Representations of Asia in Western Australian Public Library Collections

ABSTRACT

This research examines Western Australian (WA) public library collections and the representations of Asia in these collections. Serving the needs of the general public within a certain geographic area, public libraries collect materials in all formats and genres based on institutional priorities related to community or user needs and interests. This paper presents findings from a 2019 survey and series of interviews with librarians from WA public libraries to find out more about their collections by examining two types of materials: (1) items about Asia and, (2) items in Asian languages. The key findings are as follows: (1) relatively little attention is paid to cultural representations of the community in the development collections in WA’s public libraries (2) LOTE (Languages other than English) materials make up a small percentage of WA public libraries’ overall collections; and (3) representations of Asia within the collections are associated thematically with migrant support, travel destinations, cool Asia, and food cultures. This study makes a contribution to research and practice in this area by employing an interdisciplinary approach using cultural studies, library and information studies frameworks, introducing new ways of thinking about these collections and how library materials connect to cultural identity.

KEYWORDS:

• Public libraries
• asia
• western Australia
• library collections
• languages other than English (LOTE)

Introduction

For me, the library was a bridge to a new world – for Dad it returned him across the ocean, all the way home. […] Our libraries were cultural melting pots. But what I didn’t know then was that they weren’t neutral harbours of knowledge. (Cao, 2019)

As Cao’s own experience and her observation of her father’s illustrate, libraries can play an important role in the lives of migrants. It also shows how collections can be used in creative and different ways. For migrants, public libraries’ can provide a ‘bridge’ to the new world as it did for Cao, as well as a ‘bridge’ to a more familiar world where floating lives can be re-rooted, ‘re-creating the endless desire to return to lost origins (Hall, 1994, as cited in Shi, 2005, p. 57). With an increasing number of migrants in Australia, how do public libraries serve these communities through their collections? How can library collections also inform the wider Australian community about the region that is shaping Australia’s history so significantly? These are the two broad questions guiding this article’s research on Asian-Australian communities and public libraries in Perth, Western Australia.

This project brings together the fields of cultural studies and library and information studies to examine Western Australian (WA) public library collections in relation to the representations of Asia. This article begins by introducing concepts related to library collecting in relation to cultural studies and defining important terms used for this study and contextualising research within and outside public libraries related to migrant communities. Next, the research methodology, a survey and series of interviews conducted with public libraries in Western Australia, is explained. The findings and discussion sections report on survey results and present them in comparison to what was found in the interviews. Iterative thematic analysis themes are also explored. The conclusion outlines future research plans related to this topic.

Literature Review

The literature presented explores cultural studies perspectives related to Asian diaspora communities and their interaction with public libraries. Cultural studies ‘is an interdisciplinary field in which perspectives from different disciplines can be selectively drawn on to examine the relations of culture and power’ (Bennett, 1998, as cited in Baker & Jane, 2016, p. 7) and therefore provides a useful analytical framework for interdisciplinary work. A cultural studies perspective also provides what theorist Stuart Hall describes as connections to matters of power and cultural politics, ‘an exploration of representations of and “for” marginalized social groups and the need for cultural change’ (1992, as cited in Baker & Jane, 2016, p. 5). The following topics are explored in this literature review: an examination of representations; a presentation of Australian demographic information related to migration; an overview of public libraries and migrant/diaspora communities; and using library materials to construct identity.

What Is Representation?

Libraries collect materials based on what are perceived as community/user needs, yet from a cultural studies perspective, items collected by libraries can be much more. Public library collections can serve as representations. Hall (1997) links representations to culture, by examining how representations, ‘connects meaning and language to culture’ and ‘is an essential part of the process by which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture’ (p. 15). Representations draw on the language of shared meaning, or what Hall calls shared conceptual maps, which people use to ‘make sense or interpret the world in roughly similar ways’ (Hall, 1997, p. 18). In this sense, access to culturally representative public library collections can construct a ‘bridge’ to a new world by familiarising migrants, like Cao (2019) with a new culture and its shared conceptual map, allowing her to become literate in the language of new cultures, generating understandings of new cultural meanings. Similarly, Cao’s father made use of public library collections to access those texts and popular media materials that, for him, represented the familiar and known culture, reinforcing a sense of belonging to the community that shared those meanings, languages and complex conceptual maps of the migrant experience.

