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Kohacon20

28/9/2020

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Kohacon16 attendees in Thessaloniki, Greece Source: KohaCon16 Media page http://kohacon2016.lib.auth.gr/?page_id=2682

This year Catalyst is excited to be hosting Kohacon, the annual conference of the Koha community, in Wellington. Koha is a free and open source library system, founded in New Zealand in 1999, initially as a solution for the Y2K bug. In 2014, Turkey implemented Koha in 1100+ of their public libraries, which is the world's biggest Koha install. Today, Koha is used by 15,000+ libraries worldwide and is an international project with thousands of volunteers who contribute to its ongoing development.


Kohacon is free to attend, thanks to our sponsors. The Koha community aims to be as inclusive as possible, and $0 attendance fees is an important part of that kaupapa.

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Kohacon19 attendees at the Dublin Business School in Dublin, Ireland Photo courtesy of Chris Cormack

Format

​Since 2006, Kohacon has provided a chance for the community, who collaborate all year, to put faces to twitter handles, chat nicknames, and email addresses. This year we'll miss the hallway track discussions, but by being online, Kohacon can be accessible to a much wider audience of librarians, developers, and contributors.

Kohacon20 will be a mix of in-person and online presentations, which will all be streamed. NZ speakers will deliver talks at the Tiakiwai Conference Centre at the National Library of New Zealand. Our most recent Koha community webinar had over 10,000 views to date, and we expect that online participation will make this NZ’s biggest library conference this year - maybe the world's biggest.

Register your intention to attend online or in-person


What you can look forward to

​You'll have the opportunity to connect with Kohacon attendees globally, all week. It will be a jam-packed seven days full of learning, networking, skill-building, and professional development, with something for everyone!

19 – 21 October: The first three days of Kohacon are a single-track conference which includes a spectacular lineup of engaging and informative presentations.


22 October: Cultural Day is an excellent chance for visitors to explore Wellington city and get to know each other better.

23 October: We have a series of workshops covering Koha documentation, MarcEdit, linked data, RFID solutions, and design.

24 – 25 October (weekend): Koha DIY (previously a 'hackfest'). This is a great chance for developers to work with librarians who use Koha on a daily basis to discuss and implement improvements.
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Kohacon19’s Cultural Day included a visit to Marsh’s Library - Ireland’s first public library (opened 1707) Photo courtesy of Chris Cormack

Programme

A small selection of highlights from the programme includes linked open data, library website accessibility, documentation, cataloguing plugins, creative problem solving, educating Koha users, website re-design, and marketing tips. You can view the full programme on the website .

Kohacon extends a very warm welcome to all who would like to attend. We can’t wait for you to join the Koha community.

To stay updated follow @nzkoha on Twitter, and keep an eye on our website .
 
Koha team at Catalyst NZ
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LIANZA Professional Recognition Awards 2020

16/9/2020

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Every year LIANZA recognises professional excellence and honours the contributions made by its members to the library and information profession in New Zealand.

Recognition received from our peers provides insight into the positive impact our work makes on the people around us. This helps illuminate the purpose behind even the small tasks we do every day and helps build a bond in the sector. It also shines a light on our best role models!

Including the new Fellows and Associates from this year, there have been 93 Fellows, since 1964 and 241 Associates, since 1955. What a fantastic group of LIS sector leaders and role models to look up to!
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LIANZA Professional Recognition Awards are managed by the LIANZA Credentials Committee and include:
Associateships, Awards of Professional Excellence, Letters of Recognition, Joint Letter of Recognition for Bicultural Development and Fellowships.
A LIANZA fellowship is the highest level of professional attainment awarded by the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa. Fellowships are made by peer nomination and are awarded to those who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, teaching or research qualities and as a result, has made a significant contribution to the advancement of librarianship and/or information management. Recipients use the post-nominal FLIANZA.

​This year Philip van Zijl is awarded a LIANZA Fellowship  for his sustained and professional leadership in the fields of public and tertiary librarianship and professional association work. Congratulations Philip!

