Olivia Darroch is the 2021 LIANZA David Wylie Award winner for Open Polytechnic Te Pūkenga. She tells us about her award and library studies.

I’m from Wellington and I currently work in a government department library. I became a library assistant at Porirua City Libraries straight out of high school, with a love of reading but no plans to become a librarian. However, I found I really enjoyed being a part of the behind-the-scenes work in libraries.

Desiree Flaws was my manager at Porirua City Libraries when I started, and she was the person who really encouraged me to start my diploma. I definitely wouldn’t still be working in this sector 10 years later if she hadn’t set me up on this path and been a continual supporter of my development the whole time I worked there.


Can you tell us about the qualification and what you enjoyed ?

I’m working towards a Bachelor of Library and Information Studies through the Open Polytechnic. I’ve still got a couple of papers to complete but I’m hoping to finish in 2023. I’ve always liked how the Open Polytechnic courses have a good blend of both theory and practice. I’ve found the overall structure of the courses has worked well for me with my learning style and I appreciate that the assignments are typically geared toward practical scenarios.

As someone who’s been working while studying, it’s been interesting to see how those two different paths of learning have coalesced. It’s been so helpful for me to have that real-world context for what I’m learning through academic study, and to be able to put it into practice.

What are your plans for the future?

At the moment I’m focused on finishing my degree. I really enjoy the work I’m doing at the moment, and I hope to stay in special libraries going forward. I love the diversity of the work I get to do as part of such a small team, and I enjoy having the opportunity to be involved in all the different areas of work that keep the library running.

Do you have a view on how new graduates can be supported by the sector? If so can you share it with us?

I probably don’t have the most relevant perspective on this issue as I’ve worked in libraries for the whole time I’ve been studying. I think mentorship opportunities would be a great way to support new graduates into the workforce. I think that having support from people who understand the industry and are happy to just answer questions would be incredibly valuable to new graduates as they transition into the workforce – even if this is as simple as CV development and interview preparation.

Nicole is a librarian at Thames-Coromandel District Libraries. This year she was awarded the Helen Zwartz Scholarship, which provides funding for librarians or staff working in a public library in one of New Zealand’s smaller communities or Māori and Pacific communities, to undertake a week-long residency at Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa National Library of New Zealand. Te Rau Ora talked to Nicole about her residency.
 
Nicole has been at Thames Library, on the Coromandel Peninsula, for the past six years. She started her career elsewhere in the GLAMMIR sector, following her interest in New Zealand history into several different roles in community archives and museums. Nicole says she applied for the Helen Zwartz Scholarship because she has reached a point in her career where she wants to go out, learn from the best, and bring back new ideas to benefit her team. 
 
Nicole considers herself a jack-of-all-trades at the library and has been able to develop into their local history resource expert, hone her customer service skills, and shape their ‘voice’ in online communication with the public. Te Rau Ora Library Life has been the lucky recipient of Nicole’s history research skills as she is a key contributor to our History Corner column.
 
Over a week in November, she visited Whanganui a Tara to learn more about the services at National Library, and how she could make use of what she learned in the Coromandel. Nicole had a great week. One highlight was going down into the basement and seeing the scale and breadth of the collection and learning about the way the books are stored and what was held there.
 
“I saw one rare book, Aurora Australis, in the Alexander Turnbull Library collection that had been published in Antarctica in 1908 by Ernest Shackleton and the British Antarctic Expedition team. They had learned how to print and produce books before the expedition so they would have a hobby when they were down there. They used what they had on hand – so the cover is made from an old bean box packet and the images were lithographs and etchings they’d done, and stories from their time there.”
 
She describes herself as a massive fan of Papers Past and the inter-library loan network. She learned a lot from her session with the Papers Past team, learning more about what was being digitised and becoming more accessible. Nicole was pleased to learn about the Kōtui training and how her team could make better use of Kōtui. “There are more resources on Kōtui than we knew about and I can help my team get more out of this shared service.”
 
Nicole also had the chance to learn from Wellington City Libraries and was impressed by her visit to the Newtown Library, their multi-lingual collection, and how they showcased their multi-lingual children’s picture books. “Thames has a big hospital with a lot of migrant shift workers, and it really got me thinking about what we could be doing to reach out to this group in our community.”
 
Nicole said one of her highlights was meeting David Zwartz and the rest of Helen Zwartz’s whānau.