Representations play into how cultures and identities are constructed and how these constructions are dispersed. Representation is ‘the process of putting into concrete forms’ or the ‘social process of making sense’ of abstract concepts such as gender, culture and race (O’Sullivan, Hartley, Saunders, Montgomery, & Fiske, 1994, p. 265). Mediums or cultural texts such as books, music, films, art, news and television programs provide multiple representations of cultures and identities which shape how people make sense of the world around them. For people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, seeing themselves on screen or in writing is powerful, especially if the representation does not draw on negative stereotypes (Boboltz & Yam, 2017). Seeing oneself represented as well as having others being able to see ‘you’ represented in books and DVDs on the library shelves plays an equally important role. This topic is explored in the library literature through discussions of decolonisation (Blume & Roylance, 2020) or diversity and inclusion (Collins, 2018).

Australia’s Asian Diaspora and Engagement with Asia

The term diaspora is used ‘to refer to almost any group living outside its country of origin’ (Ang, 2003, p. 142). Using this definition, Asian-Australians are seen as a sub-set of the wider categories of migrants and the diaspora. Migrants make up a large portion of Australia’s population. According to the Australia Census data published in 2019, 7.5 million persons or 29.7% of Australian residents were born overseas (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020). For Western Australia, 35% of the population was born overseas (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020) and 6 out of the 10 top countries where migrants were born were Asian countries, specifically China, India, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020). In census data, identity markers are collected using broad categories such as country of birth for statistical purposes. While this information is useful in providing an overview of the Australian population and a sense of the community public libraries in Australia serve, it does not take into account that identity is more complex than just ticking a box or identifying where a person or their parents are born.

In addition to migration, the Western Australian government records how frequently Western Australian residents visit other countries as well as when people from other countries visit the state. In 2017, 61% of Western Australia’s outbound visits were to Asia, which was higher than the rest of Australia (Government of Western Australia, 2018, p. 6). Visitors to or transient students in Western Australia can also be perceived as potential public library users. In relation to international visitors in 2017,

Western Australia had a high share for Malaysia (31.6 per cent) and Singapore (26.7 per cent), but a low share for Japan (6.9 per cent) and South Korea (3.7 per cent)’ (Government of Western Australia, 2018, p. 6). In relation to international students, ‘in 2017, Western Australia had a high share for Malaysia (11.0 per cent) and India (9.0 per cent), but a low share for China (3.5 per cent) and Thailand (2.9 per cent). (Government of Western Australia, 2018, p. 6)

These statistics are important because interaction with people from other countries can help influence perceptions and representations of Asian culture and cultural identity.

Public Libraries and the Diaspora

Libraries provide services that support migrant communities and collections that represent these communities. The Australian Public Library Alliance (APLA) and Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) produced a report in 2019 on Services for Migrants and Refugees that notes when people arrive in Australia, ‘[t]hey have to set up home, find employment, become familiar with cultural norms that are second nature to Australians but alien to new arrivals, and often their first language is not English’ (Australian Public Library Alliance & Australian Library and Information Association, 2019, p. 4). Public libraries provide new arrivals to Australia with the required ‘conceptual map’ to help them navigate and build a ‘bridge’ to the ‘new world’. They serve as a ‘one-stop shop’, ‘for specific support services and programs in response to identified needs in the city’s diverse community’ (Australian Public Library Alliance & Australian Library and Information Association, 2019, p. 9). Examples of library services for migrants include English language classes and other activities in which public libraries can help migrants integrate into the wider community or adjust to their new environment (Khoir, Du, Davison, & Koronios, 2017). This theme of helping with settlement is common in research about migrants’ engagement with public libraries. These services provide valuable support for new migrants to help build a bridge to the new world but limit the representation of libraries as information agencies.