The selection committee says,
 "Philip is an enabler, natural facilitator, host and team builder. He supports his staff to achieve the highest goals regardless of where it takes them in their own careers and lives. He is happy to grow people to be useful and successful in any role, not just within his own library network, a rare trait in today’s world. He gives without counting to cost and is a role model for others in leadership.
Philip is well-deserving of the award of Fellowship of the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa."

A LIANZA Associateship is a significant professional achievement and demonstrates commitment to professional learning, the impact you make in your workplace and your contribution to the wider library and information sector. ​ All early and mid-career members are encouraged to consider applying for a LIANZA Associateship. Recipients use the post-nominal ALIANZA.

Congratulations to Elisabeth (Lis) Marrow and Peter Murgatroyd  who have been awarded a LIANZA Associateship.
Thanks to the LIANZA Credentials Committee for their thoughtful consideration of the 2020 nominations and applications.
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The committee includes Lee Rowe (ALIANZA), Bernie Hawke (FLIANZA), Joan Simpson (ALIANZA), Alison Fields (FLIANZA), Dyane Hosler (ALIANZA), Justine Lester (ALIANZA) and was chaired by Laurinda Thomas (ALIANZA).

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Peter Murgatroyd was presented his award by LIANZA President-elect Erica Rankin at a recent LIANZA Health SIG study day. Thanks to Health SIG for capturing the moment for us!
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Citizens Advice Bureau Digital Exclusion Campaign

15/9/2020

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The LIS sector knows the importance of digital inclusion and we know New Zealand libraries already work in this space to support people with digital challenges. LIANZA was one of the first 20 organisations who pledged support for the Five Point Plan for Digital Inclusion in May this year. With this is mind, LIANZA supports CAB’s digital exclusion petition and urges New Zealand librarians and libraries to support and promote it too.

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Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand, Ngā Pou Whakawhirinaki o Aotearoa, are asking election candidates to pledge their commitment to the following:
  1. Leave no-one behind: Ensure that steps are taken to address digital exclusion and that no-one is left behind or left out because they can’t or don’t wish to engage online.  
  2. Public services accessible to all: Implement accessibility and inclusion standards for the delivery of public services that include offline channels as part of the proactive design of government service delivery. 
  3. CAB compensated for cost-shifting: Ensure that the Citizens Advice Bureau is properly funded to meet the demands and cost-shifting that has resulted from government services going online.

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CAB have written to election candidates asking them to commit to addressing digital exclusion so that no-one is left behind or left out because they can't or don't wish to engage online.

This campaign builds on the findings and recommendations of their report, ‘Face to Face with digital exclusion’. You can read the full report here.




LIANZA have also sent our own burning questions to candidates, including this one on Digital Inclusion: 
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Supporting digital inclusion has become everyday work for libraries and library staff (Hartnett, 2020). With public libraries in 314 towns and cities around the country, plus libraries in schools, tertiary institutions and prisons, our sector plays an essential role in facilitating digital inclusion.
What would your party do to ensure that libraries can effectively implement strategies to increase digital inclusion in their communities?
 
So, sign the petition and ask your local candidates what they pledge to do to support digital inclusion.
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ELECTION 2020 - BURNING QUESTIONS

8/9/2020

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Asking political parties to answer ‘burning questions’ provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of the library and information sector to our politicians.

You'll remember that back in July we put a call-out, crowd-sourcing questions that our members want to ask of list or electoral candidates from any political party. We have now complied a list of questions, which will be sent to government ministers, opposition spokespeople and other political candidates.


The Questions

Digital inclusion
Supporting digital inclusion has become everyday work for libraries and library staff (Hartnett, 2020). With public libraries in 314 towns and cities around the country, plus libraries in schools, tertiary institutions and prisons, our sector plays an essential role in facilitating digital inclusion.
What would your party do to ensure that libraries can effectively implement strategies to increase digital inclusion in their communities?
 
