Hello!
My name is Liz and I'm in the final stages of a Masters degree (Master of Learning Innovation, through QUT) that has prepared me for life as a librarian. This blog will be a critical reflection of the professional practice I have undertaken during the course of my studies and is a necessary component for final graduation. I decided to present it in the form of a blog because a large part of my studies has been focused on the provision of cyber-learning experiences so it seems to be in keeping with the spirit of the course.
On a side note, the name of the blog - Channelling Giles - was chosen because I'm a bit of a fan of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and an important character in that show was Rupert Giles, the librarian at Sunnydale highschool. Giles is an interesting character because he's a funny mix of old and new; part stuffy old-school librarian who believes in the sanctity of bound texts and the written word but still cool enough to be fully accepted by teenage Buffy and her friends. One might wish he were a little more accepting of new technologies and not refer to computers as 'dread machines' (BTVS 1.02 - The Harvest), but still...
Giles has been described having "done more for the image of the profession than anything in the past fifty years... Giles, this wily and attractive professional, is our hero librarian: a pop culture idol whose love of books and devotion to research hold the key to saving the universe - every week." (DeCandido, 2001, Rupert Giles and Search Tools for Wisdom in Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
