Last day at work for the year.

The rest of the University (and almost certainly TheOldPlace) are clearing out at lunchtime. Here the library has a directive from above to be open till 5pm. So open we are, and at work we'll be.

Still, I quite like this time of year when it is quiet and I could get on with things in preparation for the conference in January. And I did take the liberty of an excessively long lunch break.

Come 4.55 and even my boss is telling me to go home. Five minutes to pack up and log out. But I've barely even seen a student all day, never mind interacted with one, so it should have come as absolutely no surprise that as I'm switching off the light dead on 5 I get an enquiry.

And not a particularly quick one either as I get in the subtleties of database access from offcampus over Christmas. Still, I could answer the question and I suppose it did make it worth being there till then. It only remained to really have to run to catch the ferry I needed. I think I may have lost a glove in the process - we'll see, next year.

But this is me signing off for 2006 and back at the beginning of January.

Great party last night. Ok, so it didn't go on that long. Some teachers of my acquaintance who were also having their Christmas party last night (and who went on till well after midnight) ribbed me about librarians really knowing how to party when we were going to be thrown out at 8pm. But the team who must lock up couldn't be kept up too late!

The Head had arranged food (lots - and much better than the conference the day before) and kindly bought drinks himself. As we could get into the new extension the event was held in the new atrium. Strict instructions, naturally, not to spill anything on the new carpeting! The loans team took care of the music and my senior colleague who'd sorted the food and drink installed himself as barman behind the long and brandnew issue desk which became an impromtu bar.

Some of the chief builders attended too, the President and 'our' PVC made an appearance, and the odd family relation turned up as well. With a retirement to take care of as well the Head made a few remarks including news that the PVC had agreed to some monetary recompense for putting up with the delays [1] , and the building company were even kind enough to have a gift of a bottle of wine for every member of staff.

It was great to see the smiles on so many faces as we variously took ourselves around the floors, bridges, empty shelves, new offices, vast cupboards and the like with drinks in hand. And the smiles were before the gift announcements and much alcohol had been consumed so it was pretty clear that everyone was very pleased with how the place looked. Of course, it remains to be seen how it all works in practice. But it does look good.

And kind of makes me wish I'd started work at TheOldPlace just a little earlier and seen the same process. (I'd always been led to believe that I was well out of all the chaos that reigned as the building work then had been finished.)

And just before we left? Yes, someone managed to spill wine on the new carpet. Close to me - but nothing to do with me which was a relief! Never fear. My senior colleague announced that he was good at soaking up alcohol. And promptly did so doubly by finishing off his wine and getting down with paper towels to work on the floor and demonstrate that the new carpet was actually remarkably resilient to such abuse.

[1] Which of course immediately made me feel guilty because I've not strictly put up with all the hassle having only been here a dog watch. Ah well.

Great tour. Pretty detailed (lasted nearly three hours).

I now know more about what they do/have than I probably need to, but it's never going to bore a librarian (at least not me) being taken around a library. I even found my Dad listed in one of their naval collection volumes which was unexpected.

I'd suggested to the colleagues going on the tour with me that we did some 'creative swiping' - as learnt at the creativity course a month or so ago. This worked quite well and we spotted some things we could 'take away' and also saw things they might learn from us which encouraged us about our practice.

The only disappointment was that we didn't get to see 'behind-the-scenes' as it were and that I still didn't manage to see/meet my former colleague who works there (reportedly!). But I could leave her a Christmas card and we'll hopefully meet in the new year and maybe I can see the 'other' side of the library then. (Though to be honest the glimpses we had made me think it looked pretty cramped).

Today's the day we hear! They really are going to "hand over" the building.

Lots of work still to do and the proper new front entrance won't open till the new year, but it really is going to happen!

But first I've a visit with several others who've not been - including H - to the local Public Library. Not sure how long it will be, but we assume we'll be back before the after work party the Head is throwing.

All day at in internal conference on teaching and learning today. The theme of this year's event was 'assessment' so I nearly decided not to sign up several weeks back. I'm glad I did, however. Not only because I do have colleagues that are involved in assessment - so it may come my way yet, but because the were many ideas and papers that were of interest and inspiration in what I already do.

It was well put together and the keynote speakers were both excellent. The only real complaint was that with seven strands to choose from you felt as if you were missing a huge amount. Although all the papers were published in a volume we could carry around with us, it was hard to digest that much very quickly. On the other hand, there were three awards for 'best paper' that were kept a secret till the end of the day and I found I'd managed to pick two of them to attend. The overall winner was one I quite agreed was excellent - it's presentation had been great too. One of the others I had to admit had worthy content but had been presented very dully.

Actually, I say I spent the day there but having started at 8 it went on till a little after 2 when it broke for lunch. And that was it! Lunch was nothing to write home about but by the time that was over at a little after 3, it was clear that colleagues (and my boss) weren't returning to work. It had been a pretty intense day so I decided not to show them up and headed home as well. Nice to do that in the daylight.

On the whole though, the day had been very similar to such events at TheOldPlace and perhaps next time, when the theme isn't assessment I'll feel braver about looking at the possibility of presenting something. In fact, H and our boss had done something on e-literacy but very few had turned up. We decided that it was more to do with the fact that they'd been allotted a double session (which meant, presumably, people felt they'd be missing two other possible papers) rather than reluctance to attend anything libraryish. In fact, they'd not mentioned the 'l' word!

But good for H being brave enough to contribute so early on!

Meanwhile, I've fallen into a discussion (via email) with the Head of Library over the possibility of a creative room/space/zone or some such. This was suggested by a former colleague and does sound a good idea. (see www.uea.ac.uk/lhi for an example)

Much to my suprise the Head isn't opposed to the idea and seems to at least be giving some thought to it and how it might work. After all, we have various new group study areas and such like, one of which could conceivably be set aside for such a project.

I'm not holding my breath, but it will be interesting to see what will happen.

Growing sense of anticipation today as the extension nears completion.

Which is ironic because the activity that is making it feel as though 'things are happening' is actually the removal of all the furniture (desks/chairs) from the old part of the library. Money has been put aside to replace everything so that it matches throughout, I understand.

If there's money over then staff desks will get replaced (and it looks like that will happen). But not those that are fixed. Such as mine!

Bullying, harassment and intimidation today.

No, not a chance to indulge it but another management briefing on dealing with it. Bit of a downer in some ways as certain attendees could cite a fair few examples of it going on in the uni. But at a rough guess it's no worse than anywhere else and I suppose I should be grateful that I've encountered so little in my last couple of jobs. ('course there was the incident in the job prior to those two where I worked and lived on the premises, but I really don't want to talk about being sent to bed with no supper when in my mid-twenties!).

Workshop this morning on a new electronic voting system that one of the centers in the uni (the one with the strange hospital dummies and operating theater and the like) has just bought into. This one allows up to 110 students at a time to participate and unlike the one at the day-long staff conference I attended a few weeks back, is portable. Which means you could book it and take it to whatever class you were teaching in. Certainly beats my colored card into a cocked hat.

This was a top end system (the top end system?) and could do all sorts of clever things such as not only voting on ABCD answers and the like, but also could cope with text message responses so you could, for example, have students suggesting search terms for databases (bit more useful perhaps than the example we had of what was our favorite tv program). Or you could tell them that if they wanted feedback on all their responses, they could text their email address. All the answers were stored in a database that you could review later, but of course were also displayed - if you wanted - on the screen in natty bar/pie charts or whatever. Or even combining two questions to produce X-Y scatter plots.

I'm really really going to have to develop some uses for this! (And I wasn't the only one, two other library colleagues were there getting equally inspired). It certainly seems like an interesting way of engaging the students and getting some instant feedback without necessarily putting them on the spot. If they liked the cards, I can see them loving this - 'specially if it's well designed round the teaching rather than just done for the sake of it.

Our team's Christmas meal today at lunchtime. A dozen or so of us marched off to a local hostelry for a feast and a half. Fairly rolled back to work. Of particular note was the presence of my predecessor. I'd only heard of him by rumor before, but it appears he does exist. Enjoying retirement, roaming the city and its markets on a bike, popping up for events like lunch. Felt about as odd as encountering a new member of the team at TheOldPlace last Thursday. Fractures in the fabric of things that don't feel quite 'right'. But I can't put my finger on quite what it is.

Quiet day at work which gave me a chance to catch up on blogs and other things that aren't vital day-to-day but I'd like to keep up with. Where's that training on 'information overload' gone?

Three days off this week (plus the creativity on Monday) so just Friday to catch up with emails and everything else piling up just as rapidly as it ever did.

On one day off I went up to TheOldPlace and enjoyed eating out with former colleagues. (Hi there, if you're reading!). Also managed to catch the day they turned the Christmas lights on - I must have heard there'd be wine and mince pies. And took my formal leave of the VC (who happens to be stepping down next summer) so I could wish him well as well. Turns out our friendly PVC - ultimately responsible for libraryish matters and very positive about work that S and I did on our alternative library - is being promoted to VC. So I was glad I bumped into him and could say congratulations. I couldn't resist the opportunity to point out that a lot of my staff 'development' and helpful relationships came directly out of the annual staff conference that no longer runs. Whether that will prod any movement on having them return will remain to be seen.

