ALIA Board Blog

This week and next are again full of important government hearings - where ALIA and it’s members will be represented.

I will be representing the Safer Internet Group at the 8th July Melbourne Hearing of the Joint Select Committee on Cybersafety.
And then at the 12th July Adelaide Hearing of the Inquiry into School Libraries and Teacher Librarians, I will be making the final presentation on behalf of ALIA    (with thanks to the staff and members who have assisted with all the preparations for these important sessions).

We also await the call of the Federal Election 2010.    Hope you have all updated your details with the AEC.   (on a lighter note, this Getup video is a unique way to encourage young voters) 

ALIA is preparing election materials for members and these will be available shortly.  If you have not attended one of the Every Member an Advocate seminars (free for ALIA members) there are still some places available.

Even if you can’t be there in person this week at one of the hearings, or listen online, know that as a member of ALIA you are a part of this vital work.  You can always read the transcripts from the websites later.  Our previous submissions also go up on the ALIA website here as we receive permission from each committee to do so.

Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director

I had to write a post to commemorate today - a day that I thought I may not see in my lifetime - with the investiture of Australia’s first female prime minister. One of my favourite photos is a part of this gallery where Julia Gillard is signing alongside our first female Governor General Quentin Bryce.

A good day for Australian libraries too, as we share with Kevin Rudd in his farewell speech comments about how proud we all are of libraries.  Today he said : “I’m proud of the fact that new libraries are springing up right across the country, often in schools which have never had a library before in their lives, or in some places, have never had a new building built in their schools since the War.”    

Slightly ironic that he was making this speech around the exact same time that Karen Bonanno from ASLA was booked to be in a parliamentary committee room making another public hearing witness session to the House of Representatives Inquiry into School Libraries and Teacher Librarians (with the hearing delayed of course due to today’s news).   We look forward to continuing to work with the Government on ensuring that the school libraries being established and improved are made into truly useful and wonderful places and spaces of learning.  Keep up-to-date with it here http://www.alia.org.au/schoollibraries/

As a female-dominated profession, in Librarianship we are very fortunate to have many female leaders amongst our ranks.  Although some libraries take longer than others to get their first female librarian.  But as we know, for many other professions and in politics, a woman in the job is rare.   I know that with so many women as members of ALIA, you might share with me in acknowledging the significance of the bit of history that was made today.

ALIA will continue to work on our Advocacy with government to ensure that issues that relate to keeping a democratic society what it should be, will be a part of Australia’s future (including equality).

What a day.

Sue Hutley,  ALIA Executive Director

Today was the first day of public hearings for the Inquiry into School Libraries and Teacher Librarians.  Submissions are to be made publicly available on the website soon.

ASLA presented in Sydney this morning and more info and comments can be found here http://aslaonline.ning.com/

Other state-based TL groups, the Australian Society of Authors, the Hub, and representatives from the NSW Education Department also gave their statements and answered questions from the committee.

Presenters indicated that a school library is the centre of the school, a safe haven and hub for students.  One TL commented that she would like the government to recognise that libraries and TL’s “are an asset, rather than a cost”.

The committee engaged with the witnesses with keen questions, demonstrating that they are thinking of other ways that the school community (including parents, children and teachers and principals) can engage with school library staff and the library industry to improve the situation.

Witnesses told of their passion for their profession, described the experiences of being a TL and how they contribute to the vitality and educational outcomes of their schools.  They also told of their innovative situations and their best practice examples showed how an enthusiastic and resourced teacher librarian can create a wonderfully rich learning environment for students.

The Australian Society of Authors representative also reminded the committee that “Librarians can inspire a love of books and reading”.

A committee member commented on the demographics of our aging profession and expressed the challenges that the shortage of teacher librarians will present.  Then further questioning asked the TL’s how is the best way to promote and market the career of teacher librarianship.  

ALIA will be presenting at 10am on Thursday morning in Melbourne and this session will also be webcast.  More at http://www.alia.org.au/schoollibraries and http://asla.org.au/schoollibraries/

And some other related links from today’s questions that came up :

ALIA Library Salary Scales - http://www.alia.org.au/employment/salary.scales/ 

ALIA Career Links - http://www.alia.org.au/education/qualifications/careers/ (and organisations can order a library career promotional pack here)  & the http://destinationlibrary.pbworks.com/

Electronic Resources Australia -  http://era.nla.gov.au/ - national electronic resources for all Australians 

Public Libraries info - http://www.alia.org.au/publiclibraries/ (public library vs school library resourcing)

Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director

As I mentioned last week,  there are many activities happening in the advocacy space for ALIA and our members at the moment.  Now it’s your turn to get involved.

