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ALIA 2001 TAFE libraries conferenceIsland dreams: Information realityAuthor and Presenter: Brenda Strachan Biographical DetailsBrenda Strachan came late to librarianship. Driven by an ambition for peace and air conditioning, (inspired by two babies and being a partner in a furniture manufacturing business) she has successfully worked in the latter, but has not found peace in the fifteen years she has laboured in educational libraries. Her work in rural Queensland prompted the establishment of regional TAFE library groups and the development of the Queensland TAFE newsletter QTLincs, which she edits. Currently, Brenda is library manager at the Cooloola Sunshine Institute of TAFE and was the Library Adviser for the AusAid funded Samoa Polytechnic Strengthening Project. AbstractThe development of a library service at the Samoa Polytechnic, has been a challenging experience. From disposing of an irrelevant collection of donated books, to refurbishing the building, creating a useful and accessible collection and encouraging library usage is akin to man discovering the wheel and then flying to the moon. Most students and a fair number of staff at the Polytechnic had never used a computer until the library introduced them. Internet has only been operating efficiently in the country since 1998. Now students are expected to find relevant information through the use of the internet, CDs and the online catalogue. The islands of Samoa are a tiny speck in the vast Pacific Ocean. Their isolation has been overcome through God, Travel, Rugby and now, technology. Samoa has the highest per capita use of mobile phones in the world. Samoa is an example of a country that is going straight to the future. They could not afford to purchase, update or maintain expensive hard copy collections. Their culture of sharing is attune to the new information society, hard copies may be "shared" and never returned, but electronic information is always accessible. Main TextHave you ever had a quiet moment at work where you daydreamed about lazing about on a tropical island? Azure bays, white sand, palms swaying in the breeze, cocktails at sunset? Half naked young men in skirts awaiting your every whim? Sorry, wrong day-dream. When I was informed that our team from TAFE Queensland had won the contract to deliver the Institutional Strengthening Project at the Samoa Polytechnic, many thoughts crossed my mind. Not the least of which was about half-naked young men. But I'm jumping ahead of myself. Let me set the scene. The islands of Samoa are a tiny speck in the vast Pacific Ocean. An independent nation of 150,000 people, their isolation has been overcome through religion, education, travel, rugby and now, technology. Samoa has the highest per capita use of mobile phones in the world. This may be a reflection on the normal telephone service, but it also demonstrates that Samoans are enthusiastic users of new technology and great talkers. 50% of the population are under 15 years of age. As you may surmise from that remarkable statistic, education plays a major part in the economy. The country consists of two main islands - Savaii and Upolo. The former is the largest island, but only 10,000 people live there. At the beginning of the twentieth century a volcanic eruption forced most to flee to Upolo. The capital of Samoa is Apia, situated around the only deep-water bay, where even large cruise liners can enter the harbour. 33,000 live within the town. 80% of the population live in villages dotted around the islands. There are more than 300 churches from most religions, catering for spiritual needs. The economy of Samoa relies heavily on foreign aid and remittances. Major sponsors are Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, United Nations Agencies and the World Bank. Samoa Polytechnic was established in 1993 from the Western Samoa Technical Training College. It is a stand alone organisation, funded by government to provide trade training for school leavers to enter the workforce. In 1996 it had close to 300 students - all full-time and located on one campus in the capital. It covered the trades of electrical, fitting and machining, welding, plumbing, carpentry and joinery. Diploma programs were available in refrigeration and air-conditioning and electronics. Apart from the trade programs, diplomas were offered in secretarial, business and tourism. Computing programmes were also offered. The goal of the project is to produce graduates who meet industry needs within Samoa through strengthening Samoa Polytechnic with a program of assistance implementing competency based training, developing teacher delivery and management skills and enhancing the quality of library services to support learning and delivery. The project has four main components:
