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.

a bit of an eBook rant

I like eBooks. My library has eBooks & eAudiobooks (BorrowBox, cloudLibrary, Wheelers, RB Digital). Aside from the sheer convenience (yes, I'm a very impatient reader so when I want to read something I want to read it now & not have to wait for the library to open), because I borrow them from the library they're free ... like everything else I borrow from the library. That's how libraries work.

A key role that libraries play is to introduce readers to authors, to introduce readers to stories, to introduce readers to reading. Libraries pay exactly the same dollar amount to buy an ebook as they would to buy and print book. In fact libraries generally get a better deal on the print book because book suppliers provide anything from 10-30% discount depending on how much you buy. This is something ebook vendors don't do. Yes, they set up platform deals to get libraries to buy the product & the first purchase is usually discounted - because this is part of the hook. But the actual purchase price of an ebook is the same as a physical book.

So when publishers like Tor/Forge ...

Tor Books is the most successful science fiction and fantasy publisher in the world. Winner of the Locus Award for best SF publisher 20 years in a row, Tor regularly puts books like Robert Jordan’s Knife of Dreams and Terry Goodkind’s Chainfire atop national bestseller lists. Tor’s Orb imprint offers trade paperback editions of outstanding, award-winning SF and fantasy backlist titles. Additionally, the Tor Kids program includes Starscape, Tor Teen, and one of the largest classics lines in North America.

The Forge imprint publishes a wide range of fiction, including a strong line of historical novels and thrillers, plus mysteries, women’s fiction, and a variety of nonfiction titles. Tor/Forge has also become the leading modern publisher of American westerns.

Well-known authors recently published by Tor and Forge include Andrew M. Greeley, Douglas Preston, Orson Scott Card, Michael & Kathleen O’Neal Gear, Harold Robbins, Susan Kearney, Jonathan Carroll, Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Andre Norton, Terry Goodkind, Robert Jordan, former Secretary of Defense William B. Cohen, Susanna Clarke, Allan Folsom, Eric Lustbader, Elizabeth Haydon, Gene Wolfe, Morgan Llewelyn, David Lubar, David Weber, Christopher Pike, and Philip K. Dick.

... decides to put a 4 month embargo on libraries buying their ebooks I'm sitting up and taking notice.

This is the statement from Tor:

Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers and a leading global publisher of science fiction and fantasy will be changing our eBook lending model to libraries as part of a test program to determine the impact of eLending on retail sales. Our current analysis on eLending indicates it is having a direct and adverse impact on retail eBook sales.

Effective with July 2018 publications, all new titles from Tor Books will become available for library eBook distribution four months after their retail on-sale date rather than the current program which allows libraries to purchase the titles on their retail on-sale date. During the test period, we will work closely with our library vendors who service this channel to evaluate the results and develop ongoing terms that will best support Tor’s authors, their agents, and Tor’s channel partners.

In addition, Macmillan will actively participate in the recently launched “Panorama Project,” the first large-scale, data-driven research project focused on understanding the impact of library holdings on book discovery, author brand development, and retail sales (panoramaproject.org).

With data from both programs, we will be in a better position to analyze and understand the impact of eLending on our publishing program. The timing of the test period is open-ended.

Already there have been a few articles on this subject: you can read Sari Feldman and Nate Hoffelder  just for starters. Sari Feldman provides context on how the American Library Association has both dropped the ball and can pick it up again (she also refers to this earlier article from Andrew Albanese that is also worth a read), while Nate Hoffelder looks more at the impact on OverDrive users and touches on the context of publishers and ebooks in general. They give an excellent overview of the issue not to mention raising a series of questions for libraries and for readers.