Economic downturn
Libraries are integral to lifelong learning with events, creative spaces, programmes and information sharing that can make more of an impact on the community than just lending material.  As the last non-commercial space available to many people, libraries play an incredibly important role in engaging with and meeting the needs of their local community. Libraries help connect people to information on literacy, health, job applications, computer and internet training, resume writing, housing and everything else, all for free (Balchin, 2019). Libraries play a vital role as community hubs where people can get practical help during tough economic times, providing spaces where people can meet, relax, exchange ideas, learn, share and read, regardless of their income, faith, employment or housing status. Post-Covid-19 there is an increase in angry, scared, grief-filled people who have never needed to access government and social services before and shame, embarrassment and despair are key reactions. Libraries are experiencing an upsurge in people needing support to move ahead with their lives.
How would your party ensure that all NZ public libraries are enabled by local government to support the increase in need in their communities?
 
Community support
Young people in New Zealand are facing a mental health crisis, with unique challenges faced by young Māori and Pacific people, particularly girls (Menzies et al., 2020). Our youth suicide rate is the second-worst at 14.9 deaths per 100,000 adolescents, more than twice the average among the 41 OECD countries surveyed (UNICEF, 2020). Again, the children most at risk are Māori, and children living rurally and in low-socio economic areas.
How would your party leverage and support the role that school, public and tertiary libraries play in providing safe community spaces and support for our youth?
 
School libraries
There is no requirement for New Zealand primary and secondary schools to provide library spaces or services. This results in a lack of equity for students; some have access to a school library led by a school librarian and many do not have a library at their school or access to a library service. A recent international report shows that only 64.6 per cent of 15-year-olds in NZ have basic proficiency in reading and maths (UNICEF, 2020). A survey of all New Zealand schools in 2018 and 19 highlighted that a school library is essential for promoting and supporting reading for pleasure, supporting the achievement of literacy standards, strengthening inquiry learning and teaching and enhancing students’ social and emotional learning and well-being (National Library of New Zealand, n.d.).
What will your party do to address the inequitable access of NZ primary and secondary students to a school library staffed by a qualified librarian?
 
Digitisation of local knowledge
Libraries play a role in ‘telling stories of the now” for our future generations; collecting, preserving and providing access to the documentary heritage of their local communities. Libraries are playing a key role in documenting the national and local response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Digital preservation of heritage information and making it available in digital form is expensive and lack of funding, resources and time are challenges facing libraries.  Without accessible documentary evidence of where a society has come from, it cannot understand itself or move forward.
What will your party do to enable more libraries to digitise the  documentary heritage of their local communities ? 
 
Sustainable Development Goals
Libraries play a key role helping the New Zealand government to fully engage in its commitment and obligations to the global UN 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (Greer & Morris, 2019). Libraries play a vital role in helping our country to make progress on many SDG’s including;
SDG 3 – Ensure healthy lives and promote  well-being for all at all ages
SDG 4 – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
SDG 5 – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls;
SDG 11 – Make cities and human settlements inclusive safe, resilient and sustainable
SDG 16 – Promote peaceful and inclusive societies  for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
What will your party do to ensure that New Zealand makes progress to the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and would you appoint a lead agency for this work?

Access to research
New Zealanders deserve access to publicly funded research and our researchers require access to international research, but most research information is hidden behind international paywalls. This limits access to information and innovation that underpins our economy. Students, researchers and the general public require access to this content and access is their right, as citizens and taxpayers, for purposes of education, historical research, development of government policies, for innovation in science and technology (Greer & Morris, 2019).
How would your party support a move to “open access” publishing for publicly-funded research? ​


​References
Balchin, J. (2019, September 12). Our public libraries play a vital role. Otago Daily Times. https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/our-public-libraries-play-vital-role

Greer, J., & Morris, M. (2019). The People’s Report on the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals: An alternate report for Aotearoa New Zealand. https://www.sdg.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Final_PeopleReport-2019-Dec-2019_for-web.pdf
 
