Luke Mysliwy

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  • in reply to: Week 13 | Culture and pop culture | Program review #2670
    Luke Mysliwy
    Participant

    Hey Paola I went to the very same exhibit! (In fact I also reviewed it in my week 11 forum post… so great to see another perspective!) I really like the way you have brought the tour guide principles back to a Library environment. We sometimes do a tour of the library for school students, but I wonder if patrons from the general public would benefit from a tour of the library and basic search techniques as well?! I think we often just give patrons a card and send them off into the library after a brief explanation of their privileges, taking it for granted that people can then go off and find what they are looking for without further guidance.

    Luke Mysliwy
    Participant

    Thanks for the comments everyone, and again, good point about the digital natives and their more advanced information processing skills Shannon! In fact one of the articles I alluded to in my forum post – http://www.fastcoexist.com/3045317/what-is-generation-z-and-what-does-it-want about Gen Z suggests that rather than an “8 second attention span”, they actually have “8 second filters”, which means they judge the worthiness of spending their time on a particular article or piece of media very quickly. Not sure how accurate that is, but it’s an interesting claim. As I write this response I am actually standing in a library which is at least 3/4 full with teenagers. Between the hours of 3 and 5 (sometimes up to 6pm) we regularly have quite a number of teens using the library as a study space, with some playing games or (gasp) reading. I wonder if we make to much of the engagement and interaction thing? I think a lot of young adults pride themselves on their independence and are probably quite capable of finding what they need in the library, or at least taking advantage of the free resources. Having said that, how are we to know who really needs help if they are unwilling to ask? (Those who do approach us for help are usually only coming to book the x-box console or find out how to connect to the wi-fi, with the odd reference query thrown in every so often). So I can see that the library space is definitely occupied by teens, and YA materials are certainly being borrowed (though not at the same rate as adult and junior). I know from experience that it is disappointing when very few teens attend events we have organised for them, but I think it’s important to keep offering such events, but perhaps with more consultation with teens themselves.

    in reply to: Week 12 – Product Review – Digital Native Learning Curve #2635
    Luke Mysliwy
    Participant

    Great post Shannon, I had not heard of the terms ‘digital native’ and ‘digital immigrant’ before. It’s amazing to watch how quickly and instinctively children grasp technology, but they do still have to be taught how to use it and also important to teach them to have critical filters when consuming technology. Speaking of the QWERTY keyboard and also mouse skills I have noticed elderly people seem to enjoy using ipads and tablets more than desk-tops and laptops. would be interesting to see what devices are produced with the older demographic in mind. Entertainment in nursing homes a few decades down the track could be very interesting once digital immigrants start living there!

    Luke Mysliwy
    Participant

    I think people are always going to relate better to people closer to their own age group, and you do need to have some passing awareness of youth culture if you’re going to interact with them. I remember some advice a youth worker friend gave me. Polo shirts/collared button up shirts are an instant cred ruiner if you’re working with teens, and if you bring some Eminem to play in the background, you’re an instant hit (this was in the early 2000s tho, so maybe don’t bring the Eminem, or find out the 2015 equivelant…). Having said that, I have observed younger people getting on really well with older librarians, and vice versa. I think it comes down to attitude and treating people with respect. Showing an interest in what they are looking for and giving the person in front of you as much attention as you would give anyone else. Goes along way to fostering respect from ALL age groups.

    To read more of my musings on young people in libraries, go here – http://2015.informationprograms.info/forums/topic/childrens-and-teens-activities/

    in reply to: Childrens and teens activities #2607
    Luke Mysliwy
    Participant

    I think a great deal of good could be done by setting aside more of a dedicated YA space. some libraries have them, some don’t. our YA shelves are along a wall near the public computers, with the X-Boxes half way along. Not the greatest YA space and there are thoughts of shifting it to another more contained part of the library. I think it would be good to have a comfortable area where teens can just hang out and chat that ISN’T a shopping centre foodcourt or similar.

    in reply to: Childrens and teens activities #2588
    Luke Mysliwy
    Participant

    Thanks Rachel!

