It’s not just about books, it’s about people, actual people, pushing the kaupapa”
Reading is both an individual passion and a social activity that can be influenced, inspired and actively enabled by others. Whānau, peers, teachers, librarians, and community have huge influence as role models and facilitators, through talking about books they have read, telling stories, sharing their own interest and joy in reading, reading aloud with their whānau of all ages, providing access to great books and being seen reading themselves.

We know there are many factors that can affect reading engagement but the more that 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.
​
This is the central finding from phase 1 of the National Library’s Pūtoi Rito Communities of Readers initiative and reinforces proven good practice and research findings from across the world. While there is an extensive body of international research on the value of reading for pleasure and wellbeing, there is much less that is based within Aotearoa New Zealand settings. With this programme we are generating local research and insights and exploring how to build reading engagement effectively and sustainably in a New Zealand context. 

GROWING A NATION OF READERS IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND
​
“A love of reading can be more important for a child’s educational success than their family’s socio-economic background” (Dept Education UK, 2012, p 3 sourced from Kirsch et al, 2002, p 3).

Voluntary engagement with reading – reading for pleasure, relaxation, and enjoyment – has proven lifelong benefits. These include improving literacy, knowledge, academic attainment, and cultural understanding. Reading for pleasure provides a foundation for developing other literacy skills including digital and critical literacies, crucial for participation in today’s complex information landscape. Reading also supports identity, personal and social development, empathy, and wellbeing.

However, young people’s levels of literacy and reading for pleasure are in steady decline (Hood & Hughson, 2022; McNaughton, 2020) and as COVID constraints ease, the impact of the last two years is expected to show deepening inequities for young people. The Ministry of Education launched the Literacy and Maths Communications Strategy in March 2022 including an action focus area to consolidate a partnership with National Library Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa to extend literacy engagement opportunities. Across the education and related sectors, there is increasing recognition of the role of reading for pleasure in supporting literacy development and wellbeing. 
​
Reading – growing a nation of readers – is one of three themes in the National Library’s Turning Knowledge into Value, Strategic Directions to 2030. Alongside Pūtoi Rito, National Library and partners have established Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador initiative to inspire powerful and positive reading experiences for tamariki, rangatahi, whānau, and communities. Ben Brown, writer and storyteller, is the first Te Awhi Rito and a national advocate and champion for reading.

​LOCAL AND NATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
Pūtoi Rito is a series of collective impact partnership projects, led by National Library and funded by Te Puna Foundation, that aim to influence and strengthen the conditions that lead to the development of a culture of reading. Each project is in different school and community settings across Aotearoa, with local and national partners including schools, Mana Whenua, Ministry of Education, Oranga Tamariki and many others. In every project, the National Library is collaborating with public libraries and/or school libraries, working together to have the greatest impact.
 
In Phase One, 2019-2021, there were two projects centred in schools (with five primary schools in a Kāhui Ako in West Auckland, and with Huntly Secondary College) and two community projects (with the South Dunedin community and supporting young people in care in the Canterbury region). Research by external professional researchers was a key part of each project, and the initiative included an international and national literature review, and the development of resources, tools and frameworks for teachers and librarians to support their professional practice. Phase One has also stimulated a growing interest and further research in this area.
​
INSIGHTS FOR LIBRARIES
The insights from Phase One have been brought together in the Pūtoi Rito Communities of Readers Phase One Summary and Insights report, incorporating the research findings and additional feedback and reflections from partners, collaborators, and staff.

There are insights that relate directly to creating a culture of reading in schools and others that are about engaging with a wider community, such as developing community champions and making reading visible for whānau in many places outside the library and the classroom. There are some conditions, however, that encourage tamariki and rangatahi to read for pleasure in any setting and many of these are directly within the influence of libraries.
As well as the central finding about the huge importance of the community surrounding tamariki and rangatahi as role models and enablers, Pūtoi Rito Phase One demonstrated:

• The deepest engagement with stories and reading often occurs with books in home languages and ‘heart languages’. There is high demand for books that connect to place, culture and identity, particularly books in Te Reo Māori or with a Te Ao Māori context, and in the diverse languages of Aotearoa.
• Tamariki and rangatahi need choice in what they read and the freedom and support to pursue their own interests. They need opportunities to grow their understanding of others as well as themselves. They need ‘windows and mirrors’ that reflect their own identity and open doors to other worlds and possibilities.
• Books should be plentiful, high-quality, visible in many places, and easily accessible. The combination of high appeal, good quality, variety, and accessibility without barriers, leads to the books being valued and appreciated.
• Expert selection, consultation, curation, and reading suggestions based on a wide knowledge of the literature for tamariki and rangatahi, and the people in the community, are highly valued and appreciated.
• Leadership and shared purpose are required in a local context to bring communities together to create an environment where reading for pleasure is supported, celebrated, prioritised and encouraged. Engagement with reading cannot be left to chance. Libraries, as trusted places of equity and community connections, can contribute to leading and building this shared purpose.

In Phase Two of Pūtoi Rito, the community projects in Dunedin and Canterbury are continuing. We are deepening the engagement with these communities, focusing on sustainability and extending the research components. We are also exploring options for new projects to be initiated later in 2022.