Is this an issue just for OverDrive libraries? I am yet to have seen any impact of this on purchasing titles through my library's current platforms (none of which are OverDrive), but then we generally buy quarterly depending on available funds so it may be that our buying pattern isn't affected by this quite so much. We're certainly cognisant of the typical publisher constraints on number of loans / 2 year period of purchase before we have to re-buy a book (for whatever reason publishers simply do not accept that libraries could possibly have books on their shelves for more than 2 years without the need to replace them, trust me there re books on my shelves that have been there for 10 years and continue to be used). The problem with this is that every purchase needs to be valid - if we buy a print book and it doesn't get loaned in 2 years we might move it to another branch before we consider removing it altogether. If an eBook doesn't get borrowed in 2 years I'm not replacing it so the publisher has already lost out on that 2nd potential purchase. And yes, if any title (physical / digital) is heavily used (ie, in ebook parlance exceeds 26 loans within that 2 year period)  the library will most likely replace it - funds allowing.

What is it about ebooks and libraries that scares publishers so much? How are ebooks any different to print books? Publishers want people to buy their books and libraries are pretty much a captive sale in that regard, often buying multiple copies of a title that we know will be popular. We expose our members to authors and titles and series and genres that they may have never read before and often hook them in - to the point where that reader will go out and buy their own physical copy. So libraries help publishers by providing the opportunity for readers to decide to buy for themselves. Without libraries publishers would not make as many sales as they do. I'd be wary of biting the hand that feeds you.

Back in 2012 Tor made a big statement ensuring their ebook titles be DRM-free. Followed up two years later by this presentation from Tom Doherty at the Book Expo of America on the impact this move had on sales (hint: none, if anything sales had improved). In 2012 Tor also announced they had set up an ebook store to sell the full range of Tor ebook titles DRM-free. A key aspect of this ebook store was to also provide access to free ebooks. The underlying reason behind this was to tease readers by giving them free access to an early publication from an author which would then hook them into buying the rest of the series. It exposed authors to readers who might never have read them otherwise (kind of what libraries do). Tor.com (a site dedicated to science fiction, fantasy, and all aspects of SF/F fandom; [publishing] original fiction and art as well as reviews and commentary on books, stories, movies, comics, and related topics. Tor.com is publisher neutral, and we operate in our own special corner of Macmillan, the publishing company that also encompasses Tor Books) continues to provide access to 'Free eBooks'.

What about the readers? When all is said and done and the dust settles none of this is possible without authors and readers. Authors obviously want to write and to keep on writing. Publishers help them get their writing out there. But it is the readers who are the market. Readers are the ones who need to be enticed to part with hard-earned cash to buy a thing - whether it's print or digital. Interestingly enough, in Australia the bulk of the ebook platforms that public libraries can provide their members with access to do not include platforms suitable for kindle users. Sure, if you've got a kindle fire you'll be right. But in basic terms less Australian libraries have OverDrive than the other platforms. So if any of our library members want to use their kindle they must use Amazon. With the emergence of these alternative platforms (BorrowBox, cloudLibrary, Wheelers, RB Digital) there is less reliance on dedicated ebook readers and more development of apps for phones and tablets. I don't need a kindle to read an ebook or listen to an eAudiobook, I can use my phone. And I do.

Readers influence their library's purchasing habits. Libraries constantly accept suggestions from their members to buy a particular title and this goes as much for ebooks as for print. Indeed one of the neatest features of an eBook app is the facility to be able to suggest that my library buys titles that are in the list of available titles but not actually purchased by my library. This can often influence libraries further to buy physical copies as well. It is due to this feature that my library now has an expanded eBook collection of Jack Campbell's excellent Sci-Fi series. As a reader I stumbled across an author in a genre I read occasionally and liked it so much I suggested my library go out and buy another 10 books just so I could finish reading The Lost Fleet and The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier series. I don't usually go in for big space battles described with naval precision but these I enjoyed immensely. But I never would have discovered them if my library did not first tease me with an ebook. If I, as a reader recently enamored of a new author, suggest a title to my library to add to their ebook collection but because it's a newly published Tor/Forge title and under a 4 month embargo because it's a library that wants to buy it then I am hampered, as a reader, by the very publisher of the author I want to read. I fail to see how this helps me as a reader, helps the author as the writer, helps the publisher at all.

It will be interesting to see how the ALA steps up to this challenge from Tor and Macmillan. It will be interesting to see how and when ALIA steps into the ring here in Australia. ALIA certainly regards libraries as part of the book industry and it's way beyond time that publishers took that on board. Libraries are not the enemy. It will be interesting to read the outcome of Macmillan's "Panorama Project".

tweaking twitter

Today's twitter takeaway is a simple search filter which shows your true timeline without any algorithmic influence.

Apparently the url is realtwitter.com, but I noticed that what this did was apply a simple search filter.

Typing "filter:follows -filter:replies" into the search box achieves the same result.

This is handy if I forget the url.

The doggos turn 3

What's a blog without dogs and cats and wildlife??
Today is my doggos' birthday. They are 3 years old.

Way back in October 2015 these darling little bundles joined our family and life has most definitely never been the same. Such innocence, such cuteness, much mayhem ....... Here's a link to their very own Instagram.

Along the way they have grown ... and so has the height of my backyard fence. Thor and Loki are mostly dingo. Their mum is dingo and their dad is dingo-kelpie cross. They are litter brothers and yes Thor is the blonde one and Loki is the black one. My husband chose Thor, I chose Loki. In retrospect I would warn against choosing a black dog simply because he is so jolly hard to see at night and the number of times I have fallen over him continues to grow.

Thor is the reason I have an 8 foot backyard fence. Dingoes can climb. Dogs can jump & many dogs can jump quite high and are very athletic in this regard. Dingoes can also climb. They can bear their own weight on their fore-paws and pull themselves up. It's uncanny. Thor can do this. He has done this so many times that my fence is now a patchwork of tin sheeting & multiple layers of mesh. Loki doesn't do this. He likes his food and has generally preferred not getting out to getting out. Mind you, every time that his brother gets out the first I usually know of it is Loki carrying on a treat because he's on one side of the fence and Thor is on the other. They love to run and chase kangaroos.
Both dogs have been a huge learning curve for my family. They are dingoes. They are not dogs. They do not behave like dogs. They will sit on command (because there's often a treat involved) and will come when called (even if they're chasing something but only if I crouch down). But don't be fooled. They are large dogs. Dingoes are deceptively viewed as being medium sized animals. Not these guys. Loki especially packs a bit of size and weight.

Recently my eldest son brought a new puppy home. A rather pretty border collie named Ollie.

When it came to introducing Ollie to Thor & Loki we decided early on that he could not be left alone with them until he was a lot bigger. Their favourite game is attack-kill-maim and they rarely let anything that gets into their yard survive to get out again. The red-bellied black snakes I can handle though the shock of seeing headless corpses still gives me pause, but the birds that Loki kills are something I work with him every day on (ie, don't do it, killing birds is bad). Prior to Ollie's arrival the dogs had recently killed a juvenile possum that had ventured into the yard and given that Ollie was roughly the same size and pretty much the same colour...... we decided that small doses and separate yards was the way to go.

Now that he's bigger he can share the yard with them & we can leave them alone all day without fear of dead puppy. Ollie is a ball dog. Loki is a water dog. Thor is a chase-all-the-kangaroos dog. Thor wants all the pats & Loki wants all the treats. Ollie just wants you to throw the damn ball again, and again, and again, and again. Today is the first day he has actively sought hugs and pats and attention from me and happily climbed into my lap. Ollie loves anyone who will throw the ball for him but especially loves my son who still collects Ollie every night after work & lets him sleep in his room with him. Thor and Loki are very social animals in terms of those they consider part of their pack. They're not great with other dogs straight away but whenever any family member arrives home the dogs immediately demand attention, to such an extent that we jokingly ask "have you begged forgiveness from the puppies yet?" Because you must.

