Expansion of Parramatta City Library Services - Essay Example

Parramatta Library Client Group PARRAMATTA LIBRARY CLIENT GROUP Parramatta Library is faced with various emerging challenges, especially due to the technological advancements and changes in the recent past. This has especially been accelerated by the importance of electronic resources in today’s world. The emergence of such interactive, social networking sites as wikis, blogs, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as new mobile technology trends. This has affected the way in which clients search for resources and give feedback to the library. It has become vital to remain in-sync with the new technologies in order to give services in an accessible and effective way. This is especially important for housebound clients who are. Moreover, with the growing use of the internet, library professionals are now required to use more proactive methods to add value to their services with potential and current clients. This paper is a report about Parramatta City Library client group, in Sydney, Australia. All Parramatta City Library members can access a wide array of services that are aimed at giving the community reliable and up-to-date resources. These services include Information and technology, with the library providing a wide range of resources, such as comprehensive HSC collections, as well as access to electronic databases. The library also offers computer services, with computer bookings recommended before coming in to use them. Bookings are made at the reference desk or the customer service desk. Those who arrive late for a booking lose their session time, with sessions only bookable for one session a day per person. If clients would require more time, then they can only get it if there is an un-booked PC. However, this has to be with the consent of the staff. Various branch libraries will provide word processing and internet facilities, although, again, bookings are advised. The library catalogue is accessible by home users when searching for various items or accessing their borrowing details. Clients can view their personal records, register as temporary members of the library, renew items if they approach their overdue period, or reserve items. Library notices are sent by email to these clients if they provide their email address. Parramatta City Library also subscribes to daily and weekly newspapers, including those in Chinese, Arabic and other languages represented in the community. While various branch libraries hold a number of newspapers, they do not subscribe to interstate newspapers. Parramatta City Library serves a wide range of clients. They have a story period for children under the age of five, as well as off or on-line help with homework. They also provide holiday-time activities for children and youth of Parramatta Library, as well as the various branches of the library. Another client base is HSC students, for whom Parramatta City Library provides a wide range of services, such as offering a wide collection of resources, offering to help with their homework, giving HSC programs and lectures, as well as providing online resources. Parramatta City Library also offers services to the city’s multicultural community, by providing a wide array of community language materials for both juniors and adults in eight different languages. The materials provided for this group include CDs, CD ROMs, audio tapes, videos, VCDs, DVDs and books. They also offer a wide collection of music originating from all over the world. Services for Housebound Clients The Library Outreach service, together with the Parramatta City Council also offers free services to disabled residents of the city, as well as to housebound clients. The Housebound service for readers is given to residents who are not able to visit the library since they are ill, disabled or are even limited in mobility. To be eligible for this service, the resident, requires a certificate from a doctor that states the reasons or causes that the resident cannot access the resources in the library by themselves, either due to illness or other medical conditions (Driggers & Eilee, 2012: p45). The residents eligible for this service can also include those whose career cannot allow them enough time to visit the library, as well as those who have physical disadvantages such as debilitating illnesses or even extreme frailties. Residents who need the services temporarily when undergoing convalescence after suffering a serious injury or illness are also eligible for this service. Finally, Parramatta City Library also offers hose-bound library services to clients in retirement villages and nursing homes. Parramatta City Library will deliver items to the housebound clients in the form of magazines, CD-ROMs, Music CDs, talking books, DVDs, videos, large print books and other books. The library also provides these patients with big-keyed PC computers that have large keys whose design is meant to make it easy for them to use, especially if they are disabled (Jones, 2009: p15). These can be delivered from most branches if they are deemed necessary, especially so they can access electronic material and give feedback where needed. Large print books are available for both young and adult housebound readers, and they are delivered separately from other books. Non-fiction and fiction titles incorporate these large print books. Feedback The homebound outreach program is involved in monthly visits to the residential dwellings of the clients, as well as to their nursing homes in order to bring the browsing experience for library material right to their doorstep. These monthly visits are also a way of getting feedback from clients and sensitizing potential clients regarding the benefits of utilizing the service (Mates, 2009: p11). A different method that Parramatta City Library uses to collect feedback from this group is via their email. When the clients are afforded with keyboards and PCs via the library, this increases the likelihood that they will browse for information and resources from the Library database. This acts, as a perfect avenue, to get to know what they think about the services offered and what they would like to be done in the future. Recommendations The service should be widely publicized to the Parramatta City residents. Clients who want this service would then be requested to nominate friends or family who will select, as well as deliver, their material on a frequency that will be determined by the two parties (Roberts & Richard, 2010: p22). This will reduce the workload of the library staff. The nominee will be briefed on the borrowing procedures, catalogue access and the collections available at the library. They will be advised to process all loans at the circulation point as normal at all service points. However, this client group will not be charged any overdue fee. Clients could also be asked to consider the self-select or home delivery option. Clients who will approve this option will be supported through the appropriate trolley within the home delivery bags, library and regular delivery services at home (Weingand, 2011: p21). The service will be publicized to the Parramatta City residents, with clients who register, for the service, to be briefed by the library staff on the borrowing procedures and the use of the catalogue. The delivery service should take place fortnightly to allow proper and efficient handling of the loan requests and avoid having to wait, until the next delivery, to correct an order. The library could also arrange bus visits for clients to take them to the library. The clients will then be enabled to pick their books with ample help from the library staff. Community organizations can also be used to source for volunteers to help clients with their deliveries or even take them to the library, help them loan books, and take them back home. The volunteer will also handle returns and loans through the service desk at the branch that they find most convenient. References Driggers, Preston. & Eileen, Dumas. Managing library volunteers : a practical toolkit. Chicago: London American Library Association, 2012. Jones, Plummer. Still struggling for equality : American public library services . Westport: Libraries Unlimited, 2009. Mates, Barbara. 5-star programming for your library customers. Chicago : American Library Association, 2008. Roberts, Ann. & Richard, Smith. Crash Course in Library Services to People with Disabilities. Santa Barbara : ABC-CLIO, 2010. Weingand, Darlene. Administration of the small public library. Chicago : American Library Association, cop., 2011. Read More