dreamingstillbooks

[dreamingstillbooks]

Thing 22

This is the reflective post for the Engaged Professional section of Rudai 23. Overall, this section of Things has been particularly thought provoking in regards to a LIS career and working in the area.

Thing 19 looked at podcasts and I chose to listen to podcasts from ‘Stuff you missed in History class.’ Four podcasts caught my eye: Death at the Duomo: The Pazzi Conspiracy; Savonarola, the Unarmed Prophet; How Lucrezia Borgia Worked; and How the Dancing Plague of 1518 Worked. I found the podcasts were well but not overly detailed, providing a good foundation in the topics and of convenient and manageable times (ranging roughly from 15 to 25 minutes). I really enjoyed listening to the podcasts and to be honest it didn’t really feel like a task, it was an excuse to put on some headphones and tune out while listening to some fascinating information. I will hopefully continue to listen to the podcasts from ‘Stuff you missed in History class.’ Although, I think that in the future it would be more beneficial if I listened to the Librarian/Library related Podcasts; but I was too drawn to the history podcasts (as is evidenced by my inability to decide which podcast to listen to and review for Thing 19 and ending up choosing all four!).

Thing 20 centred on library advocacy and engagement; about the fundamental role libraries play in society and how library professionals can advocate for libraries effectively. This was a difficult Thing, not only did take me quite some time to complete but it also challenged me to think from a different point of view and imagine what it would be like to work in the LIS area and what I would do to engage with and advocate for that imagined library. I tried to answer all the questions posed in the task for Thing 20; although I was unable to complete question 9 which I found too difficult to answer as, for me, it required more in-depth knowledge of and the workings of the LIS area.  In addition to the trouble with question 9 I had to adjust my answers because of my lack of knowledge and experience in the area. Despite the issues I found this Thing to be very interesting especially as a way to start thinking about advocacy how I would and could get involved.

Thing 21 looked at Professional Groups, their role and activities, and the benefits of engaging with them. I chose task 1 which involved learning more about the roles, activities and benefits of individual professional bodies listed in the module. I chose this task because with my current situation all of these professional bodies were new to me and I wanted to learn about them. Prior to this Thing was completely unaware of the number of professional groups that existed or the kind of things that they did to promote their librarians and the LIS profession, or even that some groups were involved with other areas as well, e.g. the ARLIS and IAML. This was such an informative Thing and has opened up the wider LIS community to me. It also highlighted the importance to me of engaging with these groups in the future and providing me with a support and advice network of other LIS professionals, and the career development opportunities.

Overall, this section was very instructive and in a way, for me, it perfectly culminates the different Rudai 23 sections as it introduces, more than the other sections, proactively working within the LIS profession. At times I felt like I was somewhat at a disadvantage (concerning my lack of knowledge and experience) while doing this section of Things, however, the tasks were designed in such a way that I was able to overcome this difficulty and complete the tasks. Rudai 23 occurred at the perfect moment for me, (well, almost perfect- I was a few weeks late to it) just as I was starting my library work experience; beginning them both at the same time (and continuing on with Rudai 23) has been the perfect combination of introduction to and experience in the LIS world. I have learned so much over the past several weeks through completing Rudai 23 and as someone who is an outsider to the LIS profession (not working or studying in the area) this Thing and the previous 21 Things have given me a grounding and foundation from which I can develop - the different communication tools I can use, networking with other professionals and building an online brand, thinking more critically about the information I consume and produce, and how to get more actively involved in the LIS profession.

[dreamingstillbooks]

Thing 21

Thing 21 looked at Professional Groups, their role and activities, and the benefits of engaging with them. I chose task 1 which involved learning more about the roles, activities and benefits of individual professional bodies listed in the module. Because of my current situation all of these professional bodies were new to me.

Library Association of Ireland - https://www.libraryassociation.ie/

The LAI is the professional body representing libraries and librarianship in Ireland. It has a wide range of roles and activities including: working to promote and develop high standards of librarianship, to secure greater co-operation between libraries, to organise conferences or other relevant functions, and to examine and assess any legislation affecting libraries.

