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Innovative Pacific curriculum integration through academic and information literacy partnerships

Asia-Pacific Library and Information Conference 2018, 30 July - 2 August 2018 Gold Coast: Roar Leap Dare

This conference paper [peer reviewed] presents an innovative case study of a curriculum integration research project which began in late 2011 with the integration of academic and information literacy (AIL) skills into the undergraduate programme of Pacific Studies at university.

Challenging the traditional ways of raising, embedding and sustaining student outcomes and success in tertiary institutions for diverse minority learners and equity groups is essential. Crucial to the success of the project is the application and implementation of indigenous Pacific pedagogies and approaches in student engagement, teaching and learning, the active support of the Head of Department and a collective partnership approach between academics, Libraries and Learning Services, and other teams.

The project included curriculum mapping to the University Graduate Profile, a three year research survey exploring the AIL skills of 1st year and 3rd year Pacific students, ongoing student feedback, evaluations, and project enhancements. The authors examine the implications and outcomes of Pacific AIL (PAIL) integration which include: assignment questions and assessments; essay guides; First Year Experience (FYE) Targeted Learning sessions; the development of marking rubrics and their implementation in Stage 1 courses and beyond; and the inclusion of skill based workshops into the existing Pacific Studies academic enhancement programme, Vaka Moana. Future developments and sustainability of the ‘cross team’ approach in curriculum integration for student success outcomes are discussed.

 

Leap and the net will appear: TAFE Queensland’s leap of faith towards a new service paradigm

Asia-Pacific Library and Information Conference 2018, 30 July - 2 August 2018 Gold Coast: Roar Leap Dare

This conference paper presents a holistic assessment of the formation of the TAFE Queensland Library Network and the management and organisational strategies taken to respond to the challenges of providing library services in the current Vocational Education and Training sector. TAFE Queensland recently became an independent statutory body and was then amalgamated from six RTOs into one. The TAFE Queensland Library Network was one of the first business units to amalgamate on a state-wide basis. These changes have happened in the context of transformations to pedagogy with an increased focus on online learning and in a restrictive fiscal environment.

This paper will document and analyse these changes in two ways:

  • Firstly, by reconstructing the history of the transformation and document the management and organisational decisions taken to realise the necessary changes
  • Secondly, by analysing the qualitative and quantitative data from staff and stake holder surveys and feedback we will assess the success and challenges that we have encountered and how that has compelled us to make modifications to our approach. Attention will be paid to measuring the success of providing better access and increased support and resources to the student and staff across a considerable geographical region. 

The paper will detail how 21 staff libraries across 6 regional areas in a territory roughly five times the size of Japan were transformed into one network and the work undertaken to ensure the TQLN could fulfil TAFE Queensland’s requirements for consistent resources, licencing and educational outcomes. It will present and analyse the introduction of a unified management team, one customer service strategy, and common information and digital literacy programs. The paper will detail the soft and cultural changes necessary to generate team dynamics and inclusion and the ways that cross-campus teams were used to apply contemporary technological solutions.  Special attention will be paid to the processes and technology required to unify the six different catalogues into one and deploy a single library website. Crucially important has been the shift to a shared cross-campus IT architecture in the shape of One Spydus, EBSCO Databases Subscription and EZproxy authentication. 

Using social media to promote digital cultural collections: work smarter not harder

Asia-Pacific Library and Information Conference 2018, 30 July - 2 August 2018 Gold Coast: Roar Leap Dare

This conference paper discusses the marketing and promotion of digital collections through social media.

Digital cultural collections sites represent a large investment for cultural institutions but often marketing and promotion of these collections take a significant amount of time. While many institutions excel at marketing and promotion at face-to-face events, they may find it difficult to maintain the time and energy to keep promoting resources on social media. Social media is vital for cultural institutions that use web statistics to justify the expense of digital cultural collections. In this paper, the authors will discuss time-saving, practical social media approaches for promoting digital cultural collections sites, such as the Living Histories @ UON site, using a targeted approach which goes beyond traditional social media engagement. The authors will discuss their practical experiences raising awareness of the Living Histories site and enhancing community engagement by designing and executing a multi-pronged social media ‘campaign’.

