tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68122342110188163832024-03-19T09:17:00.862+00:00Renaissance UtterancesA blog to explore the interests of an original renaissance woman; arts, sciences, poetry, librarianship and everything in between.Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.comBlogger311125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-65606261226089631002020-06-30T08:36:00.000+01:002020-06-30T08:36:21.924+01:00July 2020: Vable's current awareness round-upWe are now half way through 2020 and I'm going to say nothing about the type of year it has been. All I'm going to say is I've enjoyed creating new content for the <a href="https://www.vable.com/" target="_blank">Vable </a>site and hope you enjoy brushing up on your library management skills. <div>
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Since April and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have explored themes around communication. The frustrations we can face, the importance of branding, how we can improve our training and inductions, and cope with an increasing onslaught of information. <div>
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COVID-19: 8 ways to keep communication channels open</h3>
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We are all under pressure at work and so it is to be expected that we occasionally face frustrations. As key service providers, information professionals often find themselves managing difficult situations - it's an important aspect part of our library management training. </div>
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For a workplace to be productive, communications need to be as open and positive as possible. So here are eight quick tips to remind us that we are all in this together. <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/8-ways-to-keep-communication-channels-open" target="_blank">Read more...</a><br /><br /><h3>
What is branding, and why is it important to library services (especially during COVID-19)?</h3>
Are you out of sight, out of mind? Your library and information services are currently operating away from a physical space within a building, so how do you ensure that you're not slipping out of the minds of your audience? This got me thinking about branding, and why it is so important that you are visible.<br />
<br />Branding is an important subset of marketing, which is a part of your library management skills toolkit. Your end-users, stakeholders, clients etc want you to have a strong brand because they need you as their trusted advisor. Although it is intangible, branding adds value to your product/service because of the relationships it helps develop. <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/what-is-branding-and-why-is-it-important-to-library-services-especially-during-covid-19">Read more...</a><br /><br />
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How can I deliver library training and inductions post-COVID-19?</h3>
I recently attended an <a href="https://clig.org/news-items/online-panel-discussion-the-challenges-of-covid-19-for-city-legal-information-professionals.html">online panel discussion</a> hosted by City Legal Information Professionals (<a href="https://clig.org/home.html">CLIG</a>). The broad theme was how library services were handling the challenges posed by COVID-19.<br />
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Although the agenda was wide ranging, the issue that got me thinking was training and on-boarding. I’ve written about <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/ways-you-can-improve-your-library-induction-training">training and trainee lawyer inductions previously</a>, but coronavirus means we need a new approach. Where are we now, and what can we do? <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/tackling-training-in-an-online-environment" target="_blank">Read more...</a><br />
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How can #infopros maintain information integrity in an infodemic?</h3>
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This is the second post to emerge from the <a href="https://clig.org/news-items/online-panel-discussion-the-challenges-of-covid-19-for-city-legal-information-professionals.html">CLIG panel discussion</a>. Aside from <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/tackling-training-in-an-online-environment">training during COVID-19</a>, the panel discussion covered collection management, workload and working patterns, morale and motivation, as well as communication challenges. </div>
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A member of the panel talked about the importance of information integrity, and how it is vital that we maintain the ‘information flow’. <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/how-can-infopros-maintain-information-integrity-in-an-infodemic" target="_blank">Read more...</a></div>
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Law libraries and technology: “The Times They Are a-Changin'”</h3>
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Here we are at the start of summer and it seems like a long time since any of us stepped foot in a physical law library space. But even prior to this global pandemic, times were changing. The law firm library was moving away from hard copy, and becoming more reliant on a variety of technology solutions. As the latest BIALL COVID-19 Industry Survey 2020 confirmed; </div>
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<i>A vast majority of respondents (91%) predict that COVID-19 will lead to a more pronounced shift towards virtual libraries</i></blockquote>
<br />This blogpost is inspired by recent tech-related discussions taking place within the legal information community; <a href="https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=lis-law">lis-law</a>, <a href="https://biall.org.uk/">BIALL</a> and various <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/who-to-read-in-the-library-and-information-blogosphere">blogposts</a>. I’ve also been creating <a href="https://www.vable.com/case-studies">case studies</a> using information teams’ experiences of transferring from manual to automated news aggregation and current awareness. Tech is here to stay.<br /><br />Enjoy these and let me have any feedback! Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/vable">Vable on LinkedIn</a> for more updates.<div>
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Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-13145199088331664262020-03-26T11:19:00.000+00:002020-03-26T11:19:58.314+00:00Librarians are trained to work effectively in a climate of ambiguity! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In the library and information world, who could have predicted a few months ago that organisations would be pushed to change so rapidly; <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/mar/13/covid-19-could-cause-permanent-shift-towards-home-working">the genie is out of the bottle</a>. Even if ‘eventually’ is now, it isn’t too late to prepare because I suspect that we have a long way to go; the effects of this pandemic will be prolonged and far reaching. As <a href="https://www.khon2.com/coronavirus-2/what-can-we-learn-from-pandemics-of-the-past-we-asked-a-historian/">one historian wrote recently</a>, <a name='more'></a><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
Pandemics have had profound effects on human populations throughout history, triggering societal upheaval, shaping migration patterns, and fundamentally altering social development. </blockquote>
And in the midst of this upheaval, who better to turn to than information people and their library management skills? According to the <a href="https://www.webjunction.org/content/dam/WebJunction/Documents/webJunction/2015-03/Competency%20Index%20for%20the%20Library%20Field%20(2014).pdf">Competency Index for the Library Field </a>(2014) on page 12, there is a section on how a librarian “Anticipates and adapts to change and challenges effectively”: <div>
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<li>Embraces and adapts to change with curiosity and enthusiasm </li>
<li>Works effectively in a climate of ambiguity and changing priorities </li>
<li>Anticipates future trends and recommends changes in priority or direction in alignment with organisational goals </li>
<li>Explores and adopts new technologies for their potential to deliver new ideas, products and services </li>
<li>Recommend and takes reasonable risks to test implementations of change </li>
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<br />Immediately below this is a section on change which demonstrates that we are well equipped to address the challenges, and implement the rapid change required to deal with this current pandemic. <br /><br />It states that “change is the only constant and continuous learning is at the center of library culture”. It continues, “remaining relevant and central to our communities requires innovation”. Crucially, in my view it says “innovation is inherently a learning process [and] individuals who thrive in this environment embrace ongoing change and are focused not only on the present, but also on the future”. </div>
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Interesting times indeed! For the full blogpost, visit Vable's <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/covid-19-librarians-in-times-of-crisis" target="_blank">current awareness strategy blog</a>!</div>
Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-49230809597729649952020-03-11T17:48:00.001+00:002020-03-11T17:48:23.757+00:00My Latest Blogpost Round-up: Collaboration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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February was a prolific work blogging month where I enjoyed investigating the art (and science) of collaboration. As Vable's Topic Specialist I am happy to share ideas and thoughts on library management skills with law librarian colleagues around the world!<div>
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Did you know about the original Agile Manifesto?</h4>
I enjoy a good Manifesto; the passion, the language, the clarity, the raw power! In this post I did some research on 'agile' in its original context to uncover the true meaning. Given all the buzzwords and jargon which surrounds it, ironically the Manifesto's rationale was to break down corporate ‘make-work and arcane policies’. <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/agile-a-manifesto-for-collaborative-thinking" target="_blank">Read more...</a></div>
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Have you ever wanted to set up a Wiki and wondered how?</h4>
Wonder no more! Julia provides a technical introduction to building a Wiki from scratch. Regardless of topic I'm in awe of the investment of time and knowhow it requires to set up and keep going. (Other legal Wikis are available.) <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/a-labour-of-love-how-to-build-a-wiki-from-scratch" target="_blank">Read more...</a></div>
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Yes, yes you are a content marketeer!</h4>
It's time we as information professionals recognise that we can make a difference to the potential clients that our firms want to reach. OK, writing content isn't for everyone but if you have problems with library visibility, good content marketing will get you noticed. <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/librarians-as-content-creators" target="_blank">Read more...</a></div>
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Free stuff! Where can I find free online courses on library management skills?</h4>
And finally...are you lacking in budget and/or don't want to travel but still need to keep your skills up-to-date? Sign up for some of these free webinars. <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/where-can-i-find-free-online-library-courses" target="_blank">Read more...</a><br /><br />Enjoy these and let me have any feedback! Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/vable" target="_blank">Vable on LinkedIn</a> for more updates.</div>
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Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-48081277165662689422020-01-24T10:13:00.000+00:002020-01-24T10:13:08.947+00:00Some tips for avoiding anxiety at conferences<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6o4CaRGNuqU/XirB5XtpxRI/AAAAAAAACtU/S1E2laDGDCsYkEc2E5WcMtn5Orx-M0djwCEwYBhgL/s1600/globe-trotter-1828079_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Library and information conferences for 2020" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6o4CaRGNuqU/XirB5XtpxRI/AAAAAAAACtU/S1E2laDGDCsYkEc2E5WcMtn5Orx-M0djwCEwYBhgL/s400/globe-trotter-1828079_1920.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
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Library and information industry conferences, seminars, events offer attendees valuable opportunities for <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/5-ways-to-easier-networking">networking</a> and continuing professional development. However they can also be anxiety inducing. <div>
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If it’s any consolation for nervous first-timers, it can be just as bad for those going for the umteenth time. The truth is, we ALL get anxiety - some of us worse than others, but it affects every single one of us. <div>
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The question is, how do you let it affect you? Here are some proven practical tips to reassure: </div>
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<li>Buddy up! Many conferences now offer a scheme to match up people to make it less daunting for the new-comer. Do it, and see if it works for you! </li>
<li>Identify yourself! Wear your badge so that your name and organisation is visible. It might be that someone has seen you on the attendee list and wants to meet you! </li>
<li>Embrace social media! Find the relevant hashtag and join in the conversation. At BIALL last year, I spent a lovely Wednesday evening with 2 people who I met via Twitter. They had never been to BIALL, and were relative new-comers to legal librarianship so it was great to make that connection. </li>
<li>Be the early-bird! Avoid those ‘daunting’ groups of people by arriving at the workshop/seminar/keynote early. Be the one that people ask to join, and then open a conversation with them. </li>
<li>Take time out! Programmes are designed to fill every minute of the day but recognise that it is ok to have a break. Many venues are aware of this and provide a safe, quiet space so whether this is 20 mins of quiet time, an hour in the hotel pool, or having a cup of tea with a new friend… do what feels right for you. </li>
<li>Look after your health! With tiny hotel coffee cups and limited access to water, it is easy to get dehydrated. Take a refillable bottle and drink plenty of decaffeinated liquids throughout the day. Many exhibitors offer branded water bottles - so go chat to the vendors! </li>
<li>It takes two! Remember that other people might be just as nervous as you, so strike up a conversation with the person next to you - at lunch, in a queue outside - get chatting. </li>
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<br />We all have our coping mechanisms and if you feel comfortable doing so, please share your hints and tips with us. For convenience I've put together a<a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/looking-for-an-infopro-conference-in-2020" target="_blank"> list of conferences for 2020</a> on the <a href="https://www.vable.com/" target="_blank">Vable</a> site. In the meantime I’m looking forward to preparing for a BIALL parallel session … tell us which conference you’re looking forward to. <br /></div>
