I confirm that this assignment is the result of my own work, except where

otherwise acknowledged with in-text citations and references

Open Polytechnic

User Education and Reference Skills: 72271

Assignment 3

Shirley Nightingale

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Shirley Nightingale 3427306s

Assignment 3

Task 1

Petone Library is a small public library adjacent to the main shopping street of

Petone in the Lower Hutt area of Wellington. It is one of eight libraries that form the

Hutt City Library Service and is open seven days a week from ten to five-thirty pm

for five days and ten to five for two days (Hutt City Libraries Te Awa Kairanga,

n.d.).

The library is accessible by car from a side road or through a pedestrian access off

the main street although there is no signage. A small car park in front of the library

has a large sign stating Petone Community Library. There is another just outside

the main door, but it is subdued and easily obscured. These could be altered to high

visibility signs. Only one is also in Te Reo whereas signs should be bi-lingual as

Mori was made an official language of New Zealand in 1987.

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The opening hours and location of the After Hours Returns slot is clearly stated on

the front doors. The glass doors and foyer give a clear view of the library making it

non-threatening to a nervous newcomer. The foyer is an information portal for

Council and local information and is a disabled friendly space barrier-free

buildings (Hoover, Nall & Willis, 2013, p. 27).

Petone librarys range of user education includes staff for advice and teaching,

access to both digital and print resources together with advisory sessions from

external agencies. The library signage is locational and advisory.

Hutt City Libraries website and Facebook pages are centrally controlled and lists the

contact details and events for Petone Library. The catalogue lists all items for the

eight libraries and has the services; Whats on, Know how to, Kids, Teens, Family

and Local history, About the library and My account. The website is well set out,

easy to navigate and has a simple site map to aid in navigation. It is important to

use straightforward English on websites (Hohmann, 2001, p. 55) and on the whole

there is minimal library jargon, however Epukapuka or featured events may be

too technical for some (Hutt City Libraries Te Awa Kairanga, n.d.).

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If Petone Library was permitted to have its own library website and Facebook linked

to the Hutt City website, the librarians could provide local information, gain more

interaction with customers and improve user education for locals.

The digital user education facilities also include Epukapuka (ebooks), Zinio (online

magazines, family and local history online resources and Lynda.com (teaching

resource). There is also an online feedback area, a help section which gives

instruction in search techniques, and Ask a Librarian which offers a 24 hour response

by email or telephone to queries.

Petone library lists activities held within the library on a signboard. These are:

1. Baby bounce & rhyme the start time is shown. However an end time

could be added.

2. Preschool story time again, the start time is shown but no end time.

3. Help with family history a good clearly laid out notice.

4. Bookclub this is on the website but not on the noticeboard and could be

included.

5. Law for lunch this is also missing from the noticeboard and could be

included.

6. Justices of the Peace a clearly laid out sign with useful information.

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There are no digital literacy programmes. Walter (2003) states the increasing

importance of providing digital literacy support and tuition to all ages. Should

funding permit, more sessions could be added. Upper Hutt library offers nine adult

programmes, three job seeker programmes, three preschool programmes and four

afterschool programmes.

The circulation desk is centrally placed with two service areas, one higher than the

other with a Return sign on it. The lower has a staff and public chair with no sign.

The service desk should be easy to approach, friendly, and well-marked as it is

central to customer service (Andeen, 2001, p.287). Additional signs needed are

Customer queries sign by the lower seated area and an Issues sign on the higher

desk together with a Staff only sign on the backroom entrance behind the desk.

13.7% of the population are Maori (Hutt City Te Awa Kairangi, n.d.) and Te Reo

signage needs to be added. Deaf customers and those who do not wish to ask for

librarian help also need good signage. In some Asian cultures asking for help may

result in losing face (Garner, 2003, p.18) and 11.4% of Petones population is

Asian (Hutt City Te Awa Kairangi, n.d.).

