Demographic Trends that Affect Current and Future Public Library Service in Western Australia - Case Study Example

Social and demographic trends that affect current and future public library service in Western Australia Student name: Student number: Tutor: Date: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Ethnic and cultural diversity 3 Born overseas and in Australia 4 Increased population 5 Languages 6 Migrants 8 Population concentration 8 Age and gender 9 References 12 Ethnic and cultural diversity The broad changes in the cultural and linguistic fabric of the targeted populations in Western Australia will affect the approaches to the development of library collections in addition to the provision of inclusive community-wide services (State Library of Western Australia 2014). As indicated by the 2011 Australian Census, the population of Western Australia is the most diverse of the Australian states and territories. The rapid growth in size and diversity also means that the state has an increased number of people from different cultures from across the globe (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2014; 2014b). For instance, some 31 percent of the resident population in Western Australia consists of individuals born overseas (Maginn 2012). Data from the 2011 Census also indicates that Western Australia has a population consisting of people from some 190. Of these countries, most of these individuals come from the Middle East, South-East Asia, the United Kingdom, United States and Africa (Government of Western Australia 2013). Therefore, the libraries would have to place emphasis on digitization of library materials, e-learning and application of modern technologies to serve the diverse user needs (ALA 2012). This may include users who cannot make it to the libraries because of cultural values, such as Muslim women. The libraries will also need to secure eBooks with specialized knowledge and understanding on the traditions, history, values, as well as artistic expressions of diverse communities (SLWA 2014). The libraries will also need to come up with programs and services that are inclusive of the needs of various communities using the library (ALA 2014). The libraries will also need to create programs and services, which are reflective of the cultural heritage, cultural backgrounds, as well as social identities of the targeted populations (Razilan et al 2013). Born overseas and in Australia The diversity in terms of ancestry has significant implications on how the libraries will be operated in future. As explained by Government of Western Australia (2013) ancestry also indicates demographic diversity. It shows the sets of people who can identify with the people despite their countries of origin. As can be established from the 2011 Census report, an estimated 52 percent of the population in Western Australia is made up of people who have at least one parent who was born abroad. Still, 63 percent of the population have an ancestry outside Australia through their immediate grandparents or parents. As indicated in Table 1, the top four countries of ancestries include the Scottish, English, Irish, and Italian (Government of Western Australia 2013). In this case, the libraries will need to make their employee-base more culturally diverse, to integrate workers from Scottish, English, Irish, African, Asian, and Italian origin to enable them to appeal to the diverse sets of users. For instance, in occasions where the community consists of a large proportion of the young people with Chinese ancestry, library staff of Chinese origin should be represented on the staff. Table 1: Demography in terms of ancestry 2006 2011 Country of birth Number % of population Country of birth Number % of population English 731,013 37 English 848,230 38 Australian 704,165 36 Australian 724,360 32 Irish 155,220 7.9 Irish 187,038 8.3 Scottish 153,628 7.8 Scottish 186,475 8.3 Italian 102,022 5.2 Italian 111,475 5.0 The growing diversity in terms of diversity will make the libraries to change the programs they offer (ALIA 2012). For instance, it is estimated that Western Australians born overseas have increased by 29 percent from 2006 to 2011. Government of Western Australia (2013) shows that the leading countries where this segment of the population originated from include South Africa, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, Philippines, India and China (See Table 2) (AboutAustralia 2014). Hence, libraries will need to provide to provide audio-visual materials and cultural programs for users with ancestry from South Africa, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, Philippines, India and China. Table 2: No. of Australians born overseas (Government of WA 2012) 2006 2011 Country of birth Number % of population Country of birth Number % of population UK 207,664 10.6 UK 230,417 10.2 New Zealand 47,333 2.4 New Zealand 70,737 3.2 South Africa 22,058 1.1 South Africa 35,326 1.6 India 15,153 0.8 India 29,915 1.3 Italy 20,928 1.1 Italy 19.477 0.9 Increased population The increasing population of Western Australia will affect the size and opening hours of the libraries. The population of Western Australia is not static. Australia Bureau of Statistics estimates that that Australia has an estimated population of 2.5 million people, as of June 2013. This accounts for some 11 percent of the Australian population. Perth, capital of the state, hosts more than 78 percent of the entire population (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013b; 2014). As further indicated by Government of Western Australia (2013), the Western Australian population is rapidly evolving as some residents die while some are born. Additionally, some immigrate while others emigrate. Ultimately, the libraries will need to review the opening hours to offer acceptable service delivery to people of different ages. Because