Good chance to do some Christmas shopping as well. Though in an effort not to carry too much around I left a couple of items to buy later on Amazon - only to find that they don't seem to be available there much to my surprise. Should have picked them up while I saw them. One thing I did pick up was a book on excellence in drumming which I couldn't resist. Read it in two days flat as well it was so good.

What was bizarre was that this afternoon we had a demo of a database full of videos made specially for students of business, law, engineering, archictecture and so on. Some of them covered so-called 'soft skills' like leadership or time management etc. One of them caught my eye: 'Drumming our way to excellence!' What an odd piece of consilience. Anyway, we're having a trial so I can watch the video in a week or two.

More creativity this morning.

This time an internal course on managing creativity and change.

I'm glad I hadn't been put off attending by the course I attended a few weeks back. This was very different.

I guess I'd been expecting more tips and techniques, but it was somewhat more management focussed. And I enjoyed that as it meant new things to learn and apply.

Prior to the day itself we'd had some prep work to do in the shape of Belbin's Team Role Analysis. We received the results of this amongst other things and then went through them with everyone in the room standing along the scale of our various strengths (or not). This was then applied to the creative process so we could see how we (or other team members) might best contribute.

I learned a lot about myself in the process. I came out very strongly as a 'plant' which may explain the meeting last Friday where a problem had been raised and I'd contributed quite a few 'thoughts' before feeling maybe I was overstepping the mark and shutting up. My two "least preferred roles" were as a 'coordinator' and as an 'implementer'. (Apparently the last have "practical common sense and a good deal of self-control and discipline" which is probably why I scored so low on that scale!)

But what was particularly interesting was that two colleagues were also present. H on the first of such days for her, and SE her office colleague. So with all three of us in the same team at the same level, I was intrigued by how we might compare. Perhaps somewhat worryingly they were both at the other end of the room when we lined up on the plant scale - especially as SE came out as an 'implementer' which was described as "intolerant of plants"!

But on a brighter note the three of us were absolutely identical on the 'team workers' scale and all three of us as high as anyone else in the room.

Fascinating.

6 hats was in the folder we were given, but we never talked about that.

The afternoon was spent doing some 'stakeholder analysis' and planning stakeholder commitment out of that. This was new to me and an interesting process that I only didn't really enjoy because I ended up in a group looking at age discrimination which got bogged down in some minutae of the law.

'Review' meeting with the Head this morning. Don't recall these (except when had formal appraisals that were never quite yearly) from 'TheOldPlace' but perhaps it's only a feature of being new here. It was apparently just to check everything was ok and as it was soon degenerated into side-tracks of very specific issues I would never have planned on raising.

Still, it seemed to fit a pattern of induction and training and general 'welcomeness' that leaves me feeling a warm, fuzzy glow of something. Not entirely sure what, but the experience was certainly positive.

I've been arranging some days off next week including, as it turns out, a trip up to TheOldPlace. Christmas will be here soon so I'm running out of time. Especially as one of my tasks is to collect some Christmas presents ordered from a store a couple of weeks back.

Having said that I'd warn the VC's office if I was back up that way, I dutifully sent along an email and almost by return had an interview with the VC arranged. Oh well, if I didn't want to go, I wouldn't have mentioned it... It just somehow seems to need to be done to 'close' that loose thread off. Or something.

And, I hear, other changes are afoot as another former colleague departs for fresh pastures. I wish her well. The information team gets another chance to be revised (or not), although I understand that recent new appointments there are "frighteningly efficient". There's a compliment I don't think I could aspire to!

H and I seemed to have survived our performance. Not too much heckling or displeasure!

Slightly disappointing turn out. 10 or so? (I didn't count). But at least no senior people there. It was nice doing it jointly as when one of us wanted to think/look at 'script'/pause the other could take up. The images we'd worked out seemed to go down well and 'worked' as an idea.

It was an odd experience though and one I found myself growing increasingly detached from - and I can't work out why. I'm relieved, though, that we won't have to do that again.

An executive meeting of the faculty operations today which is another first for me. Don't recall anything quite like it at TheOldPlace.

I'd been tasked with putting together a 15 minute briefing on who I was and my role in the faculty.

Little daunting with the dean and all his heads of department there (one of whom - from the math department - had seen some of the material), but it seemed to go ok and raised some interesting discussion.

Later on there was a lunchtime DVD presentation on pensions from finance which was both entertaining and depressing at the same time and then a meeting that I'd expected to take about 20 minutes towards the end of the day actually went on for 75 minutes and rather put an end to H and I rehearsing for tomorrow morning. Still, as we race past each other our presentation seems to be taking shape nicely.

With no so much in my diary today, I finally had a good go at trying to install my Palm software and get the beast syncing at the very least and see if it would sync with the email system (more optimistic).

Now that my C: drive access has been approved and in theory I have the ability to install software and save things to the drive, it should be possible.

In theory.

The first snag is that you have to login separately as a local installer to install the stuff. After a temporary hiatus while I tracked down the login/password I'd been given verbally over the phone. I had a go at it.

Installing scanner software seemed to work; as did some ebook software and the like - so the principal clearly is fine. But the Palm side is more complicated.

I seem to now be able to sync my Palm whilst logged in as the installer but NOT when logged in as myself. If it hadn't been for the other software working as advertised, I'd have thought it was some failing in me. But for whatever reason, I guess it's all more complicated than I'd hoped. (And of course, one of the conditions of the C: drive access is that the IT people don't offer support...)

I haven't given up entirely yet, but I'm not hopeful that there are many options open to me. I'm not technically illiterate but this seems to be a step beyond what I know (or am allowed).

On the other hand, I had news today from the Head that the systems people are getting people together to discuss the requirements for syncing PDAs and the like with the email system. With a view to mass installing software that would allow it to take place. Snag is that the discussion is in January when I'm at a conference, so I won't be able to stick my oar in. Still, it might happen yet. (Apparently the head spent a fair bit of money on his own software to make it happen.)

Spent some time with H today covering what we wanted to say and how we wanted to say it. Started off with a complicated scheme of mine to fit things into a diagram which covered what was different between ourselves at our old jobs and then either different or similar here. Or what was similar between ourselves at our old jobs and what was either different or similar here.

But it got bogged down in being overly complex and not all that helpful really.

Particularly as we chatted and both came to the conclusion that there was no way we could be brutally honest about everything we'd observed or it would all just come out too negatively. On the other hand we didn't want to be bland and overly effusive in an unhelpful way.

It came to me as we talked that we might use Google Earth imagery to kind of 'zoom' in from the national level showing all three places in one screen, down to the local level down to the city level, campus level, building level, and then onwards and inwards to the 'team' level, office and end up at computer level. (Though we might diverge at office level to include the staff room which we both like in comparison to).

The advantage of that scheme was that it would be graphically friendly, give us a 'peg' to hang our double act on, and if we went 'inwards' as an introduction and then worked our way 'out' to the broader issues of place and location and the welcome we'd recieved, it meant we'd finish on a high note and leave negatives such as computer intransigence and office space well behind.

H seemed to like the scheme and is happy to do graphics, while I find my "on my last ship it was different quote" which seems apposite and sort out a video of the local beach which we thought we might finish on. Particular as H came here specifically to be on the coast.

H doesn't have time to prepare for our presentation next week so we're going to have to leave it until Monday or Tuesday.

I can sense myself beginning to get wound up by the prospect of having to speak to library staff about my first impressions.

Is that because it's always harder to talk to co-workers who know you that much better? Or because I'd hate them to think that I was being negative about the new job?

Converted this blog into a Word document in chronological order (is there a simple way of doing that?) in order to more easily review it. H and I have to do a presentation next week on our first impressions, early experiences, comparisons with last job.

Reviewing this blog seemed like the obvious way to get source material and remind myself of what I might want to say.

The snag is that rereading such diarylike entries - especially while I read a book like Voyage East is rather difficult. Richard Woodman's book marvellously captures, in a diary like fashion, what it was like on a cargo ship in the 1960s. Unfortunately, it only makes me realize the inadequacies of my own writing - which seemed to be failing to even capture my interest as I reread it. And there's so much of it. 40 plus pages of Times New Roman in 10-point. Dull dull dull.

I can only apologize to whatever readers are out there. I'm sorry.

I don't know that I can promise to 'do better' and maybe this "does what it says on the tin" and doesn't need to do more. But I can't help feeling disastisfied.

First faculty library committee meeting this morning.

Small affair with the liaison officers, the Dean of the faculty and myself. The Dean kindly lent me a laptop so I could show off my PowerPoint slides in a room with no projection facility. Slightly better than looking at the more limited printed handouts.

I was quite comfortable (if not happy) to be reporting on the delays to the extension although it did generate a lot more discussion than I'd expected. Not quite so comfortable to be reporting (as requested) on serials commitments for the coming year. Still, I'd gone over spreadsheets and numbers till my head swam; done my best to have a head full of knowledge on the stuff in some West Wing like presidential briefing; and checked with a senior colleague that I wasn't too far off the mark with what I was doing.

