lac agenda 09 november 2011 - city of fremantle...30 november 2011. mrs cacavas has been a library...

AGENDA

Library Advisory Committee

Wednesday, 9 November 2011, 5.30 pm

CITY OF FREMANTLE

NOTICE OF A LIBRARY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING

Elected Members A Library Advisory Committee Meeting of the City of Fremantle will be held on

Wednesday, 9 November 2011 in the Committee Room, Town Hall Centre, 8 William

Street, Fremantle (access via stairs, opposite Myer) commencing at 5.30 pm.

Marisa Spaziani DIRECTOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 27 October 2011

LIBRARY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

AGENDA DECLARATION OF OPENING / ANNOUNCEMENT OF VISITORS NYOONGAR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT "We acknowledge this land that we meet on today is part of the traditional lands of the Nyoongar people and that we respect their spiritual relationship with their country. We also acknowledge the Nyoongar people as the custodians of the greater Fremantle/Walyalup area and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still important to the living Nyoongar people today." ATTENDANCE / APOLOGIES / LEAVE OF ABSENCE RESPONSE TO PREVIOUS PUBLIC QUESTIONS TAKEN ON NOTI CE PUBLIC QUESTION TIME DEPUTATIONS / PRESENTATIONS DISCLOSURES OF INTEREST BY MEMBERS LATE ITEMS NOTED CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES That the Minutes of the Library Advisory Committee dated 10 August 2011 as listed in the Council Agenda dated 24 August 2011 be confirmed as a true and accurate record. TABLED DOCUMENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ITEM NO SUBJECT PAGE

REPORTS BY OFFICERS 1

LAC1111-86 PRESIDING OFFICER AND DEPUTY PRESIDING OFFICER ELECTION 1

LAC1111-87 ELECTION OF TWO LIBRARY MEMBERS TO THE LIBRARY ADVISORY COMMITTEE 3

LAC1111-88 LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICE REPORT JULY - SEPTEMBER 2011 5

LAC1111-89 TOY LIBRARY QUARTERLY REPORT JULY - SEPTEMBER 2011 19

CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS 22

CLOSURE OF MEETING 22

Summary Guide to Citizen Participation and Consulta tion 23

AGENDA ATTACHMENTS 1

LAC1111-88 LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICE REPORT JULY - SEPTEMBER 2011 2

CLOSURE OF MEETING

Agenda - Library Advisory Committee 9 November 2011

Page 1

REPORTS BY OFFICERS

LAC1111-86 PRESIDING OFFICER AND DEPUTY PRESIDING O FFICER ELECTION

DataWorks Reference: 039/007 Disclosure of Interest: Nil Meeting Date: 9 November 2011 Previous Item: Nil Responsible Officer: Marisa Spaziani, Director Community Development Actioning Officer: Julie Caddy, Manager Library and Information Service Decision Making Authority: Council Agenda Attachments: Nil

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Library Advisory Committee Local Law states tha t "The Chairperson shall be elected at the first meeting of the Committee after each local government ordinary election". An election must be held for a Presidin g Officer and Deputy Presiding Officer for the following two years

BACKGROUND

The Library Advisory Committee comprises representatives of the City of Fremantle, the Town of East Fremantle and the library membership. As per the Local Law, the Committee is appointed "for the purpose of advising the Council regarding the management and control of the Library".

COMMENT

Election of a Chairperson is required at the first meeting of the Committee after each local government ordinary election.

RISK AND OTHER IMPLICATIONS

Financial

Nil Legal

This recommendation is in accordance with the Local Law. Operational

Nil


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Organisational

Nil

CONCLUSION

Election of a Presiding Officer and a Deputy Presiding Officer for the next two years must be completed

STRATEGIC AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS

Not applicable

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Nil

VOTING AND OTHER SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Simple Majority Required

OFFICER'S RECOMMENDATION

1. a) That a Presiding Officer be appointed for the Library Advisory

Committee for the period through October 2013 b) That a Deputy Presiding Officer be appointed for the Library Advisory Committee for the period through October 2013


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LAC1111-87 ELECTION OF TWO LIBRARY MEMBERS TO THE L IBRARY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

DataWorks Reference: 039/007 Disclosure of Interest: Nil Meeting Date: 9 November 2011 Previous Item: Nil Responsible Officer: Marisa Spaziani, Director Community Development Actioning Officer: Julie Caddy, Manager Library and Information Service Decision Making Authority: Council Agenda Attachments: Nil

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

To seek endorsement of the election of two library members to the Library Advisory Committee from 1 December 2011 to 30 Novem ber 2013.

BACKGROUND

The Library Advisory Committee is established under Local Law and comprises the Mayor plus one Councillor of each Ward of the City of Fremantle, one Council member of the Town of East Fremantle as appointed by that Council, and a maximum of four members of the library not being a Councillor of the City of Fremantle or a representative of the Town of East Fremantle at the time of appointment. Names of library members are submitted for appointment to the Committee at a general meeting of library members each year.

COMMENT

Library members Marilyn Cacavas and Michael Stack completed their two year terms on 30 November 2011. Mrs Cacavas has been a Library Advisory Committee member since December 2005, and Mr Stack since 2007. Marilyn Cacavas and Michael Stack indicated a willingness to be re-nominated for a further two year term. These nominations were unopposed and endorsed by library members present at the meeting on 9 November 2011


Financial

Nil Legal

Nil


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Operational

Nil Organisational

Nil

CONCLUSION

In line with the recommendation of the annual meeting of library members, Mrs Cacavas and Mr Stack are submitted for endorsement as members of the Library Advisory Committee from 1 December 2011 to 30 November 2013.


Appointments are made in line with the Library Advisory Committee Local Law, amended 2007.


Recommendation from Annual Meeting of Library Members, 9 November 2011.


Simple Majority Required


1. That Council endorse the recommendation of the A nnual Meeting of Library

Members and appoint Marilyn Cacavas and Michael Sta ck to the Library Advisory Committee for the two year period ending 3 0 November 2013.


