QR Codes anyone?

Seen one of these yet?  You might be seeing a lot more of them soon!  They are called QR codes – the QR is short for Quick Response - and like a hipper, 2D version of a bar code their attractive black and white patterns hide a wealth of information – which you may already be able to read with your mobile phone!  Yes, if you  have a phone with a camera and the right software, you can read the code – which may contain a text message, a phone number or the URL of a website.  They are evidently huge in Japan.  Originally created to track auto parts, they now turn up on advertisements, in magazines, on bus shelters, on the bottom of plates in sushi trains and in rock videos – watch out for their appearance in Australia!

• QR Codes in Wikipedia
• QR Codes in Budde.com news and views (where I first heard about them!)
• QRCode.com (from Denso Wave, creators of the QR Code)
• QR Codes in Pet Shop Boys video ”Integral” (background info)

Do some more hunting on the web (particularly YouTube) for more examples and explanations!

(I generated this code using a free generator on the web – if anyone can read it let me know!)

…I wonder how soon we will have library applications!

UPDATE - thanks to those who let me know they could read the code!  And thanks to Roger who sent me a link to the online magazine he edits with lots more information on and examples of the many  uses of QR codes:

• 2D Code : QR code and two dimensional bar codes news, views and analysis.

BizLinks Seminar showcases information for Small Business starters in WA

Ready to start the BizLinks seminar

Last night we hosted the BizLinks seminar here at the Alexander Library building (Apologies, I should’ve blogged it before it happened  – I’ve been away and missed my chance there!).  Speakers from government agencies had the opportunity to present an overview of some of the many services they provide to small business starters (and operators). It was also great for presenters and support staff attending to learn more about the roles and services of the other agencies! 

So if you missed out and are a small business starter or operator in WA, who should you be contacting for information and advice?

• Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC)
• Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
• State Library of WA (SLWA)
• Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
• Department of Consumer and Employment Protection (DOCEP)
• Office of State Revenue (OSR)
• Australian Tax Office (ATO)

Thanks to all our presenters and to those who attended – I’m sure we all learned something new!

All the Western Australian news that’s fit to print (or is that upload)!

You may have noticed some fanfare in the press about Fairfax’s new WA news site… This is only one of several sites specialising in Western Australian News.  For lots of News about WA you can go to:

• WAtoday.com.au - the new site from Fairfax
• thewest.com.au - the West Australian’s online site
• perthnow – “powered by the Sunday Times”
• ABC News – Western Australia
• WA Business News
• Online WA newspapers  – extensive listing in the National Library’s Australian Newspapers Online

(Print copies of the West Australian, Sunday Times and WA Business News are available at the State Library)

Need overseas or interstate news?  There’s much more online than Google News Australia!  Try the State Library’s subscription newspaper databases accessible in the Alexander Library Building, use your WA library card to log on to Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre via our Databases From Home, or find out what newspapers are available in Australian Libraries via the National Library of Australian Newspapers Online.

 

Paul Clitheroe honoured!

Congratulations to Financial Literacy guru Paul Clitheroe - In the recent Queen’s Birthday Honours list he was awarded Membership of the Order of Australia

For service to the finance sector through the promotion of financial literacy, and to the community

Paul Clitheroe is one of our business heroes. As Chairman of the Financial Literacy Foundation Advisory Board he’s a key figure in the Understanding Money campaign

…to give all Australians the opportunity to increase their financial knowledge and better manage their money.

You may know of Paul from the Nine Network television programme Money, he still contributes to Money Magazine and to the Money website.  (My personal finances have improved considerably since I began reading Money Magazine!)

The State Library of WA is part of the Australia-wide network of financial literacy resource providers – if you want to find out more come and join us this Thursday (12 June) when the Business Subject Specialists present “Money: your bottom line” 11am-12 noon, 1st floor, Alexander Library Building, Perth Cultural Centre.  Ring 9427 3111 to book your place.  Can’t make this weeks session?  We are repeating the session on Thurday 17th July, 5:30-6:30pm.  Contact the Business Subject Specialists for more details.

