Belonging in Libraries

A duo of webinars by CAVAL and the CSCN
Tuesday 24 September, 2-3.30pm AEST and Thursday 10 October, 10-11.30am AEDT

Join your peers to learn about a plethora of existing initiatives and practices! Through real-life library examples from the CAVAL membership, these webinars will explore the concept of belonging and what that looks like in our library spaces and services.

Tuesday 24 September, 2.00-3.30pm AEST

The webinars are free for staff from CAVAL Full and Associate Member institutions as well as Victorian TAFE libraries, with tickets available for staff from all other institutions for $55-65 (including GST)/event. Please note that you need to register with the email address you will access Zoom from on the day of the event. To access the ticket type of your institution, please make sure this is your work email.

Lightning talks

Libraries for Belonging at Monash University
Alexander Mee, Senior Library Services Officer, Monash University
Will Power, Library Services Officer, Monash University

In 2024, Monash University Library launched the Libraries for Belonging initiative through its Frontline Services team. This program is centred on establishing the library as a welcoming and inclusive environment for all users at Monash University. The program seeks to enhance existing resources and explore new approaches, aiming to foster a sense of belonging, particularly among students, by ensuring our libraries are safe, trusted, and accessible. It’s about making sure that the students understand that the library is their space, a space to connect and socialise as well as to learn. It’s also about the library team growing in awareness of diversity, equity and inclusion in how we offer our services and programs.

Victoria University – Partnerships: Client Experience
Sally Hand, Senior Librarian, Victoria University

Libraries are evolving beyond being mere repositories of physical resources, now exploring innovative ways to attract students, staff, and the community to their spaces.

Victoria University Library is seizing opportunities to collaborate and form partnerships, such as those with Wyndham Technical School (Lego community event with secondary schools), Footscray High School (Access to VU library resources to research Mesopotamia), and Western Chances (Partnership with VU). These initiatives are helping to activate and energize the library spaces.

Show us the books!
Lisa Callaway, Collections and Assessment Librarian, La Trobe University
David Trimble, Collections Librarian, La Trobe University
Kylie Nickels, Senior Community Programs & Engagement Officer, La Trobe University
Teagan Clough, Collections Librarian, La Trobe University

One of the core aspects of belonging in library spaces is creating an environment where everyone feels represented and valued. The Fiction Display project embodies this by curating an inclusive selection of fiction titles that promote a recreational reading culture and showcases the library’s diverse fiction collections. By regularly updating the display, students and staff would see fresh and engaging literature, fostering a sense of belonging through the stories we share.

Join us as we share our experience in creating a sustainable, ongoing display. Hear about what worked, what we wouldn’t do again and how we increased fiction borrowing by 51% without crepe paper or glitter.

How Does the Library Feature in the Lives of Students: A Library, Students as Partners, and Human Centred-Design (HCD) project
Shayna O'Brien, Library Service Officer, The University of Melbourne

In 2023, The University of Melbourne Library undertook a project to explore the role of libraries in the daily lives of students and understand what the library means to them. Incorporating Human Centred-Design (HCD), which emphasises keeping your customer, in this case the students, at the heart of design and cultivating deep empathy for those we are problem-solving for. The library assembled a team of five frontline librarians from five disciplines and four branches, and two students from the Academic Skills Students as Partners Program to conduct 30 conversations with students to answer the question: How Does the Library Feature in the Lives of Students in 2023?

14 domestic and 16 international students studying a wide variety of courses from Arts, Science, Commerce, Law, and Medicine were interviewed, including undergraduate and postgraduate students. Learnings from the interviews gave us three areas of focus for future planning and innovation: digital experience, spaces, and physical and virtual community.

Libraries build bridges: The ACU experience with veterans and schools
Samuel Cairns, Information Services Librarian, Australian Catholic University

ACU Library is embedded in two successful transition-to-university programs designed to equip students with the essential study skills to succeed at university. In this lightning talk we will discuss the library’s involvement in these programs and demonstrate how this reflects our commitment to strengthening community across our campuses and assisting students with the transition to uni life and study.

ACU Veteran Transition Program is a free, tailored two-week intensive preparatory program to support student veterans as they transition from the Australian Defence Force to studying at ACU. The pathways scheme allows for adjustment factors following military service and is about empowering students to realise their academic goals.

