Ian McCallum, BA(Hons) Dip Lib FALIAcp

2001 HCL Anderson Award citation

Ian McCallum has had a long and distinguished career in the library and information services sector in Australia. Ian's formal career in librarianship began in 1969 when he completed the Diploma in Librarianship from the University of New South Wales. His first employment was in the National Library of Australia where he worked from 1969 to 1978. During this time Ian worked on Australia's first batch and then online information retrieval systems, as project leader of the ERIC Research Project, and then for the Online ERIC Project.

In 1977, following a study at Monash University, the National Library and ACI Computer Services embarked on the establishment of AUSINET and Ian's proposal formed the basis of this initiative. The development of AUSINET as a joint venture between ACI and a consortium of academic libraries co-ordinated by the National Library meant that, for the first time, access to the nation's information holdings was available online. Much of the energy and enthusiasm to get this ambitious project off the ground emanated from Ian McCallum.

Ian moved in 1979 to employment with ACI Computer Services (later Ferntree Computer Corporation). This allowed him to oversee further developments in AUSINET from the perspective of the provider rather than the user.

Ian also played a central role in the development of the Australian Schools Cataloguing Information System (ASCIS). ASCIS, launched in 1984, provided bibliographic data and curriculum information to Australian schools and is recognised as a major influence in curriculum development and implementation at both national and state levels.

Ian was awarded the Robert D Williamson Award of the Victorian Association for Library Automation in 1983 for outstanding contribution to the development of information science in Australia. His specialised competence in the area of information management, major negotiations for computer systems acquisition and the management of information management business systems was of inestimatable value to the development of national systems in the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1989 Ian's contribution to the Association and the profession was recognised when he was awarded a Fellowship of the Association. His Fellowship recognised not only his professional contribution, but also his leadership in his presidential year (1986), a time of great change for the Association. He was instrumental in the decision to move the Association's headquarters from Sydney to Canberra. His persistence and belief in the need for a national association to have its focus in the national capital meant that the Association made the move at a time which was very advantageous.

Ian's career took a different path from 1997, when with Sherrey Quinn, he established Libraries Alive! P/L, a consulting company with a 'mission to help libraries create new customers by bringing a customer-centric pragmatic approach to the operational issues surrounding library and information service.'

While Libraries Alive! is a commercial operation, it has also demonstrated over the last four years a strong and continued commitment to the betterment of the Australian library system through its activities. The company has assisted many libraries and information services to focus on customer service and demonstrate their value to their funders. Ian is a passionate believer in the social and economic value of libraries and information services and works with staff to explain and expand their positions of influence, trust and privilege.

Ian continues to contribute his time to projects and professional initiatives which raise the profile of libraries and information services and the profession. He has been a member of ALIA throughout his career. He has served as national president; ACT branch councillor; secretary/treasurer of the Information Science Section; ALIA representative on the IFLA Information Technology Standing committee; and a member of the ALIA 2000 biennial conference program committee.

In 2001 and 2002 he facilitated the Association's National Policy congresses. He was also the joint convenor of the ALIA2002 biennial conference online 'ideas forum' which as a new initiative provided a forum for discussion of issues prior to the conference.

Ian has very strong professional values, and cares very much about leadership in the Australian library community and maximising opportunities for emerging professionals. His role in the development of the Aurora Leadership Institutes, first conducted at Thredbo NSW in 1995, has been of particular importance and again demonstrates his continued professional contribution. He has mentored at all four Institutes in Australia, and is one of the six directors and the secretary of the new Aurora Foundation, and continues to make a major contribution in the reshaping of the Institute program.

Ian has contributed significantly to the professional literature, including published articles in the Association's journals, papers presented to Association conferences and other publications.

In conferring the HCL Anderson Award, the Association recognises Ian's continued service to and passion for ALIA, the theory and practice of librarianship, and the profession.