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newCardigan started in 2015 when some jaded mid-career library colleagues got together for a drink after work. An idea after a few beers quickly spun out of control and before we knew it we'd recruited a museum archivist and created a calendar of events. The core idea of newCardigan has always been to combine professional development and networking with opportunities for relaxed social connection.
But the driving force of newCardigan from the beginning was a feeling that instead of complaining that our professional associations were not providing what we wanted, we should simply do it ourselves. JFDI became our tagline and our spirit. newCardigan has never been shy about championing progressive values in GLAMR – especially at times we felt the associations officially representing us were reluctant to do so. But JFDI was also immensely practical. Wish you could ask an industry bigwig to host a tour of their museum? JFDI. Think it would be cool to get a best-selling author to speak to a cardiParty? JFDI. Want to sneak in to a public library to host a cardiParty after hours? JFDI!
newCardigan quickly grew, regularly holding events in Melbourne and Perth with 30 or more attendees month after month. We expanded into a podcast with recordings from events, interviews from various GLAMR workers, and even some international guests. We provided industry connection through Covid, experimenting with online events, videos, and even a reading group. Soon we were coordinating end-of-year picnics with all the local GLAMR groups in Melbourne.
The years since Covid have been challenging - our workplaces have changed, our habits are different, and our professional associations have also adjusted to new realities and demands. This year there were no volunteers to steer newCardigan into the future as committee members, and we are taking the hint. At our AGM later this month we will put a motion to wind up newCardigan.
I am immensely proud of what newCardigan has done over the last eleven years. We brought GLAMR workers together in ways they hadn't previously met. We learned from each other, and experimented with different ways to connect and learn that were more relaxed and welcoming than had been the norm. We expanded collective notions of what GLAMR is, and could be. And we held an unwavering focus on connecting the ordinary GLAMR workers who do this work every day.
All good things come to an end. It has been a privilege and a joy to bring people together through newCardigan, but now it has reached its used-by date. I am incredibly grateful to all of the people who were part of our formal and informal organising committees over the last eleven years. They put in more hours of effort than anyone will ever know. I am grateful to the hosts who said yes to our impertinent cold-call requests. And I am most grateful to those who joined in this crazy experiment that has brought so many of us connections, learning, growth, and - above all - fun.
Don't forget to be awesome, and remember folks: JFDI.
Hugh Rundle
newCardigan Secretary and co-founder | 
