ii
Gardens Pointii
Kelvin GroveQUT ii Kedron Park ii
Carseldine
L·l·N·K·S
The bulletin of the QUT Foundation Inc., GPO Box 2434, Brisbane 4001 Tel (07) 864 2821 Issue 7 •June 1991
Businesses: go north and multiply
In the doom and gloom of the land down under, Asia is beginning to look like the land of opportunity for many Australian businesses.
Thailand is currently witnessing such a large building boom that building materials are often difficult to get. Vietnam could head the same way next year when the United States lifts its trade and aid embargo and money becomes available.
Hong Kong is also reported to need overseas professionals to save it from its "brain drain" as local talent reportedly leaves the country before Chinese rule in 1997.
These are just some of the reasons why many Australian businesses are making Asia their number one target. But is Asia ready for, or does it even want the ocker invasion?
Australian Lindsay Colwill is Manag- ing Director of the Asian operations for architects Davenport Campbell and Partners who have been operat- ing in Asia for 10 years. Although he acknowledges there are oppor- tunities for Australians in Hong
Kong, "they're not exactly being
greeted with open arms".
Lindsay Colwill
"Hong Kong is not witnessing a brain drain in our profession. There is plenty of local talent available and for Australian companies to think there is a gap here they can easily fill is immature," he said.
Lindsay believes the biggest difficul- ties Australians will face when enter- ing the Asian markets will be caused by their lack of training in internation- al affairs.
"It's because of our isolation that Australians don't have this training."
Davenport Campbell's clients in Asia are not all Asian companies and an understanding of European and US affairs is needed to do busi- ness there.
Lindsay Colwill moved to Hong Kong in 1989 following four and a half years managing Davenport Campbell's Perth office.
Specialising in commercial offices, he finds his work in Hong Kong varies little from office design in Australia. continued page 2
What a crazy business!
QUT accounting student, Andrea Goode, looks over the Ninja Turtles and Simpsons paraphernalia as Australia goes craze crazy -story page 3
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Go north and multiply
Pinewoods Hostel at Lawnton in BrisbOne - a David Lane project
from page 1
Lindsay graduated from the OUT Bachelor of Applied Science, Built Environment, course in 1977 and completed his Graduate Diploma in Industrial Design in 1981. One of his former classroom colleagues, David Lane, is now also pursuing the Asian markets.
David is a Director with architects Thomson Adsett and Partners in Brisbane and heads the group responsible for buildings for the aged, an area booming partly due to an accelerating increase in Australia's aged population.
David thinks this area will also grow in Asia within 20 years.
"Aged care is very different in Asia.
Less social welfare keeps people working longer and strong social links with the family mean the younger members look after the older family members.
"This is changing as they westernise and will eventually result in a need for buildings in which to care for the
aged," David said.
Thomson Adsett and Partners cur- rently has three offices in Asia responsible for 30% of the company's gross turnover.
Its entry into Asia began by securing commissions through contacts
these contacts, eventually becom- ing affiliated with Asian architects.
David Lane believes you can't enter the Asian market by landing on its doorstep but Australians do have a lot to offer.
"Australian architects have been able to assist the Asian market with technical expertise in areas local specialists haven't had training in,"
he said ..
Both Lindsay Colwill and David Lane agree Asia has plenty of opportunity for Australian architects who are prepared to accept the different cul- ture.
In Lindsay's words, anyone thinking of taking advantage of these oppor- tunities should, "Get on your bike and come".
made at Expo '88 and developing David Lane
Faculty merger brings mixed
reaction
In 1990 the OUT Faculty of Built Environment, responsible for ar- chitecture training, merged with the Faculty of Engineering to form one Faculty which hoped to bring graduates entering these two areas closer together. The merger has brought a mixed reac- tion from the professional com- munity.
Graduate and architect, David Lane of Thomson Adsett and Partners is apprehensive about the merger and the overpowering effect the larger engineering areas may have on the architec- ture courses.
"Pressure from the bigger schools could cause a diminish- ing of the perception of architec- ture as a learning experience.
"The engineering schools are more technically orientated and if their influence is too powerful the faculty could produce more linear thinkers rather than maintain the lateral thinking needed in ar- chitecture," David said.
Lindsay Colwill, a OUT graduate now Managing Director of Daven- port Campbell Asia, believes the merger is a good thing.
"The design issues concentrated
on in architecture are not every-
thing. The delivery of design is also important and these areas are covered by the engineering course components," he said.
STOP PRESS
OUT Alumni and Convoca- tion inaugral Outstanding Graduate Award.
The award was presented to: Jan Hannant
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Australia goes craze crazy
Perhaps your OUT degree is not making you rich quickly enough and you want to be a millionaire fast. So, why not invent a craze? Think of something that will become an over- night success, be demanded by every household, will attract the in- terest of every child and adult and will become a top seller at Christmas. Shouldn't be too difficult!
Toy crazes have always existed.
Before Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Simpsons was Trivial Pursuit and well before that were yo-yo's, hula-hoops and marbles. Currently in the United States electronic beepers are on the crest of a craze wave, with children as young as 12 wearing them on their belts, caps and watchbands.
Ask children why they like the latest crazes, such as Ninja Turtles or The Simpsons, and you'll get some pret- ty standard answers - "They're cool, tough, funny" or maybe the child isn't even sure why he or she likes them:
they just do.
Hardly sound marketing reasons why a range of seemingly harmless toys create such a storm that they begin to affect what intelligent people buy, wear and how they speak.
