We Are LIANZA: Mark Hughes
Photo credit: Shirley Burgess
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Kia ora Mark and thank you for talking to Library Life.
You received a LIANZA Associateship in 2008. You’ve been a member of LIANZA for decades and you have been an integral part of your regional committee, the newly renamed LIANZA Murihiku, since 1992, of which you are currently chairperson. You must have seen a lot of changes take place over the years, does anything in particular really stick in your memory? The LIANZA 2010 Centennial Conference – At the Edge: Te Matakāheru – occurred near the end of that year, located at the University of Otago Dunedin Campus. I was a member of the planning group, and I do recall we were on the edge of our seats when planning the conference, hoping to goodness that the weather would play ball! We had a huge marquee erected alongside the St David Lecture Theatre complex, in which the majority of trade exhibitors were located. As you can imagine, all the extra temporary electrical infrastructure we had to lay on, so the exhibitors could promote their technology! Fortunately, it all came together, the weather co-operated, and we all enjoyed the conference. Our LIANZA region had built up a financial nest egg over the preceding decade, so took the opportunity to blow it (with LIANZA head office approval I might add) on hosting the opening evening reception, held in the Link adjoining the University Central Library. We were also spoiled for choice to offer something a little different for the conference dinner event. We ended up providing attendees with the options of either Larnach Castle, or an evening train trip up the Taieri Gorge, plus a stop along the way for a BBQ. |
What do you think are the biggest challenges for libraries in the 21st century?
I recall attending the ALIA 1996 Conference in Melbourne and, at that pivotal time, the evident despondency of the profession there over the emergence of the internet and the impact upon the future of libraries! Well, 25 years later, we are still very much a physical entity and have boldly embraced the digital era. Perception and investment in libraries continue to be challenges we address. Libraries have always been much more than just storehouses for physical collections, they can be inspiring community spaces that draw people together in a hopefully safe, creative, and supportive environment. As we have learned over the last year, that while yes, there is a place for such tools as Zoom, many of us have been delighted to once again gather together in person. We have seen this in the uptake by the students of our library spaces, here at the University of Otago.
I recall attending the ALIA 1996 Conference in Melbourne and, at that pivotal time, the evident despondency of the profession there over the emergence of the internet and the impact upon the future of libraries! Well, 25 years later, we are still very much a physical entity and have boldly embraced the digital era. Perception and investment in libraries continue to be challenges we address. Libraries have always been much more than just storehouses for physical collections, they can be inspiring community spaces that draw people together in a hopefully safe, creative, and supportive environment. As we have learned over the last year, that while yes, there is a place for such tools as Zoom, many of us have been delighted to once again gather together in person. We have seen this in the uptake by the students of our library spaces, here at the University of Otago.
You’ve had a full career in the tertiary library sector - you started at the Hocken in 1988, not long after graduating. You were part of the Hocken Library Design Group that oversaw the planning of the conversion of a former dairy factory into the amazing building that has housed the Hocken Collections in Anzac Avenue since December 1998. You’ve been fully committed to your sector and region! Can you share with our readers what your personal career highlights have been?
I really enjoyed working at the Hocken for two decades and, over that time, developing an appreciation and understanding for an institution that embraces the library, archives, and gallery sectors.
I was delighted to be on the Hocken staff in the mid-1990s when the University of Otago reviewed the future accommodation of the University Library, including that of the Hocken. As the Hocken Technical Services Librarian, I contributed to the space audit, collating data relating to anticipated growth rates of the various published collections. I was also acutely aware of the importance at the time of converting the card catalogue records to online records. Since then I have appreciated the importance of places like the Hocken embracing the digital era and opening up the potential of their resources to a diverse community of potential research communities.
As one of the senior staff at the Hocken, responsible for the oversight and management of the ongoing development of the published collections; when planning overseas trips, I liaised with the University Library and on occasion included visits to significant libraries. It has been an invaluable experience, comparing our practices with those of others elsewhere in the world. I have always enjoyed the opportunity to look at other libraries and archives and appreciate how they address emerging trends in library and archival services. Attending the various library conferences that I have, has given me the opportunity to learn about developments elsewhere in the library and information sector. In addition, I have always personally appreciated the contribution of the visual arts and the place of galleries, both public and private, in our communities.
In my current position as the University of Otago Library Facilities Planning Co-ordinator, I contribute to the development of strategic objectives and planning for the University Library Operational Plan and ensure their implementation where they relate to my area of responsibility. Proactive liaison with colleagues across the extensive library system, other areas of the University, as well as with potential contractors, is a key component of my current role. Health and Safety obligations and compliance issues are an important component that can and do lead to improvements for everyone.
