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Welcome to the April 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.
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NEWS FROM ALIA STATE NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL WEB RESOURCES CONFERENCES
NEWS FROM ALIA

ALIA Public Libraries Summit

The ALIA Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the new date for the ALIA Public Libraries Summit is 16 July 2009.

ALIA is delighted that Senator Ursula Stephens, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, and Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Prime Minister for Social Inclusion, will open the Summit.

http://www.alia.org.au/summit09/

How can you get involved?

Send your comments and feedback on the submissions to the ALIA Summit Project Officer, Marion Nicolson, marion.nicolson@alia.org.au

Register now for National Simultaneous Storytime

Statistics are really important! Have you had a look at the ALIA LIW FAQ document? http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/liw/media.html

Please feel free to use it for your media contact at any stage.

ALIA needs you to register if your library is participating in National Simultaneous Storytime this year, so they are able to report on how many locations participate in NSS 2009.

ALIA gives special thanks to the CAL Cultural Fund for supporting for this important literacy campaign.

Have a great time getting ready with Pete the Sheep – there are lots of good ideas on the websites.

http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/storytime/2009/

Library and Information Week 2009 merchandise now on sale!

Don't forget Library and Information Week 25-31 May 2009: Libraries: Your Passport to Discovery! Don't miss out on your chance to purchase the official 2009 campaign merchandise. This year's promotional materials are branded with the 2009 theme and include an eye catching poster, funky stickers, red ALIA @ your libraryฎ eco bags, and the LIW passport holder - perfect for keeping you valuable secure.

http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/liw/merchandise.html

ALIA announces the Little Book of Public Libraries

What's pocket-sized, cute, good-looking, and says all the right things? For once, we're not talking about Kylie. It's the Little Book of Public Libraries!

ALIA is at the final design stage of producing a quick, simple summary of why libraries are so important, giving library supporters the words and ideas they need to champion our cause. This isn't a throwaway leaflet, it's a lively little book that people will love to pick up and flick through. It's light on words (less than 1500 in total) and heavy on content – every line is a zinger.

Our Australian version is based on the English Little Book of Public Libraries http://culturetic.canalblog.com/docs/_Users_olivier_Desktop_Little_Book_of_Public_Libraries.pdf , which was so popular that the initial print run was snapped up within the first week. Several reprints have followed. We will be handing it out to politicians and bureaucrats at the Public Libraries Summit in July and using it for the Library Ambassador Program, but we know that others in the library world will definitely want a copy.

We're now asking all Australian Public Libraries to give us an estimate of how many they might want to purchase. The unit price for 3000 copies is likely to be $3.90, but this drops to $2.70 for 5000 and $1.80 for 10,000.

Any quantity you come back with now is just to help us plan the print order. We will request a confirmed order when our version of the Little Book is available to preview electronically.

inCite theme for July 2009 issue: Library Technicians

Contribute to your member magazine! July's feature topic is 'Library Technicians'. Contributions on this theme and stories of interest from individuals and libraries are welcome. Please include a high-resolution photo if you have one. Send your articles by 1 June 2009 to incite@alia.org.au. You can find all the 2009 themes and deadlines on the website. http://www.alia.org.au/publishing/incite/

ALIA launches online LIS journal package for members

How much would you pay for online, full-text, 24/7 access to over 130 scholarly library and information science journals? ALIA is excited to offer all ALIA members access to the ProQuest Library Science journal package as a benefit of membership at no further cost. Not a member? Imagine online LIS journals becoming an essential work resource and an important part of your professional development tool kit.

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

Not a member of ALIA? Join now!

Membership of ALIA gives you an advantage from the moment you join. With networks of more than 5,000 library and information professionals, discounts on events and professional development opportunities and access to services such as IR and Copyright advice, you will benefit right away. ALIA's personal and institutional membership packages can help you build an edge in today's challenging information environment. Join ALIA online or use our print form to access these great benefits.

http://www.alia.org.au/membership.benefits/

STATE

National Broadband Network

NSW Local Government has applauded the Federal Government's move on broadband that will finally see NSW and Australian access raised to an international standard. With the announcement that the government will invest up to $43 billion over eight years to a national broadband network, the Associations welcome the prospect of high quality, high speed internet access across the state.

http://tinyurl.com/dkm5op

One Card One Library

The Libraries Board of South Australia signed off on the One Card One Library project in December and at the February meeting agreed to move forward with developing a business plan.

