image of each item on the blog, along with a direct link to each shop below that image, allowing potential buyers to go directly to where each item could be purchased. People seemed to enjoy the post, and previous ones, and many commented that they were tempted to buy, or would buy, various items I'd selected.

This week, I received simultaneously a notification of a comment on that blog post, and an email, with the same content, headed "copyright violation".

Hello,

Considering you work for a law firm I am amazed by your lack of knowledge on copyright!

The image of X in your post 'Deck the halls with...erm...pictures of books? is the copyright of X and you have not obtained permission to reproduce it.

If you wish to use it, please add a credit and a link to the original image at X or legal action may be taken.

Thank you.

Yes, it's always good to start an email with rudeness about my professionalism, that'll definitely get the conversation off on the right foot, won't it?

Now, as someone who shops a lot online, I thought that most businesses trying to generate sales of images online are aware that, in order to promote to others the purchase of those images, you need to be able to show them to the potential buyer first. It's a standard practice in any of the many thousands of dedicated shopping blogs to post an image of the product they're recommending, and a link to where to buy it. The only "use" of the image I was making in my post was to point it out to blog readers as an attractive product, and allow them to click on it to go straight to the retailers shop.

But, since they were unhappy with this approach to promoting their product, I immediately edited the post to remove the item entirely. It was also quite impressive that they were annoyed at me for not crediting the creator, when they themselves did not provide this information in their shop, making it impossible for me to do so. I had actually assumed that they themselves were the creators of the art, since there was nothing saying otherwise on their Etsy sale listing.

They also demanded that I link to their shop... which I had done for that image, and for every other image in the original post. So I was being told off for doing what I had done (linking to their shop), and not doing what it was impossible for me to do (name the artist).

Although, judging by the web address listed in the footer of the email, maybe it was their OTHER site I should have linked to, not their Etsy site. Erm,...what? They have another site?

I don't know whether they're somehow unaware that besides their main online site, they're also running an Esty shop, which is where I found the item, and which I believed to be the only place to purchase it, but that seems to be the case. The Etsy shop has no reference to them having any other website. Now, if they don't know that they have multiple online shops, was I supposed to know this through my magical powers, and also use those same powers to decide which of the sites that I didn't know about I was to link to the same product on? It's a bit confusing! And totally impossible!

So, after removing the image, I sent this reply.

I apologise for listing yourimage in a promotional capacity in order to encourage viewers of my blog to purchasethe item from you, and of linking directly to your own Etsy shop in the textbelow the image in order to make purchase of that image easier for yourcustomers. It would not have been possible at the time, or now, for me tocredit the artist, as your own shop does not provide that information on thelisting.

I assume you no longer wish tohave your products promoted to interested buyers, and so will remove the imageand the link to your Etsy shop immediately.

I promise never to promote thepurchase of any of your products again, and wish you success in your attempt togenerate business online in future, without allowing anyone to recommend thepurchase of your products by displaying them, and linking to your shop.

I assume they're also now very busy contacting anyone else who's ever recommended their products by showing an image of them and linking to their shop, and sending them threatening emails too...

Also, maybe someone should point out to them that, when selling images online, it's also good practice to introduce a watermark to the image? You know, so unscrupulous people don't actually just save a copy of the image and print it out or sell it on, profiting from the replication of an image they don't own?

The library gift hodgepodge

2011-12-06T10:30:00.000Z

So, this is all the things that I've found that either turned up after I'd written the post they would have fitted into, or just didn't fit into any sort of category easily!

I'll leave it up to you to decide where each item falls...

Red Riding Hood and the Wolf on the way to the library

Slye Wolf in the Library

In the Library

Library

The Library Lady Had A Great Trip

Library Ladies

I like BIG BOOKS and I cannot lie

Library Boy

Book collection painted necklace

Paper globe

Deck the halls with...erm...pictures of books?

2011-12-06T10:01:00.000Z

Yes, it's (almost*) the last of my library-gift themed blog posts, and it's time to look at the walls. Those bare, booooooring library walls. Surely the librarian in your life would like a bit of art on them to perk them up a bit?

How about the traditional approach, of some books? Painted, drawn, cut out, coloured in: there's books aplenty for those walls:

Shop (I'm a bit scared by the fact the desk and chairs seem to be levitating....)

Shop

Shop (this one features a traditional library favourite - the cat. It's also available with a dog)

Shop (I'm not sure if they're burning, or melting)

Shop (not the most restful of library images, that's for sure)

Shop

Hell, maybe you just want a photo of books, never mind all this arty-farty stuff:

Shop

Perhaps an image of an unusual mode of transport for bringing library books back would fit in with the decor nicely?

Shop

Or another library inhabitant?

Shop (this is the only type of bookworm I want to see in my library!)

Or how about an even more librarish image: the image of a library itself?

Shop

Although perhaps you prefer your libraries to look....spooky?

Shop

Quotes about books and reading often go down well too:

Shop

Shop (hey, what about the other librarians?)

Shop

Or maybe you'd like images where the librarian themselves feature?

Shop

Even if they're not in human form:

Shop

Shop (All librarians are angels. Fact.)

Perhaps a bit of humour would be appreciated?

Shop

Or, a linocut of a cosy, comfy looking sort of library to settle down in for a good read:

Shop

But, my vote for "the best thing to put on a library wall" is...an entire, miniature library. This one is on the theme of that traditional librarian favourite: cats.

Shop (subliminal message - BUY ME IT!)

* Still to come - a hodgepodge of random library-related stuff that I've found since the previous posts.

Love in the library is a quiet thing*

2011-12-02T11:58:00.001Z

Cosy, secluded corners....casual browsing hands accidentally brushing against others while running over spines...eyes being drawn to each other over well-stocked shelving...the library appears to uncover hidden wells of desire in both its staff and its visitors.

Perhaps you met someone there, perhaps you just missed someone there...how do you tell people in the library of your true, inner feelings?

Do you get in touch with Missed Connections, and describe how you almost met your other half while browsing in the library?

Shop

But I fear that this is too open, too blatant. Perhaps you would prefer to communicate in the way you like to relax: with the written word?

Would you like to "check someone out"?

Shop

Once they know you like them, maybe you can "borrow" them?

Shop

This is going well! Now, you must tell them how you feel! Begin gently...

Shop

Are they truly the one for you? Are you ready to tell them that? Here you go then:

Shop

Or maybe you're more of a visual communicator? A few subtle page manipulations, and you too could "accidentally" leave an image like this in front of your intended....

Shop

Or line these up in their vicinity, to catch their when they look up from their latest read:

Shop

Of course, when all goes well, and you're scampering down the aisle, guests gleefully casting pages of books at your heels instead of petals, then you'll need a fitting topper for the wedding cake:

Shop

You never know, it might even be the librarian that catches your eye:

Shop

Or perhaps you'll catch theirs:

Shop

And remember...not even the books are immune to the power of a library to unlock the emotions....

Shop

*yet more stereotyping features in this post

December...a time of frosts, naps...and gifts*

2011-12-02T09:56:00.001Z

It's Christmas soon, and that means that right about now, all librarian friends and lovers are frantically searching for the very most bestest gifts they can find, that will fill the hearts of their librarian chums and beloveds with pure joy, and a lovely warm feeling.

Of course, the easiest and quickest way to get this feeling is through the imbibing of lots of strong alcohol, and lovely as this is, the inner glow only lasts a short while....a delightful library-themed gift will continue to warm the cockles of the recipients book-loving heart for months to come. So to follow are a few posts that feature some library-tastic gifts I've found on Etsy, hub of joyful and horrific craftage.

Library Furniture

Now, at heart, every librarian secretly wants their own, "proper" library. An old fashioned one, with sturdy shelves lining the wall, nooks and crannies filled with well-maintained leather-bound volumes, tall ladders on rollers to let them swoosh around the room, and comfortable chairs to curl up on when reading. It's a dream, but not one easily or often achieved. While your pet librarian awaits the lottery win that will enable their relocation to a spacious country manor, with room aplenty for their personal library, perhaps you can help them out with a few items of library furniture?

First of all, you need a sign. How will people know it's a Library if there's no "Library" sign? But you don't want to be too boring or predictable, oh no! So, get them a "Library" sign in a foreign language. French is always good:

Shop

Lamps are very handy, and who wants a standard, green-shaded and old fashioned one, when you can have one made of books? Not entirely of course: it's never good to put burny-paper too close to ignitey-bulbs.

If horror writers whose lives were almost ended by incidents replicating events in their books are what excites your librarian, this Steven King book lamp will have them squealing with joy:

Shop

Or if they prefer their books in sliced up form when they're on a lamp, this is the chap they'll want:

Shop

If you feel the library is more in need of some subtle, understated mood lighting that simultaneously screams "I need a DRINK!", this should do the trick:

Shop

Bookends are pretty useful too: books are surprisingly adept at frolicking with gravity, and sliding in waterfalls to the floor if left unrestrained on shelves.

If the recipient has recently retired from their second job as a go-go dancer, this set of bookends might take them back to their happy place:

Shop

If they've unfortunately lost their mind, and believe themselves to be adrift in time from their true reality of actually being a Victorian child, this should suit them down to the ground:

Shop

And this set is quite a novel idea. Get it? Novel. Idea. *sigh*

Shop

Of course, every library needs a nice, cosy chair to curl up in. If you get one and cover it in this fabric, you're effectively creating the library version of camouflage gear:

Shop

There you go - one snazzy library, fully furnished!

In my next post...I'll be looking at gifts for love and lovers in the library. One, two, three...."awwwww".

*Warning - once again, blatant stereotyping is in action in this post.

The Silence of the Dumpling

2011-11-17T11:31:00.001Z

Times is busy round Dumplingville - a traumatic house move (solicitors! GAH!), the accompanying lack of broadband provision at the new house until gawd-knows-when (probably around about the time I start rocking and crying in a corner) which means that lunchtimes are filled with frantic online account updating (yes, TV Licensing Authority, I DO actually have a valid license for the property, as you'd see if you looked at your own damn records. No need to threaten me with enforcer visits, you fools!), added to the need for evenings and weekends filled with extensive DIY activities (kitchens and bathrooms are entirely optional facilities, right?), and of course the requirement to keep on ploughing through a shedload of work at my Place of Gainful Employment, and I have officially got no time or opportunity to blog.

So, consider this blog as being on holiday. If it was a cow standing in a field, you'd be able to tell that it was on its holidays, because it'd have a wee calf....*

*Disclaimer - Scottish joke. Only works when said in a Glaswegian accent.

Potay-to, potah-to, librarian, lawyer

2011-10-25T12:12:00.000+01:00

Recently, for the first time, I’m involved in a stressy legal transaction. I’ve sold one property, and I’m buying another – when I bought the first property, I was a first time buyer: no chain, no issues, just finances to get sorted, and conveyancing fees to pay. This time around, I have the finances of the property I’m leaving (along with any final bill from the Totally Incompetent and Deeply Hated Factoring Company) to deal with, a new mortgage to apply for, the transfer of the old mortgage from the old mortgage company to the new mortgage company, the transfer of mortgage cash and deposit to the owner of the property I'm buying, and legal/conveyancing fees for buying and selling to cover. So, while one property's definitely sold, I'm still waiting for confirmation of the one that I've bought is officially bought.

Now, as a librarian, I deal with information. My users ask me for information all the time, and I try and get it for them. Sometimes, this information can take longer to get, or is trickier to source than expected. I know my users have various others depending on them, so they need to know when they'll get that information, or at least be able to tell interested parties that they are working on the issue, and hope to give them a response in X hours/days. So I try and ensure that my users know how long something might take, or if something's taking longer than expected, I'll call/email to let them know I'm working on it. It's important to pass on that sort of thing, as, even if your update is "I've been busy, I've not started this yet, but expect to be able to get to it this afternoon/tomorrow morning" etc, then everyone's kept informed, and able to explain to others what's going on.

My lawyer (and, it appears, most lawyers involved in conveyancing transactions) do not share this approach.

Today I emailed after 8 days without contact (and I move out/in in 14-16 days), to be told, effectively "things are happening, but nothing worth telling you about yet". Which is fine - things are moving along as they should. But as a user, I would prefer to have been given an occasional contact which said something along those lines, to reassure me that there was progress. Instead, I have been gradually fretting more and more that I am going to be homeless/the sale will fall through/I'll need to find temporary accommodation and storage for my belongings/where will everything go/how will I continue to get to work/I don't have enough holidays to cover 2 moving dates, until I finally contacted my solicitor for an update.

Is it a cultural thing? Are librarians trained to make information sharing easier, and are therefore more open about the information they have, and when it will be available to their users, while lawyers focus on commercial secrets, and making sure their profession has some sort of air of mystery? One where solicitors are beavering away in darkened offices, doing arcane Legal Things that us plebs just wouldn't be able to understand, so there's no point telling us about them?

Thing 22 - volunteering

2011-10-19T23:38:00.001+01:00

For Thing 22, we're being asked to discuss the idea of volunteering, and whether we have ever done this in a professional capacity.

I have to admit that, since qualifying, I've not actually done anything in the way of volunteering in libraries, but it was probably my volunteering in a library that got me onto my library course in the first place.

After realising during my uni course that science was not going to be the career for me, and locating a postgrad course that looked interesting, and local (Scotland is not exactly swamped with universities that run library postgrad courses), I bumbled my way through my undergrad, and got ready to apply for a course that I had heard had far more applications than available places. So I needed to convince the organisers that I was committed to the idea of being a librarian, and that they should let me on the course. Due to the "interesting" approach of my uni and personal advisor (i.e. they didn't manage or advise in any way, and I foolishly trusted them as trained advisors to know what I needed to do better than me), nobody pointed out I'd be half a credit short to graduate after 3 years, so I ended up doing an extra semester in order to make up that half credit. I decided to make good use of this time, and volunteer in a library, to get myself some experience before applying for the postgrad course. My friend was a trainee teacher, and had recently had a placement in a local secondary school, and she put me in touch with the librarian there, who was lovely, and very happy to have some help for a day or so every week.

So, I ended up volunteering in the school for a good few months, continuing to come in and help even when I moved an hour away: it just meant that I had to sleep on my friends floor (alternating between 2 friends) for one or two nights a week. I got to do the things that the very busy librarian just didn't have time to do, like compiling the card catalogue records that came into the library with the books purchased and catalogued by an external service into a proper card catalogue, a task which the kids who liked to help out in the library also enjoyed helping with, under my supervision! Or fitting plastic-film jackets to the books, in order to get them out onto the shelves and useable, as cutting the film to size and fitting it was time consuming and would always be pushed down the to-do list by more urgent tasks. I was shelving the books that churned through the library, and helping to weed material that was obviously dated. And teaching pupils how to analyse the entry requirements and aims of a national poster display competition, encouraging them to consider what sort of material the commercial sponsor behind it would be interested in them creating, and showing them how to use paper and electronic resources in an appropriate way (it all paid off - their entry came 4th!). Staffing the library during lunchtime and breaks, to allow the Librarian a proper time away from her desk/in her office, while still allowing the pupils to access the library during their break time....and also maintaining discipline with the pupils during those breaks...I perfected a great Librarian Stare, which took a few kids who hadn't spotted me by surprise, when they were running around, thinking they were getting away with being rowdy and I materialised silently behind them (or in one case, when they'd thrown themselves on the ground, above them). Staring. Silently. With the Dead Face. It's very satisfying :)

It was a great experience, and I firmly believe that my commitment to volunteering in that school library, and the enthusiasm I left with for a possible career in school libraries, was a big element in securing me a place on that postgrad course. Who knows where I might have ended up working, if it hadn't been for a first part-time job in a legal library?

So yes, for me, volunteering has been a great way to further my career. Would I volunteer again? Yes, if I was thinking of changing sectors, I think volunteering is a great way to get some current, hands-on experience of tasks and duties I would be unlikely to have knowledge of from my current role.

Coming of age - Thing 21

2011-10-19T22:58:00.000+01:00

Image credit

Whatever happened to 21 being a big deal? You don't get anything exciting when you turn 21, other than, for some reason, a lot of cards with a key on them. It's a bit of a cheat, really - all the good stuff happened at 16, or 18. Hopefully, Thing 21 won't be like that.

Oh. It's about promoting myself. I hate that. I think I'd rather have a card with a key on it, to be honest...

Anyhoo, I'm meant to be compiling a list of my interests, my strengths, and examples of when I've done things demonstrating a skill that stemmed from an interest. And then update my CV database with those. And share interview tips or experience I've had in my career.

Well, it's been a long time since I was last interviewed and (fingers crossed), I'm not planning to need to be interviewed in the near future, so any tips or experiences are in the distant past. Although the HR manager who kept accidentally playing footsie with me under the table whenever he stretched to relieve the boredom for him of sitting in an interview for a position in a department he obviously had no understanding of, or interest in, that was a...highlight...of when I was last doing the rounds of interviews. All he could tell me about the role was how much my next of kin would receive if I died while employed by the organisation. Cheery!

So, my interview top tip - make sure you're being interviewed by someone who knows why you're there, and what the job would entail!

And it's been over 6 years since I applied for any position, so my CV has become somewhat dated...but this is where the Revalidation process has been very handy. Lovely Beth has been working with me via our wiki, to give me impartial feedback on updating my tired old CV, and incorporating some of my professional achievements into. Being traditionally British, I'm not very good at this, but when I got going, I found I had enough to make it tricky to stick to the 2 page, self-imposed limit! The wiki also helped, as I've been using it to dump lots of info on things I've done over the last few years onto, and this allowed me to easily see exactly what I'd been up to, and meant I wasn't forgetting any relevant activities. So I now have a swishy CV that makes me look awesome. Which is, obviously, cos I am ;)

So, although I have no recent interviewing or job application experiences, the Revalidation process has actually prompted me overhaul my CV and professional achievements, so if needed, I can now demonstrate exactly how busy I've been on the professional front, and exactly what I have experience and skills in.
Which was nice.

