During the New Librarians Symposium in Canberra, ALIA Students and New Graduates Group were busy meeting all of the Humans of NLS8 and sharing them with everyone via our ALIA Students and New Graduates Group Instagram account. Check out the Humans of NLS8 that we managed to meet and find out all about them.

Meet Michael Hawks [@mikeyh177] our first #HONLS8 who we interviewed over breakfast ☕️ Where have you come from? 🎶where did you go? Where did you come from Cotton Eye Joe🎶 But seriously, I’m originally from Perth but have spent the last three & a bit years in #Brisbane.

What are looking forward to at #NLS8?

@netty_mess 😍 Also seeing other guys too [other LIS students & graduates]. Also what other GLAMRzons have put together. Plus my own workshop #librariansanddragons with @_its_levioosa make sure to check it out on Sunday #plugging what their ideas & thoughts are for the future of the industry.

What pop culture character do you think would make a good librarian?

Kermit the Frog 🐸 because he has a Doctorate of Amphibious Letters (and if that doesn’t qualify for membership to ALIA, then I don’t know what will…), he is #inquisitive, #innovative, a natural born leader & is great at bringing together a ragtag group of misfits to follow their dreams! #sngg #alia #alia80 #GLAMR#coffeechats

Meet James! He is a regional Coordinator for #ALIASNGG and a #HONLS8. Here is more about James in his own words: I hail from Adelaide and work as a Graduate Library Officer (GLO) at University of South Australia. A DIY career means to me that I have to put in the work to develop ny skills. This also means understanding what my weaknesses are and finding ways to fill those skill gaps. What excites me the most about starting a GLAM career is that I finally feel at home. Libraries are where I want to be and I’m so happy to be part of NLS8! #nls8 #sngg#ALIA #ALIA80

Our next #HONLS8 is Anna Rubinowski, National Co-convenor of ALIA SNGG.Here is a little more from Anna: Where have you come from? I’m currently living in Melbourne, where I have lived for the last few years after leaving Germany to do my Master of Information Management in Melbourne. Networking tips? I’m an introvert at heart, but there is lots of us introverts at the conference! Just start by asking someone where they are from, what they are currently doing, and it will go from there. If that’s not working for you, look out for someone with an ALIA SNGG badge – they are part of the ALIA Students & New Graduates Group and will happily introduce you to someone. Favourite item from the NLS8 pack? The ALIA SNGG bookmarks of course! If NLS8 was an ice cream flavor what would it be and why? Salted caramel – GLAMR people are all so different and should not get along so well, but NLS8 shows us that together we are great! #ALIA80 #ALIA #sngg #nls8

Our next #HONLS8 Tracey Allen [@traceymaree83] one of our delegates! Why did you choose to pursue a career in #GLAM? I knew that my position as a nanny wouldn’t last forever and so I looked into future proof careers and as “Information is power” I started my journey to become an Information Professional. What is your favourite #book and why would you recommend it to people? My favourite book is Jane Eyre. Jane went through so much in her life and yet she never gave up. She was also a #Governess (the original #nanny).Do you think #librarians have one common personality trait? Yes, we’re all very encouraging people. What do you like about attending #conferences? Getting to know more library peeps and learning new #skills and #techniques #HONLS8 #NLS8 #sngg #alia80 #nannyturnedlibrarian #meettracey

Our first #honls8 for the morning is Stephanie Simon. Steph and Wayne are presenting today in the Ferguson room on Transforming the library’s fixed service point to proactive virtual services. Here is what Steph had to say: Where have you come from? Adelaide, University of South Australia. Why did you choose to pursue a career in GLAM? I started working casually in libraries during my undergrad degree, I loved it and decided that was where I wanted to build my career. Which pop-culture character do you think would be a good librarian? Wonder Woman as she wields the Lasso of Truth. That would be handy for a Librarian #nls8 #sngg #alia

Our next #HONLS8 is Emily Wilson who works at the State Library of South Australia and is the State Manager for ALIA SA (its also her birthday today). Here is what she had to say. Where have you come from? Adelaide. City of Champions. Favourite item in the swag bag? Bookmarks. Love a good bookmark. D.I.Y Tip? Read widely, think critically and challenge yourself. #nls8 #sngg#alia

Kimberley Dye is our next #HONLS8 Kimberley works at the State Library of South Australia. Favourite book? Killing Joke by Alan Moore. Which pop-culture character would make a good librarian ? Batgirl/oracle as she is already a librarian and would make a great digital curator. Biggest fear about starting a GLAM career ? For me its about there not being enough jobs for new librarians. Kimberley is presenting today on increasing digital preservation skills in libraries. #nls8 #sngg #alia #alia80 #aliasngg

Meet Elizabeth one of the committee members our next #HONLS8. Here is what she had to say: I work in a drama school and my fave classic play is The Tempest by Shakespeare. I like it so much I tattooed the DDC number for it on my arm! Yes I’m a nerd. DIY career to me means working together, pulling up other people behind you – like our ILN keynotes said this morning, do it together! My DIY tip for new librarians is – give it a go. You’ll never never know if you never never give it a go… #nls8 #alia #sngg

Our next #HONLS8 is the lovely Clare, a home-town Canberra girl! Here is a bit more about Clare, in her own words: I think librarians are curious. About people and information, we see this as a puzzle to be solved, not a scary challenge. And that’s why I like libraries, I love research, but in libraries I get to combine that with helping people, which is brilliant (especially as it avoids sales targets I had in previous jobs). At #nls8 I’m hoping to meet people, give out my business cards (I forget too!), and find inspiring to find a new (hopefully but not necessarily) library job! #nls8 #ALIA #ALIASNGG #ALIA80

