Professor Heidi Julien on Information Literacy: Conceptual Challenges

This was a joint event run on 2 August 2010 by UTS Library and the UTS Centre for Information and Knowledge Management. Our Thanks to Professor Julien who is a Professor and Graduate Coordinator in the School of Library and Information Studies of the University of Alberta.


We broadcast the talk live on UStream and will also put a recording up on our website as soon as we can. I will advise when this has been done. (Check http://www.lib.uts.edu.au/)

Orchid update


IMG_0544
Originally uploaded by Mal Booth

The beautiful orchid given to me a few weeks ago in memory of my late brother Muz is still going really strongly. The colours are very vivid still and maybe some of the rain we’ve had recently has helped.

These images were taken with my new camera and an older 17-85mm lens, playing around with exposure settings and the macro manual focus.

Breakfast at Chowder Bay

My imaginary friend Kenny and I went to Chowder Bay this morning for breakfast with my sister Mez, my brother-in-law Phil and their dogs Hettie and Tiffany. I’ve been sick with a head cold or some weird virus for about a week now so I had to rug up well, but it was good to get out of the house and to see the dogs. They always make me happy.

Warning! This post contains cupcakes

But you have to find them . . .


I gave a talk to staff of the Australian Museum about our Wallwisher feedback board today. On the way back I took the opportunity to take a few images with my new camera. I’m still learning about its use and all of its features. The morning wasn’t too cold but it was really still and clear. The sky was a vivid blue and made a perfect background. I’m enjoying just being in Sydney with all it has to offer and my work at UTS Library.

30 things meme

Thanks to @MissSophieMac, 30 things I’ve done this month besides #blogeverydayofjune:

  1. Saw the film Animal Kingdom.
  2. Visited Vivid a couple of times with friends.
  3. Bought and played with a new camera (Canon EOS 7D).
  4. Bought a new lens (Canon 50mm f1.4).
  5. Run to and from work.
  6. Rode my bike to and from work.
  7. Walked to the light rail and taken a tram to work.
  8. Eaten a lot of Max Brenner’s plain (dark) chocolate.
  9. Visited my parents and spent some time with my late brother’s widow, my niece & nephew.
  10. Spent a lot of time with old and close friends.
  11. Laughed a lot at work and at home.
  12. Eaten out in Newtown a few times.
  13. Settled my ex-partner who is now my best friend into my spare room.
  14. Cooked beef lasagne.
  15. Eaten a lot of Ken’s cooking at home.
  16. Talked and thought a lot about my late brother Murray.
  17. Was given an orchid for my front balcony.
  18. Bought another orchid for my front balcony.
  19. Endured a leak in my spare bedroom (from the bloody neighbours!) that ruined all the carpet.
  20. Had all the carpet replaced in my spare bedroom.
  21. Started and nearly finished reading Will Davies’ Beneath Hill 60 (Ken was in the film).
  22. Went to the 17th Biennale of Sydney at the MCA (but was disappointed).
  23. Visited the One Hundred exhibition at the State Library of NSW (and was impressed).
  24. Saw some films at the Sydney Film festival.
  25. Laughed out loud during all episodes of Modern Family.
  26. Progressed our ASRS tender (with a lot of help).
  27. Started the 10,000 step Challenge with some friends at work.
  28. Eaten Yum Cha for lunch with my friends Fides at work.
  29. Coached some swim sessions.
  30. Ridden my indoor trainer a lot at home (I hate cold & wet weather riding!).

Image taken outside the Lied Library, University of Nevada Las Vegas in 2009.

Future academic libraries: orientation spaces

And another thing! I knew there was something that I forgot to say in yesterday’s non-post.


A couple of students I spoke with yesterday seemed quite obsessed by the elimination of noise in our new Library and what we intended to do about it. Initially, I just said it could be done via decent architecture and interior design of the spaces, including furnishings. I could not illustrate that point as there was no web access in the studio we were in, so later on I talked about the importance of the orientation space created by I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre Museum. It links three buildings and after it was proven to be successful many museums around the world followed their example including the British Museum and the Australian War Memorial (AWM) as it was so effective in introducing visitors to the museum and in allowing for improved and more appropriate circulation.

I believe the orientation space provided via the main entry is also going to be extremely important for us in our new Library. That is what will primarily change visitor behaviour from that of the external learning commons and the services it provides. If designed well it should also assist in the provision of services to, and management of (non-UTS) community members who may be allowed access to the Library. When the AWM began the first phase of its massive redevelopment over the last 15 years, the first gallery to be upgraded and completely redesigned was the Second World War gallery. That gallery probably comprised about 1/3 of the space within the museum proper. It was deep-set in the museum after entry and you almost had to traverse part of the First World War galleries to find it. The AWM leadership was advised of the importance of also reworking the orientation gallery and embarked on an ambitious program to redesign both at the same time.

The orientation gallery was smaller and was finished first, but it provided a much more contemporary and enticing entry than the previous dark and cluttered space. A massive glass showcase was designed and built by a glass artists (now deceased) from Queanbeyan and the Director pushed the positioning of one of only two Gallipoli landing boats in that foyer as the main feature “statement”. The showcase contained items from all parts of the collection giving people a taste of what followed in the main galleries: all without any textual interpretation. When it opened, people knew they were entering a special place designed to assist them to understand the Australian experience of war. There is something for everyone. Visitors are greeted and tours meet in that gallery. Since then many museums have followed suit and now the National Gallery of Australia is finishing off a completely redesigned entrance along the same lines.


I saw much the same thing in all of the modern public and academic libraries (and galleries) that I visited in the US last year. Some did it better than others, but all had clearly devoted attention to their “orientation space”. Some examples can be seen in the Flickr slideshow above (all images are my own).

Why there’s no real post today


I’m exhausted of ideas and I’m coming down with a head cold despite taking every natural immune system booster known in Western civilisation. Part of the reason I’m exhausted is because today I had to present most of our future library concepts to students in our UTS Designing Out Crime (DOC) Research Centre. I used a presentation of our key ideas around some illustrative images, but as it is a bit of a rehearsal for a short presentation that I’m to give later this year at the ILI conference in London, I don’t think I should share it just yet.

By 2016 the UTS Library will be relocated to the building next the the big UTS tower on Broadway, one of the main avenues taking people into the city of Sydney. Having a more prominent location both within the University and within that area of Sydney will present its own challenges and we hope to get some decent ideas from the DOC students.

It isn’t as if we are expecting a future series of Underbelly to be written about the crime in the UTS Library. We are just hoping for some proposals primarily to do with regulating or discouraging behaviours like theft, vandalism, consumption of inappropriate food and beverages, noise, etc. We are also looking for their ideas to assist us in presenting the key library resources and services as exclusive for UTS members (i.e not accessible by the general community). I spent a couple of hours with them making my presentation and then answering some really stimulating questions that gave me much food for thought.

I think we are really fortunate to have such a program at UTS and I love that we are giving UTS students the chance to contribute to the planning of the new Library in such a practical way (even though it is still very early in the planning stage).

The image is UTS tower from my place.