Thing 20 - getting back to my roots

2011-10-19T21:45:00.004+01:00

For this Thing, I'm meant to be blogging or thinking about my Library Route/Root, or the path that brought me to librarianship, back in the Good Old Days. However, I was involved in the discussions that kicked off the creation of the wiki, and have blogged both my library route, and my root previously, so if anyone was particularly excited to find out, they can have a look at those - there's been no major changes since I wrote them.

I haven't however had a look at many of the other entries since the wiki was established in 2009, so I went over to poke about in some of the newer entries. From reading a good few of those, it seems that librarian career paths can mostly be summed up as:

I didn't ever consciously think of libraries as a career, but ended up in them by accident, and it was a happy accident.
I started off as/qualified in something else, but I realised eventually that libraries were for me.
I always knew I wanted to be a librarian.

It seems that "I always wanted to be a librarian" posts are hugely outnumbered by the "I never knew it was a career, but now I'm in it, I love it" ones. Perhaps the always-wanted posts are so few because of the problems the profession has with negative and outdated stereotypes - I can't imagine that if you asked a kid "do you want to be a librarian?" that they'd say "yes: where so I sign up?!?!". Mainly because "librarian" to kids are the Frumpy Stereotype (well, for the younger ones anyway - give them a few years, then they'll move onto the Repressed Sex Beast stereotype), and that's a long established one. It's not really something that's likely to change soon (unless anyone has developed mind bleach for an entire population), but it would be nice if librarian/researcher/information retrieval specialist was a bit more of a visible careers option. I'm not involved in the academic sector, so I'm not sure how the Careers Service ties in, but how well informed are careers advisors on the information profession?

Hopefully, a bit better than my one in the early 1990s, who cheerfully advised me not to go into working in libraries (despite it being an equal first on my careers choices, tied with science, and...erm...landscape gardening or something similar in close second!), as "it'll all be done by computers in the future".

Well done, careers advisor. I AM that computer who's doing it in the future: I'm a librarian.

Book first aid

2011-10-04T15:13:00.001+01:00

Old law books are the like the ginger children of the book world: they exist, but nobody likes to acknowledge the fact. Along with other factual texts for areas like science and medicine, an old law book is immediately discarded with joyful glee by users as soon as a new edition appears in the library, because relying on old law books is a dangerous thing - you don't want to be the lawyer caught out because new case law or legislation that contradicts the point you want to make has been created since the edition you're using. Often, the preceding edition of a text will be retained for reference if a substantial amount of the contents remain unchanged (with big warning stickers on the covers stating that it's not current, please check the current version for more recent information), but any books older than that preceding edition are usually despatched to the Great Big Recycling Box.

Stingray skin, one option for making an interesting book cover!

However, certain texts are likely to remain in a law library for longer than the law librarians staffing it might live: these texts are usually the writings of legal experts from the 1800 onwards, who have outlined core legal principles so clearly and precisely that they are still being referred to today, and frequently. Also, old cases which also clearly state various principles and ways to interpret the law and which are still adhered to today can see regular use. Due to their regular movements from shelf, to desk, to court, and back again, these old books suffer a lot of wear and tear, and are most likely to need occasional attention from a book repairer, in order to keep them useable for many more years. These expert services can be costly though, so when the opportunity to attend a hands-on book repair event came up, I thought it would be a good idea to attend, and see if I could pick up some tips on how to do some of the more basic repairs myself.

The demonstrators in attendance were providing the chance to watch or attempt to use a variety of the traditional skills and materials involved in bookbinding and book repair. I learned how the gold lettering and decoration is embedded into leather or bursam book bindings (HOT!); saw the types of materials that can be used to create the bindings (including a variety of shades of stingray skin, photo of the black one above); observed a text being bound by hand with thread in a loom-like frame; saw how book edges have different types of colours and marbling applied to them; and I was shown how to repair ripped or defaced pages.

Out of all the activities demonstrated, the page repairs are likely to be the most useful skill for me. Old book pages can be fragile, and a rip that starts off small can soon become much larger, escecially when a book and its pages are being flipped back and forth on a photocopier! Being able to make a small repair before it turns into something that needs professional attention could be time and money saving in the long run. So perhaps I should be investing in some of those meltable strips, and a travel iron to keep in a desk drawer, for OAP book first aid. I'm drawing the line though at getting a wee fabric baggie filled with tiny granules of rubber powder, that's used to gently remove pencil marks and small blemished from pages....my books are just going to have to cope with me using my trusty National Library of Scotland eraser!

Westlaw trumps law books in US prisons

2011-09-21T10:23:00.002+01:00

If you're an American prisoner unhappy with your sentence, you might want to start brushing up on your IT skills. This story of an inmate who objected that giving limited Westlaw access wasn't the same as providing a legal library turned up in my RSS feeds via Library Stuff.

I can understand his problems with Westlaw, although it's actually one of the less painful legal databases to use (Lexis - why? WHY?!?!). As the story says though, he's not likely to win his case, so the books will be going, and occasional Westlaw access will be staying. Which ain't fun if you're not confident on a computer, and have restricted access.

Do we have a similar sort of requirement for prisoners to have access to law libraries and legal materials? Do UK prisoners have any sort of ability to do legal research on their own behalf?

I am a mirror, so I'd watch where you're pointing that laser gun, kiddo

2011-09-20T13:40:00.004+01:00

Ok, I'm caught up (ish)! I shall hold back on the firing of glitter guns, and the triumphal music, while I sit quietly, and Think About What I've Done for Thing 19. This is the type of Thinking About What I've Done that's good, unlike when as a child I would be sent up to my room, to Think About What I've Done. That was bad. And usually involved climbing a wall/tree/building I wasn't supposed to.

Anyway, what have I done with the Things I've looked at? And what have I used that's new? Well, to be totally honest...I've done everything, and use nothing new, mainly becuase I'm either already using the tools anyway, or they're not relevant to my current role.
I blog, and have done for years; I subscribe to the RSS feeds of blog that interest me; I manage my online presence reasonably actively; I use RSS for current awareness daily; I'm active in my professional groups; I organise myself the way that works best for me; I'm qualified, Chartered, and preparing for Revalidation; I'm informally mentoring and soon to be trained to formally mentor others, I use social media daily; I use the filesharing and collaboration tools that are appropriate for the situation I want to use them for; I don't need a citation organiser tool; I attend, present at (if forced!) and organise professional events; my advocacy is focussed on my own service; I don't need to use presentation software, and the screencast software I'd like to use isn't accessible in work.

So, what's happened so far is that I've confirmed that I'm happy with the tools I'm using, and that they fit the jobs I need them to do best. I've had a look at other tools as we went along, but decided that they are either answering a need I don't have, or that they are unavailable in my workplace, and so not currently useful to me.

Thing 18 - Jings, crivvens, and help ma boab!

2011-09-20T12:34:00.001+01:00

I wonder if the makers of Jing are secretly Scottish...or perhaps Oor Wullie fans? Because Jing's name is awwfy like wan o' Wullie's favourite wurds...

Anyhoo - Thing 18, one which looks at a tool for recording your actions on your computer, in order to let others see exactly what you're doing on your computer, rather than have to explain things in a convoluted way. A screencast! Lovely! This is actually something my boss and I have been discussing on and off for a while - the ability to have a recorded version of how to find/use the things that new staff are most going to want to use on their computers, that we have responsibility for. To have that sort of information available to them at any point (after they've recovered from the induction process information bombardment from every department) would be quite handy. The sound recording aspect would be redundant, as we have open plan offices, and sound disabled on the computers, so an ability to tag things with a text box would be best. It looks like Jing would do this nicely.

Unfortunately, as the blog post predicted, I didn't have the necessary administration privileges to enable me to install it on my work pc, so that's kicked that one into the long grass.But, the other option, Screencast-O-Matic doesn't need any install, and works from the browser, so bypasses those problems.

Well, it would, if it didn't actually need Java installed. Which I don't have the necessary Administrator privileges to do. Hmmm.

So, for the moment, there's not really much I can do with these two tools in work, and I don't have the time just now to faff about with Camtasia or Lightshot, so this plan is going to have to be relegated to the "Something to look at at home, when I have time" category.

Prezi and Slideshare - the presentation sorta Things

2011-09-19T14:26:00.000+01:00

So, I'm so late that I can incorporate the delayed Thing 17 on Prezi and Slideshare into the correct numerical order of Things. Which makes me happy, in a perhaps-abnormal way. I knew there was another reason I hadn't blogged CPD23 topics for a while...honest.

Unfortunately, this is going to be another Thing that I'm going to skip merrily over (although not without thoguht, or explaining why). These tools are aimed at those giving presentations or teaching substantial groups, which is not something we really do. We don't have to give presentations using Powerpoint or similar to senior internal management, and our inductions for new library users are either in small groups (new trainee intakes) or one-on-one sessions (new employees at any other time). The training we give each group or person is hands-on, and tailored to their experience level, and specialist interest area - there is no "standard" training given, and the resources we refer to for each person and specialism are different.
We also provide trouble-shooting, informal one-on-one hands-on training sessions on any resources when requested by users, so the content of these sessions couldn't be standardised either.

So, for now, I'm not going to go poking about in Prezi or Slideshare, although if we do find a need for these tools, I'll be back :)

Thing 16 - Advocacy (apparently, not advocaat, nor for drinking)

2011-09-19T13:02:00.000+01:00

You may well have seen my grumpy-day post earlier on advocacy and activism, so Thing 16 is going to be a meandering thing around some of those points.

I still don't feel comfortable with telling people how fabulous libraries are, just because I'm a librarian. I have no more expertise on whether a local public library is useful for anyone than I do about the local Council gym - I don't use either one, so I'm not going to tell anyone that they should be using either one of them, as I am not informed or knowledgeable. Nor do I have any motivation to use either service myself - they just do not have anything to offer me.

I don't keep this blog in order to show my employers what work I'm doing. In fact, keeping a blog when working in a special library can be quite difficult, and I very rarely refer to specifics of the the work I do on the blog, unless it's to illustrate a wider principle, I am very careful not to refer to anyone or anything that goes on in my workplace, or anything that could be seen as in any way commercially sensitive. So it's not really a great tool for advocating my good work to my employers, since it doesn't actually involve me blogging about my work!
I suppose what it may do is demonstrate to them that I am aware of the wider issues in my profession, and am involved in them, and hence show my own professionalism, but that doesn't do much in terms of getting the enquiries dealt with!

My advocacy for my own service comes from being involved, helpful, and anticipating the needs of the service users. There is no need to go cartwheeling around in front of staff, with a "We Have A Library!" banner, as they already know we do, and they use it a lot. I learn about the needs and special interest areas of users, keep an eye out for materials or even events I think they would be interested in, and send it those things on to them. I go to external events when I can, to pick up tips on things that might help improve the library service we're providing, aspects of Scots law, and also just to improve my own knowledge of tools and resources we use or have access to. Like this upcoming Scran event - I'd like to go along, as old photos can sometimes be useful in determining historical uses of land for planning issues. It's not part of my job to attend out-of-hours events like this, on my own time, but I do it because it increases my knowledge and skills, in order to improve the service.

I also have pretty much the same feelings as Tina regarding the To Do options for this Thing - none of those activities appeal to me. As Tina says, I'm not being deliberately negative, but I just don't have any urge to get further involved in any sort of advocacy than I currently am.

Thing 15 - oh lordy, I'm behind

2011-09-19T11:48:00.002+01:00

Oh, Thing 14 was the last thing I did, back in August! Life and busyness in work got in the way, but I'm aiming for a full-on assault of lots of Things now, while I have a moment!

Ok, so this was about attending, presenting at, and organising events. Now - two of those activities I'm perfectly happy with, and one puts the fear of God into me.

Attending events
I love doing this: I get to meet lots of interesting people, learn new things, and generally go away from them having gained lots of useful tips or contacts. The only problems for me attending events are:

Time
Time out of work to attend events is time that I'm not available to deal with enquiries, or do my day-to-day tasks, so it's got to be something relevant enough to my duties that being away from them will be recompensed by better skills to do those duties afterwards.

Distance
Often the most relevant courses and seminars for me are nowhere near me, usually in London. Attending a course in London would involve me getting a 3.5/4 hour train each way, and usually need an overnight stay the night before, to get me there for a 9am start. That's not cheap - at least £100 for the train usually, and approx £60 for a room, even before the cost of the training. Which brings me on to the third problem...

Money
I don't know about you lot, but my workplace isn't in the habit of throwing money at me to allow me to attend any random event I feel like (as interesting as lots of them may look). I need to be able to justify the business relevance and cost-effectiveness of the events I wish to attend, and quite often, it's just not worth it as the event is only marginally work related.

So, what I do is...keep an eye out in various places for all sorts of free events, and evening events, which have an interest for me, either law, or library, or technology related. The Society for Computers and Law do some seminars, The Royal Society of Edinburgh too, Mashlibs pop up here and there, and mailing lists and Twitter feeds publicise events, and archives and other libraries often offer tours. I may end up attending some random stuff, but it's all free! And local!

Organising events
Through my involvement in the Scottish Law Librarians Group, I regularly help out with co-organising formal and informal events, or even organising an entire event myself, in order to get the sort of events and training the group members need, without having to go to London to get it. I'm currently taking bookings for the most complex thing I've run yet: an all-day event with a Big Important Person (who, through the power of inane emails, I have managed to get to deteriorate into taking about jelly babies with scarves), with catering (and all sorts of non-meat/non-wheat/non-nuts options), and so far, I think I'm coping quite well with it.

It does involve lots of elements - defining the requirements for the event for the trainer, finding potential venues, getting estimates from them, working out the best value, booking the best venue, setting pricing, publicising the event, taking bookings, noting special requirements, liaising with the trainer...

And I live in constant fear, when things are going smoothly, that they're only going smoothly because I've missed out some Very Important Element by mistake, and everything will collapse at any second. Thankfully, so far, that's not been true, but you never know...

And now...the horrible one...

Presenting at events
No. Nonononononono. I hate it! HATE IT! Even the thought of standing up in front of people and speaking makes me feel sick. I am a bit shaky and have a racing heart when I do have to do this - as Convenor of my professional group I must speak at the AGM to give the report on the groups activities for the year, which I just about manage to do without doing it at a full gallop - I sometimes even stop for breath, or to take votes. Lets just say our AGMs can be very quick, when I'm speaking at them!
I also introduce the trainer at any events I've organised, or our annual festive networking meeting, which is slightly less traumatic as it's often a smaller group than the AGM, but can still get me in a minor panic.

I have always had a phobia of speaking in front of groups (because I hated doing this, in secondary school, my genius English teacher forced me to go and stand up in front of the class and make (thankfully unanswered) phone calls with everyone listening, to his wife and the school office, thus not only reinforcing my phobia of speaking in front of groups, but also giving me a new one about using the phone when anyone can hear me. Great.), and I just don't think it's worth me putting myself through the stress and terror of having to do any sort of presentation, especially when I don't have anything to present about, so this is one activity I'm scoring off my list, for good!

What do I get from these activities?
Well, I get either (depending on whether I'm attending, organising or presenting), fun interactions with interesting people, a headful of details and a lurking feeling of not doing things right, or a huge dose of extreme stress and mild terror.

I think that I get most out of attending an event - it's the easy option. I turn up, I enjoy, I go home (and write a blog post or newsletter article about it). The organising is far harder, goes on for much longer, and has so many more elements to tie up. It is however, the most beneficial, both for my professional group, and for me too. Yes, it can be hard, but it's quite an achievement to pull it off, and satisfying when an event goes well and people go away happy and feeling that their time was well spent.

What more could there be?
What I do keep coming back to is the thought that it's difficult to find an affordable event that people from different library sectors can go to here in Scotland. I'm going to Library Camp in Birmingham because it'll allow me to meet and speak to a lot of people I know online, but who work in different library sectors and who I therefore would not be able to meet in a professional capacity or event, because we simply wouldn't be at the same events. And it's at the weekend, so there's no need to justify my attendance to work. It's free to attend, but I'm paying the travel and accommodation costs myself, so no need to ask for funding fromt he training budget.

At the back of my mind is the thought that perhaps people would want to come to a Scottish Library Camp event, perhaps pay a nominal fee per person in order to enable a venue hire, and just have a day of mingling and informal presentations from other library professionals across all fields, along the same lines as the Birmingham Library Camp.

What I think it would really need is an academic venue to host it at, as they're usually large, easy to get to, and not extortionate to hire, but I don't know the right people to look into that. Maybe someone else would like to create a Haggis Camp? Or help me to do it?

Advocate? Activate? Who feels they can decide what I should do to be a professional?

2011-09-12T16:46:00.000+01:00

On Twitter over the last few days I've seen debates over whether people should be actively promoting the library profession. And I have tried to stay out of it, because apparently, unless I'm willing to sing and dance and say how much I just loooooove libraries and the library profession, I'm not allowed to define myself as a librarian, and that pissed me off, which would lead to a more incoherent than normal blog post.