CILIP - http://www.cilip.org.uk/

CILIP represents information professionals who work across all sectors in the UK and works to develop the skills and expertise of those they represent and to advocate for the importance of their roles. Similar to the LAI, CILIP provides its members with opportunities to develop their careers and skills, search for job opportunities.

American Library Association - http://www.ala.org/

The ALA seeks to develop, promote and improve the librarianship profession, and library and information services to increase learning and access to information in America. They advocate for the profession and all libraries where they be academic, public, school or special, they strive for an open, inclusive, and collaborative environment which highlights education and lifelong learning.

Australian Library and Information Association - https://www.alia.org.au/

The ALIA is the national professional organisation for library and information services in Australia. It strives to enhance the profession through the development of professional interests and aspirations, the improvement of services, promotion of members’ interests to governments and other organisations, and promoting the sector through leadership, advocacy and mutual professional support.

Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa - https://lianza.org.nz/

LIANZA advocates for library and information professionals in Aotearoa New Zealand. It plans, lobbies, and implements changes for its libraries by aiming to increase public awareness of libraries’ value, promoting positive national legislation, and providing resources, training and support networks.

Indian Library Association - https://www.ilaindia.net/

The Indian Library Association works to promote the library movement in India through the development and training of librarians, improving the status of librarians, encouraging appropriate legislation, endorsing library science research, providing a forum for library and information professionals by holding conferences and meetings, and the accreditation of library and information science education and training institutions.

Art Libraries Society - http://www.arlis.net/

ARLIS/UK & Ireland is an educational charity and professional organisation for providing library and information services and documenting resources in the visual arts. It works to document art and design and provide library and information services to artists, designers and architects, it promotes allocating resources for the visual arts, architecture and design, and provides a forum for debate and discussion on visual arts librarianship ideas.

International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres - http://www.iaml.info/

The IAML encourages and promotes the activities of music libraries, archives and documentation centres concerned with music and music materials. It works to encourage a better understanding of these centres, to strengthen cooperation among institutions and individuals, to support projects working in these fields, and to support the development of area standards and the availability of education and training.

European Association for Health Information and Libraries - http://eahil.eu/

The EAHIL unites European information professionals working in medical and health science libraries. It promotes professional development, the improvement of cooperation amongst health care libraries, raising standards, encouraging mobility and continuing education with exchanges of experience amongst its members and holding workshops or conferences.

British and Irish Association of Law Librarians - https://biall.org.uk/

The BIALL is a professional body for information professionals working within legal information in the UK and Ireland. It supports members through information exchange opportunities, meetings and conferences, and enhancing their knowledge of legal information management; it endeavours to demonstrate the important role information professionals and law libraries have within the legal information profession.

School Library Association in the Republic of Ireland - http://slari.ie/

SLAR is a voluntary organisation and a branch of the School Library Association. It offers support and information to all those involved in primary and post-primary school libraries, it campaigns for better high standard school library facilities and promotes the crucial role school libraries’ play in developing good reading habits among young people.

All of these professional groups provide different yet similar functions. Each of them strives for the betterment of the LIS profession through the education and support of its members and their careers, and through advocacy and promotion of the importance and vital role library and information services play in communities and societies around the world. Engaging with all of these groups would be very important for anyone working in the LIS area as it provides access to a network of other LIS professionals, giving support and advice and the opportunity to develop your career. I was not aware of the amount of professional groups that existed or the scope of objectives and aims they all have to promote their area. This has been a very eye opening and informative Thing and that has opened up the wider LIS community to me.

[dreamingstillbooks]

Thing 20

Thing 20 centres on library advocacy and engagement; about the fundamental role libraries play in society and how library professionals can advocate for libraries effectively.