The ACU Library also provides practical library support in the ACU Uni Step-Up program. This program offers the opportunity to study two first-year units whist still at secondary school helping students to get a head start at university, develop uni-level study skills and discover more about their potential degree.

From Concept to Calm: Co-Designing Low-Sensory Study Spaces
Natalie Benedykt, Senior Library Services Officer, Monash University
Sonya Goldberg, Library Services Officer, Monash University

At the end of 2023, Monash University Library launched the Libraries for Belonging program, aiming to foster inclusive and accessible spaces. This program seeks to trouble conventional notions of safety, trust, and accessibility within the academic library space by centring the experience of users who have previously been rendered marginal. Drawing on research that identifies the hostility of libraries for neurodiverse users, we have been investigating how to tailor our spaces to support wellbeing and success for this user cohort. Sensory rooms, or reset rooms, have become industry standard in educational settings to support users experiencing sensory overload or who otherwise need a space to decompress. At the same time, student representatives at Monash have articulated a need for study spaces suitable for neurodiverse users. Considering our other services, and those offered by Monash more broadly, we have launched a pilot low-sensory study space which sits at the nexus of sensory and quiet study spaces. We have initiated a co-design process in tandem with this pilot, which aims to bring neurodiverse users to the centre of subsequent implementations.

In this lightning talk we will outline our journey so far, including what we have learned, where we succeeded or met obstacles, and how we have adapted. We will share our experiences in initiating a co-design process (what does it even mean?), engaging with stakeholders, educating users, and working within structural constraints.

Speakers

Alexander Mee, Senior Library Services Officer, Monash University

Alex is a Senior Library Services Officer at Monash University Library. Alex works within the Monash Library’s Frontline Services team, supervising a cohort of Library Experience Assistants at Monash’s Clayton campus. Alex holds a Graduate Diploma in Information Management from RMIT University and has worked in various different library positions across RMIT and Monash Universities.

Will Power, Library Services Officer, Monash University

Will is a Library Services Officer at Monash University, working as the first point of contact for general enquiries from Monash students, staff, alumni, and the general public. As the library has always been a personal place of comfort and safety, being able to share that experience with everyone is a priority that underpins Will's work philosophy. Will is a strong advocate for users, particularly those who are neurodiverse, through user engagement and enhancing of Monash Library's physical and online environments.

Sally Hand, Senior Librarian, Victoria University

Sally leads a small team responsible for providing information and lending services to support student and staff use of physical and online library resources and facilities at Victoria University.

Lisa Callaway, Collections and Assessment Librarian, La Trobe University

Lisa has worked in Victorian Special Libraries and for the past 20 years Lisa’s career has been devoted to La Trobe University Library. Her roles have been in managing special libraries and while at La Trobe University she has managed the Education Library, collection development and management and also document delivery. Lisa has a wealth of knowledge and is highly motivated when it comes to managing the physical collection of all La Trobe University campuses’ collections both inhouse and within the storage facilities. Lisa is driven to improving all the collections, in order to create a positive, user-friendly experience for all patrons.

David Trimble, Collections Librarian, La Trobe University

David has worked at La Trobe University Library for over 4 years after previous experience as a TAFE librarian. He started in a frontline role and now works in the Collections team where he does acquisitions, subscription renewals, statistics collection and troubleshooting electronic resources.

Kylie Nickels, Senior Community Programs & Engagement Officer, La Trobe University

Kylie is a teacher by trade, with a flair for creating and delivering experiences that bring community groups together. She's delivered central library and information support services across a variety of public sector organisations including schools, academic and public libraries.

Teagan Clough, Collections Librarian, La Trobe University

Teagan is a Collections Librarian at La Trobe University. She began her career in libraries as a high school librarian, where she spent many hours contacting and stamping books. Her current role focuses on providing access to digital and print library resources for La Trobe students, staff and researchers.

Shayna O'Brien, Library Service Officer, The University of Melbourne

Shayna is a Library Service Officer at the Giblin Eunson Library with over 20 years of frontline experience across multiple university disciplines, as well as a public library, an English language school and a high school. She has a passion for library spaces and collections, with a focus on the ever-changing nature of frontline services.

Samuel Cairns, Information Services Librarian, Australian Catholic University

Sam is currently working in two roles at ACU as an Information Services Librarian as well as a Research Support Librarian. He has worked at other universities, including the University of Melbourne and University of Wollongong as well as Wollongong City public libraries

Natalie Benedykt, Senior Library Services Officer, Monash University

Natalie is a Senior Library Services Officer who has worked at Monash University for over ten years. During her time at Monash, she has brought her knowledge of library users and space management to advocating for accessibility in the library, and is leading the working group for the low-sensory study space.