Libraries can also shape public perceptions through their programs and collections. Programming for the migrant community includes learning English through story/rhyme times for parents and small children; homework clubs for migrant students; and conversation classes aimed at improving English language communication skills (Australian Public Library Alliance & Australian Library and Information Association, 2019, p. 9). English language skills improvement is also supported by material in library collections, which includes bilingual picture books for early readers; graded readers for young adults; adult leisure reading; and reading for leisure (Australian Public Library Alliance & Australian Library and Information Association, 2019, p. 9). All these are examples of items in languages other than English, also known as LOTE materials, which ‘play an important role in providing access to information for their [migrant] communities’ (Steed et al., 2011, p. 116).

Many factors influence library collecting policies and procedures. In July 2016 the Australian Library Association (ALIA), Australian Public Library Alliance (APLA), and National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA) commissioned a project to update national standards and guidelines for public libraries. Section G7 (I & J Management Services, 2016, pp. 33–36) of this report focus on guidelines related to public library content and collections. The purpose of public library collections is as follows:

Collections are developed to meet the current, emerging and future needs of the local community. Public library collections aim to provide a wide coverage of subjects, formats and genres to cater for the diverse needs of the community, while adapting to emerging trends and formats as appropriate. They support the library’s important roles in lifelong learning, reading for pleasure and the documentation and preservation of cultural memory. (I & J Management Services, 2016, p. 33)

The content and collections section of the guidelines include six key areas: creating access for all; responding to the needs of different communities; having a collection policy; creating an attractive and current collection (through acquisition and withdrawal); making the collection available via metadata and collaborating with other public libraries (I & J Management Services, 2016, pp. 34–36). These guidelines establish a picture of the national perceptions on the roles and expectations placed on Australian Public Libraries. Cultural identity plays a key part in these guidelines as seen through the idea of responding to the needs of different communities or cultures within a library’s user base.

Language retention and acquisition play important roles in migrant experiences with library services and collections. Fitzgerald (2011, p. 111) identifies three concepts related to libraries and migrant communities: (1) ‘social inclusion for all Australians requires having access to, and publication of, multilingual and multicultural information’, (2) ‘digital inclusion requires that new and emerging communities have access to new technologies and the internet to ensure creation of, and access to, information and resources’ and (3) ‘libraries are crucial as gateways to multilingual information resources’. Related to this third point, Chelliah’s (2014) research in Perth, Western Australia, indicate that migrants with English as an addition language (EAL) do seek out public libraries to enhance their English skills (Chelliah, 2014, p. 104) and take advantage of the English language classes and workshops offered (Chelliah, 2014, p. 107). Participants in Chelliah’s research revealed how they have made requests for multilingual collections in the public library; the different ethnic groups from the research ‘displayed a preference for books, newspapers, magazines and DVDs in their native languages’ (2014, p. 135).

Khoir et al. (2017, p. 34) identify public libraries in South Australia as playing a key role in Australian multiculturalism because they have a ‘mandate to help immigrants gain access to information resources and provide them with community access’. Migrant ‘integration’, as a key component of ‘multiculturalism’, occurs ‘when people in a new country maintain their old culture while at the same time learning about and adapting to the new culture’ (Berry, 2001, as cited in Khoir et al., 2017, p. 34). This illustrates how the migrants use the library for both maintaining old cultures and learning the new.

Library collections can be used to practice English in addition to finding general and leisure information. Activities organised by the library help with English-speaking skills were listed as the second most important reason for use of the public library (Khoir et al., 2017, p. 38). These results differ somewhat from the responses Chelliah’s (2014) Perth participants that lists English-speaking skills as the most important reason for using the library.

