Section 2

2.1 Joint-use/community libraries

A joint-use or community library is defined as one in which two distinct groups of clients are served in the same premises. This occurs in Tasmania when community groups requiring public library services and school library students and staff requiring school library services, are both served in the one library building.

There are some advantages of joint use libraries. Staff and resources can be shared and building requirements are rationalised. However, ensuring the different expectations of the two groups of clients requires careful consideration. The State Library of Tasmania has established a number of community libraries throughout the state and the careful planning and negotiation that has gone into this is manifest.

In particular, it is important to ensure that adequate resources supporting the curriculum are available to the school library clients. This can be accomplished by labelling the school library's collection in some way to distinguish it from the public library holdings and then ensuring that only school library patrons have access to the curriculum based resources.

Students and staff of the school may also have access to the part of the collection used by other members of the public if they have a regular public library borrower's card. Where the client is a member of the school, it is likely that the TALIS library card will be used for all community library transactions, whether they are borrowing from the school's collection or not.

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) has a policy statement on joint-use libraries.

[Previous] [Table of Contents] [Next]