Throughout Pūtoi Rito, we are aiming for the engagement with communities to be collaborative, generous and joyful, creating good associations with reading and encouraging a strengths-based approach.

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see all the adults in their lives support this ambition, with their school, homes, aunts, caregivers, whānau – all the adults in their lives – supporting a love of reading and providing access to books.” Pūtoi Rito Community Project Partner


Elizabeth Jones, Director Literacy and Learning, National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa
Kate Irvine, Programme Manager, National Reading Initiatives, National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa
 
REFERENCES
Hood N. & Hughson T. (2022). Now I don’t know my ABC, The perilous state of literacy in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Education Hub
McNaughton, S. (2020). The Literacy Landscape in Aotearoa New Zealand. Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor
Kirsch I, de Jong J, LaFontaine D, McQueen J, Mendelovits  J, Monseur J (2002) Reading for Change Performance and Engagement Across Countries - Results From PISA 2000, OECD. Accessed in Research evidence on reading for pleasure, Dept of Education, UK, (2012)

The Asia Foundation is behind an innovative book collection for Fijian children on oceans and inclusive climate action, translated into Fiji’s three main languages: iTaukei, Fiji Hindi and English.
Although English is Fiji’s official language due to the country’s colonial past, the two main ethnic groups in Fiji speak their own languages and Fiji struggles to incorporate these into the country’s education system. Literacy rates have also been on the decline in recent years. One goal of this project is to reverse this trend.
 
Developed during a BookLab held in Fiji, six writers and four illustrators collaborated to write and illustrate the 10 new storybooks geared toward six to nine-year-olds. The authors gave thought to their prospective readers: how to make a child laugh, what words to use and how to use them, and the importance of illustrations.
 
The books encourage the children to act on climate change and to be curious about marine life and environments.
 
The main characters in the books range from a disposable mask (in reference to COVID times) and its adventures in the ocean, illustrating how trash travels; to a young boy encouraging his grandfather to move to a new house to escape sea-level rise, in a story called Sea Change.

​
The Asia Foundation is interested in stimulating children’s literacy ecosystem to encourage children’s reading, engage publishers by providing licenses to sell specific books, and give creatives a platform where they have not had that opportunity before. By writing relatable characters, themes, and settings that reflect and affirm children’s lives in the Pacific, where many kids can’t see themselves in the books they are reading, they hope more Fijian children will experience the joy of reading.
 
“The new books both celebrate this oceanic world and warn of the threat posed by severe climate events, like powerful storms and flooding which Fijians are increasingly familiar with,” says Milika Sobey the Asia Foundation’s programme manager in the Pacific.
 
“To see their own lives reflected in these books and to read them in their mother tongues is part of being culturally visible in a world where people from small island states often feel invisible. All of us in the BookLab hope that these 10 original stories, in the three main languages of Fiji, will awaken a passion for reading in primary school children and perhaps give birth to a new generation of writers and illustrators who will tell their nation’s tales.”
 
The books were printed and launched in July and distributed to the 700-odd primary schools and libraries in Fiji. The Oceans and Climate Action book collection is also available to download and print.
More recently, The Asia Foundation has finished a second book creation exercise, focused on human rights and people with disabilities. These five books normalize the representation of children of varying abilities and emphasize their capabilities. Written with guidance from people with disabilities, the books will also be translated into Pacific languages and published in Fiji.
​
All these are part of The Asia Foundation’s Let’s Read initiative which helps children of all backgrounds develop the reading and critical thinking skills needed to reach their full potential, setting them up for better employment opportunities in a rapidly changing economy and preparing them to play a positive role in their communities and countries. Let’s Read encourages families to embrace reading with impactful, community-based reading opportunities and thousands of free, high-quality storybooks, available on their Let’s Read digital library at www.letsreadasia.org.
Contact info@letsreadasia.org for more publishing and printing information.
​

​In response to the recent discussion on NZlibs, LIANZA has worked with Paddy Plunket and Rowena Cullen to send a letter to Minister David Clark and write a press release.

Here is the letter, and the media release was sent as below:

Information professionals want changes to the Data and Statistics Bill
Library and information professionals are calling on the government to make changes to the Data and Statistics Bill, currently with parliament.

“As information professionals we are interested in how information is gathered and used,” says Paddy Plunket, information specialist on behalf of LIANZA Te Rau Herenga o Aotearoa. “This bill does not have enough checks and balances to reassure us that New Zealand’s data and statistics are sufficiently protected.”

LIANZA, Te Rau Herenga o Aotearoa, is the Library and Information Association of New Zealand. We are the voice for professionals and institutions working across the whole library and information sector, representing 195 institutions and 1,125 library and information professionals.

LIANZA has called on Minister David Clark to amend the bill as it dangerously conflates two separate types of government data: official statistics, and unspecified data gathered as a result of government agency activity.
“Vesting oversight of access to this second category of data solely in the hands of the Government Statistician, or with any government official (or contractor) they delegate their powers to, without ethical oversight introduces considerable risk,” says Paddy Plunket.