The correlation between posting on social media and page hits will be demonstrated using quantitative analysis of statistical web data. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest will be some social media tools used. Some strategies utilized include: a Twitter bot, targeting content to specific user groups (i.e. a Facebook group), automated social media posting, participating in global social media events (i.e. Explore Your Archive week), blogging and asking affiliated users and groups to post content on their accounts.  The authors will report on which strategy and which social media platform was most successful in drawing users to the Living Histories site. Strategies that failed at engagement will also be discussed.

INCITE: November/December 2018

INCITE: The magazine for library and information professionals - Nov/Dec 2018 Volume 39 Issue 11/12

Contents: From the President -- From the CEO -- The fight to renew funding for NSW public libraries -- ALIA Board nominations are coming up again -- It's the second digital only edition of INCITE -- Another successful Australian Reading Hour -- ALIA Leadership & Innovation Forum roundup -- ALIA's new advocacy campaign, Truth, Integrity, Knowledge -- Letter to the editor -- 2018 ALIA Northern Territory Recognition Award winner -- News from your ALIA State and Territory Managers -- What is the library of things? -- Leading a bilingual storytime in Timor-Leste -- Creating an inclusive storytime event -- QUT Library starts lending IT equipment -- How chatbots can help streamline your library workflows -- Makerspaces beget creativity -- A fresh take on student practicum placements -- How library design can impact your library -- School libraries advocate together -- Passion and personal development creates a conference zine -- Grant opens door for personal development -- Law Library of Victoria expands to around-the-clock electronic access -- Librarians' Choice interview Markus Zusak -- 50 years of the National Library of Australia -- The E-lending Project examines the holdings of Australian libraries -- CAVAL's 40th birthday celebrations.

ALIA Schools PD 2018: Reimagining the 21st century collection [slides]

ALIA Schools Professional Development Seminar, 17 March 2018 Glen Iris, Victoria: What does the 21st century school collection look like?

The seminar is for primary and secondary teacher librarians and others who are responsible for school library services. This presentation (PowerPoint slides) accompanies the keynote address which explores the concepts underpinning the creation and development of a modern school library collection.

ALIA statement on library and information services staff appointments

As the standards body for the library and information profession in Australia, the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) establishes the formal qualifications required as a basis for entry to the profession. It is vital therefore that the Association promotes the principle that staff appointed to librarian and library technician positions hold qualifications appropriate to those positions. Where formal librarian or library technician qualifications are required for a particular position, this requirement should be articulated in the job description for the position.

ALIA member code of conduct statement

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) requires members, both personal and institutional, to adhere to the highest standards of ethical practice and professional competence. All members are bound by the ALIA Constitution to act responsibly and to be accountable for their actions. The ALIA Code of Conduct establishes a common understanding of the responsibilities of members.

This document is superceded by "ALIA member code of conduct statement" (2020).

Subject

ALIA Schools PD 2018: 21st century collection development - Westbourne Grammar School [slides]

ALIA Schools Professional Development Seminar, 17 March 2018 Glen Iris, Victoria: What does the 21st century school collection look like?

The seminar is for primary and secondary teacher librarians and others who are responsible for school library services. This presentation (PowerPoint slides) is from Westbourne Grammar School.

School library collections in the 21st century are often unique to meet the needs of individual school communities. A keynote presentation by Heather Bailie will explore the concepts underpinning the creation and development of a modern school library collection. This is followed by a panel of speakers who will share what their collection currently looks like and identify the reasons behind their decisions.

ALIA Schools PD 2018: 21st century collection development - Loyola College [slides]

ALIA Schools Professional Development Seminar, 17 March 2018 Glen Iris, Victoria: What does the 21st century school collection look like?

The seminar is for primary and secondary teacher librarians and others who are responsible for school library services. This presentation (PowerPoint slides) is from Loyola College.

School library collections in the 21st century are often unique to meet the needs of individual school communities. A keynote presentation by Heather Bailie will explore the concepts underpinning the creation and development of a modern school library collection. This is followed by a panel of speakers who will share what their collection currently looks like and identify the reasons behind their decisions.

