Fieldwork Placement – 1

The Australian Catholic University Library mission

“Is to provided quality services and facilities to support the teaching, learning and research of the University.”

The Library’s mission statement is expressed in plain English, which ensures that all staff, teachers and students are able to understand.  Australia Catholic University Library mission statement is found under the heading LIBRARIES POLICIES on their website and it is easily accessible by students and staff.

The relationship of the Library to the Australian Catholic University is to ensure all library staff provided services and programs that incorporate the University’s mission, which is:

“To have a commitment to good quality in teaching, researching and service.  To have all staff and students to following academic integrity and to bring spiritual perspective to all higher education.”

They do this by providing the following:

1. Provide library services that support the needs of staff and students

2. To ensure everyone are treated respectfully, fair, caring and professional manner

3.  Ensure that Australian Catholic University Library is a cooperative, supportive and harmonious workplace. To allow information and ideas to flow freely between staff and students

4. Library staff is flexible and open minded to change

5. Each staff member takes responsibility to achieve team goals, and

6. All library staff to contribute to the development and operation of the Library as well as their own performance.

The Library fits into the planning/reporting mechanisms of the Australian Catholic University Melbourne Branch by providing the following:

1 Annual Report

2 Provides information support to the Teaching, Learning and Research Staff 

3 Director of Libraries is also involved with the University’s planning mechanisms. By attending meetings of the Australian Catholic University Executive Planning Group and

4 The following Standing Committees:

.         Communication Standing Committee

.         Disability Services Standing Committee

.         Information Services Standing Committee

.         Lending Services Standing Committee

.         Research Standing Committee

.         Technical Services Standing Committee

.         Information Services Working Party

The Australian Catholic University Library relationship to the parent organisation is a subordinate one in which the Director of Libraries situated in Sydney reports to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Students, Learning and Teaching who reports to the Vice-Chancellor who gathers all the information and reports to the University Chancellor General Peter Cosgrove.  Australian Catholic University is also a subordinate body to the Australian Catholic University Limited, of which Most Reverend G. Pell Cardinal Archbishop of Sydney is President.

• The profile and the service requirements of the clients?

Australian Catholic University provides a number course modes; on campus; distance; online; multi modes and on site delivery. The library provides resources for all modes with distance students provided with access to online library resources and information is sent to them at the beginning of each semester. The Australian Catholic University has six branches Ballarat, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, North Sydney and Strathfield and they all have a library and liaison librarians.

I think the clients of Australian Catholic University Library are very well looked after on site and after hours.  Using resources Ask a Librarian; Refchatter; and Reftracker .

For students the liaison librarians ensure that each branch libraries have at least one copy of reference resources that are recorded on Unit’s Outlines and have a variety of lending periods, which are:

1. High demand

2. Two hours

3. Three days

4. Seven days 

5. Twenty-eight days

Other ways the Australian University meets the needs of their clients include:

STUDENTS:

1. Specialist IT support located in the library between 9am – 4.30pm – five days a week

2. Computers and Scanners

3. Printing and copying

4. Group study rooms

5. Disability services and adaptive technology

6. USBs

7. Laptops – Various loan periods

8. Machines to allow you to place money onto your student card

9. Skills advisory staff – drop in service in the library six days

10. eBooks, online journals and databases

11. Library staff on the service desk, seven days week to provide assistance to students.

12. Training and events

13. Subject guides

14. Help guides – guides for new library users; off-campus access; using search; using databases and FAQ

15. Online Tutorials – analysing your topic, developing a search strategy; leap into learning and a number of YouTube Videos.

16. Able to borrow up to 30 items

STAFF

1. Liaison Librarians ensure references in unit outlines are part of the libraries collections

2. Liaison Librarians drop in service

3. Information Literacy sessions in classrooms

4. The Library in Your Office Newsletter – comes out six times a year

5. One on one sessions with the library staff looking after their subject areas

6. The library also provides under teaching a number of quick links to helpful resources

7. USBs

8. Laptops – Various loan periods

9. Machines to allow you to place money onto your staff card

11. eBooks, online journals and databases

12. Library staff on the service desk, seven days week to provide assistance to staff

13. Extended Loan periods for staff

14. Specialist IT support located in the library between 9am – 4.30pm – five days a week

RESEARCH STAFF

1. The Library in Your Office Newsletter – comes out six times a year

2. One to one sessions with the Research Liaison Librarian

3. The library also provides under research a number of quick links to helpful resources

4. USBs

5. Laptops – various loan periods

6. Machines to allow you to place money onto your staff card

7. eBooks, online journals and databases

8. Library staff on the service desk seven days week to provide assistant to staff.

9. Extended Loan periods for staff

10. Research Support Librarians who provide the following:

. ACU Research Bank

. Library Support (ERA & HERDC)

. EndNote & Reftracker

. ACU Research Net (Blog)

. ISBN Allocation Service

. ACU Digital Theses

. ACU Online Past Exam Papers

. Monitoring trends in library research support services

 

