Receiving the F A Sharr Award at the 21st Library Board Award Night at the WA State Library last year was the perfect and GREATEST experience for me! It was an unbelievable moment that I still relive nine months later.
This award is a tremendous honour due to the amazing Library Support System I have, and I am deeply appreciative of the recognition. Thank you to everyone who believed in me and helped me on this journey!
Inspired by my library studies at North Metropolitan TAFE in Perth, WA in 2020, I became an ALIA member and joined the ALIAWest Committee that I love more and more. Our team is supportive, helpful, proactive, and creative so I am grateful for so very much!
Nicola Carson, Kerry Smith, Elena Smirnova, Melissa Pettit, Camille Peters, Amy San Martin at the WA State Library, August 2024
I absolutely love working for all the libraries in my current roles because of the warm, welcoming, friendly and highly professional staff. I am honoured to be a part of such great library teams, especially the ALIAWest Committee team!
All ALIAWest Committee events are successful stories of Library and Information Services professionals. However, the 2023 online event “Where are our Sharr medal/award winners now?” particularly encouraged me to bring some ideas in my favourite ‘space’ of Libraries to life.
When off-duty, I began working on my idea to provide library and information services to mining sites in WA. The ALIAWest Committee and my friend supported me and my pilot trials in the recreation rooms at the Mt Holland Lithium project’s site in the Goldfield region (WA) in 2023; the Wodgina Lithium Project’s site in the Port Hedland region (WA) in 2024, and the Western Range Iron Ore site in the Pilbara region (WA) in 2024. I hope they are still ‘alive’ and that camp staff keep these small libraries functioning for the staff.
Nicola Carson, as the ALIAWest Committee Convener, convinced me that my idea and trial activities were on an award level. She suggested that this project could be very useful and supportive for the remote working community, and she became my referee. I am grateful to Nicola for her mentoring support with all the paperwork. The entire ALIAWest Committee Team persuaded me to nominate for the F A Sharr Award.
Another motivator behind this project came from working at NM TAFE Libraries, assisting students and staff, and thinking about how they can access recreational library resources as well as furthering their studies once they are in the workforce, particularly at remote sites. So now, I am dreaming about providing digital information services as well as many other opportunities for online and e-learning, professional development trainings, and life-long learning on sites.
Elena Smirnova and Victor at the WA State Library, August 2024
My initiative to start a FIFO library with a curated collection of discarded books, plus local magazines and newspapers, are now a reality at three mining sites. My aim is to support positive outcomes in employment skills, mental health, and provide a social connection for workers in the mining industry with their tough rosters of up to three weeks away from home.
I created the ‘FIFO LIBRARY’ spine labels to distinguish my collections from the ones that people bring onto the mine sites and leave there. Administration staff added these books to the ‘FIFO Library’ collections. We found at least one reader! YEAH!!! As Library and Information Services professionals we can support readers and promote reading habits to everyone on mining sites.
FIFO Employee using resources and Lena checking available LIS stock
In August 2024 I was announced as the F A Sharr Award winner for 2023 by the 2022 F A Sharr Award winner, Melissa Pettit. Thank you! I have a huge desire to continue to make this project a reality across mining sites. I am sure that there will be many complex logistics and other difficulties, but I am more than sure that there are MORE advantages and benefits for Australian communities and Library and Information Sector professionals if we get started!
Elena Smirnova at the WA State Library, August 2024
I am super passionate about the FIFO Library project and have a huge desire to do something significant and meaningful to improve the wellbeing of FIFO workers at distant mine sites!
My final wish is to ‘trigger’ everyone to nominate for the FA Sharr Award and not be afraid to present your ideas – together we will make our Library Land & Communities better and better!
Read more about Elena’s project in the latest issue of Incite Magazine.
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