It seemed to go very well even though, once again, a long discussion ensued but my 'just in case' PowerPoint slides went down well and looked impressive as I had material that clearly anticipated what they might ask.

I hadn't dreamed of mentioning it, but the subject just happened to come up, so I revealed that a paper a former colleague and I had had published a couple of years back had just been cited. It drew a round of applause! (Not to mention a laugh when I added that it had been cited incorrectly. Such is the world of academia.)

It felt somewhat like the baptism of fire I'd half expected, but I think I survived and one of the liaison officers made some kind comments about my first few weeks and proactive attitude.

Spent the day at a course on creativity and decision making.

Partly out of curiosity - it's been 6 years I was reminded since a former colleague and I attended an in-house creativity workshop that sparked a whole chain of events. Could I learn anything new? How good/bad would the day's course be? Particularly in comparison with six years back.

(Did I mention that we wrote up the 'chain of events' as an article which has just been accepted for publication? After some revision as a result of the peer-review process it must be said.)

The other reason for attending was the fact that come January, said former colleague and I are attending a conference on creativity. As we're tabling a paper there (we've been informed that tables will be made available! seriously!), it seemed prudent to have some recent training on the subject.

At the start of the day we had to share our reasons for attending and I owned up to the attendance at the conference even if I didn't quite dare to own up to being a contributor. I guess I was vaguely surprised that the two workshop leaders didn't know it was happening (and nor did a lady sitting at the same table as me who came from the university where it's being held).

Before we'd even got going there'd been coffee and registration at which a conversation with the tutors about De Bono's six hats had developed. I mentioned that in my last job we'd actually bought six physical hats rather than just referring to the process on occasion. Deciding that a yellow construction helmet was just too camp, one attendee said, perhaps having not grasped the true creative spirit yet: "let's knock that idea on the head".

The day itself was good. I learned and had a go at some new techniques; I met interesting people from a range of libraries; I was even able to contribute on occasions with some of the techniques and experiences I've encountered (for example with the six hats and, of course, with mindmapping).

One exercise was particularly interesting. After lunch we were sent off to nearby stores/organizations to do "creative swiping". The aim being to come back with three ideas that "we could learn from them" and three ideas "they could learn from us". (The latter being good at helping you see the positives of your own place). Going off in pairs and taking notes meant we had some really interesting thoughts to share on return. But of course the process was of interest as you might guess from the purpose of this blog!

Possibly my favorite moment from the day was the lady mentioned above who at the conclusion revealed that she'd been hoping for a couple of techniques or quick solutions and not realized just how hard work creativity was going to be! I encouraged that it could be fun as well.

Finally, the one thing that struck me about the two presenters - who it turned out were a couple which occasionally created an interesting dynamic - was how much they said they enjoyed what they were doing. And how much they weren't really doing anything I suspect I, perhaps with help, couldn't be doing myself...

Part of a process I've never seen from the other side before...

I did the tours for the new assistant SN and I will be sharing soon. 6 candidates reduced to 5 when one dropped out, was replaced but they dropped out as well.

All of them very capable it seemed - some a fraction more 'personable', some seemed a bit more 'professional'. One combined both. One even came from my old 'home' state of Virginia. One I'd met at a conference in the summer and had encountered AB's marketing enthusiasm with me as well as the card voting system! She remembered me though, before I remembered her.

Fairly intense as I had no break between tours so was really taking an extended walk around and around the library, but it was interesting. And even more fascinating to sit in on the subsequent process of the interviewers deciding who to pick. Not entirely certain I can or should write about that in any detail, but it was definitely eye-opening and I reckon - should I even be in that situation again - that I've learned a few things.

My first 'late night' this evening.

At TheOldPlace we used to have to do a couple of hours extra every other week. With the occasional (twice a yearish) late evening on a Friday for a couple of hours. The latter usually being fairly quiet.

Here, the fortnightly lates have gone but about three times a year I'm here late on a Friday evening on the enquiry desk from 5 till 8.45. Quite a stretch - though you seem to be allowed a ten minute break in the middle of that, and by not coming in on a Friday until 1pm (which seems to usual practice though I didn't know that detail and was in at noon), it makes the day bearable.

For an hour or so it was fairly busy, but the rest of the evening was as quiet as you might expect. Only one tricky question that I had to refer on to a subject specialist 'next week' - but it was a fairly obscure bit of database jiggerypokery comparing company financial data.

Only took me 90 minutes to get home afterwards which wasn't as bad as it might have been - and I had a good paperback novel to pass the time. (Well, good in the sense of page turning rather than good in the sense of literature. David Hewson's _Solstice_. Given to me by the astronomer's widow with the other books she was donating.)

Sitting in the Head’s office this morning and noticed a box on the window ledge beside me with an odd looking keyboard in it. An ‘AirTouch’ flexible thing like typing on a membrane with raised keys. The head of the library was amused at my interest because everyone else who’d tried it had hated it. But what really attracted me to it was the selling point that it’s silent. Now it might just be me, but there are occasions I do need to be able to type in an absolutely silent environment without feeling that I’m disturbing anyone. And not just because I work in a library (which are never that quiet these days in any case with computers, trolleys and of course students!) (Not to mention the ubiquitous cell phones). Running the AV desk in church I sometimes produce notes on screen during sermons or prayer times – and in such silence it’s amazing how noisy a typical keyboard is.

Not entirely sure about it for regular typing – though you adjust remarkably quickly - but it is certainly much quieter than the usual kind especially if I stop thumping the keys so much. Not actually silent though – it’s nearly impossible to do away with any movement between finger and keyboard, but it’s certainly worth giving it a go. It’s also handy that I can plug it into the USB port and it works alongside the other keyboard without having to swap them over – I can have the best of both worlds.

And rather than cluttering up his office, the Head is happy to make a small donation to charity!


[This entry brought to you courtesy of AirTouch, any errors or typos brought to you courtesy of the author.]

2nd round of my health and safety distance learners today. Seemed to go about as well as first time. Fewer of them but generally responsive. Bit mystified by having been told to turn up at 1.30 only to find they were expecting me at 2. Never mind.

And another course committee - nicely done in about 70 minutes which you can' t complain about.

But first thing this morning we had a briefing on student finance from those who have to help and advise. No doubt TheOldPlace is going through exactly the same issues but students do face additional hurdles this year. What was most interesting to learn was that some bursaries are handed out but TheOldPlace and TheOldPlace's neighbour up the road are both more generous than we are. $1600 on offer instead a little over a thousand. Apparently it's not something that they use as a selling point here!

Some things remain exactly the same, some are completely different.

One of each today.

The weekly lists of 'grey' literature from government or international organizations make their rounds here just as they did at TheOldPlace. They're as thrilling as ever and I probably select about as much as I did before (i.e. not much).

On the other hand, binding is different. TheOldPlace had an enquiry desk devoted to copying and binding and the like and students could get documents up to and including dissertations either bound with comb binding or heat binding. If, as staff, I ever needed something bound I could either go do it myself if the desk was unmanned or ask for it to be done if the staff weren't busy.

Here, there's nothing. Those I was asking weren't even sure reprographics (a 10 minute walk away) could offer students any kind of service. They have to find local print shops in town. (I think there's one across a couple of roads from the library.) If I need to get something done it is, theoretically possible I'm told (I can see why no one's tried it), to send something off to reprographics for comb binding.

There is, it turns out, a little heat binding machine in a dark corner of cataloguing. It doesn't get much use someone said. I'm not surprised.

Somewhat stressful day with two 'new' bits of teaching to do.

First thing I had my first fill-in for a colleague who was off at the dentist. Not just an hour but 90 minutes with some 20 odd geography students. Sorry, that's 'about 20' rather than 'peculiar students'. Might have been a bit more daunting if I hadn't spent four a bit years working in a geographical library. As it was they seemed fine despite the inadequacies of the room (not a proper teaching room but just a portable projector brought in a bit late attached to one of the student computers facing the front). I guess I've been spoiled by the excellence of facilities so far.

At one stage I had them creating mindmaps of the topics they were interested in but in a first for me couldn't persuade anyone to share theirs with the group. Are they braver students at TheOldPlace or am I just losing my powers of persuasion?

Next up was an induction for some mature distance learners doing health and safety. I had worked hard on learning what facilities (or not) distance learners could access but it was still a bit new for me. I was also using material passed on to me by the colleague who formerly dealt with this. I decided to use it because a) I liked it; and b) thought it would be a change from what I typically do. But it possibly led to the session being a little less polished. Still, I have a repeat engagement with the other half of them on Wednesday, so a chance to improve.

If I don't look for and relish such 'new' opportunities, I fear that I'm going to quickly find that not enough has changed from TheOldPlace to here to be sufficiently stimulating.

I'd had connections with the chaplaincy at TheOldPlace which started out when I attended a Lent course and got to know the lead chaplain a little. A chance encounter at the gym then led to me being invited to play five-a-side soccer once a week where I could regularly kick him in the ankles. (My clumsiness knowing no bounds).

