Overcoming the Tyranny of DistanceJan RichardsCentral West LibrariesAustraliawww.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

A sparsely settled country

7, 617,930 sq kilometres

Population 22.7 million

Highly urbanised nation

Most of the population in two widely separated coastal regionswww.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

The ModelsStandaloneRegionalCooperative

Library Models in NSW (2007) John Liddlehttp://www.plnsw.org.au/reports.htm

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Definition

The provision of library services regionally, that is across more than one council area. www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Regional LibrariesRegional Libraries are enabled under S 12 of the Library ActCurrently 70 councils (68 in country NSW) are party to s12 agreements for regional library services (ie 46%)Range from 2 to 9 councils

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www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Almost half the statewww.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

CharacteristicsMember Councils represented through a committeeExecutive Council employs shared staff. Other staff can be employed by Executive Council or individual councilsRegional Library Managers report through their Committee and through the Executive Council.

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Characteristics cont Executive Councils perform a range of services which can include library administration, collection development and management, IT and communications, information and reference services, program development and support, marketing and promotion, grant applications and capital works support

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Perceived BenefitsEconomy of scaleRegional responsibilityCompensates for small council's diseconomies of scaleEmployment of specialist staffBuilds unity between staffProvision of mobile servicesIT and communications capabilities

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Perceived ConcernsSmall councils lack optionsLoss of local identityLoss of autonomyLack of common or minimum service delivery standardsThreat of withdrawalBuildings and fittings

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www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Central West Librarieswww.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Established 1956Population 81,800Area 15,700 sq km

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Our Footprint5 councils, 7 librariesOrange - 38,685Cowra 12,479Cabonne 12, 396Forbes 9,361Blayney - 6594Key industries include agriculture, mining, health services, hospitality and tourism, public sector administration, retail and education

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Large, small and in-betweenOrange (pop 38,685) Manildra (pop 500)www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Our LibrariesIts a safe house where children can wait for parents who live out of town or can change for sport or a ballet class (Forbes)You meet other mums during storytime and you form friendships (Blayney)I go and use the internet to help me learn the road rules (Sudanese woman Orange)When my grandchildren visit they always ask to go to the Library (Molong)Without the Librarys support I dont think we would have continued (book club member)

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

World War I Newspaper ProjectDigitisation of CWL footprint newspapers 1914-192024/7 online accessHigh value resources for researchersValue adds to CWL collectionsFuture proofs the resourceSupports cultural tourism

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Manildra memorieswww.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Books on PrescriptionBooks on mental health which are prescribed by GPs and other health professionals. An Australian pilotPositions public libraries as a key contributor to trusted health informationReinforces the concept of the library as a safe place and supports social inclusionDevelops of new partnerships between the public library and health sectorDemonstrates the value of reading

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

National Year of Reading 2012www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Words from the Dustwww.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Words from the DustSeries of 12 workshopsSix locations Condobolin, Forbes, Grenfell, Cowra, Blayney, Orange3 hours eachOver 2 consecutive daysLed to establishment of reading groups

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Feedback Olive is my grandmother what a wonderful time she had in Forbes. Words from the Dust is a fantastic initiative to capture life from the past and celebrate the experiences and give individuals such a sense of pride. Thank you so much.www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Poetry SlamOn the banks of the Lachlanwww.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

interActive

Zone wide professional development activityReader development program developed in UK and used interationallyParticipants supported by trained mentors in larger librariesOffered on-lineExemplar of collaboration across library services

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

Contact detailsJan RichardsManagerCentral West Librariesjrichards@orange.nsw.gov.auwww.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au

www.cwl.nsw.gov.au