🎄✨ Unleash Your Inner Poet in the ChatGPT Christmas Poetry Competition! 📝🎅

🌟 ‘Tis the season to rhyme and jingle all the way! 🌟

🗓️ Competition Dates:
🎁 Opens: December 1, 2023
🎄 Closes: December 15, 2023

📣 How to Enter:
Compose your festive verses using Chat GPT and submit them via comments to this counterculture post below. Let the holiday spirit flow through your words!

🏆 Judging Criteria:
🌟 Originality – Wow us with your unique creativity!
📏 Structure – Craft your verses with precision and flair.
🎄 Relevance to Christmas Themes and the 150th Anniversary of UC- Capture the magic of the season!
🎶 Possibility of a Four-Chord Pop Song – Could your poem be the next holiday hit?

📜 Competition Rules:
📝 Unlimited Entries – Let your imagination run wild!
🍫 Prize: The undying jealousy of all other library staff and, of course, maybe some chocolate. 🍫

🌈 Why Participate?
✨ Showcase your poetic prowess
🎉 Join the festive fun
🤩 Claim the envy of your colleagues
🍫 Snag a chance at delicious chocolate treats

🎅 Get ready to sleigh the competition and spread the cheer! 🎁📜✨

To see last years entries and winners see this link: https://blogs.canterbury.ac.nz/counterculture/2022/12/09/ai-christmas-poem-competition/

(This post was written mostly by Chat GPT – edited slightly by Dale)

Nick and Kathryn are doing a rerun of their Lianza conference presentation for any interested staff. The link to sign up is below.

https://canterbury.libcal.com/event/5628236

Kia ora Koutou,

I am posting this morning with the very sad news that Tomo Shibata, our friend and colleague, has died in Japan after a yearlong illness.

Tomo held roles as a team leader and acting Manager for ELS over the past three years. As you will all know, he had many great qualities which means he has had a huge and beneficial impact on his own and the wider UC Library team. In the days to come, we will all have moments where we remember his honesty, courage, drive, determination (sometimes stubbornness), but always his compassion, humanity, quiet humour, and intelligence. As we think on how his life has touched ours in many different ways, we will also have moments where we reflect upon what his absence will mean for us now too.

His loss will be keenly felt here, and I think also with our colleagues at CCL where he worked before joining UC. I know that he will be sorely missed by all of us. and I want to encourage all of you to talk with each other and remember Tomo; talk to your manager, to myself, Dale, or Isabella. Remember too that there are good, free professional services available to us through EAP should you wish to do so.

As Tomo and his family are all in Japan now, I am afraid I have no information to forward at this stage regarding any service or funeral, but we hope to find out more in due course.

Our thoughts are with Lesley and baby Viktor and Tomo’s family.

Simon

Kia ora koutou

The Library Review Report continues to be shared and socialised with a number of UC committees, tabled this week at PFRC (Planning, Finance & Resources Committee) and at Research Committee. And it is on the agenda for next week’s Learning & Teaching Committee meeting.  We’re also engaging with colleagues in Digital Services about the report findings and recommendations next week.

At every hui so far, the level of interest, engagement and support is notable. Don’t forget to keep an eye on, and add to, the Library Review Report feedback (padlet.com) – to capture and share our ongoing kōrero, and potentially inspire follow-on conversations, as well.

Since my last update, we’ve shared a very special experience at our Pacific Talanoa Day last week, co-designed by the Pacific Development Team and our Pacific Liaison Library staff.  We’ve also travelled together in groups to Tūranga, where we were hosted by CCL colleagues in the Māori and Multicultural Services Team and gifted a guided tour of the building’s cultural narrative. This was followed by kōrero with the team on embodying meaningful Tiriti-centred ways of working in our professional library practice.

Both experiences were immensely valuable and insightful, for us individually and for us collectively.  I give thanks to all of you who helped make this happen, and who provided gentle guidance and support alongside.  We (Library Managers) are keen to harness the momentum and keep our collective focus increased in this area.  We’re spending time just now identifying what this could best look like over coming months and into 2024, in terms of events, activities, shared learning and ongoing support.  We’d like to hear and share thoughts with you all too, and welcome your ideas at the follow-up hui coming soon and in your calendars!

It was also lovely to host Tim Darlington from Massey University Library this week, for him to soundboard on, support and see our progress with Folio implementation (Massey went through exactly this two years ago).  Tim shared his immediate reflection with me that our team comprises such a broad spread of incredible talent and capability.  I already knew this, but it was heart-warming to hear it from a trusted former colleague, whose views I deeply respect.

