Content Creation! Thursday, Mar 26 2009 

You may have already noticed the Content Creation Pod on the renovation plans for the library building in Richmond. The Pod is still in the early planning stages at the moment. Here is a brief outline of what’s already planned for the room. If you have any great ideas for the pod, or how it can be used, or if you have any questions please contact the steering committee – Helen McCubbin, Chrissie Naughton or Louise Gribbon.

So what is the Content Creation Pod ?
Basically the Content Creation Pod is a dedicated room full of high tech equipment and facilities that customers (and staff) can use to compose, create, capture and record digital materials.
Possible uses for the room?
 Recording digital audio – recording music, song and oral histories (bring your guitar along and lay down a track)

Creating digital video-recordings – make your own short film, make a multimedia biography of your life, or film a job interview

Digitisation (digital scanning) of print based materials – such as the digitisation of the Bint and Waimea South photographic collections

Format shifting – conversion of old video and analogue audio recordings to digital based media.

Post-production editing, re-mixing and finishing of digital recordings

Computer aided creation – using programmes such as Komposer (music creation) to create new digital materials, including cartoons & art works!

To be used for library programmes such as children and young adults workshops and after school programmes, and programmes for adults & various community groups – fun stuff and “serious” stuff like one on one staff training, web 2.0 stuff, etc.

(The room will be flexible enough to enable it to be used for other library activities as well)

Who’s going to use it?
   Community groups & organisations, e.g. Genealogy & historical societies who want to digitise their resources.

Individuals and family groups wanting to digitise or publish their family photos and records such as birth certificate & family histories

Students needing the facilities and technologies for their studies. e.g. students who want to make an audio recording or digital video as part of their assignments.

Children and Young Adults – there is unlimited potential to use the room to run programmes targeting children and young adults

Staff would also use the facilities for digitisation and various work and study related projects such as the production of staff training or library publicity materials, as well as digitising our heritage resources……

What are the District wide benefits of the pod?

The emphasis is on the pod being a District facility, so even though it’s technically based in Richmond it needs to be useful to and accessible by the communities throughout the district. If you have any good ideas for this please let us know!

What’s next?

Some of the plans for the Pod are dependant on us obtaining the necessary funding and the appropriate technologies. A few weeks ago we applied to APN for a digital scanner and Kete, we are still waiting to hear back, but if we are successful (which is very likely) we will have enough equipment to start some of our plans – then we’ll just need the room to put it in!

 

 

Richmond library workroom Sunday, Aug 10 2008 

Now  the newly created Assistant Librarian position has been filled by Louise,  we will be advertising for a new circulation/cutomer services library assistant.  In order to ensure that we have a work space for everyone – we will be shifting quite a number of staff around at the end of this week.  We’ve looked at a number of options and have now got a plan which will accomodate everyone reasonably comfortably for the next 11 months while the building project is on. 

We will do most of the shifting round on friday evening this week.  The phones should all be adjusted on Monday morning  with luck. 

We will also be advertising for the position of Collections librarian this week.

Nicki Moen Wednesday, Jul 30 2008 

Well – the staff at Richmond Library have spent 3 days with Nicki Moen brainstorming and thinking strategically about the development of the Richmond library.  We’ve had a really productive time working with Nicki.  Lots of people have been commenting on how energising the discussions have been.

Nicki will be working on the document over the next 10 days getting it ready to go to the architects.   We’ll be interacting with Nicki by email and phone as she works on the plan

Exciting!