Article by Roxanne Missingham (FALIA) from INCITE January/February 2020 Volume 41 Issue 1/2 - Critical Librarianship.
This article discusses the social, ethical and legal complexities in the debate surrounding freedom of speech in library spaces.
ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger
This conference paper discusses how the National Library of Australia and its participant agencies built the largest collection of online Australian election material to date in 2013. The election was notable in a number of ways, the new platforms being used to disseminate a political message, the amount of material that was produced and how much of this we could and could not collect.
Candidates and political parties have also embraced the online world and used it increasingly used as a means of spreading their campaign message. This election Pandora collected more than it has in any previous election, but content was missed. This was for a variety of reasons, lack of permissions, technical limitations and constrained resources. But what was collected will form the basis upon which future researchers can look back at what drove the election campaign online.
ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger
This conference paper draws from the professional experiences of the presenter, who has worked across a range of library sectors in Melbourne and Darwin, and participated in Australian International Development projects in Papua New Guinea and Vietnam.
It will particularly focus on three strategies for unconventional career development: relocating to a regional centre; working as an International Development volunteer; and working in non-library industries. He will also draw from the experience of other information professionals who have pursued these non-conventional career paths.
In 2017, for our 80th anniversary, the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) invited members to pay tribute to the people and places that have inspired them. We published the stories on the ALIA website and they were so popular that we decided to turn them into a book and place a copy in the time capsule buried at ALIA House in Canberra, to be opened in August 2037. These narratives tell of amazing individuals, close professional and personal friendships, and lifelong connections, many forged through engagement with the Association.
ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger
This conference presentation covers a 10 point action plan which has been used to progress careers despite the demands of family situations. Many graduates share similar back-stories, and the goal is to offer effective advice on progressing your career in the library industry without risking your relationships, your sanity, or your credit rating.
ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger
This conference paper covers a 10 point action plan which has been used to progress careers despite the demands of family situations. Many graduates share similar back-stories, and the goal is to offer effective advice on progressing your career in the library industry without risking your relationships, your sanity, or your credit rating.
Asia-Pacific Library and Information Conference 2018, 30 July - 2 August 2018 Gold Coast: Roar Leap Dare
[Peer reviewed] This conference paper discusses Singapore Management University Libraries' Talent Management Strategy which was developed to focus on workforce planning, capacity building, succession planning, career paths and leadership development.
With almost no natural resources, the roar of Singapore’s knowledge-based economy is dependent on its talent. The government has been advocating the critical importance of on-going upskilling of its citizens to become a smart nation in an increasingly Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) world. The Singapore government’s recent ‘Skills Future’ agenda was launched in 2016 to provide Singaporeans with the opportunities to develop their fullest potential throughout life. Universities are expected to support this initiative and provide industry specific education to build a competitive workforce that is based on a tripartite collaboration between government, industry and universities. Singapore Management University (SMU) too, has responded and developed Vision 2025, a roadmap for a transformative education. Within this changing learning ecosystem, how has SMU Libraries been responding? SMU Libraries have been exploring a variety of strategies and creating opportunities to ROAR, LEAP and DARE to realign its strategic direction and contribute to the overall success of the university. How has SMU Libraries’ Talent Management (TM) strategy become a catalyst to add and demonstrate value to all its stakeholders, including its staff?
ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger
This conference presentation will benefit libraries seeking to communicate their educational value within their institutions through transformative approaches to information literacy. We evidence that libraries are significant contributors to the educational goals of the institution and have the ability to initiate and drive university-wide strategies that are both pedagogically distinctive and innovative. University-wide adoption of a library initiated educational intervention is rare in higher education.
ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger
The focus of this conference presentation is on the main lessons and outcomes of the independent evaluation of customer satisfaction with Trove commssioned by the National Library of Australia. This first rigorous evaluation of Trove’s audiences and impact includes the consideration of the Australian public not yet benefiting from the Trove opportunity, and the ways in which the evaluation is shaping future development plans for Trove.
ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger
This conference presentation explains how the National Library launched the Australian Government Web Archive, an online service allowing a search of Commonwealth government websites dating back to 2011. Allowing users to compare versions of the same website over time, to find material long-removed from the current web, and to explore the changing space of government, the AGWA is a proof-of-concept service for the Library. Alison Dellit, Director of Australian Collections Management, discusses the background to developing the service, show off some of the service’s new features, and discuss where to in the future for the National Library’s web archiving activities.
ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger
This conference presentation explains how the Dual Sector Partnership (DSP) Project was set up to deliver HE programs to regional students through their own local TAFE Institutes. The model of blended delivery allowed the students to study online but keep a local connection with lecturers and support staff based at their home institutes. Many students articulated into the degree programs from TAFE diplomas.
For the smaller regional TAFEs having to provide Information Literacy to HE students is a new thing, but not only are they HE, this cohort is mature age, not based on campus and come into the program with significant gaps in their academic literacies and technological skills. As a result each TAFE Institute library has responded locally in customising their delivery to suit the DSP cohort.
Health Libraries Australia Lunchtime seminars 2021: Thursday 15th July and Thursday 22nd July, 1.00-2.30pm.
This seminar presentation (PowerPoint slides) discusses work by the authors to progress an open research strategy, done at a national level, including implications for health researchers and health research leaders.
ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger
This conference papeer explains how the Dual Sector Partnership (DSP) Project was set up to deliver HE programs to regional students through their own local TAFE Institutes. The model of blended delivery allowed the students to study online but keep a local connection with lecturers and support staff based at their home institutes. Many students articulated into the degree programs from TAFE diplomas.
For the smaller regional TAFEs having to provide Information Literacy to HE students is a new thing, but not only are they HE, this cohort is mature age, not based on campus and come into the program with significant gaps in their academic literacies and technological skills. As a result each TAFE Institute library has responded locally in customising their delivery to suit the DSP cohort.
ALIA Information Online 2019 Conference, 11-15 February 2019 Sydney: Infinite Possibilities
This conference paper explores how the National Library of Australia has transformed collection description and access for its digital heritage collections. The fundamental change from an item-by-item process, to large-scale data collection achieves efficiencies, enables rapid access, and allows the collection of previously complex electronic formats from publishers, photographers and donors.
ALIA Information Online 2019 Conference, 11-15 February 2019 Sydney: Infinite Possibilities
This conference paper discusses advances in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and the rise of chatbots in the delivery of library information services.
ALIA Information Online 2019 Conference, 11-15 February 2019 Sydney: Infinite Possibilities
This conference paper presents the results of a survey of Australian academic library social media managers, co-ordinators and contributors on the ways in which their libraries use social media, particularly Twitter, their strategies, and how success is defined and measured.
ALIA Information Online 2017 Conference, 13-17 February 2017 Sydney: Data Information Knowledge
This conference paper discusses the collaboration between libraries and other collecting institutions through the development of shared services and technical infrastructure.
Abstract: The National Library of Australia leads the library sector through providing national collaborative services such as Libraries Australia and Trove, and by collecting and preserving print and online legal deposit material on behalf of the nation for long-term access. In partnership with others, the Library has also digitised an unprecedented quantity of historical newspapers, transforming the way historical enquiry can be undertaken. The success of these activities and the rapidly changing nature of the economic, social and technological context in which we operate has triggered the need for the Library to re-examine its national leadership role and the unique value it can deliver, the long-term sustainability of these services for the nation, especially as new legal deposit legislation will expand legal deposit collecting to all digital and online material, and the potential for building on existing collaborative relationships within particular sectors and with the wider community.
Between November 2015 and June 2016 the National Library embarked on a project to review existing digital services and collaborations, re-examine the value propositions offered by the Library and develop new coherent business and governance models for its digital business. A web-based literature review completed in March 2016 revealed that despite some significant work overseas, there was very little evidence that similar research and business thinking has been undertaken in Australia. In April 2016, Deloitte Australia was engaged to assist with developing a framework under which to establish business and governance models that will guide the long-term development paths for the Library’s digital services. Deloitte submitted its report Digital Services Business Model and Governance Review in June 2016.
In October 2016, the National Library established a small project team to build on the recommendations of the Deloitte report. This work is well underway, with a new membership agreement, fee structure, governance framework and implementation plan expected to be in place by June 2017. The new model will strengthen the influence of contributing partners, provide a formal mechanism for member input into future development planning and better guarantee the long-term viability of our shared investment. The paper outlines the long history of library collaboration and the benefits to be gained by extending this collaborative approach to how we manage our digital collections.