We’re on the home straight to summer festivities now, but I appreciate there is a lot still on and a lot still to get through.  Take care, one and all.

Mā te wā,
Kat

Mōrena

Finally, contractors will be installing the first tranche of shelving between November 29 and December 13. It will be great to see some nice new shelves before we head off for the break!

We will not have access to the archives housed in Warehouse B for those two weeks. There is a banner on Kā Kohika letting users know that some archives will not be available during that period and to email all requests through to Macmillan Brown.

Activity around the usually quiet warehouse will be increased and our colleagues in Te Ao Mārama have been notified. Please be aware of this; pallets of shelves are being stored in Warehouse A near the main entrance and other tables used in our space will temporarily be moved around.

Product Design School and School of Fine Arts have done an amazing job at taking the shelving from C Block where the first shelves will be installed. Product Design has even taken the work bench so it is wonderful to see so much being repurposed. Plenty more shelves will be available for the taking, I’ll be putting the call out to Library Staff first for the next block early next year. If you know of any other departments, colleagues, neighbours who would be interested in some shelves, please do let me know!

Ngā mihi

Hannah

Kia ora folks,

We have decided to trial a new-look Pānui, one which has a more organic approach, where you can upload your own content as and when you like.

Where is it? In Teams under All Library Staff.

We will still do much of our original content, but open it up to anyone. Feel free to upload movie reviews, book reviews, links to interesting internet news stories, YouTube shorts and more – anything you think will be interesting or entertaining to your library family. Doesn’t have to be library related. Enjoy!

Kathryn and Simon

Kia ora koutou

I’ll keep this week’s entry brief, as I’m about to join Academic Board to share the Library Review Report and invite/receive feedback and questions.  The report went to SLT this Tuesday, and was well received there, with much interest and engagement.  I also enjoyed meeting with many of you at our Q&A session on Wednesday, where lively discussion took place.

We’re collating themes and questions on the Library Review Report feedback (padlet.com) – there’s a lot more there now than there was a week ago!  This is a way of both capturing our kōrero, sharing it amongst each other and potentially inspiring follow-on conversations and questions. Please keep adding notes!

On Monday we have our Pacific Talanoa Day to look forward to, co-designed by the Pacific Development Team and library staff.  The talanoa is such a fantastic opportunity for us to develop our cultural awareness and capacity to better support Pacific students and staff.  I know a number of you are attending, and supporting colleagues to attend.  It will be a special and valuable day, and I look forward very much to coming together in this way.

Visits to Tūranga, hosted by CCL colleagues in the Māori and Multicultural Services Team, continue next week too.  We are so fortunate to have this opportunity to experience a guided tour of the building’s cultural narrative which relates to mātauranga mana whenua and our local environment.  And I know we also value this opportunity to discuss with the team ways we can embody more Tiriti centred ways of working in our own professional library practice.

These are wonderful opportunities to engage with, and I’m very grateful to library staff who have worked hard to bring them to bear for us all.

Mā te wā,
Kat

Kia ora koutou

What a week!  Exam season is upon us, and there’s a palpable air of intensity all around.

LIANZA Conference took place this week at the stunning Te Pae venue.  Over 500 delegates (including a large number of UC peeps!) convened, conversed and connected.  I made it to the Tuesday sessions, to hear from some outstanding keynotes and engage in some thought-provoking sessions. Professor Rangi Mātāmua and Dr Hana O’Regan were particular highlights for me, and many others I know.  We’re planning a wānanga in early December to inspire and inform colleagues on our LIANZA experience this week, and capture ideas and actions for embracing here at UC!  Keep an eye out for a calendar invitation in due course.

Also our commendations to Nick and Kathryn, who presented on Keenious (AI versus traditional database searching) on Wednesday.  And to Damian and the Macmillan Brown team, who hosted a couple of groups of bus-touring delegates as part of the Tales & Tours visit on Thursday.  A number of visitors came to learn about the pivotal role The Canterbury Association and its supporter had in establishing libraries in Canterbury, as well as to see some gems from our collection.

In other news this week, Figshare  is now active. Check out our newly minted research data repository, which provides an open access platform adhering to FAIR and CARE principles.

Review report feedback through Q&A kōrero continues. I’ll be attending SLT and Academic Board next week to talk with both groups about the Review report and to garner views and questions from these audiences.  Our aim is to capture feedback as themes on the Library Review Report Padlet, as a way of sharing back and to potentially spark and inspire follow-on and continuing kōrero.

For now, the weekend beckons – seems a long time coming!

Mā te wā,
Kat