Review Series 3 of 3

Article: Tomorrow'sLibrary: Discussion Paper

Author: Ministerial Advisory Council on Public Libraries

This article is a discussion paper put out by the Ministerial Advisory Council on Public Libraries as part of a review on the future of libraries. This article relates to part one of this review process, which will consider current and future usage of Victorian libraries as well as the use of emerging technologies. The article covers a variety of issues facing library services, however for the purposes of this review I will be focusing on the implementation of ICT programs, and the changing nature of library collections and usage. This review will also attempt to detail shortcomings in the article as well as providing suggested improvements for further studies on the topic.

The article claims that with increasing use of the internet as a source of information that loans of physical collections are down, but that the use of electronic collections is significantly increased. The article sites a public libraries audit stating that nearly half the collections across the state are more than 15 years old.  They cite the work being done by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) to develop new standards for library collections and resources, they recommend a collection target of 2.5 per capita, the current collection level sits at 1.82 items per capita. The article is also interested in the way that evolving technologies such as e-books and readers will impact collection choices now and in the future. One of the most heavily utilised areas of many public libraries these days are the public access PC’s, according to the 2007 public library building audit quoted in the article “Approximately three-quarters of libraries provide a computer lab/internet area” (MACPL 2012, p.8). In addition to providing internet enabled computers for public use, there is also an increasing need for wireless services which patrons can access using their own devices. There is a strong belief that as technological advances become more ubiquitous in daily life, that there will be more demand on library services from those that can’t or don’t have access at home. The article also puts forward the issue of increasing use of smart phones and tablets, and that this will lead to expectations on the part of library patrons of being able to interact with the library service through custom ‘app’s’.

The main shortcoming of this article is the inconsistent approach to statistics. Using statistics relatively recent statistics for some assertions, and much older ones for others, as well as not providing any statistical references for other statements, gives an overall impression of untrustworthiness to the article as a whole. It may be that there were no recent statistics available; however the implication for the reader is that available data may have been massaged to fit the desired outcome. The article is a discussion paper, rather than a finished piece of research so the obvious improvements would be the commit to an extensive consultation process with both library users and library staff across the state. Clearly the issues arising in an inner city library service, will be quite different from those arising in a rural setting, and the paper could address this in a more detailed and in-depth way, rather than making sweeping recommendations for ‘library services in Victoria’.

The article is a discussion, rather than a fully formed policy document. It ia designed to prompt further comments that will be fed back into the inquiry. The authors see technology as central to the future of libraries.

Article Reference

Ministerial Advisory Council on Public Libraries (2012) Tomorrow's Library: Discussion Paper. State Government of Victoria. Available at http://www.plvn.net.au/sites/default/files/TLTD002_Tomorrow's Library Discussion Paper final web.pdf