'Leftovers and scraps' *

Library and information resources and access in Australia's immigration detention centres

Dr Alan Bundy past president, Australian Library and Information Association

Background

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) is the national association for library and information services professionals and institutions. Its first object is:

To promote the free flow of information and ideas in the interest of all Australians and a thriving culture, economy and democracy.

That object is not narrowly restricted to those who are legally Australian citizens. It therefore encompasses the promotion of responses to the library and information needs of all in Australia, permanently or temporarily, and regardless of their status. This includes, for example, library and information services to prisoners, tourists, and people on working and temporary protection visas. The Association is a member of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and is an active participant in its section for libraries serving disadvantaged persons.

Those detained in Australia's immigration centres are considered by the Association to be disadvantaged in their access to library and information resources and services compared with the general community, which has ready access to the comprehensive Australian public library network for educational, informational, technological and recreational purposes. The Association had anecdotal information to support this view, and in 2001 it decided to seek permission to formally review provision in the centres.

Key findings

ALIA considers that:

• there is no greater sense of humanity than to reach out to disadvantaged people and show care for their condition. The provision of relevant library and information resources and access for detainees is a tangible, useful, and appreciated measure of that care;
• refugee claimants detained in centres should have access to library and information resources for educational, informational and recreational purposes as consistent as possible with those resources available through public libraries to refugee claimants on temporary protection visas;
• all refugee claimants in mainland and offshore centres should be afforded an opportunity to educate, inform and recreate themselves through access to library and information resources appropriate to their need and language; and
• there is a special responsibility to provide for children for as long as it continues to be the policy to permit their detention in the centres.

In the above context, the Association's review of the library and information resources provision in the detention centres leads to the following conclusions:

• The centre service provider appears to have no contractual obligation or corporate policy for the provision of library and information resources and access in the centres.
• it has no knowledge of library operations and issues, and appears to have not sought professional advice.
• provision is consequently ad hoc, variable, inefficient, and provides poor outcomes for detainees.
• The centre service provider appears to have no corporate policy for the provision of information technology, other than to deny access to the internet.
• Little funding has been provided to acquire, organise and house library and information resources. The exception is Woomera, which is now mothballed.
• Collections mainly derive from donations. They largely consist of inappropriate, irrelevant and out-of-date items in poor condition. These collections, to use the words of an education officer in one centre '...devalue the detainees, who are getting leftovers and scraps'.
• Collections are, in the main, poorly organised, poorly housed and not easy to access.
• Provision of legal and health information resources is minimal.
• Video resources are more extensive but not refreshed adequately.
• Although in general about fifty per cent of detainees may have some English language proficiency, the greatest single need of detainees is their own bilingual dictionary and access to English as second language [ESL] material.
• In providing access to centre library and information resources, bureaucratic conventions about the lending, return and 'loss' of library materials need to be reconsidered. The reported 'hoarding' characteristic of some detainees is likely a direct outgrowth of the conditions of detention.
• There is potential for local public libraries and state public library agencies to partner the centres more proactively and effectively in identifying and meeting the needs of detainees. The primary educational and library and information services responsibility is that of the service provider as a for-profit organisation. However the linguistically and culturally diverse and changing populations of the centres require flexible and cost-effective responses about which public libraries and their central agencies are well placed to advise and assist.

General recommendations

1. The commonwealth government specify a contractual requirement for the centre service provider to provide, and provide access to, library and information resources as close as possible to those available to everyone in the general community through the Australian public library network.
2. The centre service provider develop a corporate policy and funding approach to the provision of library and information resources and information technology as an integral part of its educational and recreational programs.
3. The centre service provider invest in a professional librarian to initiate, negotiate and co-ordinate a national systemic approach to centre library and information technology provision. Alternatively, it should consider contracting the public libraries agency in the State in which it has its national head office to do so.
4. The centre service provider and centres seek advice from state public library agencies on the most cost-effective way of purchasing material in languages other than English [LOTE], ESL and large print resources, and refreshing video collections.
5. The Commonwealth Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs initiate discussions with the National Library of Australia, in possible association with the Council of Australian State Libraries (of which it is a member), to review library and information resource provision and access in any continuing or new IRPC's located in other countries in the region.
6. All detainees be offered their own bilingual dictionary on entering a centre, as a cost to the service provider.

