About the placement organisation
Libraries ACT consists of nine branches across the ACT, in addition to the specialist ACT Heritage Library. Libraries ACT aims to provide a high level of service within its branches to the approximately two million visitors each year, through respectful and efficient staff, and the provision of inclusive and diverse resources and programs, all within accessible and inviting spaces (Libraries ACT, n.d.). The Customer Service Charter outlines Libraries ACT’s vision, purpose and values for servicing the community. Of the nine branches within ACT, three are joint use libraries, that is, they share part of their space with an ACT College (year 11 and 12 students).
There are over 2.5 million physical collection items, ranging from fiction and non-fiction books, serials, large print texts, dyslexia friendly resources, DVDs, CDs, and audio books. Libraries ACT also holds a large range of digital resources that cater for all demographics and learning requirements. This includes eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines; Kids eResources; language learning apps; research, history and ancestry; and film and music resources. Libraries ACT has a designated courier who transports the reservations and inter-branch loans daily between the branches, as well as caters for the home library service. The meeting rooms, computers, photocopier, printer and scanner are highly utilised by patrons of all ages, and the self-checkout machines are efficient, intuitive and easy to use.
Libraries ACT cater for and promote services to a large range of patron demographics. For the older generation, several programs have been initiated with differing success. One is a digital literacy program, which evolved to 1:1 sessions due to use and accessibility. Another program is regular Book Clubs. At three branches there is a partnership with academics as part of a research project to provide a social connection building and wellness program based on fitness. Additionally, Libraries ACT provides a Home Delivery Service for patrons with health or age-related conditions or impairments. This is a customised service in which large print texts and audio books are popular choices. During COVID restrictions, a Mystery Box delivery service was created where librarians choose a range of texts for patrons, reflecting broad genres or age relevancy. This has been continued due to interest and high usage. (J. Beer, July 9, 2024).
Children are well catered for through Libraries ACT. The physical items are diverse and plentiful, including board books, easy junior fiction and non-fiction, junior fiction and non-fiction, junior graphic novels, and DVDs, CDs and audio books. The regular Giggle and Wiggle (0–2-years-old), Storytime (2-5-years old), and weekly Bilingual Storytime programs, are renowned, with a large attendance at each session. Additionally, there are thematic programs and events run throughout the school holidays.
More specifically, observations made at the Gungahlin Branch ranged from general browsing, borrowing and reservations; serials, daily newspapers and magazines perusal; patrons utilising the free computer Wi-Fi, printing, scanning and photocopying resources; regular baby and toddler stories, songs and craft, including bilingual Storytime; holiday programs for children including movies, Lego or library scavenger hunts; to the provision of a warm space for meetings or hobbies, such as sewing, music or language groups.
Theory into practice
During my professional experience placement at Libraries ACT, there were several key links to the learning content throughout the Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) course. In particular, the subject ETL503 Resourcing the Curriculum, was critical in placing my learning into practical context. Even though this subject revolved around the school library, the content was still applicable to the public library setting. This was evident in my learning about the changing needs of libraries, collection development, and providing balanced, hybrid collections. Global factors and trends driving and shaping the future of the library and information sector are outlined in the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Trend Report (IFLA, 2023), which are relevant to public and school libraries.
At Libraries ACT there is a Collections Team who select, acquire and manage the collections across all branches. I was fortunate to have a meeting with a Collections Librarian, Mel Couper. From this meeting I was able to address several of my professional goals in more detail, specifically around acquisitions, accessibility and digital resourcing.