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LAC1111-88 LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICE REPORT J ULY - SEPTEMBER 2011

DataWorks Reference: 039/007 Disclosure of Interest: Nil Meeting Date: 9 November 2011 Responsible Officer: Marisa Spaziani, Director Community Development Actioning Officer: Julie Caddy, Manager Library and Information Service Decision Making Authority: Council Previous Item: Nil Agenda Attachments: Response to Individual Agreement and Funding

Arrangement Drafts August 2011. FOLA Award Audio Reads Project

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

To provide information to the two Councils on the o peration and performance of the Fremantle City Library during the previous quar ter . This item reports on Library operations, issues and achievements for the quarter July - September 2011

STATISTICS (a) Membership - July - September 2011 Performance Indicators Members per capita:

Fremantle .36 East Fremantle .27

% of total Membership:

New Members 5.8% Expired Members 3.8%


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Statistics

Population City of Fremantle 24,835 Town of East Fremantle 6,697

Membership Fremantle (residents, workers, students)

9,142

East Fremantle (residents, workers, students)

1,820

Melville residents 1,037 Cockburn residents 1,609 Cottesloe residents 407 Kwinana residents 64 Rockingham residents 87 Other WA residents 730 Online members 0 Staff 29 Temporary members 599 Total 15,524

New members Expired members 909 596

(b) Library Access - July - September 2011 Performance Indicators Per hour open Per staff FTE Per library

member Circulation transactions 146 9,770 6.8 Visitors 75 3,584 3.5 Active borrowers 39 2,617 1.8 Reference enquiries 9 590 0.4 Local History enquiries 2 420 0.05 Fre-info enquiries 4 2,101 0.1 Internet use within library 6 402 0.3 % of loans Requests for in items stock

5.9

Items borrowed from other libraries

1.8

Overdue notices sent 3.5


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Statistics

Library access Hours open 723 Visitors 54,471 Active borrowers 28,262 Staff (FTE) 15.2 In House Internet Use 4,347 Wifi use 2,304

Circulation transactions

Loans and renewals 57,551 Returns 47,966 Items on loan 12,162 Reservations 3,396 Requests sent to other libraries

1,213

Requests received from other libraries

1,460

(c) Access to Information and Resources - July - Se ptember 2011 Performance Indicators % of total stock

Total loans and renewals 132% Items on loan 28% New stock received 3.6% Statistics

User assistance Service desk reference enquiries

6,370

Fre-info enquiries 2,101 Local History enquiries 841 Online catalogue searches

14,955

Library web page hits 23,680


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Use of Online

Databases

Fre-info 11,152 Local History online photographs

8546

Britannica Online 63/66 searches Health and Wellness 7 ANZ Reference Centre 32/127 searches Novelist 9/14 searches Popular Magazines 94 Ancestry.com 1,522 Other East Fremantle Parking permits issued

183

New stock items received 1,586

COMMENT

The library continues to be a busy place, with service desk staff dealing with almost 55,000 visitors, over 100,000 loan transactions and 6,300 reference enquiries during the quarter. Over 300 people attended adult library events and promotions during the quarter and almost 2,000 children were involved in children's library programs, either in the library or through staff visits to schools and playgroups. 4,300 people used the in house internet PCs, 81% of whom were library members rather than visitors to the City, and 2,300 made use of the wifi service using their own portable computer devices. The range of uses of the library that are able to be counted, and the volume of people making use of those, indicates the value of this service to the community. Many also use the service for research, reading or other learning or gathering of information that does not involve borrowing or using the library's computers so cannot be quantified in an tangible way. Library Futures The quarter began with a forum entitled Alternative Futures, organised by Public Libraries Western Australia (PLWA), featuring librarians from three other states, presenting information on governance and service provision models for public libraries elsewhere in Australia. This forum was designed to assist the Structural Reform process currently underway for Western Australian public libraries. Information gained was very useful to assess progress to date on WA reform and inform on potential directions for the State/Local Government partnership. The forum was followed by a strategic planning session for PLWA, to determine priorities for WA public libraries and for the association. PLWA is a key representative of public libraries in committees and other discussion with State government regarding the


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decisions that affect them. As such, consensus on directions to be prioritised and pursued in that discussion is critical. The Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) distributed copies of the draft Local Level Agreement for the Delivery of Public Library Services and draft Funding Arrangement between the Minister for Culture and the Arts and WALGA Regarding Funding for Public Libraries for local government feedback. This was the third time comment has been sought on these documents. Following the second release, the City resolved in November 2010: 'That Council support the final version of the Funding Arrangement between the Minister for Culture and the Arts (on behalf of the State of Western Australia) and the President of the Western Australian Local Government Association regarding funding for Public Libraries 2010/11 to 2013/14 as negotiated by WALGA and SLWA following the current feedback process.' And 'That Council agree to sign the Agreement for the Delivery of Public Library Services as negotiated by WALGA and SLWA following the current feedback process.' Based on this resolution, and that the latest version had clearly been amended following the previous consultation period, support for the tabling of both agreements at the October Library Board of Western Australia and WALGA State Council meetings for endorsement was provided. A copy of the response is attached for information. (Attachment 1) The Library Manager attended the launch of the City of Melville's Library future plan at the Canning Bridge library. The tailoring of their branch libraries to become community meeting places with smaller and locally targeted collections is an exciting development and one that will be watched with interest. Library Board of Western Australia Following the nomination by Council of three names to the Minister for Culture and the Arts for the position of City of Fremantle representative on the Library Board of Western Australia, advice was received in September that Cabinet had endorsed, and the Governor had approved, the re-appointment of Ms Kristy Bizzaca to the Board for a further four year term. Ms Bizzaca’s previous term expired in July 2011, so it is assumed the commencement of her new term is backdated to that time. eLibrary This quarter was the time for upgrades: PC Reservation, the Internet booking software, was updated to a Windows 7 compatible version with more user friendly entry screens; and Amlib 5.3 was introduced in the test phase, with view to integration of the new debt collection module. The July quarter also brought Freegal to the table, and the library will shortly be making MP3 downloads from the Sony music back catalogue available to library members.


