Six Degrees of Separation
Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that, if a person is one step away from each person they know and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people they know, then everyone is an average of six “steps” away from each person on Earth. I know on a global scale Australia’s population is relatively small, and within that population the library “world” is even more contained however it never ceases to amaze me how everyone within our networks somehow links to someone else. At the Biennial in Alice Springs (great conference, thank you to all involved) I was constantly discovering new connections and catching up with friends and colleagues from my past.
But what I find even more intriguing is the serendipity of discovering a library link in an unexpected time and place. Earlier this week I was in Brisbane for the Queensland Public Libraries Association Conference (another wonderful event). When checking out of my hotel room I lodged my baggage with the concierge, Raymond, whose customer service skills were outstanding. However, I must admit to being somewhat surprised when he asked me, with obvious interest (looking at the paperwork) if I worked for ALIA. “How do you know about ALIA?” I responded. “My Mum’s a Librarian in the Northern Territory” he replied. There followed a conversation about libraries and their importance to communities.So well done Raymond’s Mum on spreading the word and raising such a delightful son!