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Welcome to the February edition of aliaPUBNEWS. aliaPUBNEWS is an initiative of the Australian Library and Information Association's Public Libraries Advisory Committee http://www.alia.org.au/governance/committees/public.libraries/

aliaPUBNEWS is a free monthly electronic bulletin for those concerned with supporting and promoting the further development of Australia's public library services. aliaPUBNEWS spans the policy and strategic issues and service developments having an impact on public libraries in Australia. All our list members are encouraged to send in their comments to 'Feedback' at the end of this newsletter.
aliaPUBNEWS: February 2009
[permission is granted to re-broadcast, in part or full]

In this aliaPUBNEWS broadcast:


NEWS FROM ALIA STATE NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL WEB RESOURCES BELIEVE IT OR NOT
NEWS FROM ALIA

ALIA Public Libraries Summit - Thursday 26 March 2009

The Summit will invite the federal government to engage with ALIA, other library associations, and the public library associations and network around Australia, to develop a national agenda. Participants will be invited to attend. In addition to those invited to the Summit, all interested people and groups are invited to submit working papers. These papers must be submitted by 6 March 2009.

http://www.alia.org.au/summit09

ALIA Information Online papers

The ALIA 14th Exhibition and Conference 2009 Information Online Papers including audio extracts are now available. Click on the Conference paper and audio link (top right hand corner of the Information Online web page) to locate available papers and audio links.

http://www.information-online.com.au/

Library Information Week

Library and Information Week - 25-31 May 2009

The theme for Library and Information Week in 2009 is: Libraries: Your Passport to Discovery. Start planning your events and getting together your ideas! Visit the LIW website.

http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/liw/

National Simultaneous Storytime - Wednesday 27 May 2009 11:00am

We are delighted to announce that the 2009 NSS book is Pete the Sheep written by Jackie French, illustrated by Bruce Whatley and published by HarperCollins. You can register now via the website and the order form for merchandise will be available soon.

http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/storytime/2009/

Celebrate Harmony Day - 21 March 2009

March 21st is Harmony Day, and libraries across the country are planning to use it to welcome new settlers, introduce more people to their diversity-related services and celebrate the languages and cultures in their communities. This March make Harmony happen in your library and make it the place where the cultures of your community connect - where everyone belongs.

http://www.harmony.gov.au

STATE

Victoria's devastating bushfires

What's happened to public libraries?

The Mitchell, Yarra Plenty, Murrindindi, West Gippsland, Eastern Regional, La Trobe City, Upper Murray, High Country, Wellington, Wimmera and Goldfields libraries are all serving bushfire affected communities.

Many people have expressed particular concern about the Murrindindi Library Service. Our most recent information is that the libraries in Kinglake, Yea and Alexandra are still standing. The devastated township of Marysville was served by a mobile library.

At this stage it appears that there has been no loss of library buildings across the State and that no Victorian public library staff have lost their lives. Sadly a number have lost their homes and many have lost stock. The majority of services continue to operate, although some mobile library services have been curtailed until it is safe to venture into the area.

Several libraries are helping with the provision of relief services in their areas.

Public libraries across the State stand ready to support their local communities during the recovery process in whatever way is most helpful to individual communities. Local Government Victoria is working with affected councils on a range of resourcing, service and infrastructure issues, including libraries. There have been many helpful suggestions for ways that libraries can assist in community recovery, once the immediate issues of loss of life and property have been addressed. We will be taking these up at the appropriate time.

John Murrell
President
Public Libraries Victoria Network (formally VICLINK)
0409 016 701 (mob)
(03) 56 222 849 (BH)

Share pictures of your library spaces

Following on from the Learning 2.0 course, the State Library of NSW (SLNSW) has established a Flickr presence to highlight public library design, and is encouraging all NSW library staff to share pictures of their libraries and library spaces. The aim of this Flickr project is to provide ideas and inspiration for libraries who are planning changes to their image. To get the concept started, the State Library's Public Library Services team has added a set of images to http://www.flickr.com/photos/publiclibrariesnsw and will be adding to these images over time. The SLNSW is asking all NSW public libraries to upload photos of any library space or feature that works particularly well. Two groups have been set up to share library images. The first group is just for NSW public libraries and the second group is for the rest of Australia and the world to contribute.