As I am not working or studying within the Library and Information Services area this Thing will be from an outsider’s perspective rather than an insider’s one. I have done my best to answer all the questions posed in the task for Thing 20 (although I found it too difficult to answer question 9, even though I did try), however, because of my situation there are some aspects and things that I do not know so I have had to alter my answers accordingly. 

Exercise 1: Name three detrimental effects to a local community when a public library is closed.

For me one of the largest detrimental effects would be the loss of access to information, not only the physical books but also the internet, online databases, and art that is contained within libraries.

There would also be the loss of other services that many libraries provide, e.g. guided tours, public talks and discussions, workshops, help with research and computer software, etc.

The third effect would be the loss of the social role that libraries play. Libraries can and are community builders providing a space for people of all backgrounds and are not limited to certain socio-economic backgrounds.

Exercise 2: Find a Library Strategic Plan in Ireland or beyond for a library of any size.  Identify three ways in which the strategic plan also advocates for the Library Service.

I looked at the National Library of Ireland Strategic Plan 2008-2010 which had six strategic aims. The three aims that I thought also advocated for the Library Service were Strategic Aim 3, 5 and 6.

“Strategic Aim 3: Achieving Outreach, Collaboration and Synergy. To pursue outreach, endeavour and Synergy.” Because this aim reaches out to the community and brings people into the library it is highlighting the importance and role of libraries.

“Strategic Aim 5: Developing Staff. To provide optimal support to the staff in pursuit of Excellence.” This aim would help support and retain library staff and would enable them to provide the best services they can to help bring in and retain library visitors and users.

“Strategic Aim 6: Developing the Organisation. To put in place appropriate organisational structures, systems, and policies that will underpin activity, delivery and the highest quality of service.” This aim would refine and optimise a library’s service helping it to excel and grow.

Exercise 3: Name three ways in which you can demonstrate the impact and value of the library service that you work in or use.

For me, the library I have used most is my university’s library.

The most obvious impact and value of my, and any, university’s library is giving students access to books and online databases for their course work and providing them with a dedicated space to work on and complete that course work.

For me a second key aspect of the university library was its promoting of Open Access thereby allowing students, lectures, and academics in general to easily read and build on existing findings, and giving them access to the latest research.

The third impact and value is the archives department of the library which often preserves individual and community historic artefacts and oral histories, it may take part in digital history projects and the digitization of vital records, and it provides a place where people can research genealogy and immigration history.

Exercise 4: Identify three key people (name their role) outside of the library in the wider organisation/community that you need to network with in order to advance the development of the Library Service.

Since I am not familiar with whom libraries need to network with I have chosen groups as opposed to individual people.

Local councils or government officials – I think that it is very important that a library networks with the local councils and government officials. If the library can demonstrate its importance to the local community to the local councils and government officials then they could gain some much needed support and funding, as well as an increased audience reach.

Local Schools – I think it is vital for libraries to interact with local schools, if children are introduced to libraries at a young age and the importance of libraries is cultivated then they will carry that with them through their lives. A related example which was given in the ‘Next Generation Learning Spaces Seminar’ (which I wrote about in Thing 17), recounted that a school with an underused library built a slide out of one of the windows and every time a child took out a book to read they could go down the slide. Suffice to say the library was no longer under used and it was not only the school children who wanted to take out books, the teachers wanted to as well!

Local businesses – If libraries could network with local business they could partner up and collaborate with one another increasing advertising and the audience reach, there could also be promotional days or offers all of which would bring in more library visitors and users.

Exercise 5: Write down in 200 words or less an idea for Library Ireland Week for a library you work in or use.

I had not heard of Library Ireland Week before this so I’m not sure what has been done before or what would be suitable. The idea I am outlining below is pure hypothesis and somewhat whimsical but I hope that won’t be held against me!

One idea could be to follow in the footsteps of The Open Book in Wigtown, Scotland.  Renting The Open Book through Airbnb - https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/7908227 - allows you to run your own bookshop for a week or two providing the “first ever bookshop holiday/residency experience”. This quirky bookshop rental idea gives people a great experience of running a book shop and promotes an interest in books and reading.

