Editorial June 2019

Welcome to the June 2019 issue of the Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association (JALIA). The issue contains five peer reviewed research papers, three research in practice papers, and 15 book reviews.

The first research paper is by Partridge and colleagues and examines how public libraries can work with universities to support rural, regional, and remote low-socioeconomic students. The next paper by Johnston and Salaz also focuses on university students, analysing why many prefer to read print over digital course materials for reasons such as accessibility, eyestrain, tactile features, better focus, and ability to highlight and take notes, while still acknowledging the many conveniences of the digital. Taking a shift in focus, Pryor-Darnella and colleagues explore the paradoxical relationship between copyright compliance and the professional ethics of LIS practitioners making a case for copyright disobedience and major copyright reforms. Next Xi and colleagues compare the evaluation systems of public libraries from the United States and China with a view to understanding the similarities and differences and to learn from both systems.

Caitlin Manion in the first research in practice paper describes a case study of one academic library’s process of developing and implementing a new system to collect, classify, and analyse reference statistics using the TARP Model, a system which enables librarians to understand user behaviours, assess reference services and trends, and manage the logistics of providing reference services. Next Darlington-Rielly examines the literature on managing music ephemera collections in libraries especially looking at the challenges and best practices involved in managing such collections.

As usual the issue concludes with a great selection of fifteen book reviews edited by Alison Fields. While it is not often that a book review warrants a mention in the Editorial, a review in this issue is an exception. While there are always particular books or particular reviews that stand out above the others, in this issue one book and its review provide a timely reminder that libraries are by necessity part of the wider workplace, community, indeed the fabric of society itself. Edward Reid-Smith’s review of the American book Muslims in story: Expanding multicultural understanding through children’s and young adult literature comes at a time when ‘It is anticipated that by 2045, a majority of the American population will be people of color’ (Manglik & Siddique, 2018, p.207) and similarly Australasian communities are becoming increasingly diverse. The book provides a suggested toolkit designed to sensitize the next generation to the issues faced by Muslims in America, and encourage understanding and empathy through children’s and young adult literature. This presents an opportunity for librarians to develop and encourage new cultural competencies in our increasingly multi-cultural societies.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue