Library Camp: not a Teddy Bears' Picnic!

Karen went to an "unconference" on Saturday - Scotland's first library camp. 

Curious?  Here's what caught the attention of several dozen Scottish librarians:- http://gltweeps.wordpress.com/library-camp-glasgow/ - and here's the blog about it.  There was also a Storify assemblage collating delegates' impressions of the whole event.

Creativity in libraries was one subject that came up, courtesy of Delphine Dallison at Glasgow School of Art. This prompted Karen to indulge in a bit of reflective writing of her own.  You can read it here, on her Airs and Graces CPD blog.

Being off-duty librarians, we had a couple of competitions - one was to make one's own badge.  The results were quite something, so the organisers made a collage to show you - here. 

Last Saturday was National Libraries Day!

National Libraries Day, Saturday 09/02/13

Tweet a snapshot of Scottish Libraries

• What do you use your library for?
• What does your library mean to you?

Twitter was a-buzz on Saturday, with hashtags #nldScot or the official one #nld13.  The aim was to gather the tweets together into a document which we hope will be the start of a larger project celebrating Scottish libraries.  And here is Anabel Marsh's posting on the Glasgow Library Tweetups blog:- 

http://gltweeps.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/national-libraries-day-in-scotland/

Cellos and Bellows: librarians' tweetup #GLTU4

Glasgow Library Tweetups Pay Us a Visit

Assorted librarians gathered to visit the Whittaker Library at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and then the museum and newly refurbished library at the National Piping Centre, last Friday (18th May).  This was a joint effort organised by Anabel Marsh, with Karen McAulay at the Royal Conservatoire and James Beaton at the Piping Centre coordinating the visits to each venue.

Preceded by the James Clark lunchtime concert at the Royal Conservatoire, and rounded off by a meal at the Tryst, a congenial and informative visit was had by all.

The event has been blogged by Anabel Marsh - here, on the Glasgow Library Tweetups blog.  (There are pictures!) Anabel has also compiled a Storify story, to collate participant feedback - here. 

James Beaton, piping librarian and oral history project manager ('Noting the Tradition') at the National Piping Centre, contributed his own limerick report on the event:-

The blogs are quite full of it

James and Karen's big hit

They came, saw our books

And our most learned nooks

And went off and thought for a bit.

Library staff at large

Cellos and Bellows

If it seems as though there are more librarians around the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland than usual this afternoon - it's true.  Friday 18th May is the day for 'Cellos and Bellows', a tweetup arranged for librarians to visit our library, and then the Glasgow Piping Centre.  So the Whittaker Library will see a sudden influx of librarians and then - like the tide receding - they'll all drift off to visit the Piping Centre's refurbished library.  (And hear the pipes.  Cover your ears!)

Who said library staff were quiet?