But the whole thing is ridiculous. I'm a librarian, but I don't love "libraries" as a concept. And I'm not an activist, I don't "do" promoting activities for any service other than my own. Yet I remain a librarian, regardless of whether I think libraries are the best thing since sliced bread or not. I did the qualification at University, and I continue to prove my professionalism through my work and the Chartership and Revalidation process: nowhere did I sign a form saying "to be a librarian, you have to do everything someone else thinks you should do".

I've also stayed out of it because I was busy using my free time to live my own life. Why should I be expected, because of the larger profession that I am part of, to promote to others a service I don't use, and never have used, (public libraries - it's never about anything other than public libraries) in order to be able to be accepted as a "proper" librarian? Why can I not just have a job, do it well, make sure my users are happy with what I do for them, and go home at the end of the day, to continue with my own life, without being accused of being lazy? I am involved in plenty of professional activities to aid my peers that I don't shout about - but because I'm not saying "I love libraries" in general, I'm useless? Making sure my service is the best it can be, and I'm doing the best that I can for both my users and my peers should be enough - that is how I advocate. Not by doing what others declare I should be doing.

I don't see what entitles anyone to judge my actions and make sweeping statements, with no knowledge of my circumstances, or what I feel able to do in my own free time.

The legacy of the snail

2011-09-09T11:34:00.000+01:00

Last night, through nefarious means*, I was invited to the launch of a series of short films on the Session Cases, by the Scottish Council of Law Reporting. The Session Cases are the most authoritative series of law reports in Scotland, and they are created and published by SCLR.

The videos are 5-6 minute segments, available on a dedicated YouTube channel, which outline the history and effects of the Session Cases on Scots law, how the Session Cases developed, how they are put together and by who, and how they are used in court. The video clips themselves are well produced, high quality films, with interviews and commentary from everyone who uses the Session Cases, from the judges and Advocates who write, review, edit and use them in court, to the Advocates Library staff who maintain the collections of Session Cases for the Advocates, and the Session Papers that support them.

Definitely a useful resource for law students, law tutors, those who have to source Session Cases for users, and anyone interested in how Scots Law works.

And, of course, the Paisley Snail makes a regular appearance throughout, in all its ginger beery glory.

One thing I'd disagree with though - the videos said how wonderful it was that most Session Cases were now available as pdfs of the original pages. This is good because it means that the judge and counsel are looking at literally the same page. I'm sorry, but I don't see this as a good thing: why is a pdf of a page better than an electronic version? They're often difficult to read, and when passed between parties as an attachment to an email, they aren't searchable in the same way as an electronic version is. Insisting on pdf versions is a backwards step, and it probably wasn't disputed because the judges who were interviewed in the videos are the group who prefer the pdf versions.

*It appears that I was invited because I'm technically in charge of my professional group. The inviting system was somewhat odd - the audience consisted mainly of the people starring in the videos, and the people who had made the videos. No actual end users seem to have been invited (I was one of 4 law librarians in the audience, and we all seem to have been invited because we're allegedly Proper Professionals (me) or were in the video, or were linked to SCLR), and I'm unsure how SCLR are planning on publicising this to their target market, which I assume is law students/law schools.

It's not about the speed, it's about the skill

2011-09-08T16:01:00.001+01:00

Recently, I was regaling my partner with exciting tales of what thrilling things I'd got up to at work that day, while he listened with eager attention. Well, actually, what he was doing was trying to go to sleep, and I was babbling at him about research problems, but...

I was explaining that I was frustrated that I was busy when a research enquiry that had come in, and that when I actually got a chance to do it, I found the answer within a few minutes. "I could have had that result back to the enquirer in minutes, rather than hours, and looked really efficient, since it was so straightforward to find." I was pouting.

"Yes, but your enquirer has no idea of the level of skill it took you to find that answer. They asked you because they didn't know how to find it, and you are the expert. Just because you could find it easily doesn't mean it would be as easy for anyone else. And answering too quickly could make it appear that it was an simpler task than it was. To them, and probably others, it wasn't an easy task: don't make the hard things too simple, because they're not." he mumbled, and rolled over.

You know, he's quite wise sometimes, that boy - the pressure to get things done and passed over to enquirers as soon as possible can make even the person doing the requested research work forget that the job they're doing is more skilled than you might expect. Just because you can do it easily, it doesn't mean others would.

And, it's not about how fast you can do it, but the skill you use to do it.

When Google gets it wrong

2011-08-29T11:35:00.000+01:00

Today, I couldn't be bothered to dig into my bookmarks and find the link for the online version of the magazine of JLSS - The Journal of the Law Society of Scotland.
So I asked Google to find me it, by cunningly searching for the terms "JLSS" and "magazine". I'd say that's a pretty clear search: two words, both of which are correct.

But no: Google knows better.

I'm not actually wanting to look at a recent article on Agency Worker Regulations.
Actually, what Google knows I'm really looking for is sites about JLS, the boy band.

Obviously, me putting in the actual words that I want to look for just isn't accurate enough, as after being presented with a screen of nonsense about disturbingly flexible young boys in tight t-shirts, I then have to click again to correct the search. Which actually was correct when I originally input it.

Google, I am NOT thick, and I do NOT want to have to see JLS!

What Dumpling learned today, #4

2011-08-25T13:57:00.000+01:00

"Salmon principles" are actually the six cardinal principles used to protect persons whose reputations might be affected by a tribunal of inquiry.

They do not, in fact, refer to a certain type of fish having a strong moral fibre.

The Phantom Booker returns

2011-08-25T13:48:00.001+01:00

Image source

And the fabulous but mysterious maker of lovely book sculptures strikes again, gifting the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the city with two new sculptures, left carefully at the Book Festival venue in Charlotte Square.
The previous possible link to Ian Rankin seems to have disappeared, with new authors books being used, but they're just as inventive and fun as before!

The 14th Thing - cite unseen

2011-08-22T10:30:00.001+01:00

Uh-oh, Thing 14's going to be another one of those ones that I'm not really going to be investigating. Not because I'm lazy, but because it's just not relevant in my current workplace: the only sort of citations we're bothered about here are the legal ones. In fact, the ones we're mainly concerned about here are the incorrect legal citations, and the time we have to waste trying to figure out the correct ones. Top news: advocates don't actually always double check their case references...who knew!

I'm trying hard to think of a good reason for me to spend time poking about on Thing 14's suggested tools, but the last time I had to properly cite a bibliographic reference would have been at least 10 years ago. It's not a skill I feel that I need to have in my current role. We don't have users that need to cite material in an academic form, not do we need to support this sort of academic work.

If I do ever end up being thrown out of legal libraries and into the Big Bad World, and end trying to move into work in academic libraries, those tools will be either gone, or available in newer, updated versions. Therefore, it would be better for me to spend the time on learning about them when I need to and they could be useful, rather than now when it's just taking up time that I could be spending on other activities.

Perhaps when I start my open University course in November I'll return to look at these tools, as I may be required to cite materials, but I imagine as it's an online course, a lot of the questions I may have on producing materials for the course will be answered with the accompanying handouts, or in the online support areas.

Tiny book prizewinner

2011-08-18T10:31:00.000+01:00

So, after a strict judging process (i.e. I collated the entries, and asked some workmates which one made them laugh the most), the winner of the tiny book was....................the final entry by Daniel .
His reasoning was:

I want the History of Apples:

Because I have lost the manual for my Ipod Mini and assume this small book about Apples will cover the same ground.

So Daniel, please get in touch via the email address on the right, and I'll get the book and its bottle posted off to you soon :)

And the others all provoked giggles from those who read them too...and lots from me. Thank you for the amusement, peoples! :D

An old fashioned habit

2011-08-16T10:30:00.000+01:00

I like handwriting.
I was informed by my Dad at an early age that an inability to write in a straight line without having a lined page to guide you was the sign of a Weak Mind.*
I can write in a straight line without having a lined page to guide me.
I can write in multiple sizes (1mm high is my favourite).
I struggle to write continuously in capitals when official forms require it (lower case is my natural habit).
I have nice, readable handwriting.
I write to people, because it's nice to get a letter.
I keep every letter or postcard ever sent to me.
I make interesting line images using words.
I wrote all my University notes by hand...with bonus illustrations, when I was bored.
I keep to-do lists in my handbag, and delight in carefully scoring out things when they're done.

So...writing: is fun, even though I barely do it for the bulk of my time - in my daily life, typing is King!

But I find that writing's actually the best way that I learn: the physical act of writing transfers the information that I've read or heard into my brain, and it stays there. Typing the same information means it travels from my fingers, to a document...and leaves my brain.

I think there's a few reasons for this.

I was never taught to type, or touch type. When ahh were a lad....you were either expected to go to university (and would therefore come out Fully Qualified in Excellence, and leap straight into a job where you'd have staff/minions to do typing for you...because that's what a degree means, doesn't it?), or you were going to be a secretary, therefore you did OIS (Office and Information Skills - there's a misnomer!) where you learned to type. I was in the first group: ohhh, get me, expected to go to university, likely to have minions to do my typing, woo-hoo!

In reality, what happened was - I taught myself to touch type up to a point using a programme on a BBC Micro at home while in late Primary school/early Secondary school, and it was enough to get me by, including for Computing Studies (also using a BBC Micro - damn that Other Class who got to use the brand spanking new pcs!). Then, I went to Uni....in first year, handwritten assignments were the norm....in second year, there were guidelines on spacings for word processed documents...in third year, ALL documents had to be word processed. It was a rapid switch, and not one I (or many others) was totally prepared for.

So, I'm now a reasonably fast typer...but not properly. I've learned to get along using about 8 fingers, but almost certainly not in the right way (judging from how my fingers/knuckles can hurt at the end of the day). I still need regular glances down at the keyboard, I make plenty of typos (my favourites are "nihgt" and "hte", with spacings between words being too earl yor too lat e.), and need to correct frequently. It's too late really to fix that - I'd need to unlearn how to type wrongly in order to learn to type correctly and in my job, I need to type constantly.
So, typing: I can do it, but I'm partially thinking about typing when I do it, rather than focussing on the content of what I'm typing.

Writing's different - I know the shapes of the letters so well that I don't need to think about them, and I'm pretty good on spelling so I don't really need to think about that either. So when I hand write something, particularly if it's the points being made by a speaker, I listen, distil to the core point (if needed), write that point down as a note, and remember the information. I can also go back to my notes later, and they'll really only be needed to refresh my memory, rather than have to be read and understood all over again.

People used to borrow my lecture notes at university, because they were clear, readable, and easy to understand and get the gist of the lecture. Unfortunately, this didn't always work the other way round - I had a hard time trying to make sense of some other peoples lecture notes if I missed a class! I'd also work far better by transcribing points into notes, rather than photocopying the original material when I was studying. It's just a shame that I get The Fear when in exams, and all useful information evaporates from my head!

So, I'm not being awkwardly old fashioned on purpose with my avoidance of using any technical devices to make conference or meeting notes - the iPad, iPhone tablets, smartphones etc may work well for other people, but if you see me at a conference or seminar, I'll be the one sitting there with a pad of paper and a pretty pen, quietly scribbling away.

Does anyone else have this issue with not retaining information if you type it, but being fine if you hand write it? Or are technical devices the way forward for you?

*Please note: my Dad is 72, and had his own natural lefthandedness beaten out of him by vicious teachers in a 1940s schoolroom, leaving him semi-ambidextrous. He may not be the best judge of what is an appropriate way to write.

Unlucky Thirteen - the Thing of collaborative working

2011-08-15T11:38:00.000+01:00

Apparently, collaboration is not just a thing that it is naughty to do with the enemy during a war. It is also a Good Thing too. There are many collaborative tools, and Thing 13 asks us to take a look at one or more of their suggested tools: Google Docs, Wikis, and Dropbox.

Now, I've looked at Google Docs in passing before, or when someone's pointed me towards a document they'd like some input on that's being hosted there. To be honest, I've not seen much use for it for me currently - my role does not often need that sort of mass-input to create single documents, or to share them widely. Same for Dropbox - I've not had much need to put a document somewhere that people can later download it from. If I want to work on a document at home, I can access my computer remotely, or email it to my personal email address. So, neither of these two resources currently do much for me, as my work needs don't call for much in the way of document collaboration..

Wikis, I'm much keener on! I've used wikis in many ways:

One for hosting my Chartership materials and allowing my mentor to access and review them at her leisure.
One that my boss and I use as a Library staff duties handbook, and backup reference resource for supplier contacts and other non-sensitive information.
One for the SLLG Committee, to host core group materials and essential information for the development and running of the groups activities.
One for Bethan Ruddock and I to work privately on our revalidation materials together.
One for public viewing, which replicates the revalidation wiki, with sensitive personal information edited out.

These have all worked well for me, as they were or are being used for more than just working on creating documentation, but actively for discussions, and creating and maintaining a database of relevant information for current and future users.
They're designed to be more long-term and regularly evolving, whereas I see Google Doc and Dropbox as resources that are used while things are in progress (Google Docs) or when complete (Dropbox). Wikis are more useful for regular, ongoing activities, and to hold reference materials, and for these reasons they're more useful resources for me than the other collaborative tools.

Thing 12 - social media and networks

2011-08-15T10:09:00.000+01:00

Ok, Thing 12 is looking at "the role of social media in building up networks and a sense of community." Now, I've got to say, I do love me a good social network. I've been a user of MySpace (back when it was actually cool), then moved on to Bebo, and finally, in the last two or three years, I've settled in to Facebook, and Twitter (with the obligatory LinkedIn presence, but I don't count that as part of my part of my active social network), with a steady background of blogs.

The main benefit that I've gained from social media is using it to help me get to know so many professionals outside my own sphere. Scots law librarians are a small group, and our concerns are specific to the materials and data we have to work with. They can overlap when we work with UK issues, but otherwise, we're focussed on what we need to do to deal with our own needs. Making contact with non-Scots law professionals, and regularly interacting with them has led to me making some great friendships with people who I'd never otherwise have met (and in some cases, I've still to actually get to meet in person). When I've sent out a cry for help for information on some specialist resource, or unusual materials, these contacts have been able to help me out. Without the funding to go to legal information professional events, I couldn't have made those contacts in my sector. And I don't see how, at any other point, I'd have been able to get to know academic or school librarians - our worlds just don't overlap at all in any other way. It's led to me regularly working virtually with Bethan Ruddock on our co-mentoring wiki, and I've only managed to meet her in real life once so far!

I've also benefited from online legal professional friends posting links to materials useful for my work - I often click on legal news links posted by others. They act as a sort of filter: picking up information, assessing it, and passing on the good stuff. In this way, I've found new news sources for my work, and kept myself abreast of the hot topics in various legal sectors - which is helpful, as I never know what I'm going to be asked to investigate next, and having a good general awareness of legal issues puts me one step ahead when I'm asked to research things.

I do try and be careful with my use of social media though - I have certain rules for certain sites. For example, on Facebook, I only allow ex-staff to add me - it's my personal space, and that doesn't overlap with work. I don't share any real identifying data (birthplace, birth date, Uni, workplace, location etc) or any particularly personal things in status updates or comments - it's for light entertainment only. On Twitter, I don't allow workmates to follow me (nor do I follow them), I don't use my real name or the name of the place I work, and if I share any information about what I'm doing (such as an interesting/unusual/frustrating research enquiry) I don't name the person asking, or usually, even their gender. To the outside world, I may well appear to work in an odd place that's staffed entirely by hermaphrodites. This may or may not be an accurate assumption.

I also don't like any particular company to have too much access to my personal data - this is why I won't open a Google+ account (as it would force me to use my real name) and why I immediately deleted Google Wave/Buzz/WhateverItWas when it launched, as it made me use my real name too. I can't forget that Google's an advertising company, and whatever it's giving me for free (an email account, a blog, access to its new toy), I pay for by forfeiting some of my data privacy.

But in general... yeah, social media: I loves it, I does!

Thingee eleventyone - mentals, and mentaling

2011-08-10T12:26:00.000+01:00

It's time to talk about mentals (or mentors, if we're being awffy formal).

I've been mentored a-plenty, both formally and informally, and now I'm even starting to do a little bit of the mentoring stuff myself. So how has it all worked out for me?

The unofficial mentors
In my previous workplace, I worked as part of a team of five staff in an institutional members-only law library, and effectively had a substantial period of apprenticeship to my boss, who spent at least a year supervising the VERY steep learning curve I had to go on. It was mainly her who ended up being the person showing me where things were kept; explaining how those things related to each other; how she'd figured out where an answer might be found for an enquiry we'd received; introducing me to other legal information professionals; and answering the many random and stupid questions I came up with. She also encouraged me to be active in both CILIP, and the group representing Scottish legal information professionals, the Scottish Law Librarians Group. I learned a helluva lot in my years there, mainly through the patient guidance of my boss, and I feel lucky that I had the chance to work in a a great team, with someone who was determined that I should develop professionally, even if that progress meant eventually leaving their team to find new opportunities.

