NSW public library wiki

Lithgow Library 3 December 2013 9:30am to 12pm

followed by a two hour workshop.

Present: Adrianna Demmocks Blue Mountains, Patou Clerc Blue Mountains, Kathryn Joss City of Sydney, John Taggart Manly, Eric Dodson Lane Cove, Michelle Maunder Mid-Western Regional Council, David Botros Bankstown, Annetta Kurcharska Auburn, Kathy Maltby Ryde, Maureen Brecknell Lithgow, Miriam Scott Lithgow, Simon Kennedy Waverley, Margaret Penson Lithgow, Ali Hussein Parramatta, Ken Sumner Parramatta, Eilagh Rurenga Oberon, Ellen Forsyth State Library

Sharan Drenah, Rachel Fallowfield, Andreww Gee, Lindy Allen, Amy Swan, Mark Dwyer, Meagan George, Martin Boyce, Cathy Johnston, Jennifer Wilson, Sean Findlay

Photographs from this meeting are on Flickr

The plan is to revisit the datavisualisation element of cross searching, including Trove harvesting

- what apps do you use in the library, what apps could help with customer services. We will be looking beyond the library catalogue apps. What database apps do you encourage your clients to use, and what ones are available with NSW.net databases?Free reference tools - what’s available / what's provided by eresource vendors, reference apps for tablets and patrons, etc.

Apps for reference –

• Road to IELTS – program – able to be used on ipad and Android tablets– need a library subscription to enable this, will be running programs for this
• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.clarityenglish.ielts.app
• https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/road-to-ielts/id560055517?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
• Transparent language with Byki – with wavesound – will be running information sessions for community http://www.transparent.com. Also have their own phone apps http://www.transparent.com/byki-online/mobile.html
• App for freegal – library card and password access
• Optimise websites for mobile – responsive design so works across all devices without having to redesign for each device
• Bookmyne – for LMS (link no longer available)
• Some libraries have requests for recommended sites/recommended apps
• Blue Mountains has done some lists of relevant apps, for young adults and reference – see attachments at the end of the page with the minutes on them
• Government sites useful for looking for apps – for NSW government http://www.nsw.gov.au/social-media, and Australian government site (link no longer available)(make sure you have a good look as there are some excellent resources available via these apps)

Websites and mobile

• Trove http://trove.nla.gov.au/ – useful for referral, and for locating items – live updates with reservations would be brilliant
• Discussion about access to resources we should be connecting people to information, starting point for information
• Encyclopedia of Earth – well known environmental authors posting studies and information online – free and full text http://www.eoearth.org/
• Google – biggest free resource

Still showing the need for finding credible, accurate information

• Accessing information is critical – get to the information as fast as possible, and knowing how to be smart about searching
• People generally keeping short lists of good credible links, key uses
• Highlighting the need for ongoing information and reference training for library staff
• Libraries as a big gateway to information
• Skilling people up and doing smart searching, getting the clients able to to smart searching
• Some libraries running training for staff on new reference tools, sites as an ongoing way
• Novelist is an excellent site (NSWnet database), Fantastic fiction is also excellent tool http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/
• Jamie La Rue mentioned Pirate university https://twitter.com/pirateuniverse
• Open data hashtag #opendata in a twitter search will find material

People were asked to contribute suggested titles for the stock quality health check here http://readersadvisory.wikifoundry.com/page/Collection+health+2013 To add content people will need to join the wiki and ask to be a writer. There have been issues with adding content, but these now seem to be resolved.

Did you trial an online service?

• Trial of Indieflix– like Beamafilm – lot of Australian content, award winners and independent films around the world
• Don’t forget to talk with Ross Balharrie when start trialling databases, as there may be better deals
• Pressdisplay – range of newspapers in a range of languages, over 60 languages with usually 20 – 60 papers per language, good feedback from the community, are providing additional computer training,
• Trial of AMES – compliments other ESL subscriptions, includes job seeking component http://www.ames.net.au/
• Reminder about directing people to get a state library card, so that they can directly access the state library databases – http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/using/access/register_card.html

- update, implications for reference, discussion. The State Library of New South Wales is investigating extended access for NSW public library clients to their eResource collection (databases and eBooks) which the Library purchases for use by NSW residents.

Randwick and Great Lakes signed an agreement with the State Library to participate in a “one card” trial for 6 months. Authenticated access is enabled via:

• A linked image on the library home page
• A defined set of barcode numbers provided by each participating public library service
• State Library’s EzyProxy web proxy server
• A patrons existing public library membership card. New clients seeking access will register with their public library in the usual way.

