GH there used to be a radio show on 3KZ that always finished with "and so it goes". That is were I learned all about nom de plumes. Your comment fortunately says much about the bean counters who run our society today. No need for me to mention what is happening with the world's largest sporting library at the "G". The new librarian , yes she is called LIBRARIAN , Kyleigh is full of enthusiasm and ideas. Let us hope she is ALLOWED to bring them to fruition . I would not have been able write my book on Chris Kiernan (died 100 years ago today) if it had not been the enthusiasm of the Yarra City research Librarian Lina who helped inspire me! Thank you for filling me in in what is a national disgrace. Long Live Librarians.
These abacus flickers are insipid. While working in the commercial department of Qantas Regional Airlines, an executive shiny arse visitor from Mascot HQ announced his desire to “get to know the business”.
He was a recent appointment having been headhunted (apparently) from the Mars Corporation. Thrilled at the opportunity to impart knowledge to our esteemed guest the department pulled out all the stops. We rolled out the red carpet, and in our boardroom gave him an insightful understanding of the importance of Australian regional aviation, and the responsibility and custodianship Qantas has.
He made a few grunting sounds during the various presentations. At the end circling back to the section on individual route profitability, he ran his ruler down the lines and asked “so why do we fly to Longreach?”
It's a horrible decision. I have signed the petition.
Your 125 mentions in the catalogue prompted me to search myself (I know, I know...). I didn't count the mentions (it won't be 125), but I did notice that my brother's treatise on "antisemitism in the German theatre from the enlightenment to Nazism" is there, as is his book on German "social democracy and culture 1890-1914" (you may detect a theme). Remarkably, the SLV also holds "Twenty-five years of finesse", the history of the Warwick Bridge Club from 1985 to 2010, a book that I never even realised that my father wrote.
Nevertheless, it's a great library. Or it was. Why do bean counters need to wreck good things?
I use this library a lot as well. It’s an amazing resource for us all. I’ll be in the Heritage Collections Reading room again this Friday. I don’t know if it’s related, but I have been waiting to have 3 culturally sensitive photos approved for use since July and they will not respond to my requests for an update. These photos relate to Aboriginal cricketers and they already appear in published works, which makes it even more bizarre. The State Library of NSW had no such process either. Very frustrating!
I visited the SLV whilst visiting Melbourne in June to look at the Ned Kelly exhibition (whilst my wife went shopping), I was finished 10 minutes later! Took the opportunity to read a cricket magazine from England though with an article by Gideon Haigh (about cricket grounds from memory)
Thanks Gideon, 'enshitification' is now my favorite word. It's actually quite depressing to read that article and the following comments. You can't help but ask why and for what benefit are such decisions made, however it's impossible to come up with a meaningful answer to either.
I got myself stuck in a letter writing campaign a few years ago when similar things were happening at the Barr Smith Library at Adelaide Uni. For all the talk about the "UX" of the library nothing has reduced its usability more than the reduction of full time proffessional staff. I assume of course this is what they want. Fewer users, increased book culls, and more room made for shit, soon to be soiled furniture more befitting of a food court.
I signed the petition appended to a recent post on this, worth posting it again here?
I've not used the Vic version, but have been the beneficiary of rare resources in the Mortlock and other Libraries in SA and they really are an absolute treasure
GH there used to be a radio show on 3KZ that always finished with "and so it goes". That is were I learned all about nom de plumes. Your comment fortunately says much about the bean counters who run our society today. No need for me to mention what is happening with the world's largest sporting library at the "G". The new librarian , yes she is called LIBRARIAN , Kyleigh is full of enthusiasm and ideas. Let us hope she is ALLOWED to bring them to fruition . I would not have been able write my book on Chris Kiernan (died 100 years ago today) if it had not been the enthusiasm of the Yarra City research Librarian Lina who helped inspire me! Thank you for filling me in in what is a national disgrace. Long Live Librarians.
I don't live in Victoria. But this is painful to read.
Public libraries are one of the last signs that humans are really capable of doing something for the greater common good.
These abacus flickers are insipid. While working in the commercial department of Qantas Regional Airlines, an executive shiny arse visitor from Mascot HQ announced his desire to “get to know the business”.
He was a recent appointment having been headhunted (apparently) from the Mars Corporation. Thrilled at the opportunity to impart knowledge to our esteemed guest the department pulled out all the stops. We rolled out the red carpet, and in our boardroom gave him an insightful understanding of the importance of Australian regional aviation, and the responsibility and custodianship Qantas has.
He made a few grunting sounds during the various presentations. At the end circling back to the section on individual route profitability, he ran his ruler down the lines and asked “so why do we fly to Longreach?”
Needless to say you could have heard a pin drop.
It's a horrible decision. I have signed the petition.
Your 125 mentions in the catalogue prompted me to search myself (I know, I know...). I didn't count the mentions (it won't be 125), but I did notice that my brother's treatise on "antisemitism in the German theatre from the enlightenment to Nazism" is there, as is his book on German "social democracy and culture 1890-1914" (you may detect a theme). Remarkably, the SLV also holds "Twenty-five years of finesse", the history of the Warwick Bridge Club from 1985 to 2010, a book that I never even realised that my father wrote.
Nevertheless, it's a great library. Or it was. Why do bean counters need to wreck good things?
I use this library a lot as well. It’s an amazing resource for us all. I’ll be in the Heritage Collections Reading room again this Friday. I don’t know if it’s related, but I have been waiting to have 3 culturally sensitive photos approved for use since July and they will not respond to my requests for an update. These photos relate to Aboriginal cricketers and they already appear in published works, which makes it even more bizarre. The State Library of NSW had no such process either. Very frustrating!
I visited the SLV whilst visiting Melbourne in June to look at the Ned Kelly exhibition (whilst my wife went shopping), I was finished 10 minutes later! Took the opportunity to read a cricket magazine from England though with an article by Gideon Haigh (about cricket grounds from memory)
I'm reminded of something happening in the UK with the BBCs written archives centre, which has been integral to the research of many books I've read over the years, and what's being done there is quite bizarre and short-sighted, too: https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/historians-dismayed-scandal-bbc-cutting-access-written-archives
Thank you GCJDH.
Yes, I'm aware of two petitions.
One at Change.org and one at Megaphone, which seems to have been set up by the Community and Public Sector Union.
Change: https://www.change.org/p/save-the-state-library-of-victoria
Megaphone: https://www.megaphone.org.au/petitions/hands-off-our-state-library
To slightly misquote Oscar Wilde, these people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Thanks Gideon, 'enshitification' is now my favorite word. It's actually quite depressing to read that article and the following comments. You can't help but ask why and for what benefit are such decisions made, however it's impossible to come up with a meaningful answer to either.
I got myself stuck in a letter writing campaign a few years ago when similar things were happening at the Barr Smith Library at Adelaide Uni. For all the talk about the "UX" of the library nothing has reduced its usability more than the reduction of full time proffessional staff. I assume of course this is what they want. Fewer users, increased book culls, and more room made for shit, soon to be soiled furniture more befitting of a food court.
I signed the petition appended to a recent post on this, worth posting it again here?
I've not used the Vic version, but have been the beneficiary of rare resources in the Mortlock and other Libraries in SA and they really are an absolute treasure
Howzat! Well done, very well done!
'Strategic Reorganisation Change Proposal’ = weasel words.
Libraries are safeguarding our future.
Can that phrase be workshopped into some sort of corporate wank speak that will attract funding to reverse this enshittification.
This sort of crap is happening everywhere. Public libraries are the last bastion of community, in what is becoming an increasingly isolating world.