Providing and promoting public library services to a culturally diverse New South Wales.

People from 140 countries live in New South Wales, and 26 per cent of these speak a language other than English at home. The provision and promotion of public library services to this culturally diverse population has been enhanced by strong cooperation between state and local government

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The delivery of multicultural public library services in New South Wales (NSW) has been shaped by national, state and local government laws and policies. These provide the context for multicultural public library services, the focus of this paper.

Until the mid 20th century Australia had a predominantly European migrant population as the result of policies that restricted immigration for nonEuropeans. This changed after the second world war when there was a substantial growth in population due to immigration. Over the years further international, national, political and economic changes created an environment that moved Australia towards a more tolerant, inclusive multicultural society. (1)

The current provision of multicultural services in Australia is in response to policies and legislation which includes the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. This makes it unlawful to discriminate against people because of their race, colour, descent, nationality or ethnic origins. The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (2) is responsible for the implementation of the Racial Discrimination Act as well as the following federal government laws

* Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986

* Sex Discrimination Act 1984

* Privacy Act 1988

* Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (3)

In 1989 the Australian federal government launched the national agenda for a multicultural Australia which incorporates three fundamental ideas

* cultural identity the right of all Australians, within carefully defined limits, to express and share their individual cultural heritage, including their language and religion

* social justice the right of all Australians to equality of treatment and opportunity, and the removal of barriers of race, ethnicity, culture, religion, language, gender or place of birth

* economic efficiency the need to maintain, develop and utilise effectively the skills and talents of all Australians, regardless of background. (4)

New South Wales

The State of NSW is one of the most culturally diverse communities in Australia. People from around 140 countries have made it their home and around 26 per cent of the population speak a language other than English at home. This diversity is an asset. It also requires planning and innovation by the NSW government and other agencies, particularly when delivering programs and services.

The Community Relations Commission for a multicultural NSW was established in 2001. The commission works to support and develop relationships between people of diverse cultural backgrounds. Previously called the Ethnic Affairs Commission, the intention behind dropping the term 'ethnic affairs' was to be more community oriented and strategic in identifying issues and producing solutions through partnership with government and communities. (5)

All NSW government agencies are guided by the four principles of multiculturalism, which are enshrined in state law. The principles confirm the right of individuals in NSW to

* fully contribute and participate in the life of the state

* respect the culture, language and religion of others (within a legal and constitutional framework where English is the common language)

* have access to government services

* have the linguistic and cultural assets in NSW recognised and promoted (6)

The NSW government's Community relations plan of action 2012 transforms these principles into broad objectives. The objectives are

* leadership to encourage and value a culturally diverse society

* community harmony

* access and equity within the framework of social justice obligations

* economic and cultural opportunities (7)

Public sector agencies integrate these principles and objectives into their core business through their Ethnic Affairs Priorities Statement (EAPS). The statement shows how an agency will address the needs of a culturally diverse society, according to its charter. (8)

NSW local government

Local councils are required by law to develop access and equity initiatives targeting people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and include these initiatives in their management plans. They are also required to publish in their annual reports details about the implementation of access and equity activities, including those referring to people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. (9)

All councils are required to prepare a social or community plan at least every five years. It is a public document containing demographic data, human needs assessment and recommended actions which councils consider for inclusion in the management and/or business unit plans. These plans must contain data and information about the needs of target groups, including people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. (10)

NSW public libraries

There are 98 public library services and 264 branches, making a NSW total of 362 service points. The library services include a mixture of independent (standalone) library services operated by a single local government authority (or council) and regional (cooperative) libraries where up to eight local authorities have entered into an agreement to provide library services.