Community statistics are a valuable resource and should be collected and updated

frequently to keep current with the demographics of the community (Oberlander,

2003, p. 355) so that user education can be targeted effectively. For instance

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according to the 2013 Hutt City statistics 42.9% of the Petone population are

families (Hutt City Te Awa Kairangi, n.d.). This is reflected in the large childrens

area and the regular pre-school reading sessions. Te Reo preschool sessions could be

added. Librarians can identify rapid changes in the demographics, such as a surge of

refugees into the community. Through market segmentation categories of special

users, such as refugees are identified so that libraries can align with and engage that

community (Dysart, 2005, p. 132).

Areas of the library are signed clearly; however a location map or hand out would be

useful. The non-fiction signage shows Dewey numbers but needs simpler terms and

explanations to help for newcomers to libraries. Burrell identifies library signage

systems as a main part of User Education (Burrell, 1999, p. 105)

The bright colours and images of the childrens area make it stand out colours are

used for coding children and teen books. Fun signs such as Fiction is made up and

Non-fiction is real! could be added. Simple signs would benefit children and non-

English users as according to Hutt City Council 71% of the Petone community speak

English, 3.2% Maori and 18.1% speak other languages (Hutt City Te Awa Kairangi,

n.d.).

External agencies display information on the Parents Corner noticeboard. There

is a Young Adult display with book covers and the corresponding film production.
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A read-alike list could be added to direct readers to similar books opening them up

to Discovery (Mossman, 2006, p. 39).

The Returns Desk has service brochures but not a Feedback form or newsletters for

the digitally averse. Pye & Yates (2003) suggest feedback forms as well as bulletin

boards and newsletters (p. 384). 15.3% of the Petone population are retired and may

prefer paper information to the internet.

Libraries should provide services for patrons with disabilities (Edwards, Rauseo,

& Unger, 2013). There is little evidence that the disabled are catered for apart from

the equitable entranceway and open space building for easy mobility. Johnson

County Library provide for the developmentally disabled with sessions similar to

those held for children as they allow a safe place to continue learning, sharing, and

growing intellectually throughout their lives. (Nord, 2014, p. 5)

Overall Petone Library has signage, information boards and brochures but there is

room for improvement. Additional directional signs from the roads are needed and

all signs need to be in Te Reo. Te Reo bilingual and/or full immersion Te Reo pre-

school sessions could be added. Enquiries, Issues and Ask a Librarian signs

could be added to the customer service desk. Digital and library language could be

simplified for children, those weak in English and newcomers. All services are

dependent on funding but simple signs and brochures can produced at the desk.
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Petone library offers a varied amount of User Education; however more could be

done for non-digital and disabled customers as well as Te Reo Maori speakers. User

education digitally would benefit by an informal linked individual library website

and Facebook site.

1,282 words

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Task 2

Petone Library provides pre-school child focussed reading sessions. There are no

user education sessions for disabled or disadvantaged children of any age. The User

Education plan is to provide three hour long sessions for children within the Autism

Spectrum Disorder alongside their parent or carer to accustom them to using the

library. If these sessions are successful they could be repeated or become on-going.

According to Autism New Zealand one person in 100 have a form of Autism

(Autism New Zealand Inc., n.d.). The Petone area has a population of 5,598

according to the Census of 2013 (Hutt City Te Awa Kairangi, n.d.) which indicates

there are many children within the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who would

benefit from attending sessions at the library.

Prior to any preparatory work it would be best to talk to Autism NZ to see if the

concept is feasible and secondly to gain their support, insight and advice on the

sessions. It is important that the library has the support of Autism NZ. Once support

has been gained the public should be approached to gauge interest. This can be done

through Autism NZ, on the library website and Facebook pages, in the local

newspaper, local radio and posters and through local preschools, kindergartens, play

centre groups and school newsletters. It is important to ascertain that there is a need

or desire for the sessions and that people will attend.

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ASD is a spectrum disorder which means each child will have a different level of

ASD and the aspects may manifest in different ways. Autism refers to a group of

related brain disorders which result in difficulties in social interaction, verbal and

nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviours (Autism Speaks Inc., 2015).

However, one aspect which seems constant is sensitivity to loud noises and/or bright

lights. There are successful ASD library user education sessions held all over the

world, for instance the Spark Reading Club (Kintish, 2010).

