A new podcast has hit the library scene called
Thinks and Burns with Fink and Byrne.
It’s a library technology focused podcast hosted by the delightfully
quirky John Fink of McMaster University, and Gillian Byrne from Ryerson
University. Apparently the pair has
threatened the library world with podcast promises in the past, and Episode 00 / pilot delivers.
They
open up with some testing and laughing – this is an unedited pilot,
after all – and about 10 minutes in the meat starts. The pilot episode
touches on cataloguing and ILS issues,
questions about the kinks in library education and new librarianship,
and the role of liaison librarians. One piece that really stuck with me
was the conversation surrounding library schools teaching to tools
instead of teaching concepts, which is a practice
that Fink states is lazy. Byrne also talks about mobility in finding
work right after library school, and the problematic expectation for new
graduates to upheave their lives to take good jobs far away from where
they have established their lives. I think
this is a topic that a lot of transplanted librarians in Calgary will
be able to relate to. Finally, the pair moves on to talk about
expectations of liaison librarians, which is a topic that is so hot it can put
the proverbial dragon on retirement.
Do
you think this is a lot of topics for a one-hour podcast? The pair sort
of agrees, and makes mention of the wealth of topics they touch on in
the pilot. I think the conversation was
fluid and seamless, so the breadth of content wasn’t overwhelming.
You
should really listen to the podcast! The language and content is
accessible to technologists and non-technologists alike, and had a
jovial, fun flavor that is incredibly engaging.
You can find Thinks and Burns on Twitter @thinksandburns, and online at
thinksandburns.info.
Author
Catelynne Sahadath (@metacatie) is the interim Head of Metadata Development at the University of Calgary. She currently serves as the FLA’s Member-At-Large.
No comments:
Post a Comment