Working Group on Multicultural Services (NSW) 9:30 am Thursday 28th February, 2019 State Library of NSW Macquarie Room
Minutes
Apologies: Katherine Zhu (Randwick), Vivien Chung (Willoughby), Kathy Yang (Inner West), Sharlene Louey (City of Sydney), Sarah Wild (Canada Bay), Joanna Brag (ACT).
Attendees: Sujatha Thadakmalla (Fairfield), Ayse Ersay (Waverley), Anne Laidlaw (City of Sydney), Vicki O’Rourke (Wollongong), Ponnary Toch (Inner West), Wendy Ford (Northern Beaches), Eugenia Ng (Burwood), Nada Antain (Parramatta), Joelmon Zungar (Blacktown), Irena Tichackova (Hornsby), Kasia Malicka (Burwood), Pauline Chan (Parramatta), Jadwiga Krejza (Liverpool), Kirsty Plumridge (Cumberland), Abby Dawson (SLNSW), Shauna Miller (SLNSW), Oriana Acevedo (SLNSW), Laurence McDonnell (Blacktown), Vanessa Maino (Ryde).
Confirmation of previous minutes The previous minutes were accepted.
Demonstration of SLNSW – Multicultural Services Webpage https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/public-library-services
Abby directed us to the bottom of the Public Library Services Page to the section marked ‘Multicultural Services for Public Libraries’. This page includes many tabs including – • Overview – an explanation of the services on offer • Consultancy – with details on how Oriana can assist public libraries with multicultural projects/problems etc. • Bulk Loans – includes two tabs for ‘Multicultural collections’ and ‘Large Print and Talking Book’ collections • Standards and Guidelines – provides benchmarks and guides for Library planning • Tools and Promotional Resources - Includes a link to the ‘Community Languages Directory; the Multicultural Glossary; Signage – promotional signage that can be printed to promote the Library; Multicultural Pamphlets in different languages that can be printed; Ordering Promotional Resources form; and Banners with information about the banners that were created (please note these are currently not available) • Multicultural Purchasing Cooperative – with contact information about cooperative purchasing • Cultural Awareness Training – link to the training currently offered • Tech Savvy for Seniors – this is the portal for all the information related to this program including promotional material, certificates, training resources, evaluation forms and reporting guidelines
Library AV Presentation Library AV specialise in cataloguing, processing and accessioning LOTE collections and have built up a team of translators and transliterators to assist with these services. The team can cater to the needs of the Library and can provide as little as ‘MARC records’ for titles right through to end-to-end processing and cataloguing. Library AV endeavour to match the standards of an English record.
Tech Savvy Update The staff at the SLNSW are planning to visit participating libraries to ask for feedback on the program and to remind libraries of their reporting obligations for this program. The funding for this program is based on the financial year, and there will be changes in the next cycle. Funding will be divided into two groups – English and the larger ‘LOTE’. There will also have a focus on ‘indigenous communities’ and the SLNSW is working with a couple of Council’s to pilot this. There is also scope for more flexibility where the classes can be run out of external locations (community centres and retirement villages) with the Library facilitating the program and collecting the data. For any questions about this program, please contact Oriana.
DVD in LOTE Lawrence explained the ongoing saga involving DVDs that have not been classified. The Commonwealth Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995 prevents suppliers from selling unclassified DVDs. A sub-committee has been formed to lobby the Department of Communications and the Arts, to amend the legislation. A letter will be sent out to many organisations to raise the profile of this issue, including the ‘Ethnic Community Council of Australia’. Consequently the SLNSW will no longer be able to assist with the supply of LOTE DVDs.