​Although statistics show that Aotearoa New Zealand is a very connected society – the World Internet Project states that 94% of our population are internet users – we know that inequalities in access to and use of digital technologies remain. Factors such as race, gender, education, and age can impact the extent to which people engage with digital technologies and, for disadvantaged groups, this can mean that they become further excluded, unable to fully engage and participate in society as more and more government and commercial services move online. Governments around the world realise that steps need to be taken to address inequalities in engagement with digital technologies within their populations and have established strategies and initiatives to try to support more people’s digital engagement.
 
THE DIGITAL PARTICIPATION LAB
At the Digital Participation Lab, our current work in this research space includes a project funded by InternetNZ exploring the sustainability of digital inclusion activities because while there have been evaluations of digital inclusion programmes and initiatives, the longer-term impact on individuals and communities is more difficult to identify. For this research, we are focusing on three initiatives in partnership with the DIAA: Skinny Jump; Better Digital Futures; and the Ministry of Education’s COVID-19 student access initiative. The first two of these have a link with public libraries which are key partners in Skinny Jump, helping people get connected with low-cost pre-pay broadband, and they also host ‘Better Digital Futures’ sessions to build seniors’ skills and confidence with digital devices and the internet. For Skinny Jump, we surveyed 8,000 people who had signed up for the service between March and December 2020 and we had 508 responses. The service was popular ​with our participants: 93% of those who had registered in 2020 still used it and the vast majority used it every day. Asked what they used their internet connection for, responses focused on paying bills, connecting with family and loved ones, and accessing government services online. Our results indicate that the internet connection available through Skinny Jump supports people in a range of important day-to-day activities, enhancing their quality of life and providing more convenient and flexible ways to access financial and other services. 

​Looking at the survey’s open-text responses, we identified three core themes of access, affordability, and activity. Comments around access focused on ideas about access to the internet generally and what it means for people, with comments mentioning how it was “a life support” and “a human right”. Affordability was probably mentioned the most with the cost-effectiveness of the Skinny Jump model highlighted by many. One participant mentioned how Skinny Jump had “lifted a weight” off their shoulders and allowed them to manage the costs of connection more effectively. Finally, comments related to activity traced how people used the internet and the idea of connections featured strongly here – keeping and building them - especially during the pandemic. Comments about using the internet for jobs and job seeking and for education and learning were also common.
 
HELP FROM SKINNY JUMP PARTNERS
About half of the respondents had received help from a Skinny Jump partner, a majority of which (62%) are libraries. The role that library staff play in supporting people’s access and connectivity is an important one, brokering the interaction between people and technology to support digital inclusion within communities.
 
Some other research by the Digital Participation Lab indicates that library staff are keen to extend their own digital skills to support digital inclusion activities and programmes more effectively. The ‘Digital Wellbeing for All’ training, another DIAA programme, aims to build library staff capacity to deliver digital literacy support within communities, aimed at adults and particularly senior learners. Our evaluation of the programme found high levels of library staff confidence in digital skills before the training began which increased over the life of the programme. During times of stress and change caused by the pandemic lockdowns, the training provided tools, resources and networking for participants. While many of the participants’ libraries were already offering services like Skinny Jump, the workshop content offered “a good refresher”. For other library staff, the training provided insights into working with adult learners, although this remained a little intimidating for some. Nevertheless, our evaluation showed that staff who participated in the training experienced a rise in confidence in their abilities and a wider appreciation of how what they had learnt would support their work in the library. There was a keen sense that the training would be beneficial in communities as it related directly to library staff roles in supporting digital skills, and it helped them as individuals through upskilling and developing their confidence with a wider range of digital technologies and services. 

​ASSISTING LIBRARY USERS WITH DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT
Assisting library users with their digital engagement needs is now an accepted part of the job for public library staff and business-as-usual for public libraries. The diverse nature of public library customers and their need for digital support means that library staff must be adaptable, flexible and willing to continue their own learning to ensure that they can provide appropriate support within communities. While the ‘Digital Wellbeing for All’ programme aimed to support library staff in providing small group classes within libraries, our research shows that people often have very specific queries that require one-to-one support. This can be challenging for libraries to provide, given their resourcing. A “one-size-fits-all” method for supporting digital engagement is cost-efficient and can be effective, as the success of Skinny Jump shows. A more nuanced approach may be necessary to help develop digital skills within the community, though, and to support people’s access to and use of digital technologies and the internet on their own terms.

​Anne Goulding is Professor of Library and Information Management at Te Herengag Waka Victoria University of Wellington. Her research focuses on the management of library and information services including how libraries support digital engagement within communities. She is a member of the Digital Participation Lab based in the School of Information Management which undertakes research on digital resilience, digital sustainability, digital inclusion, and the use of technology to improve services. 

