Collections SIG meeting
Minutes
Thursday 11 August 2011
10am-1pm
Room 1103, Level 11, 60 Collins St
Convener: Jenny Ackroyd
Minutes: Susan Thomson
Item
1. Attendance &
Apologies
Minutes
Apologies: Pru Menzies (Casey-Cardinia), John Ruddle (Monash) Suzanne Boddi (Glenelg)
Action
By
Attendance: Jenny Ackroyd (Darebin), John Radford (Moreland), Letizia Mondello (Moonee Valley), Susan
Thomson (Greater Dandenong), Katie Norton (Whitehorse Manningham), Kay Hedges (Kingston), Tara Poussard
(Kingston), Bernadette Thorn (Frankston), Bhuvane Ramesh (Frankston), Marnie Weinrich (Yarra), Teresa Wight
(Casey-Cardinia), Anita Catoggio (Yarra Plenty), Michelle Donelly (Maribyrnong), Michele Bence (Stonnington),
Melissa Eade (Melton), Neville Harley (Melbourne), Justin Tamburrino (Hume), Irene McGinnigle (Glenelg)
Brandt McCook (Port Phillip), Jenny Lawrence (Brimbank).
2. Confirmation of
Minutes.
3.
Previous Meeting’s Minutes:
No items arising from previous minutes.
National Year of Reading 2012 Any developments? What’s happening in our library?
Discussion at Multicultural SIG meeting with respect to promoting literacy for all languages.
Sue Gray/Boroondara reported in this meeting that they have purchased merchandise for a February launch.
Moonee Valley will purchase Library bags with NYR instead of their normal branding. There will also be
billboards in the community promoting the program and rebranding of existing library materials/programs.
Yarra City are beneficiaries of a Trust which will support a 2 day per week Program Officer who will be involved
in this project. Plus there will be some internal rebranding.
General agreement that most library services are still organising themselves for next year’s program.
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4.
Discussion Topic: Patron driven selection of library materials. Do they really know what they want?
Are we catering to the few obsessive patrons to the detriment of others in the community? Do we have trigger
points? A few libraries, Yarra, Greater Dandenong will buy more copies if there is a certain amount of holds
attached to an item.
Are we genuine about community feedback? General discussion around having a balance between common
sense purchasing but also important to get community input, especially if material will be used by others.
Agreed that sometimes offering multiple formats can alleviate the pressure of holds on popular materials. Print
versus, TB CD, eAudio/eBook downloadables for example.
Where does our role lie if people have to wait 3-5 months for hold items? Is there a shift in the way people
engage in our collections; they want current, topical and quick access.
Do we need to change our thinking?
Promote what the next read could be?
Are the collections skewed to popular mainstream items rather than broader collections?
Discussions continued around engaging patrons with popular needs, but some danger that you are not
advocating other writers and new emerging authors when this dominates collections.
Can we do a bit of both depending upon our individual budgets? Otherwise, simply meet the need for popular
material but also balance with quality, core collections and leave out middle ground material.
How to engage customers?
Yarra Plenty conducts an annual survey with the last response totally about 3,500. Included is a collections
focused question: What would you like to see in the collection?
Wording of the question needs to be appropriate for your community.
Once they’ve received these responses, standing order lists are reviewed with staff to gain a balanced
perspective.
Balancing of services a key issue given that some libraries offer unlimited hold or purchase requests, which go
through a rush process that can be quite costly. Yet at the other end the patron cannot make use of everything
that comes through due to borrowing limitations. Therefore, how does this truly satisfy patron’s requests?
Other libraries had concerns with outsourcing of materials creating a delay and again not satisfying patrons
requests in a timely manner.
Some libraries highlighted that library link has helped balance purchasing requests versus what is ordered on
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inter-library loan.
5.
Discussion topic: Collection Arrangement
Community expectations or Librarian Comfort Zone?
Browsing collections versus cataloguing were discussed by the group.
While face out displays are great for browsing, how many places do staff need look to assist patrons after for a
specific item?
It was highlighted that a couple of library services have their non-fiction collections in genres; Diamond Valley
branch, YPRL service and Carrum Downs branch, Frankston. Diamond Valley have had statistical success, and
patrons love this arrangement at Carrum Downs too.
In respect to Fiction genres, generally it was agreed that smaller paperbacks were on the whole kept separate
from main collections and worked well in most public libraries, with the Paranormal genre expanding and
offered by many more libraries.
Brimbank’s philosophy is based on 1/3 space for collections, programs and IT. Does this then make it difficult to
accommodate all patrons and the range of materials or services that they want? Do we finally accept we are a
Community Hub rather than just a library?
6.
Library Funding
Impact of threatened cuts on councils/reaction of patrons
7.
Everyone agreed that the MAV directed a good media campaign with solid exposure and support. Library staff
appreciated patron feedback and concern as well.
Suggestions for presentations or speakers at next meeting
8.