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Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-91549934996697821912019-04-16T11:16:00.001+01:002019-04-16T11:16:37.060+01:004 Ways to Improve Your Law Firm’s Newsletters and Current Awareness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The key to a successful law firm client newsletter is more than just the right content. <a href="https://www.vable.com/the-vable-approach">Include information that is relevant</a> to the clients’ business, as items that may be interesting on a personal level. Then ensure you present it in the right way and remember to include a meaningful CTA - to have conversations further down the line.<a name='more'></a></div>
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A recent post on <a href="https://www.lexblog.com/2019/04/09/your-guide-to-law-firm-business-development/">business development for law firms</a> stated, “law firm newsletters are a lot of work. And honestly, I don’t know any firm that does them well. In fact, you probably should not send a boring newsletter stuffed with tidbits about your firm’s new staff members and sales pitches”. At <a href="https://www.vable.com/">Vable,</a> we couldn’t agree more. <br /><br />If <a href="https://optinmonster.com/is-email-marketing-dead-heres-what-the-statistics-show/">emails</a> remain the most popular way of communicating with people, how can law firms ensure that clients appreciate the newsletters you send them? Everyone is inundated with marketing messages, so why are some emails a ‘must-read’, and not others. And how do you guarantee that yours is in the first category? <div>
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1. Turn your newsletter into a conversation starter</h2>
<br />Regardless of industry or practice area, it is possible to create a newsletter that people will want to read. If you imagine it as an example of networking, what would people think of your topics of conversation? You want to come across as knowledgeable and informed, well rounded in an entertaining way, but above all, interested in what the other person has to say.</div>
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Finding the right balance of interesting and informative content in your newsletters and alerts can be tricky. As the quote above makes clear, ‘salesy’ newsletters will bore your client, so information you produce for marketing purposes cannot be just about your firm. It is important you provide content that addresses the needs and interests of others.<br /><br /><h2>
2. Make your newsletter content resonate with readers</h2>
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Will something affect my business?</h4>
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How will <b>items in the news</b> affect my business? Current awareness with expert commentary is the backbone of law firm newsletters. For example, the<a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-debenhams-restructuring-ashley/debenhams-set-for-administration-after-rejecting-new-ashley-plan-idUKKCN1RL0IJ"> recent news about Debenhams</a> has wider implications for all kinds of property, retail, and insolvency clients. Show you’re ahead of the game and demonstrate your expertise. And do it in <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/how-to-improve-your-writing-skills-immediately">plain English</a>!<br /><br />How will <b>new legislation</b> affect my business? Not all new laws will impact your clients but as legal counsel it’s your job to work with them when it does. For example family and private client practitioners will have been aware of the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47860144">divorce reform proposals</a>, and will be prepared to speak with affected clients.<br /><br />How can <b>recent industry surveys and trends</b> inform my business? Very often academic institutions, business consultancies or quality newspapers will commission ‘state of an industry’ survey. These contain a lot of useful information and it’s your role as legal adviser to make considered use of this information on behalf of your client. </div>
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Will something affect me?</h4>
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How can my legal adviser<b> entertain and inform </b>me? Newsletters are a perfect way of highlighting events relevant to your contacts list. There is usually an element of learning and information sharing as well as professional networking so make sure your event is in their calendar well in advance. </div>
<br />How does my legal adviser <b>make a difference</b>? Your contacts want to know how you give back to the community through charitable events, sponsorship, or fundraising. If it coincides with their interests, clients and contacts will want to know - the perfect opportunity to meet up.<br /><br />How can my legal adviser <b>make me more personally productive?</b> Sharing best practice is an important part of networking, so if you’ve found a way of improving productivity, let your clients and contact know! It could be a great app, something that inspires your team, or a simple “life-hack”. <br />It’s not just about content<br /><br /><h2>
3. Make it attractive and easy to read</h2>
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If only it was as easy as creating a balance of fantastic content! Now that we have agreed that boring sales pitches and new joiners are out, business development teams have to think about the way the information is presented in the newsletter. Again, this depends on the recipient. Think about:</div>
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<li>Subject headings: something catchy or keep it serious?</li>
<li>Use of graphics: time to move away from stock images and be more creative?</li>
<li>Format: make it attractive, brand-recognisable, quick to download, and mobile friendly. Ask your clients about multimedia options - podcast etc</li>
<li>Length: attention spans are limited but if you keep it relevant and well designed, it’s a winner!</li>
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4. Give them a reason to contact you</h2>
<br />And finally the right call-to-action (CTA) is essential if you want readers to make contact with you. CTAs should be easy to find, well designed, and interest your readers so much that they immediately want to click on it! Ideas include links to a recently published white paper, or to register interest in an event.<br /><br />The <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/how-to-get-everyone-involved-in-your-bd-strategy">conversation</a> I had with my BD contact made it clear that the law firm newsletter has evolved over the past 20 years. We are subject to legal requirements under GDPR and we no longer send out expensive paper newsletters. As a society, we are so used to sophisticated marketing campaigns, that second-rate efforts can be damaging. <br /><br />It is hard work but if it is done right you are connecting with people in a more meaningful way. An email newsletter isn’t simply an electronic communication. It’s a chance to deepen your and your firm’s connection with your network on a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2019/02/04/14-creative-ways-to-personalize-your-marketing-campaign/#701372321560">personal level</a>. Use that opportunity to its fullest and reveal the people behind your ‘must-read’ message.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>
Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-62339200926802036372019-02-22T11:28:00.000+00:002019-02-22T11:28:06.323+00:00How do you get everyone engaged in your BD strategy?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Marketing and business development (MBD) and client relationship management (CRM) is central to the ongoing growth and success of any organisation. After my conversation with the <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/in-house-legal-departmentsdynamic-disruptors">in-house lawyer,</a> I was inspired to turn to another friend - let’s call her Fatima - for insight into the role of the legal business development specialist, and how it has changed.<br />
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It is clear from my conversation with her, and further research that marketing and business development leaders need to harness everyone’s ‘sales’ potential. <a href="https://www.investegate.co.uk/intapp/gnw/intapp-survey--new-business-is-top-priority-for-law-firms/20181010140000H0206/">One recent survey claimed </a>that only 20% of firms get their lawyers involved in the sales process, so we must improve this. I conclude this post with a use-case scenario which brings together the three threads of discussion, and will hopefully get you and your colleagues inspired to become business development champions.<br />
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Here is my easy ABC:<br />
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<li>Align your business strategies across the firm</li>
<li>Move Beyond the Buzzwords</li>
<li>Communication is key</li>
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Making the Business Development ABC work in practice</h3>
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I was interested in how this marketing and business development department compiled their client news alerts and external current awareness bulletins. Simply put: the library and information service feeds raw information to business development, it is curated and formatted by the team, and then updates are disseminated to clients.<br />
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It is always professionally satisfying when law libraries play a measurable, pivotal role in business development opportunities. Client relations are established and maintained when there are regular conversations about important issues. After all, contact shouldn’t just revolve around billing, or when a deal is taking place.<br />
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The following scenario illustrates how my ABC theory works in practice:<br />
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<i>The client has asked their legal advisor for a quarterly industry news round-up. The lawyer approached the business development team who then collaborated with the library and information team to create a bespoke update to send out to this one client. The business development director has questioned whether technology could assist in making this service available to others as part of a wider client engagement strategy.</i><br />
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Aligning the needs of the client and role of the advisor is a win-win. In this example, the firm is already thinking strategically, aligning teams so that they can work together for the benefit of the client. Technology used in the right way can facilitate a connection between the client and firm, as well as assisting internal collaboration. No buzzwords, no gimmicks.<br />
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Clients are reliant on timely, accurate information but as <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/in-house-legal-departmentsdynamic-disruptors">we have learned</a>, they don’t always have access to dedicated research resources. Firms are constantly looking of ways of adding value, and taking current awareness to the heart of the client could make a real difference. Once in place, economies of scales will apply and can be rolled out to other clients - monetised or not.<br />
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As their trusted adviser, you already have their attention when they need it most, but it needs to go beyond the usual - you have to stand out in a crowded market place.<br />
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<a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/how-to-get-everyone-involved-in-your-bd-strategy">For the full article visit Vable</a><br />
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Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-9297079570144030992019-02-07T16:22:00.000+00:002019-02-07T16:22:16.117+00:00Useful Information Management Blogposts from 2018<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CeJD7gcCuH0/XFxbAHbMAYI/AAAAAAAACo4/ple7mZUkypYpJ8cmgyBBdMepL_w3UlKZgCLcBGAs/s1600/Vis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CeJD7gcCuH0/XFxbAHbMAYI/AAAAAAAACo4/ple7mZUkypYpJ8cmgyBBdMepL_w3UlKZgCLcBGAs/s200/Vis.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where were you for the start of 2019?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This was originally published on the current awareness based <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog">Vable</a> blog in January but I wanted to keep a record of it here. Continuing Professional Development, and all that! I took a look over the best blogposts from 2018 - an exciting year when information awareness went mainstream from GDPR, as well as the Cambridge Analytica scandal.<br /><br />We also attended various conferences to explore innovative and flexible approaches in the world of library and information work. With our own approaches to innovation and working with others, late last year we were proud to announce our <a href="https://www.vable.com/news/mlex-integration-announcement">MLex</a> integration, as well as a partnership with <a href="https://www.vable.com/news/onelog-vable">Onelog</a>. <a name='more'></a><div>
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1. What is the difference between Organisational Learning and Knowledge Management?</h2>
We work with information people at every stage of their career development, so it was no surprise that the most popular blogpost of 2018 was about getting to grips with terminology. Terms within knowledge management can be hard to define and differentiate so a good place to start is with some of the broader terms: Knowledge Management and Organisational Learning.<br /><br />After outlining industry discussion about the two terms, we come to the conclusion that organisations need clarity. Information professionals need to be clear about how they can practically help an organisation meet its goals through the successful management of information. Only then can everyone in the business recognise the value of its information people.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/organisational-learning-vs-knowledge-management">Read the full post here</a>.<br /><br /><h2>
2. What management skills do you need to run a library?</h2>
Practical management skills are essential for library and information managers; this is clear when you see which sessions are most popular at conferences such as BIALL. People enjoy hearing and reading about real life examples. This is why a blogpost featuring a personal account from a librarian at Nirma University was the second most read post of 2018.<br /><br />Although management skills needed to run an information centre do not differ hugely from other organisations, there are subtle differences. This was why Vable created an <a href="https://www.vable.com/business-skills-for-librarians-ebook">e-book </a>which brought together library and information management articles. The intended audience is broad, because we want to encourage the less experienced, but also engage and inspire current managers. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/what-management-skills-do-you-need-to-run-a-library">Find out about management skills here.</a><br /><br /><h2>
3. It’s time to recalculate your library’s ROI. Here's how:</h2>
At Vable we want you to make the most of your information service. Our guides help you determine the success of your current awareness service, and assess the investment costs, both time and financial. You might think that making a case for your continued existence is an insurmountable challenge, but with a change in perspective budget time can be turned into a positive experience.<br /><br />Analyse how well your system currently works and reframe it in terms of impact rather than investment. As this popular blog post demonstrated, information people are keen to understand how to calculate their library’s ROI and demonstrate how much they contribute to the success of the business.<br /><br />Download the <a href="https://www.vable.com/how-to-calculate-your-roi-and-measure-success-guide">guide</a>, or read the <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/its-time-to-recalculate-your-librarys-roi-heres-how">blogpost</a> for more information<br /><br /><h2>