LIANZA has asked the Minister to make the following revisions: Remove part 5 which creates the unsafe regime for accessing government data for ‘research’ purposes. And remove the powers to gather data for ‘research’ covered in Part 3 subpart 3.

This will provide a bill that updates the current regime for official statistics. Then work could begin on creating an exposure draft of a bill to govern the gathering and access of data for research purposes.

In 1976, in considering the Wanganui Computer Centre Bill, Parliament recognised the danger of intersecting data collections and required there to be a policy committee to provide oversight and governance of the computer centre. The committee was to consist of Government agency CEOs as well as external representation from the New Zealand Law Society and the New Zealand Computer Society.

“It appears that New Zealand has gone backwards in understanding and mitigating risks of access to this kind of data at a time when other governments have moved forward.”

LIANZA urges you to look to the Australian Data Availability and Transparency Act 2022 for an approach to data oversight. This Act creates a commission and advisory board to look at applications to use government data for research. We suggest that this could be an appropriate approach in New Zealand.

 

​"I love this photo (below) taken at IFLA in Athens (August 2019) at the Australian Embassy we are with the German Library Association president and Sabine was so enthusiastic talking to her about IFLA and promoting New Zealand for WLIC 2020. She really was the most energetic and positive person - fun, hardworking, and great to spend time with. A great advocate for Aotearoa and for libraries we will miss her enormously."

Rachel Esson, National Librarian Te Pouhuaki 

Things I adore about Bine:
 
a loving heart and gusto for life
fiercely protective, loyal and creative
always putting others first
gifts from Bine randomly turning up in the post
always with a just-perfect, thoughtful message
spookily just when you needed a reminder
that you are loved
an adventurous spirit
riding motorbikes - fast
loving her animals more than
many people
never ever suffering fools
forthright
original and alternative thinker
finally, a deep and abiding love for libraries
and many of the people she met
globally through her work – her community 
we love her back
 
Ngā manaakitanga 
Kim Tairi
 

​"Sabine and I were last able to meet in Athens, during WLIC 2018, where Sabine contributed actively and effectively to the work of our Professional Unit Library Services to Multi- cultural populations. Athens was busy and very hot yet Sabine was always cool, enthusiastic and extremely generous in sharing her knowledge and time. A dedicated, honest and caring soul. Sabine is deeply missed on both a personal and professional level. Thank you Sabine. "
 
Best wishes
Adjoa K. Boateng
IFLA PC Chair

​"I believe I met Sabine first on Twitter around 2009 or 2010 then in-person at the LIANZA conference 2011 in Wellington. She was a vibrant personality that shone brightly with enthusiasm and I was happy to be in the company of this hippy free spirited German woman. When a small handful of librarians on Twitter between NZ and Australia were pregnant around the same time in late 2011, someone (I think it may have been Penny Dugmore) suggested a secret stork project, posting a notsosecret personal gift to the expecting parent.
 
I received a number of memorable thoughtful gifts but the one that sticks out of course is what I received from Sabine.
 Sabine sent me a personally hand-made carved white bone necklace for my baby. She also posted two large banana boxes full of baby things: glass baby bottles, German-made onesies, cloth nappies; a bunch of baby things with German origin. She included a note saying that motherhood hadn't been in the cards for her, so she was gifting these boxes that had been in storage for years, on to me.
 
This act showed me how immensely thoughtful Sabine is and how unique that thoughtfulness truly is to her. 
 
A vibrant woman always remembered, and never forgotten. I will miss you Sabine."
​Hana Whaanga
 
------

"I can’t even remember when I first met Sabine – she seems to have been ever-present as a powerful, positive dynamo, from time immemorial.
I do remember seeking her out when my whānau and I were travelling in the Bay of Islands and Far North, in late 2020 – but I’m sure we’d met in person at various LIANZA Conferences or forums before then.  That time, Sabine made a special effort to come see me at Paihia, while I was lushing about in holiday mode.  We discussed our love of the world at large (and New Zealand’s Far North in particular), travelling, meeting people, animals, essential oils, creative pursuits, not to mention the state of the library sector, what drives us and how/where we wanted to make a difference. 
I was left, as seemed to be the case after any interaction with the beautiful Bine, feeling inspired and engaged. Sabine herself promptly set off to do two things – she took me for a tour of the jewel that is the Paihia Library and issued a swag of pony books in her name for my daughter to read while we stayed there (we’d ended up bereft of reading matter).  And she handcrafted two beautiful glass-fused necklaces for my daughter and me, made lovingly with our favourite colours.   
I, and many others, have been so inspired by Sabine’s courage and humility as she faced her indescribably tough journey over recent months.  And while her passing has left such a massive gap in our hearts and in our lives, the legacy she leaves us is timeless and will inspire and energise through the ages. 
Arohanui to her “rock” JB, her whānau and all her friends."
Kat Cuttriss
 

Sabine was a ray of sunshine within libraries Aotearoa, and increasingly internationally as well.  
 
We got to know each other at the inaugural LIANZA Kōtuku leadership course in 2016.  One of the outcomes of that course was a mentorship program, and thankfully a very wise person paired the two of us.  A mentor/mentee relationship can be a powerful thing for both individuals and their respective communities, especially when both parties want to do their very best for each other: “nau te rourou, naku te rourou, ka ora te manuhiri” (with your food basket, and my food basket, the people will thrive).  Sabine always gave so much to her communities and during this time I watched her learn, grow, and thrive.
 