In relation to accessing material in migrants’ first language or LOTE, Chelliah’s (2014) and Khoir et al.’s (2017) research provide similar findings. While Khoir et al.’s (2017) respondents see the library’s role as primarily to provide English language material, a large number also want to be able to access material (books, magazines, newspapers, etc.) in the first language. One respondent indicated that they would like their child to use the collection to get to know Chinese (Khoir et al., 2017, p. 39). Language in these instances serve a purpose similar to that defined by Hall (1996) by providing access to signs and cultural maps necessary for participating in the new culture as well as maintaining or sharing cultural maps to the old world.

Using Library Materials to Construct Identity

Texts play a role in representation constructions as well as identity formation. Studies have been carried out on migrant/diaspora use of and engagement with ethnic media content in identity construction and the negotiation of cultural belonging (e.g. the negotiation of where someone is from and where someone is at). Research about migrants and diaspora use of media texts provides insights into why migrants and the diaspora engage with ethnic media products and the role public libraries can play in providing these materials. Part of the interaction between diaspora and library materials involves identity formation.

Hall (1996) examined how the concept of identity tends to be linked to the idea of a unified identity by stating, ‘identification is constructed on the back of a recognition of some common origin or shared characteristics with another person or group or with an ideal, and with the natural closure of solidarity and allegiance established on this foundation’ (p. 3). Hall points out the limitation of this way of thinking about identity because it does not take into account identification as a ‘construction, a process never completed – always ‘in process’ and linked to historical and political contexts (1996, pp. 3–4). In his work on cultural identity and the diaspora, Hall looks more specifically at diaspora and identity in terms of ‘cultural identity’; ‘in terms of one, shared culture, a sort of collective “one true self”, hiding inside the many other, more superficial or artificially imposed “selves”, which people with a shared history and ancestry hold in common’ and a shared cultural code (p. 223). In this identity construction Hall (1996) also highlights the importance of looking at other ways in which cultural identity has been shaped.

For the diaspora, identity is shaped by the diasporic experience defined by, ‘the recognition of a necessary heterogeneity and diversity […] Diaspora identities are those which are constantly producing and reproducing themselves anew, through transformation and difference’ (Hall, 1996, p. 235). In addition,

Identity is a tricky thing. It is fluid, often contested and notoriously difficult to pin down. In this part of the world [Australia], the regional identity is particularly challenging because competing classifications – ‘Asia’, ‘East Asia’, ‘Asia-Pacific’, ‘Indo-Pacific’ – offer different interpretations. (Teo, 2019, pp. 77-8)

Identity can be challenging because it is often reliant on essentialist associations with stereotypes of specific cultures and countries and does not consider culture and identity as fluid or contested.

Essentialism refers to the presumption that ‘there is a universal essence, homogeneity and unity in a particular culture’ (Holliday, Kullman, & Hyde, 2017, p. 1). The opposite, non-essentialism, ‘focuses on the complexity of culture as a fluid, creative social force which binds different groupings and aspects of behaviour in different ways, both constructing and constructed by people in a piecemeal fashion to produce myriad combinations and configurations’ (Holliday et al., 2017, p. 2). Migrant identities are better understood and served by engaging with a non-essentialist approach.

Methodology

Inspired by Hall’s (1996, 1997) examinations of identity and culture, this study explores the representations of Asia in WA public libraries. For this study, we take a non-essentialist approach to looking at culture and identity, one which acknowledges fluid and hybrid identities such as being Asian-Australian, and identity as a complex and negotiated process. Using a non-essentialist approach as presented by Holliday et al. (2017), this study employs an exploratory qualitative design focusing on two data sets: a survey and a small series of semi-structured interviews. This study design was reviewed and approved by Curtin University Ethics Committee, HRE2019-0505, in August 2019. Information about data collection and analysis are detailed below.

Data Collection – Survey

Survey data were collected online from August to September 2019 using Qualtrics Survey Software. A survey was distributed to the Public Libraries Western Australia (PLWA) listserv, which at the time included 120 email recipients. A total of 28 public library representatives participated in the survey, but survey responses varied by question. The survey consisted of nine questions related to collection development policies, local community demographics, library holdings in Languages Other than English (LOTE), and materials with Asia-based subject headings. All the questions were presented as optional, and hence the number of responses to each question varied. Survey participation was anonymous, and no identifying location or personal information was collected. The survey instrument is found in Appendix A.

