On Monday I was fortunate to visit UTS Library in Sydney with three of my colleagues. It was an inspiring visit. The staff who looked after us were extremely generous with their time. I left behind some crochet goodies. The visit was organised using Twitter and a couple of follow up emails.

1. social media
2. information literacy
3. use of new technologies like QR codes and wallwisher (online noticeboard used for feedback at UTS).

Engagement - library of the future

UTS Library is fostering an environment where staff are encouraged to find new ways of working and engaging with clients. In their planning for the library of the future they are focussing on creating a library for 2016 and beyond. Imagining the future by paving the way with new ways of engaging with clients and delivering services. 

There is a strong focus on building community through social media: flickr, youtube, twitter, facebook and more. Staff are encouraged to use these tools to engage library users. They are realistic and reviewed after the first 6 months. They also recognise that communities don't just build themselves and they require participation and input. 

They are playing with QR codes and other technologies to lay the foundation for a library with RFID and retrieval systems. They are using gaming paradigms in their information literacy glasses. Trying out new ways of delivering classes and orientating students to the space. They are thinking beyond traditional library spaces to consider: media suites, gaming spaces, cultural/gallery spaces and studios. 

I can't wait to see the finished space. However, their existing space is light and airy with great signage. I particularly like their call number signs. 

Discovery

UTS Library have a new discovery layer and are looking at ways they can enhance the searching experience for library users. Swinburne are also working with our new discovery layer to do the same. We have some exciting enhancements coming up later in the year. 

Sustainability

One of the other exciting developments at UTS is the commitment to sustainability. Many of the staff walk or ride to work and they will be promoting sustainable practices with their users. 

Service

As far as professional development goes they are working on getting an internship at Apple. Where better to learn about new models of service delivery. 

Classes

Some great ideas for classes include

• Make me famous - class for researchers on strategic publishing/ERA and citation impact
• Finding images - a glass about finding images to use and sneaky way of teaching people about copyright
• Google skills
• Mobile catalogue

You can learn so much from visiting and talking with others. I am particularly keen to discuss their ideas with staff here at Swinburne. It was a great day for this librarian. Highlights included whiteboard walls, cup cakes, great signage, wallwisher and meeting a bunch of enthusiastic engaged professionals.

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Last week we interviewed for a customer service officer for our busy service desk and this week has been taken up with the administrivia that goes with recruiting, selecting and appointing a new person:

1. Notifying unsuccessful applicants
2. Notifying unsuccessful interviewees
3. Giving feedback
4. Notifying successful applicant
5. Completing paper work for our Human Resources Department etc...

We are thrilled to have a new staff member but the whole process does take a long time.

I have also had a couple of project wins:

• A possible collaboration with a Queensland university on an online referencing tutorial
• A great concept for a comic strip about finding items on the shelf

My trip to Sydney to visit the University of Technology Sydney Library has been finalised and I am really excited. Earlier in the year I heard Sophie McDonald, Belinda Tiffin and Mal Booth give a paper about the Library of the Future at the VALA conference in Melbourne. I decided then that I would have to go up and see for myself what makes UTS stand out from other academic libraries in Australia.

A group of us from Swinburne are travelling up and meeting with some colleagues from University of Melbourne at UTS. We are focussing on:

1. information literacy
2. QR codes
3. Wallwisher - interactive feedback
4. Orientation

We have been promised chocolate cookies.

Lastly I have been working on a survey to send out to participants of the Aurora Institute leadership program. It is for a paper I am writing on leadership. Hopefully I will get it out next week.

One of the highlights of my week is that a close friend is working on campus for the week, so I have a lunch buddy, although it comes at a cost - no walking at lunch time. I managed to reach a milestone in the Global Corporate Challenge - 1 million steps and we are just over half way.

Finally, a few library folk from Australia are participating in 1pic1thoughtinAug. The aim to share a photo a day on flickr with one comment. There are some wonderful photos in the pool. I encourage you to go and visit.

I have decided to participate in library day in the life. For those of you who are new to this blog my name is Kim and I am the Information Services Manager at Prahran campus of Swinburne University. Essentially I am responsible for running a small campus library in an Australian university. We have a student cohort of about 5000 on campus and there are 12 libary staff including myself.

Day one:

Yesterday was a day of meetings:

1. Our monthly Information Resources Strategic Team meeting - a meeting of all the Library Senior Management. We discussed budgets, projects, off-site storage, staffing, space, strategic direction, risk management, occupational health and safety, professional development and much more
2. Project team meeting - we are creating online learning objects for a generic library skills program. This meeting was to storyboard a comic strip

The University is multicampus so I spent my day at the main campus. At lunch time I was able to go to the Library's craft group which is rare. This week is busy:

• Interviewing for a vacant position
• Writing a paper
• More project meetings
• Research for projects I am working on
• plus the day to day operations of the library

If you are interested in knowing more about what librarians are doing around the world check out librarydayinthelife.