Although nearly all toy ranges are supported by careful research and thorough marketing, there is an un- controllable influence that turns them into crazes.
Almost 160 companies are licensed to sell different ranges of Simpsons products in Australia. Mattel has bought the licence to sell Simpsons toy merchandise.
Anna Barshon of Mattel believes crazes as big as The Simpsons can't be totally planned.
"It's not like fashion. You can't say
this is in and people buy it. To a certain extent it just happens," she said.
Whatever "happens" also happened with the Ninja Turtle toys. Some-
thing triggered the buyer's interest and the feeling spread like wildfire.
To say sales of Ninja Turtle and Simpsons merchandise are being helped by successful television programs, is an understatement.
But a craze doesn't have to start from a television show. Often the merchandise is so popular it triggers the production of a television series.
Australian crazes usually follow US trends. This was definitely the case for The Simpsons whose products were selling in Australia before the first episode of the television series went to air.
But it's often a short roller-coaster ride. Crazes can disappear as fast as they came leaving homes all over Australia with cupboards full of yesterday's favourites.
The pizza-eating Ninja Turtles have been a craze in the United States for five years - that's a long time at the top in this business.
Australian licensing agents, Con- cept Licensing said the merchan- dise was once again a hit at the recent New York Toy Fair and was expected to be popular for some time to come. Some toys like Barbie dolls seem to have been favourites forever.
No-one knows why some crazes be- come so big but one thing's forcer- tain - once it happens everyone wished they had thought of it first.
A poster showing the Simpsons' humour which has helped ii become popular
Some of the major ingredients for crazes include appealing to the people who obviously run the household - the children.
Inventing new speech and phrases is also important. "Let's Party Dude'',
"Let's kick shell" and "Eat my shorts"
are now popular in everyday speech thanks to the Ninja Turtles and The Simpsons. Also in their cases, the formula of being tough or stupid on the outside, but underneath portray- ing a wise, warm message has been important.
So, back to that idea of being a millionaire - invent something that's different, appeals to children, speaks its own language, does good deeds, is perhaps colourful and funny and maybe eats Big Macs.
What a crazy business!
Thank you supporters
The OUT Foundation would like to thank everyone who responded so generously to its recent request for support. Earlier this year, graduates and friends of OUT were mailed letters and telephoned in a request for funds to be used for library resources, computers, laboratory and other teaching resources.
The support was outstanding. As Links went to print, the average gift received was a generous $73.80.
Although the appeal was managed by the OUT Foundation, the funds are not used for the running of the Foundation. The services given to members are funded by members' subscriptions and subsidised by OUT.
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Jack
Parkinson:
aQUT
long-time friend
Jack Parkinson knew OUT before it was OUT. In fact, he knew QIT before it was QIT - he was a lecturer at the technical college located on the Gardens Point grounds in 1961. When QIT was formed in 1972 it gave Jack Parkinson the opportunity for a lot of firsts. He was its first Councillor in 1972 and its first Deputy Chairman. He was acting Chairman when the first Chairman resigned in 197 4 and became Chair- man of the QIT Council in 1974.
He retired from Council in 1984 and last year became the first person to be made an honorary Doctor of the University for outstanding services and contributions.
Dr Jack Parkinson is a part of OUT history and OUT remains a part of him. Today, as a Life Fellow of the University, he attends many formal functions including graduation ceremonies at which he now wears the official red robe given to him with his honorary title.
Although he feels strongly about OUT and enjoys attending functions and meeting old and new graduates, he may sometimes, as the saying
goes, "rather be fishing".
Now retired, Jack lives at Beech- mont in Queensland and spends many hours fishing off the beach for tailor, whiting or bream depending on the season.
A keen painter, Jack is busier than ever.
"In painting, I'm a man of many
parts. I like to paint landscapes and still life using oils and I like to paint birds, the feathered kind, in water
Jack Parkinson (right) receiving his honorary title in 1990 trom Vic Pullar, Chancellor of QUT
colours. I also work with pencil and ink and colour washes," he said.
Other activities keeping Jack busy in his retirement are gardening and
"drinking good wine".
Having been a busy man all his life Jack is enjoying his busy retirement.
A graduate of the University of Queensland in 1952, Jack ran his own architectural firm, H J Parkin- son Pty Ltd, from 1961 until he retired in 1984. Not happy to just manage his own successful busi- ness he took on other roles including the Presidency of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. He received an OBE in 1984.
Jack has seen a lot of changes in both architecture and OUT.
"Architecture changes like fashion.
What's modern now was old fashioned in my day. Just because architecture is fashionable it doesn't mean it's any good."
And on OUT?
"I don't know about all this expan-
sion. When it gets too big, it can lose its personality. We were a tight group once, everybody knew everybody. I suppose you've just got to give it a go."
New nursing
building for public and students
A Nursing Practice Centre, open to the public, will operate from the new nursing building currently being built on QUT's Kelvin Grove campus.
The Centre will offer courses and a broad range of health assessment services including group work, such as ante-natal classes, plus a well- wo men's clinic and support for elderly people and their providers.
The Centre will be staffed by qualified nurses, OUT lecturers and students who will find it a valuable training ground.
The OUT School of Nursing will oc- cupy the building from the beginning of first semester in January 1992.
It will be well equipped with 100-seat and 300-seat lecture theatres, two computer rooms and rooms which can be set up as hospital wards for training.
The building has been designed to blend in with the local environment.
Positioned on a sloping site, the new nursing building has six levels with three wings extending from the main building.