Data Collection – Interviews

From November to December 2019, a total of seven collections librarians were interviewed from five public libraries across the Perth metropolitan area. Purposive sampling methods (Wildemuth & Cao, 2016, pp. 137, 146) was employed to identify interview participants with PLWA leadership suggesting potential interview participants. Each participant library identified the best candidate to represent the institution when answering questions about collections. Five semi-structured interviews were conducted with two interviews including more than one person. All interviews were conducted at the participating libraries and both researchers attended all of the interviews. Participants agreed to speak with the researchers on the condition that their library would not be identified. Interview questions addressed topics similar to that of the survey focusing on approaches to collection development, LOTE collections, and materials about Asia. Interview times ranged from 34 to 51 minutes. After the interview, each library gave the researchers permission to look at the various LOTE collections and other materials on Asia. Interview questions are found in Appendix B.

Data Analysis – Survey

Survey data were analysed using descriptive statistical frequencies and iterative thematic analysis techniques in December 2019. Descriptive statistical frequencies were used for number-based questions, while the thematic analysis techniques were used for text-based answers. Thematic analysis was used on survey results to help develop themes and questions later used in the interviews. These themes are addressed in more detail in the semi-structured interview analysis section that follows.

Data Analysis – Interviews

Interview results were evaluated using collaborative data analysis techniques employing iterative inductive thematic analysis in December 2019. Collaborative data analysis involves, ‘processes in which there is a joint focus and dialogue among two or more researchers regarding a shared body of data, to produce an agreed interpretation’ (Cornish, Gillespie, & Zittoun, 2013, p. 79) and ‘becomes useful when the interests of a research project seem not to be served by a single perspective but require the engagement of multiple perspectives’ (Cornish et al., 2013, p. 81). Researchers of collaborative data analysis typically come from different disciplines or geographic locations providing a diversity of perspectives during the analysis (Cornish et al., 2013). The researchers in this study come from two discipline perspectives, library science and cultural studies. As both researchers attended all interviews, initial inductive theme development occurred after each interview with each researcher bringing their own interpretation of the data. This implementation of collaborative data analysis technique emphasises ‘that different perspectives are brought to bear on the analysis and interpretation of the data, with the eventual interpretation being a result of that combination’ (Cornish et al., 2013, p. 79). The first round of inductive thematic analysis found eight themes: migrant support; travel; cool Asia; food culture; spiritualism; war; politics and art. Further iterative thematic analysis conducted in January 2020 resulted in a refined list of four themes around the representations of Asia that occurred in multiple places in the data. The resulting four themes were: migrant support; travel; cool Asia; and food culture. Each of these themes will be discussed in more details in the Finding and Discussion that follows.

Findings

The study identified three key findings:

1. Relatively low attention is paid to cultural representations in collection development in WA public libraries;

2. LOTE materials make up a small percentage of WA public libraries overall collections; and

3. Representations of Asia is associated with four key themes: migrant support, travel destination, cool Asia, and food culture.

Finding 1: Collection Development

Local community demographics was reported as being used to inform collection development in 15 out of 17 responses (88%) to this question in the online survey. Of the seven respondents to the question related to the importance of local community demographic based on a 1 (extremely important) to 5 (not important) scale, none indicated that they felt this was extremely important. The responses fell within the ‘somewhat important’ (2 on the scale) to ‘not important’ (5 on the scale).

When asked about collection development policies, only 14 out of 25 (56%) respondents reported having collection development policies. This result is surprising as having a collection policy is one of the contents and collections guidelines recommended by ALIA and APLA (I & J Management Services, 2016, p. 34). A follow-up question about when those policies were updated received six responses; one updated in 2015; three updated in 2018; and the other two updated in 2019. The same six respondents listed the three main guiding principles underlying these policies. All respondents listed community demand or need as one of the three principles. ‘Community need’ is a common consideration in material acquisition and library collections. Survey and interview results suggest that perhaps community need is not analysed by librarians as closely as it could be.