of the growing population, the opening hours will have to be extended to provide optimal service to the library users. This will also mean reviewing the number of library assistants to be on duty at extended hours. In addition, Western Australia's demographic profile is susceptible to its steady mix even as the year-on-year effect is mostly thin (The West Australian 2013). As established from the 2011 Census, Western Australia has an estimated 2 million people in 2011, indicating a growth of 14 percent from the 2006 census (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013). A large fraction of the population (estimated at 31 percent) is born in other states and territories. The growing population will also lead to congestion of libraries in Western Australia. In particular, the libraries will have to restructure and expand their seating and the working places. More library assistants will also have to be hired to respond efficiently to the anticipated growth in library users (ALIA 2012). Languages The growing diversity in terms of languages in Western Australia will have a significant effect on how the libraries approach the users. In particular, the libraries will need to take multi-faceted approach to the multilingual library services (ALIA 2012). Indeed, the languages spoken in Western Australia are on an incremental trend. This has led to greater language diversity, despite an existence of greater English diversity. An increase was reported in the number of people speaking in language other than English, by 15 percent between 2006 and 2011. As estimated 13.5 percent Aboriginal people in the state were also reported as speaking indigenous language at home (Government of Western Australia 2013). Still, more than 79 percent of the West Australian population speak English at home. At the same time, more than 84 percent of the West Australian population speak English proficiently (See Table 4). It will be apt that the composition of the staff be diversified to reflect the prevailing languages of the immediate community. For instance, in places where community served consists of a large proportion of people who speak Italian, Spanish, French, or German, library staff who can speak these languages should be represented on the staff. Table 3: Distribution by languages (Government of WA 2012) 2006 2011 Country of birth Number % of population Country of birth Number % of population English 1,603,043 81 English 1,7775,951 79 Chinese 35,691 1.8 Chinese 50,580 2.3 Italian 32,893 1.7 Italian 31,449 1.4 Arabic 7,698 0.4 Arabic 11,955 0.5 Indonesian 6,608 0.3 Indonesian 9,085 0.4 In regions with a large number of Indigenous Australian populations, Indigenous Australian resources will need to be promoted using television, radio, library displays and brochures. Services and programs will also need to be developed to integrate the cultural events of the Indigenous Australians (ALIA 2012). The libraries will have to provide a wide range of programs that range from library tours, computer training, as well as seminars for the immigrants. These may be complemented by holding events to celebrate ethnic festivals (Williams 2010; Taylor et al 2014). Migrants The high number of immigrants will affect the kinds of library materials the libraries acquire and target to the users. The number of immigrants in Western Australia is also on an incremental trend. From the 2011 census, it is established that the immigrants increased by 71 percent, compared to the 2006 Census data. Western Australia received a greater fraction of skilled immigrants compared to Australia's average of 59 percent (Government of Western Australia 2013). Hence, it could be reasoned that Australia has become the ultimate destination for skilled migrants (Jabour 2013). Current data by ABS (2014) shows that it in 2012, it received up to 22 percent of the country’s' skilled immigrants. Hence, language catalogues, such as Chinese language catalogues and basic reference materials for foreign languages, will need to be provided. The libraries' association with the community organization can also be started (Taylor et al 2014). For instance, it will need to work in partnership with community-based organization to provide programs that address diverse needs of the Western Australian residents. Rather than just have library materials in English, it should also have others in languages such as Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, Italian, French, Gujarati, Spanish and Japanese. The libraries should also stock in new immigrant orientation programs, ranging from seminars housing and tenancy, childcare, or employment standards. Further, library access will need to be provided to adult basic English skills. Additionally, the libraries will need to stock more audiovisual materials to provide learning on English as Second Language (ESL) to the immigrants (ALIA 2012). Population concentration Western Australia is currently considered by ABS to be the most culturally diverse state in the country. At the same time, Perth is estimated to be the most culturally diverse city in the country, with the rural and remote regions (ABC.Net 2013). At the same time, immigrant population is more concentrated in Perth (Esther 2014). As evidenced by the 2011 census, the overseas-born population in Western Australia reside chiefly (of 87 percent) in the Greater Perth area. This has several implications on libraries in Western Australia. First, the libraries in Perth will be increasingly populated, leading to a need to expand their sizes. Second, the library assistants in libraries in Perth are likely to become overwhelmed due to a large number of visitors. There will be a need to employ more library assistants. The high number of overseas-born visitors implies that the libraries will need to train its library assistants on handling diverse customers (Duren 2014). The