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morgan
Canberra
living in New South Wales, Australia, working in a library in Canberra, interested in legal and business research
Recent Activity
Two for twenty
One of the most important things I read in 2021 was Adam Grant’s article in the New York Times, “There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing.” I listened to numerous discussions of it in various podcasts... Continue reading
Posted Aug 1, 2022 at explodedlibrary.info
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now where were we?
Posted Jul 22, 2021 at explodedlibrary.info
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Blogging in the winter
Posted Jun 18, 2019 at explodedlibrary.info
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Librarians in the Age of Lies
Posted Jun 9, 2019 at explodedlibrary.info
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The privilege of saying nothing
Posted Aug 6, 2018 at explodedlibrary.info
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Specialness
Posted Jun 11, 2018 at explodedlibrary.info
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June
Posted Jun 1, 2018 at explodedlibrary.info
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*waves back* It's great to be back. Kudos to you for helping to keep the flame alive during the lean years.
New blogging, new rules
One of the other things which contributed to the end of my blogging last time was a stifling self-censorship. It was a continual monkey on my back and made me second guess everything I wrote. I've been thinking about how I'm going to deal with it this time around. Because if anything, I feel th...
Introduction to Standards
Posted May 7, 2018 at explodedlibrary.info
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New blogging, new rules
Posted Apr 9, 2018 at explodedlibrary.info
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Return of the blog roll
I've just updated my blog design and have changed a few elements, such as adding a new blog roll. It seems like years since I've ever heard this word said or written, but I want to experiment with bringing it... Continue reading
Posted Apr 6, 2018 at explodedlibrary.info
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restart
I'm back working in libraries again. It wasn't something which I expected, but an unexpected conjunction of events happened, and here I am! Absence has made the heart grow fonder. I'm very happy about this change. In the years before... Continue reading
Posted Apr 2, 2018 at explodedlibrary.info
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final post
Posted Sep 1, 2013 at explodedlibrary.info
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random thoughts about the end of Google Reader
It's an understatement to say that Google is a rich and powerful company on the internet. Google is reputed to be a very smart company. Scrapping the Google Reader seems to be a public declaration that the days of blogging... Continue reading
Posted Mar 18, 2013 at explodedlibrary.info
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alternate realities
Posted Jan 15, 2013 at explodedlibrary.info
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confession of a lapsed Apple fan boy
There was a period of time when I was quite the Apple fan boy. I have bought Apple computers exclusively since 2001. I have grown up with Apple computers, starting with an Apple 2+ and then the first Macintosh computers.... Continue reading
Posted Oct 22, 2012 at explodedlibrary.info
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enantiodromia and values
A year ago, I was at the heart of Australian law librarianship when I assisted with the 2011 national conference in Canberra. This year, not only didn’t I attend for the first time in four years, but I didn’t even... Continue reading
Posted Sep 17, 2012 at explodedlibrary.info
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Thank you :) You make some very cogent points. I also think that it's not just about the technology but how it's used. For example, eBook readers. They could be used to disjoin novels due to our shortening attention span, but I find myself reading a good number of long 19th century novels on them.
ten years ago
Handwritten version of this post It's been ten years since I started blogging. It wasn't this blog and I didn't call it blogging at first, but that's what it was. I was writing directly online, where anyone could read my words - which were published in reverse chronological order. Everything abo...
Thank you! It's lovely to hear from you. I'd really like to visit the US again, but can't see it happening until 2014.
ten years ago
Handwritten version of this post It's been ten years since I started blogging. It wasn't this blog and I didn't call it blogging at first, but that's what it was. I was writing directly online, where anyone could read my words - which were published in reverse chronological order. Everything abo...
ten years ago
Handwritten version of this post It's been ten years since I started blogging. It wasn't this blog and I didn't call it blogging at first, but that's what it was. I was writing directly online, where anyone could read my... Continue reading
Posted May 30, 2012 at explodedlibrary.info
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first impressions
really reading One of the most annoying annoying thing anyone can say to a librarian is this: “Oh, so you work in a library? That’s great, it must be really nice to be able to spend your whole day reading.”... Continue reading
Posted Mar 1, 2012 at explodedlibrary.info
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first impressions
really reading One of the most annoying annoying thing anyone can say to a librarian is this: “Oh, so you work in a library? That’s great, it must be really nice to be able to spend your whole day reading.”... Continue reading
Posted Mar 1, 2012 at explodedlibrary.info
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Hi Fran, thanks for the link to AIIP! The name of this association rings a vague bell, but it's really good to be reminded about it.
Now about this: "what can a librarian do that someone with a Masters or more in an area can't?" It's a very interesting question. I've seen a trend happening in Canberra where some government departments are having a hard time filling vacant library positions with experienced librarians, and so they broaden the required qualification so that law graduates or people with a Masters can apply. Whether this is a good or idea really depends on the people who they select. But I do think, and maybe this is just my library-land bias, that somebody with a Masters may know an amazing amount about the area they specialize in, but they could really struggle with some of the left-field questions which people bring to their libraries. I think that strong generalist research skills is what good librarians bring to the table.
the path not taken
I’ve been fortunate to work as a librarian in libraries for most of my career. There have been three exceptions, and they corresponded with particular transitional moments in my life. [If you’re curious about the three exceptions] Now I’m seriously considering a job outside of libraries. T...
Thank you for both of these comments. I should emphasize that this is not necessarily a permanent change, and it’s still not definitely happening yet :)
Cindy: My perspective as someone working in government libraries is that we may be protected from the outsourcing of library services in the short term, but we are not immune. After all, in the large government agency where I’m currently working, many HR and IT functions have been outsourced (resulting in poorer service - from my perspective). Because of this I look at the outsourcing developments in overseas firms with some trepidation. It’s only a matter of time before a major Australian firm tries this. I worry that it could be one of those penny-wise and pound-foolish decisions. If there is a proposal to reduce a firm’s research costs by x% - this may result in poorer research, with less local jurisdictional knowledge and changing to a purely transactional model (as opposed to developing a strong relationship with our clients so we will know that they need before they even ask us). But how can these drawbacks can quantified into dollars?
Also, outsourcing is going against another trend I’ve seen lately in government where librarians get a seat at the table in major research projects. It seems more efficient to have us involved at the outset, than to bring us in at the last minute.
On the other hand, I must confess I have daydreamed about providing research and current awareness services on a freelance basis. But I couldn’t imagine that working without accommodating online licensing from the 3 main legal publishers - and I can’t see them being very accommodating to sole traders or small operations. The publishers may be willing to make a deal with the larger international players - which is the face of outsourcing which is most threatening to me. I am worried that it’s in the interests of the larger players to commodify the work of librarians, marginalizing less quantifiable things such as local jurisdictional knowledge, quality, and strengthening ongoing relationships with our clients.
the path not taken
I’ve been fortunate to work as a librarian in libraries for most of my career. There have been three exceptions, and they corresponded with particular transitional moments in my life. [If you’re curious about the three exceptions] Now I’m seriously considering a job outside of libraries. T...
the path not taken
Posted Dec 8, 2011 at explodedlibrary.info
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