All 152 local authorities have adopted the Library Act 1939. The State Library of NSW is responsible for administering this Act which requires local authorities to provide core library services free of charge. (11) However, local councils and their library services are autonomous, with the councils providing the majority of funding for public libraries. Total funds expended on public libraries by NSW local authorities in 2002/03 was $217,251,283. (12)

State Library of NSW

The Library Council of New South Wales is the governing body of the State Library. The objects of the Library Council, as defined in the Library Act, are

* to promote, provide and maintain library and information services for the people of New South Wales through the State Library and through cooperation with local libraries and information agencies

* to advise the minister, local authorities and, when the minister so approves, other bodies, on matters of policy and administration relating to library services and information services that are or may be provided through local libraries and other libraries

* to advise the minister on the provision of assistance to local libraries or other libraries. (13)

The State Library manages the public libraries grants and subsidies funding on behalf of the NSW state government. The program provides ongoing funding to local government for public library services, which is paid as a subsidy according to the Library Act 1939 and the 1990 funding formula. (14) This formula takes into account population, isolation and demographic composition, among other factors, in determining the subsidy to be paid to the councils. The total state funding for the public libraries grants and subsidies in 2002/03 was $20.919 million, and $22.42 million in 2004/05.

Another component of the public libraries grants and subsidies funding is the annual library development grants program. Councils are eligible to apply for up to a maximum of $200,000 for specific projects that will benefit the public library. Each year approximately 100 submissions are received requesting up to $7 million in grants. In 2003/04 the funding allocated under this competitive program was $3,385,094. (15)

In addition to administering the public libraries grants and subsidies funding, the State Library provides consultancy and policy advice to local authorities and oversees compliance with the Library Act. It also provides advice to the NSW state government on all aspects of public library provision.

State Library services to NSW public libraries

The public library network is a key distribution channel for State Library services and products. The Library Council promotes, provides and maintains access to these services and products in partnership with the network of public libraries. State Library services to public libraries include reference information, interlibrary loans, access to specialist legal, health, drug and education resources, touring exhibitions and NSW.net. The library also provides consultancy and policy advice to local authorities and public libraries on all aspects of library service delivery and management. (16)

NSW.net, an initiative of the State Library established in the late 1990s, provides councils, libraries and their communities with affordable, high speed and efficient access to the interact. NSW.net, funded as part of the public libraries grants and subsidies funding, also provides free access to quality online databases and has provided over 700 public access internet terminals to public libraries to ensure that people across the state have free internet access. (17)

State Library multicultural services for NSW public libraries

The State Library of NSW is committed to the provision of quality, integrated multicultural library services that are responsive to changing migration patterns and the changing information needs of a culturally diverse community. The library provides access to its own multicultural services and collections and also provides leadership and support to all NSW public libraries offering multicultural library services. There is a multicultural consultant who has a specific responsibility to promote multicultural library services in public libraries and to develop policies on multicultural issues for the State Library.

As required by government policy, the library has an ethnic affairs priorities statement which includes strategies to deliver integrated services to multicultural NSW. An annual report on achievements is prepared for the Community Relations Commission, and highlights of multicultural library services are reported in the annual report of the Library Council of NSW. (18)

Community language collection

In support of public libraries, the State Library collects and catalogues library materials in community languages for loan to public library clients. The library works with public library staff and community representatives to ensure that the resources acquired are appropriate for culturally and linguistically diverse communities in both metropolitan and rural and regional areas. The State Library developed this backup collection because most rural and regional, and some metropolitan, libraries cannot sustain community language collections as the cost is prohibitive due to a small multicultural population. The library also maintains an English as a second language (ESL) collection for loan to public libraries. The multicultural lending collections in 42 languages, and the ESL collection, total 69,441 items.

Ensuring that library materials are relevant and accessible to clients from multicultural communities is a key challenge. Recently the State Library has focused on the re evaluation of the community language collection. As well as reviewing and updating the collections, new areas of need were identified on the basis of community profiles and demand. This has led to the establishment of the Gujurati, Singhalese and Kurdish collections. The library is also proactively preparing for the projected increase of older people within the state, as it is estimated that 17 per cent of the NSW population will be over the age of 65 years in 2016. (19) To serve an increasingly aged population there will be more emphasis on purchasing audio and large print books in community languages.