TheOldPlace ran a short memorial service at this time of year and here's no different. Only instead of a 'generic' one, this one was specifically aimed at those from the university who'd died. A couple of elderly former staff who'd passed away, but several students who'd died during the year and one who'd been murdered.

A touching act of remembrance for them with the half dozen or so of us who turned up. It was in the new (and very nice) chaplaincy center just across the road from the library. Hordes of Muslims departing their Friday prayer which takes place in an adjoining prayer room. It was great to see the place so lively and well used.

I'd been a bit uncertain about going as I knew I didn't have anyone particular in mind to 'remember'. But it seemed to me worth attending if only to be thankful that I wasn't in that position, and also to support the chaplains (two of them present but a third exists) as presumably just like anyone ministering in this fashion they need prayer and encouragement as well.

I think I've mentioned that we have 6 faculty librarians (of which I'm one). Well, not strictly. One is an interloper as law is always a special case it seems.

The plan is to appoint three assistants between the lot of us and the first - for the 1st floor - started on Monday. I met her today with my science comrade to discuss overlap and any relevant issues but as I suspected it was more a chance for said science comrade to play the raconteur as ever. Still, I quite enjoy watching him in action even if there is a suspicion it won't take me long before I'm hearing the same stories over again. A lesson for myself I suspect.

Which brings me to an interesting comment I heard yesterday, I think it was. It's become apparent to some that they feel they've appointed me on the ground floor very much 'in the style of' SN my science comrade. And they've appointed H on the 2nd floor very much in the style of SE her social science comrade. It is odd how similar in style/character/backgrounds (if certainly not looks!) we are to our senior colleagues. Was that deliberate? Determinative? Or just one of those things?! But maybe it's another explanation of why I got this job and not H's.

First of my course committees today.

Very similar to TheOldPlace. Although this one had a staff/student committee beforehand to air their grievances and problems. As ever these are supposed to be course related rather than pet niggles of specific issues, but as it's the only chance students get to bring things to the attention of the academics I don't blame them for taking it.

Much interest/disappointment in my short report on the delays to the extension (and thus continued lack of computing facilities given that we'll have nigh on 200 in here eventually). Much amusement at my description of knowing from day 1 of life here not to book the seminar rooms (as some have) for this week given we were supposed to open on Monday.

As if the stress of NOT teaching in the morning wasn't enough, I then had the fun of the afternoon.

Yesterday, fairly late in the day, I'd been approached by one of the computing department's tutor center researchers. She'd been put onto me by the academic who'd sent me the nice quote last Friday. Between the pair of them, their bright idea was me to basically video my teaching session in chunks to put into the virtual learning environment. I quickly persuaded them that although I was up for trying that, it was demonstrating webpages for the most part so video might not be the best approach. But they had just the tool. I forget its name but you could record audio as you travelled around web pages and demonstrated resources and search techniques.

Although they'd only dreamed this up and asked if I had a spare moment yesterday, they had to get it done by the end of the week. Which pretty much only left this afternoon. I was under no illusions that it would be quick - and it wasn't. Three hours later we'd just about knocked a 50 minute teaching session into bitesize manageable chunks and I've yet to be convinced that it will be of any use at all. It's not the same as being there in real life. But we'll see. I'll certainly be interested to see the output.

What an awful morning.

I can't say this kind of thing never happened at TheOldPlace but I don't recall it happening quite as spectacularly or with such a negative backlash.

I've long been booked to do a two hour session with some Masters students in computing this morning. I was here late last night preparing and awake in the night worrying about it. Don't often do 2 hours and fear trying to fill it. Don't often deal with large groups of Masters students and know what level to pitch things at ('specially when some are new to the uni and some have been here three years or more).

But I had quite an important meeting to be at with colleagues and study assistance type people which I had to leave after just 15 minutes (and introducing myself) to do the training.

Got to the room 5 minutes early only to find hordes of 6 year olds doing some math masterclass. Quickly established they weren't just finishing and double checked the diary to make sure I was in the right place. I was. Could only head off to the computing admin office to see if they knew of a room change. It took some time to get through their locked doors and persuade someone to actually check (one of those horrible, walk-in-to-a-large-open-plan-office moments when no one wants to look at you). Yes, the room had been changed. Not just the room, but the building as well. Oh dear. Would have been nice if they'd told those of us running the session. Never mind.

Off I went, but no longer 5 minutes early, now 10 minutes late, I found the room and indeed there were the 26 students waiting for me. And a rather odd woman who introduced herself as some kind of teaching assistant. No sign of the academic who'd arranged the session.

So I started trying to logon to a PC sitting in the corner which had a different login screen to what I'm used to and in any case I quickly realized (once I'd turned the projection system on where the switches were hiding behind a movable noticeboard) wasn't the PC that was being displayed. Aaargh! Didn't matter anyway. I couldn't logon to the PC. So I went in search of which PC was attached to the projector only to find I couldn't logon there either. However, there was a nearby note that said which room technical assistance could be obtained from. I could only go on a quest for them and was relieved to find that they were just across the hallway.

Which was when the real trouble started. Two techy types turned up. Or should that be tetchy types. No we couldn't use normal uni logins, this was an electronic department lab; no we couldn't have temporary logins; no we couldn't even stay in the room. And who were we anyway? Computing students? You can't stay in here.

I tried to point out that the academic had arranged the room booking (presumably - I certainly hadn't) and that had not been me. I tried to point out that I was the librarian for the faculty and not the department so couldn't the computing students stay for my session. I would have pointed out that some had come in to uni 'specially for this two hour session - but I didn't learn that till later in the day. They wouldn't even let me spend 15 minutes talking to the new students just to get that bit out of the way should the session ever be rearranged.

What with all the grief from the techs, a couple of students whinging at me that this was the fourth library session they'd had (though they couldn't tell me if previous ones had covered what I was about to do with them), and the useless assistant or whoever she was not contributing anything, it was left to me to apologize to the students for being late, for not being allowed in the room, for the session not running. I was irked enough, but I don't blame the students for feeling their time was being wasted even more.

With little else I could do I could only offer to go back to the academic and see if we could rearrange the time, but I got the impression there would be at least a few who'd wouldn't be attending that session.

I thought about heading back to the meeting I'd left but I couldn't face it. I'd have missed too much after 40 minutes or so and it had been embarrassing enough having to leave in the first place. Plus it included one of the study assistance folk I'd seen at the teaching induction sessions I'd been attending on Wednesday afternoons. One of those people best avoided. Totally, jaw-droppingly, heart-achingly gorgeous. Not helped by bearing the same first name as that very first love back 3 decades ago aged just 10! (And who incidentally never even have the time of day for the likes of me!) Best just keep away on the whole.

Perhaps it would be more useful to go in search of the academic - not that I was holding out much hope of her being around. And I wasn't wrong. No one at home in her office. I eventually ended up in the outer reaches of the Dean's office where the admin staff couldn't help locate her but the Dean popped his head out and thought that she wouldn't be in all week. I wasn't going to complain about what had just happened but he was so curious about why I was looking for the woman in question that I ended up dumping all of this on him. At least he had the graciousness to be appalled and suitably sympathetic.

I headed back to my office only to pass the open door of a perfectly sized lecture theatre standing totally empty.

Meeting this morning with my immediate boss. Just checking up on me really. I guess my former boss would do the same, but probably less formally.

She's off to Australia for a month though so this was just to make sure I was ok and had things to do. No shortage of things, I could assure her. 'specially since she persuaded me to make the joint presentation on info literacy which seems to be taking on a life of its own.

But what is this effect on the boss? Previous one was just about to run off to the Mediterranean, this one's off to Oz... almost as bad my parents hearing I was returning from two years abroad and deciding to go to Brazil for seven years!

I'd only seen about 2/3 of the computing students on Tuesday. Today I saw the remaining 70 or so. Different room (bit awkward but not as voluminous), no academic taking 10 minutes out of the start and a completely different feel to the whole hour. (Perhaps it was a result of putting back in the three 'fun' things!)

But best of all - particularly after the downers of the earlier session and the math department - was a quote that was forwarded to me by the academic who'd arranged the sessions. Right at the end of the day as I'm about to go home she wrote saying:

"Thought you might be interested in the following piece of feedback from one of the study project students who came to your 11 o'clock:

'About today's Final Year Project lecture, I found it EXTREMELY useful and probably the most useful lecture to date and loads of other friends agree with me.' "

In nearly 12 years of doing this I don't think I've had such a marvellous piece of feedback. Thank you whoever you are.

All day at the first of my management briefings out at our far flung bit of campus on the other side of the island.

Pretty good on the whole. Large chunk of the latter part of the morning given over to Myers-Briggs. I came out as an ENFP. Pretty strong on the E and the P (no surprise there), not so strong on the middle two which could have gone either way. In fact the test result gave a 'T' rather than 'F' but looking at the descriptive tests and delving deeper with the session leader, re-evaluated it to an 'F'. Which worked for me. The ENTP has a sound bite of 'classic entrepreneur' while the soundbite for the ENFP is a 'spark of energy'. Unless feeling a bit 'anti' through age or depression, I'd identify more with the latter.

Anyway, nice lunch, nice people to meet and interact with and perhaps a little more insight into leading with impact.