disparity in concentration of population will influence libraries’ work plans. For instance, staff exchanges and job rotation will be needed to ensure adequate training and development of employees in the isolated library branches (ALIA 2012). The disparity will also affect delivery of service to the remote areas. Libraries will need to leverage Information Technology to reach the remote areas of Western Australia (Bonnet & McAlexander 2012). For instance, libraries will need to use their websites to deliver eBooks to users. The libraries will also need to provide mobile library services to reach the sparse populations (ALIA 2012). Age and gender The changes in demography may include increased number of senior citizens because of the longer life expectancy or a rapidly aging baby-boomer generation, in addition to a population that is more ethnically diverse (Morphy 2010; MRSC 2014). The immigrant population was older in comparison to those born in Australia. As inferred from the 2011 Census statistics, 82 percent of those born outside Australia were aged 25 years and beyond, while those aged between 25 and 44 years made up 33 percent of the population. Those born outside Australia aged 55 years and beyond made up 32 percent of the population (Government of Western Australia 2013). The Australian born individuals aged between 15 and 44 years were 48 percent (See Table 4). The sex ratio, which means men per 100 women, of Western Australia was the same for the immigrants and the Australians. Still, of those aged 65 years and over, there are more men compared to women. Compared to those under the age of 14 years, there are more boys than girls (Government of Western Australia 2013). Table 4: Percentage of Australians born Oversees and in Australia Australia-born 0-14 15-24 25-44 45-54 55-64 Male% 26.5 15.8 27.3 11.8 9.7 Female% 25.1 15.2 27.1 11.8 9.9 Person% 25.8 15.5 27.2 11.8 9.8 Oversees-born 0-14 15-24 25-44 45-54 55-64 Male% 7.9 10.6 32.7 18.3 14.6 Female% 7.5 9.7 32.5 18.3 14.6 Person% 7.7 10.2 32.6 18.0 14.6 The high number of the young population will affect the resources used at the library. It will also affect the types of media collection the library maintains. To attract more of the youths, the library will have to invest in more library technologies (ALIA 2012). The libraries will have to introduce more computer courses and computer books (Duren 2014). Additionally, the increased number of older users also affects the types of books the library keeps. Older users will need large-print books due to expect eye-site problem. The libraries will need to invest in cafeteria in the libraries, where the older people can take their medication and drinks, or even rest. Newer furniture that is comfortable to the older population will also need to be procured (ALA 2012). Libraries will need to employ specialist staff based on community requirements to deliver targeted services to the people of different ages. For instance, for the older groups who are likely to have problems with memory, library assistants with expertise in caring for the elderly will be needed (Sweeper & Smith 2010). For the children aged 14 years and below, library staff with expertise in early childhood care will need to be employed. For those aged 15 years and above, the libraries will need to concentrate on using web technologies such as blogs, websites, catalogue search boxes, rich site summary (RSS), Twitter, and Facebook. It will also affect the size of buildings and floor area. Library planning will need to integrate people spaces for communal study by the elderly people. For the younger generation, spaces for lounge, wireless internet access, and listening zones will need to be created. For the children, spaces for story time will need to be created (Bonnet & McAlexander 2012). It will also impact the library collection to ensure the diverse community can access pertinent collection of library materials in a range of formats such as audio, print, audiovisual and digital. Children will need toy library; the youth will need music library (Sweeper & Smith 2010). The staff may also need to be trained to meet the recreational and information library needs of the elderly. The libraries can secure partnerships with community organisations such as Better Hearing Australia, Vision Australia, Meals on Wheels, Council Access Committees, U3A, and Senior Citizens’ groups to provide services to the elderly (ALIA 2012). 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Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries vol 1, pp.235 –243 Esther, T 2014, "Western Australian small area forecasts covering the whole state are now available," The Population Experts, viewed 12 jan 2014, Government of Western Australia 2013, Cultural Diversity in Western Australia: A Demographic Profile, viewed 12 Jan 2014, Jabour, B 2013, "Australian migration figures show twice as many arrivals as departures," The Guardian, viewed 12 Jan 2013, Maginn, P 2012, “Australian census: booming Western Australia must embrace its new diversity,” The Conversation, viewed 12 Jan 2014, Morphy, F 2010, "Population, People and Place: The Fitzroy Valley Population Project," Australian National University CAEPR Working Paper No. 70/2010 MRSC 2014, Impact of Demographic Change on Local Government, viewed 12 Jan 2014, Razilan, A, Amzaru, A & Safawi, A 2013, "Socio-Demographic Effects on Digital Libraries Preference and Use: A Case Study at Higher Learning Institutions," International Journal of Social, Management, Economics and Business Engineering vol 7 no 10, pp.1524-1528 State Library of Western Australia (SLWA) 2014, For Indigenous Australians, viewed 14 Jan 2014, Sweeper, D & Smith, S 2010, "Does Gender and Race Have an Impact on Earnings in the Library and Information Science Labor Market in the United States of America?" 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