Perhaps this bookshop rental could be combined with popup shops or mobile libraries whereby a popup, mobile bookshop/library could be rented out and travels around the country visiting and staying at every library in the country for a couple of days.

Exercise 6: In your opinion what are the three best features of the My Library, By Right Campaign and why?

This is the first time I have heard about the My Library, By Right Campaign and when I tried to look up their website for more information I kept getting 404 Error messages. I’m not entirely sure I understand what ‘the three best features’ of the campaign are but I have tried to answer the question in any case.

From what I can gather, three of the key issues the campaign is fighting for is the “public’s rights to libraries to be recognised and respected,” for “public libraries to be treated as the statutory services they are,” and it is fighting against the withdrawal of financial and political support from public libraries. Libraries contribute so much to society and the My Library, By Right Campaign is fighting to get that contribution recognised and supported. Using a variety of methods the campaign has highlighted these issues, through #MyLibraryByRight, posters, a petition, and writing to government officials; as well as getting internationally renowned writers such as Ali Smith, Joanna Trollope, Neil Gaiman and Sir Andrew Motion to add their support through The Society of Authors.

Exercise 7: In 200 words or less, describe a new area of librarianship that you are passionate about. How would you go about promoting it within the library that you work in and/or the wider library profession?

I am not aware of the different areas of librarianship or what is considered new but I’ll try to answer the question anyway basing it on what I know so far.

Perhaps, going back to the ‘Next Generation Learning Spaces Seminar’ in Thing 17, the development or redevelopment of library spaces it get more people interested in the library and to get a better user experience. To promote it within the library I think organising seminars to initially get people involved and interested in the topic would be best. After that I think getting local schools or children’s clubs involved in designing their own designated ‘children’s’ area. There could also be a ‘Best Design’ competition among local businesses and the library could implement the winning design. 

Exercise 8: Choose an area of library practice that you feels requires debate.

As above I am not aware of library practice areas but I’ll try to answer the question. From what I can gather the growth of digital technology, e.g. the internet, online databases, and ebooks etc. is a challenge to libraries and is one that they have to rapidly adapt to. From spaces for borrowing books to community spaces with access to technology libraries are challenged to keep up with the rapid development of technology. Bridging the space between both old and new, maintaining the old while advancing the new is a difficult practice with many different avenues to take and one that I think will always require thought and debate.

This has not been an easy Thing to do; I have had to challenge myself to imagine what it would be like to work in the LIS area and what I would do to engage with and advocate for that imagined library. Despite this it was interesting to start thinking about advocacy how I would and could get involved.

[dreamingstillbooks]

Thing 19

Thing 19 was all about Podcasts. I’m not much of a podcast listener, I tend to watch YouTube videos or if a Youtuber uploads their podcasts I might listen to bits and pieces of it, but on the whole I don’t normally listen to podcasts. Because of this, this Thing provided the perfect opportunity for me to get use to listening to podcasts.

I chose Option 1 which involved listening to, subscribing, rating and reviewing a podcast of my choice. An extensive list of possible podcasts was listed in Thing 19 and I chose ‘Stuff you missed in History class’ - https://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts. My interest and understanding of history has grown considerably since my school days, (it might also help that I’m not trying to learn an enormous amount of information just to regurgitate it back out onto a page in some awful exam!), and I took the opportunity to listen to podcasts on some fascinating subjects.

 The podcasts on ‘Stuff you missed in History class’ are broken up into useful topics, e.g. by century (15th to 20th centuries), Biographies, Civil Rights, Entertainment, Royalty, Slavery, Women, etc. The co hosts for the site, Tracy V. Wilson and Holly Frey are based in the USA and on the FAO page they state that “the vast majority of topic requests we get from listeners are from the United States and Europe. The overwhelming number of our listeners are from the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, which means our queue of listener requests is overwhelmingly from those nations as well�� but that they do also “intentionally choose subjects from the rest of the world, too”.