Finding 2: Languages Other than English (LOTE) Collections

LOTE materials come in all languages and are brought into public library collections in response to local demographics, patron requests, and circulation statistics. These materials are not only meant for lending but to support library programming, such as conversation classes. Of the 12 WA-based public library survey respondents, collections ranged from 238 to 338,702 items. In addition, LOTE materials make up a small percentage of the overall items collected in these public libraries.

Eleven respondents listed the number of LOTE materials in specific Asian languages found in their collections, which is presented in Table 1. It should be noted that the library identified as R6 collected heavily in Asian LOTE materials, so much so that it increased total calculations across all languages. In comparison, the library identified as R4 collected very little in relation to Asian LOTE. Based on the total set of responses related to LOTE materials, Japanese-based LOTE materials were the most popular with 3356 items. Materials in Malay were the least popular with 12 items coming from only one library (R6), while the other 10 respondents did not collect in Malay.

Table 1. Asian language LOTE collections

	Chinese	Hindi	Indonesian	Japanese	Korean	Malay	Tamal	Thai	Vietnamese
R 1	38	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	0
R 2	78	9	25	99	20	0	9	17	0
R 3	59	82	35	151	39	0	16	36	292
R 4	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
R 5	380	160	2	360	4	0	190	5	0
R 6	688	148	159	2479	829	12	81	48	102
R 7	461	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
R 8	0	0	24	0	0	0	0	0	0
R 9	206	133	102	122	22	0	79	32	97
R 10	130	33	59	120	57	0	30	0	0
R 11	30	0	0	20	0	0	0	0	0
Totals	2070	568	406	3356	971	12	405	138	491

Finding 3: Representations of Asia

Iterative thematic analysis of interview data identified four themes: migrant support; travel; cool Asia; and food culture. Each of these themes are discussed individually in more detail below.

Migrant Support

The migrant support theme–related mainly to availability and collections of LOTE, as well as materials used in learning English (i.e. IELTS English Proficiency Test materials). Four out of the five interviewed libraries mentioned Asian language LOTE collections in relation to migrant community support and literacy. When asked about the number of items with Asia as a subject heading in various formats, respondents indicated that books were the most popular items falling into this category while visual collections, such as films or video available on DVD or BluRay were second most popular. While survey results related to the representations of Asia were limited, the interviews explored this idea of Asia and Asian-related items in more depth.

Travel Destination, Cool Asia and Food Culture

In addition to LOTE materials, public libraries collected English language materials related to Asia in fiction, non-fiction, print, electronic, and in a variety of formats. Travel Destination, Cool Asia, and Food Culture were identified as common themes during the interviews. Four out of the five interviewed libraries mentioned travel guides to Asian countries as being a well-used collection. One participant commented that this might be related to the high socio-economic demography of their community with the disposable income to travel. Engagement with the Cool Asia collection takes on a different form to that of the travel material. Items in the cool Asia collection include Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, Japanese anime and K-POP subject materials. Four out of the five interviewed libraries mentioned the high use of these materials, and their efforts at keeping the collections current and relevant to the borrowers. Asian cookbooks were mentioned as another well-used collection by three out of the five interviewed libraries.

Discussion

The discussion section addresses the study findings related to two categories of library collections observed through this research: LOTE Materials and non-LOTE Materials. Collection development and representations will be used as unifying topics when discussing these two types of collections.

Collection Development and Languages Other than English (LOTE) Materials

This research indicated that increasingly library collections and services related to LOTE were also used by Asian-Australian parents to share culture and language with their children – to provide them with a bridge to their Asian cultural background. According to demographer Capuano (as cited in Fain-Binda, 2020), ‘there is a long-term trend in Australia towards language diversity’ with 21% of the overall Australian population coming from non-English-speaking backgrounds – the largest growing languages in Australia at the last census identified as Mandarin, Punjabi, Persian/Dari, and Hindi (Fain-Binda, 2020). This shows a shift from the dominance of European languages being spoken in Australia to Asian languages (Fain-Binda, 2020), which is also supported by demographic statistics. This shift is something that should be incorporated into public library collecting practices related to LOTE.

