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Friends of Local History Groups

Friends of libraries groups are not new but while local history services attract many volunteers there are few formally constituted Friends groups attached to local history collections in Australia. Part of the difficulty in establishing Friends groups is the diversity and volume of work required to create a vibrant and accessible local history collection. One way to attract community support is to form a Friends group, which is segmented into smaller self managed subgroups, each of which has a focus. The local history librarian would work very closely with each unit of these volunteers to facilitate the work being undertaken. This sharing of resources and expertise may well impact on the role of the local history librarian. Edited version of a paper presented at the second national Alia local studies conference Guildford WA 12-13 November 1999 The concept of a community group established to support specific collections in libraries is not new. Friends groups associated with libraries have existed for many years, attached to academic, public, school, state and national libraries. Historically, these groups have assisted in day to day activities but lately as financial constraints impact on libraries they are engaged in other activities. A 1993 study into fund raising by US libraries found that ninety two per cent of respondents were members of the Urban Libraries Council and had active Friends groups raising monies for the library. A high proportion of these libraries had also established endowments and foundations to support their fundraising efforts.[1] In Australia, Friends groups such as Friends of the National Library, Friends of J S Battye Library of West Australian History, and Friends of the National Archives have a long history of supporting major historical collections. There are also increasing numbers of Friends groups attached to public libraries. In 1998 a survey of 535 public library services in Australia found that 75 of the 205 respondents had established Friends groups, and another 7 libraries planned to have them. Participants in the survey stated the main reason for not establishing a Friends group was lack of time. The main focus of these groups was fundraising, advocacy and practical assistance.[2] Use of volunteers The profession has felt ambivalent about using volunteers in libraries and little research has been conducted into their use and value. Professional associations such as the Australian Library and Information Association (Alia) have been reluctant to support the use of volunteers if it impacts on professional and paraprofessional employment but in labour intensive areas such as local history, development of collections may be severely limited if the use of volunteers is ignored. Alia's Statement on volunteer workers in libraries[3] asserts that ... volunteer workers in libraries must not replace appropriately trained and paid staff either: to compensate for the reduction, or withdrawal of services caused by inadequate staffing establishments, failure to fill vacant posts, or cutbacks in overall library funding; or to establish and maintain library services or outreach programs which would normally be established and maintained by paid library staff. The Association does support the formation of Friends groups, and acknowledges that ... the functions of such groups shall be defined by the librarian and their role shall be external to the operation of the library service. However, as budgets are constrained, the profession is rethinking the role, use, and value of volunteers. In November 1999, the UK Library Association commissioned Volunteers in public libraries,[4] a study ... to explore the extent to which volunteers are being used and the current practices and policies of public libraries. The research will examine the relationships between library authorities, their staff and the use of volunteers and highlight examples of good practice. …