NSW public library wiki

Coffs Harbour Library 12 August 2014

There were no matters arising from last meeting.

A Google + hangout was demonstrated and used to discuss Agenda item 4. To have a Google+ hangout someone has to have a Google+ account. The person with the Google+ account sets up the hangout and invites the other participants via email. It should work with any email address. The invite is received via email, participants click on the link to open the invite in a browser or on a mobile device. It works best with Chrome browser or Hangout app. It works best when everyone has camera and microphone access so that participants can see and hear each other. There is a chat option, which also works well. Hangouts can be private if less than 10 people participate. Over this number they are public hangouts, which are streamed on youtube and through Google +. These are available as videos afterwards. Examples of these can be seen on the RISG youtube account ( https://www.youtube.com/user/NSWRISG ) which shows the videos of some of the presentations for the reference and readers advisory seminars this year.

John Taggart and Jennifer Wilson connected in via G+, and Cathy Johnson demonstrated a local connection.

This discussion was online and in the room. John uses phone to read blog posts while commuting. His favourites include Designing libraries http://www.designinglibraries.org.uk/ Tame the web http://tametheweb.com/ The next web http://thenextweb.com/ and other rss feeds

Jen uses alert services with key words, keeps to one topic at a time, easy to be sidetracked, uses online reading and blog posts to see perspectives in how things work, real situations, not idealized, interplay between posts and comments.

Finding other people and their opinions, what is practical is of most use,

Sharon – twitter and facebook for feeds, also uses rss feeds for audio magazines and magazines

Marty – read journals, uses rss feeds, David Lee King http://www.davidleeking.com/ serendipitous discovery on some email lists too,

Often great ideas come from a question from a customer, asking if they can do something, is it possible, not an automatic no, but finding out if something is possible, from asking questions about it. Start off looking from a question which triggers a response, early adopting clients can trigger a lot of questions, what is really possible, rather than what is easy to do,

Sandpit discovery for technology can be helpful, libraries at different stages, and different effects in different libraries

Often with remote services, need people to come to the library first, to get set up, so that the devices all work, and then, they can go away and sue remotely

Highlights the need for individual sessions for learning to use devices, each person needs help with getting the eresources set up for their device

It is about access to the information they need, and tailoring the services

Fairfield has a checklist about compatibility of devices as that is the starting point for if an ereader will work with the library system, library staff have to facilitate the process of helping people getting their ebooks reader working with the library service, as don’t want people to find it too hard or too frustrating

Still on G+ Discussion. How do you hone your reference skills? Fairfield –Libraries connect subscription http://libraryconnect.elsevier.com/, showing library resources. The questions need to be real, questions without notice are important, to test out the library resources, do they work as they are described, Also have used Slam the boards as training for staff, not using it as present, but ran it as a three part training session – people chose a question from an answerboard (had a few parameters around the questions) – first half hour using catalogue and books, second half hour using databases, final half hour – any resources, then there was a discussion about the search tools and the results, so it helped people think more about the books in the collection as part of the research, so helped the collection to work harder for the staff and the clients.

Encouraging staff to use ref-ex https://wiki.libraries.nsw.gov.au/index.php?title=Reference_excellence , but hard to get the staff to do the training.

Sharon has used ref-ex with some of the more recent modules added, including the local studies module for refreshing training. Time for training staff is a challenge, it is being used as part of local TAFE training.

Key points raised from several participants were :

• Using a local wiki with local training information, hints on using databases, ebooks, guides for staff, quick reference things, people can comment on it – for update
• Mentoring staff, facilitating resources for staff, to make it easier for staff, open relevant databases at the start of the day, as a prompt
• Mentoring and facilitating staff is important, managing expectations, need people to understand that experience is also need to follow up from the training,
• Mentoring is important for online training for staff, and to fully develop the skills. Practice is also critical.
• New ideas good to bring to staff meetings, bringing new ideas to other staff to talk about (maybe email), provides reality check and opportunities too, help to shape the thinking too.
• Need for continuous learning and problem solving. Reviewing things in the library, how can you improve this
• Engaging with other customer service points, how do they deliver, how can we improve things,
• Join the reference email list http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/services/public_libraries/elists_communication/email_lists.html, ask questions, share information
• Corporate librarians list, collections email list, think about joining (see for range of email lists http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/services/public_libraries/elists_communication/email_lists.html
• ALIAnews – https://www.alia.org.au/alia-new-south-wales
• Newsletters from libraries useful – Christchurch (links to subscribing the newsletters and following on social media http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/ContactUs/) and Auckland Libraries (http://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/EN/Pages/home.aspx) both good news letters

To what extent are subject headings used (& controlled) to facilitate searching & access? Do people take photos of their collection and post to flickr? What social media (if any) do libraries use to promote their collections (as opposed to events)? How do people see their Reference collections being used/not used? Or do libraries still rely on hard-copy pamphlets etc to ‘sell’ their collections?

Discussion

• Clarence transposed DL fliers to screen viewing, using Facebook to promote online services (as part of mix), competition about databases/online services (chance to win a ipad mini) had to have five correct answers emailed in, meant people had to try a range of services to be able to respond. Aim to get people to use online services. Marketing training using Facebook (in one of the libraries) re now putting more on Facebook about services, conversation is important for social media.
• Mt Barker – good Facebook posts, engaging, putting the library in a good frame with the followers, people already feel good about you.
• Surprising people and putting them in a good frame.
• Hootsuite to manage social media – allows timed/scheduled posts. One council sends all media releases via twitter.
• For local government week, set up display in library resources, and display information then taken to the council depot,
• Reminder to promote library reference resources and tools via opac and website.
• Placing promotional material for online materials in relevant parts of the library – collocating resources. Opac changes important, carrying themes through.
• Good catalogue records are important as changing linking options – such as to Novelist integration, or library thing integration
• How do we see our collections through the opac – how do we see online resources, and so on,
• Are there places on your website where you can promote online/reference resources, building in cross relationships? How do you provide access to the collection search and discovery?

