This post almost makes me want to stay working, doing what I am doing indefinitely.
This morning a small group met to discuss an exhibition to be mounted next year to display the original Swinburne Coat of Arms and the processes that brought these Swinburne family armorial bearings to Swinburne, the institution, in 1969.

The beautful object – the Letters Patent which illustrates the Swinburne Coat of Arms on vellum, with the large seals attached, in a royal red box, has been hidden away for nearly 40 years. While our centenary is the catalyst for mounting the exhibition, there has been thought in the past about how to bring this precious item and special artefact of our history out of the past – archives- and into the present and future. The two designers on our team are developing a brief to create a digital exhibition, not one for the web but as a special display which will travel to all the campuses , including the Sarawak campus, in turn throughout next year. I had thought we would have a special cabinet created for the display, but here we are taking our illustrious past to a brand new audience, exhibited and designed digitally. Wow to that.

Another feature of your post resonated with me particularly. I recall when we opearated in the pre refurbishment areas (before your time), there was a series of articles posted/pinned on a notice board, about lay person Google searches for research purposes Versus proper “librarian” research. Proper research and quality information are now available at the flick of a button, by a rank amateur. The snobbery about a google search is only displayed by the ignorant, not the knowledgeable; and so it is with social and intellectual snobbery. Because I am an experienced researcher I know what is dross and what is referenced or accurate material. It is my job to assist lay researchers to frame their query to best advantage and learn to distinguish what answers and information they can rely on. This is natural for any people guiding someone somewhere.
Where I love google searches now, for me and my friends and family, is that I can get referenced material alongside people’s anecdotes: for example about excema in babies. There are the medical journal items and then there may be a comment from a mother in Nebraska or Nothcote saying to lighten baby’s clothing at night as they get overheated and this exacerbates the eczema. Then someone might comment on that and suggest a further remedy. This interaction, if picked up by the medical world, could lead the medic to offer more rounded advice than just the prescription pad. In fact, thinking about this, the comments and items posted by amateurs may be the village community passing their wisdom as was done in the not very recent past. What a turn up for commentaters to see the internet and Web 2.0 as the continuing manifestation of our desire for the community.

Thank you for your wonderful report.