Libraries ACT aims to provide and maintain a contemporary, inclusive and balanced collection (Libraries ACT, 2024; Libraries ACT, n.d.). Responding to the needs of the community is paramount, and the Collaborative Access Environment is a framework for implementing a learner-centred model of collection development (Hughes-Hassell & Mancall, 2005). This model outlines the dynamic process of collection policies, budgeting, selection, and understanding of resources, contexts, partnerships and demographics (Hughes-Hassell & Mancall, 2004, p.14). The Libraries ACT Collection Development Policy (CPD) covers topics for consideration and reference, including selection, formats, donations and more. It is a working document currently under review, however the selection principals and guidelines are accessible for perusal. From my meeting with the Collections Librarian, I learnt that the budget is set by the ACT Government and covers all branches. Branches then divide the budget into the different collections for focus. If money is overspent in one collection area, staff can apply to obtain additional funds, or alternatively, contracts are multi-year, therefore money may be taken out of the next year’s budget (M. Couper, July 22, 2024).
To ensure the Collection Team purchases texts that reflect the patrons’ interests, they employ several selection aids such as book review sites and patron driven acquisitions. The main collections within the branches employ a profile system for each individual collection, allowing information to be gathered on what the community wants and how many copies are required from standing orders. For smaller collections, such as the accessibility large print or dyslexia friendly texts, the Collections Team contact outreach personnel to determine needs. For example, recently Vision Australia provided the team with statistics of readers who use braille in the ACT and their preference for audio books or other methods. For patron driven suggestions, the community is encouraged to refer to the selection principals and guidelines, and the Collections Team uses the CDP to inform possible acquisitions.
Libraries ACT maintains a balanced, hybrid collection to promote accessible and diverse resources in a variety of resource types, formats and containers. For popular physical resources, the library adopts a 1:8 ratio, that is, one copy per eight reservations. There is also a Hot Pick collection for in demand books and series at each branch, with a short one-week only loan period and no reservations. To ensure equity of access and to reflect the rapid growth of the digital environment, Libraires ACT have implemented a large digital literature and resource collection (see section one). These are mainly subscription-based services including BorrowBox and OverDrive. Resources within these platforms are generally access-based subscription, for example, OverDrive has multiple access titles which are negotiated with publishers. With the increasing amounts of digital content, libraries are developing workflow models for managing digital resources (Johnson, 2013, p. 19). At Libraries ACT, a Subscriptions Officer manages the digital collection, the user interface layout, and digital features, as well as print serials such as magazines and newspapers.
On a final note, sustainability during the deselection and weeding process is currently being considered. There are systematic deselection methods in place that reflect the age of resources and circulation and usage data (for example, publication date over 10 years or not borrowed in the last 2 years). Additionally, spot weeding is managed within individual branches of damaged resources. From discussions with library staff, I was informed that it was more cost effective to buy new copies rather than the time and resourcing for repairing damaged items. However, policies around weeding are being reviewed, as there is a possibility that too many books are being deselected with only slight damage, and consideration needs to be placed on sustainability and the disposal of the large volume of weeded resources (M. Couper, July 19, 2024). As the emphasis on our environmental footprint has strengthened, multiple avenues for recycling, repurposing for artwork or displays, or rehoming deselected books have risen (Connell, 2010, p. 4). Unfortunately, within the public sector, this has been observed to be an area filled with policies and restrictions.
Critical reflection
Over the course of the two weeks at Libraries ACT, I was fortunate to be actively involved in a multitude of activities, programs and further learning opportunities. I was able to observe and conduct daily tasks, such as returns, reservations and customer services; plan and run a Storytime session; participate in Libraries ACT and Gungahlin Branch staff meetings; and have in-depth learning discussions with several staff, including Branch Manager, Jaz Beer, and Collections Librarian, Mel Couper. My supervisor, Jaz, was aware of my professional goals, which we regularly reflected on. Undertaking my professional learning experience in the school holidays was beneficial as a large spectrum of patrons visited the library and utilised the services (see section one).