The Cooloola Sunshine Institute of TAFE, as the lead Institute for TAFE Queensland bid successfully for the AusAid funded Samoa Polytechnic Project Phase II. And so a team was born. Staff from Cooloola Sunshine, Southbank, Logan and Wide Bay Institutes of TAFE were recruited for the three year project. I was selected because I owned the most number of swim suits. Actually, I did own the most, but really my selection was based upon my expression of interest to the activity and my documented experience in developing a library at "remote" Longreach and my library networking enthusiasm through the editorship of QT Lincs, the TAFE Queensland library newsletter. The contract required input in Samoa of several visits amounting to 6 months over the next three years, with my counterpart visiting Australia for one month. The outcomes required of the contract with regard to the library were: To enhance library services holdings and availability to SP students and staff through upgrading the SP Library, and investment in shared facilities, resources and services with the new library of the National University of Samoa. The specific outputs were:
The team was briefed on the situation in Samoa, but no-one could really be prepared for what awaited. From a distance, the Polytechnic looked like a tropical rendition of an education centre - low buildings with louvres from floor to ceiling to catch the breezes and fans to circulate the warm air; wide verandahs and lush green playing fields that separated the business school from the technology school and the administration block. On closer inspection, as in most remote tropical environments, the fans were rusty, the paintwork had seen better days, louvre blades were not always present and the only tea room for staff was a 250m hike in the midday sun or rain, across the lush fields. The library consisted of one classroom and a very small air-conditioned area. Around the edges of the classroom, thousands of irrelevant and outdated books donated by others who no longer found the publications useful, lined the floor. The room was not weatherproof. The one computer was hidden away in the small back room with all the useful books. Library usage was not encouraged. The previous Librarian's role was as custodian of the books. One asked the librarian for a book, shelf browsing was not an option. As nothing was catalogued no-one knew what was there. The room was locked when the Librarian was not there, and as she had been sick over a period of twelve months and eventually passed away, the room was not often opened. There was a handwritten register to keep loans' records, if anyone was lucky enough to find something relevant. Needless to say, students (and most teachers) had no concept of a library as a source of information, place of learning or place to study. However, there was hope. With the advent of the project, a newly appointed staff member was to work in the library. She was regarded as a gem as she had actually had a modicum of training and experience in the School of Nursing library through a recently completed aid project. The task ahead for us both was certainly a challenge to change the minds of students, teaching staff and management about what a library was and the benefits it could provide each and how it could help learning…more about the air conditioning later. Fortunately, the college held its open day in the second week of my initial visit. This created the opportunity to dispose of several thousand books, as the college was cleaned and painted for the occasion. Although I would have preferred a ritual book burning, after staff and students had been given the opportunity to select from table loads of books, a truck backed up to the library door and it was filled with books to be dumped. Interesting finds amongst the dust and piles of books were the maggot infested book, the killer wasp nest and an entire range of 1960's aeronautical engineering books. The earliest published book was an 1892 edition of "Steam Engines of Great Britain". Ironically, all the books had been donated from libraries in America, New Zealand etc, with many stamped "no longer useful". One person's garbage is another person's garbage. Please think carefully before donating resources, as not only are many irrelevant, but they create unnecessary work for those receiving them. Of the 10,000 items found in the building, only 500 were deemed to have any relevance to a vocational education and training library collection heading to the 21st century. With virtually no physical resources to showcase for the open day, we decided to demonstrate some electronic resources and interesting web sites. However, the computer chose to lose its mind and the hard disk had to be reformatted. IT is outsourced at the Polytechnic. The library took a subscription with the only internet provider, but at that time only 15 modem access points were available in the country, limiting access considerably. Since then, access has improved with the growth in demand and technological advances within the country. During Phase I of the project, dbTextworks was purchased and customised as the library database. This package is now used throughout Samoa in various libraries and government departments. The library set about implementing this package, by cataloguing the remaining 500 items left from the clean-out. I had brought with me a CD-ROM of TAFE Queensland's union catalogue. As internet access was so unreliable, we virtually copy catalogued, adding a dewey number, instead of the Library of Congress classification used by TAFE Qld. The cataloguing activity, after initial training, formed the initial responsibility for the library staff member. I drew upon all my technical drawing skills (none) to plan the refurbishment of the library space. Armed with a tape measure, pencil, paper and fingers, we were able to develop a simple design. $A50,000 was spent on vital