Way Through - art on campus

Another piece on campus by Howard Taylor always attracts attention.

 

 

 

Tea and tanks

I recently attended an afternoon book launch which was held in a lecture room at the Army Museum of Western Australia in Fremantle.

Unusual juxtaposition - afternoon tea and tanks.

However perhaps not so surprising given the title of the book - Lest we forget? Marginalised aspects of Australia at war and peace.

You can find out about the book from Black Swan Press.

 

What happens on campus

Run for your lives!

 

 

 

The paper and the poster - open and ready for business

In June this year I attended the 35th Annual Conference of the International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL) at Aalto University in Helsinki.

I presented a paper on Implementing a Next Generation Library System, a topic on which I could speak for some time and which seemed to engage my audience. The paper and my slides are now available.

http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/iatul/2014/libservsys/1/

I also presented a poster on Virtualising the Bookshelf. I'd not done a poster before and despite the inconvenience it caused me in transportation the conversation and interest that it generated made it a worthwhile exercise. The poster is also available.


http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/iatul/2014/posters/3/

For interest my earlier 2012 paper on Visualization for New Generation Users in the Age of the Electronic Book is also still in print ; )

http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/iatul/2012/papers/42/

Public Art

I try to appreciate public art works. They don't always hit the mark, and sometimes that is just a matter of taste, but someone has gone to the time and expense of commissioning a work and an artist has produced something to enrich our lives. A little respect is called for, even if the end result doesn't work for everyone.

At my place of work there are a many artworks including some installations by the great local artist Howard Taylor.

I'm not sure this is one that really works for me, but it has a certain presence and has stood the test of time!

 

Enjoy.

If you want to learn more about the artist try this website from the WA Art Gallery. It also links to a self portrait this is one of my favourite works in the gallery.

 

Scar tissue

I was told once that rules in an organisation are the scar tissue of past mishaps.

 

This is so true!

The challenge is to wipe away the scar tissue and start over a fresh (but remember that some of those rules might still be needed!)

 

The Door Into Summer - Robert Heinlein

This is the Hundred-and-thirty-eighth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

 

I've added another Heinlein to my bookshelf. This one from 1957 but with a very new cover. I thought I'd read it but as I started I realised that this one, whose title I knew, had passed me by and I didn't know the story at all. What a treat. Not a long treat as I read it in the afternoon, and it had the unmistakable themes and characters of Heinlein, but a treat nonetheless.

 

 

Browsing is good for the soul

I love to browse my library's virtual bookshelf of new books.

 

I am intrigued sometimes, like this book about Shakers, what is that all about? And then later I see a second book on the same topic and realise someone is doing teaching or research in this area. And what is it with the green cats?

I love window shopping.

 

 

Maths comes to dinner

I was 'helping' ms15 with some mathematics at the dinner table using a serviette and my trusty Doctor Who Experience pen.

 

Most fun I had all day.

(I could say pie for dinner but that would just get howled down.)

 

Pizza night

A family tradition is to make pizza on a Sunday night (no, not every Sunday night). I use a bread machine to make the dough and everyone pitches in to prepare the topping and create the meal.

Ready for the oven.

 

On the go.

 

Out of the oven, set the table.

 

Mushroom, pumpkin and feta.

 

Yum.

 

Dinosaurs in the library

The old state library has been infested by dinosaurs.

 

 

And they have their eye on the new state library.

 

Librarians beware.

 

Not dead yet

I had the pleasure (or drew the short straw depending on your point of view) of making the farewell speech for my boss today at a whole of staff morning tea. She is leaving us for the ranks of the retired after a long and distinguished career.

I couldn't help but think of the eulogies that I have delivered, fortunately only a few, and how I've always tried to reflect the whole person. If you ignore or gloss over all imperfections then you rob the eulogy of authenticity and you do a disservice to those who knew the person and to the person, who is after all composed of all the highs and lows that make us human.

However this wasn't quite a eulogy, as the person was right in front of me, occasionally interjecting, looking thoughtful or laughing. She also had the right of reply!

All in all it was more fun than a eulogy.

Gardener's dilemma

It is always difficult to judge the moment to prune the roses. They are still putting out some great buds but the aphids and rust are a problem. This weekend? Next weekend? When did I do it last year? Surely July is getting late!

I must admit I watch the rose bushes in the neighbourhood and those council rose gardens I drive past on the way to work. When I see them chopped then I know that I am running with the herd and it must be time to prune. Are we all waiting this year for someone else to go first?