The Sabine I knew was keen to improve herself and the places she worked, while also encouraging others to do the same — whether it was in the Far North District Council library network, or her contribution to various boards.  For example, she was a member of LIANZA Hikuwai Committee, a Regional Ambassador for the National Digital Forum in New Zealand, and in 2021 she was elected to the 20 member IFLA Regional Division Committee for Asia-Oceania (which I was very proud to nominate her for). 
 
Two weeks ago I attended the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Dublin and it was incredibly heart-warming to hear so much aroha for Sabine. It was clear that she was a great inspiration to many people, partly because of her strong belief in IFLA’s principles: developing library action plans and needs, and contributing to United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The widespread acknowledgment of her influence at this event is impressive, especially for someone whose first IFLA Congress was 2018 in Kuala Lumpur.  
  
Sabine and I shared a lot of fun across various social media channels including Instagram where she was a regular promoter of love, life, libraries, creativity, her rohe, and food. Reflecting back on some of her posts, I can see that being at opposite ends of the dietary spectrum often engendered many laughs between the two of us — she had a fantastic sense of humour. 😊
    
Over the years, Sabine developed the most delightful habit of referring to me as “dear Andy…”, which now brings tears to my eyes. Her ray of sunshine will forever shine in my heart.
 
Me te tino aroha me te whakaute.
  
Ngā mihi,
 
Andy Fenton

Reaching more readers is the driving force behind OverDrive and their library partners. In response to requests from industry leaders to leverage their digital collections to reach more readers, OverDrive is providing a variety of tools and services to help librarians provide “Access for All.”

“OverDrive is prioritising services for libraries to address community challenges including workforce development, health and wellness, legal aid and all literacy issues,” OverDrive Founder and CEO Steve Potash said. “Our goal is for public libraries to leverage their investment in their digital collections and materials to efficiently reach and engage underserved audiences.”

Providing “Access for All” means:

• Content access affordability: We offer libraries the ability to stretch their collection development further by offering flexible and extensive lending models. Librarians can maximize their budget by reaching more readers through OverDrive Max and other cost-effective access models offering flexible options.
• Students and children: Libraries continue to seek efficient solutions to reach and support the students and children in their service area. Public Library CONNECT enables students to safely access their local public library’s ebooks and audiobooks (in addition to their school’s) through the Sora student reading app. This service is now in 31,000 schools worldwide, allowing 18 million students secure access to their public library digital collections using their student credentials.
• Digital book clubs: To bring community together, digital book clubs are regularly hosted throughout public libraries with titles from regionally local authors in New Zealand and Australia. These offer not only access to titles but a shared reading experience for library communities.

• English language learners: Over the past three years, OverDrive has donated millions of books to thousands of libraries and schools worldwide. Based on the growing catalog of English language learning materials including Read-Alongs, audiobooks and Kanopy Kids videos, the company is working to assemble new curated and bundled options for those learning English.

• Accessibility needs: Improved Libby app features for those with visual impairment, dyslexia and other disabilities. These include screen reader support, customizable ebook reader display and adjustable text size.

• Diverse collections: Diversity Audits and OverDrive Marketplace curation tools can drive inclusive collections to support initiatives around diversity and building collections that support the local interests of patrons.

​







​Taking up the mantel as the new president of LIANZA from July 1 is Kim Taunga, Head of Community Delivery South at Auckland Council. From Kūki 'Āirani (the Cook Islands) Kim will be LIANZA’s first Pasifika president. A ceremony took place on 30 June to welcome Kim Taunga and new President-elect Richard Misilei at Auckland’s newest community facility, Te Paataka Koorero o Takaanini – Taakanini Community Hub, which opened in late March.

Read the press release announcing the new team here.
​
Three regional councillor roles for LIANZA Te Whakakitenga aa Kaimai, LIANZA Ikaroa and LIANZA Murihiku cease from June 30, 2022. We will farewell and thank Melanie Chivers and Amber Nicholson for their contribution to LIANZA at their last meeting in late June.

Current regional councillor roles for LIANZA  Hikuwai, LIANZA Te Upoko te Ika a Maui, and LIANZA  Aoraki continue until June 30, 2023. We are pleased to have Philip Miles, Stephnie Burton and Gail Cook continue as council members, during the transition to the new governance structure.

NEW APPOINTED MEMBER

LIANZA is delighted to announce that the new appointed member to 2022/2023 LIANZA Council is Troy Tuhou. 

Tēnā koutou katoa
Nō Ngāti Porou, nō Rongowhakaata tōku Papa
Nō Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti tōku kōka
Nō reira Nō Te Tairawhiti ahau

Greetings to you all my tribal affiliations on my fathers side are Ngāti Porou and Rongowhakaata, On my mother's side Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti therefore I am from the east coast of the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.
My name is Troy Tuhou. I have worked in tertiary libraries for the last eighteen and a half years and am currently the Team Leader of the Library Community Engagement Team at AUT South Campus Library.​Some of my past experiences in leadership roles and governance include:

• Kaitiaki Pūtea Te Rōpū Whakahau (Treasurer)
• Te Rōpū Whakahau representative on LIANZA Council
• Co-sponsor of the Emerging Leaders Working group
• Māori representative on the AUT branch of TIASA (Tertiary Instutions Allied Staff Association)

I enjoyed my previous time on LIANZA Council immensely and look forward to working with the council and with the membership.

