LIANZA 2011 Conference | Day 4

DAY FOUR – Wed 2 November

This was the final day of the conference with the last keynote delivered by Jenica Rogers ‘Reality-based librarianship for passionate librarians’. Jenica is a wonderful presenter and I found her presentation captivating.  We were provided with a lot of really useful information that allowed us to answer her initial question: Having attended conference, how do you implement the reality at home? We were reminded that ‘You are your most powerful resource’ and that it would be foolish to think we can all go forward in the same way – our individual realities are as individual as we are.  Whilst we may all have the same goals we will achieve them in very unique ways.  And that’s ok. We have to power to choose which hill to climb, which hill is worth it.  I particularly liked Jenica’s statement that change doesn’t just happen; you need to plan for brilliance!  With many libraries undergoing change around the world, the analogy of librarianship to farming, particularly to a New Zealand audience made perfect sense – farmers never have a good year, but they still keeping farming!

The last formal presentation for the day was Alastair Smith’s ‘NZ Info on the internet’.  Alastair is one of my current lecturers for the MIS so I took the opportunity to attend a face-to-face class as such, rather than my usual online conference.  The presentation covered issues around the efficiency of indexing New Zealand content on global search engines, the impact of macron use within a result set, Wikipedia and open access research.  It was important to note that New Zealand search engines have limited value and that not all content is contained within the .nz domain.  Alastair conducted an exploratory experiment using macronised vowels: Hāngi, Hangi, Haangi and Hängi which reflected a vast difference in returned results.  I also learnt about the Flesch reading grades and was surprised to learn the content contained on Wikipedia equates to undergrad level, contrasted with the content on Te Ara which equates to a High School level (approx Year 10).  Would Wikipedia be so widely used if that became common knowledge? Or rather, should we be expecting more from our ever faithful Wikipedia users? Certainly food for thought!

The conference closed with a presentation from the LIANZA 2012 Conference committee and its pleasing to see this will be held in Palmerston North next year.

I would encourage anyone that has not been to a LIANZA conference before to firstly, please join LIANZA and/or Te Rōpū Whakahau, and secondly, please apply to your region for a Conference Scholarship (if offered), or consider applying for the 2012 Hydestor Award to use towards Conference costs.  It really is worth it.

LIANZA 2011 Conference | Day 3

DAY THREE – Tues 1 November

Michael Houlihan, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, delivered an interesting presentation with a tactile component.  Similar to Molly’s theme, Michael spoke of the need to develop a new narrative with the acknowledgement that people are drivers for transformational change.  The notion of ‘What’s your story?’ related to an environmental scan of connections reaching out on a global level.  This was illustrated very well through the tactile component – a small object passed around the audience during the presentation.  This was no ordinary object however.  Smaller than your palm, it was 95 years old, had travelled many miles through rain and shine, dedicated itself to the support of one particular man and become an unlikely participant in an event that most, if not all of us, simply could not fathom. The object? A heel from a piece of footwear. How did I know how old the heel was? How did I know where it had travelled?  Michael’s phrase that ‘Libraries unlock the obscure’ provides the key.  The history behind the object was a collaborative effort.  The heel was found in Mametz Wood, a site the Welsh Army had tried to capture in the Battle of the Somme in 1916.  It is thought the soldier wearing the boot died that year and the heel is all that remains.  The passion and power of people, from near and far, can provide you with a different light on quite ordinary things. I have to say it was humbling to have touched history.

‘Tai tokerau taniwha rau: Empowering students to achieve’ was another very moving presentation, delivered by Cherie Tautolo from The University of Auckland Library.  This was an emotional and personal journey for Cherie and she began by discussing the Te Tai Tokerau Campus and student demographic, issues around equity of access, strategies to overcome barriers, the importance of valuing and respecting others and the forming and nurturing of relationships. In applying a holistic approach towards student learning within the library environment, Cherie was able to empower her students with the tools they needed to succeed in their studies.  The end result? The student’s felt her passion and in turn, felt valued within themselves.  The respect was mutual; illustrated most effectively when the entire library emptied out onto the front steps of the library to surprise Cherie with a waiata on her birthday.

