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!
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