SL McDonald

Reader, Librarian, Literacy Lover.
CILIPS Scotland's Library and Information Professional of the Year 2022.

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

Hello! Finally giving up on this as it is, indeed, The Bad Place.

If you are also keen on being anywhere but here, you can find me on a different app:
https://t.co/oOYexdPEKl

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

Hello friends. Delighted to let you know that the newest adventurer joined our small party a little under two weeks ago. This is BabyBukes (name inherited from her big bro, now BrawBairn). She arrived opinionated and unbothered by our nonsense, and is fitting in great. 💜

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

Long time no tweet, and that's because a) I'm on mat leave and b) babybukes has arrived, twelve days late and totally perfect.

Very in love with this wee cookie of course, but lawks if he ever sleeps I might throw a (silent) parade. Or cry. Or both, probably.

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

@CRRyanMD Hahah thank you! I am trying to be firm enough to stick to it - otherwise all my return to work time will be spent wading through tens of thousands of emails!

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

Now officially on mat leave. No doubt I'll be around from time to time to get my Library Twitter fix, but otherwise official work stuff will resume in Spring 2025.

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

@akasha111182 Thank you! And yes I am aware that it's a pretty privileged position to have a whole year of mat leave and 75% of it paid, I'm sorry for your lack of parental support over there. 😞

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

Today is handover writing day because I go on a year's maternity leave one week today. The three months since Christmas have flown by.

Also it's staggering how much you can get used to being kicked in the ribs all day and continue to function when you need to.

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

Just finished up the last Extraordinary General Meeting of the SLLG, where the membership approved the committee's actions and proposals. I'm glad the group will continue as a member network and hope it will continue to be a key part of the Scottish law library scene!

[Scottish Law Librarians Group @ScotLawLibs]

It’s not goodbye.
The SLLG members have agreed to dissolve all costed areas of group activity as of today.
We thank all the members since 1988 for their characters and contributions.
The Twitter account (at the moment a free SLLG presence) will continue for now.

[Scottish Law Librarians Group @ScotLawLibs]

It’s not goodbye.
The SLLG members have agreed to dissolve all costed areas of group activity as of today.
We thank all the members since 1988 for their characters and contributions.
The Twitter account (at the moment a free SLLG presence) will continue for now.

[Maria King @mariaoliviaking]

@brawbukes @GGallerina @CILIPScotland The cost of libraries is also much cheaper than other services, therefore better value as well. When I worked in public libraries in Lancashire they closed nearly half and then a few months later we got new councillors and they reopened as many as they could!

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

@GGallerina @CILIPScotland While we can be sympathetic to those decisions makers who have to balance the books, cutting library funding is a short sighted move. We know our profession has a problem showing value in bottom line cash terms, but the power of the anecdotal evidence is insurmountable.

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

@GGallerina @CILIPScotland Great article Kirsten. I grew up in South Lanarkshire and Strathaven library was a lifeline to me as a teen finding their way. Rutherglen (another SL lib) was my first library job, so the library closure news feels very close to home.

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

My wee kiddo came home from the scholastic book fair today with two new books and read every word of them to me. I'm so proud of him and so delighted he loves reading (and I swear I didn't force it).
Kids and reading is just magic. 💜

[Angie Manfredi @misskubelik]

is there a more magical feeling in the world than when a kid gets a book in their hands and jumps for joy.

is there.

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

Hahaha at an HE leadership training course today and one of the speakers suggested we need to revise the funding of HE in Scotland, and was asked about it. Said he essentially wanted students to pay more and truly that's not what I expected him to say, hahah. 🫠

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

Does anyone know if recordings or transcripts of meetings are exempt from FOI requests?

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

Ohhhh just found out that there's a Library Taskmaster on Tiktok. @UoE_Law_WP something to discuss at our upcoming coffee catch up methinks! 😂 #TikTok https://t.co/rdJ5jbvwiZ

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

@ScotLawLibs We would NEVER!

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

This is part of the committee's behind-the-scenes work to move @ScotLawLibs from our current committee-led structure to a more active member network as agreed at our 2023 AGM. There's a lot of admin still to do but it'll be worth it to usher in a new chapter for the group!

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

Today a fellow @ScotLawLibs committee member and I worked through the entire SLLG archive to condense it from three large crates to two A4 folders of paperwork. There's more work to be done to future proof our important docs but we're so pleased with our progress!

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

They were over the moon when I mentioned that @TalesOfOneCity use the Libby app where they can get audiobooks FOR FREE. They said they sometimes use the public libs for study space but didn't know about the app, and to date have been paying for audiobook streaming instead!

[SL McDonald @brawbukes]

Went to speak to a student group on campus last night about what the library can offer them, and had a really lovely conversation about what they actually need to know about academic libraries (and libraries in general). So much to think about!