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Textiles put to the test
Almost everyone has a sad tale to tell about textiles - the drycleanable suit that shrank when drycleaned, the washable outfit that changed colour in the wash or the tough and hardy outdoor furniture that ripped the second time someone sat on it.
Situations like these are not ex- pected. Consumers expect a certain standard from the products they buy and expect to be warned if special care needs to be taken.
The OUT Textile Testing Service is helping manufacturers provide con- sumers with the standard of product they expect.
QUT's Kelvin Grove campus is put- ting the textile industry to the test with Brisbane's best equipped tex- tile testing laboratories.
The laboratory facilities were estab- lished in 1981 as a requirement for the then new Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Home Economics. They are now also used by students studying a Diploma of Teaching (Home Economics), Bachelor of Education and As- sociate Diploma of Applied Scien- ces (Textiles).
It was realised immediately what a valuable community resource the commercial testing services were and they were offered to the public.
Steven Pyott helps a student put textiles to the test
The lecturer responsible for estab- lishing the laboratories, Steven Pyatt, believes the facilities have a lot to offer the public. To date his clients have included many leading businesses and organisations in- cluding Stubbies and the Consumer Affairs Bureau.
"We can identify fibre content and help determine how a fabric will stand up against wear and tear," he said.
In accordance with Government regulations, the laboratories can identify the necessary details which need to be displayed on garment care labels. The effects of dryclean- ing and washing would be identified by colourfastness testing.
Lecturer remembered by memorial prize
Many graduates and friends of OUT will remember Dorothy Birt who lectured in textiles and fibre at Kedron Park for nearly as long as her fellow staff can remember.
In 1986, not long before she was due to retire, Dorothy died, shortly after being diagnosed as having cancer. Her love for textiles and teaching will not be forgotten thanks to her husband, Eric Birt,
who has donated $10,000 which will be used to fund an ongoing prize in the history of textiles within QUT's Academy of the Arts.
The prize will be available to an outstanding student in the textiles Masters program, offered for the first time in 1992. This year the prize will be presented to a BA student majoring in textiles and fibre.
"We also do comparison testing to determine if an existing textile can be replaced by a readily available substitute."
The facilities are often the centre of short courses run by OUT for in- dustry and commerce.
Steven Pyatt won't admit to being the leading authority in Brisbane on textile testing but he must come close. He lectures in Queensland's only course covering textile science.
He is a member of the Standards
Association Committee relating to textile testing and labelling and is an Assessor in Textiles for the National Association of Testing Authorities.
Dorothy Birt
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Recession: the good news and bad news
Since Australia formally declared it was in a recession, businesses have been inundated with advice on how to ride it out, prosper or even expand during the difficult times. The advice has been as technical as - "set up trigger points to activate a strategic plan to deal with the recession con- ditions" - and it has been as simple
as - "just think positively and ignore
the doom and gloom".
Whatever their actions, some busi- nesses have a better chance of sur- viving a recession than others.
The construction industry is tradi- tionally hit hard in a recession.
Money is not readily available and investors lose confidence. When the construction industry suffers, so do a long line of professions including architects, engineers, builders, electricians, plumbers, interior designers, furniture and whitegoods suppliers and a whole lot more. The "winners" in a recession are those dealing with the necessary products such as food and phar- maceuticals. Profits in the US phar- maceutical industry are predicted to increase 17% in both 1991 and 1992
(Source: Paine Webber's Ronald
Nordmann).
And, of course, people still have to
eat but not necessarily with as much style. Restaurants will be frequented less in a recession but the family will treat itself with regular take-away food or extra niceties in the weekly shopping. The stronger restaurant chains, who can afford to lure cus- tomers with deals and attractive of- fers, will survive best. Consumers are looking for value for money.
Traditionally, the grocery business is considered to be relatively reces- sion-proof with people preparing more meals at home and always needing to buy the basic foodstuffs but buying fewer personal beauty aid items from supermarkets.
Shoppers get smarter in a reces- sion, looking for the value-sized packages and using products more sparingly. Washing powder sales decline as people take care to measure the correct amount and not waste the product. Packaged cakes are also likely to decrease in sales as consumers buy more ingredients, such as flour and margarine, in preparation for more home baking.
The household cupboards are likely to be less well stocked - shoppers buy only what they need. Smaller shopping lists help customers feel they are spending less but in fact
result in consumers visiting the su- permarket more frequently.
Research
Australian market research com- pany, AGB Brandscan, recently released figures which show the amount of money spent on pack- aged groceries in Sydney and Mel- bourne has decreased greatly over the last two years.
The dollars spent in February 1991 were 4% lower than February 1990 whic_h was 5% lower than February 1989. The statistics include an infla- tion adjustment and show the reces- sion is definitely affecting the grocery business.
President of the OUT Foundation, Mr Bill Blair, is also Group General Manager of food distributor QUF In- dustries.
Despite the recession and decrease in grocery spending his company earned a 10% increase in overall sales in the first half of this financial year.
The increase has been across all product lines showing QUF has ex- panded its market share - an achievement accredited to "doing things right six to nine months ago".
Mr Blair believes the grocery busi- ness is affected by the recession but is less subject to its vagaries than other industries.
"What happens in our industry is people spend less on everything and then splurge because they feel they deserve it."
Uneven shopping patterns can make it difficult for stores to maintain ideal stock levels.
"It can be difficult for a store to deter- mine when to get its next order in and there can be two weeks (instead of four) between our having the product and the customer having the product.
"The recession brings us closer in
time to the customer," Mr. Blair said.