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Website visits for the council library homepage have increased dramatically. In August, the top landing page when entering the council website was Library and Information (http://www.fremantle.wa.gov.au/Library_and_information) with 1,192 accesses. The Local History photographic database received the fourth greatest number of page views in September with 2,696 hits, behind the main page, payments and employment. The photographic database is a well used resource, most likely bookmarked by users, and its potential should be explored along the lines of Trove, a service of the National Library of Australia. It is encouraging that community familiarity with the City's web page has grown and is now bringing people back to Library services online. Usage of online databases is still quite low, and the higher number of hits on the library page will potentially draw these to the attention of more members. Membership counts appear to have dropped dramatically this quarter, and reflect a process undertaken during the quarter where 2,209 non-active borrowers were deleted after an involved procedure to clean up memos which had stopped the library management system from deleting many records. This accounts for the apparent fluctuation in the monthly membership count. Fre-info There were 11,152 hits on the Fre-info community information databases, venues for hire, accommodation, restaurants and the website calendar of events this quarter. 6,133 hits were for events alone. The School Holiday guide received the most hits of any individual event for the three months of the quarter indicating the value of producing the guide each school holidays. Hulbert Street Sustainable Fiesta, Hidden Treasures Music Festival, Threads Fashion show and the Father's Day Hot Rod show received the next greatest number of hits. During the quarter the Librarian: Community Information was asked to participate in a weekly interview on Radio Fremantle on Tuesday mornings. Topics vary from what’s on, services in Fremantle and general community information and the interview is an effective way to promote the Fre-info service and inform people about community activities in Fremantle and East Fremantle. The total number of subscribers for the events e-newsletter reached 1,000 in July. There were 118 subscribers this quarter, totaling 1,107 by the end of the quarter. One issue highlighted in the survey of e-newsletter subscribers conducted in June showed that that there was a problem with the format of the e-newsletter on a smart phone as opposed to reading it on a computer. This problem has been fixed by changes to the formatting of the e-newsletter. Another request resulting from the survey was for an events RSS feed. A request has been made to the City's website providers for an RSS feed to be made available from the Calendar page. General administration tasks this quarter included the updating of the restaurants and cafes in Fremantle information. 102 of 149 records have been updated, with nine new cafes added to the database and ten cafes closed or changed names and owners. Fre-info queries during the quarter ranged across the usual topics such as job agencies in Fremantle, Buster timetable, childcare, schools, and home help for seniors. The


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usefulness of Google maps was highlighted this quarter by a couple of queries. A customer was given an address in Fremantle and wanted to know what business was operating from the location. Street view gave the name of the business. Another was for the exact location of a business on South Terrace. The customer had driven up and down the street and not been able to identify the location. Showing her the exact location via street view helped her find the address. Fre-info received some very positive comments from a Canadian who has been living in Sydney, Melbourne and New York for a number of years but was thinking of relocating to Fremantle. He said that he has never seen community noticeboards like the ones in the arcade and was very impressed with their content and usefulness to the community. He has decided to relocate here. Promotion and Outreach The two Library Book Clubs are still popular ongoing events held monthly in the library. Comments from attendees include "It's good to read a book that brings me out of my comfort zone". The library was host to a group of English as a Second Language student from West Coast training. It is encouraging that public libraries are introduced as key community resources to assist people making a new life in this country. The announcement of Kim Scott's That Deadman Dance as winner of the 2010 WA Premier's Book Awards, was noteworthy for this library who, together with Fremantle Dymocks, hosted the launch of this book in October 2010, with Kim speaking to approximately 100 people about what was then a new book on the market. July Local author, Bevan McGuiness, spoke to approximately 30 people about his latest release ‘The scarred man’, the second book in the 'Eleven Kingdoms' trilogy. Bevan spoke about the characters in his book, the importance of their names to building the framework of the story and why the course of the storyline twisted and turned. There was a lot of discussion during and after the talk with participants asking questions about his writing style, previous books and even their characters. Comments after the talk included "That was one of the best talks I've been to" through to "Will you have him speaking in the library again?" In conjunction with Fremantle Press, the library hosted a poetry workshop, open mic session and a browsing poetry bookshop featuring new and used poetry volumes from across Australia. The open mic session was very successful, Kevin Gillam, cellist and poet, started proceedings by performing his readings interspersed with cello playing. Kate Wilson performed a broad selection of challenging, engaging and entertaining Australian poems. Some participants spoke at length on their poetry aspirations before their readings while others stated just their name. The poetry workshop reached maximum capacity and after the initial introduction to a chapbook and zine, participants were then encouraged to start work on their own with facilitator Kevin Gillam providing advice and support throughout.


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Thirty-five people attended a Jane Eyre morning tea in the library to celebrate the classic novel Jane Eyre as well as the release of the new film adaptation. Members were encouraged to join staff in the fun by dressing in period costumes, testing their knowledge of the book by completing a quiz and being involved with the book readings. Marlish Glorie, local author, read several passages from Jane Eyre with help from audience members. After the readings there were lively discussions on the life and times of the Jane Eyre period as well as the author Charlotte Bronte and her life. Morning tea was a sumptuous affair served on fine china kindly lent for the day by Lorraine Forsyth and Tania Heyne. Twenty eight entries were received for the quiz in the preceding weeks and the first five correct answers were awarded double movie passes to see the Jane Eyre film, courtesy of Universal Pictures. Thanks go to Harbour Theatre and Melville Theatre Company for the loan of costumes. August Author David Whish-Wilson spoke to a small group about his latest book 'Line of sight'. Feedback was encouraging and positive with comments such as 'Enjoyed listening to the author reading his own work'; 'Great to meet the author what a lovely man'; ' It was a very interesting & informative evening'. A talk on Slow Food was presented by Pauline Tresise and included a short movie about Terra Modra, a network of farmers throughout the world who participate in the slow food movement which encourages local produce purchase. There was also a discussion on the Slow Food organisation in Western Australia, whose main message was for people to be informed before purchasing foodstuffs, i.e. know where your food is farmed or how it's produced. Helen Budge the author of 'Flying the banner' spoke to a small but enthusiastic group about the history of the Fremantle Football Club's banner team, how it originated through to its current status in football culture. Two team members accompanied Helen and spoke about their roles as well as explaining how the team designs, makes and prepares a banner in readiness for a Dockers game day. Discussions after the talk ranged from wanting to know how to join the banner team through to the audience's own impressions of football culture. The Library Book Sale of discarded and obsolete items, succeeded in raising $509. Many thanks go to the volunteers who worked on the day as without their assistance it wouldn't be possible to have this event run as smoothly as it does. September Noted historian, David Hutchison spoke on his novel "Many years a thief". David explained to the audience that in order to provide factual representation and sustenance to the characters he researched letters, work notes, diaries, memoirs and issues of 'Early Days'. Feedback included, 'A history I've never heard tell - very sad - but very informative'; 'Factual information- methodical way it was presented made me want to read the book'; 'Enjoyed talk & question time'. Carina Hoang, author of the book 'Boat people', spoke about the mass exodus of Vietnamese people from 1975-1996. Carina's talk began with a viewing of a short DVD showing people trying to flee Vietnam on the last day of the Vietnam War. This DVD set