I have really enjoyed being instrumental in co-ordinating the University Library refurbishment programme in recent years. Some of these projects have been significant, such as the complete refurbishment and enlargement of the Robertson Library, that serves both the University College of Education and also contracted to run the Otago Polytechnic library services.
I continue to be an active member of the (Anglican) Dunedin Diocesan Archives Committee, and this can include taking on small research projects. I represented the Diocese in 2010 at a national hui at St John’s Theological College, Auckland, for those responsible for creating and looking after the records of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia: Te Hāhi Mihinare ki Aotearoa ki Niu Tireni, ki Ngā Moutere o Te Moana Nui a Kiwa (records of Hui Amorangi, dioceses, committees, individuals). I came away thinking about how fortunate the Diocese of Dunedin is to have developed long term relationships with officially recognised heritage depositories, such as the Hocken Collections in Dunedin.
I really enjoyed working at the Hocken for two decades and, over that time, developing an appreciation and understanding for an institution that embraces the library, archives, and gallery sectors.
I was delighted to be on the Hocken staff in the mid-1990s when the University of Otago reviewed the future accommodation of the University Library, including that of the Hocken. As the Hocken Technical Services Librarian, I contributed to the space audit, collating data relating to anticipated growth rates of the various published collections. I was also acutely aware of the importance at the time of converting the card catalogue records to online records. Since then I have appreciated the importance of places like the Hocken embracing the digital era and opening up the potential of their resources to a diverse community of potential research communities.
As one of the senior staff at the Hocken, responsible for the oversight and management of the ongoing development of the published collections; when planning overseas trips, I liaised with the University Library and on occasion included visits to significant libraries. It has been an invaluable experience, comparing our practices with those of others elsewhere in the world. I have always enjoyed the opportunity to look at other libraries and archives and appreciate how they address emerging trends in library and archival services. Attending the various library conferences that I have, has given me the opportunity to learn about developments elsewhere in the library and information sector. In addition, I have always personally appreciated the contribution of the visual arts and the place of galleries, both public and private, in our communities.
In my current position as the University of Otago Library Facilities Planning Co-ordinator, I contribute to the development of strategic objectives and planning for the University Library Operational Plan and ensure their implementation where they relate to my area of responsibility. Proactive liaison with colleagues across the extensive library system, other areas of the University, as well as with potential contractors, is a key component of my current role. Health and Safety obligations and compliance issues are an important component that can and do lead to improvements for everyone.
I have really enjoyed being instrumental in co-ordinating the University Library refurbishment programme in recent years. Some of these projects have been significant, such as the complete refurbishment and enlargement of the Robertson Library, that serves both the University College of Education and also contracted to run the Otago Polytechnic library services.
I continue to be an active member of the (Anglican) Dunedin Diocesan Archives Committee, and this can include taking on small research projects. I represented the Diocese in 2010 at a national hui at St John’s Theological College, Auckland, for those responsible for creating and looking after the records of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia: Te Hāhi Mihinare ki Aotearoa ki Niu Tireni, ki Ngā Moutere o Te Moana Nui a Kiwa (records of Hui Amorangi, dioceses, committees, individuals). I came away thinking about how fortunate the Diocese of Dunedin is to have developed long term relationships with officially recognised heritage depositories, such as the Hocken Collections in Dunedin.
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Why do you think it is important to have a national professional membership organisation such as LIANZA?
What would you like to see LIANZA do more of? As a professional librarian, I maintain an active role with the professional organization LIANZA. Over a three year term, I enjoyed the role of Otago / Southland regional chair and stepped up to this role again in 2016. I believe the various committees have worked well under my guidance and the members in our Murihiku region appreciate the seminars, meetings, and weekend schools that are planned and offered to members and sometimes to non-members too. On occasion, I also attend events organized by the Otago and Southland Branch of ARANZ. We are a profession in our own right, and I believe a national professional organization carries far more mana and is so important in promoting and advocating for what we believe in. As the old saying goes: “United we stand, divided we fall”. I also appreciate that so much of what LIANZA achieves is due to the co-operation and willingness of members, some of whom give willingly of their personal time. Of course, LIANZA can do more, but it does come back to buy-in and engagement of members who all belong to the various communities that make up LIANZA. |
Mark enjoying a Japanese meal. Photo credit: Arcadia Wylie
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