Four podcasts caught my eye  Death at the Duomo: The Pazzi Conspiracy; Savonarola, the Unarmed Prophet; How Lucrezia Borgia Worked; and How the Dancing Plague of 1518 Worked. I couldn’t decide which one to listen to and review for this Thing so chose all four!

The podcasts were well detailed but not overly so and provided a good introduction and grounding in the topics. The podcasts were manageable times, the ones I listened to ranged roughly from 15 to 25 minutes. Both Tracy and Holly do some on the go thinking and actively question details and events during the podcast; they also ask the audience for advice or additional facts and knowledge on different topics. I really liked when they did this, as to me it showed not only an engagement with their audience and listeners but also that while they may have researched a topic for the podcast they were still very much willing to learn more. Some of the later podcasts were transcribed which was very practical and useful.

If I was to make any critic of the podcasts it was that once or twice I thought that it became a little too colloquial, but this was rare and didn’t effect the overall quality of the podcasts. (As a complete aside and a personal hang-up I did find the ads, even though I know they are necessary, at the start of the podcasts irritating).

Overall, I loved Thing 19 and really enjoyed listening to the podcasts and I will hopefully continue to listen to them. 

[dreamingstillbooks]

Search history of a writer

Introduction

One of the most horrifying things you may ever encounter is the search history of a writer. In all honesty, it’s difficult to differentiate between the search history of a serial killer and a writer.

Writers research some of the most questionable and red-flag-raising things. Most of the time we hope incognito or tor (use tor browser, trust me. It’ll keep you anonymous) will hide our search history from the FBI.

The searches

Here are some of items writers research.

1. 

 Because nothing is shadier than someone who researches the duration of chloroform. Just be sure to delete your search history before someone stumbles upon it.

2.

It’s for research purposes, mother. I promise I didn’t kill my brother yet.

3.

Might want to go incognito when you’re in cooking class. If not, say sayonara to your certificate… Or should I say cyanide-a.

4.

Obviously for your story, right? Who even does drugs? Not my followers, of course.

5.

Probably the most common search item for writers. Incognito won’t save us from the FBI.

6.

This one also ties in with murder or maybe suicide, but nonetheless, still questionable.

(Related story time: During freshman English 1A class, a few guys were looking through this girl’s search history—I will not release any names—and what they found was rather amusing. For some reason, the girl searched whether it was legal or not to buy a gun in California. The next search item was how she could kill her classmate with a gun. She’s an artist, not a writer so this was concerning, especially since I sat in front of her. Related story time over)

7.

Not only do writers research suspicious items, but their research will also lead toward disturbing and strange stuff. Things such as diseases. Just a tip: Don’t view images of diseases, trust me.

8.

Having fun explaining to anyone who finds your search history that your not part of Isis. Trust me, I know from experience that it’ll be difficult to convince them.

9.

Ah, my dear friends who had snooped through my phone, I’m just writing a story. Don’t be alarmed, I didn’t kill anyone… Anyone real that is.

10.

Writers search up too many murder related items, don’t they? They are knowledgeable enough to become killers themselves.

11.

Writers aren’t always creepy, we have innocent searches as well. Although, please don’t assume we’re naming a baby, we’re just naming our character, that’s it.

12.

It’s also common to search online thesauruses… Thesauri? Which do you think it is because I’m stumped. Thesauri seems right, but it sounds weird.

13.

Believe it or not, most writers I know search this up. If the FBI can track your history, then searching something like this isn’t very clever, since it’ll increase their suspicion. You’re a writer, you’re already on their list, don’t give them another reason to knock on your door.

Conclusion

As you already know, writers search up the strangest and most questionable items. Their search history can go from something as normal as an online thesaurus to something as creepy as photos of disembodied limbs.

Just be sure to use tor browser to hide your search history from the FBI or your internet provider.

