12th ALIA National Library Technicians Conference
9-12 September 2003
Bridging services - embracing reality

Flexible Library Services - where a diverse clientele is our reality

Jeanette Shaw, library technician, Flexible Library Services officer, University of Tasmania

Abstract

The Flexible Library Service at the University of Tasmania is a continually evolving service. Those who co-ordinate this service endeavour to always put clients' needs first despite a very rapidly changing environment. Our service has evolved from the basic adhoc queries of the 1980's (TCAE days) that were in the form of written letters and phone calls, to the current online electronic requests for various items, with occasional subject search requests also. Our Flexible Library Service services a diverse range of clients including:

Remote clients

Remote students and staff who live more than 40 km away from our Launceston and Hobart campuses.

Within this group are:

• Undergraduate or postgraduate students.
• Some able to access our North West Centre.
• Clients living intrastate, interstate or overseas.
• Those who are electronically competent and those who are not.

Clients who have disabilities

Within this group we have:
Clients who have physical disabilities (permanently or short term)

• Those who have: Hearing impairment, visual impairment, mobility impairment, and those who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome.

Clients who have psychiatric disabilities

• Those with learning disabilities - they learn differently and may need information filtered.
• Those with psychiatric illness such as anxiety conditions, depression and agoraphobia.

Confined or imprisoned

• Those who are in hospital or gaol.

Because of the many varied needs of our diverse clientele we have become very flexible in the delivery of services to our clients. Because we have a strong service ethos we endeavour to meet all of these clients resource needs, overcoming any challenges along the way.

Introduction

The University of Tasmania's Launceston Campus has undergone several major name and structural changes over the past 17 years. In the 1970's the Tasmanian College of Advanced Education (TCAE) made some major advancements in introducing some external study courses, and then also offered tertiary education opportunities in the North-West region of Tasmania. Lecturers were sent to Burnie and Devonport on a regular basis for Business Studies and Arts subjects. Two Study Centres were formed. The TCAE had three campuses; Mount Nelson (Hobart), Launceston and the North-West Coast. Printed study guides and other educational learning aids were produced and distributed by the External Studies Unit. library books and articles were sent from the Launceston library on request. In 1986 the TCAE was re-structured and re-named the Tasmanian State Institute of Technology (TSIT). In 1991 the University of Tasmania and the TSIT amalgamated, and at this stage the External Studies Unit/Department closed, and the service to off-campus (distance) students was de- centralised. Each department was then responsible for it's own off-campus students' educational resources. The library gained a collection of books that were previously housed in the External Studies Department. Many of these books were integrated into our collection.

The University of Tasmania library's Flexible Library Service is now a state-wide service that is offered from our 7 branches and is co-ordinated in the Launceston library. When amalgamation of the TSIT took place with the University of Tasmania, the Launceston library was historically known to have supported off-campus studies for some time, and therefore the decision was made to continue offering this service from Launceston. This service (known as Distance library Services, then Remote Services, and finally Flexible Library Services) has evolved as our eligible clients have increased over the years. In the earliest days of the Distance Library Service, we would receive approximately 2 or 3 requests by phone or post per day for library items. Now with over 400 registered users, we receive from 10-130 requests per day, depending on the time in the academic year. Electronic requests are now nearly 90 per cent (89.6per cent) of our total requests per month.

Flexible Library Services is the bridge between library and information resources and the students and staff of the University of Tasmania who are remote or who have special needs. Remote staff and students are defined as those who are living more than 40km away from the Launceston and Sandy Bay (Hobart) campuses throughout semester. Special needs staff and students are those who have registered as special needs due to a disability and they may be located on or off campus. Because of the diversity of clients within these two categories there is also a great variety of differing needs. We are therefore very flexible in the nature and delivery of the service.

Client contact

Client contact may be face to face, over the counter, via phone, e-mail, electronic request form or post. Clients who are 'remote' do often have computers at home and are able to search databases, the catalogue and e-journals. These clients request items electronically, using a form on the library web page. Clients who do not have a computer and live in a remote central Tasmanian township may have no choice but to ask library staff to search the catalogue and databases on their behalf and send them search results. From these search results they would either fill out paper request forms and post them to us, or phone us with the details of what they require.

Community Online Access Centres have made a difference in many of Tasmania's remote regions in the past four years. There are 64 strategically located online access centres in rural and regional Tasmania. These centres are community-managed facilities with at least two multimedia computers and the internet for registered users. Users have access to a variety of software applications, can open e-mail accounts, and search the internet with some assistance from a co-ordinator or trained volunteer. Some of our clients use these centres in order to search our catalogue, databases and other library resources, and request items using the electronic request form.

Since 1995 the North-West Centre at Burnie has been used by an average of 350 students per year. At this centre clients can use the resource room to access computers, to do searches, to request items electronically, access the small reference collection on site, gain assistance from trained staff on site, or via internal phone to Launceston library staff.

Overseas students are sometimes able to use libraries in the country where they reside to access some resources, but this is not always possible. However, these clients can search our catalogue and databases from any computer with internet access and request items electronically.

Some clients with disabilities come into the library for face to face assistance. Depending on the nature of the disability, this could involve collecting books from the shelves, photocopying articles or more involved searches of databases etc. All clients are treated with sensitivity, professionalism and with respect for their privacy. Clients who have disabilities and are not able to access our libraries in person, may rely on requesting items via the electronic request form or via phone. A client of ours who suffered from agoraphobia relied heavily on phone contact, as she could not leave the house.

Some of our most reliant clients to date have been the students who are imprisoned in various gaols within Tasmania and interstate. As they are unable to use computers and have limited phone access they have no choice but to resort to requesting items via paper request form. These clients must rely on communicating via the post even to renew books. Even though there have been many advances in technology that have benefited so many of our clientele, these clients have not been able to take advantage of them.

