NSW Annual Member Forum (previously NAC)

The Annual ALIA member forum is next week, have your say on what you want from YOUR industry association!

23 October 2014 at                         Ultimo College Library, Sydney TAFE Members of the ALIA Board are pleased to host the NSW Annual Member Forum on Thursday 23 October 2014. ALIA Board members Alyson Dalby, Beatriz Aroche and John Shipp will host the forum and ALIA CEO Sue McKerracher will be attending. Event details When:          Thursday 23 October 2014 Time:            6:00pm refreshments, 6:30pm start Where:         Ultimo College Library                      Sydney TAFE                      Building D                      Mary Ann Street Ultimo Cost:            Free Register HERE   If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Diana Richards, ALIA NSW State Manager.

Librarian Design Challenge 1: Signup

On 1 April, Toby Greenwalt set Librarians the following challenge on his blog theanalogdivide: Create a online library card signup. This is to be the first in a 'semi-regular' design challenge called The Librarian Design Challenge, to encourage more design thinking in the library world. ALIA NSW State Manager Julia Garnett and ALIA Sydney Co-Convenor Amy Croft were inspired to rise to the challenge - meeting in the State Library of NSW on 4 May armed with paper, coloured pens, and a 2-hour study room booking to figure out exactly what libraries and their members need from each other, and how to get members signed up as easily as possible online.

Paper, coloured pens, and info on public libraries

We started by comparing notes on the libraries we work in and have used over the years, to reach a core set of requirements, including the requirement of proving residency set in the challenge. We focused on public libraries, and referred to ALIA's Little Book of Public Libraries to think about what communities need from their local libraries. We agreed that library membership doesn't necessarily require a physical card, as long as we can provide a unique ID number/barcode to allow members to access library resources. We also came up with a few other issues such as one membership for all libraries in the state, overcoming language barriers in explaining membership conditions, differences in signing up children and adults, and ways of securing printing credit with a PIN or password, which were outside the scope of this challenge.

Brainstorming public library membership issues and needs

What the library needs and what the member needs - a membership mindmap

We ended up with a workflow for online membership signup for those using computers, and those using mobile devices. Common features are an easy-to-find 'Join Here' button on the homepage, followed by a brief outline of membership benefits and conditions of membership. Potential members agree to those conditions to get to the membership form itself, where signing up is a 4-step process. This would be on one page for those using a computer, but could be on separate screens for mobile devices.

1. Provide name
2. Provide identification by either uploading scanned document(s) or using computer webcam or mobile device camera to provide an image of the documents. One document is photo ID, the other is a bill or bank statement with current address, if this is not already on the photo ID.
3. Provide contact details (phone number and/or email address)
4. Confirm signup. This generates a barcode and unique membership number.

The following screen confirms membership, displaying the membership number and barcode, which the new member can print, have it sent to them by email, or have it sent to them by SMS. These barcodes would be compatible with many systems already in place in libraries, accessible as an image file that could be stored on a mobile device. Members who prefer to have a physical card can visit the library to have one made.

Online membership signup - for computer

Online membership signup - for mobile devices

While these are only prototypes, this was a very useful exercise in really thinking about how to make things easier for our users, rather than making our users fit in with our requirements. We look forward to further design challenges!

-Julia Garnett, State Manager (NSW), ALIA

-Amy Croft, Co-Convenor, ALIA Sydney

Further reading on design thinking:

An introduction to design thinking: process guide (pdf) by Michael Shanks, archaeologist at Stanford University and contributor to its famous d.school.

Do you have suggestions for improving our designs, or examples of your own designs? Please comment below!

Time to renew your membership?

If you haven’t yet renewed your ALIA membership, this walkthrough can show you how to renew online.

Questions about membership? Your state or territory manager is happy to help. In NSW, that's me, Julia (julia.garnett@alia.org.au). To find the contact details for other states, visit ALIA:People.

Email Renewal Notices

Email renewal notices have been sent out, so if you haven’t received yours, please contact the ALIA National Office or your state or territory manager. Each notice is personalised to include your membership number and the cost of your renewal. At the bottom of the renewal notice you’ll find payment options.

Renewing Online

1. Go to the ALIA website http://www.alia.org.au
2. Click the “Log in” button in the top right-hand corner
   
   
   Now that you’re logged in, you will be able to access all the services available to you as an ALIA member. It’s a good idea to log in every time you use the website.
3. Click the Main Menu button (next to Home in the top right corner) to show the new ALIA website's menu.
   
   
4. Under Membership in the centre column, click Renew your membership.
   
   
5. Enter the information required to pay by credit card. The form should already be populated with your name, address, email, membership type (e.g.; student) and the cost to renew your membership for the year.
   
   
6. After you've filled everything in, hit the button! Once the payment has been processed, you'll see a Renewal Confirmation screen with a credit card verification number.

Thanks for being a part of ALIA!

- Julia

Many Faces of Library Cards

What will become of library cards in the future? 

With so many functions moving online, my cards are slowly turning into a handy way to store the member number for when I log in. Unfortunately, I still have to remember my PIN for each of them the usual way.

I need my library cards when I'm checking out a physical resource, of course. I have eight cards of my own at the moment, and carry a couple for my children too. They were very pleased when they were finally allowed to get their own cards. I was less pleased as each has been lost and replaced at least once, and now all the library cards reside with me. My TAFE student card doubles as my library card, and is the only one with my photo (not shown - no one likes their own photo ID). This card can act as ID when I want to visit another library, such as UTS, so it has a double duty. My Rockdale library card is duplicated on my phone through the Card Star app, so I can present that to the desk when borrowing, and never get caught short. The Hurstville City Library card stores credit to use the printers etc at the library, as does my student card.

My various customer loyalty cards are bright colours, and have slick branding. Looking over the images on my library cards, I have to say, they are mixed. To me their function is more important than their form, but we all recognise the power of branding. In Library Week many public libraries have events for young children and encourage their parents to get a library card for the child. The card is a prompt for parents to borrow and share books with children, and is a tangible link to the issuing library.

I love my big fat roll of library cards, and plan on adding a couple of new ones to it in the near future, as I identify libraries that hold different items or collections I am interested in. I'm intrigued by their design and how they fit with the branding strategy of each institution. Maybe I can find a purple one.....

Lauren Castan