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the tone for what followed - a very moving and telling account of people who are oppressed, an explanation of why people leave their homelands and what can and does happen to boat people before they reach a safe haven. This talk generated a lot of discussion on moral ethics, global obligations and people's empathy - or lack of it. Two representatives from the Department of Environment and Conservation hosted an 'Introduction to Aboriginal Culture and Heritage' session. This session combined explanations on Nyoongar culture, six seasons and particular flora and fauna that indicate the changes of seasons. It was also a hands-on session for the participants as artifacts were passed around the group offering a deeper understanding of Nyoongar culture. Displays Displays featured in the library during the quarter included: Poetry Week, Jane Eyre, National Science Week, Fremantle Dockers memorabilia, Get Reading 50 books you can't put down, and new library quotes and slogans. All of these promoted books on their subject and led to loans of books that otherwise may not have been borrowed by those members. Library Operations A project to remove 3,000 older stock items that met the SLWA discard criteria was completed in July. This has seen significant culling of outdated formats such as VHS, as well as removal of many little used books from the shelves. Comments have been received about the fact that stock on shelves looks newer, now that the older items are no longer there. The space created by this project has allowed the removal/relocation of some shelving units, opening the way to create better display and community purpose areas within the library. An Occupational Health and Safety audit of several Council services, including the library was conducted during the quarter by Council's insurance company. As well as a formal inspection and checklist completion an informal observation was conducted. The library scored well from the process and areas for improvement, while not significant, have been reported to the City's Risk Management Officer for future action. A nomination has been submitted to Friends of Libraries Australia, for their annual Eric Flynn Award for Library Services to Older Adults. The Navigator Audio Reads project was introduced in 2010/11 to bring digital audio books to Homebound members, increasing the range of titles and ease of access. This was extended to any print impaired library members, through the successful application for Library Initiative funding which provided additional devices and content for use by Fremantle members. The project has been very successful and has resulted in much demand for and positive feedback for the service. A copy of the nomination is attached for information. (Attachment 2) Staff The Librarian: Collections and Programs resigned during the quarter after a decision not to return to work following maternity leave. A recruitment process was commenced for


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that position as well as for coverage of the maternity leave of the Library Operations Supervisor. A year 10 work experience student from Hamilton Hill Senior High School was hosted for one week in August. During this time she experienced non public contact work done in a library as well as spending time on the customer service desk. In a letter of thanks the student said she ‘found the work interesting and learned a great deal about the behind the scenes workings in a library’. Due to extended illness of one full-time library assistant, casual staff have had to be utilised in non public contact duties to maintain workflows. This has provided a chance for those staff to gain a greater understanding of back of house processes, in particular the operation of the Homebound delivery service. Training September saw several national library conferences in Western Australia, including the ALIA New Librarians Symposium (NLS5) and Librarycamp Australia. NLS5 is a biannual conference for graduate librarians and those newly established in the profession and was attended by the eLibrarian. With attendance from all library sectors (private, academic, corporate, public), this year’s conference looked at the changing of the profession. Of particular interest was Kate Davis from the Queensland University of Technology who spoke about evidence based research in library practice, and Mal Booth (University of Technology Sydney) who spoke about shifting the library space to be discoverable, user friendly and stimulating. It was an inspiring three days, providing much food for thought in improving library services. Librarycamp Australia is the national incarnation of the Perth Library Unconference and was attended by the eLibrarian and the Librarian Community Information. A large number of the international and interstate attendees from NLS5 stayed on to participate. An informal atmosphere allowed in depth discussion regarding issues such as moving library management systems to the cloud, iPad applications and their use in libraries, branding and community literacy programs. This event was particularly inspiring to learn about how librarians are using new technologies such as ipads in libraries. Librarians are roaming libraries armed with ipads to help their customers where they need it rather than requiring them to seek help at a service desk. Local History Librarians attended the Annual Library Lecture at New Norcia. Two informative and thought provoking papers were presented which focused on the many challenges facing librarians with the rapid change in technology, particularly in terms of social media and the changing demographics of the population. One paper also addressed the need for librarians to continue to protect creator’s intellectual property despite the expectation that all information should be free and available online. Other training for those Librarians included attendance at Family History Week at the State Library and Digital Recordkeeping at the National Archives WA. Three Librarians attended a Skype presentation from Nicky Parker, Manager of Transformation in Manchester UK. Nicky's rebuilding and reinvigoration of that City's library service over a five year period, and her subsequent transfer to do the same for other City services was inspiring. Tailoring and locating the library service as part of the


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community and targeting community needs has turned it into a success story in a country where many library services are being severely cut. The Library Manager attended a State Library of Western Australia (SLWA) event, Keeping Up, which hosted speakers whose work places have innovated in library services. Of interest was the amalgamation in Tasmania of state departments covering libraries, education, literacy and health and the resultant holistic service provision with a focus on a literate and informed state. Also noted was the development of an 'outdoor reading room' in a New York park, an idea that gained much support during a space making workshop for King's Square, and which will be developed for implementation in Fremantle. It was encouraging to hear audience comment on proposals and actions from overseas and interstate, indicating that libraries in WA are keeping abreast with innovation in their service provision. Most library staff attended an ‘Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Training’ course organised by the City. This course looked at the history of Aboriginal cultural, the issues that Aboriginal people face today and at how all can move forward. The presenter of the course was a great speaker and the content was very interesting. All staff reported that they found the training informative. One Library Assistant undertook beginner training in the statewide interlibrary loan software at the start of the quarter. This training provided extra knowledge to that already acquired by working on the interlibrary loans duty. On her return she implemented and shared the new tips and hints she had learnt with other staff who have also found them useful in streamlining processes. Two Library Assistants attended an information session at State Library on the upgrade to the inter-library loans system that is due to take place shortly. They were introduced to the new functions that will be available to public library staff and the way in which it will affect current inter library loans processes. They both reported that the changes proposed look as though they will help to streamline our existing processes. Young People's Services (YPS) Program attendance: Program Number of

sessions Children Adults Total

attendance Baby Rhyme Time 11 206 206 412 New Parent’s Groups 3 39 37 76 Toddler Tales 14 140 105 245 Storytime 26 408 276 684 School Holiday Activity Sessions