items such as air conditioning, lighting, furniture, shelving, computers, AV equipment and doors. The circulation counter was to be built by carpentry students during my absence. Apart from the physical renovations, a library collection development policy was formulated in consultation with Polytechnic staff. A reciprocal borrowing scheme was also developed with the National University of Samoa (NUS). The NUS was to be a partner with the Polytechnic to offer a library service for students of both campuses, as the campuses were adjacent. The development of a close working relationship beneficial to both parties was to prove a greater challenge than imagined. The NUS was moving to their new site next to the Polytechnic when I arrived. Only a two acre paddock of bush separated the institutions, through which a footpath was to be created. (2001 and the horticulture students are creating a forest walk to connect the two institutions). The University librarian was in New Zealand completing his Masters in Library Science, and had no experience of working in libraries. The previous Library manager was concerned about staff, location and development changes. The NUS had not computerised its catalogue, with the library manager extolling the virtues of a card catalogue. This was a very understandable sentiment, after the problems faced in developing the Polytechnic database. Consequently, an Australian adviser charged with developing an online catalogue for the Polytechnic was not well received. Apart from establishing a relationship with the NUS, contact was made with the University of the South Pacific (USP) Agriculture Library which is situated in Apia. This campus has a well-stocked (30,000 records) library, which used dbTextworks and Urica as its information systems. The South Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) library, although small was well managed and also used dbTextworks. Both were willing to share their catalogues, so that even if the Polytechnic had practically no collection, we had access to USP and SPREP. Because dbTextworks is used widely within the country, the possibility of developing a national database is technologically feasible. Indeed, on one trip, after stepping off the plane and into the Polytechnic, I found that both staff would be attending a NERDS workshop for the following two days. NERDS' training for librarians? Surely intrinsic to the profession! However, after nominating to attend, I found that I was delivering training, as the trainer was ill. NERDS is the National Environmental Research Database of Samoa. It was established by the government and involved the major libraries in contributing data to a shared database. An American Peace Corps volunteer developed it and the name. The workshop brought together people who worked in libraries and government agencies. The first day was devoted to training in dbTextworks, and the second day was spent discussing inter library loan arrangements. Interestingly, for a nation that has a philosophy of sharing, no-one wanted to share their resources. This is also understandable, as resources are not easily purchased and loans are sometimes permanent. In February 1998, the focus of my visit was the refurbishment of the library facility. The library was to get an extra room, the whole area gutted with a student study area, library desk and work area with the original small room being turned into a video viewing room. The construction work was interesting to witness - an example being the delivery of the library counter. I had thought that it would be constructed on site, or made modular because of its size (7 metres long) but what would the wife of a furniture maker know? With the help of 10 strong Samoan men, the counter was lifted from the truck and promptly became wedged in the doorway. After removing a steel pole from the verandah outside the library, the counter was eventually fitted in the library space by the lights of cars, as the lighting had not yet been wired. Fortunately, the library doors had not been installed, so that was one less job to do. Over the duration of the project the library staff had increased 100% or 200% if you included my counterpart's baby. A library assistant had been appointed in early 1998, and both were contributing to the population, with my counterpart having two babies during the project, and the library assistant having one. With two staff and the library space taking shape, we were able to establish library hours and to plan for orientation and reader education. Library training was intensive, with policies and procedures being developed as we worked. The library procedures manual was considered the bible and had to be followed. It proved invaluable in the transference of library operation skills, especially early in the project between visits. For an online database management system to prevail, staff had to be familiar with it and comfortable with managing it. My counterpart was enrolled in the Diploma of Library Science at Box Hill TAFE under project sponsorship. This practical course would offer relevant training for her to manage the small Polytechnic Library. She was able to become part of a learning group of library staff at CSIT who were undertaking this programme at the same time. Unfortunately, there was no guarantee that the trained staff would remain, and as with most aid