Hartnett, M. (2020, January 26). Libraries as spaces for digital inclusion – an update. Equity Through Education. https://www.equitythrougheducation.nz/latest-news/2020/1/26/libraries-as-spaces-for-digital-inclusion-an-update
 
Menzies, R., Gluckman, P., & Poulton, R. (2020). Youth Mental Health in Aotearoa New Zealand: Greater urgency required. Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, University of Auckland. https://informedfutures.org/wp-content/uploads/Youth-Mental-Health-in-Aotearoa-NZ.pdf
 
National Library of New Zealand. (n.d.). Importance of the school library in learning – the research. https://natlib.govt.nz/schools/school-libraries/understanding-school-libraries/importance-of-the-school-library-in-learning-the-research#nzresearch
 
UNICEF Innocenti. (2020). Worlds of influence: Understanding what shapes child well-being in rich countries (Innocenti Report Card 16). UNICEF Office of Research. https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/Report-Card-16-Worlds-of-Influence-child-wellbeing.pdf
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NEW ZEALAND LIBRARIES PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME UPDATE

8/9/2020

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​The National Library of New Zealandis leading and supporting COVID-19 recovery work across New Zealand’s library system, especially in public libraries, with a government funding package of $58.8 million, over two to four years.
 
The New Zealand Libraries Partnership Programme (NZLPP) will support librarians and library services to be retained in New Zealand libraries and assist them to support community recovery.
NZLPP programme initiatives

The NZLPP includes support for the following initiatives;

  • Funded secondments at public libraries to provide librarian jobs and upskill librarians to support community recovery.
  • Training, coaching and mentoring of librarians.
  • Provision for free public internet to be available through all public libraries.
  • Relief for New Zealand libraries by the waiver of user charges and procurement costs for collaborative library services.
  • An uplift in specialist library services for schools and young people with the greatest need.
 
Funding is also provided to increase the Public Lending Right Scheme funding in recognition of New Zealand authors’ books being available for use in libraries.
 
The NZLPP is progressing well,  and the establishment team have provided an update on how the programme is progressing.
​NZLPP steering group
Rachel Esson, Director Content Services, has assumed the critical role of chair of the NZLPP steering group.  The purpose of the steering group is to champion the programme, provide guidance, direction and support during the programmes. Invitations to join the steering group were sent last week, with the aim of having the first steering group meeting mid-late September.

NZLPP team
Lewis Brown, Director Office of the National Librarian, has been seconded into the role of NZLPP Programme Director. He will take on a number of responsibilities, one of which being the point of contact for the libraries sector and other organisations.
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Rachel Esson, chair of the NZLPP steering group
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Helen Gray (L) & Krista de Guzman (R) NZLPP team
​The programme has welcomed Helen Gray as Programme Establishment Manager who is responsible for establishing programme governance, on-boarding the delivery team and managing the planning and implementation of key programme milestones.
 
Krista de Guzman has also come on board to support as Programme Coordinator. Her role is to support the wider programme by responding to the NZLPP inbox, coordinating governance meetings and supporting the programme leadership as needed.

​Secondment programme
Expressions of Interest for public library secondments have been received from 57 local councils to date and agreements for a total of 37 secondments were issued on August 31 to the following fifteen councils:
Buller District Council, Central Hawkes Bay District Council, Christchurch City Council, Clutha District Council, Gore District Council, Hutt City Council, Masterton District Council, Opotiki District Council, New Plymouth District Council, Queenstown Lakes District Council, Rotorua District Council, Selwyn District Council, Timaru District Council, Upper Hutt City Council, Waimakariri District Council.
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Agreements for another 35 councils are expected to be issued shortly. The team will be contacting other councils to clarify some information before issuing agreements.
Fee waiver
In addition, libraries have now received $9.224 million in fee waivers and relief from procurement costs for libraries covering the next two years. The NZLPP have committed a further $0.316 million to enhance the availability of electronic resources over the next two years. All public libraries will receive the popular PressReader e-resource providing users with up-to-date full online access to most New Zealand regional and metropolitan newspapers as well as to international newspapers and magazines. The programme will also provide all libraries with electronic access to popular full-text magazines, reference books and other highly-regarded sources. Access to eBook and eAudio collections is being extended to 100,000 school students, including those with print disabilities, at a cost of $0.300 million over the next two years. The previous service was available to just over 10,000 students.
 