Odd session at lunchtime today. Odd in every sense I can think of.

I'd be invited to speak to the math department staff at one of their lunchtime sessions. Unfortunately, the academic organizing it has gone off long term sick. So come the morning I wasn't even sure where I was supposed to be.

The thought occurred to me that their might be a website that gave the information (doh! there must be given that another academic had wanted me to do some training at the same time and I'd not been able to change the math faculty session because they'd already advertised and 'put it on the web' I'd been told). So I found a room number and was about to head that way when fortunately I had a conversation with a math academic who, when I mentioned where I was going, told me that no, it was in another building entirely. Glad I checked.

Got there to find a very young lady who didn't seem to be either an academic or a researcher. I presume she was admin staff but asking if that was the case didn't seem to elicit any response either. Maybe we were having communication difficulties as I did establish that she was German and was very patient with stumbling attempts to be friendly in her own language. I was spared further effort by the arrival of the first academic. But as I went off to make sure the computer I was using was logged on and set up properly, I noticed that his behavior in talking to the German was most odd. Almost bordering on autistic or something. Perhaps it's just math lecturers.

Anyway, eventually the grand total of about half a dozen staff turned up - some with their sack lunches in-tow as promised. I did my very best to fulfil the brief of introducing myself and my background, explaining my role in the faculty and offering what services I could. I felt it went as well as it might and the questions were mostly ok. But again, it just seemed very energy sucking rather than energizing as such 'performances' often seem to me. Not entirely sure why.

One question that stupidly I wasn't prepared for, came from the Dean of the Department. He wanted statistics on how many maths students use the library (not possible currently - but might be after the swipe card access is installed after the extension opening settles in), how many books they borrow and so on. I could have brought such figures with me but hadn't quite thought it was the time or the place. Doh! They were math lecturers, of course they'd want that. Not to worry, he seemed happy enough that I could post them later.

I don't know if it's me, the number of students (groups do tend to be larger than TheOldPlace), or the particular qualities of this particular lecture theatre (converted from a large old fashioned type of hall). But this particular group of 100 or so computing project students just seemed to suck the energy out of me.

Possibly not helped either by my having to give 10 minutes at the start over to an academic who'd come to tell them about how and why they might get their work published. This seemed particularly ironic in the face, this week, of being up against a deadline of revising a piece of work I and a former colleague are hoping to have published.

The practical upshot of that was that I took out some of the 'fun' stuff - such as getting them to mind-map, playing with the 'voting' cards, and showing a video clip. So I've only myself to blame for being dull I guess!

I don't think I can wait until the end of the day.

I need to rant NOW!

Since I arrived, a university webpage redesign has been in the works; it arrived this morning.

It does look much slicker and the photos are nicer and I've no doubt there's more work to be done on it. But guess what? The library - which used to be a top link is now buried three clicks away via one unobvious route and four clicks away via an even less obvious route.

Worse yet, both routes assume that only students could possibly be interested in the library and that staff don't use/need us. Even under a fairly comprehensive list of services for staff we're not even listed.

But for all the fine words about the investment in the library, the new extension, blah blah blah: to make it really hard to access the library pages seems somewhat underwhelming in how much "they" really believe that. (I do appreciate that this probably isn't a malicious decision from either the web design team or the VC but the lack of any consultation or chance for comment is somewhat perverse). I know that libraries generally and our particular library aren't the center of everyone's universe, but surely they've got more invested in the resources here that staff and students do need to use than, say, promoting the attractiveness of the local beach or the prestige of a pterodactyl exhibition?

It wouldn't feel so bad except for a) the recent news that we're losing the name of the library and just becoming "the University Library" - which does give a slight feeling of loss of identity and that's just me who's only been here half a dog watch; and b) this is exactly what TheOldPlace did just before I left. It's a conspiracy!

Money raising for charity today.

So cakes/cookies to buy.
Quizzes to take part in.
Raffles to irritate...

Time to go home but I'm a bit stuffed really to move.

That much at least hasn't changed from TheOldPlace.

One of those things in my diary today that I really wasn't sure about and then found I was really glad I went.

I'd signed up for it ages back when everything seemed like a good idea and it was far enough in the future not to worry about. Something about networking and learning and lunch with the theme this time of 'simulation'.

Off I went and the first relief was discovering that for a stand-around-making-polite-conversation-while-you-eat sort of situation I actually knew quite a few people there. Some of the people from my teaching induction, several of the computing academics, some of the folk from study skills.

But aside from the networking (useful enough in itself) it was fascinating seeing the centrepiece of the lunch.

This is something TheOldPlace really doesn't have. (And isn't likely, in fairness, to need.) We were ushered into something like a hospital ward with three beds. Tucked up were three dummies that were remarkably lifelike and as the technician told us about the place, you realized the dummies breathed, blinked and so on. The monitors beside each bed were reading their details and it was mostly, I guess, like stepping onto a movie set. On the other side of one way glass windows the researchers or academics could control the dummies and displays for students to respond to. And on the other side of the room was a big lecture hall where video of the sessions, plus all the screen information, plus the dummies' responses could be displayed for student learning. There was also a mini operating theater with a dummy that cost 5x as much apparently and had retinal response and could breath in/out the appropriate amount of gas.

Obviously, it's not directly useful in my role. Though I did wonder if there would be scope for replacing a bed with two or three web enabled computers to study how students search for information. Might be worth pursuing if I want to do research.

And word had spread about the presentation I'd been part of yesterday so my fame(?) preceded me and I can see I won't be able to escape doing something more on that. Ah well, glad I'm wanted somewhere!

Last of the training induction sessions today. We graduated. (Though they didn't have our certificates quite ready).

Two main sessions between the intro and wrap up of our masters. The first was on using (or perhaps not using) PowerPoint. Very well presented by one of the study skills guys. More of him please. The second was the session my boss had been asked to do and had roped me into helping with. On information literacy.

I'd suggested we based on HK's work I'd encountered over the summer and my boss seemed more than open to that and we layered on the things we wanted to say about the local resources. I was a little uncertain about how it would go down and also a little uncertain about stepping out of being a student for a moment to address the class. But in the end both went very well.

Worse than that, well enough that it appears our presentation has caused enough of a stir in certain parts that we're being expected to take it to other places. I think we have three or four invitations already. I really must learn not to do things well.

Bit of an anti-climax at the end of the session - especially with no certificate giving or anything - but drinks were suggested. Not a bad idea. Though a bit odd that it just ended up being myself and the German researcher I'd met the week before (see 18th October). Still, the good doctor had a love of English idioms so it wasn't hard to make conversation before being really irritated at the public transport home just a bit later than I usually travel.

A guy from IS came this afternoon to install the scanner that's been sitting under my desk for a bit. Nice chap, didn't take him long.

Unfortunately, I made a cardinal error and let him leave before actually running the software. As soon as did, five minutes later, I found it worked fine - except for actually trying to do a scan.

Ah well.

I did email him immediately in the hopes that he might pop back and deal with it but I just got an automated response putting me at the bottom of the job list. So I guess it will be a few weeks yet.

Got a bit distracted today by Borges.

Looking something up for a paper being prepared for a conference in January, a quick search on the catalogue revealed we had 8 of his books. No we didn't. I'd misread it. We have 80 books either by him or about him. Some in English, some in Spanish. For some reason deciding to be a bit completist about things I ended up with a huge pile in the office working out if there were useful bits for the paper. (Possibly). But with the amount there was and with the brilliance of his writing, I reckon there's a lifetime work there to really study him properly. I'll have to make do with a morning sadly.

The other interesting part of the morning was in using Writely (now Google Docs and Spreadsheets) to collaborate on writing the paper. My co-author was online at the same time. It's still in Beta so occasionally I'd get chucked out, but we never lost any text to my knowledge and it seems to work quite niftily. We could revise the document itself whilst at the same time carrying on what was virtually an online chat session down at the bottom of the document as we discussed what we wanted to do or how we wanted to do it. Best yet: it doesn't require the installation of any software so I can do it even on a machine here!

Donations. Who'd have 'em?

Had set up a visit to a widow's house today. About 15 minutes on the train from here.

A computing academic had heard of this astronomer who'd died leaving lots of books. The plan was I'd go and see if there was anything we could take for the cosmologists. Seemed like a reasonable plan.

I was met at the other end by the contact link who drove me to the house in question where it soon became apparent that as ex-president of a local astronomical group he'd already had all the astronomy books. All that were left were a few history and photography volumes. I wasn't really the right person to be there at all. Still, there were some interesting volumes I could make a pile of and take away for the proper librarian to consider (and bin?) and I could politely enthuse and observe the back yard observatory and the like. There were even a few exploration books that weren't really relevant for us but might be valuable to my former former job. (One was autographed but I resisted the temptation to hold on to it - despite permission from the widow to take anything I wanted personally. I could also have updated my dog-eared Lord of the Rings. And does anyone want a biography of Tolkien by Carpenter?) The photography books I left but took the details of as they looked like the kind of thing that TheOldPlace might find a home for. I've emailed the list on to L.

