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Waitakere hosts national forum on public libraries
Media release
11 September, 2007
Waitakere hosts national forum on public libraries and diversity
Librarians from around the country have converged at the Waitakere City Council for the National Forum on Public Libraries and Diversity.
The two-day conference, organised by Waitakere Library & Information Services, attracted some high profile speakers from around Australasia, including New Zealand Race Relations Commissioner, Joris de Bres, the director of the Office of Ethnic Affairs, Mervin Singham, the National Library’s director of Services to Maori, John Mohi, and the multicultural consultant to the State Library of New South Wales, Oriana Acevedo.
Attendees also heard from advisors working in the areas of migrant services and refugee resettlement.
In opening the conference Cr Judy Lawley commented on the significance of our libraries in growing Waitakere as a Learning City.
"One of the particularly special contributions of our libraries", she said, "is towards our goal of celebrating diversity".
"Information is vital for new immigrants settling into the city and I'm delighted to see so many of our new citizens using the libraries".
In his address, Mr de Bres reminded the audience that libraries need to make the most of opportunities to engage with, and provide resources for, residents of all nationalities, from birth onwards.
“You are not just an information hub but a meeting point,” he said.
“You are helping people access the diversity of stories and cultures of all communities in New Zealand.
Whether you’re in Auckland or Invercargill, your people need to know what’s going on in the rest of New Zealand as well as their own communities.”
Discussions at the forum covered such topics as improving access to information for refugees and how multi-cultural services can become an integral part of library services.
A workshop facilitated by the library manager of Fairfield City Council in Sydney involved each forum attendee developing an action plan that identified a goal focussed on a selected community and defining specific steps required to undertake outreach programmes, collection development and training.
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