Posted for Friday, 26 March 2010
Christine Stilwell's presentation on the future of libraries in South Africa was helpful and enlightening, coming in as the last presentation of the academy. One of the comments she had from last year's academy participants, was the following: "LIS workers in the current diverse environment, must be highly skilled people with technological, social and creative skills, who have insight into the important role they play in the education of South African people." I can thoroughly identify with this statement In my current position, I have to wear many hats, one technological, where I am well versed with the current IT, both PC knowledge and knowledge about networks, the Internet and databases, and be a people's person. My knowledge of the information contained in my library is also put to the test on a daily basis and I constantly have to scan the literature to keep abreast of what happening in my field of librarianship and that of the Health and Wellness faculty which I serve.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Multi-Culturalism in the Workplace
Posted for Thursday, 25 March 2010
The most interesting aspect of Dr. Danny Titus' presentation was the description of our society not as a melting pot, but as a "mosaic" or "tossed salad" which sees all the individuals in the society retaining their identity. These terms are replacing the "melting pot" concept of society, in which differnces are valued and appreciated as opposed to an "assimilation" culture in which ALL cultures have to adopt one dominant culture. The issue of "dimensions of diversity" is highlighted and expanded upon; some of these are:
1)Gender and religious beliefs
2) Race and marital status
3)Ethnicity and parental status
4)Age and education
5)Physical and mental ability as wells as income
6)Sexual orientation and occupation
7)Language and geographic location (these that are grouped do not necessarily relate to each other)
The most interesting aspect of Dr. Danny Titus' presentation was the description of our society not as a melting pot, but as a "mosaic" or "tossed salad" which sees all the individuals in the society retaining their identity. These terms are replacing the "melting pot" concept of society, in which differnces are valued and appreciated as opposed to an "assimilation" culture in which ALL cultures have to adopt one dominant culture. The issue of "dimensions of diversity" is highlighted and expanded upon; some of these are:
1)Gender and religious beliefs
2) Race and marital status
3)Ethnicity and parental status
4)Age and education
5)Physical and mental ability as wells as income
6)Sexual orientation and occupation
7)Language and geographic location (these that are grouped do not necessarily relate to each other)
Digital Preservation
Posted for Wednesday 24 March 2010
Ria Groenewald's work on digital preservation rang true for all we are currently doing. One of the authors she quotes states that we are living in a "digital dark ages" and that there are new "barbarians at the gate." We as librarians are, according to the author quoted, much as the monks of the Dark Ages who preserved the knowledge which was being lost. Digital information is ephemeral and it is up to librarians to preserve and make public that which is created digitally. Some of the risks for documents which are digitally created are the following:
1. Hard Drive Failure
2. URL Error - broken links
3. Storage Medium failure
4. Loss of information/ data
5. Human Error and memory
6. Hackers
Ria Groenewald's work on digital preservation rang true for all we are currently doing. One of the authors she quotes states that we are living in a "digital dark ages" and that there are new "barbarians at the gate." We as librarians are, according to the author quoted, much as the monks of the Dark Ages who preserved the knowledge which was being lost. Digital information is ephemeral and it is up to librarians to preserve and make public that which is created digitally. Some of the risks for documents which are digitally created are the following:
1. Hard Drive Failure
2. URL Error - broken links
3. Storage Medium failure
4. Loss of information/ data
5. Human Error and memory
6. Hackers
Johan Greef's Living Organisation
Posted for Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Johann Greef's presentation was fascinating. The tasks he gave us to complete was also helpful in terms of learning to complete groupwork and looking at "problems" from different positions and points of view. The task with the string tied around our hands was all about thinking outside of the box, besides being entertaining. In his notes he states that, "Nobody has a crystal ball with which they can predict the future. People will often say that senario planning is a waste of effort. However, by doing this we are actively trying to create our own future. As we consider possibilities, it will be easier for us to adapt our strategies to meet the challenges of the future." I sincerely believe that scenario planning is one way of planning for the future. Without it we simply amble along aimlessly, allowing things to happen to us without an attempt at anticipating them. Johan's living organisation, therefore, becomes a "learning" organisation through plannning for the future.
