We've been going through a staffing review for what seems like eternity but I reckon is really around 18 months.

The process has been painfully slow and just when we thought it was about to end, we've reached the top to find it's not the true summit after all. The good news is that we don't have to apply for our own jobs which was one possible outcome, the bad news is it may be several months before everything is 'settled'.

Last week and this the various teams of the Library were gathered to hear the news and how it would relate to them. It's complicated but for the subject liaison team that I'm part of it means that each of the six Faculty Librarians will become responsible for their job and one of six special areas. In no particular order: research, promotion, collection development, enquiries, disability, and international/collaborative students. Each of us has to rank the six areas in an 'expression of interest'. Management then assign them if there's no conflice and we have to do written applications if there are. Some of the areas naturally match with what people have been doing till now, some don't. As you can imagine, the 'who wants what' rumors/worries/gossip/chat has caused no end of tension of late.

Meanwhile, our three assistant faculty librarians will be joined by three new assistant librarians and each of those six will have to express interest in supporting the faculty librarian and their 'area'. This means that an assitant faculty librarian could change subject specialism depending on who they end up supporting which has caused no end of tension of late. Worse still, they can't do that until management have sorted us lot.

To further complicate things there are then five slightly more junior posts which also support the above and have to be properly applied for by other library staff. Too many will want to too few positions. More tension. And worse still, they can't apply until the assitants above have been settled.

In other parts of the library there is stress over building type staff having to help at the issue desk, huge disappointment over the ending of overtime arrangements (worth, in some cases, a couple of thousand dollars a year) and 'weekend supervision' which allowed some junior members of the issue team to get some experience at a higher level.

Human resources are apparently satisfied with some of the oddities about library staffing that will disappear (too many types of contract, faculty librarians taking two year stints at 'team leading' and therefore appraising assistants, overtime, etc), but it would seem that as usual everything looks great on paper but forgets the human element of what it's actually like for real people.

Recently I've been submitting things to an online journal. The Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society - with articles and reviews about the role-playing game Traveller (yes - spelt the English way). It's a prestigious "journal" for a hobby I've been interested in for 30 years or more and although it's no longer a printed periodical, it's been online now for more than a decade with a new issue every two weeks. I'd point you to it, but it's behind a paywall - indeed the first one I ever came across - so unless you want to fork out for a subscription, there's not much point. Not quite sure why I've never submitted anything before, but a number of things have come together which have really kick-started me.

Firstly, I have access to an iPad so I'm finally reading much more of the e-only game books that I possess. It's often colour, letter sized with complex layouts - so doesn't convert well into other e-readers. I could look it on the PC obviously, but I never particularly *wanted* to spend more time sitting up looking at the screen. The iPad handles such files so well, that is one of my primary reasons for liking the device so much.

Secondly, you may recall the enforced 'recharges' I have to take three times a day. I'm supposed to be relaxing and not thinking about work or other stresses so one way of resting is to escape into a fantasy future. It also whiles away tedious early hours of sleeplessness.

Thirdly, over the last couple of years I've been getting work related material published and gotten better at habits of seeing something I could write about, knuckling down to do the work, and struggling through the 'completer-finisher' tasks I so hate. But it's been good practice for not only a better understanding of the process and myself, but a motivation just to give it a go.

Anyway, it's resulted in the acceptance of some of my reviews of game books in three different places (two of which pay) and so I dared to try proper 'content'; rather than reviews and have had a couple of 'biographies' accepted as well as some adventure ideas. I must admit it's given me quite a buzz to both contribute to the universe that is Traveller and to see my name in the hallowed pages of JTAS.

I had an idea for another biography (not sure what to call a 2000 word description of an imaginary character) and meant to sit down and write something this weekend just gone past, thinking it might make it for the Tuesday publication date this morning. However, other things and tiredness intervened and I never got to it. But, I thought, last night, let's at least use the motivation I'd nearly mustered to get on with writing it now so it will be ready for next time.

Well, to cut a long story somewhat shorter, I got really into the
writing - even though it felt my brain was sweating sometimes at the harder chunks and I got it all done in one evening. The character statistics, the biography, the adventure possibilities. I even invented a bibliography for the person in question who was an author!

Much to my surprise I awoke this morning to find that never mind in two weeks time, they'd already published it in the issue that went live this morning. So it was well worth using the 'deadline' to beat my brains out with. On the other hand it also suggests that they're somewhat desperate for material - I'd better pull my finger out and do some more. But not as late in the day. Five hours and ten minutes from submission to publication though, must be some kind of record. It certainly suited my instant gratification needs!