Cycle of change

WOMEN LEADERS

IN VICTORIA’S PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Victoria’s public library sector boasts many outstanding women leaders — not surprisingly, given the overwhelmingly female nature of the workforce.1 Women in public libraries are typically at the forefront of innovative planning and dynamic programming designed to meet the changing needs of communities. Two exemplars among women leading libraries in very different parts of Victoria are Leanne Williams and Felicity Macchion. See page over for the full story.

The Wificycle

Yarra Libraries continues to run a weekly free community Market with fresh food, clothes, and books, at one of the local housing estates. With the COVID-19 experience having highlighted the disadvantage faced by these communities due to lack of wi-fi and access to digital help, Yarra Libraries is also pioneering a new kind of remote access. “We have fitted out our library bike with wi-fi, enabling over 30 people to connect and providing staff on hand to help with all IT,” Felicity explains. “We call it our WiFicycle.”

Leanne Williams has been CEO of West Gippsland Libraries for four and a half years and has worked in Local Government for over 11 years. Under Leanne’s leadership, West Gippsland piloted the state’s first 24/7 library service in the town of Foster. Operating just like a 24/7 gym membership, the Foster Library enables locals to access services at their own convenience. Leanne describes the 24/7 Library Service as “our most significant innovation, one which has attracted worldwide attention. We are now expanding our 24/7 services to more libraries, providing greater access to more people at their convenience.”

Yarra Libraries, where Felicity Macchion has been manager for four years, is also implementing the “Open Library” concept, providing extended staff and unstaffed hours of public access to library branches in Richmond and North Fitzroy.

Under Felicity’s leadership, Yarra Libraries were “busier than ever supporting our community” during Melbourne’s extended COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Building on new and existing partnerships with organisations such as Open Table, Cultivating Community and local Neighbourhood Houses, the library team packed and delivered fresh fruit and vegetables, premade meals, pre-loved books and family activity packs to people across the City of Yarra. “In 45 weeks, this amounted to 18,000 deliveries, 81,000 mouths fed during the pandemic,” Felicity says. “Our Library team also packed food parcels for our homeless community for St Mary’s House of Welcome, resulting in 3,148 meals a week and 12,592 meals per month being served to 18 motels and seven group homes.”

Leanne also leads a team committed to social equity, supporting organisations to help prevent violence against women, protect mental health, champion work-life balance, and provide mentoring support to students and emerging women leaders.

Another innovative program, “Books By Us,” turns primary school classrooms into publishing centres. West Gippsland Libraries works with schools and their classrooms to write a book and have it published. “Students get to walk the red carpet at the launch event, attended by their families and the media,” Leanne explains. “Their books are then catalogued and available for loan from the public.” Leanne’s vision for women in the library sector and in society more broadly “is that they are empowered to progress their careers. We need to support each other and work together to enable more women to achieve positions of leadership. I am very passionate about supporting other women to achieve great things, which is why I volunteer my mentoring services.

“I have learned that we can’t do it alone,” she says. “We need a cheer squad and a pit crew.”

Felicity is committed to supporting the professional development of all her staff, “giving women in the Library team the confidence to put their hands up and to try new roles within libraries and across Council.

“We may not have all the answers, but we know where to find them – that is what librarians do best,” she says.

“Libraries are forever changing, and we need to change alongside our community.” Having worked for 26 years in public libraries, Felicity has witnessed this change firsthand. “I think librarians are better connecting with what the community needs and how we can be inclusive of everyone. Libraries change lives every day.”

I am really proud of the way we continue to stay connected to our community more than ever through the COVID-19 pandemic. We kept our libraries at the heart of our community in time of need.

– Felicity Macchion

Felicity Macchion