I also attended Dr Loriene Roy’s presentation ‘IFLA: Sharing power in advocating for indigenous librarianship’.  My first encounter with Loriene’s research was through my MIS studies, and we had participated in the same group work for the Kei ā wai? Who has ... workshop.  Loriene was also a special guest at the Te Rōpū Whakahau dinner the previous night, so I was quite looking forward to learning more about indigenous perspectives on librarianship.  The session began with a video clip about John Wayne’s teeth from the movie Smoke Signals (google it on YouTube) - a twist that provides an indigenous perspective on the western cowboy following a metaphorical ‘loss of independence’ (kindly narrated by Loriene as the sound wasn’t working).  Loriene then went on to talk about traditional indigenous power and how we receive lessons from many sources (The 4 Hills of Life) and that in expressing this power we can become a good leader, capable of connecting with others.  In terms of librarianship, challenges faced may include: self as only support, sole responsibility, strive for balance and being treated differently.  The latter was described as ‘Crabs in a Bucket’ which Loriene kindly translated into kiwi as tall poppy syndrome.  Further discussion focused on the rewards associated with leadership including financial, recognition, knowledge and opportunities followed by the chronology of an Indigenous SIG within the IFLA, which incidentally acquired additional members before the session ended.  I appreciated the opportunity to speak privately with Loriene at the end of the session.

The day ended with a celebration of Kiwiana at the LIANZA Conference dinner. In line with the evening’s theme, the dress attire was open to anything Kiwi.  I spotted a half a dozen or so Rachel Hunter’s, numerous members of Split Enz, three Pavlovas complete with kiwifruit, a stunning Māori wāhine, lots of people wearing Jaffa-lolly necklaces (I deduced they were the Aucklander’s) and rather a lot of individuals in swandri’s, singlets and gumboots. What an eclectic mix!

LIANZA 2011 Conference | Day 2

DAY TWO – Monday 31 October

The Newcomers morning tea sponsored by Victoria University of Wellington and Massey University Library was a fantastic opportunity to meet other librarians and information professionals new to the conference circuit.  It was also an opportunity to catch up with fellow MIS students I had met earlier in the year at Orientation, and to meet some of the winners of various LIANZA awards and scholarships.  In fact there were so many of us present, it was strictly standing-room only!

The Wai262 Claim keynote, delivered by Dr Aroha Mead, was captivating. The summary for the Wai262 Claim report itself is a staggering 300 pages whilst the entire document spans some 1000 pages over two volumes.  I have been told it is not easy reading by any means, and you have to be suitably impressed when you are provided with such an informative overview in the allocated one hour timeslot.  Aroha began by providing a historical review of the Wai262 claim including a timeline marking significant milestones within the 20 years it has taken for this claim to complete the Tribunal process.  Aroha went on to discuss the outcomes of the report and likened the relationship between Treaty partners to that of a marriage, with the Waitangi Tribunal acting as a Marriage Counsellor.  There was, as could be expected in a marriage counselling session, some very sensitive issues: the feeling that one partner gets more than the other, the feeling that one is forging partnerships with others and forgetting the primary partner, leading inevitably to the question of what do you do with the chattels?  It would have been interesting to hear from the International delegates and how this may reflect upon their own issues around indigenous ownership, unfortunately time did not allow.  Perhaps there may be opportunity at another LIANZA conference in the future?

Kei ā wai? Who has ... was a workshop facilitated by Anahera Morehu and Rukuwai Jury.  Our session was bilingual, Māori and English, and covered Kōrero Whakataki (Introductions), Whanaungatanga (Relationships), Whakahua (Pronunciations), Waiata (Singing) and Tikanga (protocols).  In small groups, we introduced ourselves before practising those tricky Māori consonants: ‘ng’, ‘r’ and wh’.  We then practiced Māori vowels through waiata singing A E I O U, complete with actions, followed by a brain storming session using Māori words.  The discussion on tikanga was to answer the question: how do you make Māori feel welcome in the workplace (library).  However, for Māori attending the workshop, the question was altered to: how do you make non-Māori feel welcome in the workplace (library).   When the notion of connection/kinship/relationships is important to one culture, and perhaps not so to another culture, the question isn’t as easy to answer as you might think.  We really had to put our thinking caps on for this one!  I’m not going to tell you the answer – you’ll have to attend their workshop next time to find out.

