Welcome to the New Librarians' Symposium 10

For authors and readers alike, the literary climate in 2023 is a minefield. There seems to be an odd resurgence of censorship and puritanism. Free expression is under threat in multiple ways. Far-right activists are pushing for book bans on LGBT+ content and books by marginalised authors in the US and now in Australia. Commercial publishers are sanitising classics by Dahl and Blyton for maximum profit. Goodreads and Booktok culture demands any book deemed problematic gets edited, or pulped altogether. It's a weird time to be an author. Award-winning West Australian author Holden Sheppard will explore the flashpoints of the 2023 literary ecosystem through the prism of his books and works, which have been caught up in some of these controversies. What, if any, are the limits to free speech and free artistic expression? What makes a book “bad”? And who gets to decide? 

When you decided to work in a library, what was your dream? What kind of work did you think you’d be doing? Most people are surprised when they learn the scope of work a library covers, yet even with the diverse work available they tend to stay in their lane and carve a multi-decade career in one specialty. While this is valuable, being well rounded by having a deeper understanding across more functions is very rewarding and highly regarded.

University libraries are large and complex and can offer a myriad of formal and informal opportunities for staff to try new things and develop skills. But there aren’t many people who take up the opportunity to try something new, whether it’s a sideways step or a secondment. Why is this? What holds us back? And what could you do about it?

In this presentation, Liz will discuss the broad areas in university libraries, challenge your perceptions about the work in each and provide you with a new way of thinking which will help prepare you to try something new.

In September 2020, amidst the pandemic lockdowns in the UK, three academic librarians including myself set up the #ebooksos campaign with an open letter to the House of Commons Education Select Committee urging an investigation into the lack of text availability, extortionate pricing, bundling and restrictive licensing in the academic e-book publishing industry. The open letter quickly gained signatures from library workers, lecturers, students, Heads of Services, a few Vice Chancellors and even the CEO of Creative Commons, not just from the UK but from all over the world, indicating that the e-book problem was a global one. The campaign was featured in The Guardian and the BBC and even trended on Reddit, such was the level of interest in the impact that e-book pricing and availability was having on university students. Things have not improved – the e-book market remains broken -  and so the campaign continues today; with many changes occurring in UK government positions in recent times, #ebooksos continues to lobby those involved with the Education Select Committee, as well as to submit evidence to the Competitions and Markets Authority in the UK who are considering our case. 

As the campaign has progressed, it has raised many questions, not just around what the solution might be and what alternatives there may be to the traditional academic e-book publishing model, but also around ethical considerations in the processes and practices that are a key part of our roles as librarians. Over the past two years, we at #ebooksos have argued for the need for critical collection development and information-literate behaviour on the part of librarians when it comes to navigating the e-book market as it is currently. This behaviour can manifest as a form of activism, which brings with it its own risks to be balanced alongside these ethical considerations. 

Australian academic libraries (and indeed public libraries) are facing the same issues with e-books as their counterparts in the UK. So, as new and emerging librarians, what can you do? What is your role in facing the issue? What is critical collection development and how do you practice it? What do we mean by activism and information-literate practitioners? What are the considerations and why should you engage in this kind of behaviour? Whilst we are talking about this in terms of the situation with e-books, these are the kinds of questions which we as librarians should be asking ourselves throughout our career as we encounter issues and situations which threaten our ability to provide access to information for our users. 

Ontologies power a myriad of digital and online experiences that we interact with every day - from product categories on ecommerce sites, to occupation and skills taxonomies in job advertising, to autocomplete features when searching online.  

Ontologies are structured representations of concepts and relationships in a domain which can be consumed by computers, but they are designed and maintained by humans - ontology and taxonomy practitioners who work across a range of businesses and subject areas. 

Ontology is a young and evolving discipline, and practitioners may come from very diverse backgrounds, but library science professionals have a range of skills which are very compatible with this field. Developing and working with thesauri, controlled vocabularies, classification schemes and metadata schema is a valuable background to ontology work, as is a focus on customer needs and outcomes, and equality of service. 

Join us to hear two library professionals who have made the switch to ontology on what it's like, what it is and what librarians have to offer to this small but growing niche of the tech industry. 

Artists have always been inspired by other artists to create new works. Throughout history we have seen many artists collaborations, covers and homages in films, TV, and music. There is currently a litany of cases in the US and UK courts regarding music copyright and whether a more popular artist has stolen the melody or lyrics of a less popular artist, therefore exploiting the work without credit or compensation. What is less litigious is the copyright of choreography – particularly in music videos. This is a very interesting area of copyright and copyright infringement. Can you copyright a dance move? When does it stop being a homage or inspiration? When does it become a rip off? Should more successful artists compensate or credit the ideas they use of less successful artists? How do you create a record of your choreography? What about the infringement of Moral Rights under copyright law? 
 