Retail industry
The retail industry in general is look- ing busier than it actually is. During a recession shoppers scale back their budgets and spend far more time looking, but not buying. When they do buy, they tend to buy bar- gains.
Particularly hurting is the women's fashion retail area. With a decrease in sales, many stores cannot afford to overstock and keep a minimum
offering of styles and sizes. Finding the right size in a garment can be more difficult in a recession, al- though some retailers predict this will encourage more shoppers to buy at the beginning of the season when sizes are available. Retailers would rather have lower sales than be caught with left-over merchan- dise.
Entertainment also suffers during a recession with movie houses at- tended less and travel becoming a luxury. Many tourist locations have not had enough time to recover from the effects of the pilot strike in Australia and are now facing the ef- fects of the recession and the Gulf War.
Also a luxury in a recession are new cars and new whitegoods such as refrigerators and washing machines, with many households content to keep what they have for the moment.
As businesses begin to feel the ef- fect of a recession they start to reduce expenses with advertising, often the first budget reduced. Initial- ly, extra promotions and direct mail are used as a less expensive way of maintaining corporate and product profile. Historically, promotional
spending increases in such times.
However, long-term recessions will begin to affect even these budgets.
As expected, debt collection is a thriving industry in a recession with many collectors choosing this time to expand.
The computer industry traditionally remains stable. Computer giant
IBM, however, recently reported its
first ever quarterly loss underlining a slump in the US computer industry. In a recession, businesses still need the technology - particularly per- sonal computers, printers and ap- propriate software. Sales of larger equipment, including local area net- works, are expected to decrease.
Overall, a recession has more losers than winners with even the winners needing a lot more than positive thinking to survive.
Source: This article was compiled by the editor of Links after review- ing magazines and newspaper ar- ticles published in Australia and the United States during the past 12 months. The articles report on research and studies conducted to show the effects of recessions.
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Letters to the editor
Dear Sir
It was very heartening to read in the last issue of Links of Mr Davies' in- terest in libraries and information retrieval. He raises many large iss- ues, some of which I will attempt to address in this response.
Firstly, however, let me explain the
$200.00 that was quoted as an average cost of a literature search by OUT Library. Most requests for information from private clients re- quire an online search. This means that a librarian searches very large databases held on computers, most of them in the USA or Europe. There are many hundreds of these databases made available through a dozen or so vendors. The databases cover everything from business directory information to patents, from chemical structures to govern- ment publications.
Each database has its own structure and vocabulary, each vendor has their own system. Connect charges average $100.00 an hour. Search- ing for specific information from the many millions of records available therefore needs to be quick, requir- ing a knowledge of the databases and of the command languages used by the different systems. OUT charges reflect the connect hour costs, extra charges levied by ven- dors for any information extracted from the databases, telecom- munications costs (relatively small if the searcher is expert), and a charge forthe librarian's time and expertise. Mr Davies seems to envisage a sys- tem by which outside users could dial into the OUT Library for direct information about our holdings. It is already possible for them to access our catalogue in this way, but if Mr Davies wants abstracts then we have some large problems to over- come - economic, technical and legal.
To prepare our own abstracts (we subscribe to about 10,000 journals) would involve an enormous in- crease in library staff. If we were
legally able to take prepared abstracts from a number of sources then the technical question of the hospitality of generic searching software to many differently-struc- tured databases is raised. Some US libraries have been able to load some of the most popular ready- made databases as options on their library systems, and we will certainly be exploring this possibility as we make decisions this year about a new library system for OUT. How- ever the problem of copyright remains, and none of the US libraries make the options available to users outside the institution.
" ... the QUT Library is regarded as being among the leaders in Australia in adopting new technology ... "
Mr Davies would like OUT Library to be more user friendly, and cites the Telecom Discovery system as an example of what can be done. Our problem is that a university library represents a very large and diverse body of information from which users want to retrieve very specific pieces of information.
Let me deal with the matter of size first. Suppose a user wants some- thing on office technology. A small database might offer say 50 records which he can easily scan to select the most relevant. Even a moderate-
1 y large database will offer thousands of records on the same subject. To window the ones which are relevant requires more sophisti- cated software, and unfortunately as you trade up to sophistication you trade off user-friendliness. This is a constant challenge for writers of in- formation retrieval software, and some of the compromises adopted can be explored by users of QUT's collection of CD-ROM databases.
The second issue is that of com- plexity. It is relatively simple to con-
struct a user-friendly system if all records can conform to the same format, and that is simple if their subject matter is all the same. The databases available through CITEC, the Queensland Govern- ment's public access system, are like this (though different from each other).
However, the material that comes into a large library covers a wide variety of subjects and formats. Put- ting aside printed materials, let's consider two databases on mag- netic tape that we are presently con- sidering for purchase. One is an index of the publications of the American Society of Mechanical En- gineers, the other is an historical database of daily share prices on the Australian Stock Exchange. Neither comes with searching software so we shall have to write or buy our own. Both of these alternatives are possible. What is almost certainly not possible is software that will easily search both of them.
Foundation members may be inter- ested to know that the OUT Library is regarded as being among the leaders in Australia in adopting new technology, and compares favourably in this regard with many large US universities. Like Mr Davies we dream of a library in which a user could simply express her need in her own words and have it answered with a few key strokes.
Much research to this end is being done in artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic and expert systems, but progress towards a computer that will be as intuitive as the human mind is slow. On the way there will be partial imperfect solutions in specific areas. Resources permit- ting, and where appropriate, these solutions are being incorporated in OUT libraries, and it would give us great pleasure to demonstrate them to Mr Davies and other Foundation members.