Day two ended with a social engagement – dinner out for members of Te Rōpū Whakahau.  This was my first encounter with Te Rōpū Whakahau that didn’t involve a mailing list or a computer and I had a blast!  A particular highlight for me during dinner was the interaction between members of Te Rōpū Whakahau with members of INELI seated at the table next to ours.  The jovial banter clearly demonstrated the kaupapa of the LIANZA Conference – Te Ihi, Te Wehi, Te Wana: Passion, People, Power.  Both groups exchanged waiata with songs rendered in English, Māori, German, Dutch and Portuguese to name a few.  It was a truly magical multicultural experience that I think everyone will remember for some time to come. 

LIANZA 2011 Conference | Day 1

On Sunday 30 October I travelled to Wellington to attend the LIANZA 2011 Conference – Te Ihi, Te Wehi, Te Wana: Passion, People and Power.  It would be my first time at Conference and I was really looking forward to it.  There were many wonderful and interesting keynote sessions, workshops, presentations and social events and I will highlight some of those I attended over the four days.

DAY ONE – Sunday 30 October

My introduction to the LIANZA conference began with the Mihi Whakatau at the Michael Fowler Centre.  It was impressive to see the tikanga of this event being carefully explained to all attendees prior to its start: karanga, whaikōrero and waiata.  Of course, this was particularly beneficial to the international guests who I’m sure appreciated the opportunity for a ‘learning moment’.

I was impressed by our MC, the wonderful poet and storyteller Apirana Taylor, who regaled us each morning, and throughout the day, with a wonderful selection of prose.  You could feel the conference theme echoed in each reading and the paper darts were a nice touch and certainly a lovely memento for those fortunate enough to be in its flight path.  A signed copy of ‘A canoe in midstream’ was too good to pass up and has been added to my personal library.

Molly Raphael’s keynote session was entitled ‘Libraries: Essential for learning, essential for life’.  It was interesting to learn that in the United States the funding and management of public libraries differs vastly from state to state, and that libraries are considered a discretional service within some communities.  Molly’s theme focused on the powerful and profound impact of library users to advocate for the value of a library to ensure its future, rather than the traditional library or its staff as advocates.  Molly recounted an example of how a Summer Reading program contributed to the educational success of a second-chance learner and that stories like this, offering transformational change, had the most power to shift thinking.

INFO 525 | eReader Podcast - The Kindle in New Zealand

INFO 525 Digital Technologies is an elective paper in the PGCertIS at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. 

The focus of this blog is the use of podcasting - creating a digital audio file - to transmit information to an audience.  Audacity software was used to record and edit the sound file, and SoundCloud was used to upload the audio file to the internet and share to this blog.

The focus of this podcast is the impact of the Kindle, an eReading device that has recently arrived on New Zealand shores.  I discuss the two types of Kindle available in New Zealand: the Kindle 3G and the Kindle Wifi.

Though the Kindle has a long and well established history in the United States, for New Zealand it is quite a different story.  Information professionals need to be aware of the compatibility issues around the Kindle, in particular, the accessibility of eBooks from New Zealand public libraries.  To learn more, please listen to the podcast.

Kindle in New Zealand Podcast by tracy525

Comments?
Did you find this blog useful? Would you recommend improvements? Would you like any point clarified? Your feedback is valued so please feel free to post a comment below. 

Referencing / Source Acknowledgement
How Stuff Works. (n.d.). What is linux and why is it so popular? Retrieved on September 18, 2011, from http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question246.htm

Estrovich, K. (2011). Kindle library lending and overdrive: What is means for libraries and schools. Retrieved on September 18, 2011, from http://overdriveblogs.com/library/2011/04/20/kindle-library-lending-and-overdrive-what-it-means-for-libraries-and-schools/


Pewhairangi, S. (2011). Ebook providers in New Zealand: Overdrive and Wheelers. Retrieved on September 19, 2011, from http://findingheroes.co.nz/2011/07/26/ebook-providers-in-new-zealand-overdrive-and-wheelers/


Pewhairangi, S. (2011a). 3 things your Kindle can't do ... But other ereaders can.  Retrieved on September 19, 2011, from http://lianza.org.nz/news-events/features/3-things-your-kindle-cant-do-other-ereaders-can


Music sample from Bruno Mars - Marry You.

INFO 525 | Widgeting the Vietnam War

INFO 525 Digital Technologies is an elective paper in the PGCertIS at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. 

