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Country Lending Service (CLS) manual
8 Specialist Public Library Services (PLS) services
8.1 Reference books for PLS libraries
8.2 Young people's services
8.2.1 Resources for library staff
8.2.2 Resources for young people
8.2.3 Library promotions for young people
8.3 Languages other than English (LOTE)
8.3.1 Ways to promote the service
8.3.2 Who can borrow?
8.3.3 How do you get books?
8.4 Collections for People with Disabilities
8.4.1 Books on CD
8.5 Adult literacy services
8.5.1 Literacy resources
8.5.2 Who can use literacy resources?
8.6 Family and Local History
8.7 Other State Library departments
8.7.1 Reference Library
8.7.2 John Oxley Library
8.1 Reference books for PLS libraries
In addition to the standard library stock PLS also provides each library with special reference stock. This stock includes titles selected for their relevance to your immediate reference needs and the purpose of the collection is to assist you and your patrons in answering queries on a range of basic subjects.
Your reference holdings will evolve over time as new titles are acquired and integrated into your collection.
Take time to look at the titles provided and the range of material they cover. There is a wealth of information within the books in your reference collection.
It should be noted that Reference books are sent to you on a long term loan and should not be returned with your exchange of book stock. Your reference books should be retained as a permanent feature of your collection.
Should you need to return any reference books to PLS for repair or wish to discuss updating your reference collection contact Senior Librarian, Loans at PLS.
8.2 Young people's services
8.2.1 Resources for library staff
The categories of loan stock for children which PLS provides (PIC, JF, JNF, YAF, and YANF) are described in Section 4.1. In addition, there are two other junior collection codes from which books are lent.
P: Professional
A collection of books on subjects such as children's literature, children's reading habits and development, authors, library activity ideas and storytelling is available for loan. The emphasis in the collection is on practical titles and the resources will be of interest if you are working with children. All titles in the collection are available on request.
JS: Storytelling resources
Public Library Services collection has a number of resources available for loan to public libraries to supplement their own resources and storytelling programs. These include:
- Themed kits containing several books and activity based props, such as finger puppets, felt boards, puppets, soft toys, percussion instruments. The contents of each kit may vary.
- Big books or outsized picture books, suitable for showing to a group.
- Picture books within the storytelling collection that have been circulated only on short term loan and are in good presentation quality. They are only intended to be read to an audience and not for general circulation. This collection has the call number prefix J*S
- Storytelling resource kits usually include one book and one prop, such as finger puppets or felt pieces. They can be found in the catalogue by limiting the search to the Picture books collection and using keywords <junior storytelling resource>. This collection has the call number prefix J*S.
All resources are suitable for the under 5 year age group and are available on bulk loan, via the interactive forms request http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/info/publib/forms Individual items can be requested on short term loan via the catalogue.
8.2.2 Resources for young people
Resources for young people are provided in the following formats - books, talking books, and DVDs. The categories of loan stock which are provided are PIC, JF, JNF, YAF, YANF.
Displaying resources for young people
Face out shelves are vital for displaying books for children and young adults. The covers of books are more attractive to young people than book spines. Display picture books, fiction and non-fiction for young people face out where possible.
8.2.3 Library promotions for young people
Schools
Make contact with local schools! Schools will welcome your approach and have goals in common with you to foster reading amongst children. Make contact with the Principal, teachers or teacher/librarian.
You can work together with schools in your community. Here are some suggestions:
- Class visits for children to work on projects or borrow books
- Hold a storytelling session for a visiting class
- Offer a library visit during first term of pre-school or grade one classes
- Organise Children's Book Week activities with local schools
- Encourage teachers to let you have advance notice of school assignments so you can prepare some resources.
Day Care centres, kindergartens and playgroups
Day Care centres, kindergartens and playgroups will love an invitation to visit the library. Parents of under fives want the best for their young children and will become great supporters of your library and their children some of your most enthusiastic clientele.
You can involve local day care centres, kindergartens and playgroups by:
- Inviting them for a short storytelling session
- Inviting playgroups to combine a library visit, joining up and borrowing books with morning tea at the library
- Sending notices of library events and activities to day care centres, kindergartens and playgroups.
- Offering a talk for parents about the resources the library offers for Under 5s
Storytelling is always popular with children, parents and groups who visit the library. PLS can provide you with all the resources you need to conduct a session. This includes books, puppets, felt stories and felt boards. Activities can be organised for children to talk about their favourite books or to demonstrate a craft or hobby from books in the library. The local vet or postal officer may attend the library and talk about his/her job.
Activities
Run children’s activities or offer competitions. PLS can provide theme party or activity kits, blackline masters, and practical ideas on how to run an activity session. School holidays are always a busy time for the public library as children are in and out of the library exchanging books, DVD's and games. Special celebrations such as Christmas, New Year and summer holidays provide a fine opportunity to feature junior books on these subjects. There are many Christmas craft and story books and children’s sport and hobby books are very popular during the holidays. Building a cubby house, camping out, cricket or water-skiing - books on these subjects should be promoted and activity programs in the library designed around the children’s holiday interests. The PLS staff are always happy to help with program ideas and reference books from the junior demonstration collection. Bulk loans of extra junior book stock can be arranged to ensure children have plenty of reading material for the holidays.
8.3 Languages other than English (LOTE)
List of Languages Held at PLS
Books in a large number of languages are available on bulk loan from PLS. If your borrower would like books in a language that is not included in our collection, please let us know so that we may take it into consideration in future buying.
For a list of the languages available from PLS please refer to the LOTE collection prefix list [new window]
Additionally Multicultural Bridge provides information many languages about the State Library of Queensland's collections, services and activities including our Languages Other Than English (LOTE) collection has over 100,000 books in over 60 languages.