Then, there's my current boss, who's had to take me from working in an institutional law library, to working in a commercial law library. The demands of a commercial law firm are very different to an institutional library, and so there I was on the steep learning curve...again. And once again, I've benefited from having a manager who doesn't regard any of my questions as daft (even when they are), never points out the fact that sometimes I can be mind-numbingly stupid, and gives me the leeway to investigate areas and developments that interest me. This mentoring relationship has been different from my previous one, as my current role involves me working in a different office to my boss, so almost all of our contact is through numerous emails and phone calls. Although stressful at first (this went along the lines of having to suppress the urge to yell "Arghghhgh - stop asking me questions like I'm an expert, on areas I don't know anything about!" when people asked me research questions on topics I'd never even heard of in the five years I'd spent in my previous workplace,) this has actually been beneficial to me, as I can refer back to the emails we have exchanged if I need to, and I've had to develop the skill of outlining issues clearly in writing when trying to discuss any complex research I'm asking her for help on, which has helped when I then have to write a clear and readable response to enquiries from users. And although I'm perfectly capable of doing the research my users ask me to do, knowing that I can phone my boss and just talk things through is a great help - I tend to be able to understand things better once I've chatted to someone about them, it seems to sort things out in my head a bit better! She's totally committed to involvement and improvement in the wider library profession (to the point of taking on an insane workload for herself, on top of her full time job), and she's also unfailingly determined to support me in any professional activity I decide to undertake, and uses our internal appraisal system to integrate activities such as Chartership and Revalidation into my core work objectives. So, all in all, she's pretty handy as a mentor, official or not!

In addition to my workplace mentors, I've recently gained myself a non-employer-related mentor, in the delightful form of Bethan Ruddock, and our work together on a co-mentoring wiki, set up in order to prepare ourselves for Revalidation (public version here). Beth is helping me to track my professional development activities as I go along, rather than the prevous approach of: me doing stuff; me forgetting what I did it; me not reflecting on what I did or didn't gain from it at the time; and me scrabbling about to try and remember what I did, and why.
In return, I'm doing the same for Beth. Despite only having met once for a few hours in a pub (you may begin to see a theme developing here in regards to my professional development activity venues...), we get on well, and are able to gently guide each other in the right direction in regards to creating the evidence to prove that we're proper, Revalidatory professionals :)

The official one
When I decided to begin my Chartership, I begged/bullied/demanded/did sad puppy eyes in order to persuade lmrlib, a fellow law librarian, to do the Mentor training course in order to be my mentor. I felt I needed someone within the same professional sector in order for them to better understand how a Chartership fitted into my role, and already knowing each other meant that I felt we'd be able to work together well. We took a slightly-less-formal-than-may-be-usual approach to our meetings (A.K.A. we met in various pubs after work...well, a girl's gotta eat, right?), but it seemed to work out pretty well for us. We'd work together to set targets for things to be done by me, and dates for them to be done by, go over the materials I'd collated up to that point, and discuss what gaps needed to be filled. As she was a friend, I didn't want to let her down (or discover how truly awful and lazy I really am), so I'd make an extra effort to ensure I was up to date and sorted for our meetings. It also meant I could take any potential criticism a bit less personally, as we could joke about things rather than me thinking a total stranger had judged me, and found me to be a bit rubbish.
That was a pretty successful approach for me!

What did they get from the relationship? And what did I get?
Well, hopefully my bosses have had the benefit of an employee who's been enthusiastic, keen to learn, and perhaps been able to give something useful back to them, in terms of developing new tools or processes in the workplace.
My "official" mentor has had the chance to see if she really wants to be a powerful megalomaniac, imposing her evil will on powerless underlings (judging from how she managed our relationship, that'd be a definite no).
My un-official un-work mentor has had the dubious benefit of me mentoring her, as she mentors me...

For me, I've gained skills, benefited from others experience and knowledge, and have learned various ways of working in order to find one that suits me...yup - having a mentor's great!

Win a book in a bottle

2011-08-09T15:23:00.000+01:00

I like to do crafts in my spare time, and in particular, I like to make mini things. And being a librarian, miniature books are a particular favourite. I cut strips of white paper to size, draw tiny dots and dashes and lines on the paper to represent text sections (it's too small to write actual words), glue these together onto a paper strip spine, write a short title on a front page (I can fit approximately three or four short words onto the front cover), glue the front and back covers on, sand or trim the pages to equal sizes, then finally decorate the spine and front cover corners.

So, what I'm offering to do today is to give away this mini book, called "The History of Apples", which fits within the glass bottle you see it in at the top of this post. The bottle lid has a hole, which means this could be worn as a necklace, added to a keyring...or just kept on a shelf to confuse people.

All you have to do is leave a comment below within the next week, completing the following sentence:

"I want The History of Apples" because..."

The most amusing or ridiculous reply is the one who'll get it!

And...the rest

2011-08-08T15:30:00.000+01:00

Following the Good and the Bad, this is the WTF category. The contents are...interesting.
Some are fun and cool.
Some are twee-as-Hell, and play on the dowdy/boring/cat-loving old woman librarian theme.
Some have gone for the shushing harridan stereotype.
Some are unusual and interesting.

And some, quite frankly, are terrifying.

I leave it up to you to decide which is which. And whether some of them would find a better home on Regretsy.

Shop

And for the Bad...

2011-08-08T14:40:00.000+01:00

So, we've seen the Good - often quite pretty or kinda-cool ladies (nobody had tagged solo male images as "librarian", they only seem to turn up within groups or as part of a couple), doing things to do with books, reading, relaxing...that's fine, I can go with that.

Now, we move on to the Bad (or Sexy Girls). There are two main librarian representation stereotype categories - there's the nice girl, and then there's these: the librarians who are obviously repressed, and are secretly just itching to rip their clothes off/show you their cleavage/stand over a handy airvent to flash their pants/ wear short, high-split skirts and stilettos, stockings and garter belts to work.

You know, the standard stuff that us librarians think about doing while trapped behind those big, nasty issue desks...

Shop

What librarians look like...according to Etsy artists

2011-08-03T14:55:00.000+01:00

Etsy is quite a treasure trove of. handcrafted items, in all sorts of materials. Some are great, some are good, and some are....erm....different. You can find all sorts of things when you search on there. I wondered what this random selection of creative types considered to be a librarian, or to look like one.

As a form of mild amusement, I will present here the results of a recent search I did on Etsy using the word "librarian", which brought up results including this word in their description or tag.. Therefore, the choice of whether this is what a librarian looks like is the makers, not mine. Believe me, I would really prefer that some of this stuff wasn't tagged as being a librarian - I got a reputation to uphold here!

They can be perhaps regarded as being in three categories: The Good (or Cute), The Bad (or Sexy), and The....WTF.
Today, I shall begin with...The Good.

The Good

Shop

Thing 10 - how to get where you're going

2011-08-01T14:53:00.000+01:00

Onwards and upwards: to the how, why, and where of my career so far.

Well, the background of this little library fairytale can be found here and here, as originally written for the Library Routes project. It's a sordid tale of intrigue, smuggling, dark deeds, derring do, and a disturbingly accurate dot matrix printout.*

So that's where I've been...where am I now? Well, I'm still in the law firm library I've been in for the last six years, still enjoying what I do, and gradually accepting that perhaps I am actually a proper professional after all. I have no great and glorious career plans - I think I'm pretty lucky just to be in a role I enjoy (despite my occasional muttered swear words on bad/stressful days), and am happy to continue doing what I do, for as long as I'm allowed to do it.

I'm not a thought leader, profession inspirer, groundbreaking researcher, or any of the exciting things that other people seem to be, or want to be, but I'm content and enjoy my job, and try my best to help others in their work, where I can. Which is, in itself, a pretty good achievement I think.

*At least one of those claims is true.

Thing 9 - Evernote (or Nevernote)

2011-08-01T12:19:00.001+01:00

Now, I have to start by saying that I don't think Evernote's going to have much appeal for me - I'm not a heavy bookmarker of sites for personal use, and my work ones are already organised into folders or subscribed to with RSS feeds. I don't have to use images for my work, and if I see images I like/that inspire me for crafting, I'll do a sketch of what I would make based on that image, but I don't usually need to go back to that image again. I'm not altogether sure that the IT restrictions in my workplace will allow me to download and install it on my pc either, but I'll give it a shot....

Ohhh, it's a big download! 55.7MB, which took over 5 minutes to complete. Now, I don't know if it's just that my pc was playing silly buggers this morning, but that's a looooooong time, and makes me worry that IT are going to tell me off for downloading big stuff!

Ok, it's downloaded....and has spent the last 5 minutes making my computer hang because I asked it to open. I am not feeling very kindly disposed towards this so far!

Right: it opened. And spent 10 minutes "preparing to install" and slowing my computer down to a snails pace before I gave up and tried to cancel it...and which point it panicked and actually started doing stuff.

And....10 minutes later, it seems to have finally finished its messing about, and installed itself! That's 30 mins of my life I'm not going to get back...but at least it did install on my work pc, so if it is useful, then I can access it in the place where I spend a lot of my time.

Now, I need to register myself...ok. Done...time to look around....

Right, I've had a poke around, and I have to say, I really don't see a need for Evernote in my life. I just don't "live" online enough for me to have a need for any of the tools it's offering. I have a notepad of paper and a pen for when I want a note or to-do list (and scoring off an item on a paper list is so much more satisfying than ticking off an online box, or editing text), I don't need to share notes/to-do's/images with anyone else, or be able to access work-related lists when I'm at home, or vice versa. It may well suit others perfectly, but for someone who prefers paper over virtual for most things, it's a non-starter.

Now...how long will it take to un-install?

Update: 5 mins to uninstall. And, the Evernote help screen doesn't work if you search for the word "uninstall", "delete account" or "close account" in the Support Information search. You just get this page. Nice and helpful. So, if anyone does figure out how to close an Evernote account, can you let me know please? I found this on deactivating an account, but that's not the same as deleting it, and I refer to wipe out unused accounts rather than just put them into hibernation.

"This one time, at Library Camp...."

2011-07-27T09:48:00.000+01:00

So yesterday, I was browsing Twitter at lunchtime, and Jo Bo Anderson posted that she was going to something called Library Camp in Birmingham in October, and wondered who else was interested in attending.

The actual content of the day so far is totally vague and woolly, but that also means that no-one is excluded by it being too sector-specific, and I started seeing lots of people I'd love to get to meet in real life post on Twitter that they were signing up to attend. There's no way with most of these people that our paths would ever cross at professional events otherwise, so this seemed like a great chance to get together with a wide range of information professionals from across the country. And it was free! And on a weekend, so there were no clashes with work! And in not-London, so therefore travel and accommodation were reasonably affordable! And there was to be CAKE!

So, in the course of an hour I had signed myself up to attend, booked train tickets, found myself a roomie for the hotel room I booked, reassured my partner that I wouldn't be killed by any of the random people from the internet I'd be meeting, and suggested my boss attend too.

And, amazingly, in less than 24 hours, the whole event has sold out!

The official hash tag is #libcampuk11, if you want to follow discussions about it on Twitter.

Really, I think that one of the major selling points (apart from the chance to network with people across the whole of the profession) was the promise of cake. And as is well known, librarians and cake are a very happy partnership.
To add to the sugar rushes, I'll bring homemade tablet too, if there's space in my stuff.

Also...there will be no flutes.

Reluctantly professional

2011-07-26T15:51:00.000+01:00

I try and pretend I'm not, and keep it well hidden, but actually, I can be quite Grown Up and Professional. So much so that I'm going to be Revalidating my Chartership this year - ohhh, get me, eh?

But...I am not-so-good at saying why I'm fabulous, or keeping up with collating my evidence of professional activity nice and accessible in a voluntary way, so I've got two things that are going to help me with Revalidation. The first is my employers internal appraisal system - as our Library service's work is entirely internally focussed, it's important to be able to demonstrate that we're still maintaining a high standard of professionalism and awareness of activities and developments both in and outside our specialist fields. The appraisal system allows my boss and I to set realistic targets and activities, keep track of them, and update them as progress is achieved. All of which works nicely with the Revalidation process!

And second is teaming up with someone externally, to act as my informal mentor and Glamorous Cheerleader. The lovely Bethan Ruddock and I had been chatting online, and somehow the idea of us having a wiki to work together on to (initially) put our thoughts and writings into some sort of coherent order as good practice developed. We agreed on a wiki provider (PBWiki, my favourite one), and started cobbling together a vague plan for the layout - what were we doing this for / what did we want to get out of it / what had we done up to that point / what were we doing as we went along / what did we need to be doing. Then we started filling it with content (and occasional complaints), and working with each other to refine things.

A month or so into this, it was agreed that Revalidation was now an active appraisal goal for me this year, so suddenly the work on creating and populating the wiki that had just been Quite Useful was now Really Useful, and has continued to be so, as I've focussed my attention on Getting Things Done.

As a professional development tool, it's been working really well for us - I get great feedback on the material I'm producing, help to refine ideas, suggestions on all sorts of stuff, and in return I get to ~~pick on~~...erm....help Beth to organise her activities, focus on what she's doing and why she's doing it, and give feedback on her materials. Also...there may be a system of chocolate gifts for getting things done when they're meant to be ;)

And, since we're such nice, sharing gals, and Revalidation seems to be seen by quite a few people as quite a vague and woolly concept, we decided to create a publicly viewable version of our wiki, in the hope that it'll maybe inspire people, and show that Revalidation's not a Terrible Thing...especially not if you have a buddy to cheer you on in doing it. Of course, we removed any swear words or attached/sensitive documentation (it's like Vegas - what happens on the wiki, stays on the wiki...)

So here it is, CPD For Manatees (so named by Beth because I am still firmly of the belief that the Chartering process involves a Manatee being overseen by a Mental).

It will be updated alongside our private wiki, so you can see how things come together...hopefully! And if you're considering Chartership or Revalidation, I'd definitely recommend this as either a formal or informal mentoring tool - leave a comment or email me directly if you'd like to discuss anything about what Beth and I have been doing.

Calendar juggling - Thing 8

2011-07-25T10:57:00.000+01:00

Righty, we're on to organising tools then, and this one is Google Calendar.

Now I have to say, I'm not going to be doing this Thing, for various reasons. Mainly, I don't really have a need for it in my life.

Work
I have a personal work calendar, as does my boss. We can both access each others calendars when needed, and see what each person is up to - this is useful if my boss is unavailable and people want to check with me whether they could schedule a meeting with her, or when she has a gap in her day. Our calendars allow us to easily book meeting rooms in our firm, and keep track of events and plans.
This is the only calendar I have any need to share the information on with anyone, and this is already possible.

We also don't need to publicise anything to our users: we're here during core service hours, and sometimes beyond, and if either one of us is not at their desk (holidays etc) we put up signs on our monitors, put on out of office emails, and generally make it clear that the other member of staff will deal with enquiries at that time.

Personal
My brother at one point tried to schedule my trip with him around New Zealand using Google Calendar. We quickly gave up, as I was never in a Google account to see his changes, so he'd have to email me on my normal email to tell me to log in to another email account to look at something he could have just told me by email in the first place....if you don't use Google as your email service provider, it's just a hassle rather than a help.
For other personal planning, I use the calendar in my phone, and a paper version, although I've not used that much in the last year. I need to get back into that habit, as when my current phone gets replaced, my last two years of activity will get vaporised - not good if I'm trying to keep track of what talks I've been to, what events I've attended, and use these for my Revalidation submission!

Other reasons
I tend not to want to trust to much of my online life to any one service (for good reason), so I try and keep things reasonably separate. Since I have multiple email accounts, and multiple Gmail/Google accounts (work-related or personal ones), then for this to be useful for me I would have to be consistently using just one single account, and be logged into it at all times. And that's not going to happen. So for now, Google Calendar isn't a tool I feel I need.

Thing numero seveno - professional networky stuff

2011-07-22T12:16:00.000+01:00

So, for this Thing, I'm looking at my professional networks and organisations.

CILIP / CILIPS
I was never a student member, and only joined in the first place because 1) my employer paid the fees, and 2) my line manager at that time was heavily involved in the Scottish branch. The same pretty much applies now as the reasons for me maintaining my membership! Oh, and also because I'm Chartered now, and if you leave CILIP, you lose the Charter (which is fair enough - there's no point having a qualification that shows your commitment to your own and others professional development if there's no-one checking you're doing what you say you're doing) .

What do I get from CILIP/CILIPS? Well, currently, not much. As a Chartership candidate, I attended a session on the process, and I've attended occasional events organised by CILIP, where I could squidge them to kind-of fit with my internal Appraisal goals. I get the CILIP info email on library related news, but as my job involves keeping up to date on most news, I've usually already read the articles that are linked to by the time it comes in, and the journal is almost always of no interest to me, as it's seems to be just about public and academic libraries. I know they do lots of good things, but none of them are currently of any real use to me. I think the lack of relevance of CILIP for me at the moment is because I work in a specialised sector, and other groups already fill the role for me that CILIP seem to do for public and academic librarians.

However, I'm planning to register as a Mentor for Chartership candidates soon, so by being involved in that process I may feel that I'm both more useful to CILIP, and that they are to me. As Loopy says, CILIP's one of those things that you get back what you put in. For me, I've mainly not been putting anything in with CILIP.

BIALL
BIALL (British and Irish Association of Law Librarians) is an excellent and very active group. I'm a member because my workplace pays for my professional fees, which is great, as it allows me access to the Journal of Legal Information Management (lots of articles relevant to legal information professionals), the newsletter (updates on BIALL and supplier activities), salary surveys (great to pass to Higher Ups, to show where your salary sits when compared to other professionals with similar responsibilities and experience), and there's also an email list. The email list does often seem to be the backup plan for people posting initially on lis-law, in order to try and get as many responses as possible to queries, rather than the first port of call, but this is probably because not all legal information professionals are BIALL members. Finance issues mean I've not been able to attend a conference since 2008, but when I have been able to attend, the conferences have been informative, fun, and given me a great chance to make contacts outside the Scots law field, and to put names to the faces of the people whose names I've seen around the internet.

Hopefully, I might be able to attend the next conference...or is it my boss' turn? I may have to suggest a game of Stone, Paper, Scissors to settle matters...