In addition:

• No client information will be transferred in order for public library clients to gain access to the databases.
• No consent by the client is required since no personal information is being passed to the State Library.
• Responsibility for statistics on new members remains with the public library with the State Library counting usage of eResources.

The proposed model allows public library clients (card holders) immediate access to SLNSW eResources via the library website. The State Library designed and disseminated marketing material in collaboration with the NSW Public Library Network in the form of bookmarks, posters, a pull-up banner, and images for the library website.

The trial was officially launched at the Margaret Martin branch library in the Royal Randwick shopping mall on October 10. Invites were sent to historical and genealogy groups as well as all local educational institutions such as high schools and TAFE. To date their interest has been positive and staff have been promoting the trial and our own online resource collection at local high schools.

If the pilot is successful, joint membership access will be rolled out to all NSW public libraries with a launch in November 2014 to coincide with the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Library Act 1939. (This information was provided by Randwick Library). .

What are they doing which is relevant to us? Discussion of the work which Kathleen Alexander is doing with reference staff. More information to be provided by Kathleen, probably at the meeting in March. .

- see Crisis map Australia and Firies use Twitter to fight bush fires

Think of what critical services libraries could offer in times of emergency. From people whose libraries were near fires - what information was requested, were you following emergency services/council/national parks social media, or people who live in the area. Were your libraries/council providing updates via social media or directing people to emergency services? Were you providing services in evacuation centres? The following information was largely provides by Blue Mountains library staff, other people also contributed to the discussion.

• Crisis map Australia http://google.org/crisismap/australia used to keep track of the fires during the recent fires, also Fires near me app http://www.firesnearme.com/ (also has mobile site) – accurate information about where the fires going, and the ABC local radio for updates, accuracy really important,
• Twitter feed from NSW RFS really important https://twitter.com/NSWRFS
• Need for people to be aware that you can follow twitter streams without being logged in to twitter, so need to inform community about how to look at twitter
• Cross platform important
• Blue Mountains used facebook https://www.facebook.com/BlueMountainsLibrary/ and twitter https://twitter.com/BMCLibrary during the fires for community information, the fires were a turning point for Blue Mountains, used facebook and twitter to gather information and to push it out, different audiences for council and library facebook and twitter pages during the fires. The Blue Mountains Gazette also provided some useful information during the fires, and people used facebook to find out about recovery groups. The social media streams can be provided at a distance, also hosted feel good messages, and provided proactive information about the fires
• Using the relevant hashtag important, so find out the hashtag for the emergency, also find out who provides good information, and can retweet/post or use later
• Lots of information coming in, need to select what goes out
• “Mad experience’ big increase in what was happening in the social media streams, and now are back to usual posts about story time
• Lots of community information about what was happening was posted through the Blue Mountains fires
• Twitter was really good for gathering information
• Broad picture was important
• Really thinking about what the community wanted to know – the staff were in fire areas when they were providing the information
• First being safe, then helping
• Providing information about good sites to follow – like ABC 24 live on Youtube as way of updates https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkGyWSaa-s4
• Value of twitter, really important to push information out in an emergency, people really looking for the information, don’t be shy about pushing the information out,
• Need to evaluate who is giving good information, use the same principles as evaluating information in other contexts
• The reposting was critical
• Currency of information critical
• Flickr group – for images http://www.flickr.com/people/blue_mountains_library_-_local_studies/
• Storify is a way of collecting social media – see this example from the ABC about NSW fires http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-17/bushfires-storify-twitter-twitpic-instagram-facebook/5029766
• Floodlines app from state library of Queensland https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/floodlines/id511208257 and Mosaic image collection http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/floodlines/mosaic(link no longer available)
• Some increase in people coming to the Blue Mountains library for information, some of the library space, at some spaces are used by the recovery people
• Libraries as a place to hang around, internet to contact insurance people and because they could not home
• Increase in requests to look at standards of fire safety of buildings
• Floods in New Orleans post Katrina – libraries as ways for credible information, citizen journalism on blogs for discussion, basic information for everyday needs – being able to charge phones (for some examples see http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/what-katrina-can-teach-libraries-about-sandy-and-other-disasters/40986 and for a blog see http://katrina05.blogspot.com.au/)
• Libraries as a space for people to go to
• Support from Victoria for NSW fires so that people were using the hashtag – shown as a stream on the Blue mountains catalogue via hashtag
• Advice – have your social media presence happening before disasters, so that you are ready, because at the time, it is too late, make sure you put people time into the social media during disasters – it is worth investing the time
• Is social media in position descriptions? It should be so that it is embedded, make sure more than one person has access to the account (password must be available),
• For retweets, reposts – use your assessment skills so are focusing on credible information
• Always remember you are presenting the library and council
• Generally following organisations, and some using information from individuals
• Timeliness was critical – so have to make good decisions fast
• Some councils have moderated tweets, most not
• Staff need to be aware of council policies, and abide by them
• If you have library and council pages, need to talk with the other people working on social media at the same time
• Photographs of local areas is important as part of stream, even after the time
• Discussion about how to promote social media (discussion about paid ads on facebook), and use of hashtags
• Discussion about looking at the back end of Fcebook so can see more statistics and so on
• Facebook forums worth looking at to get more information on how to use for reporting purposes and analysis
• Discussion of use of rebelmouse https://www.rebelmouse.com/ for showing a stream and can add in hashtags – examples from the twitter reading group which pulls together twitter (tweets with images), pinterest, use of the hashtag #rwpchat and instagram
• Qwitter – can see who is not following on twitter anymore, so can see who has stopped following http://useqwitter.com/ (link no longer available)