A further offer through the fee waiver part of the programme has just been released last week. Between September 1, 2020 and March 31, 2022:
 
  • All New Zealand Libraries (excluding the state sector organisations listed on the NLNZ website) can provide their users with access to the ‘EPIC EBSCO National Package’ – including Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre Plus and MasterFILE Complete
 
  • All New Zealand public libraries can provide their members with access to PressReader

Lewis Brown says:
​

The NZLPP is complex because the Budget 2020 bid had to be developed under the usual rules of confidentiality; only after the announcement could we engage with the library sector to agree the priorities and principles for an equitable programme of work.  While public libraries will receive the major benefit from the Budget announcement the initiative was not only for public libraries. The announcement of the funding had to be followed by discussion with the wider sector to ensure that this public money would be spent effectively and equitably across the areas outlined in the initiative. It includes a strong evaluation focus to demonstrate the value and impact libraries have in the community as well as informing future policy decisions.
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Lewis Brown, NZLPP Programme Director. Photo credit NLNZ
I have diverted a team of staff from other work to manage this complex new programme of support for libraries. They have been fully committed to providing support for public libraries as fast as we can while fulfilling our responsibilities as stewards on behalf of the New Zealand Government. We are updating our webpage on a regular basis. I would encourage you to take a look at our webpage for further information.
​
If you have any questions or concerns, you can check out the Libraries Partnership Programme webpage here or the NZLPP team can be contacted on LibrariesPartner@dia.govt.nz.
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Show Us Your Masks!

3/9/2020

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#ShowUsYourMasks!

Have you been sewing facemasks? Or have you found the perfect library facemask to purchase online like this one pictured top left? Why not #ShowUsYourMasks on social media? Tag us in or use the hashtag.

Are you still looking for the perfect sewing pattern? Helen from the LIANZA Office has tried a couple of patterns so you don't have to - read on for pattern links and hot tips.

The first mask pattern I tried sewing was the Twig + Tale free mask pattern that a friend recommended. The pattern comes in multiple sizes, is simple to sew and fits true to the size as you'd expect. I made a large one for my partner, who has a fairly large head and nose.

He liked the fit and style but found that it fogged up his glasses, which was less than ideal for working on the train. We passed this one on to our university student son, who actually thought it was stylish and does wear it on the bus! For this one, I used an off-cut of denim for the outer layer and part of an old sheet for the inner layer.

​This pattern also has a pocket so you can slip in a piece of chux cloth or paper towel if you want a filter layer. We found that an extra layer made the fog even worse but this shouldn't matter if you don't wear glasses.
Having learned from sewing the first mask I looked around for a simple, no-fog pattern online and hit on a very simple YouTube tutorial that didn't even require a pattern. You just measure a rectangle, fold and sew - simple! I did have to size the pattern up for my partner.

This version (pictured bottom left) does not have a filter pocket but the same YouTuber has now posted a similar tutorial that includes a a filter pocket, using a slightly larger piece of fabric. I have since heard that sewing a button on to the nose bridge of the mask (for your glasses to sit on) also helps further.

The best fabric to use is tightly woven cotton like quilting or craft cotton (like I've used for my mask) but something is better than nothing. You can read what Siouxsie Wiles has to say on the matter here.
What do you do if you don't have a sewing machine and can't get to the shop to buy disposable ones? Never fear - Nanogirl, Dr Michelle Dickinson, can show you how to make a face mask in under 10 seconds. I tried it using a large hanky and two hair ties that were lying around the house and it worked well!