SLLG
The SLLG (Scottish Law Librarians Group) group is, for me, the most useful of the professional groups that I'm a member of. Plus, I'm on the Committee, so I have no choice but to be heavily involved*! Again, my employer pays my memberships fees for this group, but seeing as it's only £15, I would be a member of this group regardless of who paid the fees.
It's aimed at trying to fill the need for legal-sector specific training for information professionals in Scotland, has a quarterly newsletter, a members email list, and additional regular social events to encourage face-to-face meetings. Which is lovely - letting you put a face to a name....as long as you're better than me, and can remember which face goes with which name. This is not my strong point! Name badges are often my salvation.
Since it's a small group, it feels quite friendly and approachable, and the email list allows members to ask each other for help on topics which may be specific only to Scots law.

Side Points
According to a Twitter post from CILIP Info earlier this week, my CILIP membership also means I'm a member of IFLA. I had no idea! I think I'm also a member of some CILIP Special Interest groups, but they can't have made a big impact on me, as I can't remember which ones they are!

What Do I Get From It?
So, those are my "formal" professional groups, and I definitely get different things from the membership of each one. I suppose it just shows that no professional group can ever be able to do "everything".

I'm quite happy to be a member of all of these, although my involvement level varies significantly between none with BIALL, some (and soon to be increasing) with CILIP, and total with SLLG. I also see that, as I have progressed in my career, I've become more involved in the organisations I feel I can be useful in: first, with the SLLG, and now also with CILIP as a Mentor.

It's also meant that my CV, which might otherwise just have shown very little other than the work I do in my firm, could now show me with extra professional qualifications (yay for gaining extra bits of the alphabet after my name!), the skills to organise training events, lots of great contacts throughout the legal and general information profession, and a commitment to helping others develop the skills they need to progress in their careers. Quite a change from "I do this at my desk all day" I think.

*Also, I'm therefore contractually obliged to report that it is The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread. And actually, I do pretty much think that. Apart from the fact that we don't usually have any home baking activities in the SLLG. Yet.

Edinburgh New Town plans

2011-07-21T22:24:00.000+01:00

The excellent Edinburgh Blogger has posted about the fact that the original plans for Edinburgh's New Town will be returned to display (under special conditions) in the Museum of Edinburgh.

Now, for a girl who often functions as an unofficial tour guide for any friends or acquaintances visiting Edinburgh, I thought I knew quite a lot about my adopted home town. Who the King, Queen and Princes are that the New Town plan is based around. Where the remnants of the old city walls can be found. Where John Knox's grave is. Why students rub the toe of the statue outside the High Court of Justiciary before exams. Why people spit on the Heart of Midlothian. Where Deacon Brodies workshop is (and the name of the literary character he inspired). Where the most active poltergeist is. What building a mummified cat was found inside the walls of during renovations. Where Jacobs Ladder can be found...

But I didn't know about the Museum of Edinburgh.
I've walked past that building so many times, yet I never knew it was a museum! Right, that's it, I've got to go investigating!

Spot the stereotype

2011-07-20T12:16:00.013+01:00

So, Channel 5 have got a new TV show (originally a Japanese game show, and then an MTV show) called Silent Library.

Can you guess what elements are involved?

Sexy-but-prim female Librarian: glasses, hair in a bun, in both human and cartoon form?

Check

Librarian standing behind an issue desk, piles of books around her?

Check

Irritated librarian shhhh-ing people in the library when they make noise?

Check

Large "Silence Please" sign?

Check

Librarian aggressively using stamp and ink pad?

Check

My, what an exciting and novel idea they have here...not.

The Production team had a similarly inspired approach to asking for contestants

"Do you think libraries are dull? Can you suppress your laughter and hold your nerve whilst all those around you are losing theirs? Do you want to win up to £2000 in cash? We are currently producing a new TV series for Channel 5 based on a cult Japanese game show. We are looking for fearless, game for a laugh, up-for-it teams of six mates for a TV challenge like no other... Do you think you can avoid cracking up in the face of physically challenging, irresistibly silly pranks in the one place where the universal rule of SILENCE applies - a library?"

The one place with a universal rule of silence, eh? They've obviously not set foot in a library for a long time then!
I can think of other silent places, with a similar response of "official disapproval" when too much noise is made...why aren't they trying this format in a monastery? A church? A temple?
Oh wait: no chance to show an obviously-must-be-a-bit-repressed-but-she's-still-sexy female librarian for those places, eh?

I can understand this show being acceptable in Japan (gameshows there are notoriously sexist), or even on MTV (not exactly known for its highbrow programming), but what made Channel 5 think this'd be a wonderful show here?

Perhaps we should campaign to Channel Five for some equally patronising programme for other stereotypes... anyone want to make any suggestions?

The confusion of the Public Data Corporation

2011-07-19T08:36:00.002+01:00

This press release was posted by the Land Registry yesterday, and it's left me a bit confused.

What are these Public Data Organisations (PDOs) the Government is creating? I had never heard mention of these before.
The Met Office, Ordnance Survey, and Land Register are moving into this PDO? Why?
The Land Registry was part of the Ministry of Justice? Really?
The Land Registry will be part of the Department for Business, Innovations and Skills - that seems like an odd combination.
Why are there no links to any of the supporting materials mentioned in the press release. The "previous work on the Feasibility Study"? The "findings reported to ministers"?
Why was this not announced earlier than on the day it actually happened?
Why is the enabling legislation coming into force after the change happens - why was it not made and in force in advance of this move?

So...the moneymaking Government departments are being hived off into a mysterious body called a PDO, which there are no links to the justification for, there's no information on what it will do, and a consultation will happen "in the summer" (we're halfway through it now, so they'd better move fast!) which will establish "membership, structure, and commercial strategy" based on the consultation, "later this year"...this just seems a bit chaotic, vague, and thrown together!

And these new PDOs.. they sound like they're all going to be commercial enterprises, to exploit the data the Government agencies produce...what does this mean for the public trying to access this data?

Anyone know more about this stuff?

Digging about in the library

2011-07-18T16:08:00.000+01:00

Libraries are great places to dig about to find unusual items...and even more fun is doing it using the European Digital Library (Europeana). There's information on all sorts of interesting things held in libraries, museums and archives all over Europe to be found on there.

I decided to go on an online animal-themed hunt: after all, animals (apart from the obligatory Library Cat, or occasional dog) are not generally encourage in libraries.

So, you can find this mongoose in Sweden, this Canadian octopus in the UK, this frog in Italy, a confused sloth in the UK, a deevloping axolotl in Italy, an aye-aye in the UK, a marmoset in Romania, and a miraculous quail in Shrewsbury.

And of course, some African wild ass, which is actually found in the Netherlands.

What's the oddest thing you can find on there, animal or otherwise?

Dumpling in a maker?

2011-07-18T14:26:00.000+01:00

So, I'm a dumpling in a hanky....

Perhaps, with the help of Lidls fine offer on Thursday, I should convert to being a dumpling in a maker? Apparently, they're actually multifunctional strange-plastic-devices. Not only do they do dumplings, but they're handy for ravioli too.

Spinach and ricotta filling for my ravioli, please.

Ta!

Thing 6, online networks, and how I'm using them (or not)

2011-07-18T11:11:00.000+01:00

Okaaaaaaaaaaay, Thing 6 is it then!

Of the various networks suggested, I'm a member of Facebook, LinkedIn, LISPN, and CILIP Communities...please note though, that there's a big difference between me being a member, and me actually participating in all of these!

I have to confess up front, that I don't ever actually go onto either LISPN or CILIP Communites.

LISPN I signed up to when it was first launched, as I wanted to help build the momentum to get it going, and be involved, but it moved way past me needing to be there as an encouraging body long ago! Also, it's not really a network that I feel I need to be actively involved in at this point - I feel I'm at a stage in my career where I'm experienced, established in my role, and happily settled in my workplace. This means I'm not greatly in need of the resources available there, which are more suited to those moving to/from library school, first/second/third jobs/contracts, and trying to establish professional networks and contacts. The "new" part is perhaps something I've moved beyond.

Oh lordy: I'm old.

CILIP Communities is also not something that it ever occurs to me to visit - I know that there are interesting discussions going on over there at times, but I only find that out when links to them are posted on Twitter by other info professionals. I find it quite hard to navigate, and I don't like having to be "me", rather than the semi-anonymous me I can be here and elsewhere.

Facebook, I'm pretty much solely personal on there. I don't allow current workmates to add me (apart from my boss, but that's because we have more of a Friendship With Occasional Line Manager Aspects When Needed relationship than a Strict Boss Supervising Daft Minion At All Times While Using Stern Face thing going on), other than a few of the people in work I am closest to, and am happy to let them see me personal life. I don't talk about my work on Facebook, or any of the people there. In fact on Facebook I don't list: my full name; my date of birth/age; my place of birth/hometown; any of my educational history; my employer; what city I live in; my relationship status etc...basically, I give FB as little as I can get away with. I also never post anything serious about me or my life on Facebook: I post (hopefully) amusing status updates, and comment on other peoples stuff in a lighthearted way. This is my entirely personal and unprofessional world.

I do allow people to add me on FB that I have got to know through other means - friends who I met via this blog, or Twitter, mainly. They are the people I feel know me, and that I'm comfortable with having access to my photos, silly status updates etc. Many of the people I've added in this way are also professional contacts on other networks like Twitter, so there's an element of "I first knew them elsewhere, but I like them enough to let them see how I really am" ;)

The other extreme of this is LinkedIn. This is the only place, anywhere where I am purely "grown up, work me". My employer, job title, responsibilities, work and educational history and professional groups membership/activities are all listed there. I am connected to workmates throughout my firm, from all different departments, and I have connections in all sorts of professional fields.

My LinkedIn profile does link to this blog, which I quite often swither about - this is quite an informal blog, but my LinkedIn profile is quite formal. Do I want workmates following that link and seeing how daft some of my posts are? Do I want them knowing I have this blog at all? I don't say anything terrible about my work or workmates, but will they assume any oblique references are about them? Currently, I've gone with "well, most other professional contacts can read this, so workmates should be fine", but I'm frequently considering whether to de-link this blog from there - is it a good or a bad reflection on my "purely professional" LinkedIn profile to have this semi-professional blog associated? Is it better to give an idea of the real me from a link to this blog, or leave it as plain and professional?

Hmmmm.

But, despite having joined a couple of years ago, my profile LinkedIn still isn't fully complete: I don't have a photo. Photos - yuck! I don't have many "proper, grown up" me photos, and it's not like I can use the "official" work photo - that's 6 years old, and I look a tad different now. I'm still debating with myself whether I ever want one on there, because, to be honest, I only have a LinkedIn page because I feel like I should have somewhere that the Professional Version Of Dumpling could be found. I'm not looking to move employer, I don't need a professional recommendation, I don't use it to advertise my expertise, I don't use the groups (other than joining them, and then forgetting they exist), or ever contact anyone through it for help in something they're expert in. If I wanted my friends help (which is what most of my non-workplace contacts are), I'd just ask them directly. It's not really much use for me, to be honest.

So - I'd say LinkedIn is definitely the place that I'm still most unsure about how to best "be" on there, but otherwise, I hope the division between entirely professional (LinkedIn), semi-professional/personal (Twitter) or entirely personal (Facebook) networks is clear enough for people to see.

Dumpling does a drawing #4

2011-07-15T12:23:00.000+01:00

The "head slumped onto looseleaf binder, while carefully avoiding impaling face on spine spikes" pose is standard when looseleafing.

Looseleafing.
A word to strike fear into the heart of even the very bravest of librarians.
An activity designed to shatter any illusions a librarian previously may have held about there being order and sense in the world.
The thing we do when we want reminded of the shortness and utter futility of human life.

Thing 5 - mirror, mirror

2011-07-15T08:00:00.011+01:00

For Thing 5, we've to reflect: on what we did, what we learned, and what we can take forward from it.

So...what have I learned so far?

To be honest...not a huge amount, yet. As an active blogger, Tweeter, and user of RSS feeds, the only thing new to me that the programme has thrown up so far is Pushnote, which I decided not to trial for the reasons I stated before.

Is this a bad thing though?
No - every new activity needs to build up its participants from basics, and I knew when I signed up that the early stages were unlikely to provide anything new for me. It's the later Things that I expect will be more relevant to me, so this will still develop into an interesting activity to be a part of.

Although I have noticed that I've already slipped back into "minimal commenting" mode again - after the second cdps23 post, which encouraged comments on posts, I've not really been posting many comments. This is probably because I don't really have time to do much more than skim through them in my feed reader during breaks - it's only posts that really catch my eye that make me click through to the actual blog in order to make a comment. But that's fine with me - I've now got more interesting library feeds in my reader than I did before this, and they're a manageable amount for me.

But, how am I at being reflective anyway?

Although the material from it doesn't appear here, I do already take part in my employers appraisal system...this involves identifying me and my service's development needs, deciding how to meet them, and providing regular updates on my progress towards those goals. This system supported and helped me to manage my activities when compiling my Portfolio for my Chartership submission, and is also helping me as I work towards Revalidation. The need to identify issues, act on them, and produce supporting documentation on the outcome (including any problems) mean I'm constantly assessing where I am, where I should be, and how I'll get to where I should be .

I'm also working with Bethan Ruddock on a wiki we set up to allow us to informally mentor each other (for Revalidation for me, and eventual-Chartership for her), and help manage our professional activities....and make sure we manage to schedule in time to reflect on what we're doing professionally (or not doing!), why we're doing it, and we write up the evidence of the process soon after we do it. Working like this also allows the other wiki participant to give suggestions and feedback, which can be incorporated into further professional activities and materials.

So, I feel like I've got both a formal, employer-based system that encourages me to reflect in order to provide evidence of participation in that system, and an informal, voluntary system that does the same.

And with the informal system, I get chocolate when I've been a good girl ;)

The original Kindle

2011-07-13T11:34:00.007+01:00

The original Kindle

Christies sold this travelling bookcase back in 2000: the Kindle of its day, allowing the secure transport of multiple, valuable books in the 17th Century.
And it sold for under estimate too...a snip at only $47,000.

Via Bookshelf

What Dumpling Learned Today, #3

2011-07-13T11:31:00.000+01:00

Bareboat charter and bottomry bonds are both terms relating to ships, not dodgy “adult” films.

Dumpling does a drawing #3

2011-07-13T10:17:00.003+01:00

Poor thing.

Old books can be delicate. Their bindings get dry, their pages become fragile...they need treated with a little care and respect, if they're to have a chance of surviving for another hundred years.

So what do they get? Post-it attacks, bent covers, and broken spines.

Securing EuroMillions

2011-07-12T14:37:00.000+01:00

Methinks the Scottish Government have got themselves a bit mixed up here., with this "Bid to secure Euro millions" thing

In order to "secure Euro millions", you need to buy a Euromillions ticket. And, of course, there's no guarantee they'd be a winner...it's a lottery, after all....

What Dumpling Learned Today, #2

2011-07-12T13:18:00.000+01:00

Runrig isn't just a "Scottish Celtic rock" band.*

*Dumpling did actually know this before, but she regularly forgets. Dumpling thinks it's some form of self preservation against terrifying music.

More mysterious book sculptures in Edinburgh libraries

2011-07-11T14:11:00.000+01:00

Another one in the mysterious series of art books has turned up, this time in the form of a dragon in an egg, nestled into a copy of Ian Rankins Knots and Crosses.

I love it, the dragon looks amazing...but I'm a bit concerned that staff are said to be "devouring Rankin's Knots and Crosses".
Surely that can't be good for the digestion?

The phantom law librarian

2011-07-11T13:50:00.000+01:00

*checks mirror quickly*
Yes, I'm definitely here. I exist, I have a reflection (and am therefore also not a vampire, which is reassuring), but it seems I am actually a phantom.
An invisible law librarian.
If you look for me, I am not there. Search my employers website - I don't exist.
And I'm not alone.

Look on the websites of law firms...I know those other law librarians are out there: fee earning, creating bulletins, researching for clients...so where are they? They're not on the online staff lists, there's no images of law firm librarians looking dazzlingly smart and intelligent while leaning against the shelves of books that they've carefully sourced and selected for their Library (a favoured pose for lawyers in corporate photos: books = smart, apparently).
But we're just as essential to the health of the firm as any other members of staff, who get a shiny profile and "look how fab and experienced our staff are" blurb on the website.

So...why are we hidden away by our employers? Do they think that by admitting that they have employed experienced professionals to deal with specialised information, that they're weaker than their competitors in some way? Surely it's a great selling point to clients, to be able to say that they have people dedicated purely to finding the answers needed for all the questions that could arise?

Or do we suffer from the same problem as all other librarians: once we've handed over the work that we've done, it's immediately forgotten that it was us that did it? That case/report/book/database just magically appeared when it was needed....

The phantom law librarians, pale ghosts in the law firm machine?

The fourth thing....eventually.

2011-07-11T11:49:00.001+01:00

Ok, I'm late, but I was on holiday last week - I reserve the right to pay not the slightest bit of attention to work-type things while I'm meant to be relaxing. Or in this case, painting, birthday attending, painting, sanding, painting, cleaning, painting, carpet shampooing, painting, and home-for-sale-listing.
I was a bit busy.

So, Twitter, RSS feeds and Pushnote, eh?