While it could be assumed that libraries with high population of certain Asian diaspora communities would have LOTE materials in those languages, this was not always found to be the case. The low number of resources in Malay and high number of Japanese language materials indicates that factors other than demographics are considered more important. There could be many reasons for the difference in collecting when comparing Malay materials and Japanese. Many people from Malaysia migrate to and visit Western Australia, but not all of them may choose to read the material in Malay. While Malay is the official language of Malaysia, many migrants from Malaysia speak and read Mandarin, Tamil, and English as well (Government of Malaysia, 2016). Tamil and most certainly English were collected by other participating libraries, so migrants from Malaysia may not be interested in engaging in Malay-only content. Also, Bahasa Malayu (Malay) and Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian) are linguistically very similar, so often confused or classed together when seen in writing. This phenomenon related to the similarity of the languages could be investigated further.

Japanese language materials were particularly popular with surveyed libraries despite people from Japan not being a major migrant group according to the ABS. The high number of Japanese language materials could be for many reasons. Western Australia, especially the Perth region, has strong connections to Hyogo prefecture in Japan, which may account for higher collecting by some public libraries (Hyogo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre, n.d.). Also, Japanese media, such as anime and manga, fall under the Cool Asia theme identified during thematic analysis. Manga and anime as formats have achieved global popularity especially with the promotion of ‘Cool Japan’ by the Japanese government (Cooper-Chen, 2012, p. 45). Most of these items also include English or have English subtitles, making them easily accessible and popular with non-native speakers.

In addition to migrant support, LOTE materials can play an important part in language learning for native English speakers. According to participant I3 (personal communication, 22 November 2019), the library, ‘it’s a space for everyone’. Often LOTE materials in the public libraries studied served a dual purpose. One purpose was to support the migrant community in the way described by Cao’s (2019) father’s use of the library. The other purpose was to help English native speakers learn and develop their skills in other languages. This raises more questions for investigation. For example, are LOTE materials collected due to a specific library user request only? Are LOTE materials being collected in anticipation to appeal to certain community needs based on demographics? Are the same collecting approaches to English language materials being applied to LOTE when community demographics demonstrate what is needed?

Representations of Asia: Travel Destination, Cool Asia and Food Culture

Travel Destination, Cool Asia, and Food Culture were reoccurring collection themes across multiple interviews. These themes illustrate Asia as being represented in the library collections as the ‘exotic other’ (Said, 1995). In relation to ‘cultural identities,’ this ‘other’ can be understood as a group or community ‘constructed, to some extent, in terms of what it is different from, or opposed to’ (Clifford, 1988, as cited in Birch, Schirato, & Srivastava, 2001, p. 4); ‘the ‘Orient’ has long played the part of the western ‘other” (Birch et al., 2001, p. 5). However, the popularity of these items in the public libraries’ collections also illustrates a level of engagement with materials about Asia or from Asia, with the potential for acquiring conceptual maps to help Australians better understand Asia.

Australia is geographically located within the Asia-Pacific region so Asian destinations are relatively close, which could be a reason for the high demand for books about travel to countries in Asia. Whether these books reinforce stereotypes, or encourage new ways of knowing Asia, is not easy to determine. What the high demand of these books across libraries shows is that there is a certain level of interest in engaging with the region and its culture.

Food is often seen in relation to culture and identity, where certain types of food are associated with specific cultures. The consumption of diverse foods in Australia is seen as a sign of embracing of difference and very much part of the official discourse of Australian multiculturalism (Flowers & Swan, 2012, p. 1). The high demand for cookbooks at WA public libraries, at the basic level, could be seen as a way that library users either engage with different cuisine, or with food from their own culture. All of these themes reveal an interesting insight into the ways in which public libraries are connecting Australians to Asian content. More research will be needed to fully understand user perspectives of public library collections related to Asia.

