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Welcome to the January edition of aliaPUBNEWS. aliaPUBNEWS is an initiative of the Australian Library and Information Association's Public Libraries Advisory Committee http://www.alia.org.au/governance/committees/public.libraries/

aliaPUBNEWS is a free monthly electronic bulletin for those concerned with supporting and promoting the further development of Australia's public library services. aliaPUBNEWS spans the policy and strategic issues and service developments having an impact on public libraries in Australia. All our list members are encouraged to send in their comments to 'Feedback' at the end of this newsletter.
aliaPUBNEWS: January 2009
[permission is granted to re-broadcast, in part or full]

In this aliaPUBNEWS broadcast:


NEWS FROM ALIA STATE NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL WEB RESOURCES
NEWS FROM ALIA

ALIA Public Libraries Summit

ALIA is pleased to announce that Senator Ursula Stephens has agreed to open the ALIA Public Libraries Summit in March 2009.
With the focus of the ALIA Public Libraries Summit on the potential of the vast public library network to champion social inclusion and community benefit, especially in disadvantaged and remote areas, Senator Stephens is a most appropriate person to make the opening address.
While the summit is an invitation-only event, we encourage individuals and organisations to submit papers by 27 February 2009 and to get involved in the public library ambassador program. Further details at:  http://www.alia.org.au/summit09/

Library Lovers Day - Saturday 14th February 2009

For centuries February 14 has been known as Valentine's Day, a time beloved of romantics. Now a new era has begun with Library Lovers everywhere claiming the day for the objects of their special affection - Australia's libraries. Visit the Library Lovers Day website from mid December to purchase the enormously popular Library Lovers Day heart shaped stickers - be sure to get in quick as stocks are limited!

http://www.librarylovers.org.au/

The 2009 Summer Reading Club

The official Summer Reading Club program is now off and racing! So from 1 December 2008-15 February 2009, Get in the game, READ! for the main event this summer! The Summer Reading Club program encourages young people of all ages in reading, writing, sharing books and other fun and engaging literature based activities over the summer period.

The Summer Reading Club 2009 - Get in the game, READ! is proudly sponsored by ANZ.

www.summerreadingclub.org.au

IFLA call for nominations for sections

As part of ALIA's membership of IFLA, you can nominate as an ALIA representative for one of the 10 IFLA sections to which ALIA belongs. For more details, look at the December issue of inCite. The sections and current ALIA representatives are listed on the ALIA website. Deadline 4 February 2009.

http://www.alia.org.au/governance/committees/external

ALIA Biennial Conference 2010/2012

The ALIA Biennial Conference will not be held in 2010 as Australia will host the World Library and Information Congress 76th IFLA General Conference and Council in Brisbane. ALIA invites all of its members to join us and 4,000 other professional colleagues from around the world, for a week of networking and professional development. ALIA will be calling for Expressions of Interests from ALIA groups in early 2009 for the opportunity to host the 2012 ALIA Biennial Conference.

http://www.alia.org.au/ifla2010/

Safer Internet Day - 10 February 2009

The main objective of Safer Internet Day 2009 is to bring together relevant public and private stakeholders, in as many countries as possible, to raise awareness about safe and responsible use of new technologies especially among children and young people. In Australia, it is coordinated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

http://www.saferinternet.org

STATE

Public Libraries NSW - Conference Announcement

The joint Public Libraries NSW - Metropolitan and Country (PLM/PLC) Conference and Exhibition will be held Monday 23 November 2009 to Wednesday 25 November 2009, at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour. The theme of this significant 2009 event is "SWITCH: public libraries in a changing environment".

"S" in SWITCH refers to Sustainability: social, cultural, economic and environmental, and the role that public libraries and their government, business, education and community partners will continue to play in sustainable community development in a changing environment.

Remember When - Memories of Ipswich

Remember When - A collaborative, web based story-writing project by Ipswich seniors in partnership with the Ipswich Library.
Sharing community stories doesn't get much better than this ... http://rememberwhen.pbwiki.com/

NATIONAL

Significance 2.0

Have your say on Significance 2.0! Have you heard that the Collections Council of Australia is publishinga second edition of Significance: A guide to assessing the significance of cultural heritage objects and collections (2001)?

The second, revised edition is titled Significance 2.0: A guide to assessing the significance of collections (2009), and will be available in print and web forms, with a range of supporting resources.

Significance is a useful tool for the management of cultural and scientific collections, wherever they are held.

Three new articles were uploaded to the Significance 2.0 Workshop web page at the end of 2008. Your comments on any Workshop papers and the recently added discussion papers from authors Roslyn Russell and Kylie Winkworth (based on Workshop sessions) titled 'Principles' and 'Levels of significance' would be welcomed and valued.