Library operational recommendations

The Association recommends that the centre service provider:

Provide:

• a staff member at each centre with a good educational background as the library and information technology co-ordinator;
• a budget for the acquisition of resources;
• a core collection of legal and health materials, with the collection of legal materials based on that of the legal information access centres [LIAC] now located in many NSW public libraries. The State Library of NSW can provide advice;
• a core reference collection including recent encyclopedias, atlases, dictionaries (English and bilingual)). This could be decided upon nationally to ensure each centre has at least a minimum standard of collection;
• material in areas such as science, law, geography and social science to support private study;
• material to teach 'survival skills', for example, popular magazines;
• art, craft and hobby books;
• large print books;
• picture based books for adults in simple language;
• good children's picture books and early childhood fiction;
• appropriate fiction;
• controlled internet access, so that security issues can be accommodated - no e-mail, cached sites and so on, as is done in some education systems;
• material to support the curriculum, such as multiple copies or class sets of ESL material and tapes, dictionaries and readers;
• a dedicated library room and quiet reading area at each centre to encourage study; and
• exclude acceptance of donated materials except where such materials are up-to-date in good condition, language appropriate and meet the collection development policy of the centre concerned.

The Association encourages the state public library agency to:

• make LOTE and ESL materials available in a manner that is flexible and accommodates the needs of detainees ie without strict rules on duration of loan;
• facilitate the refreshment of centre video collections;
• advise centre staff on cost-effective purchase of resources, especially LOTE, ESL and large print;
• in association with the local public libraries, annually review and report to the service provider and centre management on the library and information resources provision in the centres; and
• The State Library of WA's public library division include in its review the new Christmas Island Centre, and the small Cocos (Keeling) Island Centre.

The Association encourages the local public library/ies to:

• provide regular visits by a librarian to advise centre staff and be a professional support and referral point for reference and research enquiries from detainees;
• establish flexible loan periods;
• devise ways to be responsive to the changing needs and composition of detainees; and
• support the Centre as part of the library's housebound service.

The findings in detail

Sydney (Villawood)

• About 400 detainees from a large number of countries.
• Resources are housed in a small demountable building with one window and one door.
• It has roughly made shelving fabricated from unfinished wood and plywood.
• No tables, chairs or computers are provided, and there is no space for them.
• One computer is provided for use by the volunteer detainee responsible for the library.
• All material has been donated from various sources, including discards from public libraries.
• Much donated material is still in boxes.
• Most of it is in English, is old, in poor condition and totally unsuitable for people with a non-English-speaking background.
• Some good-quality magazines.
• Only a small collection of LOTE material.
• Subscriptions to LOTE newspapers had been discontinued due to budget cuts.
• Very little material for children.
• A need expressed for Russian, Polish, Hindu, Lebanese, Korean, Pakistani and Bahasa Indonesia books and musical tapes and CDs.
• The most-requested material is bilingual dictionaries for retention by detainees.
• A demand for ESL material.
• No legal or health information in print form or online.
• The 'library' is open only from 9:00am-11:00am. It is not transparent how detainees would know that a library existed, how to access it, and when.
• No internet access.

Melbourne (Maribyrnong)

• With 61 detainees from fiftenn nations, this centre is small with a diverse and unstable population, although some detainees at the time of the visit had been there for up to two years.
• Resources are housed in the recreation area (adult material) and family area (children's). There is no specific library room or quiet reading area.
• The collection comprises donations which are old and in very poor condition. It consists mainly of inappropriate adult fiction.
• It was impossible to establish what budget is available for resource acquisition.
• No computers and internet access.
• No legal and health resources.
• LOTE material is provided on a six-week rotation through the Maribyrnong Public Library. However because of the changing composition of the detainees, LOTE material selected and obtained by the public library may arrive too late to be useful.
• Six newspapers provided, three in LOTE