You can read more about the honours list in news stories from Google News Australia, and more about the Australian system of honours at the It’s an Honour website.

Great resources on the global food crisis

Our friends at ResourceShelf.com have put together a fabulous set of links to reputable information on the current global food crisis.  Entitled:

Keeping tabs on the global food crisis

it includes links to  the Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture (GIEWS), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), ReliefWeb, US Department of Agriculture briefings and more. 

What global food crisis?  Check out a Google news Australia  search to find out the latest in the internet headlines… Or search on Australia New Zealand Reference Centre (available from home for all Western Australian Public Library members) for more news stories…

Can You Help?

The State Library of Western Australia is interested in acquiring copies of a magazine called “Not the West Australian“, an exposure of the WA Inc. activities published in the late 1980′s.

If you can provide copies, or any further information about this publication, please contact the Collection Development team at the State Library on:

Telephone: +61 8 9427 3348      or
Email: collection.development@slwa.wa.gov.au

 

Lessons from financial history…

I think I’ve mentioned before I’m a Radio National junkie, I commend this weeks offering from the Big Ideas programme:

Lessons from financial history – Professor Niall Ferguson [takes] a fresh look at the way finance works. Professor Niall Ferguson’s analysis draws on the work of the French Naturalist Jean Bapiste de Lamarck – the idea that organisms alter and adapt in response to a changing environment. He applies this framework to our current, uneasy financial climate and asks: are we on the brink of a great dying?

Not sure how long the podcasts will be up for so listen whilst you have a chance!  The lecture was originally delivered at the Mu$eum of American Finance , you can find out more about Professor Ferguson on his website.

Want to find out more about financial history?  Begin with this broad search in the State Library’s catalogue…

Year of the Spud – Hidden Treasure

Do you love the humble spud? If you do you’ll be thrilled to find that 2008 is the International Year of the Potato (IYP)?

Yes, led by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN a group of government and international bodies have got together to celebrate and promote the potato as a food of the future and a potential solution to the World’s looming food crisis.  The IYP Website is packed with information about potatoes – from the serious and statistical (did you know that in Belarus they eat the most potatoes per capita), to fun competitions for potato photography and receipes!  Informative factsheets also tell you everything you want to know about potatoes regarding - nutrition, biodiversity, gender, economy, biotechnology and pests and diseases!

 

You can find more about potatoes at the State Library of Western Australia- from photographs of the potato industry in WA, to recipes, to fiction about potatoes, to technical reports.  Just search on potatoes as a keyword  and get started!

 

Now I’m hungry, off to find some potatoes!

Exciting Resources for Accountants…

No it’s not an oxymoron!  Following the trend of libraries to pull together the best resources no matter what the format (web, subscription databases and even good old print) the librarians at the Knowledge Centre of the Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants have published a great series of Quick Reference Guides  that

direct members and candidates to key print, journal and online resources on each topic

 Of course you have to be a member of the Institute to use its library services, however guides like this from reputable sources can be a great help when researching a topic.  You can search our catalogue, Libraries Australia, or the catalogue and websites of your University and see which items are available to you.

Nomination open for Western Australian Business and the Arts Partnership Awards

Business and Art aren’t always thought of together – however Art has a long history of involvment with Business – think of the Medicis! 

Today the model for the relationship is more partnership than patronage and these partnerships are celebrated and rewarded  through the Western Australian Business and the Arts Partnership Awards.

Our own partnership with Rio Tinto for the Better Beginnings programme was highly commended in the 2007 awards.  A full listing of the 2007 (and previous) winners can be found in the 2007 awards booklet (pdf document).

Nominations are now open for the 2008 awards – full information including nomination forms and selection criteria is available on the WA Department of Culture and the Arts Website.

 

Get nominating!