On 17 September, I took a trip once more out of Wellington "central", this time to visit library staff in Upper Hutt. As always, Wellington's topography provided me with some interesting weather conditions for the drive up (fog this time)!
My host for this visit was Debbie Duncan, who delighted me by immediately responding to my email asking if I could come to visit. Talking to the staff at the Upper Hutt Public Library, I explained how I came to be involved in LIANZA, what my role was as the regional councillor, and what LIANZA is currently up to. I also had a great informal chat over coffee with some of the library staff about professional registration. Barbara's column in Library Life came up again as we discussed the revalidation journal, and activities that can count towards it. The more I talk to people about revalidation, the more I realise the importance of talking about the process - it makes it much less scary, especially since we do activities all the time that can contribute to our journals.
I also had the privilege of taking a tour around the library and hearing about the programmes that the staff run. Even though it was just after opening time by this point, the library was filling up quickly with under-3's getting ready for story time, and I was staggered at the thought of getting 1000 people through the door every day.
My thanks to Debbie and the team for letting me come and speak. I continue to get heaps out of these visits, and I'm looking forward to the next one!
** Would you like me to come and visit your region or library? Please email me. **
Showing posts with label Out and about. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Out and about. Show all posts
Monday, September 21, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Out and about - Wairarapa
One of my priorities for being Regional Councillor, is to get out of Wellington "central" and out to other parts of the region to talk to our members, and see what we can do to make LIANZA more relevant for them.
So it was great to be able to organise a visit to Masterton on September 10, which nicely coincided with the quarterly meeting of Wairarapa librarians. Alli Smith, the LIANZA Executive Director, kindly agreed to accompany me, so we made a delegation of two over to the sunny side of the Rimutakas.
We were hosted by the Sandy Green at the Masterton Public Library. The visit gave us a chance to talk about LIANZA's current activities, in particular professional registration, continuing professional development, and the update of the LIANZA website. Being around 1.5 hours from central Wellington, we had a good discussion about the possibility of initiating events in the Wairarapa, how the Te Upoko o te Ika a Maui Council could provide support, and using existing expertise in the region to create professional development opportunities. Barbara's recent President's column in Library Life discussing her experience in running journal revalidation workshops, got some good feedback and enthusiasm for using the idea locally.
After indulging in the great spread that had been put on, Alli and I were taken across the road to visit the Wairarapa Archive. The Archive has a staggering 90% approval rating in the region, and is well used and supported by everyone from school children on up. We had a fascinating visit with Gareth Winter the Archivist, and instead of the anticipated 2 minutes to 'pop our noses in', we spend a great 45 minutes listening to fascinating stories of both the region, and the great local support for the archive.
My thanks to Sandy, Gareth and all the Librarians that we met in the Wairarapa for your hospitality!
** Would you like me to come and visit your region or library? Please email me. **
So it was great to be able to organise a visit to Masterton on September 10, which nicely coincided with the quarterly meeting of Wairarapa librarians. Alli Smith, the LIANZA Executive Director, kindly agreed to accompany me, so we made a delegation of two over to the sunny side of the Rimutakas.
We were hosted by the Sandy Green at the Masterton Public Library. The visit gave us a chance to talk about LIANZA's current activities, in particular professional registration, continuing professional development, and the update of the LIANZA website. Being around 1.5 hours from central Wellington, we had a good discussion about the possibility of initiating events in the Wairarapa, how the Te Upoko o te Ika a Maui Council could provide support, and using existing expertise in the region to create professional development opportunities. Barbara's recent President's column in Library Life discussing her experience in running journal revalidation workshops, got some good feedback and enthusiasm for using the idea locally.
After indulging in the great spread that had been put on, Alli and I were taken across the road to visit the Wairarapa Archive. The Archive has a staggering 90% approval rating in the region, and is well used and supported by everyone from school children on up. We had a fascinating visit with Gareth Winter the Archivist, and instead of the anticipated 2 minutes to 'pop our noses in', we spend a great 45 minutes listening to fascinating stories of both the region, and the great local support for the archive.
My thanks to Sandy, Gareth and all the Librarians that we met in the Wairarapa for your hospitality!
** Would you like me to come and visit your region or library? Please email me. **
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