ALIA Schools PD 2018: 21st century collection development - Taylors Hill Primary School [slides]

ALIA Schools Professional Development Seminar, 17 March 2018 Glen Iris, Victoria: What does the 21st century school collection look like?

The seminar is for primary and secondary teacher librarians and others who are responsible for school library services. This presentation (PowerPoint slides) is from Taylors Hill Primary School.

School library collections in the 21st century are often unique to meet the needs of individual school communities. A keynote presentation by Heather Bailie will explore the concepts underpinning the creation and development of a modern school library collection. This is followed by a panel of speakers who will share what their collection currently looks like and identify the reasons behind their decisions.

ALIA statement on non-standard employment

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) recognises that new forms of work have developed in response to the need for increased labour market flexibility. ALIA believes an appropriate, legal and fair employment policy balances the need for flexibility with protection for employees.

ALIA notes the increasing incidence of nonstandard work in Australian library and information services. The Association acknowledges the use of part-time, casual and genuine non-employee work, to the extent that it increases flexibility for both management and employees. However, the Association does not support the increasing casualisation of employment which is evident in some sectors

Snapshot of the Australian interlibrary loan environment 2018

The ALIA Interlibrary Lending Advisory Committee conducted a survey to gather information on current interlibrary loan and document delivery (ILL/DD) processes and practices in Australia. The aim of the survey was to take a snapshot of the ILL/DD environment in Australia in 2018, with a view to inform future directions.

This report outlines the findings of the survey, with some analysis and recommendations by the Committee. The information gathered will assist the Advisory Committee, and more broadly the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), in its quest to promote and improve the services provided by all kinds of library and information agencies.

HLA News (Autumn 2018)

HLA News: National News Bulletin of Health Libraries Australia - The national health group of the Australian Library and Information Association

Contents: In our sights: the scoping review -- Convenor's focus -- Resources for health librarians working with researchers and data -- Find yourself in a library: participate in Library and Information Week -- Getting creative with library outreach at Dementia Australia -- HLA PD Day keynote speaker announcement -- Member spotlight: Alice Anderson -- 2018 professional development opportunities.

From fieldwork to immersion: A trans-continental personal account of transformation and what it means to be an information professional [poster]

Asia-Pacific Library and Information Conference 2018, 30 July - 2 August 2018 Gold Coast: Roar Leap Dare

This conference poster presentation outlines the fieldwork experience of an information professional in the Philippines.

What does it mean to be an information professional? My understanding of this question was recently challenged during a student fieldwork placement at Tondo Congressional Library, located in an impoverished area of Manilla in the Philippines. In Australia, a library fieldwork placement is an opportunity for students to develop their information management and knowledge skills in a real world setting. However this fieldwork experience taught me there is more to being an information professional than just these skills. The outreach service provided by Tondo Congressional Library included activities such as reading stories to sick children in hospital, highlighting a deep awareness of meeting humans at their point of need, and demonstrating a different professional capacity beyond traditionally valued library skills. This presentation will explore my inner and outer journey during this fieldwork placement and how I now conceptualise what ‘be’-ing an information professional is, not just ‘do’-ing.

A focus on customer service has been core to my work experiences in Australian libraries and how this is defined has varied depending on the institution involved. Prior to my experience in the Philippines I had a preconception that libraries with the best resources offered better customer service as the information and resource needs of customers are met beyond expectation. However since my fieldwork placement in the Philippines I have come to realise that a library with very limited resourcing can still provide quality customer service. My experience taught me that library patrons have other needs that go beyond information needs. As part of this fieldwork placement I read stories as an outreach activity to street children who could not afford to go to school and it was common practice to provide complimentary food (a basic need) as part of the library’s mission. From this experience I have come to understand that a holistic approach to customer service is valuable no matter where in the world this service happens.

Immersion into a world where information needs are secondary to that of basic human needs made me question what it means to serve customers. Tondo Congressional Library provides the same standard library services as what you would find in other public libraries around the world. They provide information and literary resources to customers, connect them in a digital world and answer standard directional enquiries such how to find the nearest toilet. However their outreach programs involve services going above and beyond what would be considered standard service in Australia. Some may view these outreach activities as not core library services, but I believe it is relevant to acknowledge the humanity and life experiences of every library customer.