​​STEPHEN PENNRUSCOE

Stephen is the Libraries Director, Hamilton City Libraries. He has 24 years of experience within the GLAM sector as a leader and mentor, promoting focused customer experiences and best practice collection management. Stephen is driven by a desire to achieve the best for libraries. He prides himself on his strategic thinking and business-focused mindset. 

 
As Libraries Director/Te Manutaki Tuhirau at Hamilton City Libraries, he is responsible for the libraries’ strategic direction. He has been integral to adopting and activating their bicultural commitment, creating a hearts and minds campaign, developing a new model for staff induction, and “reframing our why”, achieved by first believing in and empowering the people around him.

Maa mua ka kite a muri Maa muri ka ora a mua

Those who lead give sight to those who follow
Those who follow give life to those who lead

Most days an email pops out on the SLANZA Library listserv asking for suggestions for books for different age groups, abilities, gender, primary and secondary.
 
SLANZA have an amazing resource of Reading Lists that have been around for years. A group from SLANZA Aoraki (Maree Silver, Claudine Tapsell, Zac McCallum, and Sally Brown) have been working to update and refresh these reading lists.
 
Join us for a quick online session to launch our updated SLANZA Reading Lists and to show how easy they are to use.
They are an amazing and exciting resource that are invaluable to not just School Librarians but Public Librarians, English teachers and anyone recommending a book to a young person.
 
Please do share this email with your English teachers, your local Public Librarians, and anyone you think might be interested in finding out about this amazing resource.
​
Zoom details
SLANZA Reading Lists launch Live Zoom
Tuesday 28th June
4pm - 4:45pm
Online
FREE
SLANZA Admin is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
SLANZA Reading List Launch
June 28, 2022 at 04:00 PM New Zealand
 
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/97421735715?pwd=UC9VYm9xTzFyNEh2R1lEUFNsNnc5Zz09
 
Meeting ID: 974 2173 5715
Passcode: 761015

As librarians, we are more aware than most that this is an age when information, the currency we value most highly and have devoted our careers to, is deliberately and shamefully being misused. We are aware that information is being used by people in power to create confusion that they can profit from and to push their own agendas, regardless of their relationship to the truth. When we think about this we often turn to America for examples.  But as Ed Coper shows us in this remarkable book, we could look much closer to home for equally egregious examples of organised lying and attacks on truth and democracy by the rich and powerful.
 
Reading this book is like taking the red pill in The Matrix. It’s chock full of “I can’t believe they did that!” and “How do they get away with that?” moments. It’s hard not to feel that the scale of the problem means we’ve already lost. I’ll admit that halfway through I was feeling quite depressed. But of course, giving up is not an option and the second half does propose some ways we can fight back. As Coper himself points out, even peddlers of disinformation justify their claims as facts. “Wake up, read the research, know the science” they say. No one at least is claiming that truth doesn’t matter, it’s evidence that’s the victim here.
 
The book begins with histories of both information and disinformation1. The broad sweep of this history will be familiar to most librarians, but it’s full of fascinating details that may not. I had no idea for example that during the 1800 American election campaign, supporters of John Adams maliciously spread a rumour that Thomas Jefferson was dead, which helped them to steal the election. Along the way Coper drops in some interesting ideas, like the ‘Orchestra Pit Principle2’ and ‘Astroturfing3’. He’s particularly good on how media monopolies have destroyed local news, and the devastating effects this has on local democracy and on how psychologists employed by social media companies have learnt to cynically manipulate our behaviour. He’s aware too, that access to information has always been privileged, which only makes the current situation even worse. Coper’s view of truth is nuanced. He recognises that truth has always been contested and that “we need to learn to operate in the jungle of competing realities”. But as he says, “without any commitment to the facts… we lose the whole compass steering this grand human experiment”.
 
The conclusion seems to be that “our brains are not geared to find truth, but instead to find each other”. It’s our desire for approval and social connection that drives some of us down the rabbit hole, and if we don’t acknowledge that then we’re not going to be able to do much about it. So, the inevitable question is what can we do? Coper starts with what not to do. No negating, myth-busting or labelling please! He suggests that we “pay more attention to giving less attention”. He uses the analogy of infection control.

We should be inoculating people against disinformation and prebunking rather than debunking. Surely there’s a role for libraries here? 

In the final section, he gives lots of practical advice, which I urge you to read for yourself. The first step he recommends is to “get your friends to buy this book”. So, in that spirit, and because space doesn’t permit me to do it justice, I’ll leave it for you to discover his strategies for ‘changing minds’, ‘winning the story’, and ‘creating a healthier information ecosystem’. Suffice it to say that reading this as a librarian, I’m sure you will come to the same conclusion as I did that our profession has a lot to offer in finding and providing the solutions.
 