A decent enough pile and polite conversation done, the contact drove me back to the university where the haul quickly overwhelmed the amount of space I have here. But that just motivated me to deal with it more quickly. Bit disappointed that S, who looks after history, and who's been doing a headless chicken act of late was so dismissive given that I'd saved her a trip. But hopefully there were some useful things. I don't think I'll be adding much to the 520s though.

Back as a pirate today but only briefly for the prize-giving for the student who planted his flag nearest the buried treasure. He seemed genuinely pleased with the book token and to have a publicity shot taken with a couple of pirates either side of him. I suppose the cynics would say it's because he's still a first year and new...


Anyway, the afternoon was the first 'small' team meeting with my boss unlike the 'large' one that takes place on alternative Fridays. With several away it was very small. But we could get things done. And I dared to do my first "it was like this at TheOldPlace" and formally query why we couldn't do the same here. (We have a byzantine method for getting database passwords to students. They have to come and ask in person. For each database that's non-standard. OK, there's not tons of them but there are enough!) There wasn't any disagreement that TheOldPlace didn't have a good system but I was surprised by the attitude of at least a couple which amounted to "well, it's not that demanding handing them out, they're not heavily used databases". I couldn't help wonder if that's because students just don't bother.

But it's being taken forward and something may yet come of it.

I was asked the other day, by a former colleague, what I did all day given that book ordering isn't as much my responsibility any more, I don't have formal enquiry desk duties, and I'm not yet teaching as much as some of my colleagues seem to be doing (yet - it may come later).

Well, I'm certainly not sitting here twiddling my thumbs.

But what do I do?

With regard to the above I do have to process the book orders from academics and many of my computing faculty like to submit electronic requests which unfortunately have to be put onto physical cards as there's no system yet for e-requests (they had a go at it I'm told but it didn't work - I think because they still wanted a physical record and couldn't get the e-cards to print properly. Something's not right somewhere?!). And while I don't have formal enquiry desk duties, I do sit immediately behind the ground floor enquiry point in a goldfish bowl that means if whoever's out there has stepped away for a minute or a while, then it's really down to me. And the teaching I'm doing does require some preparation given that I'm still unfamiliar with my new surroundings and have yet to get to grips with the depths of some databases and the like.

At present of course, I can easily fill days by learning things and exploring (physically or electronically). For example, I spent an hour last week taking a bus out to another campus across the city and seeing what/where that was. I also dropped in at our reprographics unit to ask for a student welcome pack and they introduced me to the uni web design people as well.

I spent half an hour on Monday visiting the local public library. Should get a formal tour at some point but thought I'd drop in. I know someone who works there but they'd taken off for the afternoon. Most inconsiderate.

I spend an afternoon a week in the teaching induction programme I'm going through (which also requires 'homework' - not that it's terribly onerous).

There's the usual paperwork and emails you'd expect. Some of which takes me much longer than it might do to deal with because either I need to learn something to make sense of the local detail or I'm just not familiar with the systems here. Meetings of course don't go away.

In short, I'm really not sitting here idling away the days. I almost wish I were. It hasn't taken long before even my (much reduced) email is stacking up faster than I'm dealing with it.

Back at the teaching induction today. Elearning was the theme.

Fine except for the presenter who tried to show us several computer-based training packages. One wouldn't run at all (despite, apparently, two days of her and IS guy trying to get round the restrictions); another one ran but everytime she clicked on a link it took 6 presses of the OK button to move on (despite the check box saying 'tick here if you don't want to see this again' being ticked).

And just to add to the fun the network wouldn't let me logon at all. I tried three machines, I tried the usual reboot etc. Eventually I went to find the help desk where they disappeared for several minutes before returning to tell me that the reason it wouldn't work was because I hadn't logged on for 6 weeks. What do you mean haven't logged on for 6 weeks? What do they think I've been doing the last 6 weeks? I've logged on every day. They couldn't answer that.

In actual fact they didn't return to the desk after their sortie 'out back' to tell me that immediately. Oh no. The guy came back and said "Wednesday". Just "Wednesday". I obviously looked a bit blank. Yes, I knew it was Wednesday was he telling me I wouldn't be able to log in again until next wednesday? Eventually he revealed that he'd reset my password to wednesday and I should be able to login now.

Indeed, I could when I returned to class. But I see that 'customer service' from the IT types doesn't seem to differ!

Meanwhile, a helpful German researcher I happened to be sitting next to (having abandoned H who'd come to just this session) in my quest for a computer that would let me login, managed to catch up me up (just about) on where we were in the class. Still, that feeling of being a bit left behind and nothing quite working because I'd missed the bit where something else had been set up was a salutary lesson in how students must often feel.

OK, I've had yet another go at it and it seems to have accepted it this time. Maybe it was overloaded before.

Another day off today. But not work related so I won't write about it here.

Where I will write about it (or have tried but can't tell if it's succeeded or not) is here:

http://www.historymatters.org.uk/output/page96.asp

which seems far to fascinating a thing to pass without a mention even if it's not strictly work related.

Visited the local public library today. Partly because if I've ever been (not sure I have) it was a long long time ago. Partly because it sounds as if an official tour which might be on the cards as part of the induction here is still some way off. And partly because I've been trying to catch up with a former colleague from TheOldPlace who moved to the library some years back.

Interesting half hour wandering around the place seeing what it was like. How can you not love a library?! But failed to catch up with former colleague as she'd gone home at lunchtime.

Attended my first team meeting this morning. Senior Staff. About a dozen of us in a room across the way while our extension is being finished.

Very similar to TheOldPlace really - except starting 15 minutes later and having to put the desks and seats into some sort of order. Perhaps slightly fewer agenda items but chunkier ones as it were so the meeting still went on for a little short of two hours.

Most interesting item was the Head trying to change the membership of the meeting. He'd circulated a document earlier which had outlined plans that I must admit that I'd been a little taken aback by. It turned out I wasn't the only one. There seemed to be much unhappiness about the idea of only half the faculty librarians attending the meeting, doing two years and then swapping over. That was so that the floor managers could attend. No one is unhappy at the latter though, so although it's a little more complicated than that, it was finally agreed to simply swell the ranks of the meeting - going from 15 possible attendees to 18. Which might be too big - but then, not everyone gets there everytime.

The team meetings at TheOldPlace could get rather large when everyone was there, but somehow we managed it. And it seems a better way to go, even if not ideal, than having people feeling left out.

What I was particularly interested to see was my mentor (one of the faculty librarians like me) expressing her opinion and getting somewhat het up about it in a very similar manner to the way I used to at TheOldPlace when I felt strongly about something. It's hard to keep the passion and feeling out. So I was glad to see it wasn't just me!

Another of the teaching induction sessions attended.

This one was on assessment which isn't directly relevant and yet sections of the afternoon were very useful in the role I'm doing now.

Two frustrations about it though. One was my inability to clone myself so that I could attend a faculty meeting I should also have been at. Second, I thought I'd been really dutiful doing all the homework from last time round, only to find I'd somehow missed two small parts of it. Fortunately it wasn't critical nor the kind of thing you had to hand in (or explain how the dog had eaten it), but it still left me thinking "must do better."

First of the 'coffee mornings' sometimes held in the library staff room at the beginning of a Wednesday. I think more usually they stand in the place of TheOldPlace's wednesday morning training sessions introducing new resources or techniques or whatever.

This one, however, was a report/slide show from one of the associate librarians who'd taken a four month sabbatical to live abroad before retirement. (Having heard a lot of his friends saying they'd do that when they retired only to die before they ever got there!)

It wasn't just a pretty slide show, however, we got quite a good analysis of the questions that had been raised before he and his partner went, how their time had affected them, and how it had changed their lives subsequently. (They've brought property there and will move out permanently - but learning the language and doing their best to integrate.) A great half hour.

Though as the rain fell on the dank morning following, I think it left us all feeling a bit dissatisfied with our lot in life.

I've signed up for some teaching induction which is proving both useful and interesting. Strictly it's for new members of staff who are new to teaching altogether but I'm not that experienced or knowledgeable that I'd want to pass up the opportunity to learn more about I ought to be doing or could be doing better. And I certainly am learning from the sessions. Plus get to meet members of staff I might never otherwise see.

But the very final session is one I won't be sitting through because my boss is running that final hour and wants me to contribute. We planned it this morning and once again summer conference material proved to be just the thing to drag out and structure what we're planning on saying. A mindmap from a South African contributor had particular struck me, and this was an ideal moment for it. Or at least the much expanded version that my boss and worked out.

All that was well and good but perhaps the most intriguing thing about the hour we spent planning over a whiteboard and computer was the tips I was able to pass on. The trick of going over marks on a whiteboard that have been written in indelible pen with the correct pen so that both rub out was perhaps a bit esoteric; but surely everyone who uses a computer - 'specially pretty much all day - knows about Alt Tabbing between applications?!

Day off today, so a perfect opportunity to write about the staff quiz which rather got lost in the excitement of too much else to write about last week.

