Projects update

At the Public Libraries SA Quarterly meeting last week I had an opportunity to provide an update on 13 projects.  Given that not everyone can attend the quarterly meetings I thought it would be useful to provide an abbreviated update to all in our network.  

If you're interested in a slightly more expanded update on any of the following topics you can catch up with your manager to see the paper that I provided to all managers yesterday.

Topics covered were:

Vision for the future of the Public Library Network:  May of you will have participated in a range of groups late last year as part of a process to gather local information, as well as look at Australian and global trends in public libraries.  This process was designed to assist the funding parties for public libraries to design a plan for the next 5 or so years.  The contents of the consultants' work has been signed off by representatives from the Minister for the Arts, the Local Government Association and the Libraries Board.  We are now awaiting formal Ministerial approval before we can then release the report.  We're hopeful that it will be available next month.

The paper I have provided to library managers gives a little more information about the key directions of the report.

Network RFID project:  This Libraries Board sponsored project is designed to retrospectively tag all items in libraries which circulate under the One Card system.  A project document was released earlier this year, which elicited a number of questions and comments.  Most of these have then been answered in an FAQ document which was released last week.

Project status is that there is a request for proposal in the market at present which closes next week.  From there we need to go through an acquisition process, which will include negotiating a project plan with the supplier/s.  We hope to have the 1st libraries tagging by September, with the project then running into 2017.

Option to digitise local collections using the expertise and equipment of the State Library:  We are about to release a survey to libraries to determine whether they want to utilise the skills of the State Library staff to digitise locally held collections of photos and other objects which could be digitised.  These digital objects will then be loaded into Portfolio, and be discoverable by customers through Enterprise.

BlueCloud Acquisitions:  This is the name for the P2 replacement product being co-designed by SirsiDynix (SD) and PLS - along with input from library staff.  SD has completed the 1st section of the module, related to funds and vendor management.  Three SD developers spent a week at PLS in January to scope out the processes required to build the "selection" part of the system.  They met with library staff as well as vendors.

We hope to be able to demonstrate some of the functionality & the way the user interfaces at the next quarterly meeting.

End of Year Statistics / Bibliostat:  You will be pleased to know that many of the stats we used to ask you for are now all available for us directly out of the One Card system.  We have also reviewed all of the other data that we need for national and Libraries Board reporting.

As a result of these two changes, this year's EOY statistical return will be considerably shorter and simpler.

Changes to database purchasing:  For a number of reasons PLS believes that it is more useful for libraries to purchase their locally owned databases directly from the suppliers.  Therefore PLS will no longer be offering the ability to purchase databases using funds on P2.  Libraries will need to take this into account when requesting the amount of funds they wish to use as "local purchase" funds.

Digital Content Expansion:  PLS and key library staff have been working with our existing print materials suppliers to potentially add their "e" content (e-books & digital audio) to our system.  We can do this legally under our existing contracts with these suppliers. It is anticipated that we will be able to display the e-content from a range of suppliers in Enterprise once the selection process has been complete.

Network Online resources:  PLS is working with key library staff to review the online resources which are available across the network.  This is occurring because of changes in the product offerings and prices for existing products and the emergence of new products which libraries are interested in using.  The results of this process will be communicated to libraries in the near future.

LMS - consolidation phase:  Having completed the roll out of the system 6 months ago we are now looking at some "continuous improvement" incremental steps to maximise the efficiency of the system and its various work flows.  The User Group is also completing work it started some time ago, to publish a Fair Use policy and a memo on privacy of customer information. We have the customer and bibliographic records de-duplication projects underway as well as a review of the policy and operations guides - to ensure that they reflect current agreed practice.

We are also looking to make some changes to how the system works - particularly how Enterprise displays items - i.e. the ranking order of what is on the 1st few screens etc. 

We are testing how the "home" and "pick up" library functions work in the allocation of Holds - with the aim to ensure a streamlined and most efficient process - minimising transferring items between libraries.

And we have commissioned SD to write some customised reports which we believe will resolve the billing issues we are currently facing.

We will keep you posted on all of these minor changes as they progress.