Coper’s book is written very much from an Australian perspective, with frequent nods across the Pacific to the US. There are occasional uses of Australian slang and New Zealand appears only twice in the index. None of this detracts or distracts from the importance, utility, or enjoyment of the book, which is extremely well written and admirably readable, despite its heavy content. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Go on, take the red pill4!
 
Rob Cruickshank is a Programming and Learning Specialist at Christchurch City Libraries, and a member of the LIANZA Standing Committee on Freedom of Information.
 

1. Coper distinguishes between misinformation (unintentional), disinformation (deliberate), and malinformation (information may be genuine, but is intended to mislead by removing or changing the context).
   
2.  Coper explains this with a quote from Nixon and Reagan media advisor Roger Ailes: “If you have two guys on a stage and one guy says, “I have a solution to the Middle East problem,” and the other guy falls in the orchestra pit, who do you think is going to be on the evening news?”
3.  Making a false impression of widespread support for a policy, person, or product by using multiple fake online identities.
4.  For another red pill, check out The Coming Storm, a podcast from the BBC about the conspiracy theories that eventually led to the storming of the US Capitol building, their origins, and how they spread.

How much of the research published by our universities is free to read, do you think? The short answer is less than half[1]. 
Many people seem to react to this with: “That’s better than I thought.” This is terrible. It indicates an acceptance that the system for disseminating our work is inherently a closed one for those with the privilege of access. In fact, only about half of what is free-to-read (about one-quarter of all publications) is open at the point of publication from a publisher’s website. The other half is made available later, often via a repository, whether this is run by an institutional or is a disciplinary one like arxiv.org or PubMed. 

In the April issue of Library Life, the LIANZA Standing Committee on Freedom of Information column highlighted the infodemic and misinformation as pressing issues. These are issues not only for those of us who work in the knowledge sector but also for anyone who wants access to reliable, verified information. Clearly, we have a problem if more than half our work is only accessible to those who study and work in large organisations who can collectively afford tens of millions of dollars per annum in subscription costs. What about our government agencies, policymakers, teachers, health practitioners, businesses and innovators? Not to mention citizen scientists, marginalised groups, or patrons of public libraries and archives.

HOW DO WE MAKE MORE OF OUR WORK AVAILABLE? 
Many open access journals do not charge for publication or access. Sometimes known as Diamond journals, these are often run independently and on a shoestring budget and many are run out of university departments. These are often high-quality and/or publish research on themes relevant to New Zealand. Not being associated with the large academic publishers means, however, that they often lack the prestige researchers seek.

Other open access journals charge what are known as author processing charges (APCs), where researchers pay the publishers a fee to make their publication open access. In some cases, all the articles in these journals are open access and all incur an APC. This can act as a barrier to some researchers, but some will pay, or have it covered by a funder, because they recognise the importance of removing barriers to access of their work. 

There are also journals that are normally subscription-based – not open access – that offer the option for researchers to pay an APC for that particular article to be made available without the paywall. These are often the same publishers that charge libraries subscription fees while collecting APCs from researchers – these hybrid journals are often accused of ‘double dipping’.

One effect of the APC model is that some of the cost of access to research has been shifted from libraries to the researchers. In New Zealand we are just beginning to see efforts to assess how much is being paid by researchers in total, on top of what libraries pay (estimated at around USD2.7 million in 2019). And recently university libraries have begun shifting their subscription model with some publishers to what are known as ‘Read and Publish’ agreements. These are a mechanism to bundle payment of subscriptions (read) and APCs (publish) together. This gives researchers the option to publish open access immediately on acceptance without any additional APC cost. These agreements can mitigate the ad hoc approach to open access, where some individual researchers can fund APCs, and some cannot. However, they do not always lead to overall decreases in cost or even cost-neutral outcomes. For some, these agreements are problematic because they leave publishers in the driver's seat and further strain library budgets. 

The APC model has also been hijacked by ‘predatory publishers’. These publishers charge researchers APCs to publish in their journals and, although they appear to have peer review and editing services, these are often poor or non-existent. The fact that they are open access is incidental to the fact that they are poor or dubious publications. There are plenty of good open access journals that researchers want to publish in, just as there are plenty of good and bad subscription publications. Nevertheless, predatory publishers certainly tarnished the reputation of open access as a model in its early days and we still hear researchers say open access journals are lower quality.
Finally, it’s often forgotten that there are plenty of ways to make research accessible without cost outside the traditional publishing system.

During the COVID pandemic, pre-print servers also became more widely used, pre-prints being an early version of a paper before it is peer-reviewed. While pre-prints have been standard practice in some disciplines for many years, their use during the pandemic skyrocketed since speed of publication was paramount to scientific and policy responses. Researchers publish pre-prints to make their research available to others before it goes to a journal for formal peer-review and publication as a way of eliciting feedback outside of the traditional, closed peer-review system. Pre-prints are not considered the same as the post-peer review version, and most publishers accept that researchers may make their research open this way. However, it is important for anyone reading a pre-print to know that this version has not been formally peer-reviewed.

