October 2005

In this aliaPUBNEWS broadcast:

Public library services for seniors; Open Road 2006 conference; Professional doctorate in information management; Northern Territory's public library funding agreement; Australian Bureau of Statistics LEP Excellence Award; High Court Copyright decision a victory for libraries and research; National portal for multicultural Australia; Networking the Nation evaluation report; I Want More Time! professional development teleclass program; Library stars: best of the best forum 2006; New Zealand's homework help service; UK report on library services for adult learners; Free public access to Libraries Australia; National licensing forum; Recent submissions by ALIA; National Advisory Congress 2005; ALIA research awards - guidelines for nominators

Public library services for seniors
'Community critical: Australian public libraries serving seniors' is a new report by Friends of Libraries Australia (FOLA). It reports on a 2005 survey by FOLA which aimed to identify the extent to which local public libraries are able to be used readily by seniors, and their experience when they do so. The survey confirms that libraries receive high use from older Australians and that many libraries now provide more for seniors than the long-standing large print and talking books services. However, most libraries are inadequately funded to provide comprehensive and innovative responses to the varied needs of seniors. Most older Australians are underserved and only a minority receive the full benefits of what a public library should or could provide for them. The full report is available.
http://www.fola.org.au/

Open Road 2006 conference
The third Open Road conference, to be held in Melbourne on 6-7 February 2006, will address the challenges and possiblilities of providing access to and development of content and web services within a multilingual environment. The conference is presented by Vicnet, a division of the State Library of Victoria, and the Victorian Office of Multicultural Affairs.
http://www.openroad.net.au/conferences/2006/

Professional doctorate in information management
Charles Sturt University is accepting applications for the second intake into its Doctor of Information Management program. This professional doctorate offers the opportunity to investigate industry and/or professional issues. It is offered in part-time distance education mode and consists of coursework and an applied research component. To be considered for the 2006 intake, applications should be submitted by 30 November 2005. For further information contact the Course Co-ordinator, Professor Ross Harvey [rossharvey@csu.edu.au.nospam, ph 02 6933 2369].

Northern Territory's public library funding agreement
A new Public Library Funding Agreement for the provision of core public library services in the Northern Territory came into effect on 1 July 2005. The agreement sets out the roles and responsibilities of Councils and the NT Library over a three-year term and establishes a new model and funding formula for three distinct groups of libraries: urban, remote and special purpose.
http://www.dcdsca.nt.gov.au/dcdsca/intranet.nsf/pages/ntl_pla

Australian Bureau of Statistics LEP Excellence Award
The winner of the inaugural ABS LEP Excellence Award is TAFE Tasmania's Clarence Campus Library which impressed the judges by its commitment to lifelong learning practices and its strong initiative for long-term ABS awareness. The winning entry is featured on the LEP pages of the ABS web site. Entries for the 2006 Excellence Award will close on 30 June 2006. The ABS is encouraging LEP libraries from all sectors, including public libraries, to enter the 2006 Award as a great way to showcase the library's efforts and expertise to the community. For more information visit the ABS website and select 'Services we provide', then 'Library Extension Program'.
http://www.abs.gov.au

High Court Copyright decision a victory for libraries and research
ALIA applauds the recent judgement of the High Court in the case of Stevens v Sony. The landmark decision will safeguard the public domain and our intellectual freedom from limitations imposed by commercial organisations. The decision preserves the 'fair dealing' aspects of Australian copyright law that are so vital to an information society, making public access to information and unimpeded research and study something that cannot be allowed or disallowed by copyright owners.
http://alia.org.au/media.room/2005.10.07.html

National portal for multicultural Australia
Seven of Australia's State and Territory libraries have joined forces to create a national portal for multicultural Australians. The MyLanguage portal will provide access to over six million information links: search engines, web directories,government web sites, digital library projects and syndicated news headlines in over 60 languages other than English.
http://www.mylanguage.gov.au