Much like TheOldPlace really, this was really a bit of fun and not to be taken too seriously. The difference was mainly in size, arguably in atmosphere. Maybe three times the number of teams were taking part here and in a nicer venue. With a live band too to warm us up and entertain us at the interval. (I couldn't hear the drummer at all from where we were close to the back so I went to stand by the toilet door which was just a little behind him and to one side and I could have a great view from just the right angle and hear everything very clearly. Not that that helped with the lyrics!)

TheOldPlace usually struggled to get one team together, here there were three library teams and I'd started at the university far too late to be part of a team, but fortunately the issue desk had had someone drop out and rumor had already got about (how does that kind of thing happen?!) that I might be willing to fill in. I was - just for the fun of it. But particularly after I found out later that many of the colleagues at my level wouldn't have joined a loans team team. It's not like we're in the military and need to maintain a separation between the ranks!

One thing TheOldPlace did do better: the scoreboard on a Excel spreadsheet projected big on the wall. A white board way off down the front in tiny print just wasn't the same (or as quick!).

Anyway, marvellous time was had by all it seemed; the food at the interval was good (and hot) and the merriment on our table at least made the prospect of a tedious journey home more than worth it. The six of us didn't even do too badly managing to come in the top half of 26 teams and only just being pipped at the post by the team containing my senior colleague the science librarian. Best yet, one of my team members lived close enough to me to give me a lift home (after I and a Lambretta riding team-mate had helped the drummer put his gear in his van).

"Big up the library"

That was the formal brief from the academic who booked me to do an induction for his civil engineers (are there some that are less polite somewhere?).

That was fine and I was expecting large numbers - he'd said there were 300 but that the lecture theatre seated 200 and it would be first come first served.

What he didn't tell me was that although it was an induction, it wouldn't just be 1st years. Fortunately, quite by chance and another academic dropping by to book some training for his 3rd years, I found that I was actually going to be facing the whole department. First, second, third years and post-graduates on masters courses.

Good grief, what do I tell such a mixed group - some of whom are going be complete newbies and some completely familiar with the library. And for 50 minutes?

I'd decided that despite the large numbers I'd better be as engaging as I could and try to interact with the students. So I came up with a couple of plans. One to use mindmapping techniques to get them doing something at the start and then at the end show how it was useful in different ways to the different levels. Secondly, I wondered if this was the moment to try out something I'd been introduced to at one of the conferences I attended over the summer.

At that particular session everyone in the audience had been given a red, green and blue card and at various points had been faced with a PowerPoint slide giving us options we could vote for. Basically a cheap way of doing without an expensive electronic voting system.

Creating a couple of hundred such cards in three colors seemed, if not a waste of card, at least something I wanted to be sure of doing. But a quick discussion with boss who quite liked the idea and was happy for me to slice up and mark the cards convinced me to go for it.

Of course, I'd expected it to take some time to take 150 letter sized cards, cut them in half and mark the center with an A, B or C. Doing that three times over (for each color) I was glad I could get some assistance from the issue desk. (The letters - one for each color - are for to make it clear which color goes with which answer on the PowerPoint, but also to help anyone who is colorblind). But what I'd not really taken into consideration was just how much card that was to transport to the lecture - along with all the other handouts I thought of taking! (Not helped by the absolutely torrential monsoon that hit just as I had to set off for a 10 minute walk in the open.)

I got to the venue only to meet the academic outside who then informed me that I only had 30 minutes instead of 50. I removed a dripping coat from myself and plastic bag from the box of paperwork and card but that was all the time I had to revise what I was going to do. I decided to drop the mindmapping stuff and showing a video clip from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (good job as I'd actually changed bags thanks to the rain and managed to leave the video behind). I kept the interaction with the cards.

In the event the whole thing seemed to go surprisingly well. The students engaged with the voting (and I had a very clear mental picture of which years of students were sitting where), the content seemed to just about hit the mark for most of those there and even the academics who were lining the walls - along with the head of department were complimentary about the content (and the cards!).

(Out of politeness, interest and to round up the cards, I stayed for the next session and heard from newly graduated students encouraging applications to join the relevant professional society. Part of their talk included the poor public perception of civil engineers. I told them afterwards I'd swap their professional image for that of librarian any day!)

Final comment on the cards. Our reprographics room only had a pale yellow rather than the strong one I really wanted. It was really interesting to note that I got all/most of the red and blue ones back but the yellow set had been more than decimated. Less than half were returned. I figure they were just too easy to lose amongst pieces of paper. Still, boss now wants to use them and the law librarian is considering it too.

Yesterday and today I've been a pirate.

No, no, not downloading illegal mp3s or anything. Much more fun. Freshers' fayre is the usual jamboree of clubs and societies and university services and outsiders all "selling" their wares. The Library at OldPlace never got involved with this (I visited once out of interest) and there are arguments for it being something of a waste of time.

But this university had tried it last year with some limited success and with AB visiting over the summer and selling staff on marketing the library more effectively, there was a certain gusto with which some of my more artistic colleagues had decided on a pirate theme and designed treasure chests, bought costumey bits and pieces, created decorations for a stall and rounded up (press-ganged?) volunteers to man the stall. As well as creating a treasure trail round the library.

$80 a day to have the stall space and no one missed either the irony or the humor in our being put next to naval recruiters! Plus two $40 book tokens from a local bookshop to offer as prizes. Plus some money for candy to dole out... It wasn't 'free' advertising - but then as AB had pointed out, given the cost of the resources the library has bought into (buildings, books, electronic, staff) maximising their use should be given a higher priority than it is in some places.

On the stall draped with a large skull and crossbones was the treasure chest decorated with various pearls and necklaces and attractively filled with leaflets and the treasure trail sheets. Books and videos to do with pirates, piracy and the like. But mostly a large breadbasket full of sand and piles of little flags. The idea was for students to guess where the buried treasure was hidden and the nearest flag would win one of the book tokens. While they scribbled name and a contact number (either a phone number or a student number) onto the flag, we could tell them about the treasure trail where they had the chance of winning the other book token, tell them about the library, and given them some specially designed leaflets about the 'buried treasure' in the library. It was very well thought out and for all the fears that some had that it might not 'work', it was tremendously successful. Something like 800 students had a go at planting their flag and more took away leaflets.

When I got there I quickly found that standing behind the stall willing students to stop by wasn't half as effective as standing out in the middle of the thoroughfare offering sweets and promoting the chance of a booktoken for the small effort of putting your name on a flag. Many thought they'd have to pay to enter so the chocolate money I was doling out was a great way of saying "nope - I'll pay you!". Later on I wondered why we weren't handing out pieces of After Eight!?

Of course, there were those who saw us dressed as pirates and thought we were something to do with an amateur dramatic society or a local football club, but no one actually ran off when they found we were from the library. Most were quite amused and some almost impressed that we'd come to promote ourselves.

It was fairly exhausting work (I pretty much collapsed at home at the end of a 2nd day of it) but there were nearby stalls giving away cola or slices of pizza which could be raided for grog and rations. And meeting students later in the day actually doing the treasure trail was quite rewarding as well - though your odds of winning the trail rather than with a flag were much higher!

Despite the senior colleague who semi-seriously suggested we weren't doing the library profession any favors (though I felt happier that my boss was participating too), it seemed worthwhile. And how many other times am I going to have the excuse to wear a large gold ear-ring at work! Aaaarrrr!

Interesting session today. All of the faculty's PhD students. I underestimated how many there were but was also a bit taken aback by the supervisors and many of the academics being there as well. (They were having a whole day of induction to the university). The briefing gave me half an hour just before lunch and I thought I would set off very early and sit in on some of the prior session just to get a feel of it.

Good job I did. They were in a part of the campus I'd not visited before and at least a mile away behind the old naval port gate. Interesting space to inhabit but modern rooms in an old warehouse type of place where the new had to be removable with no damage to the old. Anyway, what with the distance and not being too sure where I was going I just about arrived on time. Only to find they were running seriously behind in any case.

I sat through some of their induction until it was my turn but with only 10 minutes to the scheduled lunchtime and what looked like it had been a long morning, I decided to cut out some of what I planned and just cover the basics after introducing myself.

It was the right decision. All were much relieved and I felt less intimidated than I might have done trying to go into details that probably weren't appropriate to the session. Both academics that I spoke to over a quick bite to eat (including the nice Dutch lady I'd met a week or three back) and the researchers thought that it had been just right.

Phew! Given that at TheOldPlace I rarely got to see this level of researcher at all and if I did it was usually in very small groups, it had been a bit unnerving to walk in and see 50+ people and a much more formal setting than I might have expected.

Quiet day today which worries me as several colleagues seem to be up their eyes in training/induction/teaching. Others are racing round putting the finishing touches to things like treasure chests to go with the pirate theme tomorrow at the freshers' fayre.

I seemed to spend much of my day with either boss discussing where I'm at or my mentor doing a one month check list to make sure I'm not unhappy or missing something in my induction and so on.

All seems to be going swimmingly. Just a visit to the public library to arrange. (Which I started on before as I know a friend and former colleague there, but she's been a little busy to get together.) Still, it can't be too hard to manage.

Back at TheOldPlace term has started and they're no doubt inundated as usual with students. We've another week to go before that. But our freshers are starting and I had my first 'induction' session to run this afternoon.