All multicultural and ESL collection items are lent free of charge through public libraries as part of a range of services that the State Library provides to support the network and to enhance the library services. The Lote (language(s) other than English) and ESL materials are accessible via the library's web catalogue which assists in providing equity of access to information and gives clients the option to select specific items for loan. The collections also increase the variety of library materials available through public libraries. In the 2004 calendar year 118,884 multicultural and ESL items were lent to NSW public libraries, an increase of 36 per cent over the previous year. (20)

The State Library compiles and maintains the Community languages collection directory. This lists those public libraries that hold community language collections, the languages collected by each library and the number of volumes held in each language. There are collections in 47 community languages across the network and the directory is used by public libraries to refer clients. The directory can be accessed via the State Library website. (21)

In addition to the lending collections mentioned above, the library has over 200 nonEnglish language newspaper titles, including all current Lore newspapers published in New South Wales* These newspapers are microfilmed ensuring their preservation and availability to present and future clients. The library also maintains a collection of general encyclopaedias and dictionaries in languages other than English to provide for the basic information needs of nonEnglish speakers.

Legal deposit

Under the Copyright Act 1879-1952, ss.5-7 all NSW publishers are required to deposit one copy of each item published with the State Library within two months of publication* This includes commercial publishers as well as individuals, clubs, churches, societies and organasations. (22)

The State Library liaises with multicultural communities to raise awareness of the legal requirement, emphasising that literary works are part of Australia's cultural heritage. It believes that the communities have a strong role to play in preserving the unique multicultural documentary heritage of NSW for current and future generations.

Research

In support of NSW public libraries the State Library, through the public library network research program, commissions research relevant to the network. (23) One such research project resulted in the publication of Multicultural library services in NSW public libraries 2001, launched in 2002. (24) The project grew out of the need identified by the working group on multicultural library services (NSW) for more comprehensive data relating to levels of library service delivery to multicultural communities. (25)

The focus of the project was to complete a comprehensive survey of multicultural service delivery in public libraries. The research included examples of best practice service delivery, both locally and internationally, and provides models for libraries wishing to improve their multicultural library service delivery.

In 2002/03 the research into multicultural library services continued with a project focusing on people using public library multicultural services. Clients representing a cross section of ethnic communities were invited to participate in focus groups which were conducted in the participants' native language. Library users from metropolitan and regional areas were interviewed. The project aimed to develop an overview of the needs of library clients from the perspective of a culturally and linguistically diverse (Cald) clientele. The research results, published in Culturally diverse communities and the public library, are now being used to devise strategies to address priorities and directions regarding future multicultural services and collections. (26)

Multilingual glossary 

One of the issues identified in Multicultural library services in NSW public libraries 2001 was the high cost of translating information. In many cases the work is duplicated across public libraries which are all endeavouring to reach clients from diverse linguistic backgrounds. In order to produce translation in a more cost effective way the working group on multicultural library services identified the need to work collaboratively to produce the required translations in a more cost efficient manner.

A glossary of common library directions and signs has been compiled by the group. It is envisaged that it will play a significant role in facilitating access to information in a language of choice. The glossary will be a professionally generated, accurate, signage tool for library staff and will be available to global users via the internet and supported by the State Library of NSW.

Muiticultural purchasing cooperative 

The multicultural purchasing cooperative (MPC) is a leading supplier of library materials in languages other than English to NSW public libraries. The cooperative was established in the 1970s to source and supply library materials at the lowest possible price by way of bulk orders and discounts. Currently 25 library services throughout the state, with most located in Sydney, purchase materials through it. In 2003/04 public libraries purchased 31,821 items in 40 languages at a total cost of $480,558. (27) On average the cooperative receives 15 per cent discount on all purchases, which in 2003/2004 represented savings of $72,800.

The MPC coordinates the selection of materials by distributing publisher and bookseller catalogues to libraries and by organising combined selection meetings. Selection meetings are held for languages where more than four libraries will be buying. Each year more than ten selection meetings are held in approximately 15 languages. The cooperative undertakes all supplier liaison, ordering, invoicing and distribution associated with the subsequent purchases.

Cooperative cataloguing

In 2002/03 members of the working group on multicultural library services identified the need for more cost effective methods of cataloguing multicultural library materials. It was agreed that the most cost effective option for providing multilingual catalogued library materials was to establish a project coordinated through the cooperative.