Madeleine McPherson Campus Librarian Gardens Point
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The debate continues
The following letter from Kevin Davies is in reply to the one received from Madeleine McPherson.
Dear Sir
The problems that have been out-
1 i ned are endemic to Libraries everywhere. The solution to estab- lishing and maintaining the OUT Library as THE acknowledged leader in Australia lies in being a more successful innovator than other libraries. This will only occur if your sole mission is to deliver friend- ly, quality information to a captive and growing market, and that the processes of delivery become sub- servient to that end.
The overseas library market chan- ges very rapidly in scope, access and economics. Tracking these changes successfully consumes scarce resources and is structurally and industrially difficult for public agencies. Consider contracting this task to 'infopreneurs'. I suspect costs might fall significantly.
Your on-line access system is similar to other libraries and, with respect, could be made a lot more user friendly than "Local-010-Ses- sion 1 to LIB on node VCENT 1 established". Dial into some of the better public Bulletin Boards around town and see how they respond to on-line calls. Modems which provide four times the data transfer speed than does your current technology can be obtained for less that $1000.
There does not seem to be an on- line ordering and paying facility for titles identified and needed. I under- stand that these issues are com- puter-related, but that is not the way your users will see it.
Your problems regarding abstracts are understood, but here are some suggestions. Start with a policy which only accepts OUT-generated literature (abstracts, theses, etc) in digital form. It is ironical that most of this literature already passes through a digital process on its way
to a paper form, but the digital product is then erased. Give official priority to obtaining journals which provide a digital alternative, and pressure those who don't. Start scanning new issues of key over- seas digital journals and capture everything. Keyword search locally.
On copyright, consider retaining a specialist Agent (maybe the OUT Foundation) to negotiate licences to hold key overseas databases at the OUT, and then on-sell that informa- tion to business or other libraries to recoup licence fees. I find it difficult to understand that US universities would baulk at the opportunity to generate more revenue for themsel- ves. The film, music, and software industries seem to have largely overcome these problems of copyright, or at least they are active- ly working at solving them.
It is difficult to understand why the Library needs to accommodate varying digital database formats. Your digital "vendors" dealing with
"many hundreds of these databases" overseas do not seem to have that problem. It is understood that your incoming data might be in a wide variety of formats, but the purpose of international standards was to address this problem and the conversion of foreign database for- mats to a OUT standard should only be a technical issue, well within the competence of the OUT or specialist contractors to resolve. To present different database formats to your users certainly throws the objective of friendly delivery systems into chaos.
The challenge involved in linking user needs to relevant information is understood, but this is the very point of my earlier letter; that professional librarians tend to be diverted from fine tuning this process by perform- ing tasks which might be performed with lesser-skilled people.
Finally, could I make an observation on the urgency of addressing some of these issues and it is related to the continuing rapid improvement in the economics and quality of global communications. The recent an- nouncement that the large Com-
puserve information service will be
on-line in Queensland this year at a
fraction of its previous cost, sug- gests to me that it is a certainty your
"overseas vendors" will follow (if only as a Compuserve add-on), and offer an increasingly more user- friendly direct digital information ser- vice to Queenslanders. This will close a window of opportunity for Australian libraries to maintain or im- prove their marketshare in an infor- mation driven world, and will create much more discomfort for Australian librarians than some of the sugges- tions I have made. I sincerely hope this does not come to pass.
Please accept that these comments are designed to be constructive, but it is acknowledged that some or all of them may be based on false data.
As may be all too obvious, I am a user, not a librarian.
Thank you for your invitation to offi- cially visit the Library. I accept.
Kevin Davies
Dear Sir/Madam
In Issue 6 February 1991 of OUT Links, I read with interest the letter from Kevin Davies regarding OUT Library. I would like to lend my sup- port to the sentiments expressed therein.
I heartily approve any move made to increase equitable access to infor- mation. Ethical use of information technology implies that the broadest spectrum of society possible has open access to quality information.
The use of public interfaces to ac- cess catalogues, indexes and databases at reasonable annual subscription rates would consider- ably increase access for many groups.
I certainly hope that OUT Library takes up Kevin's challenge and works towards making better use of information technology to increase access to resources.
Sandra Burke Teacher-Librarian
Gympie South State School
Convocation iii News
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Convocation - linking QUT with the real world
OUT graduates have a unique op- portunity to have direct input into the decision-making processes of the University through Convocation.
Since Convocation's inception back in November 1989, it has grown from a membership base of a few hundred to well over 4,000 active members. The challenge facing Convocation today, is to encourage more OUT graduates to become directly involved in what's happen- ing at OUT now and in the future. This is not an easy task. There ap- pear to be two major factors impact- ing upon a person's decision to be- come involved.
1. A lack of understanding of the role of Convocation
2. An obvious delight in finishing one's degree and concentrating on
"life after study".
Whilst the second factor is easily understandable, it has to be of major concern to Convocation as it at- tempts to strengthen the link be- tween graduates out in the real world and the University.
Quite simply, Convocation repre- sents the interests of OUT graduates through its influence in the University decision-making processes, including teaching and applied research areas.
So what has Convocation been doing in the last 18 months?
The amalgamation of OUT with BCAE has been the dominant issue at the University over the last 12 months. During this time, Convoca- tion members have played an impor- tant role through involvement on numerous committees, working par- ties and selection panels.