So get sewing, or folding, and take a picture to share on social media using #ShowUsYourMasks (remember to 'smize' (smile with your eyes) - you might inspire others to do the same! The more of us wearing masks the better.

​Watch: Guide to using and storing Covid-19 face masks
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International Day for Universal Access to Information 2020

3/9/2020

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The International Day for Universal Access to Information  is on 28 September, 2020.

Why?

​Informed citizens can make informed decisions, for instance, when going to the polls. Only when citizens know how they are governed, can they hold their governments accountable for their decisions and actions. Information is power. Therefore, universal access to information is a cornerstone of healthy and inclusive knowledge societies.

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Universal access to information means that everyone has the right to seek, receive and impart information. This right is an integral part of the right to freedom of expression. The media plays a crucial role in informing the public about issues of interest, but it relies on the ability to seek and receive information. So, the right to universal access to information is also bound up with the right to freedom of the press.
​
In order to raise awareness of the importance of universal access to information, the UN General Assembly has proclaimed 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information. 

​International days are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity.  More information available here.
​
(Source)

IDUAI 2020 will be focusing on to the right to information in times of crisis and on the advantages of having constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information to save lives, build trust and help the formulation of sustainable policies through and beyond the COVID-19 crisis.

To launch the 2020 International Day for Universal Access to Information and its themes, UNESCO will organize a high-level online panel, “Access of Information – Saving lives, Building Trust, Bringing Hope!,” set to take place online at 2:00 p.m. (CEST) on 28 September. The online panel includes statements from the UNESCO representative and by representatives of the Liberian and Uzbek governments  followed by an Open Talks session.
More information available here.

IFLA outlines the role of libraries in this initiative saying:
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Libraries have often been at the forefront of efforts to promote access to government information.
Parliamentary libraries for example have a key role in supporting scrutiny, and increasingly in informing the public about how decision are made and delivered. Law libraries preserve and give access to works, while public libraries can be spaces not only to access, but also to gain the skills and support needed to make use of information. See the IFLA article on libraries, access to information and democracy for more. Of course, access to information does not only concern government information.
(Source)

News flash!

Check out this local initiative 
Auckland Libraries is delivering a 'Your vote counts' programme from Monday 21st September to Election Day on Saturday 17th October, 2020.  It is focused on supporting communities to participate in the 2020 General Election, particularly those that experience barriers to doing so in a neutral and informative way. They aim to help customers participate and to research their decision, not to tell anyone who to vote for. They say, 'We want to empower our community to take part and hope that through doing so they feel a sense of connectedness and belonging to wider society.' The programme started at Central City Library but is now extended across the network, and has three components.

Library as information hub 
Each library will be a location that can support people to enrol to vote, update their details, and navigate any challenges. There is a clear, concise desk guide that has been created for staff to follow.
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Book a Librarian sessions (designed to be delivered via phone, Zoom, Skype, or in person)
​For people with learning or literacy struggles that may be preventing them from participating. These sessions are also for a general audience to answer any specific questions, research any topics, and help people to make an informed voting decision.


Online Workshops 
A series of digital workshops will introduce attendees to the New Zealand system of government, the voting process, and the referendum questions being asked this year. These workshops are being delivered in multiple languages and with different worldviews/experiences in mind (e.g. Te Ao Māori, sessions for the Rough Sleeping community, Auckland’s Persian community, Pasifika peoples, new migrants, refugee groups). 

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EVALUATION AND IMPACT IN THE LIBRARY SECTOR

2/9/2020

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LIANZA is excited to be offering 40 FREE places in four evaluation workshops and a nine-month community of practice led by Marge Ainsley, a cultural consultant in the UK with specialist expertise in research and evaluation.
​This is an opportunity to gain more confidence and capability in evaluation research and telling the story of New Zealand libraries. This initiative is supported by the NZ Libraries Partnership Programme.