You can now register your name to be added to a separate short ALIA submission that will be provided to Julia Gillard for the Inquiry into School Libraries and Teacher Librarians.  This will include the names of many other library supporters, not just library staff.  We encourage you all to spread the news about registering for this submission.  We hope that teachers, parents, carers, friends and grandparents from all around Australia will add their name to this submission, to show their support for school libraries and teacher librarians.   As we welcome some TL’s back from school holidays this week,  it is a perfect time to send around this link to your networks.   Names must be registered to us by Friday 12pm on the 16th April 2010 to be included in the document.  This particular submission/letter will be a clear sign of wide-spread support from community members for school libraries.   ALIA and ASLA will be submitting additional comprehensive submissions to include specific recommendations that relate to the Terms of Reference.  All the information is linked from this page http://www.alia.org.au/schoollibraries

If you live in Western Australia we also encourage you to write to your local member about public library funding.  This webpage http://www.alia.org.au/publiclibraries outlines all the details.  Take the opportunity to tell your politicians the wonderful stories of the important role that libraries play in your state.  Other library associations will also be writing to the Western Australian government on the issue. 

Sue Hutley,  ALIA Executive Director

It’s been a busy few weeks on the ALIA advocacy front ….

ALIA continues to work with the Safer Internet Group  to lobby for a more effective and efficient suite of methods to provide Australian children with a safer experience online - rather than spending tax-payer dollars on mandatory ISP filtering of URL’s.  There has been a variety of media again in the last few days  [ selection here : Google vs Australia : new net censorship battle   & Google and Yahoo criticise ‘heavy handed’ internet plans  ] of our partners telling their stories to the world. 

The Inquiry into School Libraries and Teacher Librarians was called and submissions are due in a very quick timeframe - ALIA will need to finalise it’s submission by Thursday 15th April.   You can send your comments relating to the Terms of Reference to advocacy@alia.org.au . This is an incredibly significant opportunity for all within the Australian library sector - Why? some of you may ask (especially if you don’t work in a school library).  Here are just a few reasons (from my perspective) :

1.  This is the first library-focussed House of Representatives Inquiry in a very long time  2.  School libraries are often the most memorable experiences that many young Australians have of libraries  - we all remember our school librarian - and this is our opportunity to suggest how the school library experience can be improved 3.  Qualified Teacher Librarians are becoming scarcer these days - we need more of them  4.  Teacher Librarians contribute to the literacy levels of young Australians and assist with teaching information literacy and digital literacy skills which are going to be so important in our future digital economy  5.  The Australian Government has spent millions on building new libraries as part of the B.E.R - but we know that a room full of books and chairs does not facilitate what a library really is, and should be   6.  Those in public libraries work with school children for their educational and recreational reading and information needs and while many public libraries work closely with their local school library staff - collections and services could be better co-ordinated and utilised   7.  Those working in TAFE and University Libraries see the next phase of the learner life-cycle (and the influences that teacher librarians during school have on students)    8.  Those working in special libraries see the results of teacher librarians doing a great job by teaching young people how to use libraries effectively and become information literate workers

So, school libraries and teacher librarians have a great influence on our profession.  It’s time to make your comments, contribute and get involved  (that’s what advocating is about).  ALIA and ASLA (the Australian School Library Association) are working together but on separate submissions.  I am also pleased to hear that a number of the State Public Library Associations will be putting in submissions.  Individuals and other organisations connected with school libraries are also planning to meet the 16th April deadline to submit their thoughts, suggestions and ideas.   Following the submissions we will be preparing (in quick time again) for public hearings in each state and the presentation to the committee by the Library Associations in Canberra in May.   More information will be posted to this page over the coming months - http://www.alia.org.au/schoollibraries

There has also been lots of news around the budget cuts to Western Australian library funding  : Big Cuts put Local Libraries at risk - 29 March 2010  & Reverse Library budget cuts - Opposition - 30 March 2010    and  ABC WA Blog - and links .    This issue does not end with a few media reports last week - we will be posting further suggestions on advocating for improved funding to this page shortly  - http://www.alia.org.au/publiclibraries .

Remember -  every member can be an advocate - and we thank you for your support and your input to these important national issues.

Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director

It’s sizzling hot here in Orange, the perfect weather in which to celebrate our National Day. The young people across the road are gearing up for a party this evening and the flag with its distinctive southern cross is proudly on display. Me? I’ll be enjoying something crisp, white and cold on the back deck far away from the revelry.

Time too to check the Australia Day honours to see which of our colleagues, friends and supporters have been acknowledged. Libraries are so intrinsically linked to their communities that there are always people we want to say well done to, even though their citation may not use the word ‘library’. On first glance congratulations to Dr Peter Goldsworthy, author and Chairman of the Libraries Board of South Australia and to ‘red Wiggle’ Murray Cook who happens to be the patron of my own library’s early childhood reading program. When the ALIA office opens tomorrow I know we’ll be notified of other links. 

For many Australians the 26 January signals the end of the summer holiday season. Tomorrow marks the return to school for millions of students across the country.  All this was in evidence yesterday when I battled my way through a frantic sea of parents and children in the staionery section of a local department store. University and college students will be hot on their heels, returning to study in the coming weeks.  My thoughts go out to our library colleagues in the education sector gearing up for a new year.