2 122 49 171

Class visits to the library

15 543 77 620

Outreach sessions to schools, playgroups, day care centres etc

15 442 59 501

Total 86 1900 809 2709


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The roll out of the Better Beginnings Plus (BB+) programme was in full swing during this quarter, extending the relationships established by Better Beginnings between Child Health Centres and public libraries to include primary schools. The Librarian: YPS delivered early literacy promotional bags to each child in Kindergarten and Pre-Primary classes at East Fremantle, Hilton, Our Lady of Mt Carmel, Samson, White Gum Valley and Winterfold primary schools. Together with bags presented last quarter at Hazel Orme Kindergarten, a total of 440 bags have been presented to 4 and 5 year olds in the City of Fremantle and Town of East Fremantle. All bags contain a reading discovery workbook, booklists of recommended reading and information relating to Fremantle City Library. Already there have been positive results with children and parents visiting the library mentioning the visits and requesting discovery backpacks, another component of the BB+ initiative. Nine new backpacks were delivered from the State Library of Western Australia at the end of the quarter and will be prepared for loan early in the next quarter. The Librarian: YPS attended the Youth Agency Forum, part of an ongoing consultation process involving young people, service providers and the local community in order to develop a three year youth strategy for the City. A similar event attended was the Early Years in Action Forum. Held in Coolbellup, this event provided an opportunity to share information regarding early years (0-8) services within the Cockburn, Fremantle and Melville areas. The intended outcome is the production by ‘Purely Early Years Group’ of a directory of relevant services. During the July holidays ‘Hey Presto’ and ‘Captain Pirate Pink Pants’ entertained children, and adults, with their magic and story-telling. Both performances attracted large crowds. The audience for Hey Presto demonstrated their appreciation with lots of laughter and advice to the magician. The Captain Pirate Pink Pants audience were able to participate in the development of characters and a pirate story which involved grappling with a shark. Central TAFE Library Technician students visited to hear YPS staff speak about the planning and organisation required for Children’s Book Week events in a public library and the techniques involved in preparing displays. Year One students from Lance Holt School continued to visit the library fortnightly to enjoy a story time and library resources. To herald 2011 Children’s Book Week the entry into the Children’s Library was adorned with a 3.3 metre replica of Deborah Niland’s illustrations for ‘The tall man and the twelve babies’, which was shortlisted for the Children’s Book of the Year Award. The display was created by the Children’s Library Assistant and recognised by the book's author who posted photos of it on her blog. A visiting librarian from interstate commented that the display was the best she had seen of any of the public libraries she has visited. Local author, Martin Meader and children’s entertainer Sparkles were guests during CBW. Martin entertained four classes which ranged between Year 2 and Year 6. Martin told of the birth of his son which was the inspiration for his book ‘The Adventures of Charlie & Moon’. As the book is being made into an animated film Martin showed the children drawings used to create the animations and talked of how they are designed to convey a story quickly and how many are needed to make up an animation. Martin was able to adapt his talk to fit the audience, talking of the animations for example, he told the younger children how many drawings might be needed and asked the older children to calculate the number – the initial response asked for a phone to be able to make the calculation.


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Sparkles attracted four groups of Pre-Primary and Year One children to the library. Sparkles has a theatrical background and several years experience as a children’s entertainer; her skill and experience were evident as she and Hamish, her pet puppet rabbit, raised the noise and excitement levels of the children and then very quickly had them listening attentively. A staff member from St Patrick’s who attended sessions on both days visited the library again the following week to congratulate and thank library staff During August the regular library programmes for children also promoted the annual celebration of children’s literature by reading short listed books during Storytime. Two extra Storytime sessions were held at the East Fremantle Family Play Group. New Parents Groups have continued to meet at the library. The library provides an ideal background to deliver the Better Beginnings bags and promote reading aloud. Some have been surprised to learn that it’s never too early to read to their babies, prompting interesting discussions. 2011 is the 110th anniversary of White Gum Valley primary school, and as part of the celebration Year One students and their Year Three/Four buddy class visited the library. Teachers had asked the Librarian: YPS to discuss libraries and how they have changed. Photographs sourced from Local History provided good talking points. What had been a long day in Fremantle for the children was rounded off with a reading of the story of ‘Queen Victoria’s Underpants’, whose reign ended 110 years ago. Local History The end of this quarter saw numerous Notre Dame students using the collection to research the history of Fremantle for assignments. It ended a particularly busy quarter in terms of reference services with much of the research emphasis being family history followed by research on properties in Fremantle. Over 28 hours reference work on individual queries, each lasting more than an hour in duration was undertaken by Librarians during the quarter. The digitisation of the collection continues, a batch of twenty three hours of Oral History was sent out for conversion in September. The in house digitisation of images from a backlog of holdings and donations has continued on a daily basis. Currently there are approximately 5,000 images on the online database which is available for searching through the City’s website. There are a further 3,000 images ready to be added to the database. The entire digital collection of photographs could easily exceed 8,000 images within the next twelve months. Given the popularity of the images web page with over a hundred hits per day, the need to make the rest of the images available is a priority. At the moment the focus is on cataloguing the photographs onto the DBText Database so that when the software is updated on the website the information can be uploaded and made available to the public. Evaluation of the possibility of digitising some of Fremantle’s early newspapers, in particular The Herald 1867-1886 is currently underway. These papers can be digitised through the Australia wide project being conducted by the National Library of Australia (NLA). Microfilmed papers can be processed to enable full text searching through the Trove (NLA) database. The availability of these papers online would be a valuable resource for researchers of the history of Fremantle.


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Financial

Nil Legal

Nil Operational

Nil Organisational

Nil

CONCLUSION

Many activities and projects have been initiated, ongoing or completed during the quarter, with staff working hard to keep the library service relevant and useful to the community. The positive feedback received so often by staff is testament to the appreciation for the effort put in.


Nil


Nil


Information only no decision required.


That the information be received.


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LAC1111-89 TOY LIBRARY QUARTERLY REPORT JULY - SEPT EMBER 2011 DataWorks Reference: 023/013 Disclosure of Interest: Nil Meeting Date: 9 November 2011 Previous Item: Nil Responsible Officer: Marisa Spaziani, Director Community Development Actioning Officer: Julie Caddy, Manager Library and Information Service Decision Making Authority: Council Agenda Attachments: Nil

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A summary of the operation and performance of the Fremantle Toy Library for the quarter is provided.

BACKGROUND

Fremantle Toy Library is jointly funded by the City of Fremantle and Town of East Fremantle with grant funding from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, and a quarterly report is presented for the information of both councils.

