Smartphones again - Love at First Touch

Ever since I attended the m-libraries workshop in January, I have been mulling over the potential benefits of a smartphone.   The December quarter issue of Exporter Magazine p.13 has an article by Mary McKinven in which she gets some feedback from users on the Blackberry versus the iPhone.  New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser uses a Blackberry!

Two of her key points were:

• the iPhone is simple to use and is like a personal assistant
• the Blackberry fits nicely into a suit jacket pocket

Well since then we have had the launch of iPad which from what i can gather it does not fit into a suit jacket pocket.   Has any one out there who reads this blog, bought an iPad?  Care to share your thoughts?   They  aren't available in New Zealand yet so any advice on how you are using your iPad, and how you are finding it  would be great.

The Internet in New Zealand 2009

The World Internet Project New Zealand Team has published its reports on The Internet in New Zealand 2009.   You can find the full report and an Executive Summary at the AUT website:

http://www.aut.ac.nz/research/research-institutes/icdc/projects/world-internet-project

As most of us are aware from the what is happening in our information services, the Internet is rated very highly as an information source.  In this report the Internet comes out on top as the most important information source in New Zealand in 2009:  65% rated the internet as important whereas libraries rated only 45% .  Libraries were less important than TVand newspapers.   I guess it highlights our role in making sure that the internet sources our clients use are the best!

The World site is to be found at: http://www.worldinternetproject.net/ so you can check reports for other countries.   It could be useful for the marketing department as well.

Export strategies

Export strategy documents are often hard to find especially on national governement websites.  Today I located one for a single industry: the Textile Industry in New Zealand. .  Therefore I thought it was worth sharing.   It includes a SWOT analysis and an implementation plan.  It doesn't include too many dates however and I can only conclude that because the website is current that the strategy is also current.

It is entitled Natural Fibre Export Strategy and you can find it at:

http://www.textilesnz.org.nz/sitedocs/keyactivities/marketdev.aspx

Your international trade department might find it useful!

By the way Happy Easter to all readers of this blog wherever you are!

Aokautere Park, Autumn 2010

Having posted a photo of fungi growing on a tree in the grounds of Aokautere Park outside the New Zealand School of Export in June 2008, I couldn't resist taking a photo of this one:

Different tree, different fungi and earlier in the year!   March 2010.

Joann Ransom - Congratulations

The American Library Association has honoured Joann Ransom of the Horowhenua Library Trust (New Zealand) as one of the Movers and Shakers for 2010. This is the first time a New Zealander has ever been nominated. Joann is the inspiration behind Kete Horowhenua, software which has been picked up and used by hundreds of libraries in New Zealand and around the world. For the full story go to The Library Journal.com at:

http://www.libraryjournal.com/MS2010Inductee/2140493436.html

When I attended the VALA 2008 Conference Joann spoke about Kete and Kete Horowhenua.   It was very inspiring and it sparked in my mind the possibility of having an Export Kete, or an New Zealand Trade Kete.   There is so much information available about our export/import trade out there which needs to be brought together so that it can be used in the future.  When our exporters go into their markets they must have heaps of prepared resources and information about their products, photos of their company premises and factories - all of which could go into a Kete.  And then there are the interviews and reminiscences that could be recorded from exporters.

Hopefully some of this information is being kept in company archives and going into local and national repositories for safe-keeping.  

Not far from the School are the buildings which remain from the East Fitzherbert Dairy Factory located at the turnoff to the Pahiatua Track.   Perhaps that could be a starting point...

By the way the link to the Horowhenua Kete is: http://horowhenua.kete.net.nz/

From Library Automation to Library 2.0...

Paul Sutherland's paper presented at VALA2010 is worth reading for anyone trying to come to terms with Web 2.0 and Library 2.0  in the international trade environmen, even although it foucuses on the experience that he has been a part of at the Christchurch (N.Z.) City Libraries.   Paul is the Digital Innovation Librarian at CCL and a frequent contributor to nzlibs.

If you were only to look at the ground rules for blogging on p.7 and the bullet-pointed strategy for Web 2.0 on p.17 it would be useful.

Here is the record from the New Zealand School of Export catalogue:
http://ets.kohalibrary.com/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=629

Historical Trade Stats for New Zealand - BLUE Books

Yes this is a Blue Book - in fact the Blue Book for New Zealand for the year 1842.   Archives New Zealand have digitised the 23 books of national statistics for the period 1840-1855.   They are known as blue books because of the colour of their covers (most are blue!) and they contain statistical information including trade.  They take a while to download but be patient - they contain some fascinating handwritten information.

Photo: Archives New Zealand | Te Rua Mahara o te Kawanatanga