Jill – think of it as more time for reflection ??? Well, actually no …you’ll be flat out …. I spent about 10 years out of the game due to family caring commitments..and even though it seemed like forever, it really is easy to pick up again once you are ready…

Leslie – oh my… be gentle and careful with yourself for the next couple of weeks. I think I must have already been a risk taker, because I was speaking to an Aurora person and a Snowbird person, and they also said that this was what they got out of it most…but I don’t think that was the biggest lesson of the whole experience for me. (or maybe I was trying to process something else when we did that bit … don’t think so …). I see that the 2008 participants aren’t up on the list yet … http://www.alia.org.au/aurora/particip.html

Kate – That would be really interesting to already know people before you go …I think it would make the experience a bit different. You’d have a better measure of how they usually reacted and how they were reacting at the time, and I think it may be easier to learn – you could see when they tried something new and whether it was effective.

I think I’d find it hard to be there at the same time as my boss, as happened for three people last year.

And it has been really inspiring to watch fellow 2007 Aurorans stretch and grow into leadership roles in the last year, and challenge their own personal limits in the process. I was in the position of knowing quite a few people before I went, and I do think Aurora made an impact – maybe it didn’t necessarily change what we have all done in the last year, but definitely has affected the way we have done it.

It is different for everyone, but I think Aurora is a moment in time that you just keep on learning from! Thanks all for your reflections…

Kate

I’m about to make an announcement that I have to wind down my activities, hence being pregnant and a small health matter, so that’s a tad sad, but it’s reality, no more conference presentations from me for a while…

I trust when I’m back into it, i will find my mojo,which will / may involve more publishing, but we’ll see.

Jill

Hehe. I used to think of it as “Librarian Big Brother”. It is intense, you don’t know what to expect and you are in a group with others going through the same experience.

I used to think “gee, if some editor got hold of this bit, and this bit and this bit of what happened today then I can see how I’d be portrayed as the teary one or the overly-precious one or the downright stupid one “.

I hope Emma has a ball. I came back pretty overwhelmed and it took me maybe 7 months before I really had enough space and distance to process what had happened. Give her lots of space and support when she returns.

You’re one of those people I watch and think “wow! I like that, wonder if she would have done that before Aurora?”.

I know it wouldn’t really work if we all knew each other beforehand, but II think it would be really interesting to be a fly on the wall to watch someone before and after Aurora to see what changes there are.

I was interested to read this as my friend Emma is at Aurora at the moment. I hope she finds it as beneficial.

As a joke we have coined it “survivor librarian”. Well, gives it a more funky name despite the link to rather dubious TV shows.

Natasha

I have been reflecting on that time a year ago as well. You have put it into some very reflective and explanatory words, of it’s impact on you ! Well done. I hope to hear from Aurora 2008 and see what they have brought back from it.

Happy Aurora 2007 Reflections

Jill