4. Librarians and privacy in the age of Cambridge Analytica</h2>
Information people are at the cutting edge of the news so we were horrified when the story about Facebook’s data breach broke. This post was popular because we all have a responsibility to ourselves and others when sharing information online. If private data becomes publicly available, then it can be a horrible experience - which is partly why tighter data protection laws were introduced last year.<br /><br />Facebook has tried hard to remedy the situation, promising more investment in security, introducing new privacy options, and made targeted advertising more transparent. Mark Zuckerberg recently wrote in a Facebook post, “we’re a very different company today than we were in 2016, or even a year ago.” Time will tell, and information people will be watching carefully.<br /><br />Read more about <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/librarians-and-privacy-in-the-age-of-cambridge-analytica">Cambridge Analytica</a>, as well as recap opportunities for librarians in light of <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/why-gdpr-is-an-opportunity-for-library-and-infopros">GDPR</a>.</div>
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5. Ways you can improve your library induction training</h2>
It seems that everyone welcomes practical advice on library inductions. Library services are integral to the information wellbeing of the organisation so this investment in end-user training is vital. Your organisation should recognise your part in it. If people get actively involved in learning and collaborating with others, there is better retention of information.<br /><br />Some comments queried how we could make inductions more inclusive. For instance, not everyone is comfortable processing information in an auditory way. This is why information people spend time writing easy to understand instructions for processes and databases, as well as designing infographics, so everyone has access to what they need. Recording training sessions so that they can be reviewed at a later date can also be helpful.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/ways-you-can-improve-your-library-induction-training">Read more about library inductions</a>.<br /><br /> <br /><h2>
6. Is Agile Project Management right for your library?</h2>
There were two popular blog posts about agile working which reflect the changing nature of the workplace more generally. The first looked at the software development world and how their agile ways of working can be harnessed in other organisations, such as law firms. The second post looked at two cases studies, as discussed at the BIALL conference.<br /><br />One firm encouraged the library and information services to be involved with implementation of agile working from the start. The other took a different approach, but demonstrated that if libraries cannot - or are not - included in the initial plans, it can still be a success. Librarians are naturally agile thinkers and always open to new challenges.<br /><br />Look at how <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/is-agile-project-management-right-for-your-library">agile project management</a> works, and then read the <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/agile-libraries-case-studies-from-the-world-of-law">two case studies</a> for inspiration.<br /><br /><h2>
7. How do we combat Fake News? 3 simple steps before clicking 'share'</h2>
The final piece that made it into the top blogs of 2018 was how to identify fake news. As the year drew to a close it seemed that information people are part of the solution to avoid misinformation mayhem. We hope that future technological innovations will go a long way to helping us navigate the chaos but <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/fake-news-a-golden-opportunity-for-your-library">your library can be a key resource</a> to help members of your organisation identify trustworthy sources.<br /><br />Read more about <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/how-do-we-combat-fake-news">fake news</a>.</div>
Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-68401697814867200162018-11-08T10:31:00.002+00:002018-11-08T10:31:48.797+00:00Legal Upheaval: A guide to creativity, collaboration, and innovation in law by Michele DeStefano<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E3Kzj8ERlwA/W-QQB2Z0q5I/AAAAAAAACoQ/1fI2uNJlUewo-dFMBAnUBJJBwdVz_6onACLcBGAs/s1600/legal%2Bupheaval.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E3Kzj8ERlwA/W-QQB2Z0q5I/AAAAAAAACoQ/1fI2uNJlUewo-dFMBAnUBJJBwdVz_6onACLcBGAs/s200/legal%2Bupheaval.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
We live in a hi-tech world where even the simple act of reading can depend on electronic devices. You catch the news on your mobile or tablet; reading for pleasure might mean a Kindle; and longer articles perhaps become ‘<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TL;DR">TL;DR</a>’ because of service interruption. Imagine the pleasure then, of a picking up a book. <a href="https://www.legaltechnology.com/latest-news/legal-upheaval-a-conversation-with-law-professor-and-author-michele-destefano/">Michele DeStefano</a>’s 2018 hardback has been a constant travel companion and physical reminder of the nebulous world of legal innovation.<br />
<br />The old fashioned approach was something that came up time and again during the recent <a href="https://www.legalgeek.co/">Legal Geek</a> conference. The emphasis on the efficiently low-tech, e.g., <a href="http://thelegalforecast.com/from-post-it-notes-to-reality-race-to-the-future/">post-it notes </a>as a collaborative way of generating ideas has seen a revival at tech events. As the <a href="http://thetimeblawg.com/2018/10/21/legal-geek-2018-the-one-where-reality-overtook-hype/">Times Law Blawg </a>reported, Shmuli Goldberg of<a href="https://www.lawgeex.com/"> LawGeex </a>said, ‘stop buying legal tech if you are just curious about it, but if you have a problem that needs resolving then do buy legal tech that will resolve it. You are then not just buying legal tech but resolving a problem’. So what is going on?<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />DeStefano aims to answer this question. She has spent years researching the legal marketplace and works with both law students and experienced legal practitioners to help them embrace innovation. Her practical book aims to explain how lawyers can ‘hone mindsets, skills and habits that clients desire-and in the future that clients will require’. It is in 3 parts; why lawyers should change; the approach they should take; and outlines a practical methodology to making this change happen.<br /><br />
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Legal skills, behaviour and mindset</h2>
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The graphic representation of DeStefano’s research outcomes is demonstrated in this ‘Lawyer Skills Delta’ pyramid. It is a clear illustration of the challenges that lawyers are facing.<br />
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<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/U6qmUVB7VAX0B7mjbHVjWXngA9L3_nJbUajH2dwwh_fUC6EQG7DKKycTg2-8HCmnRevhjQCl5bS2S8XH34N6mdO66Od7etwK58dHnoxIDbhP5DpJH3wsAOZK0VqiVRz_GBr2_CIy" /><br /><br /><br />Lawyering and legal expertise form the base of the pyramid, but as the legal industry has realised, clients and the world at large are demanding more.<br /><br />There are 3 levels:<br /><ul>
<li>Level 1: The acronym COST (Concrete, Organisational, Service, Tech) sets out the basic necessary requirements. Lawyers need industry knowledge, business mentoring skills and acumen, with social, marketing and tech knowhow, but above all, the ability to communicate clearly. </li>
<li>Level 2: ‘Collaborative, Creative Problem Finding and Solving’. This is where lawyers can truly demonstrate their softer skills of empathy, inclusivity, and self awareness. This is where listening to clients becomes essential; not information gathering and sales exercises, but truly getting to know that industry. </li>
<li>Level 3: ‘Innovation’ where lawyers demonstrate a truly inclusive culture; working with clients the way clients want them to. Ultimately the levels within the pyramid are not goals per se, but instead require a change in mindset - to absorb and inhabit. </li>
</ul>
DeStefano points out that the mindset and behaviour which made a lawyer traditionally ’successful’ are the same elements which inhibit innovative thinking. She calls this phenomenon a ‘skills handicap’ because skills must be unlearned first. She concludes that ‘resistance to change, fear of failure, introversion, and a desire to avoid risk combined with being hired to serve as a specialized expert, all contribute to the skills gap’ (p68).<br /><br />The second part called ‘The Three Rules of Engagement: creating a culture of creativity and collaboration’ focuses on specific approaches to successfully embracing legal industry upheaval. The Rules of Engagement are designed to help lawyers unlearn their mindsets. It involves having an ‘open mind’, an ‘open heart’, and an ‘open door’ - this is level 2 in the ‘Lawyer Skills Delta’. Perhaps it is the terminology, but this is where some legal reviewers have admitted their - natural - scepticism. However some of the general precepts presented in this section are illuminating.<br /><br />DeStefano’s observations about ensuring equal airtime in meetings are insightful; when an idea is presented there is a natural tendency for maintaining hierarchical ownership of it. However only when there are collaborative and multiple ‘yes...ands’ can that initial idea be developed into ‘the one’. Open, ‘crowdsource’ mentality must be cultivated in the workplace, just as they are in many successful voluntary and community events. Working together goes to the heart of these rules of engagement.</div>
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<h2>
Getting practical - innovation for lawyers</h2>
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The practical third part of this book is where the fun starts. Among other things DeStefano recommends artistic and musical games to bring teams together during <a href="https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com/project-kickoff-meeting/">KickOff.</a> Although this is where she might lose some readers, in my experience, the most successful sessions at conferences have been where creativity is encouraged. For instance simply putting modelling clay on tables. People interact, build relationships, and can begin to work together effectively. </div>
<div>
<br />She recommends initiating an ‘abbreviated innovation cycle’ as soon as possible. This could be a weekend hackathon, or a mini project. ‘They find a problem, fine tune a target audience and a create a consumer story, create a solution, develop a pitch deck, and pitch the problem and solution to the entire audience in 10 mins or less’. (p160) DeStefano goes on to outline the <a href="http://scottberkun.com/2009/how-to-give-a-great-ignite-talk/">Ignite presentation format</a>, and whilst this is nothing new, the 5 mins and 20 slides remains a challenging format requiring practice and discipline. Something we should all try, in my view.<br /><br />This stress on clarity, brevity, process and planning continues throughout this practical chapter. The sample programme timeline is perhaps reminiscent of an <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/agile-libraries-case-studies-from-the-world-of-law">agile workflow</a>, with emphasis on regular meetings and milestones to maintain the innovation cycle momentum. Each phase, week and milestone is outlined in detail, with questions to get you thinking. Team members will have defined roles according to skill, but senior members of the organisation must ensure a flat hierarchy to ensure success. The organisation has to recruit the right people to ensure legal innovation. </div>
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Up, up and away to a new level of success</h2>
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It is unwise to make predictions about where the <a href="https://www.legalbusiness.co.uk/analysis/legal-technology-sponsored-briefing-successful-law-firms-in-the-digital-age/">legal industry is going</a>; for now it is enough to know that firms must innovate or die. My experience over the past 20 years reflects DeStefano’s definition of innovation, ‘lasting incremental change that adds value yet appears small on the surface’ (p203). For instance it is now standard for firms to align departments across sectors/industries, as well as participate in client/firm personnel exchange schemes. More recently, law firms are embracing agile working so that they can better anticipate the needs of clients.<br /><br />Ultimately we have to remember law is, and always will be, a creative industry. Lawyers are skilled in assimilating information and solve problems by making connections. This knowledge is attained through conversations, past experience, exhaustive research or excellent team work. This is how the law has developed - rarely does an existing problem follow precedent exactly, so the best lawyers are those who can think outside the box.<br /><br />The industry needs to capture that existing creativity and apply it in innovative ways - just as we do at Vable. As DeStefano concludes, the direction is only ‘up in a way that has never been possible before!’. And that can only be a good thing for all of us in the innovative industries - legal or otherwise.</div>
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First published on <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/legal-upheaval-by-michelle-destefano">Vable</a> 8th November 2018. </div>
Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-29071118190410546072018-07-08T10:05:00.003+01:002018-07-09T12:05:58.469+01:00HeatThe scent of heat soaked masonry<br />
Envelops you. Forming out of hot clay a<br />
sense of time.<br />
Kiln-like, the golden rocks stand against the blue sky<br />
As permanent as Mary<br />
As the resurrected cathedral<br />
With the gold and blue finding a different kind of worship<br />
<br />
The scent of heat soaked masculinity <br />
Suffocates you. Forming out of muscle a<br />
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sense of beauty.<br />
Godlike, the man stretches his lithe body upwards<br />
As hard as rock <br />
As the stone in the ancient buried city <br />
With the flesh and blood creating a<br />
Different kind of worship<br />
<br />
Let me embrace the rock and the gold:<br />
Sighing inwardly, wishing to be your mould.<br />
To take you into the heat of the sun’s desire<br />
Wanton I lie here and simply admire. </div>
Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-2073999665598266682018-01-31T19:23:00.001+00:002018-02-01T10:11:28.968+00:00Of Croatian Beasts and London Artistic Feasts<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'suspended'</td></tr>
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It has been an orgy of art since I arrived back in London just over a week ago. Russian/Communism inspired exhibitions kicked off my visit as I enjoyed <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/press/press-releases/red-star-over-russia-revolution-visual-culture-1905-55">Red Star over Russia</a>, <a href="https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/the-centre-for-russian-music-inside-the-collections">Centre for Russian Music: Inside the Collections at the Barbican</a>, and <a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/the_currency_of_communism.aspx">The Currency of Communism</a>. There was no planning, just a desire to reacquaint myself with my favourite artistic haunts and, inevitably, connections started forming. Obviously I am catching the tail-end of exhibitions put on to commemorate the 1917 Russian Revolution, but it's always possible to see beyond the obvious.<br />
