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ALIA Far North Coast GroupNewsletterJuly 1999Next meetingThe first General Meeting for the year will be on Thursday 22 July in the Group study Room, Level 3, Library, Southern Cross University. There will be a short meeting followed by a Kinetica Presentation from Briony De La Motte from National Library Canberra. Please see attached notice. Previous meetingAGM November 1998 at NSW Ag, Wollongbar. Minutes: Please see attached copy Meeting updateSeveral members have expressed concern that they did not appear to have been informed about any ALIA Regional Group meetings this year. So far, there have been two Executive Meetings, and no General Business Meeting. A social evening, with a guest speaker had been arranged with a short General Business Meeting during Library Week, but response was so poor that unfortunately the meeting had to be cancelled. The Executive would like to ask that, whenever an RSVP is indicated on a Meeting Notice, that members please contact the Secretary to advise of attendance or non-attendance. Executive meeting itemsThe Executive met to propose activities for the year. It is hoped to have three General Meetings this year - July, September, and the November AGM. It was decided to offer members the opportunity to present to the Regional Group any papers prepared for Conferences or meetings, past, present or proposed. It is felt that all members would benefit from such professional development, as well as offering presenters the opportunity of a practice run. If you are interested in presenting a paper the Group, please contact Michael Wheeler, Sec [Contact details were included] Library newsContributions from Richmond-Upper Clarence Regional Library, TAFE Libraries, NSW Agriculture Library, Wollongbar, and Clarence Regional Library. Richmond-Upper Clarence Regional Library The Richmond-Upper Clarence Regional Library has its headquarters at Casino with branches at Kyogle and Evans Head and smaller library service points at Coraki, Woodburn, Broadwater, Bonalbo, and a voluntary service at Woodenbong. There is a collection of approximately 52,000 items and over 12,000 borrowers. There are 6 full-time staff and 8 part-time and 3 relief library assistants. The Richmond-Upper Clarence Regional Library recently upgraded the Library Management Computer system going from Insight's character based system to the windows based product - LIBERO. The Regional Library was fortunate to receive a library development grant, which helped finance the project. One of the problems the Library faced was how the 2 branches were going to dial into the main server housed at Casino. The solution was Citrix Metaframe, which has allowed a very quick response time. This has not been without some problems which we are still trying to sort out. If there are any experts or anyone with experience with Metaframe please feel free to pay us a visit.
Richmond-Upper Clarence Regional Library was also fortunate to receive Library Development Grants for the following projects: . Feasibility study for a mobile library service. Upgrade our old hardware to Year 2000 compatibility.Automation of our smaller libraries in Richmond River Shire Council Have you visited a TAFE library recently? North Coast Institute of TAFE (NCIT) Libraries have experienced some major technology make over in the past two years helping to bring the very large NSW TAFE Library network into the computer age. If you haven't undertaken a TAFE course in the last year, or had a reason to visit us, now is the time. All staffed NSW TAFE Libraries now have online access to their circulation and acquisition modules. Soon TAFEs across Australia will be able to obtain Inter Library Loans interstate when the various library catalogues are displayed over the Internet. This is to occur in the year 2000. NSW TAFEs will also be moving next year to the use of smart cards (similar to University style student ID cards) where students details are processed only once by Administration, thereafter automatically giving students library access and smart card functions such as payment options at vending machines, photocopiers, printers and so on. Last year within NCIT, TAFE Libraries have had installed banks of networked student use PC's with virtually unlimited Internet access, enhanced availability of numerous CD-ROM products, a large variety of word processing, spreadsheet, database and publishing programs, all connected to at least black and white laser printers, some libraries having colour printers and scanners. All NCIT TAFE Libraries have access through the Internet to two online serial databases and some libraries subscribe individually to World Magazine Bank on CD-ROM. Some non purpose-built libraries have had furniture upgrades, new computer desk space and other renovations completed which has really enhanced the already good service TAFE patrons enjoyed, even without all this technology! So why not take a trip down to your local TAFE library and see what TAFE now offers to its patron base. Contributor: Kathy Wilk library manager Murwillumbah TAFE Library NSW Agriculture Regional Library, Wollongbar The Wollongbar Agricultural Institute Regional Library is part of a network of nine special libraries in the NSW Department of Agriculture. It is staffed by a team of qualified and experienced information specialists who understand the importance of information that is current, accurate and relevant. Library staff plan and deliver a range of information services and products to meet its client needs. We excel in providing Current Awareness services tailored to individual client needs (both in hard copy as well as in electronic form); reference services ranging from general enquires to complex literature searches; desktop access to core agricultural databases using WinSpirs technology; document delivery services through Interlibrary loans and photocopying services.
