Tales from the CDG Tardis

Wow, what a full week. Today I was back at my desk after two days of professional travels and talks. Yesterday was the annual pilgrimage to muggy Peebles (as opposed to peevish muggles) for the CILIPS Branch & Group Day. Arrived to bacon rolls - marvellous. What did the veggies have, I wonder? Caught two thirds of the presidential address - was in the relay room with dodgy sound link. I did suggest turning sound off and putting some Hawkwind on, as we used to with Masters of the Universe, but they weren’t game. Always end up squirming and thinking I should go forward and confess yes, I’m English and yes, I’m a loyal supporter of CILIP otherwise known as ‘expletive expletive Ridgmount St grrr grrr dour scowl’. To be fair it was more considered and less vitriolic than some I’ve heard. Recovered composure in time to deliver CDG Scottish session with the esteemed Isabel Hood (known reader of this spielette) on ‘Revalidation, Fellowship and the Timelord’s Guide to CPD’. Shameless abuse of analogy - for ’sonic screwdrivers’, read tips and tools, for ‘companions’, read mentoring and networks… audience indulgent, let us witter on and took part in the reflective paper exercises willingly. Or maybe they were writing their holiday packing lists. Ghost of Employer Present was there and even engaged in asking pertinent (as opposed to impertinent) questions.

After the slap-up lunch it was time for professional sector surfing, so went to hear about fabulous Library 10 music service in Helsinki and then got the lowdown on graphic novels and comics from rather wonderful Alan Grant, who I had not previously discovered. He confirmed what I already suspected: all publishers (bar one or two goodly souls) are evil money-grabbing b*stards. Well maybe they aren’t but like Damian Nobbs in my 8M class, they are tainting the rest by association.

This weekend I will be celebrating my official birthday. Hold the gifts; the real day isn’t till June 12th, but like the Queen I have to spread my engagements and make much of my jubilees. So it’s garden centre for some nice bedding plants, lunch out with my husband (CILIP widower) and go to see Indiana Jones. Might even be home for you-know-who set in the you-know-where, staying out of the you-know-what.

Bother it, another day nearly over and I have failed to plant any more seeds in the blog patch. Day Job was taken up with urgent stuff, finishing a key paper, some meetings with reps (who were mnore than averagely personable for company reps), making difficult decisions about collection management (stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before…)

Also having a little personal dilemma about whether or not to apply for a job I’ve seen. It’s appealing but there would be material sacrifices. Also sense that my appetite for change, which has always been quite healthy, is on the wane and I’m starting to lose confidence in my ability to seize new opportunities. That is evidence if anything is that I really should be thinking about moving on…

Write a little review piece for CDG Scottish Division newsletter, reflecting on my first two months as CDG President. It’s been challenging, sometimes stressful, but there have been some real highs. I’m trying to stay on top of everything and hold it all together, but I don’t know whether it’s working. Still feel quite daunted by the whole thing.

Busy the rest of this week - tomorrow I join in a Show & Tell day for SALCTG, speaking about my use of wikis in 1st year information literacy. On Thursday it’s the CILIPS day at Peebles and I’m looking forward to co-leading a workshop on the Timelord’s Guide to CPD. Who makes up these titles?!

Stay out of the shadows… and don’t blink…

Yesterday saw our first official Revalidation course up at Causewayside in Edinburgh. I joined with Margarets Forrest and Chapman to hopefully cover all points of view - CILIP as award provider; the assessor; and the candidate. We hope we created a welcoming and positive atmosphere, and indeed the afternoon did seem upbeat (even though we left a glorious summer day outside for an overly air conditioned windowless seminar room). It was a small group, and most people seemed comfortable asking questions. Ventured slightly into Fellowship territory at the end of the day. I think I will go for it. Well, maybe. Next year. Or the year after. When I’ve had both arms broken by my activist colleagues, no doubt.

Have you noticed how some names are more hallowed than others in the profession? I don’t mean specific individuals; I mean literally certain names. ‘Margaret’ is one such name. Chapman, Forrest, Watson and more. ‘Sheila’ does well too: think Corrall and Webber. ‘Keith’ gets about - Trickey, Nockels, Wilson. In my first library post, I worked with 3 Janes, 5 Annes and 7 Sues. It did get rather muddly. I’ve met a couple of Amandas on my professional travels, so that bodes reasonably well. (Did you know it means ‘charcoal’ in Lusoga?) I wonder whether there are any inauspicious names for information professionals? ‘Louis’ would give rise to some bad poetry, I imagine…

Back to Chateau Inbox today and hard at it all day with documents to finish, critical meetings and discussions, plus a host of new electronic resources each with their own peculiarities and demands. I’ve had to resort to using flags on my emails and it’s starting to look like an Olympic opening ceremony.