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Three of the most memorable and seemingly unconnected events were <a href="http://www.sjp.org.uk/suspended.html">suspended</a>, <a href="https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/lake-keitele-a-vision-of-finland">Lake Keitel</a> and <a href="http://www.estorickcollection.com/exhibitions/the-enchanted-room-modern-works-from-the-pinacoteca-di-brera">The Enchanted Room: Modern Works from the Pinacoteca di Brera</a>. The second was an oasis of moody calm of pinks and blues, reminiscent of an Adriatic sunset. The latter is a collection of modern Italian art from Milan’s Pinacoteca di Brera. Mirroring the personal nature of the permanent Estorick collection, it includes paintings and sculptures donated to the museum by Emilio and Maria Jesi. Umberto Boccioni, the Metaphysical paintings by Carlo Carrà, and Giorgio de Chirico were my highlights. The first simply is about human loss and displacement.<br />
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However my life abroad is never far away; I saw echos of Balkan socialist realism, Yugoslavian currency, migratory European tensions, Carrà's uncanny and unexpected map of the Istrian Peninsula, my friends' Eastern European obsessions, and finally an art lecture at the Croatian Embassy. This has been a wonderful opportunity to bring the art of the past few days together, as well as highlight some exceptional reconstruction and restoration work which is taking place in Split.</div>
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<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sandra_Sustic"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sandra_Sustic">Dr Sandra Šustić</a> who is the most recent recipient of assistance from <a href="http://amacuk.net/">AMAC-UK</a> presented two case studies on the theme of 'Beauty and the Beast: two important elements in the Croatian Cultural heritage'. Her<a href="http://darhiv.ffzg.unizg.hr/6596/"> doctoral thesis </a>concentrated on the efforts of a Croatian art historian, Cvito Fisković. He was born in 1908 in Orebić, and in my view, deserves wider international acknowledgement just for his determination to evacuate works of art during the Second World War. In light of the second case study she outlined, someone should have taken care of the art in the 1990s too. Her work has for the most part continued his own, regarding the scientific and technical issues around retouching, reconstruction and restoration. </div>
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The first case study was the Zvir of Hvar. This 'beast' or dragon has an ancient provenance, and in this context served as ship figure head, or <i>polena</i>. Given my love of the sea, it seems natural to be looking at some thing nautical! As the <a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/museum-collections/ship-figureheads-and-decoration#GcUZ2Ygmp09kjeiT.99">National Maritime Museum says</a>, 'the origins of the figurehead and other forms of ship decoration goes back thousands of years. The decoration and carving of vessels was common among seafaring civilisations of the ancient world, with evidence of Egyptian figureheads dating back to around 3000 BC. The precise motive behind mounting a carved figurehead at the bow of a ship or boat is uncertain. It is believed these iconic objects held a strong apotropaic magic or religious significance relating to a ship 'seeing' its way safely through the sea.' </div>
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This zvir has been dated to 1566. During this period Europe was in the constant throes of battle with the Ottoman Turks, and avid listeners of Radio 4 may have caught relevant programmes such as the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09l1wmr">The Siege of Malta</a> and the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06nrqv8">Battle of Lepanto</a>. As the blurb says, 'the Battle of Lepanto, 1571, was the last great sea battle between galleys, in which the Catholic fleet of the Holy League of principally Venice, Spain, the Papal States, Malta, Genoa, and Savoy defeated the Ottoman forces of Selim II...Pope Pius V established a feast day of Our Lady of Victory.' </div>
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So was this zvir on a Venetian / Christian or Ottoman ship? She contacted naval experts and confirmed that it was mostly likely European. The Istanbul naval museum confirmed that dragons could be found on galleons but there are none in their collections. The Greenwich experts suggested it was European rather than Turkish, but that it was extraordinarily heavy for galley usage. The Spanish agreed that it was a <i>polena</i> despite its weight and size. They cited the reconstruction of the replica galley '<a href="http://www.patrimonionacional.es/sites/default/files/publicaciones/art172-1_.pdf">galera real</a>' of Don Juan of Austria which was ornate and heavy. Discussions revealed that figure heads could be left on land if necessary, and archive material from 1924 and 1977 demonstrated that it had removable legs and wings, but could be firmly fixed to a surface, regardless of the motion of the sea. </div>
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She also investigated heraldic references and religious significance of the dragon in Venetian lands, for instance <a href="https://reliquarian.com/2013/03/23/saint-theodore-warrior-saint-and-dragon-slayer/">St Theodore of Amasea</a>. Finally she carried out all the tech images, with the original nails and wood. Under the paint layer, there are traces of gold leaf and zinc which may be c19th additions. The pine is another link with Venice, whilst the minium offered the wood strong protection from the sea. </div>
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The 'Beauty' case study also had a Battle of Lepanto connection. The Croatian town of <a href="http://visitvrlika.com/en/what-to-see/church-of-our-lady-of-the-rosary">Vrlika</a> had commissioned a painting of the Our lady of the Rosary to celebrate the victory and the new feast day. It had played a large emotional part in the history of the town, however it came to tragic end in 1992 where it suffered almost complete destruction. Only a single black and white archive image existed so a large amount of creativity was required to resurrect this painting. </div>
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In my view this was not a restoration or retouching but a total recreation. This raises questions about artistic intent and emotional responses. How authentic is this work of art? Look at the case of the heavily restored Savior of the World which made a <a href="http://www.christies.com/features/The-last-da-Vinci-Salvator-Mundi-8598-3.aspx">fortune at auction</a> despite there being little of Leonardo's hand left in it. She concluded with the philosophical notion that even when art work is destroyed or reduced to fragments, there is a totality remaining. This is a conceptual idea which sits uneasily with me. In the end it is the social importance of the artwork, authorship is irrelevant. Which is a blogpost in itself!</div>
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And if there was any doubt that art is designed to make us think and bring us together, the famous poem alongside the <a href="http://www.sjp.org.uk/suspended.html">stunning installation in St Jame</a>s, said,<br />
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<i>No man is an island</i><br />
<i>entire of itself</i><br />
<i>Every man is piece of the continent,</i><br />
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This is what happens when I don't blog often enough; a post with too many threads to count. From here in London I can go to Russia, Eastern Europe, even to my city of Split through art and imagination. Let's keep making the journey of thought and discovery, we need to be forging more connections than ever. </div>
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Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-33439187259698828992018-01-18T11:33:00.000+00:002018-01-18T11:33:48.582+00:00A love letter to the books of Ljubljana<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This piece came out of a month long stay in Ljubljana in October 2017. This is when I fell in love with this beautiful capital, its culture, architecture and people. I am happy to say that I am posting this whilst in the city again. They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but is it possible to judge a city by its bookshops?<a name='more'></a><br /><br />I've never seen a more healthy or holistic attitude to culture than in this city. It seems that every art form combines to form something harmonious; a city <i>gesamtkunstwerk</i>. Operatic rehearsals cascade from open windows colouring the sculpturally rich streets below; antique shops and conceptual art galleries exist side by side. With quality bookshops on every corner, and irresistible second-hand book stalls, it is a bibliophile's dream city.<br /><br />Ljubljana is also environmentally suited to cultural pursuits. The centre was closed to cars in September 2007 creating a pedestrian zone around the square named after their beloved national poet, France Prešeren (1800-1849). Inspired by the city's Roman history, the wide straight largely traffic-free streets provide grand vistas. And it is thanks to one man that the architectural style of Ljubljana offers the perfect theatrical backdrop for the city's cultural life.<br /><br /> Jože Plečnik (1872-1957) was the Slovenian architect responsible for many facades, churches, gardens, villas, and the intriguing 'Tromostovje' - triple bridge - which crosses the River Ljubljanica. All have an unmistakable elegance and timelessness to them, suggesting a permanence invoked by Italian renaissance architects. He wrote in 1940 about the city, 'no longer a sleeping provincial town, but the city it has always wanted to be, crowned by its castle, its streets radiant sunbeams springing off from the centre, the river its vital vein.'<br /><br />However for me, the National and University Library of Slovenia is his greatest achievement. The only way I can describe it inside and out is monumental. It has artificial external rustication and many symmetrical windows reminiscent of Florence’s sixteenth century Pitti Palace. It is a hard building to miss; visible from down by the river, and up on the hillside. Plečnik <a href="https://www.academia.edu/26195081/The_Architect_and_the_City_A_Double_Oeuvre_Jo%C5%BEe_Plecnik_in_Ljubljana_OASE_89_">said</a>, <br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
I have erected a building for wisdom in the city... Inside, the dark tone of respect. Black marble, big columns, a monumental staircase leading in one long flight to the reading room, where the light is. I made the reading room high and pleasant, I used wooden panelling for the walls, the floor and the ceiling, I designed wooden tables on marble columns, and modern industrial lamps to enlighten the students on their path to knowledge</blockquote>
<br />The chandeliers in the reading room are inspired by the symbolism of St Catherine of Alexandria, whose gory martyrdom on the wheel is well-known. She is the patron saint of professions related to knowledge and learning, so for a city of poets, scholars, printers and librarians, she is a suitable choice. As you head towards the reading room there is a piece of modern sculpture in copper. Catherine’s wheel is represented as a woman’s crinoline by a local student, and it echoes and reinforces the continuing artistic interconnectedness of this city.<br /><br />The library has been a State legal depository on and off since the early 1800s, when the dissolved Jesuit college became the library of the Ljubljana Lyceum. After the abolition of the Lyceum in 1850 it became the main reference library of the province. After World War I, it was renamed the State Reference Library and a few years later in 1921, it became the State Library. Publications from all the regions of former Yugoslavia started to pour in. However it was in its role as university library that its resources were stretched. Ljubljana as a university city could only offer eighteen reader seats, so between 1930 and 1931 Plečnik presented his plans for a new library. <br /><br />Europe was heading for political meltdown by the late 1930s, and the planned new Slovenian university library encountered resistance by the Belgrade authorities. Local student protests and demonstrations ensured success in Ljubljana and as a result, the new university library opened in 1941. The reading room suffered damage when a plane crashed into it in 1944, and extensive renovations were required. In 1991 it became the national library of the independent Republic of Slovenia. <br /><br />This city is always looking to the future, and worldwide intellectual co-operation. Like many national libraries, they have been working on digitisation projects with great success. The internet has enabled scholars to access rare Slovenian and other important material at the click of a mouse. However, interested members of the public can also visit their virtual exhibitions. I was fascinated to note the exquisite publications from ‘500 years of the Lutheran Reformation’. <br /><br />As I descended from the library’s black marbled hallway, out of the large main door, and back into the sunshine, I was filled with optimism. Although we currently live in in a period where intellectual endeavour is treated like an expensive or unnecessary luxury, some national institutions continue to shine a light into the darkness. This city is proud of their cultural heritage, and you can see that pride within every building – and bookshop. <br /><br /><br /><div>
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Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-1119079762536632452017-11-03T12:22:00.000+00:002017-11-03T12:22:26.930+00:00Gently<div>
<i>The dark muted autumn peeps through mist</i></div>
<i>Dark and earth and wet and cold<br />Scientific method strives to rise<br />As golden sun appears<br />All is magically uplifted <br />Quietly, roaringly, gaseously<br />The vibrant autumn calls us clearly home. <br />Gently.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />We are but shadows against an illusory life<br />Fleeting and swift and temporary <br />We strive to love and rise above our failings <br />As people come and go<br />All is supposedly revealed <br />Closing, dying, ending<br />The unknown winter beckons us clearly home. <br />Gently.</i><div>
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For a friend of Victoria Stamps. I only met him once, but he passed away 21/10/2017.<div>
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Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-89555863613560170892017-09-06T12:54:00.000+01:002017-09-06T12:54:03.720+01:00Tales from the river to the ocean<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brest Maritime International Festival</td></tr>
