Repositioning your library for the 21st century Paper presented at the Local Government Association

1
Repositioning your library for the 21st
centuryPaper presented at the Local Government
Association of Queensland Library Seminar
Bricks and clicks?new directions in local
government libraries Brisbane, 11 December
2000Dr Alan BundyUniversity of South
Australia
2

• Abstract After a very slow start, particularly
  in Queensland and South Australia, Australia now
  has one of the most accessible and heavily used
  public library networks in the world. However to
  achieve its full community potential much needs
  to be done in the 21st century to address issues
  such as poorly located and unattractive
  buildings, lack of space, poor opening hours,
  limited book and other resources, technology
  constraints, and the lack of specialist
  librarians to develop services. This requires
  local government, in particular, to increase its
  investment in its most heavily used service.

3

• Queensland Public Libraries?Vital Statistics
• In 1998/99 there were
• 318 public libraries in Queensland
• 1,710,369 registered members (that is 50 of
  total population)
• 36,750,098 books lent from libraries
• 6,104,487 books in Queensland libraries (that is
  1.77 books per person)
• 1 million books on loan on any one day of the
  year

4

• Over 8,000 public programs, storytelling,
  training, booktalks
• Over 1,000 pcs providing internet, library
  catalogue, software access
• 975 full time equivalent staff employed in
  Queensland libraries (including 252 librarians)
• Total expenditure on public libraries 83,325,764
  or 24.19 per person?7c a day

5

• Queensland now has
• a fine and innovative State Library
• possibly Australias best Public Libraries
  Division to support local authorities and public
  libraries with grants, resources and consultancy
  advice
• the best set of standards, including recent
  technology standards
• one of the two best state newsletters for public
  librarians

6

• the OPAL (Online Public Access in Libraries)
  program to install internet access in all 121
  local government areas, including rural and
  remote communities
• a library building boom?in the last two years
  over 29million of projects have been approved
  for state government subsidy
• a unique Indigenous Libraries Unit and Library
  Service Charter
• since 1998, the Library Boards commendable
  Library Innovation Grants aimed at promoting the
  public librarys role as a community service
  provider

7

• some of the worlds most advanced mobile
  libraries
• and last, but not least, the City of Brisbane, as
  Australias largest local authority, has now one
  of Australias most progressive library
  services?a development largely of only the last
  decade

8

• 534 services
• 1596 access points
• 52 million books and other items
• 90 million visits each year?5 for every
  Australian
• 154 million loans each year
• considerable provision in languages other than
  English
• used regularly by 11.4 million Australians
• rated as important or very important by 95 of
  Australians

9

• over 90 of Australians support public funding of
  libraries
• 98 of Australians have some form of access to a
  public library
• total annual cost c560 million (but less than
  the budget of the University of Sydney or the
  ABC)
• over 3,000 public internet terminals (most states
  now have in place programs to facilitate fast
  access to the internet by public libraries and
  their users)

10

• established network libraries are part of an
  established network, and often a number of
  established networks. They already have partners
  and are experienced networkers
• public places libraries are safe public places,
  freely accessible to all the community and are
  open long hours including evenings and weekend
• staffed by information professionals libraries
  are staffed by people who are trained in the
  information business

11

• existing infrastructure libraries reside in
  buildings which provide the entire infrastructure
  required for them to perform their functions.
  They are therefore well placed to extend their
  function to other areas
• highly valued and very well used libraries have
  strong community links
• part of a broader organisation libraries are
  financially supported by their local councils and
  communities. There is potentially considerable
  strength and many resources to be drawn from this
  association

12

• community focal points libraries are a focal
  point for the communities which they serve.
  People already attend libraries for a broad
  variety of purposes
• wide geographical distribution libraries enjoy a
  wide geographical distribution. There is access
  to a public library almost everywhere in
  Australia
• cooperation between different levels of
  government public libraries are jointly funded
  by local and state government

13

• multifocused service providers libraries have an
  expanding brief to adopt broader roles such as
  acting as government transaction centres

14

• The modern public library provides
• access to, and lending of, a wide range of up to
  date books, large print books, audio books,
  magazines, audio and video materials
• ready access to the services and expertise of
  Librarians and Library Technicians at all times
  the library is open
• access to global print and electronic information
  resources

15

• web access to its resources
• fast access to the resources of other libraries
  through interlibrary loan
• internet access and training?the electronic
  revolution is making libraries and librarians
  more indispensable, not less

16

• Umbrella institution of the learning society
• Cathedral of human knowledge
• Lifelong learning vanguard
• Ideas centres
• Knowledge warehouses
• Digital nerve ends
• Places of connection
• Learning channels
• Peoples network
• Knowledge integrator

17

• Knowledge network
• Local gateway to knowledge
• Content foundry
• Imaginations stronghold
• Infomocracys place
• Streetcorner university
• Unique testbed of civic values

18
The public librarys resources, services and
facilities may include

• general print, audiovisual and electronic
  resources
• readers advisory and reference services
• small business and council information services
• health information
• childrens and young adult services
• storytelling
• local history resources and services

19

• special provision for indigenous populations
• large print and talking books
• interlibrary loans
• kindergarten support
• a homework centre and school support
• school holiday programs
• support to flexible learning university and Tafe
  students
• multicultural collections
• migrant and Nesb community support
• parenting collections

20

• toy library
• provision for the 1 in 5 Australians who have
  some form of disability
• support for the nonemployed
• housebound, hospital, nursing home, prison and
  other outreach services
• drive through pickup/return
• adult literacy support
• family literacy programs
• English conversation classes
• community information

21

• tourist information
• study and research facilities
• internet/electronic training facilities and
  programs
• maintaining the local authoritys website
• meeting rooms
• photocopiers and scanners
• word processing facilities
• public lecture program
• community and topical displays and exhibitions

22

• reading groups
• support of a Friends of Library group
• volunteers program
• being a community safe haven
• a coffee shop
• a council service centre
• generous parking provision

23
(No Transcript)
24
(No Transcript)
25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)
28
(No Transcript)
29
(No Transcript)
30
(No Transcript)
31
(No Transcript)
32
(No Transcript)
33

• Information and knowledge issues will dominate in
  the 21st century
• The more citizens have access to information?and
  the skills to use it?that is relevant to local
  and national socioeconomic and political
  development, the more both will prosper
• Libraries and librarians are the lifeblood in
  managing access to information and education in
  its use

34

• The more libraries and librarians a country has,
  the better its information will be managed, made
  available and used
• The role of local government in recognising and
  facilitating this is absolutely vital