- what is it, how might your library use it to serve the community?

• Article in American libraries about work being done by Douglas County Libraries http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/article/community-reference-making-libraries-indispensable-new-way
• Embedded – ongoing relationship, evaluation, building relationships within the community, embedding the library skills, shows library interest in the community

Dis•Challenge is to get councils and libraries to see how reference has changed, and using the skills to serve the community

• Opportunity to embed within the council
• Placemanagers – who look after wards, could tie in with embedded library staff – so could be partnership possibility – going to committees together
• Participating in community development meetings, seeing how to work with community development staff with their expertise to connect to groups – also need unified front from council so work with council staff already working with community groups
• Importance of working with strengths and for community groups to know who to contact at the council, and library staff should be part of the mix.
• Good community partnerships being described – benefits of working closely with community workers and community development workers in council
• Critical skills maintenance and development
• Tie in with corporate librarians which some councils have

In the afternoon we used a Google + hangout to connect with library staff at Sutherland and Coffs Harbour. We discussed the hangouts and their possible use for connecting staff, and connecting staff and clients.

The following points are edited from the text part of the hangout discussion:

• As well as video and audio only options (depending on technology), text chat is also possible
• Can use text to make sure the idea is addressed later on, to share links, full screen share is possible, and screen updates in real time
• You need a reliable internet connection but it doesn't have to be super, super fast, robust wifi can work, so if you don't have NBN don't panic
• hangouts connect people when funds don't let you travel time - you just take time out from your desk not the whole day travelling
• some podcasts have started broadcasting live using google hangouts as well.
• Patrick Rothfuss geek and sundry (and epic guest writers) use hangouts to connect and make public their discussions (link no longer works)
• Other public hangouts viewable here http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/onair.html
• Not all hangouts have to be public – private hangouts work for up to 10 people, public hangouts are streamed and saved to video.
• regional libraries can use to connect staff for online staff meetings
• a hangout works however you need it to - connecting people is great, thinking outside the box how you connect is key
• you need to make sure you've downloaded the 'software' before you join a hangout though.and check your headset is working (and you haven't turned the mic off…..)
• you need the Hangout plugin installed first, which can be a problem on work PCs – may need to IT
• with the DM feature you can even join when you have a cold and no voice! (no excuses)
• I am also the only person in my library who regularly uses hangout but most of us are used to teleconferencing -it's not all that scary
• you can SEE who is busting to say something
• We also discussed the IFLA trend report http://trends.ifla.org/ and provided online comment about some of the trends.

• Extensive weeding of reference collection, discussion of weeding, some reference going to stack, some reference going to lending
• Challenges of the ongoing nature of weeding reference materials, and of maintaining reference collections, and of managing space
• Need to really know how the collection is being used, so are not weeding reference tools which are being used
• Core reference collection still has a place – and the core collection will vary from library to library
• Mix of online and print resources still needed in reference

4 March Auburn

- Discussion of core reference, selection criteria for weeding reference collection, what are the markers people are using to weed, collection development and maintenance issue, also issue of what is in the collection management policies, issue of the relationship between ereference and current print collections

Don't forget to go back to your workplace and share the ideas from this meeting. Make sure you tell others about it, including your manager.

Back to Reference and information services working group home page