In this presentation I’m going to examine these questions in relation to the claims of some key avant-garde artists’ who have accused Beyonce of stealing their choreography and the visual designs of their music and dance videos. I will play video clips showing these works side by side to show the similarities. Beyonce responded to many of the allegations citing she was “inspired by” the artist’s work but allegedly provided no compensation or credit to the original artists. Is this a copyright infringement? Does this type of use elevate the avant-garde artist’s work through the legal attention? Or does it overshadow their work and further elevate the work of Beyonce? Does Beyonce’s rendition of other artists work violate their moral rights? I’ll examine the cases in a fun way and, I’d like to draw attention to the work of the artists that created some of the iconic choreography Beyonce is more known for.   

Camberwell Primary School is a specialist bilingual immersion school, in which lessons are conducted in both French and English.  Between 2020 and 2022 the school library has undergone major efforts to improve student and teacher engagement with the French language collection, including acquisition of new materials, catalogue refinement, visual merchandising of the collection, and collaboration with classroom teachers and school leadership. The positive results so far have lead to greater investment in the library, and future collection development plans.

This lightning talk will summarise the actions taken, lessons learned, outcomes, and future plans for continual development.

Starting a new role -- let alone a new career -- is an often daunting prospect, and having a peer network where skills, knowledge, and experiences can be exchanged makes all the difference. In the health library sector, new and emerging librarians are well supported by associations such as ALIA Health Libraries Australia (HLA). HLA runs regular professional development events, webinars, and conferences for the wider health library sector. The sector itself consists of academic libraries as well as specialised libraries, such as those within hospitals and research institutions.  

Hospital libraries present librarians with unique opportunities and challenges which are reflective of the clinical setting and the needs of time-poor healthcare professionals. Those new to hospital libraries must navigate an unfamiliar world with its own terminology, demands, and practices -- often at the same time as they are establishing their career in librarianship. To further support emerging librarians working in this unique setting, a dedicated professional development and networking space was required.  

To address this gap, in 2021 the authors founded the Hospital Librarians' Community of Practice (CoP). This presentation highlights the importance of communities of practice within librarianship, offering as they do an informal space for peers to come together and openly ask questions, share experiences, explore solutions, and expand their professional networks. It also follows the journey of the authors' experiences as two new graduate librarians building a CoP from the ground up: the challenges and lessons learnt along the way, and the impact it has had on their careers... so far.

Moving to the country can be daunting, especially to small towns, but working in smaller towns can provide a lot more opportunities for professional growth in the Library sector.  Smaller libraries mean taking on more roles, and not just customer service.  Cataloguing, collection maintenance, family history and reference queries all become par for the course.  Plus you learn more about the community you are part of because you see your library patrons outside of the library and you are more a hub for the community.  

There are challenges with moving to the country, such as distance to your support network and other services, but this also provides a chance to explore other opportunities, and taking advantage of the in-person events when you get them.  Physical distance also doesn't stop you being involved in professional development and the industry, through taking part in mentoring programs, virtual support networks and joining committees.  The availability of online courses also means that you are able to participate in learning new skills and connecting with others in the industry while being located in different areas of the country.  This creates the opportunity to grow your virtual network and have people you can reach out to.

Living in the country can also provide lifestyle advantages such as a shorter commute to work and getting involved in the community through other organisations and attending events.

In 2019 at the New Librarians' Symposium in Adelaide we were invited to consider international opportunities in librarianship. At the time it seemed like a nice dream, but due to where I was at in my life it was an idea I considered "Not for me". 

Then, some Very Big Things happened, including the start of the COVID pandemic. And I realised that actually, this was something that I not only wanted to do, but could do. Once the dust settled, of course.

Follow along in this lightning presentation as I reflect on how to make a working trip to Canada into an experience of international librarianship. I will also discuss the tips and advice laid out by previous NLS9 presenters...and how I, as my mum would say, "chose the most difficult possible way to do it". 

Three years ago, I was 25, working in retail, dreaming of being a librarian. Fast forward to today, and I have a library degree, I’m leading a library team and applying the same customer service skills that I gained in my retail job.
My experience in retail delivered so many transferable skills that have proven valuable in my career as a librarian so far. At the completion of my Graduate Diploma in Information Management at the end of 2021, I felt that I had to start from scratch. I believed that my time as a retail supervisor would mean nothing to recruiters and subsequently did not put these skills on display when applying for librarian roles.