NSW public libraries that wish to add their images should visit: http://www.flickr.com/groups/nswpubliclibrarybuildings/

Other public libraries (outside NSW) should visit: http://www.flickr.com/groups/publiclibrarybuildings/

OAM Award

Congratulations to Elizabeth Ellis who was awarded a Medal (OAM) in the general division in the Australia Day honours for service to librarianship through a range of professional roles with the State Library of NSW.

http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1139914andsearch_type=advancedandshowInd=true

NATIONAL

Help for collections damaged by fire or flood

Many people affected by flood and fire in Victoria, NSW and Queensland may be looking for advice on how to salvage their family heirlooms in the coming weeks. While many things will be permanently damaged or lost entirely, it may be possible to salvage surviving family photographs, documents, books, jewellery, medals, pictures and other keepsakes.

Links to online resources about salvaging fire and flood-damaged material can be accessed via the front page of the AICCM website http://www.aiccm.org.au. If you know of someone who is looking for assistance in such matters, please direct them to this website or suggest that they call a State or National cultural organisation, and ask to speak to someone in the Conservation Department.

Private and consultant conservators can be located via the AICCM's Directory of Members in Private Practice - go to http://www.aiccm.org.au and follow the link to "Find a Conservator".

Health and safety should remain everyone's top priority:

  • Anyone attempting to salvage their possessions should wear protective clothing - especially gloves, masks and eye protection.
  • Never attempt to salvage belongings at the expense of your own safety.
  • Avoid breathing in or touching hazardous materials.
  • Risks in fire-damaged areas can include particulates, exposed asbestos, lead-containing building materials and chemical residues. Some objects themselves can pose health hazards when damaged - e.g. lead-containing glass, lead paint, objects treated with pesticides etc.
  • If water has been used to put out the fire, mould may also be an issue.
  • Risks in flood-affected areas include mould, bacteria, disease pathogens and exposure to waste matter and effluents carried with flood waters.
General handling advice:

  • Minimise handling of damaged material - handling surfaces can drive soot and other particulates further into fabrics and other porous materials and make them impossible to remove.
  • Avoid handling objects by damaged or weakened areas - e.g support ceramics from the base, rather than lifting by handles.
  • Avoid placing pressure on blistered or lifting surfaces - e.g. on paintings and photographs.
  • Place items in supportive boxes or plastic containers until you can obtain further advice.
  • Keep dirty, wet or fire-damaged items separate from cleaner/drier items to prevent contamination.
  • Place wet items in areas with good air circulation to aid drying and to help prevent mould growth.
The Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials (AICCM) is the professional organisation for conservators in Australia.

http://www.aiccm.org.au

FOLA 2008 annual awards

Friends of Libraries Australia (FOLA) received a record number of entries in 2008 for its two annual awards. These awards recognise and encourage innovation and excellence in public library programs and services for children and young people (the Peter McInnes Award) and for older adults (the Eric Flynn Award).

The winner of the FOLA 2008 Eric Flynn Award for Library Services for Older Adults was the Campaspe Regional Library, Victoria, for its Words on Wheels (WOW) storytelling program for older adults in aged care facilities.