The next step forward for the South Australian Public Library Network will be a single state-wide Library Management System (LMS) which will provide 21st century support for all libraries, and make the resources of all public libraries available to all South Australians.

NATIONAL

Productivity Commission to Review the Contribution of the Not-For-Profit Sector

The Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Julia Gillard MP, the Assistant Treasurer, the Hon Chris Bowen MP, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Senator the Hon Ursula Stephens, have announced that the Productivity Commission will examine the contribution of the not-for-profit sector to Australian society.

http://tinyurl.com/cgcwnr

INTERNATIONAL

America's Star Libraries

Library Journal's new national rating of public libraries, the LJ Index of Public Library Service, identifies the star libraries in the United States. Sponsored by Bibliostat, the index rates 7115 public libraries according to four output measures that indicate public service – circulation per capita, visits per capita, program attendance per capita, and public Internet uses per capita – based on 2006 data.

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6629180.html

Extreme RFID

Taipei Public Library – no librarians! RFID taken to extremes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdrT3ERg7Go

Your library on your iPhone

DCPL has just released, under Creative Commons, the downloadable code.

To find out more visit: http://tinyurl.com/d9b3st

Twilight News

Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series ruled the top four-bestselling books for the first quarter of 2009. According to USA Today, one in every seven books sold last quarter was a Meyer book – 16 percent of all books sold in the first months of 2009!

  1. New Moon
  2. Twilight
  3. Eclipse
  4. Breaking Dawn

Innovation in your library

12 ingredients for a culture of innovation from Report 103

  1. Top management buy-in
  2. Trust
  3. Priority of innovation (often confused with time)
  4. Freedom to take action
  5. Freedom to make mistakes
  6. Rewarding rather than stifling creative thinking
  7. Collaboration tools
  8. Places and opportunities to talk
  9. Places and opportunities to work in isolation
  10. Access to information
  11. Transparency
  12. Humour
http://www.jpb.com/report103/archive.php?issue_no=20090407

The Blogging Libraries wiki

If your library has a blog, make sure it's listed here. The purpose of this wiki is to collect links to library blogs.

http://www.blogwithoutalibrary.net/links/index.php?title=Welcome_to_the_Blogging_Libraries_Wiki

And for some great ideas for a library blog check out New York Public Library at http://nypl.org/blog

Library 'propaganda' posters

In 1935 then President Franklin Roosevelt, established the Works Progress Administration as part of his New Deal program to put millions of unemployed Americans back to work. The WPA was a central administration for arts-related projects, and employed more than five thousand artists.

Many administrators believed that art could be a part of the daily lives of all Americans, and the Library of Congress has recently put these posters up on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marklarson/sets/72157600988703548/

Community-Based Awareness Campaign to Increase Support for Libraries

The Gates Foundation and OCLC will develop Community-Based Awareness Campaign to Increase Support for Libraries

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced on 14 April 2009 a $5 million grant to the OCLC library cooperative to develop a public information campaign that will help public library leaders heighten awareness of the needs of local libraries and increase support for the services they provide during these challenging times. OCLC will pilot the campaign in select areas of Georgia and Iowa starting this summer as well as a limited number of other communities, which will be selected later this spring. Later in the year, OCLC will make available community awareness campaign materials and other guides to assist library leaders throughout the country in their efforts to strengthen support for local libraries.

http://www.oclc.org/news/releases/200924.htm

Excellence Award for Music Libraries

Want to sing the praises of you music library, but don't quite know how? IAML (UK & Irl) has established an Excellence Award for Music Libraries so that outstanding service can be recognised. The aim of the Award is to highlight and celebrate activity in music libraries showing sustained good work and good practice, which has the potential to be adopted and adapted by others.

The Award will be presented every two years. It's open to all music libraries no matter what their sector, size, or type. So whether your library is a small community library, a university or college library, a library in a school, conservatoire, orchestra, or specialist society, then this award is for you. Download the application pack from the IAML website at http://www.iaml-uk-irl.org/awards.html or email iaml.award@googlemail.com for details.

Awards will be judged by a panel of experts from the music industry chaired by Professor John Tyrrell. The deadline for the 2010 Awards is 30 September 2009.

