June 2024 Editorial

Welcome to the June 2024 issue of the Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association (JALIA). This issue contains two research papers, two research-in-practice papers, an information-in-practice paper, an obituary, and ten book reviews. It is wonderful to have a range of paper types in JALIA including practice-based research and papers reporting on initiatives or projects in practice, along with full research papers.

While it is unusual to have two research papers in the same issue by the same first author both on public libraries, albeit with different co-authors, they are both very different. The first paper, ‘Public Library Services in Rural Australia: Challenges and Prospects’ by Philip Hider, Simon Wakeling, Amber Marshall & Jane Garner (2024) reports on the findings of a survey of more than 100 Australian outer regional and remote public library managers from under-researched libraries that serve more than 2.5 million Australians. An online survey asked public library managers in rural Australia about the services provided by both fixed-site, online, and mobile libraries, and about the issues and challenges they face. Findings suggest, among other things, that while rural libraries share some challenges and opportunities with their urban counterparts, they are especially valued by their communities in the absence of alternative services and social outlets.

The second research article is titled ‘Designing for Communities with Communities: A Public Library Codesign Project’ by Philip Hider, Jane Garner, Ann Godfrey, Hamid Jamali, and Simon Wakeling (2024). Codesigning public library spaces is often limited to consulting with users rather than true codesign. The article introduces the theory of participatory design and codesign, advocates for more genuine codesign of public library spaces, and examines the challenges in achieving codesign in public library developments. The paper arises from a two-year Australian Research Council Linkage research project, ‘Designing for Communities with Communities’ which aims to provide public library staff with a set of codesign tools they can adapt for their own projects. This paper reports on its initial stages, including preliminary interviews and user surveys about existing spaces, and discusses the design of community workshops, where most of the actual codesigning will take place, with discussion and analysis of the activities that could be included in these workshops. We look forward to hearing more about this project as it progresses.

‘Fact or folklore? An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander framework to cataloguing Indigenous knowledge’ is the title of the Research-in-Practice paper by Raylee Lancaster (2024). The paper examines how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges are catalogued by Australian libraries. The paper contends that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges are not folktales and argues against the use of the Library of Congress Subject Heading ‘Folklore’. This paper also reports how the University of Queensland Library has developed a culturally nuanced and holistic approach to cataloguing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges that engages Indigenous ways of organising, accessing, and using information. This paper highlights the need for more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cataloguers and urges libraries to examine their practices to build more accurate representations of the communities they serve.

The second research-in-practice article is by Patrick Lo, Hermina G.B. Anghelescu, and Robert Sutherland (2024), titled ‘The Unparalleled Joy of the Silent Contributor’ which explores the views of performance/opera librarians about their daily job responsibilities. It also examines their perceptions of their career motivation and job satisfaction. Thirteen opera librarians with four to forty years of experience were asked semi-structured interview questions. The interviews were conducted via Zoom, Skype, or written emails. The participants were affiliated with opera houses in eight countries. The study aims to provide new perspectives on the evolving roles of opera librarians, their career motivation, fulfilment, and recognition. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performing arts sector and the challenging transition to virtual performances are also discussed.

The final paper is an information-in-practice paper by K. R. Sunil Kumar, P. V. Vijesh, K. R. Vivek and M. K. Joseph (2024) titled ‘Catalyzing Literacy- A Unique Approach to Community Literacy Project Aksharadeepam (The Light of Letters) in Kerala's Choornikkara Panchayat Library - An Information in Practice model’. The Akshara Deepam (The Light of Letters) project is a collaboration between Choornikkara Panchayat Library, the Kerala State Literacy Mission, and the Kudumbashree Mission. Focusing on community literacy and empowerment. It was initiated in May 2023, and aims to integrate literacy applications into daily life by delivering curated book kits to 720 households aspiring to empower women volunteers to combat poverty through literacy. There are plans for Rajagiri College of Social Sciences (RCSS) to integrate academic expertise into the project and its community engagement initiatives. This new approach will blend theory, community action, and academic involvement.

We also have an obituary for Moyra Best McAllister. Moyra was a librarian who worked in many types of libraries and almost every role. She also was an active member of the Library Association of Australia and then ALIA, including a term from 2001–2003 on the ALIA Board of Directors. Read more about this committed information professional in the obituary by Bruce Davidson (2024).

As usual, we complete the issue with book reviews. In this issue we have our usual relevant reviews, only this time with some alliteration … Reviews reflect readers and libraries, reading culture, rehabilitation, responsive practice, retrospectivity, revolution, role playing, romance, and because not every subject begins with ‘r’, there’s also artificial intelligence and Dewey Decimal Classification. Prolific reviewer Colin Steele contributes two reviews: one on books in wartime and the other on bibliographical change in the nineteenth century. Your co-editor continues this historical thread with a review of a recent history of the Launceston Public Library, and we travel via a history of the Dewey Decimal Classification to AI and the future of learning and work. Also reviewed are guides to bibliotherapy, romance literature, primary and secondary school reading culture, setting up role-playing games, and culturally responsive practice in school libraries.

No doubt about it, relevant reviews for all our readers.