Minutes From: Gang of Four

Collections Co-op Minutes

Meeting Date: August 16 2007 @ St.Kilda Library

Present: Dale Cousens, (Whitehorse Manningham), Katie Nontoz (Monash), Michelle Donnelly (Maribyrnong), Melanie McCarten (SLV), Noreen Pollard (Port Phillip), Karen Williamson (Kingston), Pat Bow (Kingston), Roisin Jacobs (Greater Dandenong), Jane Simpson (Mornington), Sarah Hopkins (Bayside), Anita Catoggio (Yarra Plenty), Cenza Fulco (Casey Cardinia), Kim Kearsey (Frankston), Sandra Jeffries (West Gippsland), Kat Taylor (Hume), Jenny Ackroyd (Darebin), Lyn Ferguson (Geelong), John Radford (Moreland), Neville Harley (Melbourne), Bernie Thompson (Hobsons Bay), Brandt McCook (Port Phillip)

Apologies: John Ruddle (Monash), Meredith Coffey (Monash), Lyne Baines (ERL), Terry Aquino (Hume), Sue Gray (Boroondara), Angela Papas (Maribyrnong), Michele Bence (Stonnington)

Item / Actions
1. SLV update –
Memory Victoria
2006 program aimed at preventative work
Next stage conservators will visit libraries and do assessment and then write report
Currently negotiating contract with supplier. Once program is up and running, conservator is likely to be at libraries for 1-2 days dependent on collections size. There are 33 eligible libraries and 59 collections
Program is to be completed by December 2007
Assessment and report is to be aimed at a very practical level and will give you directions how to make the best of what you have. The report may also support pathways for funding
Memory Victoria Road show to be touring Regional Victoria starting December 07
Strategic asset Audit
State-wide report was released in March
MAC, Viclink and FOLA gave responses along with a number of public libraries
Response report was distributed on Tuesday
Those reports on the audit are likely to inform other projects
Some measures – KPI’s will be used and fed into the Standards project
Collections Standards
Combining standards work with shelf ready specifications as stakeholders and processes are similar
Project to be completed May 2008
Standards will be based on Standards Australia proforma
These standards will be aspirational to ensure buy-in and to be realistic
Shelf ready standards will support collaborative procurement
Collections Coop to be major stakeholder
Project to start in September 2007
Collaborative procurement
Stage 1 report done
Stage 2 relates to LOTE
Structure of report will form structure on any contracts
Discussion will take place at next Viclink meeting – August 28th 2007
Final report will come out in September
Once report is completed it will be up to Viclink on where to take it
Dale will be at the next Viclink and happy to take any comments to the meeting
Feedback from those at today’s meeting:

Minimum of commitment of 40% of budget with a preferred 60%-80% would be difficult
Preferred option of 20% eg Standing orders
There is a high level of flexibility in whatever scheme is chosen
Possibility of looking at $ amount rather than %
This is making a commitment of expenditure not giving money to another agency
Central Coordinator to oversee project and depository of information
Will still be a range of vendors supplying material. If so, then questions on economies of scale
Enabling discounts and buying power is objective and is not based on a libraries budget
There are other benefits – not discounts that are also part of program – faster access?
Standards on processing will also work towards improved supply combined with collaborative procurement

/ Read and digest
Feedback to Dale by 28/8
Item / Actions
2.Gulliver News
All new subs are in place
Training is being gradually organised
Workshop at South Yarra on 21/8/7 on marketing, promoting and training
ERA (Electronic Resources Australia) Won’t impact on Gulliver for next 3 years as we have 3 years contract with suppliers. But may have impact on Bruce

Likely to grow and may take over Bruce eventually
Is a pick and choose selection not a core
08-09 likely to be buying from ERA and not Bruce if products available
Main push is to get people involved
Information available on the NLA website ( )

3. Viclink
AGM on morning of 28/8/7
Dale will be attending
Making final decision on employing an expanded secretariat. Presentations have been made by CAVAL and MAV
New Exec group to be elected
Issues of Country Libraries group and whether it should still exist
4. LibraryLink
Software works well
Has turned around processes for collection development
Increase in volume with more requests from NSW and Uni Libraries on many items in high demand including DVD’s
Postage costs going through the roof
Issues with overall policies – where are they. There had been some talk of Viclink determining policies regarding loan issues
Overall there are more requests from outside libraries and less requests from own customers
Discussion on charges
Do we charge non reciprocal libraries? Some libraries do, others don’t.
LibraryLink itself does not have a charges section on the website which needs to be addressed(This is being addressed in the next software release)
Some libraries have internal charge and separate external charge eg
Whitehorse Manningham
$2.00 res fee, $10.00 ILL fee
Physical intervention and Library Link’s impact on collection development yet to be seen
There is a sub group looking at ROTA issues
Issues on searching identifying items on order etc.
Suggestion – to get OCLC to come and talk to us
Item / Actions
5. Libraries Australia
Option for correct holdingson LA
The process for getting holdings on is easy, getting them off is harder. Vendors are still looking at ways to make processes easier
We still need to operate a lobby group with vendors
6. Graphic Novels
Last discussed 18 months ago at that time 3 libraries had taken up collections
Issues
1/3 of libraries have run into problems
Binding can be poor and fall apart
Visual impact of titles on customers can attract criticism especially from sensitive areas of the community
Issue of censorship and grading of graphic novels
Collections held include:
Junior
Teenage
Adult
Some are housed separately, and some interfiled
Suppliers
Some suppliers grade graphic novels
Baker and Taylor – have ratings
Slow Glass will select for you based on needs
Sealight – a strong supplier as well
Darebin has largest? Collection
$10,00 originally put into collection
Junior and teen at all locations, adult mostly at Northcote and interfiled into genre
Moreland created a core collection, but there are now size issues and they are considering developing a stack. Currently spending $10,000 per year
Important to note that a graphic novel has won the Pulitzer prize and they are part of the literary landscape
Non fiction graphic novels
There are a few around, mostly Shakespeare
Visual literacy Conference looked at issue with adult picture books eg the Island, Wolves in the City. Different approaches to how these items are housed. Some are by format, some by content
Recommendation
To get a full picture of what is happening with graphic novel collections, Dale will create a Wiki, which will have a series of questions libraries can respond to. Dale will set up and send out password for access / Dale
Item / Actions
7. DVD collections
Long discussion on DVD’s and what is happening at various libraries
What machines are being used by Libraries to look after disks?
Loan periods and turnovers
What is more important – turnover or single loan periods for customer ease?
Bayside moving towards single loan period
Recommendation
Dale to create Wiki on DVD’s to share information, collection outlines, issues etc / Dale
8. Other
New movements in reading and publishing is skewing collections
Especially in graphic novels and paranormal romances
Melbourne City Libraries has hit 80,000 loans per months

Next meeting:

Date: October 18th

Time:10am

Location: Belgrave Library (ERL)

Discussion:Collaborative purchasing reports

Please Note

A delightfully fantastic morning tea was supplied – a lot to live up to!

August 21st 2007

P:\Collections\Collections Coop Aug 07.doc