Multicultural Services and Programs
Special Interest Group (MSPSIG)
Monday 7 November 2011
Minutes
1.
Present:
Pru Menzies (CCLC), Karmel Savahl (CGD), Bill Qi (MLS), Linda
Serafini (Yarra Plenty), Natasha Kamenev (Bayside), Anne McLennan (MLIS,
Diane Woda (Brimbank), Marcia McGinley, Minutes (Yarra), Anne Paltridge
(Hobsons Bay), Sue Gray, Chair (Boroondara), Liliana Chiriano (Maribyrnong)
Apologies: Lyn McFarland (Moreland), Jenny Ackroyd (Darebin), Olga
Kuftova (Port Phillip)
2.
Business arising: all other items on agenda
2.1
Minute taking – as discussed at previous meeting the decision that the host of
the following meeting should take the minutes is unworkable as next host won’t
necessarily be at the meeting prior (as is the case today). Instead Sue will draw up a
roster of regular attendees. If the rostered minute taker is an apology it will be up to
them to arrange a swap.
Action:
Sue to draw up minute-taking roster
3.
National Year of Reading
Following our request for translations of NYOR into the top ten languages, the
response from the organisers was that they were unable to provide the translations but
that we should go ahead and do what we like.
Karen Ward Smith now appointed as Public Libraries advisor for NYOR has offered her
assistance.
Action:
Sue to invite Karen to our next meeting
Ideas for what could be done:
 Put a link from MyLanguage site to NYOR site
 Add LOTE events to the NYOR site
 Individual libraries to proceed with getting NYOR translated as they are able,
sharing the translations with other libraries to ensure consistency. The
languages deemed most popular by the group are Italian, Greek, Vietnamese,
Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, Hindi, Croatian, Turkish, Japanese and Russian.
 Share ideas and cross-promote our events
4.
Collaborative purchasing – Top 20 BMV
BMV (Books,Music & Video Co.) are offering a “Top 20” service in Chinese. The items
can be supplied shelf-ready with the final cost determined by how many libraries opt to
take up the service. Currently three libraries will share costs: Melbourne, Brimbank and
Whitehorse-Manningham. If six libraries join the cataloguing cost per item will be $6.00.
Melbourne are inviting BMV to East Melbourne Library to display their books and
interested libraries are invited to come and make selections. It is not necessary to
purchase all 20 of the “Top 20” items.
Melbourne are currently finalising their cataloguing specifications with BMV. Melbourne
plans to spend about 50% of their Chinese budget with BMV purchasing titles in
common with their partner libraries.
Other libraries interested in the shelf-ready product should contact BMV prior to
the East Melbourne display.
Libraries may just buy the books without the cataloguing. Casey-Cardinia are looking at
buying books from BMV but get a better price on cataloguing from their current
supplier.
April meeting next year will be at East Melbourne Library followed by lunch and BMV
display.
4.1. Other supplier information
CAVAL has bought the DA LOTE business and will offer a shelf ready product.
Leng Fei who was previously at DA now runs Aussie Global Books and offers a Top
20 service for Chinese books. She alternates months between traditional and simplified
scripts and includes a mix of fiction and non-fiction.
5. New My Language website
Sue previously forwarded email about testing the new website.
Postcards promoting the new website will be sent out (samples distributed at meeting)
Please visit the website and add your programs and events to keep the site
vibrant and useful.
6. What’s happening at your library
Casey-Cardinia
 Author talk – two authors of The Rug-maker of Mazar-e-Sharif, a forthcoming
Year 12 text. Highly recommended speakers.
 Community purchasing event at Endeavour Hills for Chinese Noon Festival
 Investigating a basic LOTE cataloguing record standard to keep cost down for
languages like Sinhalese.
 Trying Aussie Global Books’ top so service
Action: Pru to bring information to next meeting
City of Greater Dandenong
 Two November events forthcoming; Talking Faith? Forum at Dandenong –
organised with the Interfaith network; and a Cambodian Festival at Springvale.