Twitter
I think I've pretty much got a good grip on Twitter - I've been on there 4 years or so, and have built up some good relationships through meeting people on it. From the start, my account has been a protected one, so only those who I approve can read what I tweet, and I don't use my real name, or identify my employer. I did this deliberately - I don't want the personal account that I created (where I am very informal, and more "personal" than anywhere other than Facebook) to be linked to my workplace. I like to have a slight disconnect from my work life: you can find this blog from my Twitter bio, but not the other way around, so you can't find me professionally (here) and then try and know me personally (Twitter).

This means the people I have a relationship with on Twitter are those I feel I can trust, and I can get on well with.

So, when I get follow requests, I go look at their profile, and assess a few things:

Do they have a picture?

No picture, they're just a faceless blob/egg? Marked down!

Have they filled out their bio?

Have they given me some sort of information to say who they are/what they like/if it's a work or personal account?

Do we share contacts?

If we have mutual contacts, I'm far more likely to allow a follow request, as they've effectively been vetted by others first.

Do they actually tweet?

Twitter's a social tool. If the requester's only posted 3 tweets in a week, how am I meant to develop any sort of interaction and relationship with them? If I'm not online when they tweeted those occasional tweets, I'm never going to get the chance to start to chat to them.

Do they have a sense of humour?

I talk a lot of nonsense on Twitter. If people want to follow me, they can't be too serious, or they'll end up unfollowing me in irritation at my waffling, and then I'll find out weeks later when I do my occasional check if I've been unfollowed (no point in talking to people that you don't realise can no longer read what you're saying), and I have to unfollow them. Easier to save all that effort by just rejecting the initial request.

Twitter's excellent for me in terms of picking up information: I immediately know the top news and political topics, I follow various useful local information accounts, and I have asked for (and got) some excellent help when needed...but it's not where I go for my professional and in-depth information. For that, I use RSS feeds.

RSS Feeds

I've been using RSS feeds for a few years now, and I pretty much spend a large amount of my day working with them. I currently use Google Reader, after the demise (and too-late rebirth) of Bloglines. I currently have 76 work-related feeds, 40 library feeds (with more library feeds in a second, non-work RSS reader account). Monitoring and using the information from the work feeds takes up a large amount of my work time, as this information forms the basis of our internal Current Awareness service, a supplement to those provided by the subscription services we purchase. After my week off, my unread items count is sitting at 1000+ (Greader stops listing at 1000, so I have no idea how many actual unread items there are above that), so keeping on top of them is a demanding task.

The feeds are split into Government (a priority to deal with), Legal (second priority - covers Law Society news, legal reporting and discussions etc), Intellectual Property, and Library. Library feeds are read only in bursts, or in breaks - the work items come first. That's also why I moved some Library feeds into a personal Greader account that I use at home...but by the end of a day wrangling feeds, I don't tend to want to look at more at home, so I've started shifting these back to my work Greader account.

I am always looking to find new, useful and reliable source feeds to add to my RSS subscriptions, but I also have to be careful about how I manage them. When I do manage to get it down to zero unread items, within minutes a new item will have appeared, so the temptation to sit and do RSS feed material non-stop to keep the unread items count clear is strong. I have to make sure I don't spend all my time dealing with the constant influx of information there, and ignore it once I've done a certain amount in the morning, and again in the afternoon. In this case, there's no option for me to "mark all as read" (which I do in my personal Greader when they get overwhelming) - I must check all these feeds for relevant information.

RSS feeds are great...as long as you remember not to let them overwhelm you!

Pushnote

To be honest, I'm not even going to look at Pushnote in any detail, it just doesn't have any appeal for me. I'm not a big "work related" websites sharer: perhaps this is a tool more suited to an academic library environment, rather than a commercial one, where the emphasis is on getting things done fast rather than sharing reading material.

I also don't like the idea that Pushnote could share my comments via my feed on Twitter or Facebook. If I occasionally post a link in Twitter or Facebook, it's usually for light entertainment. I don't look at the Shared items option in Google Reader, and I get irritated when other users start bombarding Twitter with their shared items. If I want to know what things and webpages other people like, I'll go looking, or ask them - I object to others choices being foisted onto me, and have unfollowed people on Twitter who did that, so I sure as hell ain't going to start "pushing" my recommendations on anyone else.
I've also read that it's hard to get your account deleted or removed, so for someone who likes to shut down unused accounts, this does not inspire confidence or trust in me. So sorry, but no ta!

Bring your own badge

2011-07-01T15:27:00.000+01:00

There is a little part of me that hopes that, after appointment to this post, the new job holder is taken aside for a private moment, when they are quietly presented with a shiny, star shaped badge, and told to keep it safe....

It's a Charter, or nothing, apparently

2011-07-01T12:43:00.000+01:00

A friend of mine* recently saw a advert for an interesting library post. She's always open to trying new things, and she wondered if it was worth her applying...she ticked a lot of the boxes for the skills that they wanted, and was willing to learn whatever new skills were were needed for the role - she's done it before.

But then she saw the fateful words..."Chartership essential".

Now, she's worked in various libraries, including special libraries, and Charterships are not particularly recognised or often supported in these sectors, so it's not something she currently holds. But she is a professional, qualified librarian with a wide range of experience, an involvement and interest in the wider profession, and an enthusiasm and willingness to learn, and gain Chartership if a role requires it.

So she decided to phone up and enquire if they were flexible on the Chartership aspect, before possibly wasting her time filling in an application.

Apparently, if she doesn't have a Chartership, they wouldn't even look at her application! It didn't matter what her other skills or qualification were - it was a Charter, or nothing.

So, what happens if no-one with a charter applies, she enquired?

If they didn't receive an application from a Chartered candidate, they would just readvertise until they found one.

Now to me, this is a very odd, and bizarrely shortsighted approach to recruitment.

I can understand why those recruiting for certain senior positions would like to be able to say the candidate would have to be committed to high levels of professionalism in both themselves and their staff, and that the Charter is a mark of this.

But, if your personal situation means you haven't have the chance to Charter, is it fair to exclude those applicants on the basis of a qualification that is entirely optional within the profession?

What if you were Chartered, had a career break (leaving CILIP and also therefore losing your Charter), then came back to work...seems like you wouldn't get a look in for this job.

If you want to move from a sector where Charterships aren't valued into a new sector, you wouldn't even be looked at twice in this case. That's not doing much for mobility between areas is it?

And what if your Charter was gained 20 years ago, and you've done nothing since, such as Revalidate. Is the person with an old Charter really better that the person without, but with the willingness to learn and gain one?

Is this a case of the requirement for an applicant to hold a Chartership (no matter what) blinding management to the skills of those without a Charter, or is it just some very odd people approaching recruitment very strangely?

* - Not a convoluted way of saying it was me, and trying to pretend it wasn't, honestly. This really did happen to a friend of mine. And it's true, I do actually have friends!

(Mock) trials and tribulations

2011-06-30T09:51:00.003+01:00

The mock trial, something more commonly seen in University law schools, is popping up in Scotlands primary schools, with real court practitioners involved.

I like this. I know that, as an adult, the day I went into a court when I went for jury duty was the first time I'd ever been in a working court, despite having worked in the Scottish Courts complex in Edinburgh for years (we're not counting the time when lots of staff in the court complex downed tools and shuffled in to watch Jack McConnell being sworn in as First Minister) .

I didn't know what the court would look like: I was surprised by how modern it was (not like the ones I'd looked through the door windows of at the court complex) . I had a vague idea of who would/should be there, but nothing more than that. I don't work with criminal law, so had only the vaguest of ideas about how things worked in such cases.

Question - has anyone reading this ever visited a court, unless required to for jury duty? If you have, was it what you expected? Did you feel you knew what was going on, and what the dos and don'ts were?

No need to confess your criminal convictions though ;)

Dumpling does a drawing #2

2011-06-29T09:53:00.001+01:00

Meg mentioned in a comment on my previous drawing that I'd missed a couple of the other ways lawyers utilise expensive law books...so I've created an additional drawing to illustrate one of the other favoured approaches....

Problematic when pots leak

Old Legal 500's: great for putting plants on (or increasing the height of your monitor).

What time is it? It's lawyer time!

2011-06-29T09:37:00.001+01:00

Want to see how much you could burn during a meeting or conference call with your lawyers?

Well, now's your chance, with the LawyerClock :)

Start it up, and watch the dollars and cents burn away....

Dumpling does a drawing

2011-06-29T09:03:00.000+01:00

I wonder how many other law librarians will find this situation familiar.

Lawyers and books

It's the one where you ask someone where the book signed out by them is, and they strenuously deny all knowledge of it...or even the existence of such a thing as a book...while surrounded by the things.

P.S. Dumpling is not very good at art.

Art books...literally.

2011-06-28T13:16:00.000+01:00

I love this story!

A link to a famous thriller and crime writer, mysterious pieces of book-based artwork turning up in libraries and cultural venues around the city, use of Twitter usernames on gift tags to show the maker is familiar with social media...

I hope they manage to display them all together - as a bit of a crafter myself, I do like to see what creative things people can do with old books. :)

Thing 3 - My brand (or lack of it)

2011-06-27T11:14:00.000+01:00

So, it's time to think about my personal brand, it would appear. Well, I think I can quite clearly and definitely say that my professional brand is hugely muddled, and I've added to that confusion by recently changing my blog name! Who am I? Where am I? Where's my blog gone? Why did I choose such a silly name?

Although if we were talking about my non-professional brand, I'm pretty consistent with what I do there. If you know my usual online username, you'll find me all over the web quite easily. And, as I'm the only person who uses my username (or at least I have been for the last 10 years or so), if you find me out there, it will be me. Of the first 20 Google search results, 18 are about me. This may even potentially be higher, but my account is protected on certain services, and so won't be indexed by Google. And I'm pretty good at closing down accounts with services I no longer use, so they're also usually active accounts, or those in limbo before they're deleted.

So, I think I've got a pretty successful non-professional brand! Luckily, I'm not the sort of person who puts dodgy stuff onto the internet (well, not unless it's been a particularly drunken evening), so even if an external professional found my personal activities, none of it would reflect badly on me.

As for my professional brand? Well, I like to think of myself as a "professhunul" - I'm professional, when the situation calls for it, but mostly, I'm quite laid back, childish, and find it easier to meander about the grown-up issues. The style and tone of the content I write for my blog is echoing the way I communicate with friends or fellow professionals in person...I can do formal if I need to, I just don't feel it's necessarily always the best way to communicate. I'm not an academic, I'm not talking about academic things...in fact, on here, I'm quite often talking about silly things, so I'm happy with my silly/ light tone.

I also like to be mostly-anonymous in my professional online persona. Although it's pretty straightforward to find out who I am if you're that way inclined, I like the one-step-removedness of being not-quite-me. My (shhh, don't tell anyone, but I do actually do them) professional activities can easily be found via a Google search for my real name (and throwing in the word "library", as I apparently share my name with an actress - I promise, those IMDB entries ain't me!), and 9 out of 10 of the first hits are for the Real Me, so when I de-cloak the stealth mode, I can be quite visible. If I want to be!

As for my image/photograph...hmmm...that's another place where I like to be semi-anonymous. I don't use a photo of my current self as an avatar, but I do use a younger version of me, with a few odd amendments. I also use the photo of books that I use on this blog - that even removes the hint of my gender. When I post photos of myself on anywhere "open", they last a few hours to a day before I remove them - I know they're still available in the nooks and crannies of the magical interweb, but they're not sitting Right There any more. Other photos I will post on Flickr, and restrict them only to a "friends and family" group. I am getting slightly more relaxed about photos, but not quite to the extent yet of allowing a photo of my normal self to be linked to my online presence....not even on LinkedIn!

As for LinkedIn itself., I don't really "get" it - I'm there because it's like a shop window for my professional self (in fact, it's the only place where you'll see the Fully Professional version of me), but as I'm not looking for new roles, and I'm happily building my network through other sources (in fact, a lot of my contacts on LinkedIn I've met virtually elsewhere), I just use it to throw information at. It's only there that you'll find my job history, current role and responsibilities, professional groups I'm involved with, training I've organised or attended...LinkedIn is the only place my real name, my real employer, and my real activities go together. I've even put a link on it to this blog...which I suppose makes this blog more formal.

Ohhh hell, I have no idea what I'm doing. Can you tell?

cpd23 - Thing 2

2011-06-22T14:40:00.000+01:00

I've been blog hopping!

Using the cpd23 Delicious bookmarks, I've been having a wander around some participants blogs. I feel I already know certain bloggers reasonably well, so after a wander round their blogs, and some commenting, I branched out into other blogs....the blogs of STRANGERS! I joined in on an interesting discussion in the comments of Libraries, the Universe and Everything, about what number of RSS feeds people feel is reasonable. Some people are certainly able to deal with a lot more feeds than me, although I suppose it's also not just the number of feeds, but the activity levels of each of those feeds that may be a factor in how many is "too many".

I have to admit though, I kind of lost track of where I had been, as I would click on the link of a blog commenter, then comment and follow a link to another comment on their blog...and forget to click the "send emails of following comments" option. D'oh!

I also learned that finding the blogs of commenters on other peoples blog posts isn't always straightforward - I've never seen a Gravatar, or clicked on one before, so when I saw someone commenting here using one, it took me a few clicks to work out where their blog was! It also led me to using Google Translate to read the blog linked to, whereas before I would just have clicked away.

I quite liked this commenting Thing - when I come across a blog I like, unless I already have some sort of "relationship" with the blogger (eg via Twitter), I quite often I don't comment as it feels like I may be pushing myself unwantedly into a private conversation (yup, I'd be the one at the party worried about talking to strangers, in case the strangers think I'm a fool), but knowing that cdp23 participants are actively wanting to comment and have their posts commented on fells more like I've been "invited".

cpd23 Week One - Blogging

2011-06-21T15:35:00.001+01:00

So, week one of cpd23 begins, and participants are asked to set up a blog, if they don't already have one. Well, I've had this blog (in it's previous incarnation as "Jennie Law" for four years, so I think I'm good for the "setting up and getting used to blogging" part of Thing One :)

I set this blog up originally as just somewhere to share the interesting things I found around the internet, with no real expectation of many others finding or reading it (and hence very little thought about a good name). At the time, there were only one or two other law librarians that I knew of blogging, so it didn't seem like it would be something long term, but for that moment, it felt good to be able to share some random thoughts with other law librarians, and to be able to learn from their blogs. I've stuck with it, despite a few periods of thinking "I've got nothing to say!" (and then finding a month or so later that I suddenly had a flood of things to say), and now that I'm able to contrast it against other methods of sharing thoughts like Twitter, I'm appreciating more the ability it gives me to expand on ideas though masses of words, meandering as they may be! And the interaction that comes through comments being left here for me, and me going off and commenting elsewhere.

Next up...so, why am I taking part in cpd23?

Well, I work in a law firm. Law firms fall into the category of "special libraries" along with health libraries, science libraries, and all sorts of other places most people don't know exists, and they're quite different places to work in, compared to the "usual" libraries, ie public, school, academic. Typically in Scotland, law firm libraries are staffed by only one person, or if you're lucky, a few people: despite having many firms with multiple offices, often serving multiple jurisdictions, Scots law firms libraries do not have the luxury of lots of library staff. Many law librarians work as solo librarians, which can be quite isolating, so, we have our own groups and associations to help us network, and get the specialist training we need. We can also be put under quite a lot of pressure from our users, and depending on the workplace culture, can either be respected and needed, or looked upon as money-draining annoyances. The need to develop skills and knowledge in this niche area, while working alone or with little support, and constantly needing to defend the existence of the service, can lead to someone working in law to ignore the wider information world, as it's all they can do to keep up with their own world.

I've tried to avoid becoming too insular: I'm involved in my specialist professional group (The Scottish Law Librarians Group), I have good contacts with people in other information areas, I try to go to events outside my area if I can, I keep track of the Big Issues in the library world ...but the risk is that I become too settled, and I lose the impetus to do those things, and to keep meeting new people (online, or in real life). I'm hoping CPD23 will give me a push to remind me not to sit back and let things pass over my head when it feel like it'll be an effort to find out what's going on, and not to get lazy!

I'm also looking forward to finding some more new librarian blogs: I did the massive trawl to find them all in the first place to set up the UK Library Bloggers wiki, and the periodic updates it needed to add the new blogs I found or was sent, until the wiki was opened for public updates over a year ago. I still manage the entries (for people who claim to be librarians, there's a lot of individuals out there that can't put things in alphabetical order!), but I've not really had a chance to look at the blogs where people have added themselves...and really, I should be looking!

And now for a disclaimer: I may have difficulties with some of the Things for this course: I can't talk much (if at all) about certain topics, like my work, the technology we use in the firm, financial issues, training resources, any personal feelings I have about anything I do or don't do etc...so if I'm not posting on a certain topic, or being annoyingly vague and neutral, it's not because I'm lazy or not getting into the spirit of things, I just have to be sensible about what I say :)
Because yes, some of my co-workers have discovered this blog, and they do know who I am.... ;)

What Dumpling Learned Today, #1

2011-06-21T12:37:00.000+01:00

Today, I learned that Scots no longer lay boys down on stones that mark boundaries and whip them, in order for them to be sufficiently traumatised by the event that they will memorise the position of the stones for the rest of their lives.

It appears that the development of fencing in the eighteenth century is wonderful in many, many ways.
And generations of boys must be truly grateful for this.

My Favourite CDP Things

2011-06-17T12:43:00.001+01:00

Blogging, and tweeting, and making connections,
Exploring resources, professional reflection,
Email alerts that make my inbox go "ping",
These are a few of my CPD Things.

