May 2024

PLS eNews

Welcome to the monthly newsletter from the Public Library Services team at the State Library of NSW — bringing you the latest news about upcoming events, promotions and professional development opportunities.

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Have your say: State Library survey

The State Library is working on a new strategic plan and as part of this, we are inviting the community to have a say. We are hoping to hear from a wide range of people including current users, as well as people who may never have visited the State Library or accessed its collection and services online. We would appreciate it if you could share the survey with your networks, and you are very welcome to complete the survey too. Views and ideas shared through the survey will help us to shape the future of your State Library and ensure it is space for the community where everyone is welcome.

The survey is available here.

Living Learning Libraries updated and now available

Living Learning Libraries — a population approach: standards and guidelines for NSW public libraries, is an evidence-based guide to the development of library services in NSW.

These standards and guidelines are intended to assist public libraries and councils to:

evaluate current services
set targets for improvement
develop continuous improvement in library service delivery, and
plan for future needs.

Living Learning Libraries uses current NSW Public Library Statistics to set evidence based targets for public library collections and services and is updated annually. The latest update, using 2022-23 statistics and per capita calculations based on ABS population figures for June 2022, is now available in full-text on the new PLS website as well as PDF download.

Benchmark tables
Tables listing the ranking and performance data of libraries within their cohorts using the 2022-23 statistics are also provided for libraries to use for benchmarking purposes. You can find the benchmark tables here.

NSW.net consortia opt-in offers for 2024–25

NSW.net consortia opt-in offers allow NSW public libraries to subscribe to a large range of eresources at discounted prices.

Over the next month, the 2024–25 opt-in offers will be uploaded onto the NSW.net website.

You can find out what products are included and how to take advantage of the discount here.

Products included in the 2024–25 offers include AMES Living in Australia, Haynes Manuals, PressReader, Collection HQ, Newsbank, World Book and more.

The consortia opt-in offers are aligned to the financial year, but pro-rata subscriptions are available.

Gale training webinars

Join Damien Almeida from Gale for two online webinars to increase your knowledge of the resources available in the Gale statewide databases.

This month’s featured databases are Gale in Context: Biography and Gale Books and Authors.

Researching Pompeii using Gale in Context: Biography
Tuesday 14 May
9–9.30 am
Register here.

Mastering the Literary Tapestry: A Deep Dive into Gale Books and Authors
Tuesday 28 May
9–9.30 am
Register here.

You can also register for upcoming June webinars here.

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Cultural competency webinar

The Reference and Information Services Working Group recently hosted a webinar with Dr Nicole A Cooke, who introduced the Competent Humility Model. This model offers a holistic approach to building and maintaining cultural competence and cultural humility, and emphasises how these processes work in tandem. Whether in the workplace, educational settings, or community engagements, embracing these concepts fosters a more inclusive and harmonious society where diversity is celebrated, and mutual understanding flourishes. You can catch up on the webinar here.

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New publisher on indyreads: Legend Press

We recently purchased over 100 titles from Legend Press on indyreads, all of which are available on simultaneous use licences. This means multiple users can read these books at the same time.

Titles available include an interesting range of contemporary works and 40 classic titles, making them a great option for online book clubs and school students studying a particular work.

You can view the range of titles here.

Law Week 2024

This year’s Law Week is being held from 20–26 May.

NSW Law Week is a program of community events and activities that are designed to help you understand your rights, the law, the legal system and the legal profession. It’s a great time to let your community know that the library is a source of legal information.

It would be great if you could register all the events you’ve planned on the Law Week website — registering your event is a great way to get a bit more promotion, but it also showcases the range of events presented in libraries.

Find out more about planning for Law Week, including finding a speaker, ordering promotional material, and a social media campaign on the Law Week page.

National Families Week

National Families Week is an annual initiative from Families Australia. This year National Families Week will be held from 13–19 May with the theme ‘Celebrating family diversity & connections’.

The For the Community section of the Drug Info website includes a families page featuring helpful information about alcohol and other drugs for parents and carers, as well as places to go for support if friends or family members are experiencing issues with drug and alcohol use.

National Families Week is a great opportunity to promote Drug Info’s information for families through your library’s social media channels. Go to our social media page for images and suggested text to use in social media posts.