Have you met Nathan? He’s our next #HONLS8. Here is a bit more about Nathan, in his own words: I’m Wiradjuri man, I work at the Australian Museum in First Nations programming, but have a library degree (finished my last assignment a few weeks ago). My goal in GLAM is to provide and promote access to to the First Nations cultural heritage in memory institutions to First Nations communities through outreach and advocacy, as well as help capture and preserve First Nations voices and rectify Western biases in memory institutions. #nls8 #ALIA #ALIASNGG#ALIA80 #HONLS8

Meet our next #HONLS8 Nicollette Suttor an #NLS8 delegate😄 What does DIY mean to you? It means working out what you want, who to talk to about it to give you feedback, more ideas and how to pursue it. How did you get here? Applied for the Federal Public Service program and was offered a placement at the Australian National Library, National Museum and other places. And I chose the Australian National Library 😄 #HONLS8 #nls8 #sngg #alia #alia80#librariansrock #anlforthewin

Have you met Jo Hare [@maybe__sparrow] yet at #NLS8? Well now you can because she is our next #HONLS8 😄 Where have you come from? I’ve come from City University of Hong Kong in… Hong Kong 🇭🇰! But I was previously on the far north coast of NSW. I’m here at NLS with my colleague Chris to talk about Hong Kong Libraries Connect, an independent library network seeking to connect library professionals in Hong Kong. We are brand new and having fun! Check out our presentation today in the #theatre Why did you choose to pursue a career in #GLAM? My deep dark secret is I initially did the LIS MA so I could work overseas, & I’m just really lucky that I ended up in a really supportive workplace where I learned to love the profession! Any #DIY tips for new #librarians? My DIY tip is just bloody go for it this is a great bunch of people to practice your #networking skills on (Please say hello to me I’m not that good at networking myself! 😁) If #NLS8 was an ice cream flavour what would it be and why? …it would be boysenberry for selfish reasons because I haven’t had boysenberry ice cream in ages and I love it 😊🍦 #aliasngg #sngg #alia #alia80 #nls8icecream #funpose #saycheese 😄

Meet Jess [@balcairn], our next #HONLS8: My favourite thing about #nls8 has been meeting like minded people when online studying has been a tiny bit more isolating. I pursued a career in GLAMR because I want to preserve cultural heritage and organise information, and contribute to community and meaning building. My favourite book is The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman because it helps through some tough mental health days and gives good support that pop psychology might leave out or gloss over in the name of positivity. My DIY tip is just to get started, take the first step and try, because that’s the only way to succeed, and failure is only temporary. #nls8 #ALIA #ALIASNGG #sngg #ALIA80

Meet Sue, our next #HONLS8. She thinks having R. David Lankes as a keynote speaker via Skype is a bit brilliant (so do we!) and she is a #HONLS8 fan. Here’s more about Sue: I am from RMIT in Melbourne and keen to take in the very cool things #NLS8 has on offer. Great sessions but I specially like the breakout room. Very quirky. I am GLAMRous because my mother said I liked books and I would like being a librarian! What do mothers know? I do like books and being an LIS academic after being a TL but the two aren’t really linked as we all know. I like conferences too because of the people you catch up with and meet. I love seeing my students and ex students and hearing about the fabulous things they are doing. They make me proud. Whatever you see in the mirror is what a librarian is. #ALIA80 #sngg #ALIASNGG #ALIA #nls8

Meet Libby [@ladyvelmacass] a #nls8 speaker, delegate and our next #HONLS8 😁 What has been the most memorable thing so far at #NLS8? Getting up early catching a bus through a thick fog to get to Albert Hall for the the recreation of the historic photo for ALIA’s 80th birthday #alia80 Relief after the completion of my workshop and panel discussion and the sense of #satisfaction when people told me afterwards that they learnt something and are #inspired to learn more. What is your favourite book and why would you recommend it to people? Possession AS Byatt. A riff on detective novels the book is a clever and funny. Two academics use their skills to unravel a mystery about poetry. (I think I want to read this now!) Name one thing you were surprised to learn this weekend? How many participants self funded What is your best #DIY asset and why? Sense of curiosity and my #ALIA membership. Both provide lots of opportunity to learn new things and get involved. #powerpose #sngg #powerful #yayforlibby

Meet Tess, one of the @utslibrary Engagement Gange members a #HONLS8 😁What has been the most memorable thing so far at #NLS8? All of the sessions have been amazing, but my favourite parts of NLS8 so far have been the bits in between the – I’ve talked to some incredibly #smart and #talented #librarians and it’s been great to hear their ideas (and borrow some for my library!) What is your best #DIY asset and why? I always want to try something new, which is my best DIY asset. I say yes to every opportunity that comes up – that’s how I got here! I’ve gotten so much experience by doing this, which has helped me become a better #librarian #sngg #alia #alia80 #engagmentgang #networking #sayyes #therobot

Meet Rebekah from Penrith City Library in NSW. For her a DIY career means following your own path wherever it takes you + doing what you enjoy. She also reckons if #nls8 was an ice cream flavour it would be coffee because its stimulating and awesome #honls8 #honls #nls8 #DIY #sngg @alianls

Let me introduce you to Cindy Nguyen. An ACT Region Coordinator for ALIA SNGG. She moved from Melbourne and came to Canberra for study. For networking, she recommends lots of smiling, an approachable nature and the telling of lots of lame puns. She is excited about becoming a GLAMR professional because she wants to help people and do something she loves and she believes Doctor Who would make a great librarian as he is full of knowledge, passion and adventure. The ultimate librarian!  #honls8 #nls8 #sngg

#NLS8 is over and it has been #amazing! Thank you to all of the HONLS8 that attended NLS8. And if you haven’t already, make sure to follow our ALIA Students and New Graduates on Instagram 😁