We provide client training and technical support in the use of library services and its resources, use of Personal Bibliographic software tools, use of Internet and library -based technology. As full member of National Library's Kinetica Client all our up to date holdings can be found there. Clarence Regional Library Clarence Regional Library is situated on the north coast of New South Wales, with its Headquarters in Grafton. The Library is funded by seven councils and has nine branches and a bookmobile serving the Region. Branches are situated at Iluka, Yamba, Maclean, Grafton, Bellingen, Dorrigo, Urunga, Nambucca Heads and Macksville. The branches vary considerably in size, from Iluka which opens for 11 hours a week to Grafton which opens for forty hours a week. All the acquisitions, accessions, ILLs, cataloguing and end processing and other administrative tasks are carried out centrally from Headquarters in South Grafton. In 1998 funding was allocated from the State Library through a Library Development Grant to trial a program to measure the demand for free Internet access in our region. The trial has been carried out over the last year and has proved resoundingly that there is a huge demand for free internet access in the Region. As part of the project, Clarence Regional Library is providing a basic level of training in searching the World Wide Web in order to raise the community's awareness of the Internet. Three or four times a year (or more frequently if demand warrants) the Information Services Librarian visits each branch to conduct "Open Days".
Members of the public who would like an introduction to the Internet are encouraged to book into these sessions which are run on a one-to-one or small group basis, depending on space available in the branch. We recently carried out a short survey to establish the main purposes that the Internet was being used for in our libraries, particularly looking at searching for information and email. We found that information retrieval and email each recorded 40-45% of total use, with other uses being familiarisation with the technology, business, chat and discussion groups. We also found that about one quarter of people used the Internet for more than one purpose per session, usually information searching and email. The Clarence Regional Library Committee has resolved to continue with public Internet access in all our branches. The Committee is convinced of the importance of raising our communities' awareness of the Internet and in improving computer literacy. They have also resolved that the basic level of Internet training that we presently provide should continue.
With increasing public awareness of the Internet, fostered with the assistance of Clarence Regional Library and the demands this in turn will create for further service and education, this library service looks forward to enhancing its relevance to its communities' by taking a leading role in this new information age. Library technician newsAssociate diploma of arts, library practice - class of 1999 On Wednesday 21st of April 1999 another group of Library Technicians graduated from TAFE with an Associate Diploma in Arts, Library Practice from Wollongbar Institute. It was the culmination of three years of considerable study and effort for a group of students undertaking this path in their careers. Within this three year period of studying some students left to undertake different professions while other students transferred in from other areas to finish their studies. Of the 16 students that commenced the course in February 1996, 12 students made the journey through to the end. I am sure that all my fellow students would agree with me that it certainly was an experience. For some it will mean the end of formal studies for the time being; for other students who are continuing on with further studies it was just the beginning, a stepping stone to other opportunities and maybe professions. I just wish to thank my fellow students for their friendship and support throughout the last three years. While looking back over this time, many of my fellow students would join me in our appreciation of family, friends, and fellow library colleagues who made allowances, supported and guided us throughout this period. It made all the difference - thank you! To those students who are beginning this year with the new library technicians course, we wish you all the best in your future studies, may you enjoy the journey and certainly make many new friends and gain knowledge along the way. To the Class of 1999, Associate Diploma in Arts, Library Practice, may the force be with us! Contributor: Denise Pittman (ALIA Tech) Library technicians conference fremantle wa 1999
In September the 10th ALIA National Library Technicians Conference will be held at Fremantle, Western Australia. The title of the conference is Projections/ Reflections: our heritage and our future 2000 and beyond. Day 1 will be covering new horizons and the future of library technicians, Day 2 will be a day of reflection and achieving the vision, while the final day is a time of celebration. These conferences provide all technicians with the knowledge of future directions we are all facing and a chance to network and meet other technicians from other areas. What an opportunity to enjoy some of the views that this state has to offer and combine work and pleasure. Training
ALIA has produced two excellent aids for continuing professional development [CPD] and career planning.
Lainey Furness |
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