Libraries are the beating hearts of communities

Looking outwards

The opportunity to join a cohort of librarians from all corners of Aotearoa has strengthened my networks and passion for the library sector.

I am one of twelve Whiria te Tāngata Kākaho (sustainability champions) from a range of library sectors, who are nearing the end of our eight-month journey of learning.

Sometimes it’s easy to become internally focused with our mahi as we strive to further the goals of our own organisations. So, the opportunity to look outwards and engage with others facing all the same challenges has been so rewarding.

As the Whiria te Tāngata Purpose statement says:

“Weaving the people together, to ensure the long-term sustainability of a libraries sector that is widely valued, used, enabled, and supported to deliver positive social and economic outcomes for people, whānau, communities, iwi, and Aotearoa.”

The importance of libraries

Libraries really do have such an important place as beating hearts of communities. They offer a sanctuary and a knowledge basket accessible to all. For me, making libraries sustainable and protecting their position as wharekura, is such an admirable goal to sit behind.

Whiria te Tāngata has given me the chance to visit and explore the wider sector. I visited The National Library’s Services for School’s HQ in Auckland and learnt more about the important work they do. I also have one of my fellow Kākaho visiting next week to learn about our Auckland Libraries app, and how this can inform their own library service app.

This networking and weaving together of our skills and perspectives are described beautifully by this whakatauki — Ma pango ma whero, ka oti te mahi | With black and with red the work is completed.

Mātauranga Māori approach

Whiria te Tāngata is underpinned by four pillars of learning. These pillars are all supported by a mātauranga Māori approach. I have greatly appreciated the way mātauranga Māori has been effortlessly woven into our learning throughout our Kākaho journey. Our first gathering involved a mihi whakatau at National Library in Wellington. One of my fellow Kākaho, Simon, delivered an inspiring and impressive response to the whaikōrero using his te reo. This really set the scene for the journey we have since embarked on.

I was also inspired by a presentation we received from Jacinta Paranihi-Anae, a Principal Advisor at the Department of Internal Affairs. Jacinta talked about Nga Upoko Tukutuku the Māori subject headings framework. Jacinta introduced us to the ethical use of data about Māori. I’ve learnt that ethical use of data about Māori includes asking questions such as:

• Tapu Level of sensitivity “How sensitive is the data?”

• Noa Level of accessibility “How accessible should this data be?”

• Tika Level of value “How does the use of this data add value to the community?

These concepts have given me a good framework to follow when thinking about my use of data within the context of my project.

Have a look at this video of Jacinta's keynote address Mā ngā tikanga e arahina: Being guided by good principles for more about the ethical use of data about Māori. This was recorded at the 2022 National Digital Forum.

“Nothing about us, without us” is a phrase that has really resonated with me from this learning. I was also very interested to learn about the importance of Māori data sovereignty in Te Ao Māori. Māori Data Sovereignty refers to the inherent rights and interests that Māori have in relation to the collection, ownership, and application of Māori data. It is important to recognise this Sovereignty and aim to ensure ethical use of data about Māori, which should enhance the wellbeing of Māori people, language and culture.

Applying learning

My aim as we now move into the latter stages of our time together, is to apply my learning around mātauranga Māori and Data, Research and Evidence. I would like to use these strands to support and guide an investigation into what data may be able to tell us about Māori borrowers at Auckland Libraries. Specifically, the material from our collections that inspires and delights them.

The Data, Research and Evidence (DRE) is one of the kaupapa weaved into the Whiria Te Tangata programme. DRE aims to support libraries to illustrate the importance of library services more effectively, including the contribution they make to the well-being of people in Aotearoa.

One of the focus areas of the DRE model is ensuring decision-makers have the necessary information to support decision-making and planning processes. My project aims to gather data on the borrowing behaviour of Māori borrowers at Auckland Libraries. I aim to use data extracted from our library management system to show the areas of the collection that our Māori users borrow most often.

This will then be analysed and used to inform our selection of material for our collections. There are recognised limitations such as the reliance on self-identification for ethnicity data in our systems, and the fact that some books are browsed rather than borrowed. It’s important to recognise these limitations, but they don’t need to act as roadblocks to prevent research being undertaken.  

To finish, this beautiful whakatauki , with its message of aiming high, being persistent and not letting obstacles stop you from reaching your goal, really captures a lot of the essence of Whiria te Tāngata for me.

Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei

Seek the treasure you value most dearly; if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain