Category: Ramblings

Hipsters of Melbourne – student film

Ramblings

OMG. This is one of the best student toobs ever. Absolute gold. And, oh, the irony.

Tania Sheko's avatarMelbourne High School Library

Some of the most enjoyable experiences at school happen when students are actually out of school – don’t you think? At the end of the year we release our year 9s into the city to research an aspect of urban life of their choice. The final result is a presentation of videos created by the student groups. These are seriously informative and entertaining. Here is one of them created by Lachlan Scanlon and his team members. I’m afraid there are some in-jokes here but I think you’ll still enjoy the video.    

Currently I’m working with Lachie to create library tutorial videos. If anyone can make a dry subject entertaining I think it will be Lachie.

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Cranky!

education, Ramblings

I’ve been quiet here of late. So damn busy!

But today I’ve come across a curious, confusing and confounding problem – why are eBooks that were previously available from our US supplier now not available to Australian customers? WHY?!

Here’s the whole story as I see it:

We use Destiny Library Manager from Follett. It’s a US company that makes various database management systems, including student and learning management. They know their stuff.

Which is why I am TOTAL IN LOVE with their online purchasing system, called TitleWave. TitleWave has thousands and thousands of great resources, in heaps of great formats – eBooks, audio, visual, and hard copy. It’s so easy to search, order, pay and upload. And the great thing about it is – we own the books.

Now here’s the problem as I see it. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but it looks pretty clear to me.

It seems that “someone” found out about this easy-to-use system and has shut it down. Rather than lifting prices for Australian purchasers, or making the titles available elsewhere (on publisher websites, for example) so that I can upload them into my catalogue, or renegotiating contracts with the US, they just shut. it. down.

I’m not trying to do the creators out of their dough. They get paid little enough already. I’m happy to pay Australian prices for eBooks that SEAMLESSLY upload to my catalogue software. Overdrive ain’t seamless. Wheelers ain’t seamless. They are proprietary rental systems. I don’t need another place for my students to have to look for resources. Getting them to look at the catalogue is hard enough!

The Destiny/ TitleWave system of buying, downloading and USING eBooks is the best ANYWHERE. No extra modules. No format changes. Licences for single- or multiple-use built in to the cost. Easy for users to access and read. Isn’t that the point?

Why not jump on board, Australian publishers? Get with the program. Because I’m not swapping to Overdrive or Wheelers when I have a BUILT-IN, ownership system already in my catalogue. (Not to mention that, heaven forbid, if my library budget gets cut, then our students no longer can access the eBook ‘rentals’ from these companies).

You’ve been more than happy to let libraries buy books and lend them to people until they fell apart for years and years. And do you know what? You didn’t lose a cent. Because when a paper book falls apart from use you know what a library does? They buy a REPLACEMENT! And you know what happens when eBooks don’t get read, you buy another one!

So, my suggestion is. Get talking to Destiny. There are a lot of users of this catalogue software in Australia, and the excellent ordering and uploading of electronic resources is a great selling point. Why not get your product into more schools, rather than less?

Yours in crankiness,

WA Premier’s Literary Awards

Ramblings

Well, it’s funny how the world turns.

Last week, through ‘channels’, the opportunity to become a judge for the WA Premier’s Awards – YA and Children’s books – came up.

Just the day before, I had been saying to colleagues and family alike that I was looking forward to 2011 being the year that I would ‘read books for me’. Having been involved in the Aurealis Awards for the past two years, and the CBCA awards for two years before that, I’ve been reading books for awards for the last four and a bit years. I thought I’d had enough.

But – apparently not. After I got wind of the opportunity, I came home and put it to my husband, reminding him of what I had been saying about having some time off from judging. His response? “That’s fantastic! You’ve got to take it!” Which sort of made it a given, as I really didn’t want to pass up this chance to get involved in a whole new arena where books for ‘kids’ are appreciated. (If you’re interested, here is a blog and discussion about someone very famous [who should propbably know better], Martin Amis, disparaging those who write for young people on the BBC program Faulks on Fiction).

Bottom line – I’m rapt to be involved in the world of books written for young people. I think that children’s writers have to work so hard to get the voice of the character right. Working with children on a daily basis does give you a good ear for an authentic voice, and the young readers can pick a ‘wrong’ voice a mile off.

So, here’s to happy reading for all, whether old or young, tall or small. 🙂