The learning theories which would most fit with ASD children would be the stimulus

and response of Behaviourism and the Experientialism theory. The Kinaesthetic

learning style incorporated in the VARK acronym could also apply. The sessions

will have to be structured to attain the best response from the children and this means

it is on their terms. They need to feel relaxed in an environment that is non-

threatening and enjoyable to them. Understanding what this may be is the first step.

The three sessions need to be close together so the experience of the library stays in

the childrens memory and can be built upon. One session per week over three

weeks in the summer school holidays and at 5.30 after the library is closed for an

hour and a half. The extra half hour is to provide time for the parents to chat with

each other and perhaps for a guest speaker. After the library is closed ensures that

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the noise and lighting can be controlled and there are only the families of ASD

children attending.

The objectives of these three sessions are:

1. To encourage families with ASD children to use the library. This can be

measured by the number of new members arising from the session attendees.

2. To familiarise ASD children with books and libraries and encourage an

enjoyment of both. This can be measured by the levels of attendance over

the three weeks and the willingness of the attendees to continue with more

sessions. It can also be measured over time by the amount of books which

the family borrows.

3. To raise awareness of the role of libraries in literacy education generally and

specifically with ASD children. This can be measured by the response to the

website and Facebook comments and likes to pictures as well as any

increases in membership and enquiries about the Reading Club.

Librarians are generally not specially trained for intensive interaction with ASD and

specialist training would have to be undertaken to conduct the sessions. Autism NZ

hold training sessions appropriate for librarians and there are also online training,

help and advice videos prepared by Libraries and Autism: Were connected (Weiss,

2014). It may also be possible for Autism NZ to provide a professional to help with
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the sessions, at least initially. There may also be professionals who would volunteer

their time to help at the sessions, for instance a clown or face painter.

There is always a limit to the funding resources available for libraries. It may be that

a grant will need to be sought to run the sessions. Fundview is an online resource

which locates appropriate grants (Generosity New Zealand, n.d.). Autism NZ may

also have some funding ideas.

Parents will be asked to pre-register for the sessions. As the sessions start at 5.30pm

it is suggested they bring their own picnic snacks and drinks. This will minimise

allergic exposure, however water will be available. The whole library space can be

used so the children can spread out. There will be different things going on in

different parts of the library to suit different learning styles. The children and

parents can choose which ones to join in with. Adult and childrens size tables and

chairs, beanbags and cushions will be at the activity stations. A central recycling and

rubbish bin area will be available. The children will learn indirectly in a fun way

with language they understand and in an environment they are comfortable in. Sykes

& Farmer (2007) recommend books which are tactile with good role models and are

repetitive as well as having multisensory material (p. 143). They also recommend

using a variety of formats, music, song and movement, storybooks, puppets and

visual stimulation (p. 144). There are many activities to cover the three sessions.

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Rather than deliberately building on gaining knowledge in each session as would be

usual in a learning environment, these sessions are targeting the indirect learning

experience through the enjoyment of the exercises. Therefore each of the three

sessions would have a similar theme but vary each session in the station activities.

The last session could end with a celebration party and the children showing the

adults which activities they enjoyed most and which books they liked the most.

The initial activity stations could be:

1. Face and body painting station. A painter in fancy dress who shows the

images in the books and talks to the children about them. A digital screen

showing a photo montage of childrens painted face in the background.

Beanbags and cushions with table and chair for the painting. This relates

books and images and a tactile and visual experience.

2. A letter rubbing station. Large template outlines of letters with coloured

crayons to rub over different shapes to create patters within the template.

This activity creates familiarity with letters in a tactile and visual way.

(Education.com, n.d.)

3. A puppet show based with a nursery rhyme theme followed by a book

reading of the same rhyme and a sung version. Afterwards, creating

characters in the puppet show on paper with crayons or by collage. This

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activity introduces books and reading using visual, verbal and tactile learning

styles.