    Just wondering if you (or anyone else on here) remembers any programs/workshops they may have attended at libraries as teenagers or which you think particularly piqued your interest? I remember spending a week doing a stop motion animation workshop one holidays (but that wasn’t run by a library). although I spent a fair amount of time at the library as a teenager doing either research or browsing for books to read, I don’t remember ever attending any workshops targeted at teens. In fact I don’t remember ever seeing them advertised at my library!

    in reply to: Week 12 – Children and teens – Argue a point of view #2521
    Luke Mysliwy
    Participant

    Hi Chris I think the division of library into “quiet” and “non-quiet” spaces is an ideal solution, unfortunately some libraries may not have the infrastructure to do so. My childhood public library in Toowoomba had and entire floor devoted to the childrens/YA area. I don’t remember it being particularly noisy ever but it would have definitely limited noise which filtered down to the ground floor adult section. There is definitely a trend (in Brisbane public libraries at least) for a more open plan, ‘community hub’ feels to them. In fact i think a few brisbane libraries could almost be refered to as a community living room, with comfortable places to sit, a tv, childrens play areas, x-boxes, books, magazines and a constant hum of conversation. But the noise from children is an issue, and i think a dedicated childrens area that is has some kind of sound buffer, or indeed an entirely seperate childrens library would offer the best solution. whether it is actually doable budget/infrastructure wise is another story.

    Luke Mysliwy
    Participant

    I agree Katherine! I didn’t exactly know what they were trying to say either! And if you had more of a background in Photography/Art then I can see how it might have been frustrating how it was arranged. I really liked some of the photos that were there and it really was great to see such iconic ones (like The Sunbaker, Gough Whitlam pouring sand into Vincent Lingiaris fingers etc.), but yes, very haphazardly organised. A point about the lighting, during the tour the guide mentioned that the lighting was so dim because any brighter and it could damage the photographs (you may have noticed that some were hung behind curtains). This seemed to be a satisfactory explanation (to me anyhow).

    Luke Mysliwy
    Participant

    As a follow up to this review I thought I’d pose some questions to you all.

    This was a fine exhibition, which cost $12 entry. I guess Art Gallery’s and Museums have a bit of a different strategy and mission when it comes to their exhibits (one might also call them attractions) than do Libraries. For one thing you generally can’t take something home from an art gallery or museum (unless you purchased it at the gift shop) At a public library it can usually be assumed that most of the programming and services are free, but certain libraries are off limits to general members of the public. For instance I can’t just waltz into the Milton State School library and borrow a book. I’m not sure where I’m going with this. Here are some questions to ponder.

    WHY should things be free?

    WHEN should things be free?

    Is a greater value assigned to things that are NOT free? (or, are things that are not free perceived to have a greater value?)

    WHEN do you decide to start charging? why are SOME exhibits free and others not? And if most museums are funded by government organisations and sponsorship, then is the nominal fee for entry just a token one?

    Is it ever appropriate for a Library to charge admission for a certain service or program?

    Should libraries even charge administrative fees?

     

    Luke Mysliwy
    Participant

    Haha thanks Debbie I will fix that up

    Luke Mysliwy
    Participant

    Hi will thanks for posting your summary of the twitter chat. In answer to your question I think different types of literacy should be seperated, and also well defined. This would help us (as librarians) to establish what it is people actually need and identify gaps in their (as well as OUR) knowledge and skill base. It was great to see everyone’s points of view on what defines ‘technical literacy’, ‘digital literacy’, ‘information literacy’, and even just ‘literacy’, but I don’t know if we came to any consensus on how to define any of them. There are different grades of literacy, and perhaps some kind of definition of those grades of literacy can help us figure out what stage people are up to with their ‘digital/IT literacy’.

    in reply to: Topic for assignment 2/3 #2043
    Luke Mysliwy
    Participant

    To explain myself a little better, I think we were all quite keen on plan A (i.e. the assisting with the english literacy needs of resettling syrian refugees), but were concerned that there may be a lot of unknowns to do a sufficient user needs analysis on this group. Then again, I imagine agencies that have to cope with this kind of situation would have to go into it with a lot of unknowns, the important thing is to at least have some facilities set up to help people in a crisis situation, would that be right?

    in reply to: Looking for a Partner Ad #1668
    Luke Mysliwy
    Participant

    Cool, I’m happy to go with 3 people if you are Tracey. I take it you are both in Brisbane?

     

    in reply to: Looking for a Partner Ad #1592
    Luke Mysliwy
    Participant

    Hi Tracey I like the sound of your topic proposal keen to team up if no-one else has hit you up already?

    my email is luke.mysliwy@connect.qut.edu.au

    Cheers,

    Luke.

    in reply to: Week 3 Journal Submission – Service Review #993
    Luke Mysliwy
    Participant

    For sure Shannon, I think perhaps we get a tad complacent in a library since we don’t have to actually sell books. But our funding depends on use and people coming in and out, so the books do have to move!

    Oh, another update! I got an email back with my ‘tailor made reading lists’. Based on my interests and info provided the librarian had suggested 2 books I have already read (so… spot on?) plus 3 more that sound quite interesting and which I probably would never read unless recommended to. Now perhaps I will.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 16 total)