​Libraries collect membership, issues and other data, but may be less confident in collecting evidence and using it to tell the story of their impact. This vital evaluation and impact initiative aims to support your library to work out what exactly needs to be monitored, how to measure what matters and ways to communicate effectively about the impact your library makes in your community. Rather than taking a ‘build it and they will come’ approach, evaluation and research can enable your library to understand the wants, needs and motivations of your users and potential users, and to work out where’s best spend your time and money to grow and support your ‘library audience’.
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Marge Ainsley. Photo credit: Chris Payn.
​We caught up with Marge recently to find out more about her and what she has planned.

LIANZA: Kia ora Marge and thanks for chatting with us. We are really looking forward to working with you over the coming months.

Marge: I'm delighted to be delivering the forthcoming evaluation and impact workshops and community of practice in partnership with LIANZA. ​
LIANZA: Can you tell us about your past work?
​Marge:  Over the last 12 years I've worked with over thirty public libraries here in the UK to support and train them in evaluation and exploratory research. I work as an independent evaluator across the cultural sector too, helping a range of organisations to evidence, learn from and share their findings. ​
I'm not an academic: whilst my work is always rooted in theory, I take a very practical approach to evaluation and don't always stick to the textbook when it comes to designing methods. 
 
Most recently I've been fortunate to be independent evaluator for three large-scale projects: Engaging Libraries 2 - a public engagement project with 14 UK library services funded by Carnegie UK Trust, Wellcome and the Wolfson Foundation; Get it Loud in Libraries (a programme of gigs in libraries across the UK and a young people's learning academy), and Digital Storytellers in Residence - a programme led by Scottish Book Trust with five library services across 
 Scotland, which encourages digital skills learning through storytelling. I'll be sharing experiences from these projects during our time together - plus many more examples from across the cultural sector.
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LIANZA: What can our workshop participants expect?
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Marge: In one of my last training workshops before lockdown, I asked a group of library staff which words they'd use to describe evaluation. The responses included 'stressful, boring, last-on-the-list, numbers, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), confusing, tick box and dull. This wasn't an isolated example. Whether it's lack of time, expertise or simply knowing where to start staff tell me they often struggle with embedding evaluation into their work for various reasons. I'm on a mission to challenge (and hopefully change) the perception of evaluation from something that's often last on the list, to something that can be strategically useful, interesting (for both staff and audiences) and ultimately - fun! 
Over these four workshops and subsequent community of practice I hope that our participants will feel invigorated and enthused by evaluation. I want them to leave confident not only in measuring what matters, but also in being able to share their story more clearly and powerfully. By accessing the workshops, sharing experiences and learning together through the community of practice, we'll create a 'live' test-bed of evaluation planning and delivery that gives you the opportunity to prototype and explore what works for your service, and your users. We need to get better at failing - failing forward and learning from what doesn't work as much as what does. Hopefully this course gives you the permission to do exactly that - in a safe and welcoming space. ​
I'm really looking forward to meeting all our participants and seeing the innovative approaches we can design together! ​

​LIANZA: Thanks Marge, we can't wait!
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FUNDING AND COMMITMENT

​Funding
With the support of the NZ Libraries Partnership Programme, LIANZA will fund all participants to attend four workshops and engage in a nine-month community of practice. This opportunity is offered for two cohorts of 20 professionals from across the library sector. For libraries with small teams, additional funding may be available to provide staff release time.

Commitment
Library managers will be required to indicate their commitment to supporting their participant with release time to engage in the workshops and community of practice, undertake an evaluation project and to share their learning with the library sector.

All applicants are required to send in an application detailing why they wish to attend and to indicate their commitment to engaging in the initiative, including sharing their learning at a LIANZA regional hui whakamahi in September, 2021 and at the LIANZA Conference in November, 2021.

WORKSHOP OUTLINES AND COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
​Four workshops
All workshops will be delivered using Zoom and sessions will be as interactive as possible, including the use of breakout rooms for group tasks where appropriate.