Johann Greef's presentation was fascinating. The tasks he gave us to complete was also helpful in terms of learning to complete groupwork and looking at "problems" from different positions and points of view. The task with the string tied around our hands was all about thinking outside of the box, besides being entertaining. In his notes he states that, "Nobody has a crystal ball with which they can predict the future. People will often say that senario planning is a waste of effort. However, by doing this we are actively trying to create our own future. As we consider possibilities, it will be easier for us to adapt our strategies to meet the challenges of the future." I sincerely believe that scenario planning is one way of planning for the future. Without it we simply amble along aimlessly, allowing things to happen to us without an attempt at anticipating them. Johan's living organisation, therefore, becomes a "learning" organisation through plannning for the future.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Marketing and Branding
POSTED FOR Monday, 22 March 2010
The quote in Ronel Rensburg's presentation that stood out for the entire day was the following:
" The measure of a true leader is one who not only is the first among equals, but someone who is prepared to draw on the collective knowledge of everyone around him/her. A leader is someone who fearlessly bears the consequences of his/her decisions, who does not strive to be popular, but who walks the road to which he or she is committed." I have always attempted to draw on the knowledge of others and to act on concensus as far as possible. This is not always possible as a leader has sometimes to act and make decisions on his or her own, based on past experience and knowledge of what needs to be done in the moment. The other aspect of her work stated that as a leader one should never forget the importance of formal and informal internal communication . We discussed the fact that a good leader always has his/ her "ear to the ground" and is aware, where possible, of the grapevine discussions.
The quote in Ronel Rensburg's presentation that stood out for the entire day was the following:
" The measure of a true leader is one who not only is the first among equals, but someone who is prepared to draw on the collective knowledge of everyone around him/her. A leader is someone who fearlessly bears the consequences of his/her decisions, who does not strive to be popular, but who walks the road to which he or she is committed." I have always attempted to draw on the knowledge of others and to act on concensus as far as possible. This is not always possible as a leader has sometimes to act and make decisions on his or her own, based on past experience and knowledge of what needs to be done in the moment. The other aspect of her work stated that as a leader one should never forget the importance of formal and informal internal communication . We discussed the fact that a good leader always has his/ her "ear to the ground" and is aware, where possible, of the grapevine discussions.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Visit to the National Library
Posted for Saturday, 20 March
The visit to the National Library was impressive. The design of the “palace”, as it is called, was well thought out in terms of 21st Century design and form to function issues of the building. Planning for its existence well into the future, with provision for materials acquisition in terms of legal deposit, has been done for continued use for the next 150 years. Bravo to the architects and librarians who planned this facility. The speeches which launched library week, was generally plodding and ultimately exhausting (this may have been due to the fact that we were immersed in work for the past week without any REAL breaks). A golden theme that ran through all the speeches was something we had discussed in one of our sessions in “class” at Riverside 1, which is the freedom of expression. Whether it was the poets, the music or the talks, they all had an element of freedom of expression link to their talks, either directly or indirectly.
The visit to the National Library was impressive. The design of the “palace”, as it is called, was well thought out in terms of 21st Century design and form to function issues of the building. Planning for its existence well into the future, with provision for materials acquisition in terms of legal deposit, has been done for continued use for the next 150 years. Bravo to the architects and librarians who planned this facility. The speeches which launched library week, was generally plodding and ultimately exhausting (this may have been due to the fact that we were immersed in work for the past week without any REAL breaks). A golden theme that ran through all the speeches was something we had discussed in one of our sessions in “class” at Riverside 1, which is the freedom of expression. Whether it was the poets, the music or the talks, they all had an element of freedom of expression link to their talks, either directly or indirectly.
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