School Community Libraries - community led planning:  We have commenced a Libraries Board funded pilot with four councils (10 SCLs) to look at their community's expectations of their libraries, with the aim that each council and its SCL/s will develop a local plan of action is in place which will ensure that a sustainable and appropriately funded service, which responds to local needs.

Courier: We continue to have periodic shortages of black boxes, so we're asking that libraries keep sending any empty ones back with your courier.  We are aware of some anomalies in our delivery system, so are working to see how we can iron out a few kinks.  We will be discussing some further options for change once we have analysed the data we have been collecting.

Network Communications & Information - a "one stop shop:" PLS is working with a group of library staff to investigate a platform which will replace a number of our existing systems. 

Our big picture aim is to roll the ASK email lists, the current Intranet and Basecamp and this Blog all into a single platform.  Imagine not being bombarded with all those emails!  The system should also provide collaborative work spaces for various groups as well as discussion threads and so much more. 

The product under active consideration is Microsoft's SharePoint.  It is probably known to many of you already. Given the complexity of the software we will be developing some "user stories" to test how the system will meet our diverse needs, and then hopefully moving into a "building" phase.

We don't think that there will be much to show to the network until late this year, but I just wanted you to know that there is real progress in this space.

Comments / Questions:  If you want any more information please check out the slightly longer document I provided to library managers.  If you want further information or want to provide feedback please do so either via this blog post or directly to me.

Pop up and other non-traditional library practices

Its been ages since I have posted to this blog.  I think the rush to finish off the LMS project & then tidy up things late last year took the last of my "blog posting energy".  There have been a few things I could have / should have posted about.  And having had a discussion with a library manager last week, I'm committed to getting back in the groove & sharing things that are perhaps useful / interesting to our public library community.

This post actually is a pointer to another site which has some great information about pop-up culture generally & libraries feature quite a bit on their site!

There is a great 2013 article about a French pop-up library here. I'm sure we don't often think of France as having a big beach culture, so this is an interesting one.  I love the integration of the book area along with the provision of shaded areas for readers.  Most interesting.  And just for fun, the French architect's site has the most fascinating navigation mechanisms - that itself is worth looking at.

The Pop-Up City site also has a February article about Beijing's metro trains becoming e-book libraries. QR codes are placed in train carriages & these enable customers to download the available e-books. Maybe this is something for PLS to take up with Transport SA for our trains & buses.  You will also find a 2013 article about a Toronto neighbourhood tool library and a 2012 article on turning an abandoned Walmart store into America's largest single floor library (at over 11,500Sq M!).  If you're ever ventured into a Walmart store you'll know how utilitarian / ugly they are, so it is interesting to see that this library won an interior design award for the transformation it has done.

There is also an article about a "free library" in Tokyo's subway.  Effectively it is a book swapping idea - but great to see.  and it is interesting to see how the idea of "library" is morphing and being owned in the pop-up culture.

The site also has some revolutionary ways that vending machines are being used - much more nimbly than any of the so called library vending machines.

So if you're interested in rapidly changing use of public space & engagement with communities in novel ways, then go take a look at this site.  And if you're interested, they have a book about pop-up culture that you can buy for your collection!

And having re-booted the blogging part of my brain I'll fire off a few more posts in coming weeks - about some of our local projects and issues as well as other points of interest as we find them. 

Retirements and transitions in our School Community Libraries

I'd like to use this post to pay tribute to all who have worked in our School Community part of our public library network & are looking to retire or move on to other roles over the Christmas break.  Of course in mentioning a few people I know I run the risk of leaving out others.  So can I start by saying that our communities across the State are very fortunate to have many people who are working in libraries for whom work is a passion & a vocation more than a job.  For all staff who "go the extra mile" to provide customers with what they need - this post is a "thanks" to, and recognition to you all.

We have some people retiring who have been members of our network from the very inception of School Community Libraries and have served their communities so well for in some cases up to 40 years!! We also have staff who have come into the library profession for a very short period of time, but who have made an impact in their local libraries and communities in that time.  To all who are leaving us - all the best.