The High Commendation Award was Tweed Heads Branch Library of the Richmond Tweed Regional Library Service, NSW, for -Tweed Talks', an innovative, well promoted and successful concept to encourage older adults to view their local library as an information resource beyond books and reading, by providing a safe -shared space' where they can listen to, request and gather information on topics relating to their everyday life and concerns.

http://www.fola.org.au

Broadband for Seniors kiosks

NEC Australia is seeking expressions of interest from community organisations to host an internet kiosk as part of the roll-out of 2,000 internet kiosks for seniors funded by the Australian Government. NEC Australia is calling on local community centres and organisations, including local government public libraries, who are interested in hosting a kiosk or who already provide similar services to seniors, to register their interest at http://www.necseniors.net.au

The Broadband for Seniors forms part of the Australian Government measure 'Making Ends Meet - Plan for Older Australians, People with Disabilities and Carers', and aims to support community organisations to:

  • build senior Australians' community participation and social inclusion by providing them with free access to computers and the internet via internet kiosks to stay in contact with family and friends, and
  • provide senior Australians with free access to individual and workshop training to build their confidence and skills to use the internet and new computer technology.
http://www.necseniors.net.au

Access to premises – Disability Discrimination Act

Section 23 of the Disability Discrimination Act makes it unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of disability in providing access to or use of premises that the public can enter or use. Building access issues also arise under other DDA provisions including in relation to employment, access to services, and accommodation. The Australian Human Rights Commission has made issues about access to premises one of its major disability rights projects. For more information and resources, visit the website below.

http://www.hreoc.gov.au/disability_rights/buildings/access_to_premises.html

Vince Colosimo to star in The Librarians II

In recent years viewers have seen Vince Colosimo play a doctor, a notoriously violent gangster and an Italian-stallion love interest. It is his latest role as library supervisor Adrian Green in the second series of ABC's The Librarians that will have viewers chuckling out loud.

http://tinyurl.com/buoyh9

Satisfaction with e-government

This is the fourth in a series exploring Australians' use and satisfaction with e-government services (provided through the internet and telephone). It investigates:

  • How people contact government (internet, telephone, in-person or mail)
  • Satisfaction with these means of contacting government, including reasons for satisfaction and dissatisfaction
  • Reasons why people choose to use or not use e-government services
  • Preferences for future delivery of government services.
Major findings:
  • Four in five people use the internet and older Australians are increasingly doing so.
  • Four in five people use the internet, including most people under 44. The take-up rate among the older population is increasing, with three quarters of those aged 55 to 64, and two in five aged 65 or older, now internet users.
Access to broadband continues to grow:
  • Broadband access continues to increase, rising from 57% in 2006 to 68% in 2008.
  • Seven in ten of those living in metropolitan areas have a broadband connection compared with six in ten people in the rest of Australia.
Use of newer communication technologies is strong:
  • More than four in five people use newer communication technologies at least monthly. The most common are email, SMS, news feeds, instant messaging, social networking sites and blogs.
  • Some newer technologies offer government additional means of communication with non-internet users: three in ten people who do not use the internet use text messaging at least once a month.
To read the whole report go to: http://www.finance.gov.au/publications/interacting-with-government/index.html

State Library of NSW Flickr survey

Flickr is being used by an increasing number of public libraries for providing access to photographs about their collections and services. The impact of this increased use on planning, services and collections is unclear and there is limited information available on evaluation and outcomes of the use of Flickr by public libraries. Leanne Perry and Ellen Forsyth, from the State Library of New South Wales, in Australia, want to find out how public libraries world wide are really using Flickr and would like your help.

If you work in a public library which has an account with Flickr, you are invited to complete this survey http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=xFsymE80SlLSuJyfHyVogw_3d_3d The survey will take about 10 minutes to complete. The survey will be open until 7 March 2009.

Leanne and Ellen want to find out how public libraries have planned and evaluated their use of Flickr to help other public libraries that are planning similar action. They will also explore public library expectations and strategic objectives for using Flickr, what the libraries have observed about their presence on Flickr, how Flickr relates to the other social networking tools they are using, what is the tagging, commenting, favouriting activity like and how the libraries have responded to the use of their images on Flickr.

It is anticipated the information gained from this survey will enable public libraries to plan more effectively for their presence via Flickr and how to use it with other web 2.0 developments.