At our last Annual General Meeting, we elected a new Warden and a new Standing Committee. Members of this Committee reflect the vast cross-section of OUT graduates:
Paul McGahan, Science Graduate, Convocation Warden June Dunleavy, Business Graduate and current OUT
Council Member
Merline Muldoon, Education Graduate and current OUT Council Member
Mark Raymond, Engineering Graduate
Malcolm Cathcart, Business Graduate
Leonie Hayes, Education Graduate
Lisa Nardone, Law Graduate Anthony Denholder, Law Graduate
Sally Pitkin, Law Graduate and OUT Foundation Representative Rod Miller, representing OUT Development Office
Considerable appreciation and thanks go to the outgoing Warden, - Mark Raymond, and Committee Member, Suzanne Parker, for their tireless efforts in what all would agree was a difficult, yet exciting transition period.
As well as a new Standing Commit-
tee, we have now filled Convocation
positions on the Faculty Academic Boards. The following members have been elected:
Phillip Roberts, Information Technology,
Robin King-Cullen, Built Environment and Engineering, Peter Hall, Business,
Sonja Chandler, Health, Leonie Hayes, Education, James McCrea, Law Laurie Simm, Science
So where does Convocation go from here?
One of the major goals of Convoca- tion, in the next 12 months, will be to increase active membership of Con- vocation by encouraging graduates to become more involved with University policy and processes and relevant issues of concern to them. Some of the avenues for involve-
ment include:
• Attendance at regular Convoca- tion meetings
• A series of Faculty breakfasts with a keynote speaker
• Annual OUT Alumni and Con- vocation Outstanding Graduate Award
•Input into Faculty Academic Boards
In order for Convocation to be truly representative of OUT graduates, and to protect your interests, we need your input. Convocation will allow you to make known your point of view on issues affecting OUT.
You can simply do nothing ... or, you can help to maintain the profes- sional standing of your degree by becoming involved through Con- vocation.
You are invited to take up the chal- lenge and help us make OUT a university for the real world!
QUT Alumni and
Convocation breakfasts with
Faculties
• 25 July Business
• 8 August Education
• 21 August Health
• 4 September
Information Technology
• 26 September
Built Environment and Engineering
• 9 October Arts
• 23 October Science
Cost $10.00 per person. Book- ings - Gemma Hynard (07) 864 2147.
Nursing Alumni under new management
At the annual general meeting of the Nursing Alumni in March, the election for positions of office was held. The election results are as follows:
President Leanne Raven
Nursing Studies Officer Board of Nursing Studies Vice-President
Annette Anning Nurse Educator
Royal Brisbane Hospital Treasurer
Delia O'Brien Charge Nurse
Royal Brisbane Hospital Secretary
Ann Leske
Administration Officer QUT Members
Joan Croasdale Registered Nurse Mt Olivet Hospitals Sally Goold Acting Director
Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Health Policy Unit Jan Kendrick
Assistant Director of Nursing The Wesley Hospital
Carmel Mischlewski Nurse Educator Blue Nursing Service
ESA dinner
The Engineering and Surveying Alumni Dinner held at the Carsel- dine TAFE School of Catering's Restaurant "Reflections" was again a great success. "Reflec- tions" once again excelled them- selves.
The ESA also thanks Keith Travers for his very entertaining speech "Changing Technology - how it affects us". Keith brought out the difficulty that the average person has comprehending the technology being thrust upon them. A few of the older graduates could just remember the intro-
Alumni News ii
MBA Alumni launched
The OUT Foundation's newest Alumni chapter is looking after the interests of one of OUT's newest areas - MBA students and graduates.
So new is the Master of Business Administration course that, to date, it has just 14 graduates. This num- ber will increase quickly - 180 stu- dents are enrolled in the course. In the short-term the MBA Alumni will concentrate on the needs of the students, offering them repre- sentation and support in course-re- lated matters and promoting career opportunities.
As the number of graduates in- creases, the MBA Alumni will in- creasingly network students, graduates and business leaders and assist with the ongoing professional development of members.
President of the MBA Alumni, Chris- tine Tod, is also one of the course's first graduates.
She believes the diverse back-
grounds of MBA students increases the need for an Alumni.
To be accepted in the MBA course, applicants must have a degree and two years practical experience. This background could be in engineering, teaching, government or a medical field.
"Not only are students' backgrounds different but their motivation varies.
Students do the course for a variety of reasons such as further educa- tion, career change or promotional opportunity," Christine said.
The MBA Alumni is expected to be a common bond for students and graduates with such different back- grounds and motivations.
Initial interest in the Alumni has been excellent. In its first month it at- tracted 40 members.
All OUT MBA graduates and stu- dents can join the MBA Alumni as part of their OUT Foundation mem- bership. For details contact Kate McKeering on 864 2147.
Some ofQUT'sfirst MBA graduates; standing (left to right) Dr Alan Williams, Keith Hampson, Jim Dooley, Christine Tod, Lauren Harris, Ted Kojrowicz, Sun-Goo Yi, Professor Bernie Wolff, Dean of Business, (front) Hugh Macintosh, Jian Jun Zhai, Michael Kwok.
duction of the HP35 and the radi- cal changes that it had on student life 15 years ago.
Don't forget the next ESA function on Friday 7 June 1991, the 10 year
reunion. All graduates of Built En- vironment and Engineering are invited to attend. All grnduates will be advised of the venue by mail well prior to this date.