[dreamingstillbooks]

Read books. Go to museums. Watch documentaries. Educate yourself. You don’t need to go to an ivy league school to be cultured. You don’t need money to understand how the world works. You just need to put yourself first, and grab all the opportunities that comes your way.

Hira (via hedonistpoet)

[dreamingstillbooks]

It is a most wonderful comfort to sit alone beneath a lamp, book spread before you, and commune with someone from the past whom you have never met.

Yoshida Kenkō, A Cup of Sake Beneath the Cherry Trees (via anamorphosis-and-isolate)

[dreamingstillbooks]

When you realize you really have to go to sleep if you want to function like a human in the morning BUT YOUR BOOK IS SO GOOD AND LIFE IS NOT FAIR

[dreamingstillbooks]

Bookish This or That

hardback or paperback 

Borrow or buy 

fantasy or sci-fi 

love-triangle or love at first sight 

Wall shelves or bookcases 

Bad plot with good characters or good plot with bad characters 

Harry Potter or Percy Jackson 

Booklr or Bookstagram 

Contemporaries or Fantasy 

English books or books in your native language 

Buy in a bookshop or buy online 

amazon or book depository 

buy because of the cover or because of the description 

Alphabetical shelves or colour coordinated 

different sized books or matching sizes 

wait to marathon a series or read as they’re released 

movie or tv adaptations 

zombies or vampires 

Reading indoors or outdoors 

coffee or tea 

bookmarks or random objects to mark your page 

dog-earing or bookmarks 

Be your favourite character or be their best friend 

physical or e-book 

Read in bed or on a chair 

audiobook or ebook 

series or stand-alones 

Reading in the winter or reading in the summer 

Send some numbers :D 

[dreamingstillbooks]

Stories are important, because they remind us that our view of the world is not universal.

(via bookeworm94)

[dreamingstillbooks]

China Opens World’s Coolest Library With 1.2 Million Books, And Its Interior Will Take Your Breath Away

[dreamingstillbooks]

But will I stop? No

[dreamingstillbooks]

[dreamingstillbooks]

“Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.” ― Bill Watterson, The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book

[dreamingstillbooks]

my wardrobe is made up entirely of book related shirts and ripped jeans

[dreamingstillbooks]

Thing 18

Thing 18 is the reflective practice for the Critical Thinker section of Rudai 23, and on the whole, the Things in this section have been the most challenging for me. The article by John Cox was very interesting and it was very refreshing to hear someone else’s point of view of reflective writing. Although I’m not sure I would be up to or have the motivation to write every week like John Cox.

Thing 14 focused on Personal information management (PIM) and the organizing and storing information and activities in all forms. There were two tasks, the first to use Evernote and the second to use two of the smaller tools mentioned, I chose Remember the Milk and Pocket. This was the least demanding of the Things and allowed me to continue to develop my understanding of various information service tools. As I mentioned in my Thing 14 post most of my current notes and lists are on pieces of paper (in rather a chaotic manner!), but I feel that I will continue to use pen and paper despite efficient nature of tools like Evernote, Remember the Milk and Pocket. While this is the current situation I am not saying that I will never use these tools and I will keep an open mind as they may become very useful in the future!

Thing 15 looked at Evaluating Information, specifically focusing on how we assess and consider Wikipedia. For convenience when writing Thing 15 I focused on my experience of Wikipedia within an academic setting and not in everyday life. Overall, this Thing was the second most challenging of the Things, not only did I find the task of finding a citation for Wikipedia somewhat daunting, putting that task into practice proved very difficult as it took me several hours to find a citation that I was able to add (in the end, with some patience and persistence I managed to find two citations!). Despite these issues and my own reservations about Wikipedia (which I outlined in my Thing 15 post) it was a very informative and I learned a great deal about Wikipedia and I would like in the future to continue with the ‘1lib1ref’ initiative.

