#5 Flickr

Well after much mucking around finding photos and uploading them I finally have a Flickr account which shows my garden last year at the height of it's rosiness. Hopefully it might look that way again this year despite the drought.

Library life

I love the way anyone who hasn't worked in a Public Library assumes that it must be lovely to be surrounded by books and sit about in the quiet all day. I guess until I came to Public Library life my view was slightly romantic too but not for long! I never realised that a job in a Public Library required one to be, at the same time, friend, advisor, teacher, psychologist, trainer, mother, expert on practically everything and a whizz at technology of all kinds! The Public Library is one of the few places in todays' world that can still provide a sanctuary for people of all classes and cultures. They are warm (or cool depending on the season)welcoming, have plenty of entertainment, no one moves you on or expects anything of you and most importantly, they're free. This very condition means that more than a few of the people we contend with every day have problems of some kind. Dealing with the gammit of human conditions can be confronting but on the other hand, strangely satisfying. Life in a Public Library is never dull. Get a bunch of librarians together and you can bet they all have a favourite story about a colourful visitor to their library. For me the human interaction is the whole reason I'm here. I get a weird kick out of the fact that people are lined up to get in, even on weekends. There are not many jobs where your value to your customers is so immediately evident. Taking part in the Learning 2.0 is just another way of keeping up with the demands of library life. Hopefully it will be fun too.

Getting started

This is the first post of the "23 things" blog for Monash Public Library Service in Victoria, Australia. Two enthusiastic (or crazy) staff are trying to get their heads around blogs and Learning 2.0. Eventually we will inflict this on all the staff here! What fun!