Working Group on Multicultural Services (NSW)
Minutes
Location: Zoom meeting – hosted by Abby Dawson Librarian, Special Information Services SLNSW (We look forward to the anticipated host venue, Liverpool City Library being rescheduled for a Multicultural Working Group meeting in 2025).
Date: Thursday, 22 August 2024 Time: 10:05am
Chair: Katherine Zhu Minutes: Julie Parkinson
Acknowledgment of Country
Welcome and Roll Call
Attending: Eugenia Ng (Burwood), Sung Jung Yoon (Strathfield), Abby Dawson (SLNSW), Katherine Zhu (Randwick), Kathy Yang ((Ryde), Vanessa Maino (Ryde), Helen Williams (Inner West), Fujing Zhao (Ku-ring-gai), Jenny Zhang (City of Sydney), Marilyn Shamayil (Canterbury Bankstown), Sharon Smith (Riverina), Sujatha Thadakamalla (Fairfield), Sharlene Louey (City of Sydney), Cathy Zhai (Hornsby), Julie Parkinson (Sutherland).
Apologies: Stella Tay (Cumberland), Shauna Miller (SLNSW), Joanna Goh (SLNSW), Joelmon Zungar (Blacktown), Margaret Redrup (Blacktown), Khuyen Luu (Canterbury Bankstown), Leticia Olivera (Shellharbour), Stephanie Lee (Bayside), Joanna Brown (Georges River).
Confirmation of previous minutes: Accepted by Abby Dawson, seconded by Kathy Yang.
Matters arising from previous minutes:
Spotlight on multicultural services in libraries - no interest expressed to date. Please consider this opportunity for next year, for discussion at next meeting.
SLNSW single sign in – information and guidance for action required will be forwarded in due course.
Contact list for locally based authors who speak and write in community languages – several contributions have been made to this list being collated by Stephanie. The outcome of this initiative is eagerly awaited.
Other business
SLNSW Bulk Loan Services Report, 1 August 2024 (Joanna Goh, Collection Services Coordinator SLNSW) Keep track of stock shortages through ‘Service & supply updates’ announcements on the Multicultural bulk loan request form https://pls.sl.nsw.gov.au/multicultural-bulk-loan-request. Keep bulk loan returns via the van run to small bundles of odd loans, not the entire box. Address returns via the van run to ‘State Library of NSW – Multicultural Bulk Loans’. Keep track of bulk loan due dates and return them on time, SLNSW will be reactivating overdue reminders later this year. Slovak language book collection refreshed with almost 500 new adult and junior items. Full 2023/24 Multicultural Bulk Loan Statistics report will be available for NSW public libraries soon - The community language collection grew to 72,079 items in 2023/24 (an increase of 3,000 items over the previous year), loans for 2023/24 totalled 82,080 up from 75,300 in 2022/23, and top 10 most requested languages for 2023/24 were Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Hindi, Polish and Persian.
Multicultural Excellence Awards – Abby Dawson, Librarian Special Information Services SLNSW The awards recognise a public library service (one metropolitan Library and one rural / regional library) and an individual practitioner for demonstrated excellence in the delivery of multicultural library services. Find out more and apply by COB Friday, 11 October 2024 https://nswpla.org.au/#awards_scholarships&page=multicultural_excellence_awards
LOTE Resources Suppliers on ALIA Multicultural website – Shauna Miller, Cooperative Coordinator SLNSW ALIA Multicultural website has a comprehensive list of LOTE resources suppliers by language and by supplier name (special acknowledgement to Shauna Miller). Abby attends ALIA Multicultural meetings, so please let her know if there are any additional suppliers to add. https://multicultural.alia.org.au/resources/lote-suppliers/
Community language DVD collections – Sharlene Louey, City of Sydney Reforms to Australia’s National Classification Scheme – implications for libraries collecting community language DVDs, onus on libraries and/or suppliers, local responses to reform now being phased in, and availability of guidance from ALIA and/or State Library of New South Wales discussed. Primary concerns raised include most of the community language DVD collections not within G or PG classification range, costs associated with obtaining classification, the obligation of suppliers, legality of acquiring and making available for borrowing content without Australian classification, the reduction in supply of DVDs due to increased uptake of streaming services and costs associated with classification, impact on communities that continue to rely on accessibility to community language DVD collections. Abby will enquire about position taken and/or guidance offered by SLNSW and ALIA. Please see The Hon Michelle Rowland MP media release ‘Reforms to modernise Australia’s Classification Scheme in effect’ https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/rowland/media-release/reforms-modernise-australias-classification-scheme-effect and ‘Films and computer games exempt from classification’, Australian classification website https://www.classification.gov.au/for-industry/exemptions-and-modifications/films-and-computer-games-exempt-classification.
Online film collections / platform (community language content) – Sharlene Louey, City of Sydney Reforms to Australia’s National Classification Scheme – implications for libraries offering streaming of community language items via Kanopy or Hoopla, which do not show Australian classification or have a mix of classified and non-classified materials, and accessibility of content by children via these platforms, queried and identified as requiring further investigation.
Updates from libraries, highlights etc.
Sujatha Thadakamalla will be leaving Fairfield City Open Libraries on 28 September 2024. Many thanks Sujatha for your contribution and active voice, we wish you all the very best!
Wollongong City Libraries recently approached the State Library about collaborating on a project to promote the multicultural bulk loan service to their community https://www.instagram.com/p/C-WaV5gPnIT/
Canterbury Bankstown Library and Knowledge Centres, together with Ethnic Communities’ Council NSW have been offering talks in Arabic, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Korean and English about elections and voting in the lead up to the NSW Local Government elections. Success of events attributed in part to connecting talks to regular programs, such as English conversation classes and friendship groups, and promoting as a learning opportunity for those ineligible to vote. Upcoming one week program celebrating Nepalese culture.
Burwood Library are also offering talks about elections and voting in the lead up to the NSW Local Government elections in both Mandarin and Cantonese.
Randwick City Library has a new group Chinese Community Social Hub which is run at the library by volunteers, with the library arranging cultural events and information talks, recently offered on dental health.
City of Ryde Libraries partnering with Department of Home Affairs and University of New South Wales to offer range of events, including dementia awareness and prevention talks, and are also offering talks about elections and voting in both Mandarin and Cantonese.
Fairfield City Open Libraries tend to offer events to all community members and have multilingual staff members in attendance. The sewing centre is very popular, as are the English conversation classes. Job hunting and interview skills events are upcoming.
Meeting close: 11:30am
Next meeting: Dixson Room, Ground Floor, Mitchell Building, State Library of New South Wales @ 9:30am Thursday, 21 November 2024, chaired by Ayse Ersoy