4. Smelling station. Have bowls with different smelly stuff in each, for instance

orange peel, lemon peel, vanilla pods, dried bananas, curry powder and rose

petals. Each bowl has a corresponding picture of the item in its original form

together with its name. Each child picks his own coloured plastic mug and

tests all the smells. He then picks his favourite smelly material and puts it in

his mug. A muslin cloth is put over top with a rubber band securing it down

so no-one can see what is in it. He then challenges others to pick what smells

are in the mug. This is an activity which benefits those who learn visually

and tactilely. This enhances the connections between the written word and

image of the item and the sense of smell. (Education.com, n.d.)

5. Picture book reading. Reading simple, funny, rhyming picture books out

loud in an entertaining manner is captivating for children and adults. It also

promotes books and reading as a fun activity and attracts those whose style is

visual and verbal.

It may be possible to have a professional in the healthcare or child development

field be present during the session and hold a Question and Answer session towards

the end for the parents as Jarombek & Leon (2010), suggest (p. 25).

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The set of three sessions together are termed a Reading Club and at the beginning the

children receive a Welcome pack with a full page diagram for each activity and then

a map for the library so they can hunt down the activity they want. The parents also

get a guide for the three sessions as well as housekeeping, library and staff

information so they do not need to ask for information unless they wish to. Some

parents may have a verbal learning style. At the conclusion of the three sessions

each child will get a certificate and a booklet which shows the outside of the library,

inside of the library, the staff and then a photo of each activity the child was

involved in. Each photo is accompanied by corresponding words. This serves as a

reminder of an enjoyable and interesting Reading Club which will keep the library

fresh in their minds and make it a familiar place for the child to want to return to.

There are other benefits to the Reading Club what librarians learn from the methods

used for teaching students with learning disabilities will help better serve all patrons

by improving library instruction and reference communications. (Hoover, Nall &

Willis, 2013, p.27).

1,608 words

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Task 3

Libraries are a hub for learning. User education comes in many forms in the library

domain. The librarian advises, signage directs, information guides inform, training

sessions teach, computers allow access to global information, the printed word

informs the mind. Information literacy is having the ability to take the information

available, understand and use it effectively. Librarians advise, educate and help

customers constantly, especially after having conducted an effective reference

interview. Many customers, especially children need help to search effectively on

the internet and then learn to recognise good information from the vast amount

available. Baby and pre-school sessions in the library introduce literacy from a

young age as well as a love of reading. Children who are brought by their parents

regularly to public libraries grow up aware of the magic of books and information

and even those who not so fortunate will use the libraries at school. Libraries can

inform even those who do not use libraries as they raise the level of literacy within

the community generally. School and University libraries are used by most of the

literate public as they move through their education preparing them for life. Once

they have entered the workplace, they may not go to a public library again for some

time, or never. However they have become information literate adults through the

education process and the libraries they have had to use along the way.

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Understanding how I learn really made me see customers in a different light.

Realising that how we, as librarians, can adapt our everyday teaching opportunities

to be better understood was revelatory. As a teacher in a classroom has to ensure her

teaching plan has incorporated the learning styles of visual, auditory and kinetic

learners, so the librarian can judge the preferences of the individual and adapt her

teaching to suit. It also helps for planning a teaching session with a greater number

of customers. Customers may be happy to sign up for a group session with visual,

audio or tactile aids for memory retention, however some customers may learn better

in a one-to-one situation or when there is active discussion. Knowing how

customers learn and actively planning sessions to incorporation those learning styles

will help for an effective user education session

I found the variety of User Education initiatives in libraries all over the world really

fascinating. There are so many great ideas that librarians have come up with and

managed to implement such as the ASD teaching sessions. It has inspired me to talk

to customers about what they would like to see at the library and get some more

initiatives off the ground. Grants and volunteers will have to be used but if the

community and the librarians are keen then it will happen. The course really went

into User Education in depth and was well constructed. I feel I now have a really

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good grounding in learning styles and theories as well as being well prepared to set

up some user education initiatives. I was also pleased when doing the Readers

Advisory section as I seemed to be doing things the right way, albeit from gut

instinct rather than base knowledge.

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