Tomorrow a musical interlude - off to Glasgow for the Scottish Recorder Festival, an annual jamboree with guest stick-waver and a nice lunch in between playing sessions.  Looking forward to being uplifted and achieving something with my fellow players - the ultimate in quick wins - see a piece for the first time, play it, rehearse, improve, perform. Also get to dip into some more short stories on the train.

Don’t forget - this week’s Doctor Who promises an ultra scary story set in a Library…

Well, this is a jet setting week, today finding me at home in the twilight zone somewhere between Cardiff and Dortmund (should that be the title of a concept album?)

Our CDG National Conference took place yesterday in the fabulous venue of Cardiff City Hall. Never in all my years of giving notices have I had to instruct people “Ladies, turn left at Hywel the Good’ or ‘Gents, take the left just after Henry VII’. We had showers and sunshine too, so I take back my comments about waterproofs

Our speakers were energetic, passionate, interactive, experienced, communicative… they also complemented each other fantastically and left us slightly overwhelmed with their array of issues and case studies and thought-provoking comments.  Liz Jolly held the audience captive as she described work undertaken in Info Services at Salford Uni to push professionalism way up the agenda - establishing mentor and mentee support networks and paying for staff CILIP subscriptions.  Richard Beveridge asked us what we actiually cost our employers and urged us to think about our value and how we can demonstrate our worth tangibly. The audience rose to the occasion too, asking and answering questions and joining in exercises to choose bags that represented them (from Lyndsay Rees-Jones’s world-famous bag collection) and to dissect job descriptions and write competency-based interview questions under the supervision of Laura Perrott. Lori Havard spoke about storyboarding for e-learning at Swansea Uni, prompting me to think how much time we invest in students’ information literacy and how little in our own colleagues’ learning. Lunch was the usual carbo-fest but we needed our strength to keep our brains ticking over all of this stimulation.

Our AGM was followed by a whistle-stop tour of our professional future from new CILIP Councillor and Aberystwyth lecturer Judy Broady-Preston. People were still making insightful comments and asking searching questiojns at 4.30, when it really was time to pack up and leave.

Sue Hill’s own brand champagne went home to be enjoyed responsibly by six lucky raffle winners, adding £30 to our international project funds.

And yes - I did get to visit the Doctor Who Up Close exhibition in Cardiff Bay - and brought home a wee Dalek and Cyberman for the shelf…

Only a bijou blogette today - it’s Saturday after all, and I’m busy packing my bag to fly to Cardiff tomorrow for the CDG National Conference. Hand luggage only, so have to do a purge on my rucksack for dubious items. I once had a mini stapler confiscated at Belfast Airport. Harruummph. I loved that little widget. Pile all my liquids into a sandwich bag. Why are liquids so evil anyway? I look like a Boots employee and/or a hypochondriac when all the little lotions and potions are bundled up together. Taking a laptop from work - fretting about whether it will work or not on the day. Writing thankyou cards for speakers - a nice little job that gets me thinking about the programme, I think it’s a strong one and I know most of the speakers personally, which is nice. I’ve prepared my opening spiel, which is all about… yes you’ve guessed it… and it’s on in half an hour so I’d better exit the blogosphere tout de suite…

Well, after a week focusing a bit more on the immediate work environment, it’s time to catch up on all things CDG. I’ve spent this afternoon drafting papers for our National Council meeting which is only a few weeks away now - it’s the biggest business meeting in our calendar and I’m exhausted just thinking about it! Plus we have our Scottish Division AGM tomorrow at the Saltire Centre, Glasgow Caledonian Uni - I’ve visited before but I’m always interested to see how university libraries look (and sound!) at different times of the year. And this time next week I’ll be on my way to Cardiff for our national conference on workforce development.

This week’s Doctor Who classic DVD has been The Time Warrior - we’re back in the 1970s with Jon Pertwee. A Sontaran finds himself stuck in the early Middle Ages and has to make the most of the primitive technology he finds there. Meanwhile some scientists go missing from modern day England - the Sontaran officer is forcing them to work for him on some circuitry. Hot on their heels is of course the Doctor and, having stowed away on the TARDIS, investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith. It’s a marvellous meeting of multiple eras and personalities. I hope that we as information professionals can take something of Sarah’s approach - no nonsense; brave; able to process new situations and sources quickly; able to wear dubious fashions and still look cutting edge; able to connect with those around us, even when they may be hostile axe-wielding maniacs.

A further thought with reference to last night’s new episode: the Ood are ‘born with their brains in their hands’ - do librarian Ood have extra big hands in order to carry the collected wisdom of the ageas and to do their customers’ thinking for them?

