all the pretty Redbubble things

The NSW Reference & Information Services Group has been part of the Redbubble community since 2010 when they launched their first piece of seminar themed merchandise for #ra2010 Murder in the Metcalfe and #bookbinge. From the simple beginnings of seminar hashtags in varied fonts on tee shirts and stickers and the occasional poster the range has now expanded to include tote bags and notebooks. As Redbubble has grown so too has the capacity to include images as well as text, to show that all important image attribution and to make the most of the opportunity Redbubble presents. Items are sold directly thru Redbubble at cost price on a pay-per-make basis with no profit to the group. The full range of products available on Redbubble continues to grow but the products used by nswRISG remains simple and straightforward - tote bags and notebooks are the key items.  They have the added advantage of being unique items that can easily be used as thank you gifts to local and international keynote speakers at the annual Reference @ the Metcalfe and Readers Advisory seminars held at the State Library of NSW for public library staff.

Exploring Redbubble has been a challenge I have relished. With no budget to access resources like Adobe Photoshop or other such graphic programs I ended up teaching myself how to use GIMP. There's often a fair bit of swearing involved each time while I reorient myself around the program, but it's easy and straightforward and quickly helps me design and create image files that can then be used in Redbubble to make things. I generally find that the first new design takes a while until I'm sure of the look and feel and then the rest of the designs come along pretty quickly. Designing in GIMP and sharing in Redbubble always leaves me feeling satisfied and rewarded by the creative process. There's something about making "things" that is hugely rewarding.

In 2015 I suddenly discovered that Redbubble was making more than just tee shirts (thank you Ellen), the world of tote bags opened up and so too did the idea of using images instead of just text to market the seminars. My first forays were a bit clunky but a highlight has been finding old library posters that were out of copyright and could be used to promote our library seminars (see #risg2015 and #risg2016). The idea of using images to support a seminar theme became both a challenge and an opportunity. Westerns @ the Metcalfe involved first finding a suitable image and then hunting high and low to ensure we had permission to use the image. Images for the 2017 seminars came from the E. A Seguy collection (Insectes and Papillons), from the Special Research Collections Center at North Carolina State University Libraries. The readers advisory theme was 'diversity' and inspired the use of butterfly images to reinforce the ideas this theme explored. Using cicadas for the reference seminar seemed utterly appropriate given the Australian setting. These were followed in 2018 by some rather lovely bombinator frogs and a selection of cephalopds inspired by this Pinterest board and compliments of the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Noting attribution for the source of the image has been paramount throughout the entire process and a huge thank you to the State Library of NSW for their delightful array of digitised photographs and posters which first began this journey.

As to what images will delight in 2019, that's a journey that's still to be had. I'm looking forward to it.

more RedBubble discoveries

Today I learned how to promote my RedBubble creations using a blog widget - this may seem like a fairly small fry achievement but I have to admit, my sense of accomplishment is high. :)

And before I forget ................ #readit2011

The #readit2011 Twitter reading fest has been an amazing journey so far. All the details can be found here - http://readit2011.wordpress.com/ - and here - http://readersadvisory.wetpaint.com/page/2011+Twitter+Reading+Group

Not to mention the shirts you can buy the shirts from RedBubble here - http://www.redbubble.com/explore/readit2011

There are plans afoot to continue the love next year too in conjunction with the National Year of Reading and make it bigger and better and broader and bookier!! .............. is that a word? You get what I mean, I'm just a tad excited about it all.

Now, I'd best be off to update my reading challenge list on the RA wiki .............................

r u game fashions.......

I noticed in amongst the comments from yesterday's seminar at NSL was the importance of branding, like what we are trying to achieve with RISG on RedBubble. Yesterday I wore my pink girlie shirt to work and today I'm wearing my black long-sleeved number with the text on the back.

I've decided I like wearing Library themed shirts to work - certainly eases a few of the wardrobe decisions some mornings!

r u game?

The inaugural r u game? Games & Public Libraries seminar is on today at the State Library of NSW. I wish I was there.

However, just because I couldn't make it doesn't mean I can't participate & share in the wonder that is today.


I'm wearing my r u game? shirt which I got from RedBubble.

And I'll be following all the action on Twitter.



I think Ellen Forsyth has done a great job in preparing both today's seminar and especially tomorrow's event in World of Warcraft. This is such an exciting thing she's achieved, I hope everyone pays attention.

nswRISG on RedBubble

I'm so excited!

After a couple of hectic weeks trying to sort out the legalities, the financials, & the technicalities of artwork the NSW Reference & Information Services Group finally has a RedBubble account and some tee shirts to sell (at no profit I might add) promoting just some of the various activities they're currently involved in - #bookbinge & #risg2010 for starters.

Check it out - http://www.redbubble.com/people/nswrisg


10-15 days delivery is advertised but I was lucky & my shirts arrived in only 3 business days.


A huge thankyou to the RA team for floating the tee shirt idea & to Ellen for all her hard work in dealing with the legalities & financial aspects (making sure we don't make a profit & don't breach any Australian laws). I have to say I had fun playing with the artwork & using GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) for the very first time.

Playing with graphics

I've spent the last 2 days playing with RedBubble - www.redbubble.com.au - and Gimp - www.gimp.org - turning images from one sphere into wearable art in another sphere. Challenging. Scary. Rewarding. Fun (my bank balance may never recover from the resultant retail therapy!!)