On behalf of the Tasmanian Library Advisory Board (TLAB), I am pleased to submit the 21st annual report of the board as required under the Libraries Act 1984 as amended in 2000.
Role and structure
The statutory role of the TLAB is defined by the Libraries Act 1984 as being a body which advises the Minister and the secretary of the Department of Education on matters relevant to the provision of public library services in Tasmania. When the Libraries Amendment Act 2000 was passed in July 2000, the membership structure of the TLAB was extended to provide a wide representation from the Tasmanian community, comprising a mix of rural and urban interests.
Membership
Current membership was appointed from 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2008 and is as follows:
Ministerial nominees:
Ms Shirley Abel (chairperson 2006)
Mrs Mary Binks (reappointed)
Dr Mark Briggs (reappointed)
Mr David Owen
Ms Jen Robinson (resigned September 2006)
Mr Patrick McConville
Ms Susan Hill (resigned October 2006)
Dr Roslynn Haynes
Ms Leonie McNair (appointed February 2007)
Dr Lynn Hemmings (appointed May 2007)
Local Government Association of Tasmania nominees:
Alderman Sandra French (reappointed)
Councillor Roger McLennan (reappointed)
Councillor Jack Rheinberger (reappointed)
Councillor Julian Bush
Nominee of the secretary of the Department of Education:
Ms Siobhan Gaskell, Director, Information Services and Community Learning and the State Library of Tasmania.
Board meetings and community forums
The board held four meetings during the financial year in a range of urban and rural centres. Meetings were held at Devonport on 10 August 2006, Glenorchy on 9 November 2006, Longford on 1 March 2007, and Burnie on 23 May 2007. The locations of meetings, together with a community forum and a focus group, enabled community interaction with board members.
The community forum was held on the evening prior to the Devonport meeting. It gave members of the Devonport local community an opportunity to raise with board members a range of issues relating to the delivery of public library services.
At the August meeting the board reviewed feedback previously received at 22 community forums and discussed alternative methods of receiving feedback from the community. It was decided that the board would trial conducting focus group meetings as a means of gaining more targeted and strategic information from specific user groups.
The first of these focus groups was held at Glenorchy Library + Online Access Centre on 3 November 2006. The focus group for non-users of library services was attended by 14 participants. The group put forward some interesting ideas and suggestions which were provided to the Glenorchy Senior Librarian for action. Suggestions to attract new users to the library ranged from the key themes of opening hours and car parking, to the need for more marketing and promotion of services.
Major issues considered by the board
Community Knowledge Network and Library of the 21st Century
The Minister for Education’s strategy document, Community Knowledge Network, was released on 31 October 2007, as the third major initiative for the Department of Education after Student at the Centre and Skills Tasmania. The Community Knowledge Network is a lifelong learning strategy which aligns the programs and services of the State Library, Archives Office of Tasmania, the online access centre network and Adult Education. The board considered the strategy document and supported its directions despite initially expressing concerns about potential funding implications for the State Library. Over the latter part of the reporting year, the board was more at ease with developments and satisfied with the level of progress on arrangements for realigning services and programs in the new structure. Creating the Library of the 21st Century is incorporated into the strategy, and the board is pleased with the progress against the strategic initiatives.
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Virtual Library
The board noted that work on the Virtual Library commenced in November 2006 and that progress to date includes scoping out the services and products it will deliver to clients into the future. With changes in the way clients, particularly younger clients, access library and information services, the Virtual Library will be another service delivery outlet in the same sense as the physical service points. The Virtual Library’s other achievements include development and initial testing of TALISPlus and the newly improved Online Public Access Catalogue with expanded functionality.
Service Network for the 21st Century
A new service delivery model has been developed for small communities in which a branch library and online access centre (OAC) operate as an integrated unit to deliver a blend of information, lifelong learning and library services. Over recent years, there have been opportunities for integration of library and OAC services and these have been trialled in a range of more remote locations including Whitemark, Strahan and Zeehan. The latest of these developments, Bridgewater Library + Online Access Centre, opened at its new location on 1 February 2007. It is anticipated that over time more of these developments will be implemented and the board is fully supportive of these as a means of extending service delivery options particularly in smaller localities.
Library resources
Additional funding from the two previous financial years has resulted in increased access to contemporary collections for members of the public. The board was delighted to see the positive impact of the refreshed library book stock on the State Library’s 2006-07 usage indicators. However, the board continues to be concerned that this positive impact on service delivery will not be sustained in the longer term unless recurrent funding arrangements are able to keep pace with inflation, higher publication costs and exchange rate depreciations.
