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That’s such a great idea Paola! I had never considered approaching library services as a guided tour, but it would be a really effective way of introducing people to materials and search techniques. As Luke suggested guided tours could even be integrated into library programs as a kind of information literacy service.
I also really like your comment about the strategic blanks, I will definitely be keeping that technique in mind 🙂Great argument Leena! I completely agree. As you say users need a variety of different sources to create their self identity. It is not the task of librarians to educate people but to aid their interests and self exploration. However, I do sometimes wonder whether public libraries collections are too far on the popular culture side. They tend not to collect much non-fiction and seem to support only a quite narrow range of interests. While this does cater to the needs of a large community of users, I wonder about the non-users who might consider using the library if it collected resources that they were interested in.
Great post Jenny! I loved your title, it made me giggle 🙂
I was interested when reading the Twitter chat in the discussion about trashy magazines and also found the Library Idol’s comment interesting. As an aside, during the week I found this really interesting article on the NY Review of Books website discussion whether reading ‘trash’ is a stepping stone to reading ‘literature’. It’s a great article, I would highly recommend it. Reading UpwardsThanks for your reply Kate, I’m so glad you got something out of it 🙂
It is a really interesting topic. More marketing is definitely needed to let users know these services exist. I also wonder, in this case, whether it is because the board is still created and maintained by the library, although it is based on recommendations from adolescents, it isn’t as appealing to the teenagers as something created directly by their peers. Teenagers probably already have their own online RA groups through tumblr and other social media sites. I think using social media to reach groups is such a great idea, but perhaps librarians need to take think more strategically about how they use it.Thanks Paola! I completely agree.
The thing that I think is saddest is that academic libraries currently have leisure reading materials in their collection, it’s just that they’re hidden amongst everything else and no one thinks to look for them because they feel that the academic library is just for study. I feel libraries could encourage a healthy life-study-work balance but having a dedicated space and collection for leisure reading.Thanks Will 🙂 I agree. There is so much scope for libraries to use social media to improve their relationship with clients. The Pinterest board is a great idea and it kind of works, but you’re right they need to market it a bit better. It would be so great to see more people using these platforms to discuss the material that is being put out there by libraries.
Really inspiring post, Luke. I’m totally with you that we need some different approaches to engaging with teens. I like the idea of app based services, I have recently been puzzled as to why libraries don’t use them for a number of things. I feel like American public libraries, which seem to have dedicated YA librarians, services and spaces are doing a much better job than Australian libraries at engaging with teens. I wonder whether the problem is that libraries aren’t currently making that much of an effort to create programs, products and spaces dedicated exclusively to their teen users?
Great post, Debbie. It is such a difficult issue to deal with. I liked your conclusion that it is the role of the parent, not the librarian to monitor what a child is reading. Although I sometimes feel that children are best able to decide whether a book is right for them. I think children are quite good a self-censoring and tend not to engage with certain subjects unless they are ready to deal with them. Some children’s maturity levels might be higher than others and they might be ready to read books that deal with more adult themes. In those cases I feel those children have a right to make an informed decision to read books that engage with those subjects as long as they feel comfortable.  Having said that, I do believe that some care needs to be taken by librarians and parents to make sure that there is some obvious differentiation between children, YA and adult sections.
Great post Kate! I reviewed a product produced by an American library too. There seems to be a real emphasis in American public libraries in appealing to their teenage audience. In the library whose product I reviewed the library has a teen advisory board, adolescents who volunteer in the library and just seem to make a greater effort to engage with their adolescent audience through a number of platforms. I couldn’t think of any Australian library that makes the same degree of effort to reach out to teenagers and wonder if this is something public libraries need to do more of?
Hi Jenny, great post. What an interesting subject! I had never considered the need for a kids catalogue before I had always assumed that children would be assisted by their parents to search for books. But allowing kids to do their own searching gives them so much more autonomy and independence, I think it’s a great concept. The use of images to link to books with particular similar subjects does seem limited, as you suggest. Do you have an ideas for ways that the catalogue could be better designed?
Great post Ruth! I completely agree. I think there are so many benefits from having subject specialists in academic libraries. IÂ think that the main benefit is the perception of the library within a faculty. As you mention faculty are more likely to respect librarians who show a genuine interest, passion and expertise in the same subject matter. This is so important to gaining supportive stakeholders and champions of the library who can promote the library’s services to other stakeholders.
A really well researched post Stacey! It is such an interesting issue you raise. From my experience students are being encouraged to undertake science and technology degrees because that is where the money is. Humanities are underfunded because the research produced by HDR students and academics doesn’t bring money in to the university. I think support for the Humanities has already been cut. QUT no longer have a humanities department and the departments within the Arts at UQ are having to cut or streamline some subjects. It does raise the question, how can Australia claim to have a well-rounded society if students are not encouraged to study the humanities?
Really great post, Jenny. I thought the angle you took by focusing on university rankings was really interesting. I wonder, do you think a university could improve its ranking by investing more in developing their library?
Great post Luke! You raised a lot of interesting questions. I have wondered about the disparity of cost between libraries and galleries and museums. I think it comes down to the kinds of programs and services that are run by the institution. As Ruth mentioned there are much more hidden costs related to exhibitions in art galleries and museums, particularly travelling exhibitions. Galleries and museums also have to constantly reorganise their space according to the exhibition and create didactic and marketing material to promote their exhibition so their costs are much greater.
I have to say I was very interested in your response to the exhibition itself. I went to see it a couple of months ago and was frankly insulted by the seeming lack of thought that had gone into the exhibition. I didn’t think the exhibition was worth $12. It was badly curated, badly hung (you could barely see some photos), the themes were incoherent and they failed to communicate anything meaningful about the development of photography in Australia. While they did provide didactic material but this was so full of art historical jargon I struggled to understand what they were trying to say and I have a degree in art history.
I considered pursuing a career in galleries but it was this kind of lack of consideration for viewers that made me switch to libraries instead. Libraries develop programs based on what their clients actually need. They consider accessibility of services and gaps in community knowledge and try to fill these, through programming. Galleries seem more concerned with promoting particular art historical narratives than educating their viewers. Their foremost concern is promoting culture rather than promoting education and I feel that less consideration is given to clients’ needs and wants than in libraries.
Sorry for the rant, it’s something that I feel quite strongly about.