Training, and Chartering, and being a mentor,
The professional chances I need to look out for,
Figuring out how to build a search string,
These are a few of my CPD Things.

Finding the tools to help with citations,
Top tips on giving a good presentation,
As long as no-one out there expects me to sing,
These are a few of my CPD Things.

When the work looms, when the time's short,
When I'm feeling bad,
I simply remember my CPD Things,
And then I don't feel so bad!

Yes, indeedy, this post is my (somewhat random) way of announcing I've signed myself up for the 23 Things For Professional Development programme.
Are you signed up?
C'mon, join in: it's free, and useful to information professionals workingin all fields - how many things can you say that applies to nowadays?

Feel free to add more verses too - I believe there's more potential for rhyming here still :)

Chaotic convening

2011-06-13T11:59:00.001+01:00

A few years ago, I ended up becoming the Convenor of my professional group. Now, this wasn't because of outrageous ambition or a wild desire for power. Nope: it was more along the lines of "somebody has to do it, and you look like you won't break too much expensive or important stuff". My predecessor was wonderful: very organised, professional, and efficient. I think I can say I took that as a challenge not to live up to...I am definitely more of a Chaotic Convenor.

This is how I convene a meeting*:

Fumble about with the paperwork, and realise I didn't print out the agenda and previous meetings minutes.
Sheepishly ask if anyone has spare copies/steal another Committee members copy while they aren't looking, and protest innocence and surprise when the missing papers are discovered.
Select which pretty colour of gel ink pen to use.
Ask what I'm meant to do.
Start going over the minutes of the previous meeting.
Ask if that's what I'm meant to be doing.
Meander off point in an epic manner at any random point.
Decide it's time for a snack.
Sing along to music seeping in from outside.
Scribble semi-comprehensible notes everywhere.
Descend into gossip occasionally.
Ask whereabouts we were in the agenda, because I lost track.
Be mildly cheeky to the quieter members of the Committee to provoke them into joining in.
Eventually discuss all the things we needed to discuss.
Nominate anyone but myself to do the work needing to be done (I am developing this into a fine art).

Now, if anyone wants tips on how to convene in a manner as excellent as mine, I am available for lessons.
But you'll have to arrange the date.
And location.
And can you book the room?
Oh, can you also print out some spare copies of the agenda?
Wait a minute: what day was it again?

* This may, or may not be an entirely accurate account.

I renamed myself...now I'm a dumpling.

2011-06-10T18:46:00.000+01:00

So, for various reasons stated previously, I decided to shoogle the blog about a bit, and I finally decided on what I think you can agree is perhaps a somewhat random name. It doesn't have a hint of law or libraries in it, but then, quite often, neither do my posts!

The name does have some little bit of reason behind it: it's part of the lyrics to a Jimmy Logan song my Mum used to sing to me as a child...and I'm pretty childish myself ;)

So, this is my first post as a Dumpling! :D

My previous contact email address will still work if you have that, but old blog links won't, so feel free to update your bookmarks if you have any :)

*waddles off in a dumpy, dumplingy manner*

Thank you for going to events...now stop talking about them.

2011-06-06T09:55:00.001+01:00

I like Twitter - it lets me (virtually, and often eventually, physically) meet lovely people. I've made contacts and friendships in the UK and abroad with information professionals in all sectors, programmers and coders of all types, lawyers and barristers in all fields, government staff of all types, teachers, au pairs, historians, housewives, artists...Through the ability to interact on Twitter, I've had help on many occasions to source hard to find materials, or been able to ask people with experience in other fields for advice.

But what I have really grown to hate is the people tweeting Every Single Point made at these events. When you tend to follow a lot of people who work in similar sectors (unsurprisingly for me, that's librarians), you also find a lot of them go to the same events. And that means that you have a LOT of people tweeting exactly the same thing, sometimes differently worded, continuously during talks. The useful content of each tweet usually is low - the tweeter needs to use up characters to include the hashtag, punctuate to make sense of short points, and often there's a need to include the initials of the speaker, all of which cuts some of the space available for information. When there are parallel sessions running at an event, you usually get different people tweeting about different talks, at the same time and with the same hashtag: very confusing! What also adds to the fun is when other people not attending feel that a point made in a tweet is so exciting, that they instantly retweet it, meaning you have both the tweet, and the immediate retweet clogging things up.

What I would much prefer is that they paid full attention to the talks (rather than trying to compress Big Ideas into 140 characters within 30 seconds of them being uttered), took personal notes, and then, if they really want to spread this information further, they use the information they noted down to write a blog post. I'd far rather read and comment on an overview of the important points of a talk, with the writers views on the event included, at a time that suits me, than be flooded by a stream on the day. A blog post allows discussion over a longer period of time, and allows those not able to monitor the tweets at the time that they are posted to be able to be part of the discussion. It also allows reference back to the discussion, rather than it being a throwaway five minutes which is soon lost to oblivion on Twitter.

I've tried exploring ways to block tweets using certain hashtags when the volume of them from events has become overwhelming, but as a protected user, my options for filtering out information via hashtag are limited - the resources I have been pointed towards either don't work for protected accounts, or involve me unfollowing people. If I'm using a programme to automatically unfollow a dozen people, what are the chances that I'll remember to refollow them? Not high. And doing that also would mean I would have someone who was following me and able to access my tweets, without me being able to speak to them. Not to mention the annoyance for the person I unfollow if they're protected, and have to allow my ensuing request to be allowed to follow them again. So, no, not really much I can do about the tweet floods. Other than ignore Twitter during the period of certain events.Which is quite frustrating, as it's such a useful tool.

Yes, I know a lot of people feel like they're almost-attending a conference if they can follow the stream or hashtag, but to do that and interact you need to be following it in real time...which means that you if aren't able to go to the event in the first place, and therefore are presumably currently working, where are you going to find the time to "virtually" attend throughout it?

Four Go Mad in Tayside

2011-06-03T12:35:00.000+01:00

Oh yes, the life of a law librarian laydee's not all frantic researching, and running as fast as you can, just to stay still. No: sometimes we're unshackled from our desks, and allowed to roam freely in the open air.

So, today, me and three other law librarians will be gleefully running out of our offices after work, for a road trip to Loch Tay, to do crazy things...like edumacating ourselves on some history at the Crannog Centre, sampling traditional Scottish health foods such as fish and chips, wandering around in the woods (we're not going to mention the Blair Witch, mmkay?), and, if we're feeling really brave, and confident enough that each of us know which direction to point in, perhaps some archery...

I believe there will also have to be lashings and lashings of (perhaps somewhat alcoholic) ginger beer.

And I solemnly swear that none of us will be allowed to put any books, CDs or DVDs in alphabetical order.

Scottish Law Librarians Group training course - Google and Beyond!

2011-06-02T13:36:00.010+01:00

Are you:

In Scotland?
An information professional?
Keen to improve your web research skills?
Unlikely to get the time or funding to travel to London for the most popular and useful courses by experienced trainers?

Then come to this training day in Edinburgh on Monday 13th June. Presented on behalf of the Scottish Law Librarians Group, Phil Bradley will be leading a full day course (split into a morning and afternoon session), first on getting the most out of Google, and then going beyond Google to using other online resources and tools.

If you're interested, contact the organiser soon - places are limited, and only a few are left!

Online opinions, and offline submissions

2011-06-02T10:35:00.000+01:00

What judges like best

This news from America about the online version of court opinions being the "official" version reminded me of a situation we have here in Scotland, although in this case it's about acceptable electronic versions for submission to the court.

Technically, there's no reason that Judges and Sheriffs won't accept an electronic version of a case report - Practice Note 2 of 2004 authorises the use of an electronic case report when it is:

"reported in a series of reports by means of a copy of a reproduction of the opinion in electronic form that has been authorised by the publisher of the relevant series, provided that the report is presented to the court in an easily legible form and that the advocate presenting the report is satisfied that it has been reproduced in an accurate form from the data source."

What this should mean is that the electronic version of a case report should be perfectly acceptable to the court, unless someone decides that it's not an accurate representation of the printed materials, and that as long as the person supplying the material to the court is happy that it's an accurate copy of the printed material.

What actually happens is that no-one is willing to risk their submissions being rejected by the court because they don't accept the electronic version to be a true copy of the printed form. If that happened, it would lead to a costly delay while the work of sourcing and replicating hard copy of the relevant cases has to be carried out. I haven't had experience personally of electronic versions of cases being rejected (probably because we don't take the risk of submitting them as anything other than a photocopy from the original!), but I have heard that various judges and sheriffs don't look too kindly upon the idea of electronic case reports being submitted to them.

So, instead, seven years after the Practice Note was issued, everyone still continues to photocopy hard copies of case reports, and nobody wants to risk being told to go back and get a "proper" copy of a report.

The only good thing about this is that legal electronic database suppliers have taken the useful step of providing some of their case reports as a pdf scan of the original document, which the courts will happily accept, as it's no different than a photocopy. Of course, that's only useful if you can afford to subscribe to all the databases you need...

A broken habit

2011-05-24T13:59:00.000+01:00

No, this doesn’t relate to a tragic and unlikely accident involving damage to a nuns wimple (although that sounds like it would make a most excellent story).

It’s about me being blank.

Vacant.

Uninspired.

I have lost my mojo.

I am without the wherewithal for blogging.

This may, or may not, be a tragic state of affairs, depending on how much or little joy my erratic posts bring into your life.

I have also yet to finalise a blog name change.

It’s all gone a bit Pete Tong.

Meh.

Bear with me, while I try and gather my meandering thoughts again on an occasional basis, and throw them into a blog post.

Jetsetting and jetlagging

2011-03-11T12:35:00.000Z

By this time tomorrow, I'll be half-way to holiday time, 4 hours from landing in Newark airport, to start a fun fortnight with 2 friends of touristing, Greyhound-bussing, Washington brunching, hen nighting, cocktail drinking, pole dance classing, wedding attending, Lincoln lap-sitting and beard-pulling, photograph taking, Civil War battlefield visiting, car hiring, near-death-experiences-while-driving-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-roading, Liberty Bell gazing, Philadelphia friend visiting, New York shopping, chocolate gift giving, and Broadway visiting in shiny, shiny America.

You all be good while I'm gone, and play nice with the other boys and girls, mmkay?
I'll be getting a report about you all when I get back, and only the good kids will be allowed a treat after dinner.

Image from here

Another year, another blogday

2011-03-08T10:51:00.000Z

Yes, I feel all proud, because it's coming up to birthday-time for the UK Library Bloggers Wiki...it's toddling along nicely all by itself (with just the occasional spammer attack - it's really quite satisfying to get to ban and block people!), with people generally seeming quite happy with the process of adding their blogs themselves.

Since I last looked in July 2010, there have continued to be additions in various categories.

July 2010 March 2011
Institutional bloggers 135 152
Individual bloggers 90 107
Chartership blogs 5 6
Information professionals 8 8
Suppliers 8 8

Total: 281 blogs

So, a growth in institutional/workplace bloggers, and individual/personal bloggers too, and a solitary, brave Chartership blog.

I wonder if the 2 years without any change, then last years small growth in Chartership blogs is because people are already blogging, and then decide to Charter, and incorporate that aspect of professional development into their existing blog? Or are fewer people Chartering? Or are those who are Chartering using other methods to log their progress?

I've also decided to remove the Yahoo Pipes combines RSS feed link for Institutional and Individual blogs from the front page of the wiki - it was initially done as an experiment, and now that people are able to add their own blogs, unless I then go in each time after I get the wiki has been edited alert", get their RSS feed, and go edit the Yahoo Pipe, it's never going to be current/accurate. And I'm afraid I just don't have the time to be fiddling like that constantly!

Of course, I haven't clicked on each of those 281 blog links, so I'm quite sure that at least some of them are now defunct - my plan to go through them, and remove the dead blogs to another section has definitely slipped to the bottom of my to-do list. Maybe I'll be more inspired to do it if I get a prize. Can I get a prize?

What's in a name?

2011-02-28T13:59:00.000Z

In the case of this blog, it's a name that had no particular thought or planning behind it - I had no idea whether I would actually want to keep it going, what I would blog about, or that anyone would ever read it.

Well, it's almost 4 years later (17th June 2007 is blog birthday, if we're counting), and the blog's still here, so I think we can now safely assume that it's probably going to be sticking around. And the name's been getting on my nerves a bit...you have no idea the amount of people who have found this blog looking for ladies called Jennie Law or Jenny Law. Personally, I'm not actually called Jennie Law, so I'm no help to these poor searchers, although for the right fee I could maybe consider pretending to be...
I also don't blog a huge amount about law: I'm not a lawyer, I just have the job of finding stuff for lawyers. Sometimes that process amuses me, sometimes it annoys me, and I blog about it. Sometimes I write about library issues, or technology stuff. Sometimes I post about entirely pointless things that entertain me. Zombies have also appeared in some posts. Lets just say I have eclectic tastes...

So, I have decided...the blog needs renamed. But I'm not altogether sure what I'd call it. Do any responsible growneded-ups out there have any good suggestions?

Soggy cakes, hard biscuits, invisible refunds

2011-02-15T12:30:00.000Z

Yes, so we all know by now that Jaffa Cakes are definitely cakes. (Cakes go hard when exposed to the air, unlike a biscuit, which goes soft. It's because a cake is more moist than the air, so loses it's moisture to the air and hardens, while a biscuit does the reverse. That's the wonderful world of science, kids!)

And that Marks and Spencers won a VAT refund from HMRC, which had misclassified teacakes as a chocolate covered biscuit rather than a cake, and therefore added VAT to them from 1973 until 1994.

But....M&S won that judgement in 2009...so where's the refund? Did they get it?

And what about Tunnocks, also purveyors of fine teacakes: have they applied for their refund? They've been making them since the 1890s...that could be some tax refund!

Biscuit-obsessed minds want to know...

Teacake image from here

Book handbag instructions

2011-01-30T12:47:00.003Z

When I was in Australia last year , I promised various people the instructions on how to make a handbag that I had with me, made out of an old law textbook.

So, belatedly (but it did take ages to make/photo/write up at the same time), here's the details of how to make a book bag for yourself!

Materials

Empty hardback book shell, in good condition

Material – 1 large piece, or 2 contrasting/complementing smaller pieces (fat quarter size)

Craft felt – any colour

Magnetic clasps

Handbag handles

Ribbon to co-ordinate or contrast with the selected material (up to 1cm wide)

Tools/equipment

Scissors

Ruler

Tweezers

Wire snips

A4 Card

Craft knife

Cutting mat

Pen that will write on fabric (make sure it won’t bleed through the fabric though)

Glue gun

Iron and ironing board

Sewing machine (or it can be hand sewn if you have infinite patience!)

Other info

For this bag, I used 2 complementary colours/patterns of fat quarters.

My book shell was 38 cm by 24 cm, with a spine width of 7.5cm.

The details of making this bag are specific to these measurements: for other bags you'll probably have to tweak things.

I’m not a seamstress, nobody’s taught me how to do any of this stuff: I made this up as I went along, so I may be doing things the “wrong” way, but it’s the only way I know how to do them!

Instructions

You’ll need to make a template for your fabric end sections, so take your A4 card, and cut a triangular shape about 5cm, by 18 cm, by 21cm. Also cut a rectangular shape about 4cm by 25cm.

Make sure your book has as much of the glue/thread attachments removed as possible from the spine, including sewn-in fabric bookmarks. You will be gluing the felt to this surface, soyou want it clear, to allow it to be glued securely. Cut threads if present, and pull off any remnants of paper.

Use the card template to mark the wrong side of your selected fabric: you will need to do 4 triangles (for the bag ends), and 2 rectangles (for the closure tab).

Remember to leave about 1cm extra around each template, for the seam.

To save material, mark out the pieces close together, if possible.

Cut out along marked lines.

Bag ends

Place triangular pieces together, with wrong sides facing out. Pin into place along ink marks, then sew together, leaving smallest edge open.

Turn end sections right way out by pulling through the open end. Tweezers can help here, to grab the material, and straighten out the corners.

Fold end pieces in half and iron flat. Mark a line in pencil running 2cms in from the folded point, to 10 cms down. Sew along the line – this should help the material to fold inwards when the bag is shut.

Iron the sections around the seam flat again.

Lining

Lay book shell on your lining fabric, draw around the shell, and cut out, including about 1cm extra for seams.

Iron the seams flat rather than pinning them.

Sew along seam on sewing machine.

Closure tab

Take the 2 rectangular pieces for the closure tab.

Now, I’ve done attaching the magnetic snaps to the closure tab both before it’s sewn together, and after, and trust me: it’s far easier to do it before it’s sewn together.

Lay the thin back part of the snap onto the fabric, about 3cm in from the end. Ink mark the areas where the legs will come through using the back as a template, and cut slits where marked.

Slide the snap legs through the material and the thin back part, and bend them flat.

Snip off the excess length of legs that stick out beyond the back of the snap.

Pin the tab together along the seam, and sew, leaving one short end open.

Turn right side out (again, tweezers can help here), and cut a length of felt that will fit inside the tab. Use the tweezers to push the felt inside the tab – this will help stiffen it up.

Book shell

Use the thin back part of the other half of the magnetic snap as a template on the front cover of the book to ink where to cut. I tend to place them 2/3 cm’s down from the edge.

Cut through the shell where you’ve ink marked on the front. Push the magnetic clasp through, and secure at the back as you did with the closure tab. As the book shell is quite substantial, you won’t need to trim any extra leg length on the edges of the snap.

Glue a strip of felt the width and length of the spine onto the spine.