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I am currently living in Atlantic Wharf on the banks of London’s Thames, and September’s <a href="http://totallythames.org/">Totally Thames</a> festival is in full swing. This timing is a perfect opportunity to make connections; London and Dalmatia; the Atlantic and Adriatic; industry and artistic endeavour; environment and exploration. It is clear that we can learn from those who spend their lives on and around water. Teamwork, effective communications, information sharing, and contingency planning are all essential. <a name='more'></a><br /><br />There are common challenges faced by maritime industry workers everywhere. They talk about difficult journeys, and hard and dangerous occupations. They describe changes in climate and environmental devastation. They battle with the elements and place their lives in the hands of trusted colleagues. And spend a lot of time away from friends and family. Those who make a living from the sea/river have a symbiotic relationship with land-based support. Without it, many individuals would be unable to leave port to earn money, which would be disastrous economically. <br /><br />This pooling of community resources and a determination to face the impossible is powerful to behold. Combine that with an artistic vision and you get incredible results. Launched in 2014, Totally Thames is an annual month long season of arts and cultural events, inspired by the river's rich industrial heritage, and environmental future. In comparison, people living on the Dalmatian coast have a parallel maritime history. Their language and music, applied arts, and practical talents have their genesis in a seafaring culture. <br /><br />I met the inspirational Croatian explorer and cultural ambassador Tonka Alujević on Hvar, Croatia last month. A decade ago she had a vision to buy, artistically restore and sail/paddle a 2.86m long ‘g<a href="http://www.korculainfo.com/shipbuilding/guc1/">uc</a>’ – a traditional wooden Adriatic boat – 550 nautical miles from Narbonne to Brest. She was assisted by <a href="https://vis-central.com/poslovni/ars-halieutica/">Ars halieutica</a>, the Croatian island of Vis’s cultural institution for maritime research. Her beloved tiny ‘Pol oriha’ (half walnut) connected Dalmatia’s ship building and seafaring expertise with that of the Atlantic. As she said, ‘I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space’.<br /><br />Tonka and her partner navigated the inland waterways of France, taking in the River Seine and Paris. Under the watchful gaze of a pilot ship, like the Owl and Pussy Cat of the poem, they entered the Atlantic Ocean and reached Brest without mishap. The <a href="https://www.brest2016.fr/en/brest-international-maritime-festival">Brest International Maritime Festival</a> occurs every 4 years to celebrate ‘boats of all sizes and shapes designed and built as part of mankind’s endeavour to conquer the sea’. And they gave their smallest participant the largest welcome. Their incredible journey took just under two months.<br /><br />I wanted to share Tonka’s story with<a href="http://exxpedition.com/"> eXXpedition</a>. This all-women crew – of sailors, scientists, artists, journalists, filmmakers, adventurers, psychologists and educators - were going to tell us about their epic Round Britain 2017 mission aboard S/V Sea Dragon. Sadly the discussion event was cancelled. Their voyage was as inspiring as Tonka’s so I still wanted to mention it here. The scientists on-board were collecting data, footage and findings to add to the worldwide data set of plastics and toxics in the ocean. <div>
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Their interests coincide with the environmental research of Split’s Oceanographic Institute, as well as the concerns of Dalmatia’s small scale fishing industry. Plastics are reported as causing safety issues in ports and harbours. In coastal areas dependent on tourism, they need to engage with local people, holiday-makers, media and politicians about the problems. One thing is certain; ocean pollution is going to have a profound impact on us all. </div>
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From the river and sea, to inland continental cities, where is next month going to take me?</div>
Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-58604481927822121352017-09-05T14:36:00.001+01:002017-09-05T14:36:37.389+01:00Law librarians and the importance of training<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May your training room be full!</td></tr>
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In this article I want to highlight the vital role that UK legal information professionals play annually each September. My team can testify to the fact that late summer is a busy time. Those of us involved in legal private practice are preparing for a new intake of trainee lawyers. Depending on the size of the client firm, this can be from 5-20+ new starters, so there is much to do. <div>
<br /><a name='more'></a>From early July we start planning and co-ordinating with the in-house learning and development teams. By late August we are finalising presentations, updating guidance notes, and tweaking test questions. We also oversee the administration of new password creation and sending out new joiner emails. Then once the training is completed, we are on hand for any post-training issues. Inevitably we field questions, and follow up with further sessions, as required. <br /><br />By way of background, solicitors of England and Wales go through an extensive education and training process before qualification. The professional routes vary, but generally, solicitors complete a law degree, followed by the Legal Practice Course (LPC). If they haven’t done a law degree, after graduating, they can take the Common Professional Examination (CPE) or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) conversion course, again followed by the LPC. <br /><br />Although the LPC covers important aspects of practice management, such as accounting, risk and compliance, etc., prospective solicitors still have much to learn. The mandatory two year training contract is an essential way of honing commercial acumen, fleshing out academic study, and getting valuable work experience. As you can imagine, competition for these generally well paid placements is fierce, and it is a fine balance between meeting the needs of the organisation, and getting the best experience for the trainee. <br /><br />The library service contributes an essential part of that practical training. After all, researching an end of term paper for a law degree is different from resolving an urgent client issue. All online database providers now offer training services. In previous years I have engaged external trainers, as a supplement to my own presentations. For some information professionals, this teaching element can be challenging, hence the growing number of companies specialising in training. <br /><br />For information professionals looking to take the lead on training, we can acquire the right skills in many ways. We can attend conferences and discuss best teaching practice; we can complete MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) on training for trainers and adult learners; and ultimately through practice and experience. These endless facets of legal information provision not only make our role personally rewarding, but professionally influential. <br /><br />It is this influence I wanted to cultivate this September. In my role as a UK legal information specialist, I wanted to demonstrate that our team can exceed all expectations. It is imperative that we build trust with our legal clients. And what better way to make our mark, than to invest our own time in our client firms’ raw legal talent. Our role as trusted educators of future legal influencers is key to our on-going success.<br /> </div>
Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-26818069829022932702017-07-03T10:06:00.001+01:002017-07-03T10:06:44.043+01:00A personal approach to mentoring<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking for me?</td></tr>
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Independence can be an obstacle to effective mentoring. From a personal point of view I'm happy to go away and look up an answer myself if I'm struggling. That's perfect if it is a fact based problem but what if it is more empathic or personal? Allowing yourself to develop your soft skills through discussion is actually a skill in and of itself. Asking for mentoring assistance can be tricky and requires an exchange of trust. <a name='more'></a><div>
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This has been reinforced to me recently through a chance encounter with a young gentleman. He is 10 years old and his parents needed a native English speaker as a tutor. I've never taught, so applied citing a degree in English and a wide range of interests, with no real expectation of getting the job. They were delighted to give me a chance and to see what we would cover. As a result of my tutoring inexperience, a determination not let him down, and my own high standards, I prepare carefully for each weekly session. And so far, both parties have been satisfied. It turns out librarians make excellent tutors; and enthusiastic bright children enjoy telling stories using their new vocabulary. </div>
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As I enter into this new library role, one of the first tasks I've taken on is liasing with a work experience student. She has aspirations of becoming a researcher/writer, and my boss thought she might benefit from my experience. In the past I may have shied away, but I have seen the benefits of having a regular structured meeting with someone who can take my knowledge and apply it in their own life, studies, or whatever. My tutoring experience has also clarified a few issues for me, especially as to how I'm going to approach mentoring. <br /><h3>
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<br />I appreciate tutoring a 10 year old is slightly different from mentoring a university student. But there are some similarities. They both have something they want to achieve; they require regular guidance and review and most importantly, someone to bounce ideas off. There is also a large element of trust. Part of my previous unwillingness to ask for mentoring stems from the fact that finding the right person is difficult. </div>
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Often you need to be able to ask really basic questions without fear, without feeling that you're going to be undermined. You will make mistakes and be able to discuss how you can do things more effectively. Often human resource departments are involved with mentoring and they can have a conflict of interests. Hence the concept of matchmaking for mentors, and outsiders often make a better mentor! </div>
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Mentoring and work experience are two way processes; both parties should benefit. Therefore the first step is to ascertain what the company expects from her. And conversely, what expectations she has. Whether it is a number of reports/investigations to get her thinking about the research and writing procedure, or a regularly updated personal blog, the outcome has to be something measurable. She will need to have something to show the university or future employer.<br /><br /><h3>
We will do it our way</h3>
<br />My approach is goal driven. I work well when I have something to aim for and coming away from a meeting with a to-do list of achievables is satisfying. Everyone works in different ways so when I sit down and talk with her, I will get a sense of her approach. My young 'tutee' is ideas driven, for instance, with a simple prompt of 6 new words, he weaves together an original story. But I always have a goal for every piece of work. Once we have critiqued it, he is left with an enthusiam for new words, and I can identify knowledge gaps for future lessons. Win-win and fun-fun.</div>
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In my student's case we will discuss our goals and discuss what we want to do in our weekly meetings. A schedule is essential to get the best out of a short summer placement. We can look at samples and templates, go through approaches to research, and think about freely available business information sources. Given the focus on writing, we can work on style, audience, tone and so on. But above all I want to make it into an exchange where she shares her ideas and enthusiasm with me, and she can make use of my varied experience and knowledge. </div>
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As part of this development, it occurred to me that I might benefit from some mentoring. I've been out of the the library and information world for a short while, and have been fortunate to have rejoined in the best way possible. My team is made up of professionals with different approaches and I have much to gain from them. I hope that they can utilise my ebullience and enthusiasm and we make our service even better. Taking that first step with people you can trust is the perfect start to real mentoring. </div>
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Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-62870285546907687372017-06-20T16:22:00.001+01:002017-06-22T10:29:30.007+01:00Virtual teams and collaborative working #BIALL2017I've now completed my first full week of truly remote working so am reasonably well equipped to comment on and consolidate the notes taken from the various relevant sessions. As usual <a href="http://www.biall.org.uk/">BIALL </a>had ensured that although there were topic overlaps, a different perspective was given by each expert. Eleanor Windsor from <a href="https://libsource.com/">LibSource</a> presented on 'Managing a successful virtual team', whilst the entire <a href="http://www.vinge.com/en/our-people/">Vinge law firm </a>library team came in to offer insight on working together in different offices. And finally a duo from the <a href="http://www.law.ac.uk/">University of Law </a>talked about collaborative working to reduce pressure on library services.<br />
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The common element was the reliance on, and adoption of technology. Although all three organisations are at different stages of the virtual and collaborative working process, they all had something useful to offer the audience. Eleanor listed models for virtual working, starting with agile teams, all the way up to a completely virtual organisation. Whilst the teams from Vinge and the University of Law are still largely office based, they work across various sites and cities, so are agile and flexible in outlook.<br />
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Certain practicalities mean that LibSource cannot be completely virtual. We rely on onsite staff to carry out important library admin duties. The company also recognises that it is useful for team members to meet lawyers as this builds up a relationship of trust and inclusivity. Therefore although virtual teams are possible, libraries will need to have at least one person on the ground some of the time. However we can encourage law firms to adopt agile teams, and flexible ways of working. As long as there is a normalisation of a 'working from home' culture, and as other sectors continue to test and improve the technology which makes the impossible possible, the legal sector should follow.<br />
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The statistics show that by 2020, 70% of managers will have adopted mobile working. But in law especially (and anecdotal evidence from friends suggests that tech companies are sometimes difficult) there is a still a gap between wishing to work from home, and the actual reality. Productivity goes up 13% because you have fewer interruptions, and every work related interaction you have is thoughtful, managed and purposeful. As I have been discovering, it is possible to be super productive in all aspects of your life by working from home.<br />
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Collaboration through enterprise social media technology such as Yammer or Slack is essential. Although the University of Law has had difficulties, for LibSource, Yammer has reduced email by 80%, as well as enabling staff to keep in touch and make everything open and transparent. In my view it's a mindset; if you are used to social media in other parts of your life, it's a natural progression for the workplace. Especially when people are all over the world and you want to create online communities around common interests. Water cooler/coffee/tea moments are still possible in virtual teams. How much personal information you want to share is up to you, but be real and as accessible a work colleague as you would be as if you were sat next to them.<br />
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Other electronic ways of communication are available and you just have to know which one is most appropriate. Instant messaging over Yammer is efficient especially when you pick up the notification on your phone app. Telephone and video conferencing also seems to work well and it's excellent to supplement that 'getting to know your colleagues' issue. Call me old fashioned but I still like to see the whites of their eyes! The usual document collaboration tools, like Google docs, ensures ease of sharing, and learning and development web applications are great for keeping up to date.<br />