Te Rau Herenga o Aotearoa LIANZA President, Kim Taunga, recently attended a five-day IFLA Asia Oceania Regional Workshop and Pacific Libraries meeting at the National Library of Thailand in Bangkok.

The IFLA 2022-23 presidential theme or call to action is Libraries: Building a Sustainable Future. The IFLA Asia Oceania regional workshop focused on building a stronger and more sustainable library field and the kaupapa was to stimulate action at the local, national and regional level. 

There were more than 50 delegates from 28 countries representing several types of libraries at the Bangkok workshop. Kim made some good connections particularly with the president and vice-president of PIALA Erlinda Naputi and Roland San Nicolas PIALA Pacific Islands Association of Libraries, Archives, and Museums and with colleagues from Vanuatu, Fiji, Singapore, Australia, Mongolia, Nepal, India, Malaysia, Phillippines, Cambodia and Bangladesh.

Claire McGuire from IFLA reported back from COP27 in Egypt, with interesting feedback in relation to libraries. You can view her COP27 presentation on accelerating climate empowerment by partnering with the cultural sector.

Regional delegates also attended a seminar at the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations, on the role of the library and information sector in achieving UN goals in the Asia-Oceania region.  Clare Thorpe, Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) vice president spoke about ALIA’s stretch Sustainable Development (SDG) targets for the sector to achieve by 2030. The American Library Association (ALA) has a SDG taskforce led by Loida Garcia-Febo, ALA past-president.

Next week, two librarians from the Pacific Libraries Network will be panellists at  DevNet 2022 in Auckland. LIANZA President-elect Richard Misilei is speaking on the panel and Winston Roberts, IFLA Asia-Oceania regional chair is supporting the event. Kim and Richy are looking forward to hosting our Pacific visitors and continuing conversations on the SDGs and libraries. 

At the IFLA Asia Oceania Regional Workshop, delegates also discussed how countries in the region are represented on the Library Map of the World, which includes SDG library stories. 
 
LIANZA has been active in promoting the SGDs with articles and submitted library SDG stories to NZ's Voluntary Review 2019. The association was represented at the SDG Summit in 2019 at the University of Auckland. In early 2021 over 300 people attended a webinar on libraries and the SDGs co-hosted by IFLA and LIANZA. This webinar included an address by Loida Garcia-Febo and five speakers from the region, including LIANZA past president Paula Eskett, shared stories, successes and challenges. Paula led an SDG workshop at LIANZA 2021 Conference and continues to support and advocate for the SDG work and connections to libraries.  LIANZA also supported the collation and publishing of SDG Stories from Asia and Oceania booklet in December 2021 and recently shared learning about climate action from the IFLA WLIC 2022.

A meeting is planned in February to discuss how LIANZA may support the IFLA Library Map of the World. Committing further resource to this initiative will be considered by LIANZA Council as part of finalising the association's strategic plan in 2023.

The SDGs will also be discussed at the LIANZA Forum on climate action next week, which aims to begin a conversation about the role of libraries and the climate crisis.

Resources
Presentations from the event are available from the IFLA repository. 
Photos from the event are available from IFLA’s Flickr stream.
Read more about the workshop on IFLA news site. 

How do we keep the momentum going? This was the question asked by Te Pouhuaki Rachel Esson at the Sustainable Libraries Symposium in Wellington on November 14 An inspiring event, the symposium presented project work developed through New Zealand Libraries Partnership Programme (NZLPP) $58.8 million COVID recovery package to support libraries. This included the Data, Research and Evidence Strategy, the Workforce Capability Framework, strategic partnership grants, and Whiria te Tāngata. Feedback from the evaluation of the NZLPP was also provided.

EVALUATION OF THE NZLPP PROJECT
In January 2022, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa National Library of New Zealand asked Martin Jenkins to evaluate the short-term outcomes of the New Zealand Libraries Partnership Programme (NZLPP), to help it understand the NZLPP’s impact on the library sector and communities across Aotearoa. The evaluation included interviewing key stakeholders, surveying library managers and secondees, with visits to three libraries.

