Victorian Public Libraries 2030

Last week our library colleagues across the border launched Victorian Public Libraries 2030.

Funded by the Library Board of Victoria for the State Library of Victoria and Public Libraries Victoria, the report provides a strategic framework for Victorian public libraries, focusing on longer term planning to ensure public libraries’ ongoing relevance to the future needs of their communities.

The objectives as set out in the report were to:

•        assist Victorian public library managers and staff to identify global trends that may impact public library services into the future (2030)

•        explore alternative futures, identify tipping points and devise strategic responses to perceived trends

•        develop and extend the strategic-thinking capacity of the Victorian public library sector and ensure buy-in to the project process and outcomes

•        collaboratively create a strategic framework for Victorian public libraries that is applicable to a wide range of public library services (metropolitan, regional, rural, single municipality, regional corporation), which can be used to guide their own strategic planning, and which is meaningful at a local and state level.

The report makes for interesting reading, particularly given that the South Australian public library network will be undertaking an exploration of its own future in 2014.

Links to the Victorian report can be found at:

Full Report

Summary Report

Jo Freeman
Acting Associate Director
Public Library Services

Recognition for Murray Bridge Library

Congratulations to Carol Bath and the team at Murray Bridge Library for winning the Robert Dickson Award for Interior Architecture at the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2013 South Australian Architecture Awards. The Robert Dickson Award is the top award in its category - what an achievement!

I haven't seen the new building yet but by all accounts it is a fantastic community facility that makes the most of its near river location.

News articles about the awards can be found at Indaily and Architecture & Design.

Jo Freeman
Acting Associate Director
Public Library Services

ALIA eBook Think Tank

I mentioned in my post on 3 June that ALIA will be scheduling an eBook workshop in Adelaide in July.  The details are now available....

Join us on Tuesday 9 July at the State Library of South Australia as we review common eBooks and e-lending concerns faced by library and information professionals.

Discussion will be prompted by leaders with experience of the eBooks situation in Australia and internationally.  We will consider ALIA's eBooks and e-lending principles and strategy and propose a new model for public libraries and e-lending.  Participants will have the opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences.

The ALIA think tank is open to all library and information professionals.  Spaces are limited, so register now to secure your place.

For further information, please contact Sam Sheridan at ALIA.

I encourage you to contribute your thoughts and ideas.

Jo Freeman

A/Associate Director

Public Library Services

Former LINK consortium goes live

Today marked an extraordinary day in the rollout of the One Card project as member library services of the former LINK consortium all went live today…covering 20 library sites!

Having this many libraries launching on one day is a complex operation, however preparations were thorough and although some technical issues arose, they are being overcome without too much disruption.

We’ll be adding photos from these launches as they come through, so please keep an eye on this post. 

The library services joining One Card today were:

Adelaide Hills (visit Enterprise catalogue)

·         Stirling Library

·         Woodside Library

·         Gumeracha Library

·         Adelaide Hills Mobile Library

Barossa (visit Enterprise catalogue)

·         Nuriootpa Library

·         Angaston Library

·         Lyndoch Library

·         Mt Pleasant Library

·         Tanunda Library

Clare & Gilbert Valleys (visit Enterprise catalogue)

·         Clare Public Library

·         Riverton Library

·         Saddleworth Library

·         Auburn Library

·         Hamley Bridge Library

·         Clare Historical Collection (Clare Town Hall)

Gawler (visit Enterprise catalogue)

·         Gawler Library

·         Evanston Gardens Library

Light Regional (visit Enterprise catalogue)

·         Kapunda Library

·         Freeling Library

·         Greenock Library

The photos immediately below are from today’s Adelaide Hills launch at Stirling Library.

Adelaide Hills Manager Dee O'Loughlin along with staff & Friends celebrating their "go live"

. 

Adelaide Hills: Di Cranwell (local LMS project leader) with flowers to thank her, shown with 
Kelly Morris (Community Programs & Promotions) offering lemon curd meringues & strawberry tarts

And here are some photos from the Light Regional Library Service launch on Wednesday 19th June at Kapunda Library.  The Light celebration was attended by members of the community, Council staff, Barossa Library staff and a class from the local primary school.




Light: Pepper Mickan (Library Services Manager) and Mayor Bill O’Brien officially launch the celebrations

 

Pepper Mickan reads  ‘The flim-flam fairies’ to the school class and visitors that attended the launch celebrations

Members of the community, Council Staff and Barossa Library staff, Tania Paull and Elizabeth Beales, watch on as the network is officially launched at the Light Regional Library Service

Light photographs courtesy of Ken Lyons – Stone Hut Photography

Jo Freeman
A/Associate Director
Public Library Services

e-Books in the news again

The world of eBooks and public library lending continues to change and evolve as publishers, retailers, library suppliers and the reading community grapple with the challenges presented by digital formats. In the news this week is the ongoing litigation between the US Justice Department and Apple Inc. which accuses Apple of conspiring with a number of publishers in 2009 to increase eBook prices in an effort to break Amazon’s hold on the eBook market. The trial starts today and will be closely watched as it’s considered by many to be a test of the rules around internet commerce.

Still on eBooks but closer to home and of specific interest to libraries is the work ALIA has been doing to develop a set of key principles to guide the procurement and use of eBooks in Australian libraries. Many of the issues being faced by libraries were summarised in an issues paper published in January. It can be found on the ALIA Site here. 

Following the release of the issues paper ALIA held a series of Think Tanks so that library professionals could hear about the issues and share experiences and opinions. The most recent Think Tank was held in Sydney last week.

Based on these discussions, ALIA has developed a draft set of key principles to guide the library sector’s response to the changing eBook environment. ALIA is now seeking comments on the draft document.  For more information go to the ALIA site here. 

ALIA is also planning for an e-book workshop to be held in Adelaide in July.  As soon we have more information about it we will let everyone know.

Jo Freeman
A/Associate Director
Public Library Services