Minutes of the Multicultural Working Group Meeting, 10 March 2022 via Zoom
Apologies: Stephanie Lee, Bayside Library
Previous minutes: Vicki O'Rourke from Wollongong noted a change - Wollongong have not started a multicultural website, just created a page on services for the CALD community. To be updated.
The minutes were accepted.
Election of Chair and Secretary
- Elected Chair: Sujatha Thadakamalla, Fairfield Library
- Elected Secretary: Jadwiga Krejza, Liverpool Library
Spotlight on Multicultural Services
Oriana is working with libraries to put on a series of short webinars highlighting excellence in multicultural services in public libraries. This is to capture information as the workforce changes through retirements, staff changes and restructures. Oriana noted Multicultural Librarian roles seem to be being split into Programs or Collections roles. Each webinar will include a Powerpoint and presentation of an activity, event or services a library has implemented. A template will be developed for libraries to follow.
Proposed schedule of presentations from 10-11am on the last Thursday of each month:
- 28 April: Blacktown
- 26 May: Liverpool
- 30 June: Canterbury-Bankstown
- 28 July: Parramatta
- 25 August: Fairfield
- 29 September: Ryde TBC
- 27 October: Wollongong TBC
- 24 November: Waverley TBC
Please contact Oriana if your library has been nominated and these dates don't suit.
Oriana also plans to invite libraries from other states to participate.
Multicultural Excellence Award
Blacktown Library won the 2021 Award.
Moving forward, the individual award will become a peer nominated award. Multiple people will be able to be recognised. The working group will be invited to nominate someone in August, and a panel will assess these. A certificate will be handed out at Switch Conference. The Library award will still be managed in the previous manner, where a submission is made along with the other awards for Switch Conference.
Telugu Collection Launch
The State Library's new Telegu collection is almost ready to be launched. Oriana is working with Blacktown Library and Cumberland Library to host official launch events, likely in May.
A new welcome pamphlet has been translated and is now available on the Multicultural Pamphlets page of the PLS website hereMulticultural Pamphlets
Phrases in the Multilingual Glossary have not yet been translated.
Guest Speaker: Nikki Wolley, Cancer Institute NSW
Nikki Wolley spoke to the group about resources available from Cancer Institute NSW www.cancer.nsw.gov.au - there is a Multicultural Communities section. She provided the below information for library staff:
Here is the website link to the main Cancer Institute NSW patient information with access to resources in 8 languages:
Here is the link to our Staying well and preventing cancer Flipchart – in 15 languages:
The Breastscreen flipchart is available here.
The Bowel screening flipchart is available here.
The Cervical Screening flipchart is available here.
Sheetal Challam, Strategic Multicultural advisor is available to help with any other queries that Cancer Institute NSW may be able to help with. Her phone number is 02 8374 5659 and her email is Sheetal.Challam@health.nsw.gov.au.
My contact details are: nikki.woolley@health.nsw.gov.au, (02) 8374 5604.
indyreads LOTE collections
A Russian collection has been selected by Kira Paznikov, and a Polish collection is being selected by Kasia Malicka from Burwood and another Polish community member.
Other Business
- The ILL Working Group is conducting a survey on what libraries lend items in language and by format - Abby will share this once it is available.
- Sujatha inquired if libraries were purchasing community language material in Borrowbox - please send her any feedback you might have.
- Fairfield is participating in CSU research into loan data trends
- Fairfield held a day of events for the new library opening including author talks, children's movies streaming, activities, this was very successful
- Liverpool Library has reintroduced programs
- Burwood held the Art Prize exhibition during February and March. Face to Face Tech Savvy Seniors classes in Korean and Cantonese were fully booked.
- Randwick had advertised Harmony Week events - author talks and CALD storytimes, costumes and selfie frame
- Blacktown held Multicultural March events including Gelato making, Italian folk stories, Traditional Chinese poetry, and more sessions in Amharic, Punjabi and Tagalog.
- Parramatta - Harmony Week events - Aged Care sessions in Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean and Vietnamese, weekly Covid updates, Parra podcast, job seeking workshop
- Ryde - Lunar NY events - online Chinese classical poetry, paper lantern making sessions. Face-to-face programs to resume in Term 2.
- Ku-Ring-Gai - Seniors Week events including Tai Chi, Chinese movie screening and brain games
- Liverpool - Harmony Week events including bilingual storytime
- Fairfield - International Women's Day event on mental health, business advice. Young Career support session and career expo 17 March
- A discussion on LOTE DVDs in libraries was had, most libraries still have and continue to purchase to support library users without access to streaming content.
- Sujatha inquired about the Hublet and Jadwiga advised these were popular at Liverpool.
Congratulations to Kasia Malicka of Burwood Library on her appointment as Heritage Librarian, after 28 years on the multicultural working group Kasia will step away, but is happy to assist with Polish activities. Thank you for your years of hard work Kasia!
Meeting closed.
The next meeting will be held on 5 May, 2022 online via Zoom, 10am-12pm.