I’ve spent the afternoon emailing Divisions with feedback on their Divisional Plans. The 2008 programme for the group is considerably more inspiring than the miserable weather I can see from my study window! There are intriguing events, appealing pub quizzes and walks, visits to all manner of interesting workplaces - army libraries, cathedrals, colleges, the BBC and more.  The Framework of Qualifications is in safe hands with our dedicate team of Candidate Support Officers - look out for a course near you. We continue to reach out to students, to under-represented groups and to our whole membership, whether it’s through events, informal get-togethers, meetings, social technologies, newsletters and more. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at our May National Council and hearing more about the work on the ground.

But I can’t just stand here blogging all day - I need to warm pizzas and pour wine in readiness for the second episode of the new series of Doctor Who. (Oh stop sighing, it’s my blog and I’ll obsess if I want to!) Just for the record, yes I did enjoy the first episode, yes I do think Donna will work out fine as a companion (I loved that she had a boot full of suitcases ready packed, including hatbox), yes the Adipose were silly but who cares, that’s entertainment! (Cue Jam intro…)

Does anyone else feel they are constantly hopping from one lily pad to another but never really getting anywhere? It’s a funny time of year - university vacation but with a surprisingly high number of students around; just back from my own holiday and not quite back into the workaday rhythm; lots to do but no obvious top priority. Fiddle about with a document for our MSc dissertation handbook; log a new FOI enquiry; answer several emails; meet some prospective students; go to a meeting that feels a bit unsatisfactory because we are between several peaks.

Preparations for the CDG national conference are nearing completion, and the delegate list is growing all the time. I’m greatly looking forward to the trip, the venue (City Hall), my stay at the Big Sleep and hopefully a visit to the Doctor Who exhibition in Cardiff Bay. (Good practice for when we get one in Glasgow next year). These conferences are always fun, surprising and attract both stalwart regulars and different people every time. I love meeting folk from different sectors and finding out what makes them tick and what turns their hair grey. I love waffling on in a random but hopefully welcoming manner at the start of the day. And in a strange way I love the randomness of changing locations, never knowing how the journey connections will pan out or whether I will be running the last stretch against the clock (that was Leicester).

Started a new book today - The wind-up bird chronicle by Haruki Murakami. It’s odd but pretty intriguing so far. It will tide me over till our book group completes its online vote as to the first title we will read and discuss.

It’s not a day for work or even for professional development; it’s a day for the LIFE bit of work-life balance. Why is it we feel guilty when we’re working and guity when we’re relaxing? Or is that just me? It’s been a great day so far. Blazing sunshine this morning (yes, really, in spite of the cold wind!) and I potted up two new patio roses and gave my Cordyline a haircut. Went to church and led part of the service. Joyous hymns but too many high notes! Cooked a roast dinner with Easter eggs to follow. Martyn has a Dalek Easter egg that goes ‘Exterminate’ . It’s a thing of wonder. Domestic dabbling this afternoon and some more holiday packing before the evening service. Saving a glass of wine to enjoy when watching TV adaptation of The colour of magic tonight. Martyn and I like to joke that rare unsigned copies of Pratchett books cost double the signed ones. He does get around, bless him.

Saturday - no work, no visitors, no job applications to write. In fact I get to have some free time! Go to the garden centre and buy compost and pots to pot up the patio roses my inlaws gave me. I am a real newbie to gardening - it’s the one thing I do where it really doesn’t matter if I totally screw it up, and that makes it therapeutic. I’m constantly amazed by stuff that manages to grow in spite of my mauling and drowning it.

Also hop on to good old LibraryThing, fabulous web 2.0 amateur cataloguing tool (I can hear you raising your hands in horror). Check out my complete library here. I add a new book to my personal special collection. This is a small but growing collection of first edition children’s books from the 1970s and 1980s. A little indulgence to remind me, in this age of e-everything, that a book is a Precious Thing. My new book is a copy of The golden key by Victorian writer George MacDonald, beautifully illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Sendak is so much more than just Where the wild things are - not that ‘wild things’ isn’t fantastic. I used to work with someone who is an expert on George MacDonald. Incredible how talented librarians are, and how generally interested in life and stuff.

Continue writing and mailing my reception invitations. It’s not really the upfront stuff that makes me nervous; it’s more the thought of keeping tabs on the many and varied activities of the group, scanning the political landscape and so on. Daunting. But it’s a team effort, right?

Warriors of the deep really IS a turkey. The Myrka is a hopeless lumbering thing that can’t seem to even break through polystyrene. The whole thing feels like a home video of kids in a school playground. Sigh. If CDG was a sci-fi monster, I hope it would be something infinitely more charming and effectual.