The aims of cooperative cataloguing are to

* enhance access to community languages collections by improving the standard of cataloguing and increasing access to these records via public library opacs and web accessible catalogues

* obtain cost efficiencies in the cataloguing of community languages collections by sharing cataloguing resources utilising Kinetica 

* improve collection development and interlibrary loans of community languages materials by providing access via Kinetica, local opacs or web catalogues

* establish standards that will produce uniform records across member libraries

* reduce cataloguing backlogs and improve turnaround times 

The cooperative forwards the relevant materials to a cataloguing agent where they are catalogued into the National Library of Australia database (Kinetica) and returned to the participant libraries as per their order. (28) Libraries download the records into their local system and process the items. While downloading the records libraries have the option of adding their holdings to the national database thus making the materials available for interlibrary loan.

Over the last year eight libraries participated in the cooperative cataloguing, which involved nine languages: Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Korean, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese. A total of 22,894 items were catalogued at a cost of $126,826. (29) With this new development the MPC enables public libraries to deliver materials to their clients in a more efficient way as well as freeing staff to be redeployed to multicultural community programs. It is also coordinating shelf ready material for its members.

Multilingual pamphlets

The State Library has created information pamphlets in 30 languages and distributed them to the respective communities via local public libraries. The pamphlet summarises the core services that public libraries provide to the Cald population of NSW. The pamphlets are available to all NSW public libraries via the State Library website. (30)

Multilingual banners

The State Library also commissioned five double sided banners that are used by libraries throughout the state to promote their multicultural services at local events. Made of lightweight materials the banners are easily assembled around an aluminium frame (lm wide x 2m high) for display purposes and can be folded into compact carrying cases for ease of transportation. (31)

Consultancy and advice services

The State Library multicultural consultant provides leadership and advice to NSW public libraries on multicultural policies and issues, and on the establishment and development of multicultural services and collections. This service is undertaken in consultation with the Metropolitan Public Libraries Association (MPLA) working group on multicultural library services. The consultant also coordinates and conducts education and training programs on multicultural issues, access, equity, and cultural diversity both for State Library and public library staff.

The consultant is active in the promotion of NSW multicultural library services to local communities, ensuring a high level of consultation with people from ethnic communities, public libraries, professional groups, relevant agencies in the multicultural field, and the community regarding the provision of library services to people from multicultural communities. Liaison with public libraries and community groups is particularly strong.

Monitoring developments that will improve access to library services for people from diverse backgrounds is an increasing role for the consultant. One such initiative was the installation of language fonts on pcs that were purchased and distributed to public libraries. This was undertaken as part of the NSW.net initiative which placed more than 700 pcs in public libraries for free community access to the internet. All 700 terminals had additional fonts installed for the 30 languages most commonly spoken in NSW. The project brought direct benefit to those wanting access to electronic resources in languages other than English. (32)

Multilingual campaign to promote public library services to multicultural communities

There is a diverse level of understanding about public libraries and the services offered in Cald communities. Understanding and expectations depend upon the availability of public libraries in their original country. For some, libraries are viewed as a luxury only for a select group of people such as academics, students and researchers. For others, it is simply a lack of understanding of the facilities that are available to everyone in their new country.

The Metropolitan Public Libraries Association, as a consequence of the research done by the working group on multicultural library services, realised that communities had an inadequate knowledge of what libraries had to offer. It was evident there was a lack of awareness in Cald communities of what public libraries offer, including library materials in their language. In addition, language was a barrier to accessing information.

The working group on multicultural library services applied for a library development grant in 2000/01 to conduct a public relations campaign to promote the range of library services to the culturally diverse populations of Sydney. It was awarded $78,317 to conduct a ground breaking campaign to raise awareness of free public library services by people from a nonEnglish speaking background.

Target languages

Following a rigorous process the final selection of languages for the publicity campaign was Arabic, Chinese, English, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese. It was agreed that the generic message of the campaign needed to be direct, in plain English and easy to translate. Based on the research undertaken by the State Library it was known that many of the targeted community groups did not have a strong interest in libraries and their facilities. This meant that the campaign had to work hard in overcoming attitudinal and behavioural perceptions about libraries.

Campaign message

The two headlines that were eventually chosen were Go to your local library and Discover a whole new world because they reflected the aims and objectives of the campaign, whilst presenting the library as an exciting place that has more to offer than books.