Alumni News ii
· · · • • • • • ·· · · · L·l·N·K·S · · · · • · · · ·
From the new president (Nursing Alumni)
Nursing, as a caring profession, has for a long time neglected to emphasise the importance of nurses caring tor nurses and a change in the professional culture is required. As the discipline develops towards maturity, it is essential that nursing establishes strong professional networks. As such, the OUT Nursing Alumni will en- deavour to contribute to this establishment.
The broad goals of the Alumni are basically two-pronged in that it aims:
1. to foster positive professional relationships amongst OUT graduates, and
2. to support the OUT School of Nursing in the achieve- ment of its educational objects.
These goals are certainly achievable and the Alumni, with the support of its committed management team, will continue to pursue them.
Members of the Alumni are not only based in Queensland but also interstate and overseas. With the wide dispersal of membership, communicating with all members is of prime importance and this will mainly be achieved through the "Links" publication. For our local members a dinner with a guest speaker will be held on Wednesday, 17 July and you will receive further details in the mail soon.
Keep in touch with the University tor the real world. Leanne Raven
Calendar of events
Wednesday 17 July - Nursing Alumni Dinner with Guest Speaker
Saturday 3 August- Engineering and Surveying Alumni Seminar Competition
Saturday 7 September - OUT Foundation Associate Members Ball
Saturday 21 September - Home Economics Alumni Reunion and Annual General Meeting
Friday 4 October - Engineering and Surveying Alumni 20 Year Reunion
Tuesday 5 November- OUT Foundation Christmas Party
Friday 15 November - Engineering and Surveying Alumni Christmas Function and Annual General Meeting
Dance
Tuesday 18 June,.... Saturday 22 June 7.30 pm Dance Collections Student works
Woodward Theatre OUT Kelvin Grove Lunchtime concerts
Semester 2 1991, Wednesdays 1.10 pm
17 July - Paul Svaboda (guitar) and Outi Karjalainen (flute)
24 July - Domenic Natoli (baritone) and Peter Roennteldt (piano)
31 July- Craig Dean (oboe) and Lyn Jordan (piano) 7 August - Stefano Giaroli (piano)
21 August - Lynn Levy (violin), Victoria Hill (viola) and Sayuri Kishi-Debski (piano)
28 August - Markus Lutz (percussion)
4 September - Sue Forster (harpsichord) with Janine Grantham (flute)
25 September - Members of Queensland
Philharmonic Orchestra with Stuart Collins (piano) 2 October- Betty Vergara-Pink (piano)
9 October - Goetz Richter (violin) and Jeannell Carrigan (piano)
23 October - Matthew Marshall (guitar)
All concerts are tree and held in the Music Concert Studio OUT Kelvin Grove. Contact Linda Britter 864 3477 tor further details.
Twilight jazz concerts Thursdays 6.00-7.00 pm
4 July, 1 August, 5 September and 3 October- These jazz concerts, featuring original compositions by local jazz artists, are held the first Thursday of each month and are broadcast live on 4MBS-FM 103.7 Further dates tor drama and dance are being set and will be notified shortly.
If you would like more information on any of the above events please contact Kate McKeering on 864 2147.
Editorial
OUT Links is published by the OUT Foundation tor its members. Editorial material is gathered from a number of sources and does not necessarily relect the opinions and policies of the OUT Foundation or OUT.
--- Foundation ---
Keeping in touch
• John Barletta, Diploma of Teaching 1983, Bachelor of Education 1987, Graduate Diploma of Social Science (Counselling) 1989. Currently studying Master of Education- al Studies. After working in many primary schools in and around Brisbane John has decided to settle in Brisbane. He is studying part-time and is involved in professional associa- tions. John has also worked in secondary schools as a teacher/careers adviser and then as a Counsellor. John believes one must experience different roles in various settings within one's area of expertise. It is breadth of experience that enables a person to gain a global view. He is currently employed as a Guidance Consultant for the Brisbane Catholic Education Office. Telephone 840 0422.
• Anthony Barnett (Professor), Law (Honours) 1987. An- thony has just been appointed as Dean, School of Manage- ment, University College of Southern Queensland, making him Australia's first Professor in Project Management. He completed his Honours Degree in Law whilst a full-time staff member in the Department of Building and Quantity Survey- ing at OUT. Telephone (076) 312 430.
• Deborah Basterfield, Diploma ofTeaching- Primary 1988.
Deborah has been teaching in Mitchell Pre-school since graduating from Carseldine Campus. She will be studying for her Bachelor's Degree externally through 1991 and 1992.
Telephone (076) 231 107.
• Julie Blom (nee Rollings), Diploma of Teaching - Primary and Pre-school 1983, Bachelor of Education 1988. Julie now lives in Glendale, California. Telephone (818) 248 3692. She and her husband have a company that constructs sets, props, scenery, and special effects for the television, film and entertainment industry. Currently studying towards MBA and missing Aussie!
• Susan Cowie, Diploma of Teaching 1983, Bachelor of Education 1987. She married Jeff Brown in June 1989 and is now teaching at Dunwich on Stradbroke Island. Telephone (07) 409 9047.
• Lloyd Davis, Bachelor of Engineering 1982, Graduate Diploma of Auto Control 1984. Lloyd is now married and has acquired a cat and dog. He lives at Balmoral and restores old Chevs (pre-1955). Spouse collects antiques - which he fixes. He is currently writing a book on collecting auto- mobilia (tins, signs and garage equipment). Has seen most of Australia except WA and NT. He says hello to all the people who said he'd never make it. Telephone 834 2469.
