Sarah Doecke was awarded a conference grant to attend the ALIA QLD Mini Conference. Sarah, who lives in Bundaberg QLD, started studying a Master of Information Studies at the beginning of this year and has an Engineering background. Sarah also volunteers at the Bundaberg RSL Library. Here is what she thought of the Mini Conference, held on 7 November 2018!
I recently had the opportunity to attend the ALIA QLD Mini Conference for 2018 with the fun theme of Why fit in when you were born to stand out? As a current student and a new-comer to the industry, this was my first experience of a library conference. And *SPOILER ALERT* it was an awesome introduction!
The day consisted of presentations (each 10-20 minutes) from librarians in various locations and types of libraries across Queensland. They presented a wealth of innovative ideas and fresh approaches to issues faced in broad industry. The enthusiasm each presenter had for their work, their projects and the industry in general was contagious! It was eye opening for me to see the sheer variety of libraries and librarians, especially as I am still exploring my options for my future career path.
It was particularly interesting to see some of the theory I have started to learn in my studies tie back into other peoples’ real-life experiences. I enjoyed the mix of presentations, workshops and tours that were available on the day. They were all well-presented and seemed to show a cross-section of the types of work people are doing and problems they are facing and solving. I particularly enjoyed the evidence-based practise workshop where we spent time discussing various scenarios and ways of gathering information prior to implementing some sort of solution.
I also enjoyed the networking time that was built into the schedule over mealtimes – it was helpful to meet new people and hear their stories and what they are doing in their own libraries across Queensland.
For days after getting home from the conference, I felt like my mind was running in overdrive with all the new ideas to consider. It makes me excited to continue my studies next year and to be open to and actively pursue further opportunities down the road.
I would like to say thank you to the event organisers for putting on such an informative event, and to ALIA QLD for providing me with the opportunity to attend. I would also love to encourage anyone who might be thinking about applying for a bursary to have a go – you just never know 🙂
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