OPEN ACCESS INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORIES
Finally, institutional repositories support open access by giving our researchers a place to post open versions of their work, within the limits set by copyright. Sometimes called green open access, most publishers will allow the deposit of the peer-reviewed version of a publication, known as the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM), into an institutional repository. Usually, this will not include publisher formatting, page numbers, typesetting etc but contains the same substance. In rarer cases the final published version may be made available through an institutional repository. Publishers will frequently insist on an embargo period, commonly 12 months but this can be higher or lower. The institutional repository record will also need to include a link to the published version and statements acknowledging the conditions under which the institutional repository copy is being made available. Institutional repositories also play a key role in making non-traditional research outputs openly available, including theses, performances, conference posters, reports, and the like.  Importantly, while you may not get the quick turnover of an unmoderated pre-print server or scholarly networking site like ResearchGate, institutional repositories are managed by academic libraries to ensure that all research is accurately described, from legitimate researchers, and made available legally. 

So given all New Zealand universities, and many polytechnics, provide this green open access service to their researchers, you would expect New Zealand to have high rates of open access, if not through paying APCs, then through uploading AAMs to their institution’s repository. This is not the case. Even though the majority of those paywalled articles we mentioned at the top of this article could have been deposited legally in line with publisher policies in a non-commercial repository. New Zealand lags behind many countries, including Australia, in regard to open access mandates and significant funding for infrastructure to support open access. 


[1] Note that here we’re talking about journal articles. This is only part of what our universities produce but articles make up by far the largest slice of our publications and are the focus of this article. For more see: White RKA, Angelo A, Fitchett D, Fraser M, Hayes L, Howie J, Richardson E, White B. 2021. Only two out of five articles by New Zealand researchers are free-to-access: a multiple API study of access, citations, cost of Article Processing Charges (APC), and the potential to increase the proportion of open access. PeerJ 9:e11417 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11417  

Shiobhan Smith is the Associate University Librarian (Customer Experience) at the University of Otago. She has over 17 years’ experience working in academic libraries, including roles educating researchers on open access and supporting the use of OUR Archive, the University of Otago’s institutional repository. ​

​Many of us take for granted our access to technology. It has become a foundational cornerstone of everyday life integrating itself into how we work, live, and play. However, this brings with it an assumption that we are all equal in the digital space. Working in public libraries most of us know this is not the reality.
 
The socio-economic inequities that exist within our communities have created digital inequities that if left unaddressed, will further exclude, and isolate our most vulnerable communities and impact on their ability to participate fully in our society. The cost of an internet connection and a suitable device is a big enough obstacle, add to that a lack of trust, motivation and/or skills then the barriers to digital participation can seem almost insurmountable.
 
Every New Zealander should have a clear and appropriate pathway to participating in digital life. This is not just an opinion. A UN report on digital inclusion states that the “[a]ccelerated pace of digital transformation risks increasing the social exclusion of already vulnerable groups who are not digitally literate or connected. In 2016 they passed a resolution declaring access to the internet a human right. So why six years later are New Zealanders still experiencing these barriers to access?
 

​THE AFFECTS OF DIGITAL INEQUITY
According to the last New Zealand Census, 86.1% of New Zealanders had household access to the internet. The pandemic has further exposed the realities of the digital divide, this was experienced first-hand by many library staff who stepped up to support people accessing vaccine passes and the COVID-19 app. The real-life impact of digital inequity can mean a family choosing between the internet for children to do their homework or feeding the family. People can feel forgotten, frustrated, and overwhelmed. 
 
Lack of digital access and digital literacy skills can significantly reduce a person’s opportunity to participate in 21st Century life and further divides our society. Something we saw manifest in the recent Wellington protests at Parliament where misinformation played a key role. By supporting digital equity we can ensure everyone can access support and information, empowering and assisting people to make informed choices and maximise opportunities that support their health and wellbeing, employment, education, social connection, financial independence and civic participation. Māori data sovereignty is also an area of growing interest and urgency, rooted in Te Tiriti/Treaty of Waitangi, Article II, it is focused on ensuring Māori sovereignty in the digital realm, which is intrinsically linked to digital equity in Aotearoa.
 
There has been lots of research and debate about digital equity over the years, but little progress has been made. The reality, especially in the wake of the pandemic is that there are many issues competing for people’s attention and budget, so why should digital equity be a top priority? With the rapid increase in digital enablement/digital transformation strategies across the banking and service sectors, local and central government, and in health and education shifting more services and support online, our most vulnerable people and communities are increasingly at risk of being left behind. Within a three-month period in 2020, Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) volunteers recorded 4,379 client interactions where digital exclusion was identified. Libraries have often been the ‘go-to solution’ for digital support to help fill this gap and whilst there is no doubt, that they play a critical role in supporting digital equity, they cannot do it alone. We are all accountable for ensuring that we leave no one behind.
 

​THE SOLUTIONS TO DIGITAL INEQUITY
So what is the solution? A holistic approach that seeks to permanently remove the barriers to achieving digital equity and creates sustainable solutions is required to achieve any real impact. Such an approach depends on strong strategic collaborations between central and local government, NGOs and grassroots community organisations with a long-term commitment to providing funding. This is not a problem one government ministry, department or organisation can solve on its own, it calls for mutual accountability and systems thinking approach to finding solutions that work for everyone. There is a growing movement and evidence base building around this issue through organisations such as Digital Equity Coalition of Aotearoa (DECA), highlighting the need for change, and providing insights into how we can collectively achieve digital equity. However, the main obstacles we face to achieving sustainable change are a lack of clear strategic direction and policy guidelines, a lack of coordination, and limitations on funding.
 