COMMENT

Membership Fremantle Residents East Fremantle

Residents Total

Individuals 254 104 358 Families 170 51 221 New Members

Fremantle Residents

East Fremantle Residents

Total

36 11 47 Deleted Members Fremantle Residents East Fremantle

Residents Total

28 32 60


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Visitors

July 568 August 563

September 580 Total 1711

*Family means at least one parent and usually one or more accompanying children Loans East

Fremantle residents Fremantle residents

Total

Toys 544 1913 2457 Books 201 1729 1930 Audio Visual items 57 273 330 Total 802 3915 4717 Income 6 month

concession 12 month

concession 6 month full fees

12 month full fees

Dress up hire

Total

July 0 0 470.00 670.00 0 1140.00 August 44.00 78.00 590.00 1176.00 0 1888.00 September 0 78.00 1003.00 784.00 0 1865.00 Total 44.00 156.00 2063.00 2630.00 0 4893.00 Overall membership levels returned to a similar level as recorded at the end of the September 2010 quarter. Toy Library staff report that although the rate of new memberships has remained steady, there has been some reluctance from existing members to renew memberships without knowing definite dates for the return to Hilton, resulting in the larger than usual number of memberships deletions this quarter. While toy loans followed the downward trend of memberships, non-toy borrowing increased, pushing the overall loans totals higher by 35% compared to the September 2010 quarter. 48% of all items issued this quarter were non-toy items. Picture books were the non-toy items in highest demand, with 1,389 issued, up from 602 in the September 2010 quarter. Staff placed large orders for toys in August, with much of the stock arriving in September. 36 new toys were added to stock, although some new items have been kept aside for the reopening at Hilton. Staff also weeded the existing stock, with suitable toys sent to the book sale at Fremantle City Library in August. Fundraiser toy orders closed in mid September. Around $2,500 worth of orders were received at the Toy Library. As members had the option to place their order online, the final total of orders may be larger. The Toy Library will receive toys equal to 20% of the value of the orders from this fundraiser. Interviews for a second sewing volunteer were conducted during this quarter, but no suitable candidate was found. This position is needed to sew bags, plastic folders and simple items such as aprons. Volunteer Rosemary McLaughlin continues to sew


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beautiful costumes for the fancy dress collection, which proved a useful resource for members during Children’s Book Week for dress up events at schools. Preparations have commenced for the return to Hilton, and staff have completed site visits to evaluate furniture transfer requirements, as well as contributing to fitout proposals for new items. Toy Library Officers look forward to the move to the new complex and the opportunities it provides for inclusion of wider library activities for their target market.


Financial

Nil Legal

Nil Operational

Nil Organisational

Nil

CONCLUSION

Toy Library members and staff are eagerly awaiting the return to the permanent location in Hilton.


Nil


Nil


Information only no decision required.


Provided for information


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CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS

Nil.

CLOSURE OF MEETING

THE PRESIDING MEMBER DECLARED THE MEETING CLOSED AT <TIME> PM.


Page 23

SUMMARY GUIDE TO CITIZEN PARTICIPATION AND CONSULTA TION

The Council adopted a Community Engagement Policy in December 2010 to give effect to its commitment to involving citizens in its decision-making processes. The City values community engagement and recognises the benefits that can flow to the quality of decision-making and the level of community satisfaction. Effective community engagement requires total clarity so that Elected Members, Council officers and citizens fully understand their respective rights and responsibilities as well as the limits of their involvement in relation to any decision to be made by the City.

How consultative processes work at the City of Frem antle

The City’s decision makers 1.

The Council, comprised of Elected Members, makes policy, budgetary and key strategic decisions while the CEO, sometimes via on-delegation to other City officers, makes operational decisions.

Various participation opportunities 2.

The City provides opportunities for participation in the decision-making process by citizens via itscouncil appointed working groups, its community precinct system, and targeted community engagement processes in relation to specific issues or decisions.

Objective processes also used 3.

The City also seeks to understand the needs and views of the community via scientific and objective processes such as its bi-ennial community survey.

All decisions are made by Council or the CEO 4.

These opportunities afforded to citizens to participate in the decision-making process do not include the capacity to make the decision. Decisions are ultimately always made by Council or the CEO (or his/her delegated nominee).

Precinct focus is primarily local, but also city -wide

5.

The community precinct system establishes units of geographic community of interest, but provides for input in relation to individual geographic areas as well as on city-wide issues.

All input is of equal value 6.

No source of advice or input is more valuable or given more weight by the decision-makers than any other. The relevance and rationality of the advice counts in influencing the views of decision-makers.

Decisions will not necessarily reflect the majority view received

7.

Local Government in WA is a representative democracy. Elected Members and the CEO are charged under the Local Government Act with the responsibility to make decisions based on fact and the merits of the issue without fear or favour and are accountable for their actions and decisions under law. Elected Members are accountable to the people via periodic elections. As it is a representative democracy, decisions may not be made in favour of the majority view expressed via consultative processes. Decisions must also be made in accordance with any statute that applies or within the parameters of budgetary considerations. All consultations will


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clearly outline from the outset any constraints or limitations associated with the issue.

Decisions made for the overall good of Fremantle

8.

The Local Government Act requires decision-makers to make decisions in the interests of “the good government of the district”. This means that decision-makers must exercise their judgment about the best interests of Fremantle as a whole as well as about the interests of the immediately affected neighbourhood. This responsibility from time to time puts decision-makers at odds with the expressed views of citizens from the local neighbourhood who may understandably take a narrower view of considerations at hand.

Diversity of view on most issues 9.

The City is wary of claiming to speak for the ‘community’ and wary of those who claim to do so. The City recognises how difficult it is to understand what such a diverse community with such a variety of stakeholders thinks about an issue. The City recognises that, on most significant issues, diverse views exist that need to be respected and taken into account by the decision-makers.

City officers must be impartial 10.

City officers are charged with the responsibility of being objective, non-political and unbiased. It is the responsibility of the management of the City to ensure that this is the case. It is also recognised that City officers can find themselves unfairly accused of bias or incompetence by protagonists on certain issues and in these cases it is the responsibility of the City’s management to defend those City officers.

City officers must follow policy and procedures

11.

The City’s community engagement policy identifies nine principles that apply to all community engagement processes, including a commitment to be clear, transparent, responsive , inclusive, accountable andtimely. City officers are responsible for ensuring that the policy and any other relevant procedure is fully complied with so that citizens are not deprived of their rights to be heard.


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Community engagement processes have cut -off dates that will be adhered to.

12.