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No one is saying that virtual team working is easy. There are unique challenges that face managers but perhaps it is a more honest and adult way of treating employees. By putting together a network of mentors, buddies, managers, and working hard at work relationships, there is a lot to be gained. You become adept at making the most of face to face calls so that contacts are cemented. Be close and be in mind. And as Eleanor said many times, if there is a problem, speak up. No one will know if you are having issues, or are frustrated with something, so you have to say. Do not suffer in silence because colleagues can't help if they can't see you. This is something that information staff generally should be more aware of - we can sometimes be too quiet, even in an office environment.<br />
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Before noting Eleanor's conclusions, I want to bring in the Swedish view. After all, part of the advantages she finished on were highlighted by them. They opened their presentation with questions such as 'why should we collaborate? What's in it for me as an individual? What's in it for the team? What's in it for the firm?' They stressed that with a strong, competent and diverse information team the organisation will be far more successful. Wider access and better usage of resources means adding value and cost efficiency, and employment of technology means working together over different locations. So you can be more visible, with management regarding you as an excellent return on investment.<br />
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The importance of a good team cannot be underestimated whether you are working virtually, or in the same office. Co-ordinating everyday routines to improve work flow, respectfully sharing knowledge and solutions, sharing workload and increasing responsibility for all. Being able to carry out challenging pieces of work and asking for help, feedback and encouragement is essential. As information people I think we are good at dropping the prestige, and leaving the ego at the door. Ultimately you have to enjoy working together!<br />
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What else is in it for the organisation?</h3>
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With an increasingly large pool of talented people who are willing to work from home, organisations would be foolish not to incorporate flexible working into their culture. Various professional service companies offer professional skills on an outsourced basis and represent amazing value for money. If you are suddenly faced with a large piece of work you can quickly draft in entire teams to supplement your existing staff. You can offer increasingly demanding clients out of hours assistance, total flexibility, and be able to scale up your team rapidly.<br />
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The focus on just in time rather than just in case now no longer just applies to expensive subscriptions, you can save money on office management. Why have someone in an office when they could be doing exactly the same job at home. Technology enables people on different continents to communicate as if they are in the next room. So why do they have to be next door? Why have infighting and office politics about who gets the corner office? With a little additional thought, you can have minimal overheads and maximum service. And everyone can have a corner office, with dog, kitchen facilities, and no worry than someone will take your sandwich.<br />
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Recent events in global security should also be encouraging people to reassess their business continuity plans. When your team is all over the world, the chances of all their systems going down is highly unlikely. However should the city transport system come to a halt, who is going to staff your expensive city offices? Although people say that fear isn't affecting their every day life, insecurity is encouraging people to reassess options regarding travel. Even on a good day commuting can be a challenge, so give your team the chance to try working remotely. Accept that a successful virtual team with happy staff will be more productive and will do anything to make it work. After all, it's in their own interests.<br />
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<br />Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-29711565531362837572017-06-14T09:00:00.001+01:002019-06-18T16:15:56.206+01:00Being Informed about Brexit #BIALL2017The notes that follow arise out of the <a href="http://www.biall.org.uk/pages/manchester-2017-together-or-apart-effective-ways-of-working.html">BIALL Conference 2017</a> and given the theme of the conference was 'Together or Apart? Effective ways of working' I'm happy to share my notes! This has recently been updated to reflect the #BIALL2019 conference on <a href="https://www.vable.com/blog/reflections-on-brexit-from-biall2019">Vable</a>.<br />
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Being Informed about Brexit</h3>
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The first plenary session - and <a href="http://ials.sas.ac.uk/mr-willi-steiner-secretary-and-librarian-1968-1971-librarian-1971-1981">Willi Steiner Memorial Lecture</a> was entitled 'Informing the debate about Brexit', presented by David Allen Green. This is obviously a contentious topic as a whole but at least law librarians can claim to be well informed as to the arguments. After all, it is the legal chaos in which we are interested. As I have <a href="http://renaissanceutterances.blogspot.hr/2017/03/content-is-dead-long-life-content.html">noted in the past</a> information specialists are experts in spotting fake news. We have all the skills and expertise required to assist the general public and others who rely on us to get things right.<br />
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DAG was keen to emphasise that we are needed more than ever to sort fact from fiction, and that information comes in a variety of forms. He had done some research on Willi Steiner and said that expertise in international legal information was still required. We have access to a wealth of legal information and we live in a significant point of time where everyone with access to the web can broadcast or publish to the world. Everyone can now do that and it is remarkable.<br />
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He drew parallels with the invention of the printing press which made it physically possible to circulate ideas. This meant a 'freedom of the press' 200 years before Fleet Street and the newspaper industry. 'Press' referred to the machine or process, so it still has direct relevance today. Sadly, although the event of any information revolution causes optimism, it can lead to counter reformation, prohibition of books, and other unpleasant population restrictions. As we have discovered, you can make information available, but it doesn't mean mean people will read, interpret or use it.<br />
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What does Brexit mean?</h4>
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Brexit obviously means Brexit, if PM's are to believed. However from a legal point of view it is a difficult thing to define usefully. If you take it as an intended departure from the EU, you could argue that there have always been brexiteers. It's a different thing from eurosceptism. Secondly it is a departure from the EU as occasioned by a referendum. And yet it is something more than that. So it's all of the above in accordance with the mandate given. One day we are there and the next we are not. This is where the political debate comes in.<br />
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What is this EU that we are leaving?</h4>
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The second question is about what it is precisely are we leaving? It is none of the following: The EU isn't Europe, nor a single economy, language nor culture. Neither is it a 'brute force'. However we do have a lot in common. Words. Laws. Information. This keeps us together and the entrance to the EU is regarded as the biggest peace time operation ever. It is also the most complex in terms of legal information. How many SIs in force!? We know how many have been made but ....<br />
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Brexit and impact on International Laws</h4>
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The central problem the law makers and civil servants face is the separation of laws. It's not just copyright and data protection and discrete areas of substantive law but an entire network. The EU is driven by processes, shared standards and single market, and harmonisation is the key word. It isn't always top down imposition because agencies have worked together over time to ensure every one has a voice and everyone can abide by certain standards.<br />
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The main issue is access to a single market and trade. Participation is the word and whether it is possible to have an influence and impact on services if we cannot take part. How is this going to work? This Great Repeal bill he compared to the Holy Roman Empire. Neither Great, nor a Repeal, nor barely even a bill. We cannot focus just on UK law, to participate in foreign affairs we need to maintain an international outlook.<br />
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Article 50 was a decorative feature</h4>
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Art 50, said DAG, was never intended for use. If it had have been, it would have been drafted differently. He contends that it is purely decorative, and written by a diplomat not a lawyer. It doesn't work and badly drafted. Having met some of the people who worked on the treaty, he is not popular for saying this, but it's probably the case. No one knows how it will end and as yet there is no public evidence that anyone knows what they are doing. It is shoddy.<br />
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He hopes that our civil service is working behind the scenes. However immediately before the referendum, the civil service was ordered not to prepare anything. There were two outcomes to the vote, and we appeared to be prepared for neither eventuality. Departments were in chaos and then Gina Miller started the court process. He said that this was an important demonstration of public access to law. But from a procedural point of view, it was a waste of time.<br />
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By this point the EU administration was already in place, and had clearly set out procedure, guidelines in an orderly fashion. <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/taskforce-article-50-negotiations-united-kingdom_en">TF50 </a>was ready to go and was publishing documents immediately. A perfect exercise in legal information creation, with a phased approach. They have plans for EU funding and budgets which have been disrupted. He claims that the Brexit bill isn't punishment it's all about order. Budgets must remain Brexit neutral so that planned projects can go ahead.<br />
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As far as information goes, the TF50 site is the main source, but he said that parliamentary committee papers are useful. Although sometimes difficult to find, it is a good source. There is the <a href="https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/">Institute of Government</a> and <a href="https://www.cer.org.uk/hot-topics/britain-eu">Centre for EU Reform</a>. Some other sources informs lawyers but it is nothing compared to what needs to be done.E.g. 22 bilateral deals.<br />
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No one expected Brexit</h4>
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EU has made national politicians lazy. It is important that legal commentators are Brexit neutral. We can only inform the debate not influence. Law is not magic and has unintended consequences. What happens when there is no guide to public domain information. Everyone has to do it for themselves and we are currently in need of an army of Willi Steiners for legal information. We need to go through every single piece of information, for captured and analysing.<br />
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<br />And finally 'freedom of the press'</h4>
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Newspapers write what people want to read. Being controversial loses readers. When people read something are they changed or better informed? What is the role of newspapers? Opinion and punditry is all on twitter. The challenge now for newspapers is explaining things, and sadly there is little original news reporting because of lack of investment in time. Investigations are expensive and lengthy. Few papers have a legal journalist and legal illiteracy is high because of the lack of training. There are now some good legal bloggers around and with access to legal information being better...the public can go to quality sources and circumvent politically biased rubbish. <br />
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<br />Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-91449758295301133642017-03-02T06:58:00.000+00:002017-06-12T10:35:02.364+01:00Content is dead! Long live content!This article was originally published on <a href="http://www.irisbriefings.co.uk/">Iris Briefings</a> but I feel strongly about the message it sends. When we create content, who are we trying to reach? Search engines or people?<br />
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A <a href="https://medium.com/@BenJudah/the-missed-opportunity-in-content-marketing-fba62b0e183e#.7f43x52tz">recent article</a> on content marketing got me thinking. As a qualified information professional it has always been my responsibility to get the right information to the right person and at the right price. My colleagues knew that if I sent them an article or document, they could rely on the quality of the content. Increasingly though, people researching online are being deluged with rehashed, badly written ‘junk articles’. I’m unsure whether this is the fault of a decreasing amount of discerning readership, or a rise of a new king: the search engine.</div>
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<br />The King is Dead; Long Live the King!</h2>
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The author pointed out, that even if content is not quite dead, ‘content is no longer king’. I am fully alive to the irony of writing a blog post about an article I’ve read online. But as he says, good conventional articles will always generate conversational interest without recourse to ‘broadcast advertising’. He highlights the current SEO obsession with linking and building connections. He concludes by saying that start-up businesses brave enough to blog about their ‘rough, intimate and personal’ lifecycle will reach more people.<br />
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I have been saying this for a long time. When people are writing about what they have learned through experience, their honesty and authenticity creates exceptional content. As I’ve been learning about advertising and web design, whilst refreshing networking and research skills, I’ve been left wondering what challenge will emerge next. This article has suggested it will be the fight to convince people to commission excellent content even as they are chasing SEO.</div>
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Alternative facts v alternative words</h2>
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This directly affects people like me who care about creating quality content. For many years I have watched once excellent ‘broadsheet’ news outlets create click bait. They increasingly mine Twitter for faux-outrage, whilst masking legitimate issues with easy to digest polarising sound bites. The more people who link back to this trash drives advertising revenue and gives credence to these sites. And even <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/08/wikipedia-bans-daily-mail-as-unreliable-source-for-website">Wikipedia</a> is now questioning certain newspaper sources. A revolution in journalism is due.<br />