For further information please contact Ellen eforsyth@sl.nsw.gov.au or Leanne lperry@sl.nsw.gov.au

Prime Minister's Literary Awards

Entries from Australian writers are invited for the 2009 Prime Minister's Literary Awards for fiction and non-fiction books. These prestigious literary awards recognise the contribution of Australian literature to the nation's cultural and intellectual life. The awards offer the nation's richest literary prize: $100,000 tax free for fiction and $100,000 tax free for non-fiction.

Authors, publishers and literary agents are eligible to enter books written by living Australian citizens and permanent residents. Books must be first published in the English language and first offered for general sale between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2008. Entries are due by 5pm, Friday 20 March 2009.

http://www.arts.gov.au/books/pmliteraryawards

INTERNATIONAL

100 best novels – 1923 to the present

Time magazine critics have picked the 100 best English language novels from 1923 to the present. To view the list visit:

http://www.time.com/time/2005/100books/

The Future of Reference Services – survey results

In December 2008 a survey regarding the future of reference services in libraries was launched by LRS [Library Research Service]. 1,500 responses from around the world were received. To view the results of this survey please visit:

http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=270

Place making – the importance of libraries

Place making puts people first. It is a holistic approach based on public involvement, on citizens working to make things better. Capitalising on communities' often-overlooked assets and can-do spirit, place making shows how we can advance everyone's health and happiness without spending huge amounts of money.

We now see the limitation of the privatised pursuits that flourished in recent years, and are rediscovering the importance of truly public spots, for example public libraries.

Librarians represent a newly emerging force for place making. They already provide a resource centre for their communities, but many of them are now pushing to turn their libraries into civic centres that foster a sense of community and offer a unique gathering place. Many librarians now envision their facilities as both virtual and literal town squares for their neighbourhoods and downtowns.

Read more about the top 10 trends for public spaces at: http://www.pps.org/info/newsletter/Ten_Trends_Shaping_the_Future_of_Our_Communities/

And at: http://tinyurl.com/cmtfwe

Wi-Fi services to public libraries

Libraries considering wi-fi connectivity in their libraries may find a -Review and Evaluation of Wi-Fi services in United Kingdom Public Libraries' report of value. It can be downloaded in PDF from the website below.

http://www.insight-icam.com/wifi2007

UK report on Sunday opening

LISU has recently published Sunday Opening: An investigation into accessible opening hours and Sunday opening in UK public libraries (LISU Occasional Paper 38). The report sets accessible and Sunday opening against a context of current societal, economic, and policy developments. It examines whether Sunday opening furthers the appeal and use of libraries, within the context of a need to increase usage, issues, and visits, and considers whether Sunday opening strengthens libraries place as centres for community engagement.

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/dis/lisu/pages/publications/sunday-opening-op38.html

WEB RESOURCES

Embed almost anything in your website

Learn how to embed almost anything in your HTML web pages from Flash videos to Spreadsheets to high-resolution photographs to static images from Google Maps and more.

http://www.labnol.org/internet/how-to-embed-in-html-webpages/6365/

Thousands of video lectures from the world's top scholars

Academic Earth is an organisation founded with the goal of giving everyone on earth access to a world-class education.

http://www.academicearth.org/ or http://tinyurl.com/d9qe24

BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Hero pilot worried about overdue library book

He has nerves of steel, but hero pilot Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger who safely landed his plane in the Hudson River is jittery about an overdue library book. Living up to his squeaky clean image, the US Airways captain has informed his hometown library that he may not be able to return a borrowed book.

http://tinyurl.com/chvg7h

One for the books: baby born at Denver library

A woman got off a bus in front of the main Denver library and asked for assistance — to deliver her baby! Read about what happened at:

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_11564089

Library cats are purr-fect for the job

Long before Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, became a best-selling book and soon a movie, the Ocean Shores Library Board voted in favour of adding library staffers with fur. Since then, cats have found a place in the small community's library in Grays Harbor County.

http://tinyurl.com/cwvhkk

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