Donna Stephens Study Visit Newcastle

8/10/2019 Donna Stephens Study Visit Newcastle

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STUDY VISIT REPORT

NEWCASTLE STUDY VISIT

12-15 August 2014

Name: Donna Stephens Student Number:94007326

Subject Code/Title: ELT 505

INSTRUCTIONS

You are required, as part of your subject assessment, to complete the attached Study Visit report. You need to

submit the reportwithin 7 days of the end of the study visitvia EASTSas directed in your subject outline.

Please use ONLYthe space provided. You have been given 750 character spaces to assist you to be concise and to

analyseeach visit and not merely describe the contents. Please use the tick boxes to indicate which site you visited

in the split sessions.

Your report will be read by the study visit leader, or an assistant study visit leader, and will be assessed as

Satisfactoryor Unsatisfactory. Your report will be returned within three weeks of the due date of your report. If your

Report is unsatisfactory, you will be asked to complete a second Report.

Reflection Guidelines

This Reflection section should be a concisesummation of yourreflections on the visits made during your study visit.

For each visit, in the space allocated, you should comment on the value of the visit to you i.e. what you learned from

the visit and how this added to your knowledge of libraries in general or of this particular type of library. This should

be written in a narrative style. You can write in first person and you are not required to provide references.

Evaluation Guidelines

Please write some notes on each visit you made during the study visit, indicating what you thought the strengths of

the visit were and highlighting any weaknesses. Also, please rate the facility from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest

rating. This evaluation will be used by staff to judge the value of each visit and whether that library should be visited

again in future study visits. Your notes can be presented in point form.


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Tuesday AM: University of NewcastleAuchmuty Library

Reflection: This Library is part of five libraries: two on the University of Newcastle campus,

Ourimbah, Sydney and another in Newcastle City. The Library caters to a challenging

audience; university students, staff, alumni and high school students. The university

demographic is unusual as many students are from low SES, pathway or foundation

students. The library uses NEWCAT as its OPAC system hosted by SIERRA through

Millennium. Through NEWCAT students can search other data bases as well. Services tousers are evaluated through surveys both in real time and across time. As a result the

Library has increased its hours and boasts 24/7 access; the best of any university library in

Australia. In addition online weekend librarian support is available through OWL. The

libraries work under the university mission. There is a complex organisational chart and the

library is well staffed-104 staff across all libraries. Salaries appear to be an expensive part of

this university-staff numbers changed only minimally since 2004 but wages have increased

by 90%. The budget has a one bucket approach encouraging a more efficient use of

spending. Up to 85% of the budget is spent on E-resources- reflecting the non-fiction bias of

the collection. The Library obtains grants for its contribution to research. A major role of

the University and of course the Library is supporting research publishing through NURO

and internationally through NOVA. Physically the Library has developed in regards to

creating learning spaces. Plans appear to be strategized and ongoing.

Evaluation: Supporting students academic studies and research is a primary goal-thereby

obtaining the Federal Government efficiency divide. The library is inviting and dedicated to

meet the needs of its users. Whilst there is so much valuable information at this library the

number of speakers was overwhelming. There did seem to be an enormous amount of

brochures for the paperless age. Rating 5/5Tuesday PM: University of NewcastleHuxley Library

Reflection: The tour visited Cultural Collections, Wollutuka Library and the Huxley Library.

The Cultural Collections houses rare books, maps and photographs and is the home of the

historical and cultural memory of the University and its regional context. Some items could

be searched through NEWCAT and via social media but most items could not be borrowed.

The Wollutuka library is committed to supporting the universitys indigenous community

and studies. The Library is also a space, venue, exhibition centre and museum for and about

indigenous culture. More medical students graduated from Newcastle University than any

other university in Australia which further justifies the library. The Huxley Library is foreducation and Nursing students. The librarysstrength is its accessibility for users- 24/7.

There are noisy and quiet zones according to user needs. The weeding of the collection is

the primary responsibility of faculties-which could mean collections are not reviewed often.

Evaluation: The Cultural Collections are bigusers of social media and technology which

seems contradictory. The Wollutuka library holds lessons in the building so the collection is

not isolated from its users. The Huxley Library is a vibrant busy place. The education

collection appears outdated-this will all be under review as a result of the National

Curriculum. The Library supports the growing, diverse and regional populations through

support programs and the collection. Rating 4/5


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Wednesday PM: Hunter Institute of TAFE Library

Reflection: The Newcastle Library Hunter TAFE works within the context of TAFE NSW.