Overall, this research raises questions about what community needs actually means or how fulfilment of community need is actually assessed. More research will need to be conducted to examine '(1) if librarians have a shared understanding of user need; (2) if community needs is the same as user needs; and (3) how fulfilment of need is assessed and measured.

Study Limitations

This study was small and exploratory so results can only be seen as a starting point for delving into the topic of representations of Asia in public libraries. Other research methods could be used to expand on the results. The study could benefit from expansion to include regional libraries and libraries across Australia. Also, a librarian-focused perspective and voices were used for collecting data and conducting a study cantered on library user perspectives, such as those explored in Khoir et al. (2017) and Khoir and Due (2020), is planned for future research.

Conclusion

This article presents survey and interview results that explore the representations of Asia in Western Australian, metropolitan public libraries. The purpose of this research is to introduce new ways of thinking about collections in relation to how library materials connect to cultural identity. While public libraries in Perth, Western Australia, have varying sizes of collections about Asia and in Asian languages, how these collections are used is harder to identify and requires future research. What is certain is that these collections are often used in ways not anticipated by the public libraries.

Outreach or extended engagement with culturally diverse communities is one potential way to help expand and refine collections. Understanding that budgets are continually strained, and staff are under pressure to do more with less, a potential approach from a public library perspective is to initiate more community-specific outreach with community groups or clubs. This approach could be especially successful for certain demographic groups that are not current library users. The researchers of this study plan to extend this research to a second phase by interacting with the self-identified Asian-Australian community.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hollie White

Hollie White is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry at Curtin University. She teaches and researchers in metadata, languages of aboutness, library collections and social justice. She has a PhD in Information and Library Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Hollie has previously published works in the Journal of Documentation, the Journal of Library Metadata, Journal of Education for Library and Information Science.

Denise Woods

Denise Woods is a Lecturer in the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry at Curtin University. She teaches and coordinates first year and second year core units in the Bachelor of Communications program which is offered at Curtin’s Bentley as well as offshore campuses at Dubai, Mauritius, Sarawak Malaysia and Singapore. Her areas of research include representations of race, gender and disability in online games, representations of Australia in the media in Asia, and media production in Asia. She has published in the Journal of Australian Studies, Media International Australia and the book Alter/Asians: Asian-Australian Identities in Art, Media and Popular Culture. She is an executive committee member of the Asian Australian Studies Research Network.

Appendices

Appendix A. Survey Questions

(1) Does your library have a collection development policy?

Yes; No

(2) What are the three main principles underlying your library’s collection development policy?

(3) When was the last time your collection development policy was reviewed or updated?

(4) Is local community demographic information used to inform collection development?

Yes; No

(5) How important are local community demographics to your collection development and materials buying?

1: Extremely important to 5: No important

(6) How is demand for Languages other than English (LOTE) materials determined?

(7) Approximately how many items does your library have in its collection?

(8) Approximately how many items do you have in the following languages:

Chinese; Hindi; Indonesian; Japanese, Korean; Malay; Tamal; Thai; Vietnamese

(9) Approximately, how many items do you have with Asia (as a main subject heading in your catalogue with the following formats:

Computer files/Websites; Databases/Electronic collections; Journals/Magazines; Newspapers; Sound recordings; Visual materials/Videos/Films; Books: Fiction/Non-Fiction; Other

Appendix B.

Semi-structured interview base questions

1. Tell me about your roles in the library.

2. Describe your library’s approach to collection development.

3. Tell me more about your library users or local community.

4. Can you share your Languages other than English (LOTE) materials usage statistics?

5. How much is LOTE broken down over non-book formats.

6. How much of your collection is from the State library?

7. What are the main cultural collecting areas for your library? Why are these important?

8. How much of your collection is related to Asia?

9. Tell us about your most circulated Asian-related items