BTH: This is not a profession you can retire into

Beyond The Hype - Christine Mackenzie -YPRL

Christine is the Library Manager @ Yarra Plenty.

She started by giving us some stats about YPRL (which I tried to write down so that I could compare them with CoBLS but looking at them now they don't make a lot of sense.)

She discussed Library Web 2.0 Activities in terms of:

* finding information
* enabling learning
* creating content
* celebrating culture

And that the library can become the “third place” – a place where you are not at home, and not at work. (content, comfort, community)

Think library as community loungeroom; user centered with multimedia exposure and experience, socially rich and a place that communicates innovation. (space with content)

Basically enhancing the patron experience.

So we must:
* learn to learn
* adapt to change
* scan the horizon (look to the future)

Outcomes:

* informed
* connected
* inclusive
* communities

She spoke about learning 2.0 and YPRL - the Victorian statewide program and how YPRL are now rolling out the 23 things to their stakeholders (board members, councils etc.)

Christine also spoke about the 'roadshow' that she and a couple of other senior(?) staff put together for the rest of the YPRL staff.

The roadshow demonstrated the sort of technology that 2.0 involves

* downloadable audio
* digital camera
* adaptive technologies
* digital stories (or did I mean storage)
* Google things

She mentioned the L2 unconference (would have loved to have gone to that)

Also the YPRL blogs, wikis, library thing tags in their catalogue, and so on.

Wikinorthia (a LH wiki in conjunction with Darebin & Moreland, iirc) which aims to collect the LH stories of the municipalities. (Can't wait for it to go live so's I can contribute my kindergarten story)

I liked her description of the LH online presence. "Local History with an E" - (there's no copyright on titles , wonder if we can 'adopt' the phrase?)

She spoke about adding value to the opac (eg Librarything)

Training for the public:
* wikinorthia
* blogging
* librarything

Using a blog for staff communication instead of email

It was interesting to hear her speak - I don't necessarily agree with everything she said but it was interesting to hear her ideas and what she felt the future of Public Libraries might be.

be great to be in a position to have ideas and be able to implement them (or discuss their possible implementation)

She was an interesting and inspiring speaker - I could work for her...