As a young person, entry level jobs are often just seen as the thing to do when you are trying to find your real job. I want to use this lightning talk to encourage all new graduates to think carefully about their previous roles in retail and hospitality. The experience that is gained in these jobs is valuable in libraries, you just need to outline why in applications. For me it all came together when I joined the ALIA mentoring scheme in 2022 and my mentor helped to identify these skills.

In my presentation I will explain how to read key selection criteria and how to map across transferable skills. I’ll also detail the key skills most ex-retail workers have that are valuable in a public library. New graduates should know how to map transferable skills across industries and be confident that they have the right skills and experience for the role. Just because you don’t have library experience does not mean you can’t get the job. 

 

Olivia Larobina, Deakin University and Emilia Bell, University of Southern Queensland 

This presentation will share the perspectives of three academic librarians (Annette Messell, JCU; Crystal Brunyee CDU; Thomas Reeson, ACU) who made the decision to move to regional universities as part of their career development. They will share reasons why they chose to move regionally for work, along with advice, cautions, and other helpful tips.

Each individual will be interviewed prior to the conference and their responses will be drawn together in themes to be presented and discussed. The interview questions will explore personal reasons for choosing regional work, the biggest challenges faced when moving  to a regional area, the career benefits of moving to a regional university for work, and advice for new librarians thinking about applying for these types of jobs.

This presentation is also an opportunity for those in management to reflect on ways for attracting staff to regional locations.

Sample interview questions:

What made you apply to a regional job?
What advice would you give to someone thinking about applying to a regional job?
What are the pros of applying to a regional job? Personal/Professional
What are the cons of applying to a regional job? Personal/Professional
How can regional libraries support librarians thinking about taking a job in the bush?

The PMI Victorian History Library Inc. is a small independent library in Melbourne which specialises in Victorian history. It is the only for loan collection of its type anywhere in the world. Ellen Coates is the Collections Librarian and Volunteer Coordinator and throughout 2022, with input from the PMI’s Board, she wrote the library’s most comprehensive collection policy to date. The previous policy, which she also wrote, dates to 2018. The new policy, which came into effect in 2023, will shape the library and its collection into the future. Its emphasis on minority voices will, hopefully, ensure that the all of Victoria’s multifaceted history will be collected in all forms. The updated policy reflects the current state of the library and what it is collecting, but it is also aspirational, as it explores areas where collecting is currently difficult, while leaving them open for examination and application in the future.

The presentation will begin by exploring the collection itself, what the PMI currently collects and why. It will expand to examine what goes into the development of a collection policy, with particular focus on how they apply to a small independent library, and how important these policies are in driving the future of the collection. This presentation will then explore the nuance needed in writing a policy and will specifically examine the parameters required when dealing with a thematic collection. The presentation will focus on the building blocks of the policy, how it was developed and especially the importance of the integration of minorities at the heart of the policy, including a specific minority voice clause. It will also underline the importance of the exchange of ideas that go into the creation of a policy. While Ellen is the primary author, it was not the work of one person alone. 

Finally the presentation will examine Ellen’s learning curve from writing the first collection policy in 2018 to the current policy. It will examine what is new and different and what the new policy will mean for the 169 year old collection moving forward. It is hoped that this presentation will demystify the process of managing collections and collection policy development, as well as underlining the important principals. It will give NLSX participants the chance to see beneath the hood of a dynamic and specialised collection and its development, to explore new ideas, and to expand the idea of what collections can be and the exchange of ideas that go into building them. 

Digital preservation: the coordinated processes and actions required to ensure digital material remains accessible despite technological obsolescence. But what does that actually look like in a practical sense, and what does the day-to-day work in a Digital Preservation team at a cultural institution entail? 
My session will discuss:
-the practical activities of working in digital preservation
-the skills required to work in this field
-how technology isn’t just about what we preserve for the future, but what we understand from the past
-the need for more visibility of digital preservation as a career avenue
-digital confidence, and how research skills play a big part in digital preservation
I hope with my session I can break down the complexity of the work that I do and give people an insight into a challenging but rewarding area of work in the GLAMR sector. I strongly believe in sharing what I have learned to make the journey easier, equitable, and more accessible for those who come after me.

Supporting the conduct of research by library and information practitioners in the course of their daily work has the potential to inform decision making, aid continuous improvement, assist in strategy and planning, and raise the profile of both the LIS service and the profession. In addition, practitioners benefit from improved critical and analytical thinking, the development of new knowledge and skills, career advancement, and professional recognition from their peers. Early career LIS practitioners however may find it difficult to become acquainted with research, and to embrace practitioner researcher approach to their practice, while also mastering the day-to-day aspects of their job. 

