Throughout my placement at the State Library of Victoria (SLV), I saw many direct connections to what I have learned throughout my Teacher Librarian course. I worked most closely with the Visitor and Information Specialist Team (VIS) as well as the Acquisitions Team. Throughout my experiences with these teams, I observed links to what I learned in ETL503 Resourcing the Curriculum, particularly about challenges in developing and managing digital collections.
The SLV treats placement students as though they are new employees. Thus, I participated in a total of twenty-two area overviews where I sat down with someone and they explained their role and how it fits into the broader context of the State Library. This was an amazing opportunity to hear in depth about different aspects of librarianship, see them at work, and ask questions. It also helped me know who I could go to for help when I needed to assist a patron. One of the things that struck me during these overviews was the focus on community engagement with the collection, particularly online.
In Collection Development in the Digital Age, Corrall (2018) discusses the evolving complexities around how community engagement impacts the way a collection is managed. People have differing ways of seeking and processing information and resources presented in a variety of formats nurture different styles of learning (Fleishhacker, 2017). It seems that the Covid lockdown was a catalyst for recognising that the community wanted to engage more with SLV online. ETL503 emphasised the necessity of assessing needs in the context of the users (O’Connell, et. al., 2020). I saw this in action through the library’s 2022-2026 strategic plan which reflects the desire to actively pursue representation and accessibility of and to all Victorians (SLV, 2023). This is a shift in thinking about those in Melbourne to those in remote areas, those who are underrepresented in the collection, and making the collection legally accessible (Flynn, 2016).
During my time with the Acquisitions Team, there was a clear focus on acquiring digital resources over physical ones. I learned how one librarian had worked with other state librarians from across Australia to develop a system called National edeposit (NED) in response to the joint desire of the library and publishers to deposit items electronically, saving money and making items accessible online. NED also enabled publishers to tick boxes to say exactly how they wanted their item to be accessed. My overview about the Pandora system, used to capture internet born items, however, was fraught with copyright issues. This is something ETL503 flagged as an issue teacher librarians must be up to date with (O’Connell, et. al., 2020)!
Electronic items are used differently than physical items which exist as a lone tangible entity with a life span (Kimmel, 2014). A single electronic item could be accessed by unlimited users, unlimited times, without agreements in place (Johnson, et. al., 2012). It was frequently pointed out at SLV that digitizing items is fraught with problems as it is often unknown who owns the copyright and the hours dedicated to investigation are rarely the best use of money. Most people do not consider that every time they post something online they are “publishing” and those published items may be sought by the SLV as a record of our culture. This was not always easy as the SLV might, for example, like to capture an antivaccine site, but during tense situations (like mandatory vaccines) people fear the SLV as a government agency and do not want their online activity held. Others might see the SLV desiring to preserve their site as recognition that their conspiratorial view is valid. Social media sites hold valuable cultural insight but are unable to be added to the collection due to copyright which is similar for videos. I had not considered the application of copyright much beyond the purchase of an ebook, but these conversations have increased my awareness.
Throughout my placement, I saw firsthand the complexities of responding to the communities’ information needs. As the user demands change and the collection content and access evolved/s, I realised the importance of reviewing the collection development policy to make sure they are responding to needs. This aligns with the coursework in ETL503, which emphasises the need to identify and assess information needs and develop a collection management policy (ETL503, 2020). ETL503 also emphasises the legal and ethical side of information distribution. I plan to incorporate these lessons into my professional toolkit, recognising the dynamic nature of the library environment and the need for continuous learning and adaptability.
References
Corrall, S. (2018). The concept of collection development in the digital world. In Collection Development in the Digital Age (pp. 3–24). https://doi.org/10.29085/9781856048972.003
ETL503 resourcing the curriculum (8). ETL503. (2020, October). https://www.csu.edu.au/handbook/handbook20/subjects/ETL503.html
Fleishhacker, J. (2017). Collection development. Knowledge Quest, 45(4), 24-31.
Flynn, N. (December 16, 2016). Australian Web Accessibility Laws and Policies. https://cielo24.com/2016/12/australian-web-accessibility-laws-and-policies/
Johnson, S., Evensen, O.G., Gelfand, J., Lammers, G., Sipe, L., & Zilper, N. (2012). Key issues for e-resource collection development: a guide for libraries. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).
Kimmel, S. C. (2014). Developing collections to empower learners. American Library Association.
O’Connell, J., Fitzgerald, L., Mitchell, P. (2020) [Learning Modules]. In ETL 503, Resourcing the curriculum. Charles Sturt University School of Information Studies.
State Library Victoria. (2023). Strategic plan. https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/about-us/governance/strategic-plan