Library opening hours
The board considered a range of options for the most efficient use of library opening hours across the state. Included in the review were evening hours in city and reference libraries and a benchmarking methodology for opening hours in branch libraries. The board fully endorsed the benchmarking methodology for branch libraries and supported a number of changes to opening hours. New evening hours for city and reference libraries were implemented in February and March 2007.
Floating collections
The State Library implemented a statewide floating collection on 1 July 2006. The floating collection ensures that items borrowed stay at the library to which they are returned rather than being transported to the originating library after use. The board commended the State Library on this initiative as it truly represents a state collection rather than individual library collections and is a means of keeping the book stock refreshed at all libraries.
Lending collection review and redefining reference and information services
The board fully endorsed the State Library’s review of services and collections and believes they will be a valuable contribution to guiding the development of services and collections policies for the future. In particular, the board strongly endorsed the Lending Collection Development Policy and Local Studies Collection Development Policy as informative public documents for library clients. The board was also interested to be apprised of developments at the national level in the area of redefining reference services particularly in relation to the challenges and opportunities of new technological developments and their impact on library services.
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Workforce planning
Creating the Library of the 21st Century will require different skills sets within the State Library workforce. Strategies to further workforce planning objectives to account for the likelihood of early retirement by baby boomer staff and a potential shortage of trained professional and paraprofessional staff include recruitment, succession planning, leadership development, education and training, skills development, phased retirement and transfer of knowledge from retirees. The board was very keen to see progress on these initiatives particularly in view of 51 years being the median age of the State Library workforce.
50 + strategic policy
In 2006, the State Library developed a strategy for older persons who use Tasmania’s library and online access centre services and facilities. The policy drew on consultation with a wide range of community organisations and staff statewide who were surveyed about the interests and information needs of people aged 50 years and over. The board was pleased that the State Library has articulated a policy direction for this sector of the community particularly in light of the ageing Tasmanian population and the opportunities for partnerships under the Community Knowledge Network strategy.
Library facilities
The board raised its concern about the need for a strategic departmental approach to the allocation of funds for asset management in order to maintain high quality library facilities across the statewide library network. The board is keen to ensure that the State Library is treated equitably within the allocation framework.
Preservation of cultural heritage
The board strongly endorses the strategic approach adopted by the State Library to quantify, assess and address conservation and preservation requirements in the Heritage Collections to preserve Tasmania’s cultural heritage. The board is pleased to note the progress of the significance and conservation assessment surveys in the Heritage Collections.
Whilst the board recognises the importance of cultural heritage preservation, it is concerned about the State Library’s ability to meet the targets in Tasmania Together unless a significant amount of additional funding is allocated to conservation and preservation tasks. The board fully supports the State Library’s current projects to provide leadership to the community in preserving and providing access to Tasmania’s documentary heritage, particularly the program of digitising materials to ensure their preservation and to provide enhanced access for library clients.
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TALIS replacement
The replacement of the TALIS computer system is imperative to customer service delivery and has been an issue of great concern to the board. The board was pleased to note that the Department of Education is now intending to acquire new software, and that a timeline for a tendering process for a replacement system has been developed. The board considers that the changeover needs to be completed as soon as possible, and will continue to monitor progress on this vitally important project.
Meetings with the Minister
The chairperson of the TLAB met with the Minister on a three-monthly basis, after each board meeting, to advise the Minister about board views and to discuss issues arising.
State Library of Tasmania and the board
The board acknowledges and appreciates the excellent work of staff of the State Library of Tasmania in providing members with detailed issues papers and regular summary and statistical reports for each board meeting.
The board believes that libraries are fundamentally important cultural, economic and social institutions and that they make a vital contribution to Tasmanian communities. The board considers that Tasmanians are well served by a library system delivered through a statewide network of public, reference and specialist libraries that meets the informational, lifelong learning and recreational needs of all Tasmanians.
Commitment of board members
Lastly, I would like to sincerely thank each of the board members for their support, interest and commitment to the business of the Tasmanian Library Advisory Board. In particular, I would like to highlight the board members’ active community involvement in working to ensure Tasmanians have access to an outstanding statewide library service.
Shirley Abel
Chairperson
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Employment
Tasmanian Library Advisory Board