ALIA HLA competencies

This document identifies and describes the ALIA Health Libraries Australia (ALIA HLA) eight competency areas. Health librarians, from novice to expert, need a basic understanding of each competency area:

  1. The health environment
  2. Reference and research services
  3. Resources
  4. Leadership and management
  5. Digital, ehealth and technology
  6. Health literacy and teaching
  7. Health research
  8. Professionalism

It may all burn down in a most delightful way! Taking risks and challenging the 'done thing' to enable opportunity-led innovation in an academic library [poster]

Asia-Pacific Library and Information Conference 2018, 30 July - 2 August 2018 Gold Coast: Roar Leap Dare

This conference poster presentation outlines the impact of emerging technologies on academic libraries.

Virtual Reality [VR], Augmented Reality [AR] 360° video technology, and more recently holography, stands to be one of the most disruptive suites of technologies affecting organisations, including the education and library sectors. While educators are investigating how these technologies may enrich learning experiences, libraries are developing digital literacy programmes to enable their communities to experience emerging technologies which are impacting upon the way we live our lives. Academic libraries are exploring ways to make the range VR, AR, 360° and holographic technologies more accessible to staff and students across the university, regardless of faculty affiliation or degree programme. This includes seeking out content for the platforms – content provision being the traditional responsibility of the university library. Where the technology, content and the user intersect is where unforeseen opportunities to innovate are occurring, and Libraries, such as QUT Library, are in the unique position of being able to bring those three elements into contact.

There are many challenges in this space, and an approach would be to scope and the solve the problems: problem-led innovation. Alternatively, there is opportunity-led innovation - a “let’s see where this goes” approach. It is a more transformative mind-set and one which necessarily challenges existing processes, attitudes, and structures. The catalyst for one opportunity-led experience at QUT Library was the purchase of a specific piece of high-end VR technology – the Oculus Rift. Centred on how the Rift was acquired and deployed, this paper will share both top-down and bottom-up perspectives of opportunity-led innovation.

Firstly, the perspective of a senior library manager whose goal is to challenge internal barriers to innovation; empower staff to become intrapreneurs; to create and influence an organisational culture within which creativity and experimentation may flourish; and where ideas can go from inspiration to implementation. This is a stage on a continuum of cultural change at QUT Library, one which will ensure library services and staffs are in a good position to adapt and reinvent in the face of constant flux.

Secondly, the perspective of a faculty librarian thriving in a climate where intuition and risktaking is rewarded, where open-ended experimentation is encouraged, and where – if the established processes and procedures are barriers – the ‘done thing’ can be challenged, rules can be bent or bypassed and the end point is allowed to be fuzzy. This openness also means there is space for the client to step into, to co-create solutions and services which meet “authentic demand”.

It may all burn down delightfully in the end, but this in itself is a valid outcome of risk-taking, and may even be the most valuable contribution to fostering a culture of innovation.

Australian Government libraries: policy decisions based on fact

Government library and information professionals connect politicians and government employees to the essential information they need to make decisions based on facts, not fiction. The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) calls for all state, territory and federal government departments to have equal access to quality information and resources, managed by qualified library and information professionals.

Statement on public library services

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) supports freedom of access to public library and information services to enable all community members to participate and contribute to society, to actively contribute to social inclusion, and to enable people to contribute to the economic wellbing of their famiies and the nation.

This document highlights the diversity of public library services. They support literacy and reading for pleasure; lifelong learning; arts, culture and local heritage; cybersafety and digital inclusion. They promote the work of Australian writers and creators; provide safe spaces for meetings, study, work and relaxation; ensure that people have freedom of access to the information they need for personal development, health, wellbeing and active participation in our democratic society, and help people connect with egovernment.

ALIA guidelines for special libraries experiencing service reviews

Every special library is likely to experience the review process at some point, often triggered by changes in the parent organisation. It is important to remember that while a review is challenging, it is also an opportunity to reinforce messages about the role and value of the library and information service. The review process can result in the reduction of some library and information services, but others find themselves coming out of the process in an even stronger position. How you and your colleagues approach the review can significantly impact on the outcomes for your library and information service. This guidance, based on the experiences of other libraries, suggests ways to navigate the process.