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As the media and politicians clash over alternative facts, I’m more concerned about the rise of alternative words. When sites consisting of computer generated copy exist purely to impress algorithms, there is something really rotten happening to content. This material isn’t fit to be read, people don’t want to read it, and it ultimately degrades our collective intelligence. Taking these factors into consideration, it is no wonder that when a good article gets published, it goes viral.</div>
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Let’s have a quality conversation</h2>
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Ultimately the message to companies and individuals is quality. When I write for a company blog I want to get to the heart of what the company holds dear. For instance, if they are targeting a particular group of people, then blog posts should reflect and respect that business development strategy. If they are conveying a deep knowledge of a particular industry, then my research has to reflect this. Conversations online begin with an interest in your fellow human, so let’s do ourselves justice and make it rewarding. Together we can depose the search engine king of our own creating.</div>
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Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-72312534650190571042017-02-13T16:12:00.000+00:002017-02-13T16:12:12.804+00:00Lost found lost<i>Lost found lost<br /><br />In earth orange they lost their treasures<br />Small somethings across the stage<br />Socks, umbrellas, </i>slike<i>, stuffed dogs<br />As they lost their minds they found their breath. <br />To catch a body to hold aloft...<br /><br />In muted reds they found their voices<br />Large nothings beat deep inside<br />Fathers, emotions, limbs, virginity taken<br />And as they found their breath, they lost nothing. <br />To land a body with perfect poise...<br /><br />In fierce pinks they lost their breath<br />Many and all fighting hard<br />Metronomic, arrhythmic, moving lines<br />And one by one they noisily collapsed away <br />Fall falling body fallen lost. <br /><br />Lost found lost </i><div>
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Inspired by the <a href="http://www.janisbrenner.com/">Janis Brenner & Dancers </a>Concert of Dance, Voice and Music presented by the Sarajevo Winter Festival 2017 'Silk Road Art' National Theatre, Sarajevo, Friday 10th February 2017.</div>
Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-34742075524565022382017-01-14T17:49:00.000+00:002017-01-14T17:49:04.953+00:00A Human View of Current Awareness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://irisbriefings.co.uk/about/">Current awareness</a> has been on my mind recently as I begin the New Year. Most people pick up a free newspaper on the train or bus, or listen to the radio, and it's apparent than many rely on Facebook. Not the highest quality or most reliable sources. <br />
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High quality current awareness services are only available to professionals. It’s normally provided by in-house information specialists to scholars, lawyers, doctors and others. But in my view, everyone is entitled to quality low cost alerts from a trustworthy curator.<a name='more'></a><br /><br /><strong>How much time have you got?</strong><br /><br />
Information professionals use many methods to keep their clients and customers up to date. I use RSS feeds, email alerts, government, and newspaper websites to bring everything together for you. Sifting through the information takes time. For instance if you are assiduous, you can sift through numerous email alerts in in-boxes already brimming with unread items. You may have set up lists on Twitter, check Google News, look at Newsmap, or set up RSS feeds.<br />
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<strong>Google News</strong><br />
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If you want a quick view of what is going on in the world, Google News is an option. It provides comprehensive up-to-date news coverage, aggregated from sources all over the world. But the service is only as good as the news they include. Stories from the Daily Mail shouldn't appear in any news service but there they are. There are suspicions that the algorithms behind the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/16/google-autocomplete-rightwing-bias-algorithm-political-propaganda">search engine</a> are biased. So in combination, I'm cautious. <br />
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<strong>Newsmap</strong><br />
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<a href="http://newsmap.jp/#/b,e,m,n,s,t,w/uk/view/">Newsmap</a> has been around for some time too. However in a textual world, it is refreshing to see colour and pattern. It is a visually pleasing news aggregation tool that organises news stories, by popularity and volume of reporting. So you can instantly see what is going on and how much coverage it's receiving. You can select which topics and countries you want to see by ticking and unticking the boxes. <br />
<br /><strong>RSS feeds</strong><br /><br />RSS (really simple syndication) is not a new technology and has been around for ages. There has been a suggestion that it is declining in popularity. For instance certain sites have reduced or removed support for the service. Some previously popular readers such as Google Reader have been discontinued but they are widely supported elsewhere. Without getting too technical, certain browsers – Explorer – include RSS support, whilst Chrome doesn’t.<br /><br />However I’ve found that many news publishers continue to produce efficient RSS feeds. This is the perfect solution for many current awareness service issues. I’ve found that <a href="http://www.netvibes.com/en">Netvibes</a> works well because it is flexible and easy to use. I gather the majority of my feeds in one place so I can identify relevant stories quickly and efficiently for you.<br />
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As an information professional, my primary aim is to find ways of identifying reliable<a href="http://irisbriefings.co.uk/"> current awareness</a>. So let me start hand curating news for you. I want to prove that this kind of service is not just for companies, universities, and other professional services. Get in touch with Iris Briefings to find out more.Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-517238684229868852017-01-11T21:43:00.001+00:002017-01-11T21:46:20.092+00:00Constellation London<div><i><br>
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<div><i>Even the methodically moving moon takes on a deceptive speed</i></div>
<div><i>As seen from the small windows of this metal and plastic conveyance. </i></div>
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<div><i>As its crisp flashing harasses the dark lakes below, the benevolent moonlight</i></div>
<div><i>Competes with earthy sodium glow and wins in its startling blinding whiteness. </i></div>
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<div><i>Moonlit clouds quickly obscure the city and in cruel stargazing reversal</i></div>
<div><i>Eyes search the ground below for familiar constellations of motorway. </i></div>
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<div><i>In this topsy-turvey corruption of the heavens, glowing grey gaps appear </i></div>
<div><i>Forming a jigsaw of the universe below, Becoming more complete as we climb. </i></div>
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<div><i>Normality returns. Moon recovers its extreme speed, needing no illusion</i></div>
<div><i>To impress o<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">ur flight's feeble </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">flash. Indiscernible against the street stars. </span></i></div>
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<div><i>But for that split second between land and cloud, our disinterested </i></div>
<div><i>Satellight overshadowed our city's artificial Big Bang of travelling light. </i></div>Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-26417896835731573272016-10-28T21:10:00.000+01:002016-10-28T21:10:01.872+01:00Dark and terrible: Beyond CaravaggioMany high profile reviews of Beyond Caravaggio have criticised it because it only contains six works by the master himself. However as the exhibition title makes perfectly plain, it is looking <i>beyond</i> Caravaggio. The stress is clearly on the word 'beyond'. It aims to examine his legacy, critique his followers, and put him into a wider context. Given his mastery over story telling, he deserves to have his own place in the art history story, as the quality of those incredible six pieces demonstrate. <a name='more'></a><div>
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The understated lighting and relatively dark walls of the first room set the moody and uneasy tone of the exhibition. Some reviewers have suggested the layout and dimness is soothing, but I disagree, and in any case, the paintings are anything but. His autobiography is well known; quick tempered, prone to brawling, murky associations, murderous in his cups and yet revolutionary in his experimental use of light and painting directly from life. This duality is immediately apparent in the themes of the first few paintings; duplicity, ambiguity, tension, seeming innocents being fleeced, the subjects are perhaps distasteful. However some of the portrait eye lines, cropping, angles offer a destabilising view of the world which is entirely modern, whilst incorporating some of the early modern symbolism. Although the wine and fruit that Caravaggio paints suggests exactly that, wine and fruit, <i>not</i> a symbol of classical bacchanalia, or anything religious. </div>
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Religion is introduced in the second room, and again there is no need for any specialist knowledge of obscure symbolism or looking for hidden meanings. The dark, human side of religion has bubbled up to the surface like an ugly anger. Where early modern paintings previously have suggested a repressed guilt or anxiety, it has finally burst out uncontrollably on to the canvas. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Taking_of_Christ_(Caravaggio)">Taking of Christ </a>(c1602) is dripping with dark emotion; ferocity, treachery, betrayal, aggression, and deep sorrow. The drama unfolds around the picture, and you can almost imagine it as a scene from a film. And yet these images are not remote and cinematographic, they invade our space with daggers aimed at us, and they blur the boundaries of their - and our - space. Indeed, given the artist appears in this painting as a lantern bearer, it suggests that we are complicit revealing Christ to the soldiers.</div>
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Waldemar Januszczak suggested that prior to his appearance, altar pieces, private devotional images and other religious commissions were other worldly, events which happened 'in the clouds'. He brought religion back to earth; saints with dirty feet, apostles in contemporary bars, sulky and brooding youths. They were normal flawed people that you could walk past on the street right now. They did not have the unearthly glow, or the delicate saintliness of previous imaginings. Whether the church was waiting for a Caravaggio, or Caravaggio would have succeeded regardless is a moot point, but his new realistic way of seeing the world coincided with a seismic change in the Catholic church. It's artistic reaction to the Protestant reformation was to create simple, direct, and emotionally appealing images. You needed no education to understand the stories which Caravaggio effortlessly retold, merely faith. The standout emotional piece is by a little known artist Lo Spadarino. ‘<a href="http://blog.wellcomelibrary.org/2010/02/behold-the-man-a-painting-in-perth/">Christ's wounds</a>’ naturalistic intensity is heartbreaking.</div>
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However there is a problem. Simple, direct and emotionally appealing is extremely easy to request, and yet difficult to carry off as easily as he did. As this exhibition confirms, there was a dearth of artists who could produce art under these new church constraints. This is partly why so many artists of this period are unknown and even when they were working with non-sacred topics, they still struggled to capture the essence of what made Caravaggio so great. As a result, with a few exceptions, his six paintings overshadow everything else in the exhibition. Not only are there some truly terrible paintings on display, but there are also some incongruous inclusions. </div>
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Strangely the best and worst are in the same room. Terrible sleeping and grinning cupids sit opposite the wonderfully angry 'Susanna and the Elders' by Artemisia Gentileschi. Whether this a deliberate piece of curating to highlight the master versus jobbing artist, or simply careless placing, it heightens the dramatic tension introduced so effectively in the first room. It makes you very uncomfortable. The tiny reproductions of the cupids that 'inspired' these cutesy travesties just make me groan to see the stunning originals, Amor Victorious (1602) and Sleeping Cupid (1608). </div>
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One of the other reasons that many of these artists are unknown is because this caravaggesque style fell out of fashion and they wound up in smaller UK collections which have not have the same levels of exposure. From Hertfordshire to Perth, Stamford to Birmingham, clearly there have been many fruitful discussions. I wonder what else might emerge from these talks in future exhibitions? The quality of what is being shown is variable, and some which are stunning are perhaps not suited to the theme of the show. Orazio Gentileschi's '<a href="http://www.bmagic.org.uk/objects/1947P5">Rest on the flight into Egypt</a>' is peacefully and enigmatically introspective, totally at odds with the dark mood, but I'm glad it's being seen outside Birmingham. The tension is partly released with the stillness of the sleeping Joseph, and the light of the feeding Christ. </div>
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At least the picture fitted in with the religious images around it. In room 5 which looked at Caravaggio's influence in Naples, there was a scene of gaming which was more suited to the earlier rooms. Amongst the contemplative Riberas, with his skill in depicting light on flesh, it was incongruous. Torture, martyrdom, flaying, these graphic pictures allowed these artists to explore the darkest crevices of the human psyche. Painting from life - or death by hanging in this case - introduces a new dimension of dark caravaggesque horror. As you entered into the next to last room, screams of saints turned into the sounds of small intimate musical gatherings taking place in dark corners.</div>
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The final large room brought together one final collection of oddities. The picture that I couldn't leave was Honthorst's '<a href="https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/gerrit-van-honthorst-christ-before-the-high-priest">Christ before the high priest</a>' (c1617) which is vast in its golden warmth and subtlety. The story is conveyed with such humanity and simplicity that the only thing it has in common with Caravaggio is the unusual lighting effects. And some in this room are just horrible, for example Dirck van Baburen '<a href="https://media.timeout.com/images/103576464/image.jpg">Wine Flask</a>' (1620). Ultimately they shouldn't have put anything in with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Baptist_(Caravaggio)#/media/File:Michelangelo_Merisi,_called_Caravaggio_-_Saint_John_the_Baptist_in_the_Wilderness_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg">Caravaggio's John the Baptist </a> which is breathtakingly erotic.</div>
