Developing communities and collections with new media and information literacy

As part of its many functions, the reference library is charged with developing both its collection and its user community. These two functions are sometimes pursued as separate initiatives (with separate funding) by library managers. In Australia, the State Library of Queensland (SLQ) is committed to an exciting policy of simultaneous collection development and community engagement by integrating new media technologies with public programs. SLQ’s Mobile Multimedia Laboratory is a purpose-designed portable digital creativity workshop which is made available to communities as a powerful platform to capture and disseminate local digital culture, and also to promote and train community members in information literacy. The Mobile Multimedia Laboratory facility operates in conjunction with SLQ’s Queensland Stories project, an innovative portal for the display and promotion of community co-created multimedia. Together, the Mobile Multimedia Laboratory and the Queensland Stories initiatives allow SLQ to directly engage with existing and new communities, and also to increase its digital collection with community created content. Not only are both initiatives relatively cost-effective, they have a positive impact upon information literacy within the state.