In three years Thor and Loki have taught us to rethink what we knew from our previous dogs (Pepper & Spook were white English Staffordshire Bull Terriers; and Gunji was a blue cattle dog). They have shed a small light on what it means to have dingoes in your family and to be part of a dingo pack. Their capacity to run and run and run and run is incredible. And while I have an 8 foot fence so that I can rest easy from the worry of Thor getting out and running onto the road (we live on a 100 km/hr stretch of country back road) each walk into the bush with them is an experience I am grateful for having.

Happy birthday boys!

PS: I realised I didn't mention cats ... my daughter has kitten named Kharjo. recently she visited with said kitty and while we stayed on the inside we made sure the doggos stayed on the outside. They coped.

resting between breaths

Blogging here has fallen way down on my to-do list, which is a shame as it's an ideal platform for sharing the journey.
Ideas are teeming at the moment so I'm hoping to be able to gather them here again. No promises though.

As always, life is an ongoing journey and the road weaves its way ahead of us; surprises await.

Digital Skills in higher education as a metro map

This is rather cool.

All Aboard is a project funded by Ireland's National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, which aims to identify the wide range of skills and knowledge that students, and all those who work in higher education, will need to feel confident and creative when learning, working in and exploring the digital world. They have produced this rather lovely interactive map showcasing a range of useful skills and their applications.

A year of reading - 2015

I like tracking what I've read and of course Goodreads is perfect for this.

Apparently in 2015 I read 67 books with a total of 21,475 pages - go figure.

    

  

SWITCH 2015 - NSW Public Libraries Conference ... a series of tweets

I spent most of last week in Sydney attending the NSW Public Libraries Association conference (SWITCH). It may be a little while before I fully collect my impressions (and photos) but I thought I would at least put up the few Storifys I put together rather hurriedly yesterday. There's probably some tweets I missed and huge thanks to everyone who tweeted and shared and are now collected here together. Enjoy.

Pre-conference: the bus tour
We visited Gordon, Bankstown, and Burwood Libraries. I quite like Gordon and was impressed by the sheer scope of Bankstown. Burwood was also quite nice. Each has its unique character and communities that they serve so there's a lot of little things from each that could be taken away and implemented in other libraries too. Lots of good ideas.

Day One: an interesting day, begun with a heartfelt and warm Welcome to Country. Themed around Sustainable Partnerships and Brand Sustainability, we heard from the NSW State Library's Dr Alex Byrne, Siobhan Reardon of the Philadelphia Free Library, David Dale, Paula Pfoeffer, Jack Goodman, Annalisa Armitage, and a delightful panel of Librarians from Adelaide City, City of Sydney, Gold Coast, and Hume Libraries discussing their unique partnerships.

Day Two: today's themes were Financial Sustainability and Sustainability of Libraries. After hearing from Sonia Toussaint and a large panel of libraries sharing their popup library stories, interspersed with a keynote presentation from Mark Hynes, the Director of Corporate Affairs from the London Borough of Lambeth, we then heard from Jackie Bailey, and finally Jane Caro.

Day 2 closed with the conference dinner held in the rather glorious setting of the Australian Maritime Museum on Darling Harbour and themed, rather appropriately, on Pirates, Privateers, and Buccaneers - the majority of the crowd dressed accordingly. Some photos can be found on Facebook here. 

Reference @ the Metcalfe library bags

For the 2015 Reference @ the Metcalfe seminar (and for the first time for RISG) the range of marketing materials made available by the NSW Reference & Information Services Group included RedBubble bags. 

This particular bag was designed using an image available from the State Library of NSW featuring a rather appropriate poster, niftily titled Item 609A: Photographic copy of poster advertising the free lending service to country people /NSW Government Printer.

Rather neatly, it was possible when creating the final design for the bags & shirts to include the details & hashtag for the day as well as provide source attribution for the image on the item - it just goes to show that with some careful work & planning you can make excellent use of historical images available via creative commons.