The focus of this blog is ‘widgets’, specifically a customised widget focused on New Zealand content.

WHY A VIETNAM WIDGET?
The widget I have created (see bottom of blog) links to a personal interest I have in New Zealand and the Vietnam War. Growing up as a child in military camps, both in NZ and overseas, you tend to take interest in significant Army related happenings ... War fits that bill nicely.

HOW DID I CREATE THIS WIDGET?
The widget was created by registering with DigitalNZ and creating my very own search tool. In developing the search tool I did the following:

• Search – chose to include everything
• Keywords – (Vietnam AND War) OR (Kiwi AND Vietnam) OR (ANZAC AND Vietnam)
• Source – chose content from all sources
• Date range – no limiters

HOW DID THE WIDGET RESULTS FAIR?
During the ‘testing’ phase I used the following search terms and received various results, but results nonetheless! The number of records for each are listed below:
• Kiwi = 54
• Agent Orange = 7
• Friendly fire = 2
• Nui Dat = 5
• Fragging = 0
• ANZAC = 20
• Protest = 49
• Anti-Vietnam = 31

HOW HELPFUL WAS THE WIDGET?
I found the value of the results to be pretty accurate in matching my search terms measured against my own knowledge of the topic and this would be a useful tool for any bloggers interested in learning a little more about New Zealand’s involvement in the Vietnam War.  DigitalNZ provides autonomy to access authoritative content, located across multiple websites, through the one portal.

INFO 525 | e-Readers: An introduction to Android and iOS technologies

INFO 525 Digital Technologies is an elective paper in the PGCertIS at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. 

In this blog I will provide an environmental scan of Google's Android and Apple's iOS technologies.

Software giant’s Google and Apple are becoming prominent players in the development of mobile operating systems (mOS) technologies.  In what was once a strictly mobile phone market, mOS now features in many smart devices including Apple’s iPad, Barnes and Noble Nook e-reader and Samsungs Galaxy Tab.

There is significant variance between the development of the mOS technologies including foundational architecture, third party access/licensing and the types and brands of devices supported.

Comments?
Did you find this blog useful? Would you recommend improvements? Would you like any point clarified? Your feedback is valued so please feel free to post a comment below. 

Sources:

All slides:

Google vs Android image:

http://www.lifeofandroid.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/android-vs-apple.png

Slides 2 & 3:

http://google.about.com/od/socialtoolsfromgoogle/p/android_what_is.htm

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-android-technology.htm

http://kobobooks.com/android (Slide 3 only)

Slide 4:

http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/Miscellaneous/Conceptual/iPhoneOSTechOverview/IPhoneOSOverview/IPhoneOSOverview.html

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/android-vs-apple-the-2011-cage-match/43682

Slide 5 & 6:

http://androidcommunity.com/apple-ios-vs-google-android-in-latest-changewave-research-report-20110718/

 Slide 7:

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-07-27/news/29820903_1_android-tablet-tablet-market-ipad-sales

INFO 530 | Te Reo Maori and the e-Book

INFO 530 Maori Information Sources is an elective paper in the PGCertIS at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand.

In this blog I will look at some of the issues around e-Books and te Reo Maori, an official language of New Zealand / Aotearoa.  

Tonight's INFO 530 lecture focused on resources available in te Reo Maori (Maori language).

Of particular interest to me was the discussion around commercial viability for resources in te Reo Maori.  Does the cost related to publish or produce these resources (in print) really outweigh its value to the intended audience, albeit a small market segment?  From a business perspective, you certainly do not want to purchase/produce/sell products that result in a loss against cost/benefit. Though from a cultural perspective, loss in terms of knowledge and information sharing, may arise from not purchasing/producing/selling the product.

It would seem that if you are an authoritative or established author, or if you have sufficient financial backing and support, publication particularly in print, will not be an issue.  However for the majority, and this was discussed in length, financial outlay seems to be the largest barrier to whether or not publication occurs.

Why is te Reo Maori of little commercial value?
Te Reo Maori is one of three official languages of New Zealand / Aotearoa.  The other two official languages are English and New Zealand Sign Language.

Recognised as an official language of New Zealand only, it is this very recognition that limits the commercial viability of te Reo Maori.  Whilst French, English and Spanish, for example, are recognised in more than one country, te Reo Maori is not, therefore in a commercial sense, it serves a very small market segment.