I have found value in critically reflecting on this placement in the public library sector and comparing it to my experiences in a school setting. Through analysing and reflecting on numerous teaching and information professional standards, I identified several key elements for my future development (Holland, 2024). Of note, reflecting my career stage of being an experienced primary teacher of 17 years, with 8 years as a specialist library teacher, is 2.4 Evaluate student learning and library programs and services to inform professional practice and 3.3 Demonstrate leadership within school and professional communities (Australian Library and Information Association, 2004). I annotated how the public library constantly collected data to inform professional practice and the future provision of services. This included program attendance, circulation, and resource booking data, with all statistics input into the library management system, Spydus. This is an area I can continue to build on in the school library – reporting to executive and the community for advocacy and information. Additionally, as evident in my supervisor’s feedback, I showed leadership and duty of care, flagging a couple of texts that had been accessioned into junior easy fiction (junior picture books) when they contained more mature or sophisticated themes for an older audience. This was an interesting change process to note, as the branch would need to contact the Collection Team and wait for them to amend the resource metadata in the catalogue. This is on contrast to my position as the solo practitioner in my school library, where I possess the freedom and trust from executive to be the change agent and middle leader, to make any revisions I deem necessary for our school context.
Through this placement reflection, I have been able to connect prior knowledge of student learning styles, such as Gardner’s (1983) Multiple Intelligences (MI), to theories encompassing adult education. Through reflecting deeper on my Libraries ACT placement experience, I can further distinguish my learning style to be one of multimodal learning, incorporating a combination of textual learning and active kinaesthetic learning (VARK, 2024). I have been able to draw comparisons and parallels during my professional placement experience, to identify that I prefer to listen to information and instructions then summarise and create lists for action, and additionally, combine this with concrete kinaesthetic output, which is characteristic with learning from active participation in tasks. By applying Honey and Mumford’s model (Honey & Mumford, 1986, as cited in Bitesize Learning, n.d.), I am a reflector, learning by observations and collecting information, and a pragmatist, putting my methodical learning into real-world practice. This was evident in my mentor’s feedback, commending my initiative in recognising tasks to be undertaken and a willingness to complete them; and asking questions where necessary, to be able to achieve success. Adopting this style and a positive mindset when interacting with library patrons allowed me to converse easily with the community to assist them in their needs. Additionally, using a reflective manner when relating to colleagues was important, to acknowledge their professional knowledge and support their personal traits.
Overall, the professional placement was an extremely positive experience with Libraries ACT. I gained an in-depth and practical knowledge of the inner workings on a public library, the services and programs provided, demographic influences, as well as collection development and management. These experiences will be highly valuable for my own professional development as a teacher librarian. The professional contacts made during this placement will benefit my school context as I look to enhance our hybrid collection, the diversity of resources, the promotion of community outreach programs, and social media links.
Placement Review Meeting Record
References
Bitesize Learning. (n.d.). Honey & Mumford’s learning style explained. https://www.bitesizelearning.co.uk/resources/honey-mumford-learning-styles
Connell, V. (2010). Greening the library: Collection development decisions. The Journal of the New Members Roundtable, 1(1), 1-15.
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. Basic Books.
Holland, J. [Jennifer.Holland] (April 26, 2024). Delving deeply into self-reflection and analysis mode. Jennifer’s reflections ‘through the looking glass’. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennifersjournal/2024/04/26/delving-deeply-into-self-reflection-and-analysis-mode/
Hughes-Hassell, S., & Mancall, J. C. (2005). Collection management for youth: Responding to the needs of learners. ALA Editions.
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. (2023). IFLA trend report: Realising libraries’ potential as partners for development (Update 2023). https://trends.ifla.org/update-2023
Johnson, P. (2013). Developing and managing electronic collections: The essentials. American Library Association.
Libraries ACT. (2024). Libraries ACT collection selection principles and guidelines. https://www.library.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/2395279/Collection-Selection-Principles-and-Guidelines-2024.pdf
Libraries ACT. (n.d.). About. https://www.library.act.gov.au/about
VARK. (2024). VARK questionnaire (Version 8.02) [Online questionnaire]. VARK Learn Limited. https://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/?p=results