ALIA West

December 2005

WA Library Technicians Group bus tour 2005

Michaela Shepherdson, library technician, Curtin University of Technology

On 5 November, the WA Library Technicians Group (WALTG) ran our first bus tour. It is hoped that this can become an annual event, with each year based in a different metro area. The 2005 tour focussed on the eastern suburbs, starting at Guildford Grammar School then onto Narkaling Audio Books in Midland before finishing at Curtin University. Of course, there was also a stop for a yummy lunch and some networking at the Balmoral Hotel in Vic Park!

Guildford Grammar is a beautiful school with impressive grounds. We were able to look at the chapel between weddings then walked over the the school museum which has many interesting items on display. We then headed over to the library for a tour and some morning tea before getting back on the bus to Midland.

Narkaling Audio Books is located in a heritage building in the centre of Midland. Narkaling produce audio books that differ from the usual in that they are read at slower speeds. These are particularly useful for ESL students, adult learners, reluctant readers and people with learning disabilities. It was very interesting to see the production area and the studio where the audio is recorded. Reading books at the slower speeds is certainly a skill!

After Narkaling, we headed out to lunch then on to Curtin University where we toured the main library building then the resources and access unit (technical services). The group was introduced to Bony Tony, a half-size skeleton belonging the Teaching Resources Library (TRL) and learnt about some of the main tasks undertaken by this unit, including cataloguing and acquisitions.

The bus tour was an enjoyable day and we look forward to seeing more libraries and publishers in the future.

Judy Allan gets cosy with Bony Tony at
the Teaching Resources Library Curtin University.

The WALT group at Guildford Grammar School

The Chapel at Guildford Grammar School,
a popular place for weddings!

The Western Australian Library Technician Group on tour!