nov-dec 2002 - State Library of Western Australia

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4On a cold Monday 6 July 1981, theFriends of Battye Library was formallyestablished with a prime objective toassist and promote the interests of theBattye Library with an emphasis on theacquisition, preservation and use ofarchival and documentary materials.When the Public Records Office (nowthe State Records Office) which isresponsible for State Governmentrecords, became a separate branch,the Friends’ aims broadened toinclude the new office as well.In recognition of the vital role theFriends play and the importance ofthe work done by members andvolunteers, a 21st birthdaycelebration was arranged for 22October as the last meeting of theyear. Guest speaker for the eveningwas Western Australia’s eminentnatural and social historian andbotanical artist, Rica Erickson, AMHon Dlitt. FRWAHS. Rica gave alively and interesting talk on her life’swork and her many years ofassociation with the Battye Library. Atthe conclusion of the address, DrRonda Jamieson, Director of theBattye Library, presented a briefdemonstration of the website whichhas been created to honour Ricawhich can be found atwww.liswa.wa.gov.au/erickson/index.html.Chris Coggin, retiring Director of theState Records Office was thanked forhis contribution to the Battye Library andfor his unfailing support of the Friends.He has been a key player in thecollection and preservation of WesternAustralian archival records since hisappointment as State Archivist in 1978through to his prime role in establishingthe State Records Office.The evening also contained somedelightful surprises. The first was anannouncement by Emeritus ProfessorGeoffrey Bolton, President of theFriends, that Rica is the first recipientof the Friends of Battye Library’s ‘Gemof Time’ award which has been set upto honour Western Australia’s livingtreasures. This recognition is for thoseABOVE: Prof. Geoffrey Bolton(President, Friends of BattyeLibrary and honorary lifemember) and Rica Erickson(Gem of Time) at the celebrationfor Friends of Battye Library’s21st anniversary.RIGHT: Battye Library’sDirector, Dr Ronda Jamieson,and Gillian O’Mara (Vice-President, Friends of BattyeLibrary) light the candles on theFriends of Battye Library’s 21stbirthday cake.who have made a long-term andsignificant commitment to the aimsand objectives of the Battye Libraryand/or the State Records Office. Thesecond was the conferring ofhonorary life membership of theFriends of Battye Library on ProfessorBolton and Dr Pamela Statham-Drewas a tribute to the work they haveaccomplished on behalf of theFriends over the years.At the conclusion of the meeting, theState Library’s acting CEO, ClaireForte, invited members and guests tosit down to a 21st birthday dinner toround out the celebrations for theFriends’ coming of age andcongratulate Rica Erickson for beingthe first ‘Gem of Time’.Jennie Carter,Team Leader, Battye Archival CollectionsState Library of Western Australia
5A new Australian interactive chatreference service went live on 26August 2002 and is available from thewebsites of Australia’s national, stateand territory libraries. The serviceenables members of the public,wherever they may be, to ask aquestion online, in real time, andreceive an answer from a referencelibrarian while they wait.AskNow! is a collaborative 12-monthpilot, staffed on a time-share basis bylibrarians from the National Library ofAustralia, the State Libraries ofVictoria, New South Wales,Queensland, Tasmania, SouthAustralia, Western Australia, theNorthern Territory and the ACT Libraryand Information Service.A key feature of the live reference/chatsoftware, which distinguishes it fromemail transactions is that the onlinetransaction occurs in real time. Itallows the librarian to search forinformation on the World Wide Weband immediately share the foundpages with the client while they wait.Clients can be guided through theirsearch, as inquirer and librarian viewthe same web pages. Help insearching library catalogues, theInternet, and eventually onlinedatabases, becomes more useful andefficient.A by-product of such a service is thepotential for the development of anational knowledge base. This couldbe used to save repeated staff effortin responding to frequently askedquestions and perhaps offered as asearchable database to end users inthe future.In the last two years, interactivechat software applications haveincreasingly been used in the libraryenvironment to service existing clientsin a more timely manner, to buildrelationships with new clients anddemonstrate that the skills of librarystaff are transferable to the onlineenvironment. It is important thatABOVE: The AskNow home page.leading Australian libraries enter thisnew realm of reference servicedelivery.AskNow! will increase serviceprovision to clients and is beingoffered as an additional service to theon-site, email, letter/fax and telephonereference services already providedby the participating libraries.Clients of the service can expect aconsistent, high quality andprofessional service with anappropriate response. AskNow! staffwill attempt to answer ready-referencequestions within 10 minutes. Complexquestions, or ones requiring moretime or resources, may be referred toan email service for further assistanceand a fuller response.Enquiries are treated confidentiallyand service providers ensure theclient’s right to privacy.A formal evaluation will be conductedof AskNow! mid-way through the pilotand again in August 2003. It willinclude assessment of servicesustainability; issues of standards andbest practice; assessment of staffinglevels, skills and training; participantand end-user feedback; analysis ofservice use and potentialpartnerships. Opportunities for otherlibraries to join the service will beconsidered after the mid-termevaluation.AskNow! is available 6am to 5pmWestern Standard Time, Monday toFriday, and can be accessed bylogging on to the State Library ofWestern Australia’s website atwww.liswa.wa.gov.au selecting the“Ask a Librarian” link and then clickingon the AskNow! icon. Alternatively youcan go to www.asknow.gov.au and login.Gabrielle ReynoldsAskNow! Project LeaderState Library of Western AustraliaTelephone: (08) 94273224email: greynolds@liswa.wa.gov.au
Page 1 and 2: 1Dr Francis Aubie“Ali” Sharr OB
Page 3: 3The library community has lost one
Page 7 and 8: 7b a t t y eabout booksCyril AyrisT

nov-dec 2002 - State Library of Western Australia

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