- via Blue jeans Ross demonstrated how to access the ALA editions ebooks (see for links http://www.nswnet.net/news/ala-editions-ebooks ). This provides access to many ALA publications for reading online. This dataset is for library staff, and it a cost effective way for many library staff to be able to look at these useful resources.

Reference and Information Services for the transfer of knowledge - reframing the discussion from Reference and Information Services Section, IFLA How do public library reference services build individual and community assets? Examples for this topic could address how do these services strengthen civic engagement, or support multicultural societies or provide a community hub.

Are reference services in your library about access (the delivery of answers) or about knowledge creation? How is this enacted in day to day services? Examples for topics could include: digital and mobile libraries and their use in service delivery/knowledge creation, remote reference services and support for the new kinds of learning environments, or delivery of essential services to support a knowledge driven economy.

These are questions to be discussed at the IFLA conference later in the year - what are your ideas?

This led to discussion about 3D printing, in the US (esp) providing a space to learn skills, share information, build skills, use for local studies – roles of library as storehouse and content creation, publisher?

What the library clients use the library for is about the community, recreation, creating local content, building the library as a place to share information and find out local information and create information. Local community groups working on histories with Facebook pages, tapping into community groups, but also being contacted by the library as a promotion so to offer them additional information and so on. Helping a community group create something, part of that could be an agreement for the library to have a copy in some format.

Are reference services being targeting to multicultural services? Changes in location can lead to a greater range of community coming in to the library (changed location at Grafton). Is it on people’s to do list to visit the library, or how do you get it on their to do list?

Reference interview is important at all stages of library services, the reference interview can lead to so much. Staff time is always a challenge. Think about signage. Discussion of Indigenous library services, and use of reference tools like Dawn for family history searching.

(information services, readers’ advisory, reference, digital literacy instruction, and customer service) under a single unified Discovery Service. The idea was that customers don’t group their queries into those categories and every customer engagement is a chance to showcase services and advocate for the system. Reference interview training for EPL staff is now called “discovery conversation sessions.” From 2014 Gale/LJ Library of the Year: Edmonton Public Library, Transformed by Teamwork

How does this description change how you think about these kinds of services?

Thinking about discovery, information – thinking about what we say, describe, how we describe things influences how people think about things – so is it about discovery, ask?

Ask,,,discover…“think library” – for everything

Discussing unusual reasons people come to the library – shows the range of services library can provide, so library staff need to think broadly.

What has changed in recent years? Who has responsibility for this & if it’s not the Reference Librarian then do they have any (& to what extent) influence on collection development of this collection (& how)? What eResources form part of the Reference collection & to what extent do Reference staff have influence on what is used, renewed, purchased, promoted, etc? Are more eResources being bought/accessed as print collections shrink?

• Coffs Harbour – heavy weeding, and rearranging putting some reference into the non-fiction (as not for loan)
• Port Macquarie – do not have a reference collection, most for lending, some things are not for loan (small number of these) shelved with the non-fiction, reference budget is part of non-fiction, liac collection moved to the law book collection part of the library, and it seems to be better used now that it has been moved, Bellingen – reduced the size of reference, Grafton – small reference, and local history as reference, reference budget is part of non-fiction

Thinking about the use of the book, and its subject matter, as to where it is put, some annuals moved into magazine budget. Changing where you put things is important, so that you can see them. Cost of eresources as an issue. NSWnet resources is valuable. Discussion over different opinions on Britannica online. The online resources are useful for providing access across all the lgs – as libraries not everywhere.

Importance of evaluating use of eresources and looking at the promotion to encourage the use, marketing of online resources is important, and school promotions also important, can see the residual effect of the promotions on the statistics. Using social media to promote databases and online services, timing the posts to correlate with school year etc. Sustainability for resources is important, tough call on this for some resources. Importance of evaluating reference resources is really important. Discussion about different use by schools of libraries, placement of service points is important. Important for people to get the information they need.

a modern crafter's guide to using library resources to jumpstart creative projects by Jessica Pigza, New York STC Craft, 2014. The artist's library : a field guide, from the library as incubator project by Laura Damon-Moore, Erinn Batykefer. Minneapolis, Minnesota Coffee House Press, 2014.

These books were looked at and discussed as they both provide an information approach to connect makers and artists with libraries. There are very good instructions about using libraries and about using library resources for information. They help broaden the discussion in this area.

Discussion about the use of information for creativity - information, discovery and creativity

Library as incubator project blog also contains useful resources http://www.libraryasincubatorproject.org/

Tech Tuesday at Part Macquarie – advertise that staff will be available on that day to give technology support on that day with a range of staff (about 5) will help people on other days of the week. Lots of tablet support. Emphasis is on accessing the library collection, but some other questions as well. Lots of people given technology and their family does not provide technology support. Hard to get technology support, but the library can help. The staff have different skills, so can play to staff skills. But all staff try to do all. Grew out of the ebooks sessions – running android and apple sessions, but now have the Tech Tuesday – every Tuesday (but people can help on other days as well). Port Macquarie running training sessions for staff so they learn their skills in ebook readers.

Cheat sheets/help sheets useful for device assistance, as some ebooks work very differently depending upon the environment. Learning curve for staff too, so having to learn as they go too.

Some libraries have sand pit for staff, can be used for outreach. Important to share information about different devices so staff can learn. Need more staff to have the skills for trouble shooting ereader/tablets as this is a basic way to get people having access to library resources

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