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School and Public Libraries in Australia: Essential Connections, Then and Now.

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Title: School and Public Libraries in Australia: Essential Connections, Then and Now.
Authors: Garrison, Kasey L.1 (AUTHOR) kgarrison@csu.edu.au, Carroll, Mary1 (AUTHOR), Oddone, Kay1 (AUTHOR), Gagen-Spriggs, Krystal1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of the Australian Library & Information Association. Jun2026, Vol. 75 Issue 2, p256-279. 24p.
Subject Terms: *School libraries, *Library public services, *Community involvement, *Public libraries, Library cooperation, Cooperation
Geographic Terms: Australia
Abstract: School and public libraries share common goals in serving young community members, but research is sparse investigating how (and if) they work together and their understandings around the roles of the other. This study replicated elements of a 2002 study by Alan Bundy examining current collaborations between Australian schools and public libraries, how these interactions have changed over the last five years and perceptions around collaboration. Two anonymous surveys were disseminated via list servs, email lists and newsletters for professional organisations related to libraries in Australia, with one focused on staff in public libraries and the other for staff in school libraries. Findings from the current study were then compared with Bundy's. Positive examples of collaboration persist, including sharing resources, promoting events and programming. Although respondents from both public and school libraries reported a decline in interaction between school and public libraries between the two surveys, school library respondents indicated increased awareness of the public library sector and greater personal use of public library services. Barriers to interaction included time, and school library respondents seeing no need for interaction with public libraries. Nonetheless, free text responses show promise for the development of these connections supporting young people and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of the Australian Library & Information Association is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
FullText Text:
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DbLabel: Education Research Complete
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PubType: Academic Journal
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  Data: School and Public Libraries in Australia: Essential Connections, Then and Now.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Garrison%2C+Kasey+L%2E%22">Garrison, Kasey L.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> kgarrison@csu.edu.au</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Carroll%2C+Mary%22">Carroll, Mary</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Oddone%2C+Kay%22">Oddone, Kay</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gagen-Spriggs%2C+Krystal%22">Gagen-Spriggs, Krystal</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+the+Australian+Library+%26+Information+Association%22">Journal of the Australian Library & Information Association</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 75 Issue 2, p256-279. 24p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+libraries%22">School libraries</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Library+public+services%22">Library public services</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Community+involvement%22">Community involvement</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+libraries%22">Public libraries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Library+cooperation%22">Library cooperation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cooperation%22">Cooperation</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Australia%22">Australia</searchLink>
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  Data: School and public libraries share common goals in serving young community members, but research is sparse investigating how (and if) they work together and their understandings around the roles of the other. This study replicated elements of a 2002 study by Alan Bundy examining current collaborations between Australian schools and public libraries, how these interactions have changed over the last five years and perceptions around collaboration. Two anonymous surveys were disseminated via list servs, email lists and newsletters for professional organisations related to libraries in Australia, with one focused on staff in public libraries and the other for staff in school libraries. Findings from the current study were then compared with Bundy's. Positive examples of collaboration persist, including sharing resources, promoting events and programming. Although respondents from both public and school libraries reported a decline in interaction between school and public libraries between the two surveys, school library respondents indicated increased awareness of the public library sector and greater personal use of public library services. Barriers to interaction included time, and school library respondents seeing no need for interaction with public libraries. Nonetheless, free text responses show promise for the development of these connections supporting young people and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of the Australian Library & Information Association is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=194299983
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/24750158.2026.2647851
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 24
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      – SubjectFull: School libraries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Library public services
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Community involvement
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Public libraries
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      – SubjectFull: Library cooperation
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      – SubjectFull: Cooperation
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      – SubjectFull: Australia
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: School and Public Libraries in Australia: Essential Connections, Then and Now.
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            NameFull: Garrison, Kasey L.
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            NameFull: Carroll, Mary
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            NameFull: Oddone, Kay
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            NameFull: Gagen-Spriggs, Krystal
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              M: 06
              Text: Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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