With the support of National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA) and other key partners, the National Library is developing new digital business models from which to nurture a new phase of close collaboration with the cultural sector. This collaboration aims at delivering value and efficiencies to all partners by sharing services and technical infrastructure. In this current era of digital publishing and technology-driven disruption, closer collaboration leveraging the capacities of all partners will ensure long-term sustainability of national services.
The last two decades have seen major changes occurring in the volunteering world. The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) in conjunction with the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have undertaken a research project to consider the role of volunteers in contemporary professional associations. This report seeks to examine the impact of socio-demographic change on modern volunteering, especially for contemporary professional associations like ALIA.
ALIA Information Online 2017 Conference, 13-17 February 2017 Sydney: Data Information Knowledge
This conference paper discusses an approach to strategic planning in a dynamic and rapidly-evolving university library environment.
A university-wide transformational restructure in 2014 provided a rare opportunity to change the organisational structure of La Trobe University Library, as well as the services offered and the way in which we worked. By mid-2015, the new structure was in place, but the library did not have a documented strategy to provide a clear direction for library staff or to articulate how the library contributes to the university’s strategy and goals. We needed to communicate the positive impact of the changes, and what the library could now achieve, to the university community. Therefore the strategy had to be meaningful, tell a compelling story and be easily understood by all stakeholders, particularly library staff.
ALIA Information Online 2017 Conference, 13-17 February 2017 Sydney: Data Information Knowledge
This conference paper presents a case study of the process used by La Trobe University Library to develop and implement an interactive orientation activity to encourage student engagement with library services and programs.
Abstract: Capturing the imagination of students and engaging them in everything the library has to offer is particularly important for university libraries at the start of each new academic year and during orientation week. The challenge for library staff is working out how to renew orientation activities so that they stay fresh and relevant to new students. In 2016, the La Trobe University Library piloted an engaging and interactive new orientation activity to help students to get to know the library. Our new approach brings together the digital and physical environments by capitalising on the internationally popular game, Escape Rooms. Escape Rooms are a live puzzle game where players are locked in a room, and need to find clues and solve puzzles to ‘escape the room’. Escape rooms’ popularity around the world is reflected in their consistent #1 ranking in the TripAdvisor ‘Fun Activities’ category. La Trobe University Library took the Escape Room concept and transformed it into a blended online and physical orientation game for teams of students to learn about key library services. Escape Room at the Library is an example of how game design has potential for increasing student engagement with the library in online (Walsh, 2014) and physical spaces (Angell & Boss, 2016). To implement Escape Room at the Library, the Library team:
The popularity of Escape Room at the Library completely exceeded the Library’s expectations. The game continued after O-week and ran for a total of four weeks with 714 registered participants. The popularity of this orientation activity was an unintentional by-product of making learning fun and interactive. The success of Escape Room at the Library was also demonstrated in the post-game survey:
In addition, of the 20 learning outcomes addressed, 16 were met by over 80% of respondents.
The goal of Escape Room at the Library was to design an intrinsically-motivated activity similar to a library tour, that required minimal staff facilitation, that immersed students in the digital and physical worlds, that could be done at any time and which would maximise student engagement. This case study demonstrates how the principles of game and puzzle design can be used to enhance discovery of library services and programs in a blended environment. It is an approach that could be applied to a range of library settings.
National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead.
[Peer reviewed] This conference paper discusses gaming as a pastime that encompasses a wide range of activities including video games, board games, pen and paper role playing games, and card games. It evaluate the ways in which an urban public library can assess and meet the varied social and emotional needs of patrons using board and video games and examines issues surrounding gaming in libraries. It considers the role that game playing can have in the creation and building of communities when participation is facilitated by a public library through the provision of games and gaming events.
A survey was used to gather information to present a snapshot of the gaming habits of a community of individuals who utilise the services of an urban public library. The results can inform other organisations when they are creating a game collection or expanding an existing one to help them choose titles which promote shared experiences and foster communication between community members.
ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger
This conference paper discusses how technology offers a TAFE library a great opportunity to improve the way students access information and customer service. Over the years, TAFE libraries have embraced technology, however, it’s been incremental and a case of making small noticeable differences to the service. The primary driver is still brick-and-mortar service delivery. It’s the way we have done things for so long. We deliver service in a way that we believe, best offers students immediate gratification and quality delivery. Either the information is on the shelves or our staff will find it and get it to you without delay. So brick-and-mortar is still the primary channel for TAFE libraries.