As City officers have the responsibility to provide objective, professional advice to decision-makers, they are entitled to an appropriate period of time and resource base to undertake the analysis required and to prepare reports. As a consequence, community engagement processes need to have defined and rigorously observed cut-off dates, after which date officers will not include ‘late’ input in their analysis. In such circumstances, the existence of ‘late’ input will be made known to decision-makers. In most cases where community input is involved, the Council is the decision-maker and this affords community members the opportunity to make input after the cut-off date via personal representations to individual Elected Members and via presentations to Committee and Council Meetings.

Citizens need to check for any changes to decision making arrangements made

13.

The City will take initial responsibility for making citizens aware of expected time-frames and decision making processes, including dates of Standing Committee and Council Meetings if relevant. However, as these details can change, it is the citizens responsibility to check for any changes by visiting the City’s website, checking the Fremantle News in the Fremantle Gazette or inquiring at the Customer Service Centre by phone, email or in-person.

Citizens are entitled to know how their input has been assessed

14.

In reporting to decision-makers, City officers will in all cases produce a community engagement outcomes report that summarises comment and recommends whether it should be taken on board, with reasons.

Reasons for decisions must be transparent 15.

Decision-makers must provide the reasons for their decisions.

Decisions posted on the City’s website 16.

Decisions of the City need to be transparent and easily accessed. For reasons of cost, citizens making input on an issue will not be individually notified of the outcome, but can access the decision at the City’s website under ‘community engagement’ or at the City Library or Service and Information Centre.


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Issues that Council May Treat as Confidential Section 5.23 of the new Local Government Act 1995, Meetings generally open to the public, states: 1. Subject to subsection (2), the following are to be open to members of the public -

a) all council meetings; and b) all meetings of any committee to which a local government power or duty has

been delegated.

2. If a meeting is being held by a council or by a committee referred to in subsection (1) (b), the council or committee may close to members of the public the meeting, or part of the meeting, if the meeting or the part of the meeting deals with any of the following:

a) a matter affecting an employee or employees; b) the personal affairs of any person; c) a contract entered into, or which may be entered into, by the local government

and which relates to a matter to be discussed at the meeting; d) legal advice obtained, or which may be obtained, by the local government and

which relates to a matter to be discussed at the meeting; e) a matter that if disclosed, would reveal –

i) a trade secret; ii) information that has a commercial value to a person; or iii) information about the business, professional, commercial or financial

affairs of a person. Where the trade secret or information is held by, or is about, a person other than the local government.

f) a matter that if disclosed, could be reasonably expected to - i) impair the effectiveness of any lawful method or procedure for preventing,

detecting, investigating or dealing with any contravention or possible contravention of the law;

ii) endanger the security of the local government’s property; or iii) prejudice the maintenance or enforcement of a lawful measure for

protecting public safety.

g) information which is the subject of a direction given under section 23 (Ia) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1971; and

h) such other matters as may be prescribed.

3. A decision to close a meeting or part of a meeting and the reason for the decision are to be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.


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AGENDA ATTACHMENTS

Library Advisory Committee

Wednesday, 9 November 2011,5.30 pm

LAC1111-88 LIBRARY AND INFORMATSEPTEMBER 2011

ATTACHMENT 1 City of Fremantle: Response to faxback the Delivery of Public Library Servicesbetween the Minister for Culture and the Arts and W ALGA Regarding Funding for Public Libraries

Following the request for feedback to verOctober 2010, the City of Fremantle resolved

'That Council support the final version of the Funding Arrangement between the Minister for Culture and the Arts (on behalf of the State of Western Australia) and the President of the Western Australian Local Government Association regarding funding for Public Libraries 2010/11 to 2013/14 as negotiated by WALGA and SLWA following the current feedback process.

and

'That Council agree to sign tLibrary Services as negotiated by WALGA and SLWA following the current feedback process.

It is recognised that two earlier drafts have been made available to Local Government for comment, and that feedback has beenredrafting the agreements each time.period for both the Framework Agreement and the Funding Arrangement has already commenced and that the Structural reform priorities for public libraries can be more effectively Agreements are signed with each Local Government Authority.

Fremantle City Library is keen to progress issues such as stock ownership and procurement which will benefit public libraries in the longer termaware of the development of a Strategic Plan by Public Libraries Western Australia. We would request that once thatmembership in September, WALGA work with PLWA to progress priority actions as agreed by public librarians development of a new model for public library service delivery in WA, as well as an effective governance framework are important areas for considerationand will underpin operational level change.

The City of Fremantle is supportive of the tabling of the Agreement for the Delivery of Public Library ServicesArrangement between the Minister for Culture and the Arts and WALGA Regarding Funding for Public LibrariesWestern Australia and WALGA State Council meetings for endorsement.look forward to positive changes for public libraries in the future.

Agenda Attachments - Library Advisory Committee

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LIBRARY AND INFORMAT ION SERVICE REPORT JSEPTEMBER 2011

Response to faxback - Draft Local Level Agreement for the Delivery of Public Library Services and Funding Arrangement between the Minister for Culture and the Arts and W ALGA Regarding Funding for Public Libraries

for feedback to version 2 of the Draft agreements in 2010, the City of Fremantle resolved in November 2010:

That Council support the final version of the Funding Arrangement between the Minister for Culture and the Arts (on behalf of the State of Western Australia) and the President of the Western Australian Local Government Association regarding funding for Public Libraries 2010/11 to 2013/14 as negotiated by WALGA and SLWA following the current feedback process.'

That Council agree to sign the Agreement for the Delivery of Public Library Services as negotiated by WALGA and SLWA following the current feedback process.'

It is recognised that two earlier drafts have been made available to Local Government for comment, and that feedback has been taken on board in redrafting the agreements each time. It is also recognised that the time period for both the Framework Agreement and the Funding Arrangement has already commenced and that the Structural reform priorities for public

effectively progressed once the Local Level Agreements are signed with each Local Government Authority.

is keen to progress issues such as stock ownership and procurement which will benefit public libraries in the longer termaware of the development of a Strategic Plan by Public Libraries Western Australia. We would request that once that plan is endorsed by the PLWAmembership in September, WALGA work with PLWA to progress priority

as agreed by public librarians for the State's public libraries. The development of a new model for public library service delivery in WA, as well as an effective governance framework are important areas for considerationand will underpin operational level change.

supportive of the tabling of the Local Level Agreement for the Delivery of Public Library Services and the Funding Arrangement between the Minister for Culture and the Arts and WALGA Regarding Funding for Public Libraries at the October Library Board ofWestern Australia and WALGA State Council meetings for endorsement.look forward to positive changes for public libraries in the future.