This session presents finding from a national survey of 291 Australian LIS practitioners that investigated beliefs and attitudes towards research, research experience and support needs, as well as current involvement in research. More specifically it will document and explore the experiences of 61 early career practitioners, those who have entered the LIS workforce within the past five years. The survey was undertaken as part of a larger project funded by the Australian Research Council, and supported by the Australian Library and Information Association, and National and State Libraries Australia. The Libraries and Information Science Research Australia (LISRA) Project aimed to encourage and enable research culture and practice within Australia’s LIS profession. 

Findings revealed that Australian early career LIS practitioners were amongst the most qualified of those practitioners who participated in the survey. In addition, to their entry LIS qualification, 20% of the early career practitioners had or were completing a research qualification, with half working on master by research and half on PHDs. The early career LIS practitioners were also significantly more likely to be employed part time or in a causal position and were more likely to be employed in non-management positions despite a mean age of 40. They were also significantly less likely to receive access to workshops for research training compared to 43% for other survey participants, with most only receiving training after working for at least 6 years. This is despite workshops being the most commonly available employer-provided support for research within LIS workplaces. 

Early career LIS practitioners were also not given equitable access to opportunities to conduct research, with 42% having never conducted research on their employment, compared to 22% of the other survey participants. However, this is the cohort that is most interested in conducting research in the future (42% vs, 22% in other participants). The early career LIS practitioners also considered research to be more relevant to their role and were more likely to apply research to their role on a weekly basis. Findings also showed that early career practitioners are more aware of research, more inclined to believe in research, actively seek more managerial support and encouragement, and want to advance their research education. If early career LIS practitioners are provided with appropriate research support within workplaces, this important group of practitioners have significant future potential to enable strategic advancements in research and research informed practice within Australia’s LIS sector.

The term ‘Participatory libraries’ was originally used in the mid-2000s to describe an operational concept frequently associated with Library 2.0. This concept suggested an inter-dependent relationship with library users and information technology where patrons actively contributed to the library by interacting with the library’s tech or digital networks, such as by adding comments to blogs, reviewing collections, etc. In the last decade, libraries across all sectors have evolved rapidly with changing technologies, as well as social and economic changes. Specifically, many have had to dramatically develop their digital spaces and capabilities to stay open and accessible during the recent Covid-19 pandemic. In many ways, Library 2.0 and ‘participatory libraries’ have organically, and perhaps unintentionally, grown to become the default expectation of library institutions. But just as libraries have changed and developed over the years, so too has the participatory library evolved beyond its original concept. 

Although public and academic libraries have had to adjust in similar ways for similar reasons, the two sectors have diverged at the point of service and how they view their users. Academic libraries have typically opted for structured educational programs that reflect their parent institution, whereas public libraries have branched out towards more experimental interactive programs. Many academic libraries have adopted a user-centric service model to fit the needs of its users. However, in doing so the library user is situated as an outside entity separate from the library, who must seek out the library to fulfil a specific need. 

Participatory libraries are similar to user-centric models in that the library adapts with its users. However, unlike user-centric models the users are not externalised. Any person that has any form of connection to the library, whether they be faculty, students, community members or stakeholders, are actively considered as internal components that exist within the library. By belonging within the library, the new ‘library user’ can actively and consciously affect, engage and contribute to the library’s culture, space and services. This suggests that users are not external factors that require a service but are active agents within a living library ecosystem. 

As we begin to see more elements of participatory culture make its way into academic libraries, the perception of participation as the exclusive domain of public libraries begins to break down and leaves us with the question: what could this mean for the future of academic libraries? With this question in mind, this presentation looks at some examples of participatory initiatives currently offered in Australian university libraries, and how their success is shaping the next generation of academic libraries and library operating models. As we explore these topics, we will address and challenge preconceived perceptions and attitudes towards participatory design in academic library contexts.

What is a Liaison Librarian, and what do they do? What skills are required to become a Liaison Librarian? Could you undertake this role?
 
Join Liz and Broderick as they eXplore these questions, and share their own experiences of becoming a Liaison Librarian. They will unpack the many different facets of this challenging but rewarding role, and show how the wide variety of tasks that Liaison Librarians perform can often mean that they are employed under other job titles. 

Whatever their title, Liaison Librarians will usually be working in an educational setting, and most will have responsibility for one or more subject areas. They will build relationships with academic staff and students from those faculties, to assist with research, collection development and educating students to find and use library resources. 

This eXchange of information between Liaison Librarians and faculty staff helps the library to build more relevant collections, provide better library services, and create greater information-literacy among students. 