As space was at a premium only three points were promoted

* learn English

* borrow books in your own language

* access the internet

To reinforce the message that public libraries are more than books and are used by a very diverse clientele, the photographic artwork complemented the message by featuring images of computers, newspapers, discussion groups and people from all age groups and national backgrounds. The final artwork of the campaign, available on the State Library website, clearly illustrates this approach. (33)

Billboards

A mix of media options was considered and billboards were selected as they provided maximum exposure on a limited budget, being large enough to have the five languages plus English. Additional sites were able to be secured from the savings in production costs. Forty billboards went up across metropolitan Sydney between June and December 2001. (34) The sites were strategically chosen to reflect the local government areas that had high concentrations of the targeted languages.

Postcards and posters

The billboard artwork was adapted for postcards and posters. Postcards were produced with the aim of promoting library services at the local level. (35) They have proven to be an immense success as demonstrated by a second reprint separately funded by the participating libraries. The A2 posters came with an attachment that could be placed at the bottom of the poster to allow each library to add their specific contact details. (36)

The cards and posters were distributed to all libraries in NSW, migrant resource centres and the community organisations of the language groups targeted. The posters were also sent to educational organisations, local supermarkets, hairdressers, doctors' surgeries, places of worship, restaurants, social clubs and sport clubs eg soccer, and other places frequented by library nonusers, to increase awareness of the library services.

Moving forward ... the second stage of the multicultural campaign

In 2002/03 the working group on multicultural library services was successful in obtaining a second library development grant of $71,830. The grant funds were used to develop stage two of the awareness campaign to promote the wide range of library services and resources offered. The branding established in the 2001 campaign was carried through to stage two of the campaign.

Launch

The campaign was launched at Auburn Library on 25 May 2001 by Stepan Kerkyasharian, chair of the Community Relations Commission and Dagmar Schmidmaier, State Librarian and Chief Executive. A media kit was distributed on the day. The press release was translated into the five major languages of the campaign, and sent to the ethnic newspapers and radio stations.

Ongoing benefits

All material created in the campaign, such as the billboard advertisements, is available on the State Library website. (37) The creative material, which belongs to the State Library, can be used as a template for future ventures targeting other community groups.

Three courier vans that move library materials between the Sydney metropolitan public libraries were turned into moving advertisements with the images and text from the billboard placed on the external walls of the vans.

Campaign success

The campaign was successful as it stimulated not only the interest of the five targeted communities to use their local library, but also raised awareness in other community groups. In 2000/01 Fairfield City Library, located in the western suburbs of Sydney, had an increase of 5.31 per cent (27,056 items) in Lote loans over the previous year, compared with a decrease in other areas of the library collection. (38)

The new campaign, which ran for 12 weeks between July and October 2003, targeted the southern and eastern suburbs of Sydney. The languages were Croatian, Greek, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Polish, Russian and Serbian. As the billboards used in the previous campaign were not appropriate for the new target areas the following were used

Bus sides allowed promotion of the nine languages selected

Bus interiors provided great exposure for a long period and allowed for language targeting

Posters as used in 2001, but the languages reflected the community mix of the participating libraries servicing the targeted areas

Postcards as used in 2001 but with the new target languages

Website all materials are posted on the State Library website under the title Multilingual campaign to promote public library services Part 2 at http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/pls/publications/

Multilingual campaign awards

Go to your local library, the second stage of the multilingual campaign, won the Atom (Awards in transit outdoor media) best integrated transit media strategy award in 2004. The winners were published in the B&T magazine in April 2004.

This second stage also won the government award category in the 2004 national multicultural marketing awards run by the Community Relations Commission for a Multicultural New South Wales (CRC). The winners were announced at a gala presentation dinner in the presence of the Hon Bob Cart MP, Premier, Minister for Citizenship and Minister for the Arts. (39)

The chair of the CRC, Stepan Kerkyasharian AM, said the campaign entry was outstanding. He highlighted the fact that that the library working group was able to develop a concept which is culturally adaptable and appropriate for reuse in other library service promotions. The strong working relationship that the librarians have with their local communities helped them recruit community members to participate in the campaign, including being photographed for the advertisements.