• Sharon Gimm, Diploma of Education - Early Childhood 1987. Sharon is the local relief teacher for 1991 at Burleigh Heads State School. She is currently studying for her Bachelor of Education through the Gold Coast university. In her spare time she umpires indoor cricket and goes scuba diving. She would love to hear from anyone who graduated with her. Contact her through the school: BHSS 1 West Street, Burleigh Heads 4220.
• Keith lsdale, Associate Diploma of Electrical Engineering 1990. He is currently working with Allied Technologies which is part of a national company servicing and maintaining peripheral equipment attached to a mainframe system. Telephone 263 1712.
• Bruce McNaught, Bachelor of Business - Computing 1986.
Bruce resigned from the Queensland Electricity Commis- sion in April 1990 to become the Computer Training Coord- inator for Metway Bank. He is responsible for the computer training of all Metway staff and the professional development of the Bank's computer professionals. He is currently in- volved in establishing computer-based training throughout Metway. Bruce is Chapter President of the National Society for Performance and Instruction. Telephone 835 5350.
• Pauline Moylan, Bachelor of Laws 1985. Pauline joined the Australian Taxation Office, Brisbane in January 1985 as a Graduate Clerk. She stayed with the Taxation Office on moving to Sydney in mid-1985, as a Litigation Officer. She resigned in August 1990 in order to enter into private practice
KEEP IN TOUCH RESPONSE CARD Name (ple ase print) .. ...................... . D e gree(s) ................... .... .... ............................... . Year(s) of graduation ..... ...... ........... ... . Company/Organisation ... .......... ... . Position ......... ..... .. ...... ..... ........ .... . Phone ....... ...... .... .................. . News ... ... ... ... ... ... .
I am happy for this information to appear in "QUT Links".
Signature ....... Date ... .
as a barrister and she is currently in practice at the Sydney Bar. Telephone (02) 223 7344.
• Paul Osborne, Bachelor of Business Communication 1989.
Paul has spent this year at Central Queensland News in Emerald seeing the end of the leukaemia-aerial spraying debate, reporting on the rural reaction to the Goss Govern- ment and generally trying to make sense of life in the semi-outback. Any other journalism majors or Communica- tion graduates can contact him on (079) 821 733.
• Anthony O'Sullivan, Bachelor of Laws 1988. Tony is a Corporate Adviser based in Sydney with Ayers Finniss. He specialises in divestment and debt reconstruction advice.
He wishes to assist corporates in divestments in excess of
$20 million and large scale debt reconstructions. Telephone (02) 262 6944.
• Manny Peralta (Flying Officer), Bachelor of Business (Public Admininstration) 1990. Manny is now in the Royal Australian Air Force in Tottenhan, Victoria. He manages a section staffed by civilian and Air Force personnel which provides logistics support to Air Force units. Manny was the
"Systems Analysis Officer" and co-designer of a "self-audit"
process for "supply flight", Royal Australian Air Force Base, Williams, Victoria. ''Total Quality Management" principles were used as the foundation for the self-audit checklist. The Air Force is unequalled in its ability to develop "Crisis Management" skills in its officers. It is an excellent training ground because it gives so much responsibility to very young shoulders. Telephone (03) 688 2387 (W); (03) 688 241 O (AH).
• Jillian Robinson, Diploma of Teaching 1989. Jillian has been teaching Year 5 at Deception Bay State School during her first year of teaching in 1990. In 1991 she will be teaching Year 1 as she majored in Early Education. She will com- mence studying for her Bachelor of Education externally through Deakin University this year. Telephone 203 1555.
• Patricia Weeks, Bachelor of Education 1985, Master of Education 1989. She has been working forTAFE for the past nine years and has just been appointed to full-time per- manent position in the Academic Staff Development Unit at OUT. Telephone 864 2919.
I • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • L·l·N·K·S . . . .
Well stocked QUT shop
The OUT range of merchandise is growing with new quality products available at excellent prices for graduates and friends.
OUT mug? The mugs are white with a navy logo and cost just $5.00.
The ultimate reward for any success- ful graduate is a gold Sheaffer pen, with a subtle OUT logo, for $97.00 beautifully packaged for gift giving.
The OUT key-ring will really help you go places. Featuring the OUT logo the key-ring is available for $8.70.
Always keep OUT close to you with the old school tie and the brand new school scarf. The tie is navy blue with delicate white dots and features a small OUT logo. The scarf is 680mm square, also blue with large and small white dots. Both are made in Australia from polyester. The scarf is
$22.00 and the tie $13.00.
Why not drink to OUT often with a
Order form
Fill in the order form and return it to the OUT Foundation, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane Old 4001 . If you wish your merchandise to be mailed to you include postage costs. Mugs must be collected to avoid breakage. For telephone enquiries, ring (07) 864 2821
Name: ... . Delivery address: ... .
. . . Postcode: ... . Daytime phone number: ... . I wish to order: (place quantity in box)
Member's discount price Non-member's price
D Tie $ 13.00 $ 15.00
D Scarf $ 22.00 $ 25.00
D Key-ring $ 8.70 $ 10.00
D Mug (must be collected) $ 5.00 $ 7.00
D Gold pen $ 97.00 $110.00
Add postage and handling $2.50 per order Total order value $ ... .
(Please total your order to receive receipt)
My cheque for$ ... , payable to OUT Foundation, accompanies this order.
D visa Card number
D Bankcard D MasterCard
I I I I 1 1 I I I 1 1 I I I 11 I I I
Signature ... Date ... . Allow three weeks for delivery