8.3.1 Some ways to promote the service
Notify:
- Community organisations and centres in your area
- Government support groups - welfare agencies, immigration officers etc
- Nursing homes
- Schools, especially those that include the teaching of languages as part of their curriculum
- TAFE colleges (including literacy tutors)
- Local papers and newsletters by providing articles
Every time you promote public library services, remember to include information about the community language collection.
The collection is available to all borrowers. Regular users of the collection may include:
- People born in non-English speaking countries who cannot speak or read English
- Migrants to Australia who speak and read English but wish to maintain their first language through reading
- People who have learned a second language and wish to maintain this language through reading
- People who wish to learn a second language.
8.3.3 How do you get the books?
Libraries may request LOTE material by completing one of the LOTE bulk loan online forms which can be found under the heading "Community services" on our Public libraries forms page.
Discuss your borrower's likes and dislikes, e.g. fiction or non-fiction, romances, mysteries, biographies. Preferred authors can be included or particular titles. Try to complete as much of the bulk loan form as possible, including details of borrowers, whether they prefer works written in or translated into the requested language, fiction, non-fiction or both and what subject or fiction categories they like. It is important to select books suitable to your borrowers and all this information will help.
Particular author/titles or subjects may not be always available but encourage your borrower to take advantage of our request service.
A bulk loan of up to 50 books is sent for one year. When your borrower has almost finished with the books fill in another request form and send to PLS for an exchange. Remember that borrowers may not realise that these books are on inter-library loan and may simply wait for "new" books to arrive.
8.4 Collections for People with Disabilities
Resources are available from PLS for people with a variety of disabilities including those with visual and hearing impairments.
L: Large type books – fiction and non-fiction are included in exchanges. Junior books are available on request.
Books on CD are available as a bulk loan request or as individual author/title requests.
For additional information contact PLS.
PLS holdings of talking books can be searched in the PLS Catalogue using a Guided Search with the phrase 'sound recording'. Libraries may request these titles by completing the Resource request online form for talking books under the heading "Community services" on our Public libraries forms page.
Taped books include open access titles for use by anyone and closed or restricted access taped books are for use by those with a print disability. A print disability is defined as:
- blindness or impairment
- physical disabilities which limit capacity to hold or manipulate print material
- perceptual disabilities which limit ability to follow a line of print.
Discuss with your borrower what type of material they require e.g. fiction or non-fiction, romance, biographies. Specific authors or titles may be requested. A bulk loan of up to 50 taped books will be sent for one year. Varying quantities can be requested to build the required stock level needed at your library.
8.5 Adult literacy services
The adult literacy collection aims to support people who want to develop their literacy and numeracy skills. PLS have materials at various levels in fiction and non-fiction, workbooks for use by tutors with students, reference materials and `tape and text' kits. There are also videos and CD-Roms available.
Bulk loans, author/title or subject requests for adult literacy materials can be made to PLS on the Adult literacy material online form under the heading "Community services" on our Public libraries forms page.
These do not have to be for a particular borrower. A bulk loan can form part of your collection or can be used to promote this part of the library service. Amounts requested can vary according to your need. The average size is usually 50 items.
Contact PLS if you wish to discuss borrowing adult literacy material.
8.5.2 Who can use literacy resources?
Any member of the library is welcome to use the collection. Regular users include learners as well as tutors undertaking tutor training courses.
8.6 Family and Local History
A collection of material specialising in family and local history is held at PLS and is available for loan. Unlike the genealogy resources held at State Library which are always available for reference, some of the more frequently used items are circulated from PLS.
These include the Queensland State Archives Historical Resource Kits for immigration and naturalisation, along with the Queensland electoral rolls. Indexes for Births, Deaths and Marriages for Queensland are held on microfiche, and for the other states on CD-ROM. Post Office Directories as well as other directories and gazetteers for Queensland are available on microfiche.
Resources in the collection reflect other guides for researching a family tree, implementing and maintaining a local history collection as well as resources concerning oral history.
A research service is provided by the Family History Unit at State Library for clients outside the metropolitan area.
8.7 Other State Library departments
The collection of this unit is designed to meet a broad range of information needs. Many titles which are too specific in their treatment of subjects or too academic for PLS stock are included. Although the Reference Library does not lend directly to the public, it will supply books to meet requests from PLS libraries.
CLS libraries may draw on the services of the Reference Library either through referred Author/Title or Subject requests or by contacting the library direct via the Telephone Reference Service on (07) 3840 7810. The library can also be contacted on the 1800 number for the cost of a local call. The library provides a fast and efficient ready reference service in areas ranging widely from addresses of businesses to biographical details of Presidents to dimensions for tennis courts. It also offers an in-depth enquiry service for more detailed enquiries.
The John Oxley Library is a part of the State Library dealing specifically with Queensland. The collection includes both historical and modern materials such as extensive photograph and newspaper clipping files as well as a comprehensive collection of books and journals pertaining to Queensland. Also included is a very large collection of Queensland biographies, information on early shipping lists, and detailed geographical information of Queensland localities and so on.
The John Oxley Library has a policy of dealing directly with individual enquirers rather than with a library acting as an intermediary. This policy has been adopted because of the complexity of the research which is needed to provide maximum assistance for enquiries of the kind mentioned above.
For example, if your readers want reasonably detailed information on the history of the Sarina Shire, he/she should write a letter to the John Oxley Library clearly specifying the information required. PLS and the Reference Library would be unlikely to hold very comprehensive information on such a specific locality. Much time would be saved in this case, therefore, by dealing directly with the John Oxley Library.
Last reviewed and updated January 27, 2009, 4:44 pm