In fact these were computing students going directly into the third year from elsewhere (one owned up to having transferred from TheOldPlace though he wisely didn't admit to knowing or not knowing who I was). So a mix of what's new here and what do you need to know for your studies. The lecturer responsible stayed as well and both he and the students gave me some good feedback on what I'd covered so that was encouraging.

Spent some of the day exploring a database and experimenting with downloading interesting references to then import into some bibliographic software. I've not had much call for that before but think I'll have to be much more of an expert here. It was a very useful way of exploring library holdings and how well the article linking feature works (a tool we've bought into which attempts to locate any fulltext holdings of an article of interest in a database). I was quite impressed with it.

...because of the welcome meal last night.

Quite a select crowd. The six of us at the level H and I are at, plus our boss, plus K from inter-library loans. I hadn't quite gathered that the invitation hadn't gone to all library staff. When I'd mentioned the meal - every ready to stick my foot in it - to some of the folk from the issue desk, they'd looked at me rather blankly. Turns out there is a little more segregation between teams than might have at first glance appeared to be the case. H and I both agreed that had we had any say in the matter, we'd have no doubt done it differently!

H was the only one who'd worked out that there was no point in me going home at the end of the day only to have to set off immediately to get back in time. But with a couple of hours to kill on a non too promising evening weatherwise, she very kindly invited me to walk the huge commute she has which is all of 7 minutes to sit and read/watch the news while she prepared to go out.

Drinks before hand in a jam-packed pub after we'd rounded up B (who gave me my tour on interview day and also lives locally) and then onto a very pleasant curry house near the city's theatre. All very friendly, all very much as you might expect. If there had been any fears that it all might feel a bit uncomfortable, they were soon dispelled.

In the event it was a lovely evening out and taxi/train/taxi home worked out reasonably well as well. I even just managed to avoid the rain.

Teaching induction all day today.

Some of it compulsory. Some of it only compulsory if you've never taught before. I decided to stay for the whole day in any case as I can always benefit from learning new things or seeing things from a new angle. I was glad I did there was some really useful stuff.

Yet another folder in the Uni's ubiquitous color to start the day off (I've already got one as a staff pack and one as a personal development file from the library). This contained all the teaching material (and the stuff for the days of this that are to come).

What was best about the day was getting the full student experience:
lots of stuff thrown at us in a very short space of time
too much talk and too little interaction (though the afternoon improved things)
a room that was too hot and crowded
with some serious construction work going on outside so you couldn't open the windows and still hear anything
projector bulbs failing (though pretty impressed with the quick response of techy help)
sessions over-running so that lunch was cut rather short

it was a great demonstration of what the students will no doubt be feeling like as from next week. But despite all that, it was a good day. I particularly enjoyed the afternoon on learning styles (which I've looked at before but this was a different 'system' and I came out a little oddly); followed by a session on setting and writing learning outcomes which was useful.

Back to the office fairly exhausted - certainly with my brain far too full - but no chance to go home...

(will write about that tomorrow though)

Conference today for all new staff which was both fun and interesting.

I didn't do very well at the 'human bingo' as I'd end up talking to people rather than playing the game by just ticking boxes and moving on to get as many ticks as possible. The prizes were good too with a memory stick being 2nd prize. (I never did hear what was in the box being offered as first prize.) And why does no one ever have to get a tick against 'find someone who can steer a ship over 100 tons' or something!?

As for other content: we heard from the VC himself (who really ought to be an aging tv presenter but most confusingly manages - in both looks and mannerism - to be nearly indistinguisable from my old boss!) giving us an overview of the uni. Although it was interesting he ran over time and unsettled much of the rest of the day as regards time. The Finance Director told us about funding. And after a break we went on tours. Some on a tour of the city by coach, I'd opted for the walking tour of the city campus. Fortunately the rain stayed off while we were told more about architecture than about what the buildings contained - but it was interesting nevertheless.

All day there were lots of opportunities to meet other newbies and lunch was no different. But there was also a mini-exhibition in the foyer of various services that might be useful. Even the library was there with a stall and I picked up various freebies from mousemats to booklets and a uni stress reliever in the shape of an oldstyle computer terminal. Weirdest of all was stumbling across one of the chaplains who turned out to know my parents well and to have just joined the church I attend. I suppose I should expect the small world effect. Sister breezed through at that point having been relieved to have finished with a meeting at which some nasty allegations against her weren't substantiated. That was good.

After lunch there were parallel sessions for support staff and academics. I went to the latter as did H. Perhaps we should have divided and conquered to see what the other part was like. Our two sessions were a mixed bag - the first being fairly dry and presented unenthusiastically about getting money for research, the second being a more interesting look at various support services.

Journey to work options have just grown more complicated by finding someone who can drop me at the train station of a morning as he drops his daughter off. Saves being stressed by catching the bus and/or the close timing of getting on the train.

Snag is, it only works in the morning which means I still need a bus/ticket for the evening jaunt home.

I had finished my two week trial of the train journey yesterday after my two week trial of ferry, but I've extended the former because of the lift and for reasons I'll write about at the end of the week.

Databases. They're a funny lot of things really. For anyone who's not familiar with the academic abstracty types of the breed, their front ends depend on which provider you've bought the thing from.

Exploring some more and doing searches and working out what's where so I can pass all this onto to students in at least a semi-coherent fashion, I came across one I'm very familiar with but with a completely different front end. Not particularly better, not particularly worse - they're all much of a muchness these days but different enough to throw you and keep you on your toes if you were going to show them to anyone.

In the absence of an international standard I can only dream of it's just something to live with. But search engines all seemed to adopt Google's 'stream-lined' look. Can't database providers take a leaf out of someone's book, get together and make the student's life a lot easier? (Not to mention the librarian's life.) It's daunting enough for them to have to learn that they need to search more than just Google, but to have a learn a new front end everytime they switch is a nightmare too far - 'specially for those who are proud to admit in their third year that they've never even been to the library.

Of course, all this might be by-the-by if the federated searching we may be adopting soon, comes in. The idea here is that you can do one search that will go off and query all the databases that you've selected. Downsides including too many (possibly irrelevant) hits depending on what you're searching for and the fact that, like metasearch engines on the web, not all features are common across every database.

It's stuff like this though that reminds you we're still only in the early days of what's going to be possible in the future. Roll on tomorrow...

TheOldPlace start tours with new students this week. We seem to be a week 'behind' and wouldn't be starting that till next week. In any case, with the extension still unfinished tours are off the menu till the beginning of November.

Even when tours are available they're not the same. At TheOldPlace academics book their groups of students into slots (on the hour throughout the week) and up to 120 I think it is/was [there doesn't seem to be a grammar for this] might arrive in any one hour and would be taken on a five stop tour of the library by 10 guides working in five pairs. Of course, not every hour had that many students. It was a good team building exercise with acquisitions/loans/information team all joining in and newer staff able to learn by watching those who'd been around for longer. (And sometimes the other way round.)

Here, tours are much more ad hoc with students arriving and asking for them whenever they want (I think) and staff who've volunteered take them round. But not having seen it in action yet I'm not entirely certain.

What they do do here which didn't happen at TheOldPlace is get involved with the Freshers' Fair for new students. Handing out leaflets, enthusing about the library (?!) and answering any questions that may already be cropping up. However, since they had marketing guru and funster AB (mentioned back in early entries of this blog) this is all going to be themed around the idea of pirates and hidden treasure. It's one of those things that seems like a brilliant idea from the safety of a conference presentation but somehow is a bit more fearful from the vantage point of a week before it happens. I've already been collared to participate. I may get to dress up as a pirate, yet!

Hmmmm. Should I claim incipient old age and decide that now I'm an academic - stop laughing at the back - I should avoid this? Or should I just throw myself into it whole-heartedly and see if I can learn some jargon from International Talk Like a Pirate Day webpages (apparently I've just missed it)?

One thing that has most certainly improved in the change of jobs, is the email system. In fact from being better than TheOldPlace it improved in just my first week or so here to 'much better' when a new system was implemented across the University. Many of the old bugbears have gone with what might be described as a 'real' email system. LotusNotes may have been great at databases and portalness (not that it got used for that), but it wasn't that brilliant at email. GroupWise apparently has it's faults but I'm not spotting them at present.

Still available, there is the shared diary kind of feature that seems to be used a bit here (or is that just the effect of it being new and people giving it a go?). Tasks, emails and calendars seem to be a bit more integrated now but perhaps that's an artifact of being more windowslike.

But I'm really enjoying being able to do little things like sorting by subject line, export emails to text files tidily, and best of all, the long wanted, automatically sort into folders. This means you can subscribe to quite busy mailing lists but not have to individually read/delete/move each email as it comes in. Once a rule sorting it into the correct folder is created, you can just check the folder (handily marked with the number of unread emails) whenever the mood takes you. So rather than being continually interrupted, you can manage the things to fit in with workload/interest. In much the same way that Bloglines handles Blogs. So basic and yet so life changing (well, in the small world of email that is). I know just about everyone in the world has been able to do this in the likes of Outlook since the year dot, but it's a first for me and one I've long looked forward to knowing I'd like. I do.