Think 16 was on “Your Digital Footprint” and drew attention to how we should be aware of the trail lave trail of data we create while using the Internet, including visiting websites, sending emails, and the information submitted to online services and/or forms. While I am aware of my digital footprint I was not aware of all the aspects of it and I am probably not careful as I should be. The task for Thing 16 was to look through a list of points in relation to our digital footprint to be aware of them and how we can protect ourselves. For me, these points provided not only a useful checklist but also a practical analysis as to how competently I was dealing with my digital footprint.

Thing 17 which was on Sharing Your Work was the most challenging for me because I am not working or studying in Library or Information Services. Having no presentations or papers to share and not enough knowledge about the LIS area to know what conferences I would like to present at in the future I was at a loss to what to write. After some thought I chose a slightly different approach to Thing 17 and wrote on two seminars I went to during my library work experience as they were my first introduction to seminars in the LIS area. The seminars give me a basis for understanding and considering the different types of conferences that exist within the LIS area; and while I do not have any work to publish at present, I have begun to think about and reflect on if and what I would present or write on in the future.

As the name of this section states these Things definitely made me think more critically: about the way I write, how I assess the information I come across online, what I write online and where I write it, and how I would share any of my work in the future. These Things were thought-provoking (particularly Thing 14 and 16), they required me to think outside the box to complete the tasks (especially Thing 17), and they necessitated some patience and persistence to complete (as was the case for Thing 15). Overall, despite the minor setbacks these were a very useful and beneficial set of Things.

[dreamingstillbooks]

Thing 17

This week’s Thing is on Sharing Your Work.

Thing 17 provides a distinctive (and perhaps unique) challenge for me: since I'm not working or studying in Library or Information Services yet (I'm hoping to apply in the next couple of weeks) I don't have any presentations or papers to share and I don't know enough about the area to know what conferences I would like to present at in the future. Because of this I struggled to come up with something I could write for this Thing, however, I remembered that when I was I doing my library work experience at the end of last year I went to a couple of seminars; and so I will be writing on them instead as they were my first introduction to seminars in the LIS area.

The first seminar was ‘Next Generation Learning Spaces Seminar.’ This was a very interesting seminar for me not only because of the specific content of the seminar but because of the general topic. The idea of learning spaces was something new to me. As a student I had spend many hours in the library reading and writing for all my various assignments during my BA and MA, however, in all that time I had never actually considered the space that I was in. This seminar was eye-opening not only because I was suddenly looking at and considering the space around me but also because of gaining the understanding of how important that space is for learning. The development of new learning spaces and the upgrade of existing ones was an entirely new concept for me and I found it fascinating; how these spaces affect how people learn, how well they learn and encouraging them to learn and to return back to learning. While I don’t think this would be an area that I would work in it is definitely something that I would like to keep an eye on as a personal interest.

The second seminar was ‘Beyond the text: aspects of the manuscript and the printed book in Ireland and Europe.’ This was a very intriguing seminar as it was my first look at studying manuscripts, however, because of my lack of knowledge there were some of the more nuanced aspects of the seminar I did not quite understand but I still grasped the general ideas. During the seminar I learned and became aware of the different parts of the manuscripts, the challenges to looking at and conserving manuscripts, the different methods of binding, the small clues that can be garnered from the smallest detail to inform the manuscripts history, and the complexity of how to digitise these manuscripts, and libraries’ and intuitions’ collections. What I found particularly fascinating was the talk on ‘Preliminary report on the analysis of inks in Irish manuscripts’ by Daniela Iacopino and Professor Pádraig Ó Macháin, who used x-ray florescence to identify the ink pigments of a number of velum and paper manuscripts. Again, while not an area that I would work in, this seminar was my first look at studying manuscripts and very useful because of that.

The seminars I went to during my work experience have given me a great foundation and introduction to the different types of cross-disciplinary conferences that exist within the LIS area; and while I am not in a position to publish any work at the moment it is definitely something I would like to investigate in the future.