Te Reo Maori has seen significant growth through the establishment of Kohanga Reo (Maori Language Kindergartens) and Kura Kaupapa (Maori Language Primary/Intermediate/Secondary Schools): te Reo Maori is the primary language taught and used by these schools, with English introduced later in the schooling curriculum.

Revitalisation is occuring, but is it going fast enough?  From a librarian's perspective, when Kura graduates enter mainstream tertiary institutes, how do they support their student's learning needs? Te Reo Maori resources in academic libraries can be limited due to a number of reasons including funding allocations and scarcity of resources.

I think it is also important to note, that in the interests of biculturalism, New Zealand / Aotearoa tertiary institutes permit students to write their assessments, including Thesis and Dissertations, in te Reo Maori.  These scholars, more than any, require appropriate resources in te Reo Maori.

How do you overcome barriers to te Reo Maori print resources?
One way certainly, is to digitise the content and move te Reo Maori print resources into the digital age: e-Books.

If the Orewa College's compulsory ipad stationery item proposition occurs, and e-Reading devices become the norm inside a student's school bag along with their lunch box, then there is a real possibility the e-Books will also become the norm.

The production of te Reo Maori in electronic format seems sensible and practical.  Print costs would become a thing of the past, trees would be saved and the environment would be better for it.

The question I wonder now is, why hasn't there been an upsurge in te Reo Maori e-Books?

INFO 525 | e-Readers in tertiary education

INFO 525 Digital Technologies is an elective paper in the PGCertIS at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. 

In this blog I will look at the some of the issues around e-Book use within a New Zealand tertiary environment.

Working with nursing students on a regular basis, I can see benefits immediately: a lighter load and increased accessibility to resources for a start! 

Weighty considerations?

Lugging around nursing textbooks (Craven & Hirnle and Potter & Perry have a hefty combined 3029 pages) requires the athletic prowess of a Greek god.  Instead, simply slip the e-Reader, containing your light-as-a-feather e-Textbooks, into your handbag (or backpack).  

On clinical placement and unable to make it to the library during opening hours?

Just download the e-Textbook you need and voila, reading at a day and time that suits you! 

These are just two obvious benefits to using an e-Reader within the tertiary environment, but is it really that simple?

 

Reality check?
What does your typical tertiary student do with print-based resources?

• Highlight
• Mark with pencil 
• Attach 'post-it' notes 

The ability for an e-Reader to be able to bookmark and annotate an e-Textbook seems then to be a highly valued feature.

Are all e-Readers created equally?
In the Kobo versus Kindle war, it would seem the Kobo wins in its ease of use to highlight passages of text and find word definitions, the latter is certainly an important consideration if your area of study is in an unfamiliar subject.  On the flip side, the Kindle seems to win with reliability and is less likely to fail/crash than the Kobo.  Again, an important consideration if you plan to invest in an e-Reader device for 3 or more years.

What other considerations are there?

The ‘digital divide’

The digital divide in New Zealand still shows there are many who have not used, and/or do not have access to, a personal computer, though public libraries are going someway to bridge this gap.  However, e-Reading devices are not (yet) standard items available in New Zealand academic libraries (or public libraries for that matter). 

Until such time as e-Reading devices are available in a library, as a student, you can of course acquire an e-Reading device in a number of ways: as part of tuition, through course related costs, or purchased from your local store. The choice is really yours.

e-Literacy – you’ve got it, but can you use it?

For some, the thought of using technology may, and does, cause incredible anxiety.  You have your e-Reader, now what?  Using fingertips to touch or scroll may seem second nature to some, but completely foreign to others.  How do you learn how this fang-dangled device works? This obviously (to me at any rate)  leads into the question of the academic librarian's role evolving into the e-Literacy Instructor, however I think that discussion really merits its own blog.

e-Textbooks - to borrow or to buy?
Investing in an e-Reader is only part of the process.  You need the resources, namely, the e-Textbooks.  Amazon has released an e-textbook rental programme though with issues around pricing and textbook availability, this programme is still very much in the early stages.

On a final note, in what is quickly becoming a technologically-dynamic world, would amendments to the admissions process be needed; extending the current assessment of a potential candidate's computer literacy level to include technological device literacy? Certainly food for thought.