Nevertheless, we have now reached the precipice of change. We are now in a technology charged world that is accelerating at a rapid pace, opening the doors for TAFE libraries to dramatically change the way we deliver library products and services. The coming years will see TAFE libraries push quicker towards an omni-channel strategy - a mash up of physical and digital service experience for students.
National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead.
This conference presentation (PowerPoint slides) supports the paper that discusses gaming as a pastime that encompasses a wide range of activities including video games, board games, pen and paper role playing games, and card games. It evaluate the ways in which an urban public library can assess and meet the varied social and emotional needs of patrons using board and video games and examines issues surrounding gaming in libraries. It considers the role that game playing can have in the creation and building of communities when participation is facilitated by a public library through the provision of games and gaming events.
A survey was used to gather information to present a snapshot of the gaming habits of a community of individuals who utilise the services of an urban public library. The results can inform other organisations when they are creating a game collection or expanding an existing one to help them choose titles which promote shared experiences and foster communication between community members.
ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger
This conference presentation explores the role of grey literature in public policy and practice in Australia based on the results of the Grey Literature Strategies research project, an ARC Linkage project being undertaken by Swinburne University and Victoria University in partnership with the National Library of Australia, the National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA), the Australian Council for Educational Research and the Eidos Institute.
The presentation presents the findings from three online surveys conducted in 2013 of users, producers and collectors of research and information as well as interviews conducted with librarians, researchers and producing organisations. The paper will focus on the data from collecting organisations and other relevant results for the library community and will discuss the way in which libraries are both succeeding and still struggling in their approach to digital content. Topics that will be discussed include: the content users and collecting organisations consider most important; how users find and access content; views on copyright reform; strategies for dealing with deadlinks; selection and evaluation of digital content; contingent valuation and cost benefit analysis of grey literature.
Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) discussion paper on ebooks and elending.
ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger
This conference presentation discuuses the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) which is Australia's independent national regulator of the higher education sector.
This submission from the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), highlights the success of public libraries, as government entities on the frontline of service delivery for diaspora communities. While public libraries are very much involved in this field, they are rarely recognised for this work.
Public libraries collaborate with their local communities to develop culturally appropriate programs; to provide books, magazines, newspapers and other resources in languages other than English; to celebrate diversity; to facilitate a greater sense of connection and build mutual understanding; to make physical spaces into culturally safe places; to support skills development for example with digital literacy and English as a second language.
This submission from the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) discusses the value of school libraries in supporting teaching staff, building reading and information literacies, promoting cybersafety and digital skills, and providing access to recreational books as well as essential study materials.
ALIA supports the notion of introducing mandatory, reportable minimum standards for literacy, numeracy and digital literacy and urges the review to make a clear link between these skills and the role of school libraries. Well-resourced school libraries, staffed by qualified professionals should be available to all young people in order to prepare them for future study and work.
National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead
This conference paper explores the Stonnington Libraries Online Literacy and Development (SOLID) program developed by Charlotte Aberhart for staff across the Stonnington Library and Information Service. Between 2012 and 2016 Stonnington Library staff found they were increasingly approached by patrons for assistance with mobile devices and online services, in an environment where 'digital first' content was becoming more prevalent. The SOLID program was designed to improve staff confidence in meeting the specific needs of Stonnington Library patrons and encompassed five modules, each allocated 6 weeks for completion: Tablet Basics, eBooks and eAudiobooks, eReference, Social Media, and Online Media.
The paper outlines the structure and content of the SOLID program and discusses the feedback received from participants. In the future the program will run bi-annually at Stonnington Libraries, a choice made to avoid staff fatigue and to allow technological advances to be incorporated. The SOLID program is also available to other libraries through a Creative Commons license (link provided).
ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger
This conference paper discusses the future of library studies courses in the Northern Territory (NT). In 2008 the lifespan of the Library Studies course in the NT was said to be very short. Sources reported it would be discontinued due to the low enrolment numbers. This posed a huge disadvantage for the local industry if students were no longer trained at a paraprofessional level.
The strategy was to visit libraries, introduce the course (over many cups of coffee) to gain industry trust and support! Employers were strongly encouraged to provide input into assessment and training strategies. This proved to be a huge success for work placement and delivery in the workplace. A strong Course Advisory Committee (CAC) was formed and as staff numbers for delivery were limited flexible learning was introduced. Each semester students were encouraged to visit and tour a variety of libraries and the Museum and were always greeted enthusiastically.