Australian Catholic University has a number of library and system-wide policies that affect the way they provide services for the students and staff including:

1. Collection Development Policy

2. Communication Policy

3. Interlibrary Loans and Document Delivery Policy

4. Library’s Privacy Statement

5. Australian Catholic University Statement on Privacy

6. Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000

7. Australian Catholic University Limited Constitutions

8. Open Access Article Processing Charges Policy

9. Computer, Internet and Telephone Acceptable use

10. Policy on Quality Teaching and Learning

11. Catholic Intellectual Tradition

12. Australian Catholic University Strategic Plans 2010

13. Library Operational Plan 2010

14. Key Values & Characteristics

15. Guidelines for Reference Lists in Unit Outlines

16. Quick Guide for copyright in teaching and students assignment guide

17. Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) (Aust)

18. Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework: principles, standards and practice.

19. Australian Inter-Library Resource Sharing (ILRS) Code

20. ALIA’s policies and guidelines

21. Core Curriculum

22. ACU’s Graduate Attributes

Information Standards that the Australian Catholic University Library use for cataloguing are

1. MARC – Catalogue Record

2. Up to this year they use AACR2 rules for Cataloguing

3. They now use Resource Description and Access (RDA) rules for Cataloguing

4. Library Performance Indicators – ISO11620 – Australian Catholic University Library uses these indicators to help them evaluate the services and the programs for clients.

5. XML is using in their Library Management system – ALEPH Integrated Library System

6. They also use Z39.50 protocol for searching and retrieving information online

7. Metadata – The areas in use are:

. Research Bank

.  LEO

.  Leaf into Learning

8. ERA and HERDC

• Promotion and marketing

Australian Catholic University Library methods to market their services and programs I think are effective and doing what they where designed for.  With any advertising or marketing campaign from time to time you need to up date them. With the growth of the University some of the promotional material will need to done in more then one language.

All Branch Libraries of the Australian Catholic University Libraries are situated in the main building of each campus.  This is a good marketing tool to ensure that all new students know were the library is on their first day.

Each of the faculties has a parent’s orientation night that is organised in the Library.  This is also way to market the services of the Library.  Another great way to promote the library is the student orientation week where each student is provided with a library bag with information about the library and its services. Also each liaison librarian gives a lecture about the library to new students of their faculty and all staff provides talks in the library for students.

The faculties are also helping to promote the library by cooperating with library services with the unit outlines:

1.  One of the History Units you need to do the first assignment and the class is done in the Library

2.   Making  Leap into Learning compulsory for all first year students

3.  Teaching staff sending students to the library academic skills or finding resources for assignments.

Liaisons Librarians drop in sessions are also a way to promote the library services when they leave library information in the faculty common rooms or dropping into classes.

Australian Catholic University is on Twitter and Facebook and the library uses these social networks for promoting their services and programs.

The Library has their own web pages on the Australian Catholic University website.  This also helps promote the library services and programs each time the site is viewed by clients.

The greatest promotion tool is by the students through social media; classes; meal times and study sessions.

Australian Catholic University Library supports all ACU students to acquire information literacy skills and regardless of location, year or mode of study. They also endorse the Australian and Zealand Information Literacy Framework and ALIA Information Literacy Standards.

They ensure with the help of academic staff information literacy is incorporated into the curriculum.

Liaison Librarians provide training sessions for students in the Library, in-class on the following:

1. Using the library search tools

2. Referencing

3. Developing Research Skills

4. Using the Internet for research

Academic skills unit also have drop in session in the Library near the services desk to help students with information literacy. All staff on the service desk at Australian Catholic University Library provides students and staff with their information literacy needs.

The Australian Catholic University believes that everyone has the right to learn so they provide a unit to look after those students that lecturers tag as risk of failing. The Library with the cooperation of Academic Skills Advisors provides information literacy programs for them.

On the Australian Catholic University Library website they provide online tutorials for students and staff. The online tutorials are done in different formats:

1. YouTube videos

2. Interactive modules and quizzes.

Help guides for frequently asked questions are also provided on the Australian Catholic University Library Website.

All Campus Librarians of the Australian Catholic University Library are encouraged to share and developed information literacy programs.

The staff structure of the Australian Catholic University Library Melbourne Campus are

CLIENT SERVICES

 

 

 

LIBRARY RESOURCES SERVICES

 

Access Services – (Research Support and Copyright)

 

 

Due to the connection to the Roman Catholic Church, the Australian Catholic University Campus Librarian makes all staff feel they are information professionals and have an important role in the library.

I do think that all Librarians in Australian Catholic University Melbourne Campus do feel they are information professionals and they are there to encourage and support students and staff in their quest for long-term learning.

For example, the development of Leap into Learning was developed by all six education Liaison Librarians.

Australian Catholic University culture encourages all staff to continue with long-term learning and they help towards this by providing online staff training sessions.

The Campus Librarian of the Australian Catholic University Melbourne campus is supportive of her staff to continue to grow professionally.

