Melbourne with a side serve of libraries
A day for me before I head north to Brisbane in the morning for an ALIA Board meeting. Keeping a promise to myself I spent the morning exploring the lanes and arcades of this beautiful city, picking up a few essential items which I can’t get at home and indulging in a beautiful vintage day dress - I have a family wedding coming up in April and I think it will be perfect. I procrastinated over a pair of shoes which match perfectly and now that the shops are closed regret my inaction!
Made a quick visit to the City Library in Flinders Lane which was buzzing with people;, DVDs and the internet seemed high on everyone’s agendas. It goes without saying that I collected their brochures on my way out. As a Library Manager I always feel guilty sloping into someone else’s turf unannounced; it’s great to see what other people are doing but I think we owe our colleagues the courtesy of allowing them to show us around and talk us through their service. In this case I don’t feel too bad as the Library Services Coordinator, Barry McGuren is an old friend and we’ve been stealing ideas from each other for years. It will be good to catch up when I phone and confess all next week.
I spent a couple of hours at the Immigration Museum in Flinders Street, which explores the moving stories of people from all over the world who have migrated to Australia. Some great interactive displays, several of which resonate with me through family connections. The Museum’s Discovery Centre was a treasure trove of resources for general and family historians/researchers. As a rabid family historian myself with a recently unearthed Victorian connection I ‘bookmarked’ it for further exploration.
Time now to do a little work for my forthcoming meeting but perhaps a quick swim first.
Cheers to you all
Jan
Jan Richards, ALIA President
librarydayinthelife