I'd also like to pay tribute to staff who have retired during the year, after years of service.  So in no particular order I'd like to recognise the long term contributors to our School Community Library network who I am aware are leaving or who have left the network: To Toni Sheridan (40 years at Lock!), Tessa Martin at Minlaton, Glenys Aird currently at Leigh Creek, Helen Bowering of Coomandook, Janice McInnis of Hawker, and Bob Muster currently at Lameroo thanks for all you have done for our network over the years.  And to others who I'm unaware of, please accept this post as recognition of your service to your local communities over so many years. 

I've been sent a lovely picture of the sequence of Teacher Librarians who have run the Minlaton SCL since its inception. They are standing in order of their service at the library.  See below.

L to R Denise Rutherford, 1st Minlaton TL, Jan Forrest,
Tessa Martin (who retired this year) and next year's TL Rick Cook

PLS delivers 400%+ increase in Network performance

PLS staff have spent quite a few months this year negotiating changes to our State-wide telecommunications network, and then supervising the rollout of new equipment in libraries across the State. This rollout was completed in late November.

The changes have included upgrading our main connection to the Internet from 50Mb to 200Mb - which has had a significant impact on downloads.  The graph below indicates the amount of data downloaded by the network on a monthly basis.  August was the previous normal pattern, before changes were made. The major increase in September was caused by the main connection upgrade.  This was followed by further increases in downloads as the new routers were installed in libraries across the state.

Increasing download totals from 3.2Tbyte to 14.4Tbyte is an increase of more than 400% in network performance.

Other changes have also been made to the network, such as prioritising certain types of network traffic to ensure that it is not being "choked" by other traffic.  This prioritised traffic includes all LMS related traffic and access to State-wide databases.

PLS is also looking at the current bandwidth issues related to some of our larger libraries.  A recent visit to Onkaparinga has identified that we need to make some changes to their bandwidth allocation, as they're trying to serve 10% of the State's population on the same amount of bandwidth as some quite small libraries.  Over coming months PLS staff will attempt to address the needs  of some of our bigger network members.

ALIA recognition event

ALIA has decided to recognise members who have been members for 25 plus years.  Last night ALIA President Damien Lodge attended an event at the State Library to hand out ALIA Stars to all who attended.

There are 69 library staff in the State who have 25 or more years of ALIA membership, with the longest serving person having been a member for 64 years.  And the total years of membership between all 69 people is 2,493.  30 of the 69 members, many accompanied by partners were able to attend the event.

I was delighted to be part of the event to welcome everyone to the Circulating Library in the State Library's Institute Room.  This building was the State's 1st building built to house the cultural societies and services of the State - including the first circulating library and separate reading room.  It has quite an interesting history which you can read about here.

Amongst the 69 librarians who where honoured last year there are eleven who are current or former public library staff & one who works closely with us for one of our key suppliers.

The current or former public library staff that I could identify in the group are: Ann Short, Cynthia Collins, Philippa Middleton, Janice Nitschke, Fran Oswald, Renya Spratt, Lynn Spurling, Heather Lymburn, Angela Jones, Claire White and Albert Bergoc.  And the ALS staff member is Chris Swadling.

A few photos from the night have been posted here.  I am sure more will become available over time.

Interesting reading

I often come across really interesting articles - often referred to me from colleagues.  Sue Sutherland, one of our consultants on the "Vision for the future of the public library network" project has just sent through a link to this article.  The article is called Last man standing: how to kill public libraries.  The author, Professor R. David Lankes  has some interesting titles of other posts such as Burn the libraries and free the librarians.

The "last man standing" article is really interesting and thought provoking.  It  covers some of the issues that were raised in the "library scenarios" that were part of the workshops that the consultants have run for us. 

Lankes has also published an Atlas of New Librarianship which also has a companion website. 

I'm aware that Professor Lankes will be in Australia next year, so will see whether we can get him to visit Adelaide while here. 

New One Card Video

We decided to create a short video to illustrate the what our One Card network can do. We were well served by  We've loaded it up on You Tube here  for you to look at. We are really happy with the work done by Susan Rooney-Harding who made this for us.

I would have embedded the video here, however this Blog only allows us to load up files smaller than 100Mb & the video is several Gb.  

For SA Libraries, we will load this up to a site in full HD resolution so that you can download and use it. We'll let you know where this is soon.