An improvement framework for museums, libraries and archives

The MLA (Museum, Libraries and Archives Council) has relaunched a new improved Inspiring Learning For All Toolkit website to coincide with the launch of the Informal Adult Learning White Paper. The new website aligns Inspiring Learning to other key policy frameworks such as Every Child Matters, but also to the five underpinning principles of Informal Adult Learning that the government has announced in the White Paper.

Inspiring Learning continues to combine a planning and assessment tool with the world-renowned generic learning outcomes that have successfully provided real evidence of the outcomes of museums, libraries and archives activity on both people and communities. The refreshed site is cleaner, sharper and more intuitive than the original site, launched in 2003.

It introduces the generic social outcomes that MLA has been developing over the last 3 years. These generic social outcomes demonstrate the wider community contribution of museums, libraries and archives, identifying impact on social cohesion, health and wellbeing.

Re-purposed as a self-help tool we hope that Inspiring Learning will inspire you to develop, improve and provide evidence of the impact of what you do.

http://www.mla.gov.uk/what/support/toolkits/inspiring_learning_for_all

WEB RESOURCES

Introductory Internet Classes

If you are running introductory Internet classes you'll be interested in the latest from CommonCraft – the World Wide Web in Plain English

http://tinyurl.com/d6rflr

Libraries on Facebook

Is social networking for you? Check out Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library (Kansas) http://tinyurl.com/cjhozj and closer to home, Boroondara Library (Victoria)

http://tinyurl.com/c3pg3z

Shelves as ART!

Forget that old metal shelving. Looking for inspiration to make your library look that little bit different? Check out some amazing bookshelf designs by visiting:

http://cyanatrendland.com/2009/04/02/15-amazing-bookshelf/

The Bookmark website

http://www.miragebookmark.ch/

This could be the inspiration for the end of all those boring bookmarks!

CONFERENCES

ALIA National Library and Information Technicians Conference 2009

Start planning now! Registrations for the 2009 ALIA National Library and Information Technicians Conference, to be held 15–18 September 2009 in Adelaide, are due to open in mid April 2009. The conference program is currently being developed to focus on the themes of Technology Technique Unique.

http://conferences.alia.org.au/libtec2009/

Reminder - LIANZA Conference 2009 - Call for Abstracts

The LIANZA 2009 Conference Committee invites the submission of abstracts for this year's conference at the Christchurch Convention Centre, New Zealand, October 12–14.

For conference information please visit: http://www.lianza.org.nz/events/conference2009/

For detailed abstract requirements and submission instructions, please visit http://www.lianza.org.nz/events/conference2009/abstracts.html

Note:
  • Friday 22 May – Deadline for abstract submission
  • Monday 15 June – Notification of abstract acceptance
Queries – Please contact the Conference Secretariat http://www.lianza.org.nz/events/conference2009/contact.html

SWITCH: Public Libraries in a Changing Environment

The Organising Committee announces this significant 2009 NSW Public Libraries Conference and Exhibition, that will be held on Monday 23 November 2009 and Tuesday 24 November 2009 at the SMC Conference and Function Centre, World Square, Sydney. The event is the inaugural joint event between the NSW Metropolitan and Country Public Library Associations.

It is an event that will stimulate both thinking and action planning for public libraries and their partners.

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

The Conference Program consists of four half-day sessions:
  • Monday 23 November 2009: Economic and Social Sustainability
  • Tuesday 24 November 2009: Cultural and Environmental Sustainability
The Exhibition Area immediately adjoins the Conference Theatre.

The Conference and Exhibition Awards Dinner will be held on Monday 23 November 2009.

Please refer to the attached Announcement for further information about the Conference and Exhibition, and to the Public Libraries NSW Metropolitan Association's website and specifically '2009 Conference and Exhibition' for ongoing information updates.

PLA/QPLA Conference 2009

Public Libraries Australia and the Queensland Public Libraries Association (QPLA) are happy to announce will be holding a joint conference of national significance.

The conference will be held in Townsville, Queensland from 11 to 14 October 2009 with the theme being Change and Challenge.

In the near future a conference web page will be set up that will provide you with more information such as the program, sponsorship opportunities and registration details.

In the meantime pencil this event into your diaries and please contact the undersigned if you have any questions.

Roger Henshaw [rhenshaw@pla.org.au / Tel: 0414 190 133]
Ron Store [ron.store@townsville.qld.gov.au / Tel: 07 4773 8819 or 07 4778 2424]

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 Australian Library and Information Association
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