Matthew Fanselow from MartinJenkins explained the outcomes of the NZLPP identified through their evaluation. Three areas of NZLPP were evaluated: the secondee project, fee waivers and free public internet. The evaluation identified that the NZLPP has provided considerable benefits to library users and communities.
The secondee project aimed to expose non-library staff to the library sector and to provide professional development and upskilling for the library workforce. More than 200 secondees took part, bringing a diverse range of experience and technical skills to the library sector, including Māori liaison and engagement, archiving, digital learning, community engagement and outreach, learning and discovery, and youth engagement.
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There was very little negative feedback with 95% of those surveyed agreeing that there were positive outcomes.  The secondee project was one of the most positive response areas, while the fee waiver gave a much-needed boost to libraries. The most far-reaching outcome of the NZLPP was the impact on the workforce of secondees, expanding the range of perspectives and skills in the sector from te reo Māori to digital inclusion. Although many have moved on, over half of secondees indicated their desire to stay in the sector. MartinJenkins reported that more than half of the library managers interviewed (60%) said they would be able to retain secondees beyond the end of the NZLPP. Many managers were able to use the success of the NZLPP to convince their council to let them retain the additional staff, or to recruit to fill the secondee’s role if the secondee did not stay on at the library.
 Read the evaluation here.
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DATA, RESEARCH AND EVIDENCE (DRE) STRATEGY

Fiona Scott Melton from Allen and Clark provided an overview on the Data, Research and Evidence (DRE) Strategy developed for the NZLPP as a resource for libraries and information services. The resources in the Data, Research and Evidence (DRE) Strategy aim to help library staff effectively collect, analyse and use data to tell the library’s story and plan for their library.
 “These tools are designed to help realise the benefits having data and evidence can have to future-proof libraries in Aotearoa,” said Fiona.
The strategy is based on a maturity model and increasing capability across the sector. It recognises that there is no level playing field and that each library will be at a different level in its ability to collect and evaluate data and tell the story of that research. The aim is for all libraries within Aotearoa to have reached a basic DRE maturity level or where possible a defined maturity level in the next five years. The DRE acknowledges the growing recognition of the need to embed Te Ao Māori perspectives and Kaupapa Māori into library services. This requires a fundamental change in approach, such as libraries co-designing future services.
This strategic framework sets out the future direction for data, research, and evidence in the library sector through:

• a vision, to set direction
• a set of four values, driven by Te Tiriti o Waitangi, to guide behaviour
• four focus areas, to direct effort.

These elements are interconnected, and the interpretation of each element should be considered in the context of the entire framework, represented by the image to the left.

​​Individual libraries can assess their capability using the DRE Maturity Model in the tools available online below. Based on this assessment, they can decide the next steps to improve their capability.
Find the Data, Evaluation and Research Tools here.

TE TŌTARA WORKFORCE CAPABILITY FRAMEWORK

Another significant strand of the NZLPP programme is Te Tōtara, a workforce capability framework to strengthen a diverse workforce for the long-term sustainability of the library and information sector. A hybrid holistic model was created as a practical tool for reflection and development. Guided by Kaupapa Māori, cross-referenced with best practices, and adaptable to suit the many different library and information sector roles, the framework helps individuals, teams and managers think about their current level of knowledge, skills and behaviours, and to identify areas for growth.
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The model is based on Te Tōtara tree as shown in the image below.  

The framework is currently being tested by the Kāpiti Libraries who have shaped it to their particular context, namely providing a shorter document more digestible for thetheir library team. Kāpiti Libraries Manager, Ian Littleworth says “I’m excited to work on this framework. But it’s a big shift for staff – it’s going to take a whole heap of time, but if done right it will be an awesome tool”.
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The detailed framework, implementation plan, module, and workbook can be found here Library sector workforce capability framework project | National Library of New Zealand (natlib.govt.nz). 

WHIRIA TE TĀNGATA – SUSTAINABILITY MAHI

The aim of Whiria Te Tāngata  is to further the mahi of the projects commissioned by the NZLPP building on the capability and skills of the sector and using an ‘action-learning’ approach to: 

• explore a cross-sector partnership model that focuses beyond the sector   
• address the enablers for communication and collaboration    
• and implement the data research and evidence strategy and workforce capability framework.

An eight-month learning and development opportunity for 12 library and information sustainability champions (kākaho) is central to this mahi. This is an opportunity for the kākaho to grow their networking, collective impact, and strategic leadership skills through both online learning and face-to-face noho marae.
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With the support of their workplace, kākaho will apply practical skills to areas such as Mātauranga Māori, the workforce capability framework, supporting the implementation of the sector data, research and evidence strategy, collaboration in workforce development, and establishing the foundation for a sector-wide collaborative model.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THIS MAHI
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Participants identified that funding clearly works, noting the significant amount of new sector projects and partnerships developed through NZLPP grants as examples of what can get done when funding is available. To keep building on these relationships and keep the work going, participants were keen to find ways to leverage this work for a wider impact in the sector. LIANZA, NZLPP and other sector groups will explore how we can do this through articles and events in 2023.

