The Shared Leadership Project has included for another year with 20 staff from across Public Libraries Victoria and the State Library, sharing their final reports and their learnings at an event at the State Library on Friday 11 August 2023.
The reports are summarised below and are available to access (alongside previous years’ reports) on the PLV Website – Get Involved – Projects – Shared Leadership Program webpage.
Collections Unlocked: Open Data (2023)
Libraries are the holders of a vast repository of information about their collections, services, members and facilities. All of this data forms a rich vein of knowledge from which valuable insights can be mined in order to best meet community needs and expectations. Library service resources can be better utilised if the PLV were to share their expertise and access to data to ensure this understanding reaches across the state in a democratic way. Investment in open data across the Victorian library sector will prove longitudinally fruitful, allowing staff and stakeholders to harvest
information, undertake analysis, and present useful findings to improve services and maximise ROIs.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in Public Libraries: identifying key themes for success (2023)
This research project set out, within the Victorian Public Libraries context, to ‘document what libraries are doing to achieve DEI and to share this information to equip and empower our sector.’ The intention of the report is to communicate, upskill and network stakeholders within the Victorian Public Library sector interested in beginning or expanding their DEI work.
Future Ready – Inspiring Diverse Library Pathways (2023)
This report serves as an invigorating call to action for current library staff, encouraging them to consider stepping into leadership roles within their organisations. By inspiring staff to take on new responsibilities and roles, we not only enrich professional growth but also cultivate leaders who can guide the field through the challenges and opportunities of the future. Nurturing our talent pool
enables libraries to develop a highly skilled and adaptable workforce capable of meeting the evolving needs of library users into the future. This report is an introductory guide to inspiring current library professionals to embrace their unique career journeys and providing aspiring professionals with valuable insights into starting a fulfilling career in public libraries.
Referral Pathways: A Toolkit for Library Staff (2023)
Each library service (and sometimes each branch) has developed their own range of referral pathways. Many libraries have excellent templates and toolkits for referrals to their local services, and are doing deep partnership work to enable referrals in from other services. However, best practise is not always being shared and each service is reinventing their approach from scratch. The aim of this work is to provide a framework and a common approach and language for referrals, highlighting the importance of this work and giving a state-wide focus. It builds on the work of the Libraries for Health and Wellbeing – a partnerships toolkit.