While Liaison Librarians are usually found in academic libraries, many of the skills required of the Liaison Librarian can be developed in other roles, or even other sectors. Liz and Broderick will discuss these transferable skills, and show how you can eXpand on your existing experience and apply your skills in a liaison role.

Audience segmentation is an important marketing tool that has been in practice for over 60 years – but are libraries achieving their full potential when it comes to harnessing their data? 

This presentation will explore how libraries can learn from the live performance and museum sectors' use of segmentation to achieve ticket sales, grow audiences, and make programming and budget decisions. It will explore the different types of segmentation possible, where your library may have useful data and how it may help you achieve a range of project outcomes: from making dynamic e-newsletters and creating social media ads to creating promotional material and planning programs.

This presentation aims to equip staff with the tools to reach their audience and better understand what motivates visitors to walk through the library doors by referencing campaigns in the GLAMR sector and beyond.

The two of us have a combined 30 years’ experience in the Library and Information sector. We have worked in several countries, and in academic, public, and special libraries. Beyond our library degrees we have continued to learn, picking up graduate certificates in Education (Lydia) and a PhD in Library and Information Science (Petra). We have found jobs, changed jobs, left jobs, were promoted, applied for but did not get jobs, did jobs we did not like, and now have fulfilling careers and sustainable career goals.  

We would like to share our reflections on careers, choices, and challenges with the NLSX delegates. Mainly, we want to get candid with new GLAMR professionals, and talk about the things we wished we’d known about when we started in this profession.  

Our presentation will provide attendees with ideas on how to 

     • find your career theme – what it is and why you need one  

     • find your people – why you don't have to do it all alone  

     • find your courage – why there will never be a perfect time or a perfect candidate  

The personal is political is a slogan out of second wave feminism. Fifty years later the idea that there are many deeply personal issues that are politicised by those who wish to impose themselves into other people’s lives, and conversely, many deeply personal issues that historically people in power have claimed to /not/ be political, is still just as relevant as it ever was.

It’s relevant in libraries as well. Who can access the library is deeply personal for those who, perhaps, wish to have a safe place to study (e.g. students who can’t study at home), rest (e.g. homeless people), or educate (e.g. parents with children). Public libraries are public, but public spaces don’t mean that everyone is accepted, everyone is allowed to be in a place, or that everyone /feels/accepted. 

In this talk I will look at the idea that libraries are neutral; and if that even means anything. I will examine how decisions (including around collections, opening hours, and even furniture and the names of rooms), including the absence of decisions, can influence who feels welcome at your library and who doesn’t. As there is no perfect solution, I won’t tell you what decisions you should or shouldn’t make; instead I ask you to consider the possible consequences.

And remember, /everything/ is political.

In this presentation, we will explore the powerful impact that community engagement strategies have on libraries and how they can lead to mutual benefits for both the library and its surrounding community. Can community engagement help us reach our potential and does community engagement assist in collecting the stories to support the value of libraries?

This presentation aims to inspire all library professionals to harness the power of community engagement to redefine their role and maximize their impact. By actively involving the community in library initiatives, library professionals can empower their libraries to become vibrant hubs of learning, innovation, and social connection. 

Resilience is a relational concept and process. It cannot be a replacement for inclusive and equitable change. For emerging library professionals, expectations around resilience can present unique challenges, frustrations, and hopes. Often these expectations are not equally felt and to understand professional and career resilience we need to look beyond our own experiences and ask where change can be made. The need for resilience offers an opportunity to do things differently as a profession.

Local and global challenges, such as the pandemic and climate change, see libraries furthering the concept of resilience, building sustainable and adaptable services that focus on communities. Individualised understandings of resilience, however, risk obscuring the need for meaningful change. Understanding resilience as relational provides opportunities to acknowledge equity and diversity as fundamental for transformative change. It sees differences embraced and the building of mutual empathy and trust across library services, careers, and leadership.

This session challenges our understanding of resilience in libraries and questions what resilience might obscure. Drawing on research from library, queer, and disability justice spaces, it reflects on approaches to doing things differently as a profession that can drive change with care and connection.

In this session participants will learn about the importance of values as a guide for all library roles.  Values translate to behaviours that we use ourselves and that we see demonstrated in others and are critical tools, particularly when facing challenges.  Being self-reflective about our own values and how they may impact others can assist in developing meaningful relationships that are rewarding for your own career as well as having tangible benefits for your community.

Catherine’s experience has covered the breadth of the library sector: public, academic, special, school and state libraries.  She will use her own experience as an example of how a focus on strengths, interests and values can be the basis for developing a rewarding and fulfilling career.

Thank you for watching the New Librarians' Symposium 10