Delivery of information

The delivery of information to our diverse clientele has taken many forms with developments in technology impacting greatly on the process.

Remote clients

Wherever these clients are located they can now request items electronically and be kept up to date with progress on their requests via e-mail. These clients can also opt to receive articles or chapters from books via e-mail or fax. This means that most item requests can be filled within 24-48 hours. The University of Tasmania library has also begun placing items in an e-reserve collection, which allows clients to gain instant access to full-text items via a catalogue search. Past exam papers are also available from our web page in pdf format. Many electronic journals are now accessible off campus, enabling clients to obtain full-text articles instantly to their desktop. Flexible Library Services staff place reservations on items that are out on loan for our clients, and maintain this reservation file to ensure that these requests are filled in a timely fashion. This file is checked on a weekly basis when possible. Document delivery is an option for staff and postgraduate students who require items that are not available from the University of Tasmania library. It is again possible for these clients to request electronically through the document delivery service.

Clients with disabilities

Our clients with disabilities are entitled to the same services as our remote clients receive, and more. Clients who have disabilities and seek assistance in the Hobart campus libraries will be referred to a librarian for assistance. Clients who have disabilities and seek assistance in the Launceston campus library will often be referred to the flexible library services officer for assistance. Service given by librarians or the flexible library services officer is given instantly, face- to-face, in whatever capacity is required. Some of the services for example may include:

Searching the catalogue or databases to find specific subject material.
This service is needed particularly when there is a learning difficulty involved.

Retrieving the books or articles from the collection for the client.
This service is needed in cases where a client's mobility is impaired or when 'fear of heights' is a condition.

Photocopying items.
This must sometimes be done on blue paper for clients who have dyslexia, or may involve enlargement of text for clients who have visual impairment.

Posting the items to the client's home address or sending articles by e-mail.
This may be required when carrying items can be difficult or when all items have not been obtained in the time available with the client. Some clients may not be able to sit and concentrate for more than a short period of time.

Teaching clients who have hearing impairment how to use our library resources.
This is where 'face to face' contact is imperative due to the need to lip read.

Providing a 'drop off point' or 'home base' for clients with certain anxiety conditions.
This enables clients to move about the library in order to obtain library resources and eliminates the stress otherwise incurred.

Many of our clients who have a disability are keen to learn to use the library resources and become very capable and independent, others may be hesitant and in need of some extra reassurance and a greater level of assistance. The Flexible Library Service provides the bridge between these clients and the library resources.

Developments and challenges

Developments in technology have led to more efficient and reliable provision of library resources to our clientele. Keeping up with rapidly changing technology is one of our biggest challenges. In order to access the electronic databases from outside the library we have moved through:

2000 One licensed internet service provider (ISP) allowing clients to access University resources with their ISP login (only feasible for Tasmanian clients).

2001 Remote Patron Authentication (RPA), which allowed access through ISP but required authentication against our borrower file (and a special PIN not used anywhere else in the University). Services were limited to a few databases.

2002 Virtual Private Networking (VPN), which allowed access through any ISP but required the user to install special software on their PC.

2003 EZProxy, which allows users access using any ISP and using the standard University e-mail password to log in. It can be used for access to a wide range of services and does not require software to be loaded onto the client PC.

While all these changes were occurring it was the role of front line library staff such as reference librarians and the Flexible Library Services staff to keep clients up to date with the changes. Also it was our role to refer on to the information technology staff, any queries that we could not resolve in relation to electronic access to resources from off campus.

A great development has been the receipt of an Ariel scanner, which allows us to scan articles and send them in pdf format to our clients. This has meant that the user does not need to rely on the postal system and the possibility of delays.

Library staff are endeavouring to make the contents details of an increasing number of books available on the catalogue record. This allows clients to select and order a specific chapter in cases where a book is only held in a reserve (short term loan) collection. This is a great help as it results in faster supply of material.

Future direction may see the merging of the document delivery service and the Flexible Library Service. This would mean one registration process, one electronic request form, and elimination of confusion resulting from having two separate services. The merging of these services would mean the sharing of equipment and technology and streamlining of work practices for all staff involved.

Conclusion

Over the past 23 years that I have worked at the TCAE/TSIT/University of Tasmania I have seen vast changes in level of service provided by the Flexible Library Service. Improved equipment and technology have seen the service evolve into what is now today a very efficient, well-used service to over 400 clients per year, with many diverse needs.

We embrace the reality of diversity of clientele as we strive for excellence in customer service. We aim to empower our users, offering face-to-face training sessions at the North- West Centre, phone assistance and training, and we offer web ETutor modules which include the catalogue and databases. All of these strategies aim to equip our clients to be self sufficient in achieving their academic goals.

As a library technician, I have found that my pivotal role in this service has meant that I have kept abreast of many technological advances and have been able to further develop my library and communication skills.

When I began work at the TCAE my work environment was filled with card catalogues, kalamazoos, manual loan cards, and even a telex machine. Now I use a web catalogue, electronic databases, computerised circulation system, and an Ariel scanner to send items via e-mail. It has been a very enjoyable and rewarding journey, and I have found it a great experience to have assisted such a diversity of clients through the Flexible Library Service over the years.

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge and thank the University of Tasmania library staff for their support, especially in proof reading this paper and covering my desk duty in order to give me time to write it. It was greatly appreciated.

Biography

Jeanette has worked at the University of Tasmania library for 23 years. For the last nine years she has worked in the Flexible Library Services section. Past experience includes 12 years in cataloguing, circulation work and regular relief work in document delivery.