There are three dedicated Librarians on campus involved in acquisitions, teaching and

managing the circulation. The library management systems are controlled off campus by a

dedicated department. This department also manages the distance education service. This

is a growth area. The Library uses the Symphony system which is managed at a central

location off campus. The staffs role is increasingly addressing technical and administrativeaspects of operations, such as helping students connect their devices and enrolment. This

Library caters to Hunter TAFEs students, local high school TAFE students and a growing

number of TAFE online users and alumni. Restructuring means that funding and staffing

may have very immediate repercussions for the survival of TAFE libraries. Departments

such as IT and to some extent faculties were working separately and not collaboratively

with the Library. It would be interesting have IT (as is learning support) housed within or

adjacent to the Library.

Evaluation: This Library did have a strong team approach, both within the location and

regionally. It works closely with other TAFE Libraries. In order to justify the Librarys role the

Library is taking on an increasing number of administrative and technical roles This Library

reminded me most of school libraries in that funding is limited and evidence of the service

provided is vital. The hands onnature of the TAFE courses means library resources are not

always a necessity for students or teachers which places the librarysneed in question. With

a more academic approach to TAFE courses the library may find a growing niche market.

Rating 3/5

Thursday AM: Newcastle MuseumReflection: The Newcastle Museum embodies the characteristics of a library; it houses and

is committed to the learning and engagement of its user. The museum is for Newcastle

residents and those wanting to learn about Newcastle. The museum surveyed users and

non users (through local government media) and the results influenced the museums

practises. Due to feedback the museum increased the number of exhibitions held. The

museum considers the needs and goals of its users reading. The readability of print is

considered so text displays are accessed by a large audience. Learning styles are catered

for through audio, visual and even olfactory enhancement. The museum collaborates with

the university library archives when collecting. Like a Library the museum catalogues itscollection using KE EMu management system-which is accessible to the public and linked to

other museums. The museum provides Wi-Fi access and is committed to free entry for all

visitors.

Evaluation: This museum, like the libraries we have visited, is going through a period of

staff restructuring. However it appears in a very healthy position. The museum caters to a

broad audience; playgroups, school groups, tourists, interest groups and the general public.

The Museum shows innovation and creativity, through its displays, and financially. This

museum uses venue hire as a means of creating budget which gives the museum a certain

level of autonomy. Rating 4/5


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Summary Reflection (What you have learned overall)

The libraries visited all share one common theme- finding ways to best support its

community of users. The libraries monitor, review and evaluate continuously to adapt and

anticipate change.

Librarians have different involvement in collection development depending on the service

type. The more academic libraries depend on departments for advice. Cataloguingstandards change between service types. The CSIRO and archive libraries use established

cataloguing procedures. Public libraries adopt a more retail approach to displays in

response to user needs. The more academic the library the more standardised the

cataloguing seem to be.

The role of the librarian is diverse specialising from a CSIRO meta-data specialist to a Child

and Youth Librarian advisor. Staff need to adapt to evolving library roles. All the librarians

are involved in some kind of professional or regional networking group.

Every library recognises the need to utilise and use technology and provide education to

their users. The archive libraries especially surprised me. The Newcastle of University

Cultural Collections use social media extensively and highlight the important role

technology has in recording and preserving collections. Research libraries need to be able

to deposit, describe and publish data for access by others.

Libraries need to prove their value to be financially viable; and obtain government funding,

funding through local government or find funds in more creative ways such as venue hire.

Libraries need to create an identity through branding be clear about what their services

offer. The amount of social media in use is largely guided by the institutions libraries are

attached to. All of the libraries promote their services but it did seem as if the promotion

was preaching to the converted. For example, Wallsend Public Library estimate one third

of the local population are borrowers, but it was not clear how services are promoted to

the other two thirds of the population.

Almost all the Libraries (with exception of CSIRO) are in busy pedestrian areas, whether thisbe the main hub of a university campus, the thoroughfare of a technical college or the

shopping district of a town indicating that libraries need to market to consumers.

As libraries change the role of the librarians changewhether this be a teacher librarian

role or other library service. Even in a teaching environment emphasis on technological

competence has increased. Academic libraries are exploring and adopting a range of new

roles in serving research institutions, researchers, scholars and students. The role of the

librarian is one of change.

Donna Stephens Study Visit Newcastle

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