To contribute your thoughts on Workshop papers go to:http://www.collectionscouncil.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=562

If you would like to pre-order a personal copy of Significance 2.0 (estimated RRP $AUD 29.95) - offer now extended to 31 March 2009 go to:

http://www.collectionscouncil.com.au/seventh+announcement+20+november+2008.aspx

To be in the running for a free hard copy of Significance 2.0 for your collecting organisation, send an email to info@collectionscouncil.com.au with your collecting organisation's name and contact details.

Innovative Ideas Forum - Canberra, 27 March 2009

The following is a link to information on and registration to the National Library of Australia's Innovative Ideas Forum to be held in Canberra on 27 March.

http://www.nla.gov.au/initiatives/meetings/innovative-ideas-forum/2009/index.html

Revitalising Libraries for the Self Serve Generation

The Library Board of Victoria awarded the Margery C Ramsay Scholarship to Library Services Co-ordinator for Hobsons Bay Libraries Joanne Smith in November 2008.

Joanne's report entitled Revitalising Libraries for the Self Serve Generation will look at opportunities to change libraries in terms of layout, signage and display but more importantly will look at supporting staff through the change to a self-service environment. Looking at what customers' want/need and developing training options to encourage staff out from behind the desk and get them interacting with customers in new ways.

As part of completing the scholarship Joanne will be visiting innovative libraries in Australia and New Zealand. If you have had a new library or major renovations in the last two years AND/OR you have rolled out exciting new technology to your staff within existing facilities Joanne would love to hear from you and perhaps pay you a visit!

Please contact:
Joanne Smith
Library Services Co-ordinator
Hobsons Bay Libraries
Tel: 03 9932 1345
Mob:0418 519 404
jsmith@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au

INTERNATIONAL

Taking Stock - the Future of Public Library Service

Unison and the University of Cardiff have published a report called Taking stock: the future of our public library service. The 'our' they are talking about is the UK public library service, but there are plenty of ideas to consider for Australian libraries.
The report looks a range of issues including measuring value and quality, book stock, facilities, and staffing. You can read the complete report here:

http://www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/17301.pdf

The Future of Reference Services - Survey

A quick survey about future of reference services:
How critical is reference to the survival of libraries? Should the library profession do more to promote reference services? In less than a minute you can tell the library profession what you think about reference services by taking a "60-Second Survey."

http://surveys.lrs.org/respond.php?sid=50

Great Endings Begin at the Library

Reconnect with reading! Check out the reading campaign poster used by Cuyahoga County Public Library at:

http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/StdBackPage.aspx?id=22056

Reading on the Rise

Reading on the Rise, the National Endowment for the Arts' new report documents a significant turning point in recent American cultural history. For the first time in over a quarter-century, our survey shows that literary reading has risen among adult Americans. After decades of declining trends, there has been a decisive and unambiguous increase among virtually every group measured in this comprehensive national survey.

http://www.arts.gov/research/ReadingonRise.pdf

Libraries Responsible for a Drop in the Crime Rate

Libraries sow urban peace in Colombia

http://www.comunidadesegura.org/?q=en/node/41565

WEB RESOURCES

The Distance Between Two Points

Do you or your customers ever need to calculate the distance between any two cities or points in the world in kilometres, miles and nautical miles, and the initial compass bearing/heading from the origin to the destination? Click on the link below to find out more.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/distance.html

And find out current times around the world by visiting:

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

The world's 50 most powerful blogs

From Prince Harry in Afghanistan to Tom Cruise on Scientology and footage from the Burmese uprising, blogging has never been bigger. It can help elect presidents and take down attorney generals while simultaneously celebrating the minutiae of our everyday obsessions. Here are the 50 best reasons to log on:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/09/blogs

New Search Engine

It's hard to argue with results. A study by Microsoft Research reveals that presenting a screenshot in conjunction with a text result allows a user to locate desired web pages faster and easier in almost every attempt. Our brain is designed to filter, distinguish, associate, and select information first and foremost visually. middlespot.com is designed to take advantage of this strength by providing a patented interface that helps you determine the relevancy of your results with greater efficiency and accuracy.

http://middlespot.com/

Search Engine Optimisation Tips

The SEO tips found by following the link below should assist you in forming a basic understanding of how to create human friendly web pages, which are easily understood by the most popular search engines.http://www.ezau.com/latest/articles/0147.shtml

Also check out search engine optimisation tips for libraries at:

http://www.guartic.com/search-engine-optimization-seo-tips-for-libraries

100 Top Sites for 2009

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/dec/18/internet-websites

10 librarians' blogs to read in 2009

http://lisnews.org/10_librarian_blogs_read_2009

Europeana is back online

Within Europeana you can search through millions of digital items provided by Europe's museums and galleries, archives, libraries and audio-visual organisations.
Searching in Europeana is simple. Just ask yourself who, what, where or when you are interested in and type these words into Europeana's search box.

http://www.europeana.eu/portal/using-europeana.html

FEEDBACK

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