Library as shapeshifter

ALIA Information Online 2015 Conference, 2-5 February 2015, Sydney: at the edge.
 
Abstract:
 
Engagement at UTS Library is both a strategy and mindset, it informs the way we build community and support learning and research. Over the past five years, we have modified our approach to engagement and library services by fostering a culture of playfulness, experimentation and risk-taking amongst library staff. We propose that the new rules of engagement lie in shifting relationships with clients and stakeholders from an impersonal and hierarchical model to one that embraces collective creativity, playfulness and authentic communication. This paper discusses how we achieve this by making the invisible visible, re-envisioning physical spaces for imagination and play, using an authentic voice, forming strategic collaborative relationships and supporting library staff in taking on new roles. Our examples will explore a number of current initiatives to highlight these themes through the library’s popular Think Play Discuss wall, social media channels and participation in university-wide activities.