Cohort One: begins Thursday September 24, 2020
Cohort Two: begins Friday October 16, 2020

Check out detailed workshop outlines and ALL dates online.

Community of Practice
A nine-month community of practice will support participants from both cohorts to put their learning into action. The purpose of the community of practice is to test and trial evaluation ideas and activity in a safe space, and to foster shared learning and networking opportunities through regular reflection workshops. Hui will be held by Zoom each month to allow adequate time for piloting and ‘doing’, with check-ins and dialogue with Marge and other participants in-between via online support channel.

Research
This initiative will be evaluated by LIANZA in partnership with Victoria University of Wellington.

APPLICATIONS AND SELECTION

Fill out the Application form linked to below and submit to LIANZA Office by Monday September 14, 2020.

If required, participant selection will be made by a panel, with preference given to LIANZA and Te Rōpū Whakahau members and staff from LIANZA member institutions.
Application Form
We hope many library professionals will take the opportunity to engage in this unique professional opportunity, to focus on making visible the essential role of libraries and to engage with colleagues from across the New Zealand library sector.

If you have any questions about your application, please contact: ana@lianza.org.nz

THREE FUN FACTS ABOUT MARGE


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​Currently reading: 
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The New Wilderness 
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by Diane Cook
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​Favourite city:

​Istanbul



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​Hobbies:
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Music, exhibitions and the outdoors!

​I enjoy walking and running, and am about to take part in my 8th half marathon (the Great North Run, Newcastle-Gateshead) albeit it's virtual!
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​Marge Ainsley is a well-respected cultural consultant in the UK with specialist expertise in research and evaluation. She has 19 years’ experience working within the museums, libraries and archives sector leading evaluation initiatives, sharing skills and fostering innovative ideas through publications such as Public Library News or by disseminating evaluation findings at sector conferences. 

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Māori Language Week 2020

1/9/2020

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Māori Language week has been celebrated each year from 1975.
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Māori Language Day is September 14 and commemorates the presentation of the 1972 Māori language petition to parliament.

Mahuru Māori is an initiative begun in 2017 to promote the use of te reo Māori throughout the month of September.

​What is your library doing to celebrate? Share your story with us before the end of September and be featured in Library Life magazine so we can spread the joy!

​Email: Helen@lianza.org.nz

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​Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori

The chosen theme for 2020 is again 'Kia Kaha te Reo Māori’.

‘Kia Kaha’ is well understood in New Zealand English with its meaning of ‘be strong’. We often talk about languages as if they are people – talking about language health, strength and revitalisation. So when we say ‘Kia Kaha te Reo Māori’ we’re saying  - ‘Let’s make the Māori language strong'.

Strength for an endangered language comes from its status, people being aware of how to support revitalisation, people acquiring and using it and from the language having the right words and terms to be used well for any purpose.

On the Māori Language Week website you can find resources, ideas and reports about revitalisation and its increasing success.

It’s a part of the national promotion of te reo Māori undertaken by Crown agencies and coordinated by the Māori Language Commission as part of the Crown’s Māori language strategy, the Maihi Karauna. This strategy supports the revitalisation strategy of Māori and iwi, led by Te Mātāwai.

Te reo Māori is a taonga of Māori, guaranteed under the Treaty of Waitangi. But the Māori Language Act 2016 also makes clear it is for every New Zealander and a valued part of our national identity.
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Goals of Māori Language Week

  • Create a positive environment for the use of Māori language.
  • Promote Māori language initiatives and events.
  • Encourage non-Māori speaking New Zealanders to use reo Māori.
  • Encourage speakers of Māori to support others who are just starting out.
  • Encourage community, business, government and media organisations to participate.
  • Promote resources to make Māori language more accessible.
  • Contribute to awareness of the Crown Māori Language Strategy and the Māori and iwi strategy that work together for revitalisation.  
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    Libraries Aotearoa

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