This second activity is an annual event aimed at celebrating different cultures,
usually a culture where the library has difficulty in sourcing conventional library
materials – in other words they have the population but can’t get the books.. In
2012 the culture to be celebrated will be Polynesia.
Action: Karmel to send link to Polynesian man who conducts sessions.
Melbourne
 New North Melbourne team leader appointed – Lee Williams from Maribyrnong
 Event at North Melbourne on 21 March (All events at City Library have to be
approved by Council.)
 Renovating North Melbourne library – putting the books back!
Yarra Plenty
 Italian cultural night at Mill Park with a band
 Launch (with belly dancer) of new Turkish stock. Turkish loans are diminishing.
 Italian collection has been floated – there are collections at 5 branches
 Diamond Valley’s has organised the collection entirely by genre (like a
bookshop)
Bayside
 Concentrating on presentation following a visit by Kevin Hannah
 Sandringham has been redone – more computers, fewer books
 Awaiting Mr Hannah’s report on Brighton
 Weeding program underway
 Lots of demand for more student seating
 German storytime
Melton
 Launched community language collections at Caroline Springs in September
 Seven languages
 DVDs and magazines only.
 Hindi and Sinhalese are moving the most
 Vietnamese is not moving
 Melton township – new building for Mackenzie Street due for completion in
18months
 Multicultural storytimes
Maribyrnong
 Italian morning at Maribyrnong – new books and coffee
 Greek ‘fun time’ afternoon held for the second time attracting 120 people which
is up from 65 at the first one. Featured live music, dancing, food and new books
Brimbank
 Community selection events
 Maltese (with Mark Bonello as the supplier; Mr Bonello got on radio and berated
the Maltese community on respecting library material and not stealing/copying
them.
 Vietnamese (at Sunshine) – using LN Vietnamese Books as the supplier; this
event ‘rested on its laurels’ and as a result was not well attended.
 Looking at shelf ready supply of Vietnamese material through an associated
business being established by LN Vietnamese books to do cataloguing and
processing. Currently negotiating specifications.

Created a ‘world music’ section to collocate with English language music rather
than squash them in at the end of the books
Yarra
 Public meetings to be held at each of the libraries to consult on the forthcoming
Yarra Libraries plan. Chinese interpreter at Collingwood meeting; Vietnamese
interpreter at Richmond.
 New magazines have started coming through – 12 additional titles in five
languages.
Hobson’s Bay
 Italian and Greek storytimes
 Attended Eid festival – has a stall, used an iPad at the festival to demonstrate
the MyLanguage website.
 Doing fewer events with a focus instead on going out into the community
 Multicultural morning tea with technology – planned for Seniors’ Week; will
introduce MyLanguage website
 IELTS evening – preparation and tips
 Local History project – capturing stories of older CALD groups to preserve
them. Still in early stages. Oral History Association of Australia recommended
as being helpful.
 LOTE Libraries Direct who now supply all LOTE materials have so far not
supplied anything.
Booroondara
 “Human Library” event with Interfaith Newtwork coming up.
 Greek presentation on sustainable gardening
 Huge growth in demand for Chinese magazines – now have 15 subscriptions to
Oriental Sunday!
7. Meeting dates 2012
Will continue to hold meetings on Mondays from 10am -12.00 noon
Dates & venues:
February 13 at Footscray
April 16
at East Melbourne
June 18
at Balwyn
August 13
at Collingwood
Oct 15
at North Altona
December 10 at Bayside (for lunch)
8. Other business
8.1


Community grants are available from the Office of Multicultural Affairs
information sessions happening at the moment
applications close 16 December
8.2
Email list has errors. Also needs to be expanded to include other library service
e.g. Monash, Hume, Kingston, Whitehorse Manningham and Wyndham
Action: Sue to update email list and send invitations to non-attending libraries
who might be interested.
Action: Send suggestions for meeting invites to Sue
9. Next meeting (Please note later start time due to lunch!)
Starts at 11.00am at Northcote Library (32-38 Separation St, Northcote
Melways Map 30 F8)
to be followed by lunch at local restaurant.