South Australia (Woomera) - mothballed early 2003

• About 250 detainees largely from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, including professionals.
• A new bright and airy library room open 9:00am-5:00pm Monday-Friday, adjacent to a new computer centre without internet access.
• Library collection and lending supervised by a university-educated Iranian engineer.
• A sparse but relevant collection with good resources for children. Extensive weeding of largely worthless donated materials had been carried out just prior to the visit.
• The welfare and education officers were endeavouring to build a relevant collection without library professional assistance. Funding was being provided but resources were being expensively acquired due to lack of library acquisition knowledge by the IRPC staff. The availability of funds appeared to be due to the commendable assertiveness of the education officers.
• Three hundred Arabic and Farsi, and three hundred English videos - heavily used.
• A developing collection of ESL materials.
• No legal or health resources - the lack of the former exacerbated the concern of detainees about lack of feedback from their lawyers about the status of their refugee applications.
• Groups of women and children were being taught English, and about Australian culture, in classes outside of the Centre in a former catholic primary school. The education officer had started to build a teaching collection of magazines, bilingual texts, reference materials and picture dictionaries.
• Small escorted groups of males had just commenced supervised visits to the local school community library. They could request internet searches and legal materials on interlibrary loan, and were doing so.
• The biggest lack was bilingual dictionaries, bilingual materials in Farsi/English, legal resources and refreshed video resources.
• Limited knowledge of library operations by centre staff.

South Australia (Baxter) - opened 2002

This was under construction at the time of visits. It has since proved to be impossible to gain access to it to assess its library and information resources. However it appears that it has no, or very limited, provision. An indicator of this is that centre staff and visitors have been borrowing items for detainees on their own library cards from the Port Augusta Public Library, thus accepting personal liability for them.

In late 2002 the Port Augusta City Council resolved that its services, including the library, should be available to detainees. As of May 2003 no detainees appear to have been permitted to do so. Some children from the centre are now attending local schools and would have access to school libraries.

Western Australia (Perth Detention Centre)

• Thirty-five detainees (capacity forty two). About half awaiting deportation after being in jail in Australia. One had been detained at the centre for four years.
• Fifty per cent had some degree of English fluency.
• Detainees from Iran, Palestine, India, Vietnam, Kenya, Burma, New Zealand.
• Collection mostly donated, essentially in print but some videos available. No active policy to buy materials. Collection is considerable but many items in poor condition.
• Arrangements in place to work with the local public library (Belmont) for bulk loans.
• Materials available in a variety of languages.
• No children's resources as children are not detained at the centre.
• No legal or health resources.
• Several old personal computers provided.
• No internet available.
• Little knowledge of library operations by centre staff.

Western Australia (Curtin - Derby) - closed 2002

• Detainees mostly from Iran and Iraq, some from Afghanistan. Thirteen women, twenty or more children.
• Very small collection, mostly purchased by ACM with some donations (from the Red Cross).
• Strict loan policy which appeared to be one book per person.
• Very little up-to-date items or relevant to those highly-qualified detainees within the centre.
• Sense of staff resentment in maintaining services particularly after riot and fires that had occurred.
• Main requests (according to administration) were for foreign-language dictionaries and legal materials - none obvious in collection.
• No internet available.
• Little knowledge of library operations by centre staff.

Western Australia (Port Hedland)

• Detainees from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan. 135 people in centre; 5 families, 12 children (capacity 820).
• Over 1000 videos mostly in English, for children and adults.
• Three classrooms organised through volunteers in centre working through TAFE teaching. Mainly English with some mathematics.
• Small groups of detainees had visited Port Hedland Public Library during 2001/2002 when items were selected for loan to the centre. These visits had ceased.
• Junior print material consisted donated items from primary schools in the area. Did not appear to be organised in any way and a very high proportion could have been discarded as content was inappropriate.
• Classroom had been established at the centre, resources were standard educational materials. Since the visit arrangements have been made for children (approximately 18) to attend the local school.
• Detainees had access to several old persona computers housed in a thoroughfare.
• No ESL resources were evident. When small groups of detainees visited the Port Hedland Public Library, English grammar and pronunciation material was frequently requested.
• Resources in languages other than English did not appear to be available. However ethnic groups in the community may have provided recreational reading material on visits to the centre.
• Little knowledge of library operations by centre staff.

Public library contact information

Appreciation for their considerable time involved in organising and making the visits, and reporting on them, is extended to: Larry Amey, Anne Hall, Denise Barker, Stefan Jordanoff, Alan Bundy [visit leader], Patti Manolis, Kevin Dudeney [visit leader], Moyra McAllister [visit leader], Tina Dunemann, Grant Stone [visit leader], Susan Feeney, Pam Whiteford-Hey, Paula Pfoeffer and Gayle Davies.