projects, once the staff obtain skills, their worth is usually valued more highly elsewhere. By November 1998, the air conditioners were installed, the OPACs were working and 90% of the resources were catalogued. The video viewing room had been established. The Polytechnic already had a comprehensive range of technical videos brought about through skilled marketing by companies such as Video Train and SafetyCare Australia. These prized resources (over 200 videos) were locked away in a cupboard. The library was able to unlock the cupboard and promote them to staff. Classes in the video room were very frequent, I am sure it was the attraction of the quality videos and not the air conditioning. One of the most difficult tasks was to convince library staff that resources could be borrowed by students. We had established a Limited Access Collection, however by February 1999, almost half the collection was placed on Limited Access. At the commencement of that first semester, the library staff delivered reader education sessions to all staff and students at the Polytechnic. The library assistant was completing a Workplace Trainer course, within which she conducted several internet access sessions for staff. The students were introduced to the online catalogue, electronic databases and the internet. Some of these students had never used a computer, so their looks of wonderment and their continued use of the technology were very rewarding. Library usage went from nothing to 80 students per day. One teacher complained that his students were reading too much. I suspect that he would have to do some work to keep up with them! In October, 1999 my counterpart visited Australia for one month's study tour. We were able to visit many TAFE libraries in Brisbane, and had a guided tour of the State Library and their Public Library Division. She was able to attend a cataloguing conference and meet with colleagues. We also spent some time looking at acquisitions and ordering online. Shortly after the field study, my counterpart and her family were lucky to be awarded one of the limited number of annual migration visas to New Zealand, which they speedily took up. Another example of once skilled, greater horizons. The library assistant was promoted to manage the library and another assistant recruited. The library project was able to continue, as my new counterpart had been trained. By May 2000, the library was fully functional. Policies and procedures had been reviewed. A library advisory committee had been formed, comprising academic staff from the Polytechnic and external library representatives from NUS, USP and the Nelson Memorial Library. The library was producing a monthly newsletter to keep staff and students informed of new services and developments. The library catalogue now numbered over 3,000 records. A collection development budget had been approved by the Polytechnic and ongoing purchases would be made. This commitment augured well for the future of a small but relevant collection. A closer relationship had been formed with the NUS. Staff from the polytechnic were assisting the university in developing their online catalogue, although the commitment to an electronic database was unenthusiastic, with only the reference section available online, and still inaccessible for students. A proposal to share staff between the institutions had not been implemented because of the changes in staffing at the Polytechnic. In July 2000 the acting library manager left the Polytechnic. Although a strong recommendation was made to have a transition period for new staff, this was not implemented. My final input to the project was complete in May 2000, so there was no support available to the new manager and no transition occurred. All of the training invested in two staff members left with them. By December 2000, the database and its backup was lost through a virus infection. However, the new library manager and the library assistant were able to recover most of the information, working through the holidays to re-input data. Although the library component of the project had concluded (all the outcomes had been met) the project was extended to include other technologies within the curriculum scope. Staff from the project have provided positive feedback concerning the role of the library within the learning process. Contact has been maintained with the library and with the NUS Librarian, so that future developments can be encouraged and supported. The library has come a long way since my initial visit in August 1997. With a refurbished building, new and relevant resources, trained staff, an effective reader education programme and new technology, the library has become central to the provision of quality education at the Samoa Polytechnic. Student and staff usage would attest to that. The library culture has been changed both from within and without. No longer is the library a jail for irrelevant books and the library staff custodians. The collection is accessible and shared. However, the staff turnover proved to be fatal for some aspects of service. During my first visit, one experienced aid worker told me that it is two steps forward, one step back with any project. It sounded like a waltz to me and as I danced off into the sunset I could only hope that the next step was forward.
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