Library Advisory Committee 9 November 2011

ION SERVICE REPORT JULY -

Local Level Agreement for Funding Arrangement

between the Minister for Culture and the Arts and W ALGA Regarding

sion 2 of the Draft agreements in

That Council support the final version of the Funding Arrangement between the Minister for Culture and the Arts (on behalf of the State of Western Australia) and the President of the Western Australian Local Government Association regarding funding for Public Libraries 2010/11 to 2013/14 as negotiated by WALGA and SLWA following the

he Agreement for the Delivery of Public Library Services as negotiated by WALGA and SLWA following the

It is recognised that two earlier drafts have been made available to Local taken on board in

recognised that the time period for both the Framework Agreement and the Funding Arrangement has already commenced and that the Structural reform priorities for public

is keen to progress issues such as stock ownership and procurement which will benefit public libraries in the longer term, and is aware of the development of a Strategic Plan by Public Libraries Western

the PLWA membership in September, WALGA work with PLWA to progress priority

the State's public libraries. The development of a new model for public library service delivery in WA, as well as an effective governance framework are important areas for consideration

Local Level Funding

Arrangement between the Minister for Culture and the Arts and WALGA at the October Library Board of

Western Australia and WALGA State Council meetings for endorsement. We

ATTACHMENT 2

Eric Flynn Award for Library Services to Older Adul ts

Fremantle City Library

Project basis

Library services are moving swiftly towards the digitalways of providing downloadable material to clients. Fremantle City Library identified a need to improve its range of digital content and increase the accessibility of its collection to various sectors of the community. The library already held a range of large print titles, as well as audio books in a varietythat digital devices with pre-loaded content had potential to better meet the needs of older adults with a print or sight impairment.

Recipients of the homebound delivery service, most of whof audio books. Due to the high volume of material borrowed by these people, they have often ‘read out’ the existing collection within a matter of months. The frailty and disability of some of these members meant that statapes in and out of players, and frequently did not know how to pause a title in order to resume listening at the point they had left off. Some people had difficulty making the transition from audio tape to disc because of the complexity of the playing devices.

It was decided to seek funding for a trial implementation of Audio Book Navigatorshomebound members, and subject to evaluation of that trial, seek to introduce similar devices on a wider basis for people who were still actively visiting the library to borrow audio books.

Planning

In 2010 research began into the various types of resources that were available in the market place. It was decided that Navigator handneeds. The benefits being:

• Six to eight book titles able to be loaded to a single device which matches the number of cumbersome audio sets borrowed by most homebound members each fortnight.

• MP3 titles from multiple suppliers able to be downextending the range of available content.

• Current newspaper content as well as books able to be loaded to the devices, adding an extra dimension to information able to be provided by the library and giving people who may havaccess to these again.

• Portable with no need to attach a separate player in order to hear the content. Ear connection possible if required, but not necessary.

• Lightweight battery-powered devices with 512 Mb hand and store over 40 hours of audio content. Charging able to be completed by library staff between loans so not onerous for users.

• Ease of use - accessible devices with clear and simple non complex buttons and no moving parts, to enable use by people with limited sight or dexterity.


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Entry Nomination

Fremantle City Library

Library services are moving swiftly towards the digital age, with many libraries exploring new ways of providing downloadable material to clients. In the 2010/11 budget process, Fremantle City Library identified a need to improve its range of digital content and increase the accessibility of its collection to various sectors of the community. The library already held

well as audio books in a variety of formats, but it was decided loaded content had potential to better meet the needs of older

adults with a print or sight impairment.

Recipients of the homebound delivery service, most of whom are frail aged, are heavy users of audio books. Due to the high volume of material borrowed by these people, they have often ‘read out’ the existing collection within a matter of months. The frailty and disability of some of these members meant that staff often found they had difficulty in placing discs or tapes in and out of players, and frequently did not know how to pause a title in order to resume listening at the point they had left off. Some people had difficulty making the

pe to disc because of the complexity of the playing devices.

It was decided to seek funding for a trial implementation of Audio Book Navigatorshomebound members, and subject to evaluation of that trial, seek to introduce similar

sis for people who were still actively visiting the library to borrow audio

In 2010 research began into the various types of resources that were available in the market place. It was decided that Navigator hand-held audio devices, would best meet customer

Six to eight book titles able to be loaded to a single device which matches the number of cumbersome audio sets borrowed by most homebound members each

MP3 titles from multiple suppliers able to be downloaded to the devices for loan, extending the range of available content. Current newspaper content as well as books able to be loaded to the devices, adding an extra dimension to information able to be provided by the library and giving people who may have been unable to read newspapers for some years

Portable with no need to attach a separate player in order to hear the content. Ear connection possible if required, but not necessary.

powered devices with 512 Mb Internal Memory able to fit into a hand and store over 40 hours of audio content. Charging able to be completed by library staff between loans so not onerous for users.

accessible devices with clear and simple non complex buttons and no ng parts, to enable use by people with limited sight or dexterity.



, with many libraries exploring new In the 2010/11 budget process,

Fremantle City Library identified a need to improve its range of digital content and increase the accessibility of its collection to various sectors of the community. The library already held

of formats, but it was decided loaded content had potential to better meet the needs of older

om are frail aged, are heavy users of audio books. Due to the high volume of material borrowed by these people, they have often ‘read out’ the existing collection within a matter of months. The frailty and disability of

ff often found they had difficulty in placing discs or tapes in and out of players, and frequently did not know how to pause a title in order to resume listening at the point they had left off. Some people had difficulty making the

pe to disc because of the complexity of the playing devices.

It was decided to seek funding for a trial implementation of Audio Book Navigators for homebound members, and subject to evaluation of that trial, seek to introduce similar

sis for people who were still actively visiting the library to borrow audio

In 2010 research began into the various types of resources that were available in the market t meet customer

Six to eight book titles able to be loaded to a single device which matches the number of cumbersome audio sets borrowed by most homebound members each

loaded to the devices for loan,

Current newspaper content as well as books able to be loaded to the devices, adding an extra dimension to information able to be provided by the library and

e been unable to read newspapers for some years

Portable with no need to attach a separate player in order to hear the content. Ear

Internal Memory able to fit into a hand and store over 40 hours of audio content. Charging able to be completed by

accessible devices with clear and simple non complex buttons and no


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lac agenda 09 november 2011 - city of fremantle...30 november 2011. mrs cacavas has been a library...

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