Multicultural Excellence Award There are two awards presented each year for ‘Multicultural Excellence’ – one for a Library that is presented each year at the SWITCH Conference, and the other for an individual that is presented at this meeting. This year’s recipient is ‘Stephanie Lee’ from Bayside Council. Stephanie presented over 350 events for CALD communities, with over 6000 attendees in 2018. Some of the activities included author talks in both Chinese and Spanish, a Chinese Grandparents group, English language & lifestyle skills, community language lessons, English Conversation classes and she is about to provide information to community group on voting. “We are like stepping stone to help raise multicultural groups up”
Bulk Loans – RFID Tags Abby reminded everyone to not place RFID tags on to the State Library items. Please use the pocket provided.
Oriana’s Update Oriana attended a meeting of Multicultural NSW. There is a new CEO – Joseph La Posta. Keep an eye out for a pilot program being launched this year looking for new interpreters! Oriana attended a ‘Community Interagency’ meeting at Blacktown and learned about a campaign to ban dowry practices in Australia and to embed the transactions of dowry into immigration legislation and financial law. There are many examples of (mostly women) coming out to Australia and being ‘Sponsored’, and then being financially blackmailed and sometimes even abused. This project is currently targeting Indian communities with a view to focus on Arabic communities next. Oriana is sourcing bookmarks and signage for Libraries to use that provides a number for people in this situation to call for crisis support.
Oriana is about to attend a meeting at Parliament House with the University of NSW and the member for Lakemba – Hida Jihad, to lobby for extra funding in primary schools to support the teaching of extra languages. There is an aging migrant population and Australia is losing the language skills. In a global market, it is important that Australia can communicate in languages other than English.
Oriana has some extra DVDs in Thai. Let her know if part of your order is missing.
Other Business Multicultural NSW website has some links that are currently not working.
Centrelink can provide training courses in using the MyGov website. Discussion ensued into how reliant government agencies are becoming on libraries to assist the public with form filling and assistance. Lawrence mentioned how HiTech can provide you a report on how many hits onto government websites your community uses.
The Library working groups have all began to amalgamate their minutes and agendas into one location. Abby will be adding this group’s to the portal??
Oriana would like this group to partner with the Network of Multicultural workers that has representatives across the Local Government sector. Their focus this year is on mental health in CALD communities. Libraries need to work better with this group as we seem like ‘islands’ to many. The group will be invited to seminar later in the year, and this will hopefully foster some good partnerships.
Vicki was looking for Easy Reader tubs - they are available for purchase from Ikea or Elizabeth Richards.
Kirsty from Cumberland was looking for ways to train English Conversation tutors. TAFE can provide training. Blacktown have the contact for Naomi Moore who used to train with Mission Australia. Parramatta Library are having a course next month. Oriana also mentioned an online TAFE program that teaches them how to provide one-on-one support, and pays for the police check.
If you are weeding CALD collections and the items are still in good condition, you can contact Oriana as she has some contacts looking for material including Maryanne from Correctional Services, and the Villawood Detention Centre.
Shauna asked that the ‘Strategic Plan’ be added to each meeting’s agenda.
Shauna volunteered to create a contact list of multicultural performers for us all to utilise for special events. Please send you contacts information through to Shauna.
Events Parramatta is about to conduct SCAM awareness training in Cantonese and Mandarin.
Burwood is also about to conduct a SCAM awareness session in English with translations. Burwood will do a big language festival in July.
Cumberland celebrated Mother Language Day on Thursday 21 February with the launch of their Ekushey Corners at each of their eight locations, a Hindi/English Storytime at Wentworthville, and a big cultural celebration with dancers, singers and poets at Auburn Library.
Oriana also organised a ‘Mother Language Day’ celebration at the SLNSW.
Blacktown also celebrated Mother Language Day with a big celebration at Blacktown Showground, with over 1000 people attending. Blacktown will soon be launching their ‘Bengali’ language collection.
Next Meeting 16th May – Green Square Library, 9.30am – Meeting commences
12.00pm – Tour of the Library
Going to try BlueJeans this meeting so that regional libraries can join in.
Jadwiga would like everyone to bring their ideas and special events information to share with the group.