As I mentioned on 12 September, the Libraries Board is working with the Local Government Association and the Minister for the Arts and people across the State to plan for the future of the public library network.
Part of this process includes nine consultation sessions across the State. At the first consultation session we had a short opening address from Libraries Board member Ann Short. A few people have asked me to publish Ann's address - which you will find below.
On
behalf of the Libraries Board I have much pleasure in welcoming you to this
workshop “visioning for the future of the public library network”.
In
South Australia we have a unique partnership between State and local
governments to deliver public library services to our communities. This partnership has had bi-partisan support
from all Governments over the past 50 years.
I
believe that the unique South Australian approach to the provision of public
library services has proved to be very successful, and a key contributor to
this success is the governance model.
This
model has both levels of government actively supporting an independent Board to
drive statewide policies and strategies.
The
one card library Management system is the most recent example of such a
successful statewide project.
The
funding under the 10 year Memorandum of Agreement, that the Board provides to
libraries, is the “glue” that binds the network together and facilitates
collaboration.
It
is the glue that creates two major benefits:
• Broad
consistency in what public libraries do in SA such as free membership, and
uniformity of loan procedures, and free Internet
etc;
• the network
infrastructure and connectivity that enables the library sector, which is predominantly a local government service, to
act as a cohesive Statewide network for the benefit of all South Australians.
I
am proud to be a member of the Board which gave total support to the One Card
Project.
This
morning we have a great opportunity to contribute to a vision for the future of
public libraries using the technique called Future Perfect Thinking.
This
visioning technique talks about the future as something that has happened in
the past.
Using
this technique, the consultants have translated the predictions and trends with
which we are all familiar, into a scenario for a possible future for public
libraries in SA.
Looking
forward is a challenge for us all. Putting ourselves into a future state and
looking back at a future that has already been achieved is exciting.
I,
and some of my former colleagues here today, are very fortunate and privileged
to be in a position where we are actually in the future that we envisioned many
years ago, and able to look back on the journey public libraries have taken
since then.
This
is by no means the first review, workshop or planning day involving public
libraries that I have attended. However,
one of them does stand out.
In
the mid 1980s, an audience much the same as here today attended a workshop at
the former Wattle Park Teachers College. Just like today there were Local
Government Mayors, CEOs, librarians, Local and State government senior
officers, Board members and staff from other agencies.
We
all shared a similar belief in the positive role and influence of public libraries
in our communities. We wanted to further that vision of making public libraries
the best they could be, and develop their capability to deliver the most
relevant and cost effective services.
Back
then the functions of the then PLS were done manually. The central tool for inter-library loans, the
union card catalogue, was a rather imperfect record of all the books held in
SA. Back then, book selection was done
by librarians physically visiting the central book depository and filling in
request cards manually.
The
major challenge for that workshop was two-fold:
• how we could go
about moving the union card catalogue and inter-library loans functions to
computer, and
• how to provide
information technology to enable librarians to select their material via
computer from their own libraries, that is, putting procurement functions
online.
But
these were just technological questions to answer an overarching vision – to
provide the best possible access to library collections for the public. As a result of that workshop, a business case
was developed and presented to the Libraries Board.
Most
importantly, a significant outcome of that entire process was the recognition
that it was a major step in the development of networking and collaboration
between all public libraries; a process that was facilitated by the governance
model of the Board which I mentioned earlier.
By
the standards of 2014, these initiatives were very small steps in the “how” of
changing libraries. However, they certainly influenced the why and what
and when of future changes and developments.
It
is interesting to reflect that at that 1980s workshop, some of us here today,
boldly suggested that it would also be good to have a networked circulation
system.
Looking
back, we were laying the foundations of the one-card system way back then.
I
believe our present public library network is a result of the profession's and
stakeholders' excellent planning, innovative strategies and their ability to
respond quickly to changing technologies, and social and economic environments.
Our
Public Library Network has been supported by strong leadership and wise
investment from local and State Government.
Therefore
I am delighted to pay tribute to everyone who
has been involved in the development of our public library network during the
past 30 years of its evolution. And I
believe that today is the start of the next phase in imagining and planning for
the public library network of 2030.
I
have every confidence that the deliberations on the future of our public library network will
benefit from the participation and creativity of everyone here today, and
everyone participating in this review.
Enjoy.
