Do Lan Phuong did her Masters of Social Work (QUT) placement in the Regional Partnerships (RP) team at State Library of Queensland. This presentation outlines her Engagement Plan for the Vietnamese community to access and use public libraries in the City of Logan.

1. Public Libraries
and
Community Development:
An Experiential Learning
By Phuong Lan Do
Masters of Social Work Student - In Placement with Regional Partnerships

2. Outline
1. Goals and objectives of Final Placement of Master of Social
Work student
2. Development of an Engagement Plan for the Vietnamese
community to access and use public libraries in the City of
Logan (“LCCL”)
3. Learning about and effective application of a Community
Development Framework
4. Findings and suggestions to SLQ and LCCL

3. Student Placement Goals and Objectives
GOALS
Goal 1: Learning about the social
context
Goal 2: Learning about the agency
Goal 3: Learning about social work
practices
Goal 4: Learning about the self
• To build on existing knowledge and skills necessary for
advanced practice;
• To understand, uphold and critique the Social Work
Code of Ethics;
• To develop the ability to make a significant contribution
to a placement setting;
• To develop advanced knowledge and skills for working
within a context of diversity;
• To develop an appreciation for the connection
between social work and social justice and an
understanding of how this applies in practice.
Specific OBJECTIVES for students are:

4. Engagement Plan for the Vietnamese community
to access and use LCCL
Rationale for development
An increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse
(CALD) society in the City of Logan
The 2006 and 2011 Census indicated an increase of
the Vietnamese community in Logan City
LCCL’s most available records on LOTE collections
reflected considerably low borrowing rates from the
Vietnamese community

5. Engagement Plan for the Vietnamese community
to access and use LCCL (cont’d)
Strategic documents informed development
• State Library of Queensland – Multicultural Engagement
Framework 2014-2017
• State Library of Queensland – Your Library Strategic Plan – A
Guide to Its Development (2009)
• Logan City Council - Cultural Diversity Strategy (2013-2016)
• Logan City Council - Libraries and Cultural Services -
Multicultural Action Plan (2015 – 2019)
• Logan City Council- Libraries and Cultural Services Branch -
Marketing Plan (2014-2016)
• Logan City Council- Libraries and Cultural Services Branch
Business Plan (2016/17)

6. Engagement Plan for the Vietnamese community
to access and use LCCL (cont’d)
Methods of data collection included:
Documents, Records and Literature Review
Community Consultation: Focus Groups

7. Engagement Plan for the Vietnamese community
to access and use LCCL (cont’d)
Methods of data collection included:
Community Consultation: Interviews

8. Engagement Plan for the Vietnamese community
to access and use LCCL (cont’d)
Methods of data collection included:
Observations: Objective observations, Participant
observations, and Physical Settings

9. Feedback
Users’ Satisfaction with
Logan City Council
Libraries Services
Engagement Plan for the Vietnamese community
to access and use LCCL (cont’d)
“Although there is no Vietnamese book or
newspaper here, I still love to visit and sometimes
use computer there … Great atmosphere, super
sense of humour, staff with never ending
willingness to help, terrific knowledge and
expertise. They are all wonderful librarians!”

10. Feedback
A place for recreation, learning,
working and community connection
Engagement Plan for the Vietnamese community
to access and use LCCL (cont’d)
‘I feel good when I come
in, especially in summer
while it’s so hot.’
‘Here is always safe and
nice. I can attend English
Groups while my children
play on computer or in
children corner over there…’

11. Feedback
Development of collections
Engagement Plan for the Vietnamese community
to access and use LCCL (cont’d)
‘There are not many items in our language. I often go to
Logan West Library as stop there after shopping, about
twice per week … but I don’t think there they have books
for children, or about health care or Vietnamese cooking
books… Almost seem fictions and not attractive for my
children and grandchildren.’ …
‘Once, my son took me to library but there was no books in
Vietnamese or weekly SS Newspaper there…. we did not go back. I
live and own my farm here for about thirty years, but can’t drive …
So, son and grandchildren sometimes go to Inala to borrow few
things for me, take SS or AVN newspapers… We also listen to SBS
radio when they broadcast Vietnamese news.’

12. Feedback
Opportunities for cultural celebration
Engagement Plan for the Vietnamese community
to access and use LCCL (cont’d)
‘I wish to enjoy celebrations of our
traditional days in Logan… so that no
need for me to take my children to
(Fortitude) Valley to see lanterns or
lion dance during full-moon festival.’ …
…‘We certainly can make some
traditional arts or mobilise cultural
symbols for exhibitions or displays
during Tet (New Year’s Day) if the
Council needs.’

13. Feedback
Barriers for the Vietnamese community to
access and use LCCL services
• Awareness of services available at LCCL
• English language issues
• Transportation problems
• Time poor
• Visibility
Engagement Plan for the Vietnamese community
to access and use LCCL (cont’d)

14. Recommended Plan for Action in 2017 and 2018

15. Example
Opportunity to build cultural celebration and inclusion
Learning from SLQ’s Tradition Now

16. Example Opportunity to build cultural celebration and inclusion
WHO? Frequent users, infrequent users, under users and non users from the
Vietnamese community, who are living, studying, working and running small
business in the City of Logan
WHAT WHERE WHEN HOW
Vietnamese cultural
items displayed at
Display Corners /
Display Cabinets at
different branches
Important days for
Vietnamese in 2017
and 2018:
2017: New Year's
Day - 27 Jan ; Mid-
Autumn Festival - 4
Oct
2018: New Year's
Day - 16 Feb ; Mid-
Autumn Festival - 24
Sep
Logan Central, Logan
North, Jimboomba,
Beenleigh, Marsden
and Logan West
Libraries
2017:
New Year's Day -
17 Jan to 3 Feb;
Mid-Autumn
Festival - 25 Sep to
10 Oct
2018:
New Year's Day - 5
to 26 Feb ; Mid-
Autumn Festival -
17 Sep to 5 Oct
Display Officers of branches
coordinate with local community
groups. Suggestions for items
displayed are:
- New Year Festival (Vietnamese:
Tet): Kumquat trees, Peonies, Red
Lanterns, Paper cuttings, New
Year paintings, Door Couplets.
- Mid-Autumn Festival: Paintings
of Moon Worship and Lion
Dance; Lanterns (colorful);
Mooncakes; Vietnamese rice
figurines (Vietnamese: Tò he);
Masks; Traditional 5-pointed star-
shaped lanterns; Unicorns,
rabbits, or dogs fashioned from
pomelo sections; Lantern making
workshops.

17. Example (Cont’d)
Cultural Items for Displaying during Mid-Autumn Festival
Moon Worship Lion Dance Lanterns Mooncakes Vietnamese rice figurines
Masks Traditional 5-pointed star-
shaped lanterns
Pets fashioned from pomelo sections

18. Learning about and Practising Community Development
What I have done….

19. Opportunity for SLQ
To develop …
1. A tool to help public libraries comprehensively
record and monitor the borrowing rates of LOTE
collections
2. A tool to help public libraries be able to know
about cultural and linguistic backgrounds of
library members, program/session participants
and meeting rooms’ users
3. A program to help public libraries possess the
welcome packs in a range of LOTE
4. A program to support digital inclusion for the
communities from CALD backgrounds; and
5. Touring exhibitions of Tradition NOW.

20. Opportunity for Logan City Council Libraries
To make improvements on …
1. Collections
2. Connection for the Vietnamese
community
3. Programs culturally inclusive and
responsive to the needs and the
intesrest of the Vietnamese
4. Services

21. Thank you!