Networking the Nation evaluation report
The Federal Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan, has released an evaluation of the $320 million Networking the Nation (NTN) program. NTN funded more than 720 communications projects in rural, regional and remote Australia over seven years to 2004. The NTN program helped to improve access to terrestrial mobile phone services for non-metropolitan Australians. More than two million people used NTN-funded internet access points and nearly one million received training through NTN-funded facilities. The evaluation report is in four parts and covers the social and economic impacts of the program, the tangible assets and services delivered, an efficiency review and the lessons learnt. The report is available online.
http://www.dcita.gov.au

I Want More Time! professional development teleclass program
Geraldine Barkworth of Bold Women Big Ideas is running a telephone-based professional development program starting on 9 November 2005 focused on managing time effectively and organising priorities to reduce stress and improve decision-making, clarity and focus. Participants will need access to a private telephone, notepad, pen, sense of humour and an hour once a week over five weeks to work undisturbed. ALIA members are eligible for a discounted registration fee. For more information and to register contact Geraldine Barkworth [geraldine@boldwomenbigideas.com.au.nospam, ph 02 6685 1917].

Library stars: best of the best forum 2006
The ALIA Public Libraries Reference Group (PLRG) is planning a forum to showcase public libraries, their projects, and successes to inspire and recognise public library practitioners. The one-day forum will be held in Perth on 19 September 2006 as a satellite event for the ALIA 2006 biennial conference. The PLRG invites nominations from the public library sector for presentations showcasing a library or a project or success achieved by a public library service. From the nominations, the PLRG will select up to seven presentations that reflect the best of the best across Australia's diverse public library services. Nominations should be submitted by Friday 10 February 2006. For more information contact Susan Magnay [susan.magnay@alia.org.au.nospam, ph 02 6215 8225].
http://alia.org.au/governance/committees/public.libraries/stars.html

New Zealand's homework help service
AnyQuestions.co.nz is a collaborative pilot project between libraries, the government and those in the information and education sectors. The project’s aim is to develop an online reference service for all New Zealand school students where they are only one click away from a librarian. AnyQuestions uses librarians from the National Library of New Zealand, the Ministry of Education and the Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch City libraries. Using interactive software customised for this library service, it offers children direct, real time, online support from a library staff member trained in appropriate resources. This service focuses on supporting the New Zealand curriculum, and is accessible from any internet connected computer anywhere.
http://www.anyquestions.co.nz

UK report on library services for adult learners
In a report for the UK's Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, Customer Interpreter has developed proposals on ways to enhance and build on current provision for adult learners, focusing on libraries' key strengths and offering opportunities for improvements to increase the role libraries play in this field. The report describes how to understand better the barriers that prevent potential learners from using libraries for learning, and suggests how to make libraries more accessible to adult learners. It also offers guidance on the language and messages most likely to influence adult learners ['Increasing the attractiveness of libraries for adult learners', Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, 2005].
http://www.mla.gov.uk/information/publications/00pubs.asp

Free public access to Libraries Australia
Jan Fullerton, Director-General of the National Library of Australia, has announced that the NLA will launch access to Libraries Australia for all Australians in early 2006. The service will be freely available over the web and will enable access to short and medium bibliographic records, but not MARC records. The service will give access to records of resources held in Australian libraries and to contact details of libraries through a link to the Australian Libraries Gateway. Value-added features and federated searching will be available only through the subscription service. The NLA is planning a series of consultations with libraries in late 2005 over the implications of the free service.
http://www.nla.gov.au

National licensing forum
At the National LIcensing Forum, held at the National Library on 12 October 2005, there was strong support for continuing to develop the proposal for a national, cross-sectoral consortium for selected e-resources. The draft minutes of the forum are now available. The National Licensing Reference Group has also prepared a set of frequently-asked-questions about the national licensing proposal.
http://www.nla.gov.au/initiatives/meetings/sitelicense/slindex.html

Recent submissions by ALIA
ALIA has recently made submissions to two Federal Parliamentary inquiries: the Joint Committee on Publications inquiry into the distribution of the Parliamentary Papers Series, and the Joint Standing Committee on Migration inquiry into skills recognition, upgrading and licensing.
http://alia.org.au/advocacy/submissions/

For ALIA members:
National Advisory Congress 2005, ALIA research awards - guidelines for nominators

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