Sonya Goldberg, Library Services Officer, Monash University

Sonya is a Library Services Officer at Monash University and comes to the role with a background in public libraries and community organisations. Sonya has leveraged their experiences in place-making and fostering connectivity to drive initiatives for neurodiverse library users at Monash, and is passionate about expanding information access and engagement.

Thursday 10 October, 10.00-11.30am AEDT

Lightning Talks

Building belonging for LGBTIQA+ communities: a continuum of practices and call to action to support LGBTIQA+ inclusion in academic libraries
Clare O’Hanlon, Client Experience Librarian, Deakin University

Library staff have an important role to play in challenging the growing mis/disinformation being spread about, and discrimination experienced by, trans and gender diverse people in universities and in society today that parallels that which was spread about and experienced by gay and bisexual people not so long ago. Challenging mis/disinformation and discrimination will help us build belonging. Some good LGBTIQA+ inclusive practices have begun to emerge, but there is still more to do, especially with and for trans and gender diverse communities.

Clare will draw on nearly a decade of experience in academic libraries as well as lived experience and professional literature to illustrate various initiatives and strategies that can foster LGBTIQA+ belonging and challenge mis/disinformation and discrimination in academic libraries. From small but impactful displays of visibility and solidarity in online and physical spaces to significant system changes to metadata, physical spaces, and policies, Clare will share practical steps that library staff can take to create more inclusive, intersectional, and supportive environments for LGBTIQA+ individuals through collaboration with library colleagues, student wellbeing colleagues, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion colleagues, academic colleagues, pride and ally networks, student groups and beyond.

Creating belonging to the library through publishing
Nicole Gammie, Senior Learning Librarian, La Trobe University
Rhiannon Evans, Associate Professor, Head of Classics and Ancient History Program, La Trobe University

Not all students are able to physically visit their local library making it challenging to feel they belong to this space. A way to provide a sense of belonging is involving the students in a publishing opportunity allowing them to add to the library’s knowledge bank and contribute to discipline discussions in the public arena.

This talk will outline the process used to involve students in a third-year classics subject. One assessment task required students to create a digital project explaining a current issue relating to the ancient world in plain language. Once approval had been obtained from all stakeholders and criteria put in place, the publishing process began with students experiencing the various stages leading to the successful culmination with an eBook produced now gracing the virtual eBureau library shelves.

Unlocking Potential: The Role of Cross-Team Collaboration in Building a Sense of Belonging and Developing Skills
Adriene Rodriguez, Coordinator, Library Concierge and Adobe Coaches, RMIT University
Rachel Salby, Senior Coordinator, Monographs and Digital Collections, RMIT University

Situation: You have hired staff members who are early career and library-trained to give them a "foot in the door" to academic libraries. The HEW2 work they do for you is primarily customer service and you would like to upskill them. With dwindling budgets, how do you do this?

Solution: Set-up a "Knowledge Exchange" with another department!

Learn how we set this up and what the library got out of it.

Cupcake Extravaganza: Pride Week at Monash University Libraries
Jenna McCrory, Library Services Officer, Monash University
Renee Drozdzynski, Library Services Officer, Monash University

The Cupcake Extravaganza was an event organised during Pride Week at Monash University. Conceived by our Access, Inclusion, and Success (AIS) team, the library played host to this engaging occasion across all four of our Australian campuses.

As part of our new Libraries for Belonging Program, Library staff worked together with AIS to put on an event that encouraged staff, students and visitors to take a break from their work and indulge their creative sides by decorating a cupcake. With cupcakes, icing, fondant and decorations supplied by AIS, everyone was able to find something to suit their creative (and dietary) needs while taking a moment to celebrate Pride Week and IDAHOBIT. And once they'd decorated a cupcake (or two), participants could also have fun with our "photobooth" set-up, complete with a colour Pride backdrop.

Library displays and belonging: connecting staff to spaces, students and each other
Amy Tsilemanis, Library Frontline Services Officer, Federation University
Diana Swann, Library Frontline Services Officer, Federation University

Sharing the humble yet noble craft of library book displays, Amy and Diana discuss the ways in which the new and evolving Displays team at Federation University are connecting to the needs and interests of the University community. From a hundred hand-cut rainbow hearts to favourite recipes for hungry students, staff share some of themselves along with the goal of making library users feel welcome and inspired.

