Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Libraries and geocaching

Well, I guess it would make sense for me to post some projects and ideas I've come across (mainly in the US) that combine libraries and geocaching.

  • The University of Notre Dame in Indiana came up with "Caching in at the Library" for their orientation programme for first year students.

There are a copule of caches I've come across (but not found) that involve visiting a library or using Dewey Decimal Classification to solve a puzzle.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Trends in academic libraries

The Research Planning and Review Commitee of the ACRL has released its 2010 top ten trends in academic libraries. No real surprises in the list, but worth having a look at.

Geo-what?

I'm guessing that's the first thing that popped into your head when you read the name of my blog. Don't worry, it's an activity that most people don't know about.

Geocaching is:
a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.
I started in 2007, but geocaching itself started in 2000. It's a great way to discover new places, and one of the main reasons that geocachers say they enjoy the hobby is that it's taken them to places that they otherwise wouldn't have visited (even within their own city). Geocaching is also a great activity for holidays - I've never specifically gone on a holiday just to go geocaching, but I've certainly done some during holidays.

For those of you who are interested, there are 48 geocaches hidden within a 5 kilometre radius of the Library. The closest one's about 3oo metres away.

The main geocaching website, geocaching.com, has a variety of resources which explain the various aspects of the hobby. There's also a wiki available at Geocaching Australia.