Harper Collins Australia CEO or
Joel Becker, Australian Booksellers Association – on topic of 22nd Century Bookshop as noted in the Melbourne
Writers Festival, 4th Sept 2011.
Feedback from other SIGs
Contact speaker for next
meeting
Jenny
Ackroyd
Multicultural SIG:
Letizia Mandello no longer Chair of this SIG. Sue Gray (Boroondara) now Chair of the Multicultural SIG.
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This group is working on projects In relation to National Year of Reading:
 Looking at some translations of the NYR logo
 Encourage the message of literacy overall in all languages
Books,Music & Video Chinese Suppliers are moving to a shelf ready service. There is a possibility of collaborative
pricing if libraries are interested in sourcing material together. Request for more eBook content from this
supplier.
More libraries are picking up Japanese materials and including bilingual story times.
Information Services SIG:
Law Handbook online was presented by representatives from Fitzroy Legal Service and was well received.
Discussion focused on the first online Reference Survey in May and feedback to improve this data collection.
9.
ICT SIG:
Agreed that more focus on topics for meetings was needed
Discussion of a possible annual event programmed by this group.
Site reports
Darebin
Advertising for a Library Manager. Aiming to beef up events calendar and trying to match events with reader
development or collections. Planning day in September for NYR. Connecting community to the book.
Melton
Launching a new CALD collection start of September. Melton branch are moving to a temporary building in
September in preparation for new library branch building.
Moonee Valley
Starting preparations for RFID with weeding programs over the next 12 months.
Events – linking programs with displays
Discussion on R rated DVDs and how other library services manage this material.
Glenelg
Irene has been brought in to assist with collection development for two new library branches. Gaining
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assistance from Wyndham.
Greater Dandenong
Replacement of Collections manager and Information & Reader Services Librarian positions on hold with
pending council approval of new future Library strategy. Currently focused on planning for new Dandenong
Library branch.
Brimbank
Looking at overdue and renew fines. Strategy recommendations for the future. Purging stock every 3 years.
Will be focusing on benchmarking in future meetings.
Deer Park refurbishment: 22nd August celebration launch. More gaming added and outdoor play area.
Customer service survey – some collections questions, with about 1500 responses from the community.
Collections based comments generally positive.
Staff Survey next with the aim of gaining feedback and input on how they engage customers.
Yarra City
Holding an Amnesty before billing for long overdue notices begin.
Book tastings program – people talking about books, is not that successful. Most popular programs are Art n
Craft based.
School Holiday/Children’s Program – drop in activities everyday worked very well.
Melbourne
Freegal (downloadable music files) implemented 3 weeks ago.
City Library branch – installed a RFID book sorter. Highlighted that it doesn’t cope with multiple items in kits
very well. Otherwise, excellent in terms of reduction of manual handling.
Yarra Plenty
Implemented Freegal, Find my Past (U.K. & Aust. Content) and BusyThings and online resources for preschool
children.
Developing an collection asset plan – with the collection driven by demand philosophy while funding remains
sustainable. Maximum 6 year depreciation rate. Aiming to keep at that rate or higher.
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Possible development of a Civic precinct in Ivanhoe including a new library branch.
Maribyrnong
Extending branch library hours to 6pm on Saturdays.
CD-ROM collection is being withdrawn as more online resources for children are available.
Unique Management debt collection agency will assist with recovery of long overdue materials.
Hume
Implemented Bolinda Digital
New Hume Global Learning Centre in Craigieburn
Weeded 17% of the collection (39,000 items from 227,000) in preparation for RFID, which will gradually be
implemented across all branches.
Horizon LMS upgrade, and aiming for new LMS in 2012.
Kingston
Clarinda branch is currently a small (mini) library while the branch is being extended.
Launching a new website to include social media (Ning)
Genealogy collection expanding. Programs relating to the past, such as a presenter who talks about making
retro clothing, are very popular.
Author Talk program for Youth – focused at school groups.
Moreland
Libiro LMS implemented and generally well received by staff and community.
RFID tagging by June 2012.
Refurbishing Brunswick branch.
Changing collection selection across branches to centralised standing orders and profile buying.
No connection to the Brunswick NBN node across the road at this stage.
Wii games purchased based on a Health & Wellbeing philosophy, including fun interactive games like Super
Mario brothers for children.
Casey-Cardinia
Implemented Freegal and Byki (language learning online database)
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New discovery layer catalogue to be launched by the end of the year.
New Pakenham branch opened and doing good business.
Revamped Collection Strategy documentation to enable purchasing of R rated movies & Blu-Ray materials.
Frankston
Collection staff structure changing.
Reader Development – promotion of collections through facebook, twitter, library blog
Homework Club at Carrum Branch – Your Tutor working well. Funded by Education dept. and run through the
Literacy Villages project, which is run by volunteers.
www.literacyvillages.com.au
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Other business
No other business
Future Meeting Dates – Thursday 13th October, TBC Thursday, 1st December end of year lunch
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