Conclusion

The strong relationship between the State Library and local authorities was created by the 1939 Library Act. This has proved to be of enduring benefit to the partners and to the people of New South Wales. The provision and promotion of public library services to a culturally diverse New South Wales would not be as advanced were it not for this unique state and local government partnership.

Appendix

Metropolitan Public Libraries Association (MPLA) http://www.mplansw.asn.au/ Working group on muiticultural library services

The working group on multicultural library services of NSW was established in June 1983 and is affiliated with the Metropolitan Public Libraries Association of NSW (MPLA). The working group today is a dynamic group of professionals committed to providing leadership in the pursuit of excellence for the provision of library and information services to the NSW multicultural community.

The working group on multicultural library services was formed to improve library services and raise awareness among people from NESB.

The mission of the working group is to ensure the development and improvement of customer focused public library services for the multicultural community of NSW, recognising that the environment is constantly changing.

The objectives of the group are to

* provide leadership in the field of multicultural library service

* provide members of the group with a forum for discussion and for peer support

* raise the profile of multicultural library services within the broader library community

* encourage cooperation and networking amongst public libraries and institutions

* ensure that multicultural services are recognised as a vital component of public library services

* advocate for the equitable distribution of resources and technology

References

(1) Australia. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Fast facts about Australia: Australia in brief [July] 2003 http://www.dfat.gov.au/aib/society.html accessed 18 January 2005

(2) The Australian Human Rights Commission was established in 1981 and later renamed the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission

(3) These laws in full text can be found at the State Library of New South Wales, Legal Information Access Centre (Liac) 1 May 2003 http://liac.sl.nsw.gov.au/advice/caseandleg.cfm accessed 18 January 2005

(4) Australia. Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs A new agenda for multicultural affairs 6 August 2002 http://www.immi.gov.au/multicultural/_inc/publications/agenda/accessed 18 January 2005

(5) Community Relations Commission for a multicultural NSW Annual report 2000-2001 http://www.crc.nsw.gov.au/publications/annrep 0001/index.htm accessed 18 January 2005

(6) Community Relations Commission and Principles of Multiculturalism Act 2002 This law in full text can be found at the State Library of New South Wales, Legal Information Access Centre 1 May 2003 http://liac.sl.nsw.gov.au/advice/caseandleg.cfm accessed 18 January 2005

(7) Community Relations Commission for a multicultural NSW Cultural harmony: the next decade 2002-2012. Sydney, 2002 pp81-87 http://www.crc.nsw.gov.au/publications/greenpaper/ accessed 18 January 2005

(8) For more information see the Community Relations Commission 15 July 2003 www.crc.nsw.gov.au accessed 18 January 2005

(9) NSW Local Government Act 1993, s402; NSW Local Government (General) Amendment Regulation 1999 http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/accessed 18 January 2005

(10) Community Relations Commission for a multicultural NSW EAPS FAQs: question 6 http://www.crc.nsw.gov.au/eaps/faq.htm accessed 18 January 2005

(11) Library Act 1939, section 10. NSW Parliamentary Counsel's Office Welcome to the Government of New South Wales legislation home page http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/ accessed 18 January 2005

(12) State Library of New South Wales Public libraries statistics 2002/03

(13) Library Act 1939, section 4A. NSW Parliamentary Counsel's Office Welcome to the Government of New South Wales legislation home page http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/ accessed 18 January 2005

(14) Library Council of New South Wales Annual report 2004 p48 http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/ annual/2004.cfm accessed 18 January 2005

(15) Library Council of New South Wales. Annual report 2004 p49 http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/annual/2004.cfm accessed 15 March 2005

(16) Library Council of New South Wales Annual report 2004, p23. http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/annual/2004.cfm accessed 18 January 2005

(17) State Library of New South Wales, NSW.net. http://www.nswnet.net/accessed 28 July 2003

(18) Library Council of New South Wales Annual report 2004 p4 http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/annual/2004.cfm accessed 18 January 2005

(19) Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Catalogue 3222.0: Population Projections, Australia 19992101

(20) State Library of New South Wales Circulation of community language collection: statistics January 2005 unpublished

