Reference and Information Services Group Meeting
21 February 2008
2.00 pm – 4.00pm
Whitlam Library, Cabramatta
Apologies
Ian Sloggett (Kogarah); Kerry Ann Prideau (Woollahra), Ross Balharrie (Manly), Indira Gonsale Korale (Leichhardt), Carolyn Bourke (Fairfield)
Present: Kate Nalder (Tamworth); Nicole Rae & Peter Main (Bankstown); Cathy Johnson (CLarence Regional); Christine Wales (Wollongong); Jenni Campbell-Watt (Randwick); Chris Brimble (Lane Cove); Yan Zhang (Strathfield); Ross Balharrie (Manly); Angela Livingstone (Sutherland); Alison Compston (Auburn) Indra Ban & Anna Hawkes (Parramatta); Roger Swanson (Blacktown) Jennifer Wilson, Colleen Giles and Jacqi Ayo (Fairfield); Ken Klippell (Marrickville, Claire Campell & Margot Lumley (Riverina Regional), Ellen Forsyth (SLNSW)
Progress of ref- ex
Ellen provided and update. There are only two people working on the modifications at present and it is going slower than expected. Two modules have been loaded.
Establishment of ref-ex maintenance group
The maintenance group will work on usability. Ellen to set up meeting with voluntees
Update on the new State Library website
Group was asked to provided feedback on the State Library website
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Slam the boards – discussion about using it as an avenue for promoting reference and information services
Cathy discussed the Answer board Librarians wiki
http://answerboards.wikifoundry.com/?t=anon . Slam the boards occurs 10th of each month and is a day where library staff are encouraged to “slam the boards” by providing answers on various answer boards and identifying themselves as library staff. The aim is to promote library services and make people aware that libraries can help with answers.
It was suggested to start with easy questions and not too many. Note answer boards are covered in week 8 of the learning 2.0 training.
What are people doing for reference collection development – balance from print and online
Some people have been weeding to help assess what to buy. It is important to keep training staff about what is new in the reference collection and encourage use. Re-evaluate standing orders
What does reference mean now? Need to be outcome focussed.
Position of the reference collection makes difference to use. Much higher use if it is a more prominent location. Some libraries have interfiled reference and non-fiction (with clear labelling)
Who has a successful strategy for talking to schools/p and c – what is the strategy
Discussion about need to promote library services
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Planning for the RISG group – what do we want to do next?
Three ideas were suggested and these were going to be further explored
How to encourage students to use online databases? Ways to engage with students? Claire to scope/discuss (with YA librarians group)
What do you need as a reference librarian in terms of training and professional development? What are some advanced training developments to consider? Cathy to explore and scope
What reference suppliers are people using? Please bring information about useful booksellers/sources to next meeting
General business
Ross Balharrie has set up a reference discussion forum
http://www.nsw-risg.org/forum/ - go and have a look and join the discussion. [note this is no longer functioning 1 February 2019]
Subjects for discussion at the next meeting. Date and location for next meeting
· What reference suppliers are people using? Please bring information about useful booksellers/sources to next meeting
· Reports from Cathy and Claire
· Collaborations from web 2.0 and how to keep up to date from now
· How can we improve our writing for the web
· Ref-ex update
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Plus make sure you have 21 May in your diary for the reference seminar. The program is still being finalised, but I can tell you that Seb Chan from the Powerhouse Museum will be speaking for more information about him see
http://www.archimuse.com/mw2007/bios/au_370013211.html
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