The library staff’s uses the free online staff training sessions provided by the University.  To continue to assist their faculty some of the Liaison Librarians do further study in their area of expertise.

Performance measures in the Australian Catholic University Melbourne Library are measured by:

Information Desk 

Staff record the following using an online form:

. Reference requests

. Research requests

. University information – “Where is student admin”

. General information – Library’s Lost property, printing problems etc

Statistics are also collected by the Liaison Librarian when every they have information sessions with students and staff.

Performance measures are also collected by the Resource Services Staff, which involved:

. Copy Cataloguing statistics

. Acquisition statistics

The Research Support Librarians also looks after the Research performance and reporting processes (ERA and HERDC)

Another way Australian Catholic University measure their performance is recalling the number of students using the library in person and online.

Australian Catholic University is made up of six branch libraries located in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney (Strathfield and North Sydney), Ballarat and Canberra. This allows collaboration between the Liaison Librarians for each faculty. The outcome of this is the development of the “LEAP INTO LEARNING” information literacy program.

All liaison librarians do a drop in service once a week with their faculty.  This allows for informal discussion on issues that affects the teaching staff and way that the library can help them.

Australian Catholic University is also a member of:

CAUL (Council of Australian University Librarians)

QULOC (Queensland University Libraries Office of Cooperation)

CAVAL (Cooperative Action by Victorian Academic Libraries)

UNISON (University Librarians in the State of NSW)

ACTUAL (ACT University and Academic Libraries)

CATHLINK (Catholic Library and Information Network – Australia)

Staffs of the Australian Catholic University Melbourne Library are members of the following:

ALIA

LinkIn.

Australian Catholic University also support resources sharing by being members of the following catalogues and collections:

Australian University Libraries

Australian Libraries Gateway

Libraries Australia

Trinity Theological Library

TROVE (National Library of Australia)

UNILINC Catalogue

WORLD CAT

Australian Catholic University Library and the Academic Skills Unit develop a program that helps new students in their personal and professional development at ACU.

The program is called LEAP INTO LEARNING and it is made up of five modules, which are:

1. Where to Start

2. Library Search

3. Education Databases and Resources by Topic

4. Academic Integrity

5. Using Evidence and Referencing

After completing each model students need to complete a quiz to move to the next module.  Each student has three tries to complete each module.  The main benefit of this program I can see is that it makes the student seek out help, which they might not do otherwise.

It also provides information for the Library and Academic Skills Unit to see what improvement are need to the program. What a great way to increase information literacy to all students and provide a support for students who are having difficulties.

Faculties in ACU are starting to make this program compulsory in the first year units.

I think that the Australia Catholic University Library will have a great future. At present they are a small library service but this will change with the University continuing to grow such as when Law was added as a faculty this year.

STRENGTHS

1. Information Literacy programs

2. All at risk students are able to ask library staff for individual sessions

3. A welcome and happy environment for staff and students to study and socialise in the library

4. As a group the Australian Catholic University Library Service culture is to embrace changes.

5. Good team culture

WEAKNESSES

Each campus is small and the increase growth of students to the University provides more pressure on the staff.

Australian Catholic University Library staffs are involved in all areas of planning in the University, which allows them to be at the beginning of any changes in the organisation.  To me I think that the Australian Catholic University Library is a proactive library system that is willing to change with the University.

Law – Liaison Librarian

Education – Liaison Librarian

Resource Services – Librarian

Acquisitions & Resource Services – Library Technician

Acquisitions – Library Technician

Lending and Document Services – Co-Ordinator

Your objectives for this placement

I had a number of objectives for this placement, which were both professional and personal.  Firstly, I hope to gain a more up to date reference but the placement was too short. Secondly, to gain more knowledge of what information professional is in an academic library. Thirdly, to use the knowledge I have gain to increase my skills that will help me in find employment in the LIS industry.

Another objectives were to see what part of the LIS industry I should apply for jobs in.  Should it be in an Academic, Special or Public Library? I was also hoping that this placement would help me in my personal and professional development.

CLIENT SERVICES 

Library Structure/administration

Library System – Introduction to Aleph system and its functions

Overview of online provision (links and scanning)

INFORMATION SERVICES

Reference work

ILL

Databases

Electronic resources

Ref Chat

Rostered desk shifts (Loans and reference)

Shelving

RESOURCE SERVICES

Copy cataloguing

Acquisitions – receiving items

LIAISON WORK

Drop in Service

Bib searching – Students outlines – checking that all resources was found in the library

Ordering items for their faculty (Education)

Academic Support

Weeding

No activities that I saw being performed at Australian Catholic University Melbourne Campus that has not being introduced to me by Queensland University of Technology LIS program, Queensland University of Technology Law Library and Queensland University of Technology Garden Point Library.

I cannot pinpoint any one incident or responsibility that help me to understand the meaning of being information professional.  The program for my fieldwork placement at Australian Catholic University as a whole showed me what it means to be an Information Professional.

I encountered no difficulties in performing the duties that was assigned to me during this placement.