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The National Gallery concludes that Caravaggio was important because of his use of live models and dramatic light effects but his greatest legacy was how good he was at story telling. This is why many of the paintings are pale imitations, he told familiar stories in new ways, took risks and blurred lines between sacred and profane. Some of the poor examples of his followers we see here show how unique he was. This is partly why I think this caravaggesque style fell out of favour and indeed, I can't help thinking that it was due to the weakness of his followers that it took 300 years for his reputation to be restored. The gallery also says he is unforgettable because of his imagery, inventiveness and astonishing modernity. Sadly I wonder if the images of erotica, brutality and inhumanity that we see in the media is what makes him seem so modern. The violent heart of his art is shocking in its intensity, and perhaps reminds us of our own capacity for violence. </div>
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Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-18308933468490323612016-08-08T22:53:00.000+01:002016-08-08T22:53:34.217+01:00Waiting with Magda Mozarka<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Waiting. We sit on the island content to wait. Waiting weeks for the moon to be in the right quarter so we can fish. Waiting months for the fruits to ripen so we can start the harvest. Waiting hours for the heat to pass so we can work. Waiting for the time we can leave this island for provisions...the inevitable slow but steady natural clockwork marking time. An hour hand of ferries offering a smaller human scale to the wait. Just waiting. When waiting is part of a culture, patience and acceptance almost to the point of madness is inevitable. <a name='more'></a></div>
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I heard a storm rolling in the other afternoon; clattering dry leaves sweeping in through my open doors announcing the wind. I immediately felt the need to leave the darkening of my kitchen to wander out into the swirl of brown dust that was the usually green village square. Marija was sat in her usual spot waiting for canoe customers but given the choppiness of the sea, there were sensibly no takers. We sat with the olive oil lady and chatted, eventually deciding that a drink and better storm vantage point would be a good way to pass the time. We initially clambered up the harbour wall, but as the rain started to plop down fatly, we ran for the bus stop. </div>
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We sat in companionable silence enjoying the sensations of the storm, then she joked, 'when is the next bus?' It's a joke because this is the stop without buses; time stands still and time isn't tabled. The modern covered shelter instead provides a gossip stop for locals during the evening, a convenient place for visitors to fish out cameras and sun hats, and on the night of festivals, the young canoodle in plexiglas privacy. So we waited and laughed at the idea of installing a London type electronic display. 277, 323, D7, D3... All my old buses taking an eternity to arrive. And still we waited. </div>
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An eternity of waiting is a central motif in much of the art I've seen here. Most recently there was an exhibition in Split and the opening <a href="http://sub.festival-cannes.fr/SfcCatalogue/MovieDetail/e1e4c518-f563-482d-9001-576e14eaf89d">short feature film in Šipanska Luka's film festival</a>. Against this, the <a href="http://olafureliasson.net/archive/artwork/WEK100727/your-black-horizon">Your Black Horizon</a> light installation on Lopud takes on a new significance, especially on <a href="http://renaissanceutterances.blogspot.hr/2013/07/your-black-horizon.html">second viewing</a>. The viewer waits for an accelerated dawn-dusk rhythm in the horizontal line of colour. Instead of observing the impact of time on others, you experience the profound emotional change caused by the perception of moving time with the familiar pattern of natural light. </div>
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The exhibition of Renata Poljak's <a href="http://www.galum.hr/en/exhibitions/exibition/1455/">'An Ordinary Life'</a> is about the women of Brač in the contemporary gallery in Split. She reimagined and reenacted the psychological effects and inner turmoil of the wives, girlfriends, daughters and mothers waiting for their men to return from Chile. These men had fled the hardship of island life to create a new life for their families overseas, and with bags packed, the women waited for their own escape. Although some were lucky, many women were left behind, permanently questioning, permanently waiting, some with tragic mental consequences. The most powerful aspect of this artistic examination was the monumental aspect of the women; timelessly immobile against the elements, like Easter Island statues. </div>
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The short film '<span class="_2wma _4bgw">Magda Mozarka'</span> also had waiting at its heart. A fragile young woman caring for her sick mother awaits news from her fiancé overseas. Her mother seems to wait patiently for death, just as Magda waits for her life to truly start. The rituals marking time seem only to highlight the inevitable futility of her patience. By the final heart wrenching scene, you are wondering about the dark rotten state underlying the seemingly idyllic existence she skipped through earlier in the film. If the confident abundance of hope sent her daily and pointlessly to the jetty for eighty years, ultimately what was her wait for? What was the point of her life? This leads to questions regarding her state of mind, but also our own. </div>
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Part of my discontent with London life was connected with waiting. Or at least the increasing inability for me or anyone else to wait; for transport, in any type of queue, for endless scrolling information, for meaningful emotional connections. City dwellers are obsessed by the need for instant gratification in every aspect of their lives. When they are expected to act with reasonable patience, they revert to ill behaved toddlers, leading to raised stress levels and ugly behaviour. </div>
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A way of life dependent on waiting for seasonal rhythms, for long distance deliveries, for wifi data, with occasional storms which implacably interrupt human schedules, holds a certain charm in the face of modern impatience. Especially when whatever it is they 'need to have' immediately goes nowhere to alleviate their fathomless desire. With this mind, the waiting of Magda, and the women takes on a new significance. In their endless cycle of unfulfilled anticipation they have actually experienced more hope and optimism in those seemingly pointless waiting years, than unhappy and similarly emotionally unfulfilled people getting everything in their 'have it now' modern world. Who are the insane ones here now? </div>
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And still I wait. I'm waiting for my directional epiphany in this year away. As I sit on the village harbour wall and wait with increasing acceptance, it's slowly dawning on me that perhaps waiting is my answer. To wait is to ultimately be able reconcile peace and discontentment, resulting in endless anticipation and hope. And in the meantime I'm waiting for dinner with Magda's jetty in my sight. She is not there anymore; like the storm, her wait is over. <br /><br /><br /></div>
Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-15881816935692569302016-08-03T18:42:00.001+01:002016-08-06T12:56:17.614+01:00The Boat Road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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How do you view the world when you're five years old? How much of that youthful <em>joie de vivre</em> do you - and can you - retain as you hit middle age? Having rarely spent so much time with a young gentleman it's been an interesting couple of weeks, and in some crazy irresponsible ways, it seems I have more in common with my young nephew than my younger brother. </div>
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This is not meant as any kind of criticism of my brother. Indeed I adore him and he is an inspiration to me; he's a parent, a carer, a survivor of a very different and difficult upbringing in comparison to mine. Those six years between us might as well as be sixty. But as my exhausted adult friend and family nodded off on the final stretch of their journey, the inevitable result of an early flight, me and my nephew bonded on the ferry ride back to mine.<br />
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Good ship Postira is a fascinating place for both a 5 and 42 year old. We climbed down the steep front stairs, and passed all the wilting shopping bags; we waved at the man making sandwiches; we went round to the back where they were playing cards and drinking beer; then went back upstairs to giggle naughtily at the comedically nodding adults. We snook under the chain and up the front steps to peep at the Captain on the bridge. Then went down the back stairs to discover a porthole / portal to another watery world. </div>
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He discovered that from his shorter perspective this round window was a most exciting place to sit, cross legged. He realised that if he reached out, the bar which protects the propeller below, rhythmically catches the foamy surf and sends water splashing up. The rainbow droplets turned to salty crystals on little hands. It was also a grandstand view for the swirling vortices of minty turquoise cream formed when pulling in and out of ports. The sense of wonder on his face when the old propeller spun and revved... and his questions tested my limited engine knowledge.</div>
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Then it struck him. For a car obsessed curious mind, he made sense of our progress through the water by looking behind us, and our long lasting wake became a boat road. This regular reliable little ship is the island's water bus so this makes perfect sense. However it wasn't until we took a trip to Kotor that the notion of a boat road was truly realised; the car ferry there was a watery continuation of the tarmac.</div>
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From 9am-9pm, provided there was a ready supply of ham sarnies and bananas, a patient human Wikipedia had to answer questions on everything from theology (did God create the rainbow?) to time (does time in Croatia run differently from home because he lost an hour?), and natural history (why do the cheeky crabs keep running away?). </div>
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As his confidence in his new surroundings grew, I admired youthful adaptability and flexibility. Despite a size disadvantage, he took to paddle boarding when we were all adultly wobbly, he danced liked there was an arena of people watching, and swam and dived with fearless strength. It was due to him that on the last night, instead of a gentle stroll, we all ended up in the sea in inappropriate swimwear. We floated blissfully on the inky black water pointing at the various constellations. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NO - you're upside down</td></tr>
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There are limitations and downsides to being 5 years old apparently, 'life is difficult and unfair'. He's right, but we need to retain the endless questioning and quest to understand the world around us. We all need a hand to hold and music to dance to. With a little encouragement, we should all live without fear of trying anything new, and to never disregard unusual or forgotten perspectives. And we should all giggle endlessly at the word knickers. </div>
Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812234211018816383.post-30089760924983983392016-07-29T15:59:00.000+01:002016-07-29T15:59:45.049+01:00Hospitality: Or, what makes a room a home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is hopefully part of a longer piece generally, but I thought it would be a positive way to embark on this Friday blog challenge. Since I've been heavily reliant on short term accommodation during my time abroad, excellence in hospitality has been on my mind for a while.</div>
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My journey began in February. So I could start my year in Croatia in style, my friend and I took a <a href="http://contrarytowers.blogspot.hr/2016/02/a-very-contrary-roadtrip.html">road trip</a> through France and Italy for a week. As we headed south to Ancona, we purposefully stayed in a wide variety of places; from a family owned medieval Italian palazzo, a 1920s spa town grand hotel of faded grandeur, as well as a hysterically 1980s orange hotel room somewhere near Montpellier. Most of these were memorable because of the freedom and fun of travelling, and excitement of not knowing what to expect from our temporary residences. <a name='more'></a></div>
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To be fair, we were so enamoured of the palazzo and our hosts we lost a day of our road trip and stayed an extra night there.</div>
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As a flavour of some of the places I've stayed since arriving in Croatia, there was a little stone cottage in Split, beautiful modern apartments in Sarajevo and Ubli on Lastovo. Then more recently, there was a simple room above a restaurant in Pomena, and finally the riad style island paradise from where I am currently writing. A brief visit last week from my erstwhile travelling companion and her experiences in a place across the way got me thinking what makes a roof over one's head, a home.</div>
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It is simple. The answer is people. The assistance with shopping logistics on Lastovo, the plate of homemade goodies in Split, or the immediate friendly beers in the Old Mill on Sipan - everyone in my varied Croatian homes has greeted me with smiling warmth. Even the harassed waiter on Mljet with his hasty welcome, later made up for it with a free evening meal when my ferry was cancelled due to a massive storm. Unbelievably kind. As a result I've rarely felt like a paying guest, but a long lost friend.</div>
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When I see the lengths that my friends who work in the hospitality industry go to in their efforts, it makes me realise how much time and emotional energy they invest in ensuring their guests have a good time. Many of these people are providing admittedly 'boutique' service, but even the couple of cheaper corporate places on the road trip were memorable because of the friendly efficiency of staff. Given I'm not really one for posh soap and Egyptian cotton sheets, I tend to judge a place by its people.</div>
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In contrast, last week my friend experienced a slightly off-hand response from her host and his staff, and it coloured her stay. There was nothing wrong with the place and it was good value, but nonetheless, she won't stay there again and neither will she recommend it because of the surly waitress. Never mind the importance of online reputation and five star reviews, when your livelihood depends on guests, especially in a place where the norm is open friendliness, her experience saddened me. </div>
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I'm sure that books have been written about on the subject of making guests happy, and what differentiates the good from the excellent. Cleanliness, location, amenities are all important, but ultimately you cannot underestimate the value of genuine friendship between host and guest. It takes effort. And if you're on the other side as the guest, you have an obligation to respond in kind. Your hosts are people too!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>
Clareangelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01101039129856260435noreply@blogger.com0