Lay the handbag handles onto the shell, and measure the middle. Use the holes in the handle bases as a template to ink mark where the ribbon should be attached to the bag – I usually put them about 2cm down from the edge.

Cut through the book shell using a craft knife to create slits for the ribbon that the handles will be attached to.

Putting together

Push approx 10cm lengths of ribbon through the slits in the book cover. Glue one length of the ribbon down, feed through the handbag handle, and glue on top of already glued down length.

Repeat for both handles.

Glue both fabric end sections to the spine felt, with the angled seams pointed inwards. Start with the open, narrow end: glue onto the felt, pressing down to ensure close contact.

Repeat with other end section.

Section by section, glue the two matching sides of the end panels to the book shell. This can be tricky at the beginning point, when you’re persuading the materials to fold in a different direction from the one it’s been glued down in, hence doing it in sections.

After deciding how wide a closure you want for the bag, glue the closure tab to the book shell with the appropriate length hanging over the book shell edge.

Have a short break to swear at your glue gun, when the rubber nozzle falls off while you’re in the middle of a complex glue-based manoeuvre….

Lay the lining on top of the pieces attached so far, and check where the lining overlaps. Start gluing the lining onto the bag, starting on the same side as the already-attached end panels.

Glue the lining on, down to the spine.

Attach the other side of the end panels.

Glue the lining on over the edges of the side panels, and to the end of the book shell.

Ta-dah: one book bag!

Now, collapse in exhaustion, nursing the hot glue burns, and craft knife cuts you’ve picked up along the way.

Excuse me, I have a handbag to package up and send abroad....

The pretty picture...

2011-01-26T12:24:00.005Z

I'm such a copycat: I saw Karen Blakeman's visual LinkedIn network on her blog, and thought I'd see what mine looked like...

I've taken out my name at the centre, and the shareable version strips out contact names, but I seem to have 3 separate worlds - orange is workmates, past and present. Blue is personal/real life contacts, green is online/social networks contacts, and pink are library-but not via-social-network contacts.

Methinks you can see that work and social/personal don't really overlap in my life, although some of the colour coding, as Karen says, seems to be entirely random.

But it's still quite pretty, all swirly and stuff!

Tommy's a tweet thing

2011-01-26T09:14:00.005Z

Today, for the first time, live tweeting will be allowed from the High Court in Glasgow, for the sentencing of Tommy Sheridan in his perjury case. STV News made a formal written application to be allowed to do so, and permission was granted.

I wonder if this will be an exceptional situation, and live tweeting will only be allowed for this case (due to the media/public interest), or whether this is likely to be something allowed in future for other, less "exciting" cases?

You're all lovely, you know that?

2011-01-21T10:13:00.003Z

Look what you did!

You've given £1758.11 so far to help build a library in India...and if you haven't contributed yet, there's still a few hours left to give until the campaign closes.

That means, in the space of only 2 weeks, dozens of total strangers have chipped in enough together to pay the £1,250 needed to build, staff and stock an entire library in India for 2 years...with enough left over for 5 mobile libraries in Africa and/or book grants, woo-hoo! Think of the future you've all helped to create, enabling people to take charge of their own lives through the power of education!

You ALL deserve that warm inner glow of Being Good People!* Really, you're all amazing - nobody who's donated their hard-earned money is getting any sort of commodity back for it: each donation is a selfless investment in the future of strangers. Good People rock!

And remember to keep an eye on the Buy India A Library blog for updates on developments with the library.

*It looks sort of like a Ready Brek Glow, but it's not trademarked.

Drifting over drafts

2011-01-19T14:52:00.005Z

Today, I’m looking for this draft Statutory Instrument:

The Offshore Chemicals (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (oh yes, I know how to live life on the wild side!)

The Stationery Office gave notice of its existence here.

Now, I want to put that information into our Current Awareness service, so I went to the section in OPSI that I’d previously bookmarked, as it held draft SIs.

But that redirected me to the front page of Legislation.gov.uk.

Ok…I knew that the shift of all content to Legislation.gov would be happening soon, so that was fine. Legislation.gov is generally a good, handy site…but unfortunately it still has some glitches.

Before, on OPSI, I could either go directly to the Draft SIs page, or search by the title of the draft. For some reason though, Legislation.gov doesn’t recognise draft legislation if you try and find it via entering its title in the search box – it seems that search is restricted to only enacted legislation, so Draft SIs aren’t findable that way.

Ok…I can go to the Draft SIs page, and find it there. Or not – there are only 15 draft SIs so far for 2011, it’s easy enough to see that my one isn’t there. It looks like, in the case of this SI, there ain’t no 2011 version…so I’ll go and check if there’s a typing error been made somewhere, and it’s really meant to be the 2010 they’re referring to. Now…where’s the 2010 one?

The 2010 draft SI section is split into 12 pages. There’s no option to show them all on a single page, so if you’re unsure of exactly what it’s been categorised under, you’re going to be clicking through each page, unless you know what exact heading your draft SI could be found under…no quick “find” option, just scanning each heading and entry.

For this one, after clicking through various pages, I found that it’s listed under the “Environmental Protection” category. Now, I don’t know the Legislation.gov headings – therefore I couldn’t tell whether my SI would be listed under Chemicals, Offshore, Utilities, Health and Safety, or any other possible headings. Making me search by a heading, when I don’t know what the headings are, nor whether the SI I’m looking for will be categorised by them under that heading isn’t very helpful! If they can categorise the headings alphabetically, why can’t they categorise the draft SIs alphabetically? After all, usually I have the title of the SI, and want to be able to find it from that: I don’t really care where they decide to place it within their categories.

So, from the information on the Draft SIs page, I now know that what I'm looking for is a draft that replaces a previous draft, which itself was a replacement of a previous draft.

Unfortunately, the Daily List entry makes clear that the 2011 draft is replacing the second 2010 draft…but the 2011 one draft is nowhere to be found.

Gah!

So, basically, my brain is melted, and I’m glaring at the Legislation.gov website, for making what used to be a simple process into a multi-step pain, and am still no closer to knowing the proper title for these draft Regulations, or where they are.

Excuse me while I go to a quiet place to whimper for a while.

No discrimination in Boston

2011-01-18T15:30:00.004Z

It doesn't matter whether you're black, white or even just kinda patchy colours all over...in Boston, you're able to serve as a juror. Yes, species is no barrier to being involved in turning those big, heavy wheels of justice!

It makes the Scottish Government's recent act of removing the age barrier for jury duty look positively old-fashioned: bring on the time when animals are serving! I can't wait to see what "reasonable adaptations" would be needed to allow large farm animals in the jurors box. Although I suppose at least some animals, like horses, would already be used to being in a box...

Ta to Greville Tombs for sending me this story.

Image source

Librarianing - the physical reason

2011-01-17T10:26:00.002Z

There are many factors that might steer you into librarianship as a career. A love of learning and knowledge; a mind that likes to dig out the useful information hidden in a pile of nonsense; ruthless organisational skills; an ability to strip out extraneous information and get to the core of a question; a memory for random snippets of information and facts that turn out to be useful later on...

And then there's the factor that's beyond your control. Something that you might not realise you have until one day, all the little moments add up together into an moment of glorious, and disturbing understanding.

You have Librarian Face.

It's the face that makes people want to ask you random questions. It's the face that makes strangers think that you have memorised the intricacies of the local bus system, and can therefore give excellent advice on this topic. The face that implies an in-depth knowledge of the stock of local shops, and therefore exactly which ones will be able to supply the person asking with peacock feathers (tall, not short). It's the face that means that, to tourists in Edinburgh for the Festival, you're apparently just a walking information booth and map reading service.

And you know what? You're stuck with it.

So, you might as well become a librarian - it is....your destiny.

Why I'd rather have an IT department

2011-01-14T09:44:00.003Z

So, some companies are moving towards allowing staff to buy their own computers to work on?

That all sounds very nice, and whizzy in concept, but...I don't think I'd be wanting that option, myself.

I am a librarian - I do information retrieval and research work. As part of that, I'm reasonably well aware of some sorts of techie stuff, and the main Dos and Don'ts. But when things go wrong, I need a Grown Up, in the form of the IT Department. They are trained and experienced with the proper technical stuff, both the hardware and software. They build the systems we work in. They've dealt with the regular problems that occur pretty frequently, and they have the skills to work out what's going on when a new problem crops up. They know what that random code in that pop-up box means - I certainly don't have a clue, and I definitely don't have the time to find out about it, teach myself about it, and then attempt to fix it. Chances are, I'd end up breaking something else. I need people who know what they're doing, and are familiar with the system and the users, not a contracted external IT support service provider.

From that report, the scheme seems to be focussed on laptops - yes, they are indeed lovely and portable. But would that mean I would have to cart it in to the office and back every day Because, if it was "my" computer, I'd be wanting it at home for evenings and weekends. Why hellooooo muggers - look at me and my daily commute with expensive equipment!

And does that mean friends and family wouldn't be allowed to use the machine, for security reasons? Then how is it "mine"?

Will users get training on keeping the clutter off "their" computer, backing up their personal data etc? Are corporate IT departments meant to become some kind of home IT babysitters?

What about the connection speed? Is a home internet connection fast enough? Reliable enough? Does it have restrictions on data use? Are they likely to go over their limit if they're not usually a heavy internet user? Will their work pay for their home internet connection if they're using their computer and internet connection mainly to work from home? What about if the user is unaware, and has an unsecured wireless network - if they're using it for work, and someone else is using their network for illegal purposes at the same time, who would be responsible? Hell, what if the user downloaded illegal content themselves - whose machine is it then?

What happens if the machine goes kaput?

And when my personally purchased "work" computer gets old and slow, and painful to work on...well, tough. You think I'm going to spend yet more money on just a work computer? I'll just put up with it, gripe, moan, and watch my speed and productivity drop.

Yay!

Personally I prefer to come in to work, use a pc built and maintained by IT, on systems designed and built by IT, with an IT department a phone call or email away, with people who know me, and what I use my computer for. Then, when I'm finished in the office, I can go home and use my laptop, knowing that there's a nice separation between work, and not-work. If I need to do anything on my work pc, I can access it remotely. No need for this odd half-way option of a work/personal machine.

But then maybe I'm just a grumpy Luddite?

Security woopsie

2011-01-13T10:38:00.007Z

So, it's safe to say it's a Bad Thing when there's a breach of security and confidentiality in a meeting between a solicitor and client. So when a technician from Cable and Wireless intruded into a client meeting by popping up on a monitor int he meeting room, that can't exactly have put a smile on many faces...

However, I personally like to imagine the technician popping up, and doing this:

6 degrees of legal librarianing

2011-01-12T15:50:00.000Z

You know that game, 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon, when you can use Kevin Bacon to link almost anyone in Hollywood in 6 steps or less?

Yes?

Well, it's got almost nothing to do with this post, but I like the idea of it :)

Anyhoo, what was it I was going to blog about...oh yes - the problem of what degree is most useful in a legal information environment. See, I knew there was some reason I'd been thinking of degrees!

Y'see, Robert Gordon University have done something rather spiffing: they've launched a distance learning Law LLB, woo-hoo! Studying is part-time as standard, and can be accelerated to full time from 2012.

Now...this is kinda tempting, because as a librarian in law firm, I'm similar to many librarians in this and other specialist areas: I don't have a degree in the subject I work in. Everything I've learned, I've either been taught by my previous or current boss (both infinitely patient in relation to daft questions), or picked up through doing the research for enquiries, and self-education in the job. I do have a degree (science), and a postgraduate diploma (information and library science), but they don't really prepare you for questions about what is a medium filum fluminis, or extinguishing a real burden, or any of the other specialist-area specific stuff.

So what you tend to find is that, if they can afford it, and can fit it into their lives, a lot of law librarians try and get some sort of legal qualification. This helps with two issues: gaining a better understanding of the foundations of what we're working with, and the processes and systems we work within. And it also helps to remind co-workers that, yes, actually, we are professionals too, just like them. You see, you could have qualifications coming out of your ears (and often, we do: Msc's, Bsc's, MAs, PGDips, Charterships), but in a law firm, to a lawyer, you're not a professional unless you have a law degree - they're the only degrees that count. And if you're not regarded as a "proper" professional, then it's far harder to get your advice and work to be taken seriously.

But there's no other option for law firm librarians than to come into law qualified in other subject areas: it's too specialised an area to have a degree or other professional qualification we can do. We come in, we learn and get on with it, and if we have time and money, we increase our qualification level by throwing in a law degree.

So obviously, I went about things the wrong way really, what you want to do is a law degree, THEN switch to being a librarian!

Now, if only I could afford to do that one at RGU...

When silliness becomes real goodness

2011-01-10T14:44:00.004Z

Well, back in December I thought it's be fun to put together a gift list for the stereotypical librarian, and this included, of course, library-based options, mainly from GoodGifts.org. I've used Goodgifts before (it's actually now a running joke in my family: if I hand over an envelope for an event, they tend to wail "Oh don't tell us you've bought me another orphan!"), so I though it'd be nice to feature their library idea.

And there I left it - as a nice idea, but one for other people. And of course, the awesome option of buying a full library was just mad - nobody I knew could afford that!

But I reckoned without theREALwikiman, and other fab librarians around the world. Ned saw my blog post, and retweeted the link...and him and others have got together to do something fabulous: they ARE going to buy that library! And if there's not enough money for that permanent library, then maybe they can fund some mobile ones, or the stock for them...anything will help. They're working together, needing only a small amount from lots of people, to make a good thing happen.

Now, I've done my bit and donated...what good thing have you done today? If your answer is "nothing yet", then now's your chance to stockpile some of those Good Karma points, for just a few pennies...

Donate here, do it, do it, do it!

Scotlandshire gets with the times

2011-01-10T13:20:00.002Z

*Warning, this post uses vicious sarcasm*

You know, apparently, after the age of 65, your brain turns to mush and all your mental faculties just drain away into your toes, leaving you only fit to watch daytime TV, and consider if Cash in the Attic would find anything worthwhile in your house, while thinking longingly of the days when you could eat foods that didn't get under the plate of your dentures.

Although it is rumoured that occasionally, a faint waft of intellect can remain, enough to make such decrepit wrecks of humanity fit to hold a normal conversation...and sometimes they can even crank the handle enough to wind their brains up to lukewarm. And now Scotland will yank them out of their nice, sensible high-backed chairs with sturdy arms, and throw them into a jury box.

It's almost like the Scottish Government understands that life and intelligence doesn't end with retirement. Who knew?

No (Form)spring in this step

2011-01-10T10:41:00.005Z

Yes, I'm the type of gal who likes to mess about and try new tools and sites. So, nine months ago, Formspring seemed like an amusing timewasting tool - people can ask you questions, either putting their name to them (usually a Twitter name), or anonymously. You then can answer them, and post the responses in your Formspring stream, either for the world to see, or only to your followers (I'm not sure if this was originally an option). You can also follow other people, and ask them questions too, so it can be quite interactive.

Yes, I know it was and still is attracting bad publicity for the fact that school kids use it to bully each other, but school kids can and will use anything to bully each other, from verbal abuse, notes written and passed around, text messages, or messages on various popular sites that over time have moved from MySpace, to Bebo, to Facebook and Twitter. Just because some people misuse it, doesn't mean a tool is inherently bad. And as an adult, if I didn't like any questions I received, I could either delete and not answer them, or publish them with a good putdown response.

So, I had fun: I was asked a lot of questions, and in the process actually had to think quite deeply about some things: in daily life you're not often asked about your aspirations, dreams, or fears, so I learned a bit about myself. I also laughed myself silly at some of the questions, and had great fun thinking up suitably silly responses.

But, after a few months, I got bored. I abandoned the account about six months ago, and recently decided it was time to shut it down - why have that info floating about freely out in the world if I'm not actively using that service? So, I went to close the account.

But no, you can't shut your account, you can only disable it. Huh? But...erm...I want it gone, and everything on it: there's no sensitive info in my responses, but it is my choice whether that info stays posted, or not.

Ok, no delete account option? Right - lets delete those questions and answers: surely there must be a "delete all" option? No.

Oh.

Cue me spending a good chunk of time deleting individually (with a pop-up "are you sure?" box for every one) three hundred and eighteen entries. Six hundred and thirty six clicks to delete. Not counting the page refresh every time the page of entries was done, to reload more to delete.

Ok, so they were all gone, yes?

No.

When I deleted the entries, the questions were regarded as unanswered, and went back into my inbox, waiting for me to answer. As the questions themselves still sometimes contained potentially identifiable info about me, I wanted them gone too. Now, this was marginally better: at least the questions could be deleted in chunks of twenty five at a time. So only thirteen clicks to get rid of them. Plus page reloads.

*sigh*

Right, anything else I can do to remove "me" from this site, since they won't get rid of the account?

OK, the profile picture - I can remove that, yes?

No. There's no option NOT to have a picture, just to replace a picture. Hmmmm. Right, so I've now replaced that with a picture of something else random, but the option to not have a picture at all would have been far better.

What else? Oh look - I can effectively "protect" the account, so anyone who's currently subscribed to see what I post, and be alerted when I answer a new question is removed, and have to request to "refollow" me. Much like Twitter - a better way of controlling who sees the material you're posting. Ok, so the account I want to kill is now protected.

Now, after doing all this, clearing everything out that I can and making what's left as inaccessible as possible, I'll disable it. And look, there's an option when disabling it to say why you want it disabled, and add further comment...so I informed them that I no longer wanted the account, and wished for it to be deleted.

Lets see if they get back to me on this point, eh?