One way to overcome these obstacles is to create digital equity strategies and apply a digital equity lens to everything we do. The forthcoming release of the Government’s Digital Strategy for Aotearoa is an encouraging step with the stated objective of this strategy being “Te whakaāhei i te puāwaitanga me te taurikura o te katoa o Aotearoa i roto i te ao matihiko. Enabling all of Aotearoa New Zealand to flourish and prosper in a digital world”. Yet to really make a difference we need to create and support an environment that encourages and funds cross-sector collaboration.
 
There are a growing number of examples of this happening both in Aotearoa and internationally. Whanganui and the Far North District Councils have both developed digital strategies with equity at the heart of them and are excellent examples of how collaboration between the public and private sectors working with communities can lead to innovative solutions for sustainable change. The Far North’s Nothing But Net digital strategy won the 2021 Excellence Award for better policy and regulation for its community-led approach and is now informing everything they do including place making. 
 
The UN report ‘Leveraging digital technologies for social inclusion’ (2021) advocates for this whole-of-government and a whole-of-society approach to inform and support the development of strategy and policy, funding, cross-sector/multi-sector partnerships, the community-led co-creation of context-specific solutions and sustainable implementation. 

​THE ROLE OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES TO SUPPORT DIGITAL EQUITY
What does the role of public libraries in supporting digital equity in Aotearoa look like in this partnership model? It is an increasingly challenging landscape to navigate in a world managing the long-term impact of a pandemic. We face new demands and challenges as the pace of digital change increases digital inequity and information poverty. Increasing pressure on already stretched library resources and a rise in internet threats are being managed in the face of ongoing fiscal constraints. 
 

• We need to tell better stories about the work we do and the real impact it has in our communities. There is a wealth of evidence emerging from the NZLPP secondees programme that will clearly demonstrate this. We need to make sure it is seen and heard by people outside of libraries.
• We need to invest in our own digital equity with a focus on digitally upskilling in our library workforce, investing in our technology, and re-examining our resourcing models.
• Public libraries need to have a seat at the table in strategic decision-making at both local and central government levels. We need to ensure our profession is acknowledged for the skills, knowledge and expertise it can bring and the trusted relationships we have with our communities.

 
INTERNATIONAL EXAMPLES
A study jointly conducted by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL) identified more than 30 countries worldwide that include libraries in their national broadband strategies and plans. In the UK they established a Library Taskforce which ran from 2015 to 2020 to promote “[public] libraries to national and local government and to potential funders, [creating] a strong and coherent narrative around the contribution public libraries make to society and to local communities”.
 
There are many overseas examples of how strategic, value-driven partnerships with public libraries can have a positive impact on increasing digital equity. By investing in libraries to maximise their role in the digital space, you invest in communities to help realise their potential. Digital You was a collaborative project in the UK between libraries, community organisations and housing providers which saw 7000 residents of Salford receive digital support and equipment. In Croatia public libraries worked with local homeless shelters, rehabilitation centres and the local law centre to train people in digital literacy and help them find work. A federal government COVID-19 response fund in the USA has enabled some public libraries in some states to purchase laptops and wireless hotspots based on a life-time lending model through single-use library cards. Whilst health boards in Australia are training librarians in digital health literacy.
 
By framing digital support around people’s day-to-day lives we can help overcome the key barriers and engage people in a meaningful way. Moving beyond basic digital literacy skills to supporting digital fluency where an individual possesses the technical knowledge, digital skills and social competency to confidently navigate their way through the digital space as a digital citizen. 
 

A NATIONAL STRATEGIC APPROACH IS NEEDED
The PLNZ National Strategic Framework 2020-25 challenges us to go beyond books and understand the key strategic role public libraries have in creating a digitally equitable society. The current New Zealand Libraries Partnership Programme (NZLPP), due to end in June, was a Department of Internal Affairs funded initiative delivered via the National Library in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a clear acknowledgement of the key role public libraries have in supporting our communities. Yet again, however, we can see the negative impact of short-term funding as many of the roles it funded will disappear including the staff and the knowledge and community connection they built. 
 
In 2020 Massey University published “Public Libraries as spaces for Digital Inclusion: Connecting Communities Through Technology'' which clearly articulated how public libraries can support digital equity in the community. To date many of its recommendations have not been embraced and embedded long-term at a strategic level. The map is there for us to follow, now we need strategic commitment, investment, and fellow travellers to join us on the journey towards a more digitally equitable Aotearoa!

Jo Cocker is currently the Digital Literacy Specialist in the Connected Communities Department at Auckland Council. Jo moved to New Zealand in 2013 from the UK. After completing an MSc in Information Management at Sheffield University in 2006, Jo has worked in both public and academic libraries and held positions across public, private and community sectors working in the areas of strategic development, project management and advocacy.