(21) State Library of New South Wales Community languages directory http://plb.sl.nsw.gov.au/languages/ accessed 18 January 2005

(22) Copyright Act, 1879-1952, ss 5-7. NSW Parliamentary Counsel's Office Welcome to the Government of New South Wales legislation home page http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/ accessed 18 January 2005

(23) State Library of New South Wales The public library network research program http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/pln/ accessed 18 January 2005

(24) State Library of New South Wales Multicultural library services in New South Wales public libraries 2001 January 2003 http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/multicultural/services/slnsw2001.cfm accessed 18 January 2005

(25) Metropolitan Public Library Association NSW Working Group on Multicultural Services 2002 http://www.mplansw.asn.au/groups/multi.htm accessed 18 January 2005. See also appendix 1 of this paper

(26) Library Council of New South Wales Culturally diverse communities and the public library: a review of NSW public library multicultural services research report 2003 http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/pls/publications/pdf/multicultural2004.pdf accessed 21 March 2005

(27) State Library of New South Wales, Public Library Services, financial reports 2003/04 Unpublished

(28) National Library of Australia Kinetica: Australia's library network www.nla.gov.au/kinetica/ accessed 18 January 2005

(29) State Library of New South Wales, Public Libraries Branch, financial reports 2002/03 unpublished

(30) State Library of New South Wales Public libraries multicultural pamphlets 9 July 2003 http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/plb/multicultural/ accessed 18 January 2005

(31) State Library of New South Wales Multilingual campaign to promote public library services [banners] 15 July 2003 http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/plb/publications/ accessed 18 January 2005

(32) State Library of New South Wales NSW.net: public internet access terminals (pcs) August 2002 http://www.nswnet.net/public/welcome.cfm accessed 18 January 2005

(33) State Library of New South Wales Multilingual campaign to promote public library services. 8 April 2003 http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/multicultural/campaign/ accessed 18 January 2005

(34) State Library of New South Wales Multilingual campaign to promote public library services [billboard] 8 April 2003, 15 July 2003 http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/plb/publications/ accessed 18 January 2005

(35) State Library of New South Wales Multilingual campaign to promote public library services [postcard] 8 April 2003, 15 July 2003 http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/plb/publications/ accessed 18 January 2005

(36) State Library of New South Wales Multilingual campaign to promote public library services.[poster] 15 July 2003 http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/plb/publications/

(37) State Library of New South Wales Multilingual campaign to promote public library services 8 April 2003 http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/multicultural/campaign/ accessed 18 January 2005

(38) Fairfield Library and Museum Services 2000/2001 annual report p64

(39) National Multicultural Marketing Awards www.crc.nsw.gov.au/awards/index.htm accessed 21 March 2005

Oriana Acevedo Multicultural Consultant and Kathleen Bresnahan Manager Public Libraries Branch State Library of NSW

Received March 2005

Oriana Acevedo BA DipEd SSTU(Chile) GradDipEdCounCarAdv UNC (Chile) GradDipArts(LIS) is consultant, multicultural services for the State Library of NSW. Oriana joined Public Library Services in October 1998 after 9 years working in libraries at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). As liaison librarian for the Institute for International Studies at UTS Oriana focused on providing services to nonEnglish speaking clients, with emphasis given to the Asia Pacific region and Latin American countries. Apart from working in libraries, Oriana has also been a teacher, education counsellor and careers adviser at secondary school and tertiary levels. Her work includes investigating and recommending technologies which enhance access to multicultural collections, advising on cooperative purchasing of materials, and promoting library services to multicultural communities. Address: State Library of NSW Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000 te1(02)[e-mail]

Kathleen Bresnahan BA AALIA is assistant state librarian, Public Library Services, State Library of NSW. She provides strategic leadership and authoritative advice to local authorities, the public library network, the State Library and other state and federal government agencies on the provision, control and management of public library services. Her expertise is in leading, managing and developing client focused services. Prior to joining Public Library Services in 1994, Kathleen led the team provision of reference and information services in the State Library and the NSW Attorney General's Department jurisdictional libraries. In 1990 she established the Legal Information Access Centre (Liac) and led its successful development over the next four years. Address: State Library of NSW Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000 tel(02)[e-mail]