Minutes for Interim Steering Committee (ISC) State Wide Reference and Information Services Group 17 September 2003

apologies Ross Balharrie (Manly), Geoff Hadrill (Shoalhaven), Lynn MacIntosh (Randwick), Maggie Patton (State Library)

present Lindy Allen (Macquarie Regional Library), Philippa Armfield (State Library) Christine Davie (State Library), Ellen Forsyth (State Library), Mandy Keevil (Ashfield Library), Pauline Leeson (Richmond Tweed Regional Library), Caroline McQueen (Newcastle Regional Library), Joan Ruthven (Marrickville Library), Megan Saville (Randwick Library), Jeff Stonehouse (Campbelltown Library)

from previous meeting videoconferencing options

• Richmond Tweed – CTC at Mullumbimby and Byron Bay, can pay call costs or have a flat fee of about $70 per day
• Dubbo – Charles Sturt University – outside semester times - $150 for first hour then $50 for each hour – 20 – 30 people, or Orana – complex fee structure
• No videoconferencing facilities at the State Library although there are options available for videoconferencing in Sydney

e-mailing of trend information

• reminder from Ellen to send out relevant sites
• suggestion to circulate a list of lists
• suggestion to share an e-mail on interesting web sites

Joan to start collecting sites for circulation – within two weeks. List of interesting sites to be sent in clusters of no more than about 5

Ellen to set up e-mail list for group – by 26 September

Ellen to e-mail Philippa information for nswplnreference – by 26 September ideas for seminar day Discussion over the group organising seminar next year

Training – check with PLS about seminar next year – May as preferred month – book rooms by mid - October Ellen

Seminar to include

• Two libraries who are doing really good database training courses and promotion of use within the library by staff and public ISC to suggest options – want talks to cover ‘this is how we do our training’ for example planning, putting in competencies etc
• plus possible session from reading rooms – how training works there
• with the two public libraries talking about training want metro/country, small/large contrast
• possibly e-mail nswplnreference to ask how are people managing database training and then can cull for the ones which sound exceptional

• session on how people block/filter deal with access to inappropriate site access
• code of conduct policies – possible legal person
• dealing with inappropriate customers

• what to do when your local studies librarian is not there – or you don’t have one local studies for the non-local studies librarians – possible awareness – ALIA local studies group could talk about what they could do for you – example from Richmond Tweed – allow about an hour - broad strategies
• non-fiction author talks – how they work

• follow up on Ask Now
• follow up on Wollongong’s reference restructure

• introduction to the TOR and future vision of the State Wide Reference and Information Services Group

* Seminar to be held in May – as an annual event

• Possible small trade exhibit
• Reference expo – Warner Books – Jeff to follow up by mid- October
• Reference works in other languages – MCWG – Joan – mid –October
• short sessions from different ISC members eg Randwick – super sites and reference ramble

brokering of training Did not address this at the meeting

web site /e-group Ross and Lynn – Ellen to discuss with them - to start action on a trial web site

Discussion of use of non-latin fonts – pdf Discussion of LENS – negotiation over ownership

state wide database promotion - discussion

• Christine - Content evaluation group focused on the need for marketing, training and statistics of the databases, there is still a gap in staff use and members of the public. Queensland ran a competition and tripled their statistics during this time.
• NSW.net does not have the resources to do a competition in the next 12 months – ISC stated keenness to work with NSW.net on this process.
• Christine informed the meeting that NSW.net will develop a new training model which will equip more library staff to train others. New NSW.net products will be available on the web site soon – new training manuals including general information on searching electronically – reminder of Sutherland’s help sheets being available on NSW.net
• NSW.net to include a staff page in the next month or so – anyone can contribute more training resources for this page
• NSW.net working with Ilanet on training – to give the whole picture of what is available and how to search
• Christine highlighted that Factiva is available as free trial – Philippa and Caroline spoke very highly of this database – mentioned newspaper access and ability to use as an index
• Christine – Factiva is keen to gain entry to public libraries – provides a good option for students and small business and could be considered for collection rationalisation
• Jeff – Staff awareness of the training and the databases as the key object as the way of promoting to the community so that staff think of it as an option, LIAC model of accountability for training would be good for databases – idea of signing that you will on train strengthens the priorities for training
• LENS project was discussed to support the training process as it works through competencies – needs work on LENS to put it into the context for training. It may help with the gap in training in the theory of searching – search strings and so on – possible classroom based approach plus hands on
• Need local driver in each library service for the training – enthusiasm has to percolate down
• Caroline – need to make training as easy as you can for staff – help sheets done for databases to make it easier
• Philippa – use of on training at the Reading Rooms – if staff attend training they train the others in their teams and book time for on-training at the same time as booking to attend training
• Need to build in a commitment for on training
• Use of databases discussed and there are still a lot of libraries who do not use the databases – electronic products not seen as part of the service
• Some libraries do not get the questions for databases or have slow access in afternoon – staff keen but frustrated with the very slow speed – need for appropriate databases such as Bigchalk
• Christine would like to know about the really slow access areas – to be able to try and fix up connection speed
• Pauline – used info edge – doing a day of classroom – cabaret style – on theory of searching – not a hands on day
• Question about the number of training help sheets – anything can go up there on databases
• Philippa talked about Proquest – and Info edge use of unusual databases
• Discussion over SMH index and newspaper collections and newspapers referring people to public libraries as do not have copies of newspapers
• Content Evaluation members of ISC to keep ISC and reference group informed

terms of reference see separate document name of group discussion by e-mail currently State Wide Reference and Information Services Group other business Joan – idea of qualitative study of internet use in public/state library – Victorian example of a longitudinal study www.ccnr.net/PAT/results/char.pdf - possible cooperative grant application. Chrsitine - NSW.net did a recent survey which indicated that the pcs provided are all well used PLB statistics provide longitudinal information on numbers of pcs

Discussion of provision of library services – example of library staff learning a radically extended range of skills to cover council and coffee services

Next meeting – February 2004

Discussion about minutes to take place by e-mail

Public Library Contacts Mandy Keevil Ashfield Library mandyk@ashfield.nsw.gov.au telephone 9716 1810 fax 9716 1833

Jeff Stonehouse Campbelltown Library jeff.stonehouse@campbelltown.nsw.gov.au telephone 4645 4548 fax 4645 4558

Lindy Allan Macquarie Regional Library lindy.allan@dubbo.nsw.gov.au telephone 6884 7369 fax 6882 6804

Ross Balharrie Manly Library ross.balharrie@manlycouncil.nsw.gov.au telephone 9976 1720 fax 9976 1422

Joan Ruthven Marrickville Library joan@marrickville.nsw.gov.au telephone 9335 2170 fax 9569 2829

Caroline McQueen Newcastle Region Library cmcqueen@ncc.nsw.gov.au telephone 4974 5334 fax 4974 5395

Lynn McIntosh Randwick City Library and Information Service lynn.mcintosh@randwick.nsw.gov.au telephone 9314 4888 fax 9314 4780

Megan Saville Randwick City Library and Information Service megan.saville@randwick.nsw.gov.au telephone 9314 4888 fax 9314 4780

Pauline Leeson Richmond Tweed Regional Library pleeson@rtrl.nsw.gov.au telephone 6625 1415 fax 6625 1479

Geoff Hadrill Shoalhaven City Library Service HADRILL@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au telephone 4429 3705 fax 4429 3727