In addition to the NZLPP projects already mentioned, NZLPP strategic partnership grants were made available to sector organisations and partnerships, resulting in a number of new and extended projects in the sector.

TE RŌPŪ WHAKAHAU MĀTAURANGA -TE TAKARANGI KI TE AO is an acknowledgement and celebration of Māori-led scholarship across time and genres. Bringing together 150 non-fiction publications, this collection provides an overview of some of the most important Māori leaders, thinkers and authors of our time. The NZLPP grant enabled the project group to take the publications out to marae and communities. Te Takarangi starter kits will be released later 2022.

TE RŌPŪ WHAKAHAU - MATURANGA MĀORI PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT is an n interactive workshop designed to provide a targeted development opportunity for information professionals, this was to be two days on a marae but changed to virtual with the COVID environment. Care packages were sent out to online participants to acknowledge a marae Kaupapa.  
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SLANZA – A BIT SUS is a pilot training programme for school librarians to develop knowledge and resources to support youth to counter misinformation. SLANZA worked in partnership with Tohatoha to train 15 school librarians. The use of an online ‘escape room’ activity was negotiated with the University of Washington. Due to the success of the first cohort additional funding was provided for an extra 23 school librarians to take part in the training.

LIANZA/SLANZA TERTIARY GRANTS – both associations originally put in similar bids to provide grants for tertiary qualifications, so were encouraged to combine forces to develop a co-governance model. The project aims to upskill the current workforce with library and information tertiary qualifications; attract new people to achieve tertiary library and information qualifications and gain employment in the library and information sector; and ensure the workforce is qualified and future-ready to demonstrate the value and impact of library and information services.
Foundations set early on, such as bringing on a project manager had many benefits. The operating model chosen resulted in Perpetual Guardian acting as grant administrators.  There were 51 applications in March and 36 grants were made. In the second grant round in October, 48 applications were received. . Grant rounds will be held in October every year. However, tuition grants and support for additional study costs are only one part of the puzzle – it needs more people involved to get the message out about working in the library and information sector.

TAITUARĀ AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES NZ – LIBRARIES CO-CRE8 WELL-BEING PROJECT.
This strategic project capitalises on existing assets: PLNZ’s 10 years of public library statistics and Taituarā’s web dashboards to demonstrate how public libraries contribute to the local government four wellbeings.  A library of best practice was set up through the Co-Cre8 team site. An Ask an Expert webinar series was provided, and surveys were set up to gather qualitative data. This is a series of dashboards that council and public libraries can use to provide evidence about on economic, social, environmental, and cultural well-being. Data gathering is based on verbatim coding. A report on the data gathered will be available towards end of 2022.
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HE KUPENGA HOROPOUNAMU -A programme of work to inform and change libraries practice and service design to achieve better outcomes for Māori communities through taking a kaupapa Māori approach, improving whānau well-being, and increasing confidence in using library services to support success in education. The governance of this project was shared by CONZUL, National Library of New Zealand, Auckland Council Libraries and University of Canterbury. Some of the early findings were that relationships with mana whenua are key; the need for better access to research and heritage collections - aligned to school curriculum; provision of Manaakitanga spaces; heritage and taonga need to be more visible and available; more Te Reo and Te Ao Māori capability in libraries; and the creation of career pathways in libraries.
 
PŪTOI RITO COMMUNITIES OF READERS PHASE 2 – Supporting the National Library’s He Pā Rito strategic direction to grow a nation of readers by extending the project into phase 2. Phase 2 is still in progress and covers South Dunedin, Canterbury, and is proposed for Dargaville and Waikato. Pūtoi Rito Phase 1 demonstrated that reading is both an individual pursuit and a social activity that can be stimulated, influenced, inspired and actively enabled by others. Phase 2 saw the project increasing community, mana whenua and schools’ engagement, and expanding locations for books in support services and information sessions for social workers and carers.
 
This project shows that the more communities surrounding tamariki and rangatahi understand their influence in creating young readers and the potential impact of reading for pleasure, the more effective they are in encouraging and supporting reading.
 
There were several other projects funded through the NZLPP, only the ones presented at the Sustainability Forum were included in this article. Read more here.