Library displays connect their audiences of students, staff, and visitors to not only the collections, but to the library spaces, the values and communities they represent, and each other through shared interactions and identity. These invitations to belonging extend both outwardly and inward. As team members create a living workspace that reflects their interests and aspirations for their community, they find camaraderie and kindred spirits. The team is still growing in a spirit of fun and celebration. Join us!

Speakers

Clare O’Hanlon, Client Experience Librarian, Deakin University

Clare (they/them) is a librarian who is passionate about encouraging collective reflective practice and making critical and diverse knowledges, theories, and histories accessible within, across and beyond the Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museum (GLAM) and higher education sectors. Their practice is guided by social justice principles, compassion, courage, and creativity.

Nicole Gammie, Senior Learning Librarian, La Trobe University

Nicole has an undergraduate degree in environmental science from University of New England. Following its completion, Nicole worked in the environmental field for ~20 years with landholders and others across much of south eastern Australia (southern Queensland to Victoria). Nicole undertook a Masters in Information Science (Librarianship), completing the award in 2017 before commencing work in academic and VET libraries. Nicole works at La Trobe University as a Senior Learning Librarian supporting the humanities.

Rhiannon Evans, Associate Professor, Head of Classics and Ancient History Program, La Trobe University

Rhiannon studied Classics in the UK and USA, has worked at the Universities of Tasmania and Melbourne, and is now Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient History at La Trobe University. She is the co-host of the popular podcast ‘Emperors of Rome’. Rhiannon is interested in new methods of teaching Ancient Greece and Rome, and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Adriene Rodriguez, Coordinator, Library Concierge and Adobe Coaches, RMIT University

Adriene is the Coordinator, Library Concierge and Adobe Coaches. She started as a casual at RMIT University and secured a permanent position as a librarian on Ask The Library (ATL) after hours service later that year. Adriene rode out the pandemic working evenings on ATL from her home in regional Victoria. She took a secondment liaising with academics to prepare and deliver workshops in 2022. In 2023 she took the leap away from "traditional" librarianship and into people-leadership with her role as Coordinator, Library Concierge.

Rachel Salby, Senior Coordinator, Monographs and Digital Collections, RMIT University

Rachel (she/her) is the Senior Coordinator, Monographs and Digital Collections at RMIT University.

Jenna McCrory, Library Services Officer, Monash University

Jenna is a Library Services Officer at Monash University Library. Despite completing a diploma in library studies, it wasn’t until after further study that they decided to pursue a career in the library field. Jenna is now in the first year of her master’s to gain librarianship and she began her career transition by joining the Monash Library team at the start of 2024. Having both previously studied and worked at Monash University in student services. Jenna is inspired by the benefits an academic library can bring and enjoys seeing students succeed in their academic journeys.

Renee Drozdzynski, Library Services Officer, Monash University

Renee is a Library Service Officer at Monash University Library. After several years as a primary school teacher, she decided to embark on a new career adventure to work in the library field, as it still aligned with her educational values. Renee firmly believes education is a fundamental aspect of personal and professional growth and it enables individuals to achieve their true potential. Currently, Renee is in the final stages of completing her diploma in library studies. She absolutely loves working in an academic library, adores the interactions with staff and students, while also having the opportunity to grow in a supportive and inclusive environment.

Amy Tsilemanis, Library Frontline Services Officer, Federation University

Amy loves all things arts, culture and heritage and has worked across various Ballarat GLAM organisations caring for and activating their spaces and cultural collections. She is currently bringing her skills to Federation University library in the Frontline Services team and the Engagement Domain. As part of her engagement work with the library she is in the social media and book displays teams and loves showcasing collections and their stories. She has recently been part of piloting the new Victorian Collections Story resource with an online adaptation of the physical exhibition 'Trailblazing Women of Ballarat'.

Diana Swann, Library Frontline Services Officer, Federation University

Diana works as a Frontline Library Services Officer at Federation University as well as a Customer Experience Officer with Hepburn Libraries. She has been playing with Public Libraries for 15 years or so and has had fun reconnecting to the academic environment, and all that the libraries have to offer. She loves to support students and staff in pursuit of their goals, and to help them connect to their library experiences.