My reflections on Library Camp 2011

I was lucky enough to get a ticket to library camp 2011 at the eleventh hour as I had been on the waiting list. It was an interesting and enjoyable day for a number of reasons:

1. The discussion




2. Putting faces to names




3. The cake

1.Briefly, sessions I attended included:

Information literacy and the gap between what is taught in school/FE and what is expected at undergraduate level. The group were in agreement of the importance of this area. We discussed the need to embed information and literacy skills into the curriculum, liaising with teaching staff rather than having separate library sessions which students often fail to see the point of. The need to get students to understand that they are transferable skills and can be used across subject divides was also commented on. This session interested me as we are currently trying to increase our delivery of such sessions at my workplace.

Shared reading - I went to this one out of curiosity as it is new to me. The text used to illustrate how shared reading works stirred emotions within the group and certainly demonstrated the powerful effect it can have and how texts need to be selected with care.

Bringing the retail experience into the library/zoning and use of library space - this was an enjoyable session (partly due to the danger element introduced by throwing a ball around to those wanting to speak) and gave me much to reflect on in terms of how space could be better used in my workplace. Since my return I have reserved the books recommended by Jo Alcock as I wanted to learn more about this.

HE in FE. I learned that the library's experience of this seemed to vary partly because of different contracts with HE establishments concerning computer access etc. Institutions differentiate between FE and HE students and it seemed that the two groups were not always treated equally with either one or the other being dominant in terms of access, skill sessions and resources.

2. It can feel a bit daunting when you go somewhere not knowing anyone at all but there were lots of friendly library people to chat to. As we were such a diverse range of library people it was perhaps a little harder than when you go to a training course or a particular conference where you have at least the sector or topic in common as a starting point. It was good to meet people whose blogs and tweets I have been reading face to face.

3.The cake!!! Everyone had made a great effort and I enjoyed cupcakes and cookies. The display by SWETS was stunning it has to be said...

I look forward to more events and congratulate Jo McCausland and her team of organisers.