The return to school affects us all regardless of the sector we’re in as life across the nation returns to normal and staffing levels regain some balance. These days I usually work through January and treasure this time when life isn’t as pressured; when there arn’t as many conference calls to take and when the staff take time out to have a paddle-pop together on the grass mid afternoon rather than coffee on the run. I guess that will all change come tomorrow.

Happy Australia Day.

Jan

Jan Richards, ALIA President

librarydayinthelife

Last week it was a delight to attend the Australian School Library Association’s (ASLA) Conference in Perth. ASLA and ALIA are close  partners  and under our joint Memorandum of Understanding the President of each Association is the guest of the other at our respective biennial conferences. During the Conference ASLA President Rob Moore and I signed the updated Terms of Reference for the ALIA/ASLA Policy Advisory Group in front of witnesses, who included members of the PAG (another acronym to add to my ALIA thesaurus). A huge thanks to the ALIA and ASLA representatives on this Group, several of whom I met while I was in Perth. Through their dedication and the  open communication between the Executive Officers of both Associations (Sue Hutley, ALIA and Karen Bonnano, ASLA) we have firm foundations for the future.

Congratulations to the ASLA Conference organising committee for an exciting program on the theme of “Engage, Explore, Celebrate”. If you get the opportunity I would encourage you to attend a session or a conference outside your sectoral interests. It’s a great way of reigniting your thinking and an excellent reminder of how the jigsaw pieces all fit together. From my “real job” perspective it’s been a wake up call to re-engage in a more formal way with the school librarians in our community for the benefit of all.

I also caught up with the West Australian Aurorans and former ALIA President Imogen Garner over dinner while I was in Perth. It was a very lively table with everyone talking at once. Thanks to Jill Benn for arranging it despite her jet lag. As usual I posed the “did Aurora make a difference?” question and the universal answer was yes (I was one young man’s mentor at Aurora so what else could he say!). Applications for the 2010 Aurora Institute close on 16 October 2009 so if you’re thinking of applying get your skates on.

Public holiday here in NSW and the last day of my long (6 week) break from work. I think a day of gardening, dog walking and friends is in store.

Cheers

Jan

Jan Richards, ALIA President

Australian library industry appoints central Disaster Recovery Support position

At a meeting in Melbourne on Friday 20^th February 2009 library professionals and supporters agreed to fund and appoint a disaster recovery support role to coordinate their efforts. The meeting was organised by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and held at the State Library of Victoria. It  focused on immediate actions to assist bushfire-affected communities, as well as in the medium to longer term. 

Representatives were present from public libraries in the bushfire region, the Public Libraries Victoria Network, the State Library of Victoria, school libraries and school library associations, the Victorian Government, and the book industry.

It was agreed to call on all Australian libraries and library organisations to support and contribute to funding the position of ALIA Disaster Recovery Project Manager.  Many people in libraries and the book industry wish to provide relevant support for bushfire victims, and coordination of this swell of support from the national library association was seen as the most effective response we could make.

There was a hope expressed that lessons learned from the new position, which will focus on Victorian bushfire relief, will help libraries manage similar responses in the future and to create a model for future crisis management.

“Library staff are generous, but we are also practical, and want to make sure that donations and support from our industry are coordinated and distributed at the right time and to meet real needs.  We also want to work with the book industry to get a more coordinated effort going.”  – Derek Whitehead, ALIA President.

“The library industry has always been a supportive and collaborative one – especially in times of hardship.   This ALIA position will enable our industry and profession to develop models for future coordinated support when a disaster strikes.  We have already offered support from Public Libraries Victoria Network and many public library services.” – John Murrell, PLVN President.

Jane Grace, currently Outreach Manager for Yarra Plenty Regional Library Service, will take up the acting position of ALIA Disaster Recovery Project Manager immediately to ensure appropriate support is provided to bushfire families and the wider communities.  Ms Grace will also be working with Queensland colleagues on needs and requirements for flood affected areas.

 “I am very pleased to be able to take up this interim position to co-ordinate immediate support and future models and information tools to assist communities get back on track.  People are often well-meaning, but getting the needs and requirements right for the people on the ground is our aim.  Libraries really are providing an amazing service in these difficult times and making a difference in people’s lives.”  – Jane Grace, Acting ALIA Disaster Recovery Project Manager.

Calls for applicants for the ongoing position of ALIA Disaster Recovery Project Manager will be conducted in the coming weeks with more information available at http://www.alia.org.au/employment

We would like to thank everyone in the library community who have been in contact with PLVN, SLV and ALIA and the library and book trade organisations offering support.  Please keep checking the ALIA website for further information in the coming days and weeks.

Libraries are at the very heart of our communities. By working together with local people and organisations, we can make a significant contribution to rebuilding those communities and the lives of those affected.

Australian Library and Information Association:  Derek Whitehead, President, 03 9214 8333 

Public Libraries Victoria Network: John Murrell, President, 03 5622 2849 or 0409 016 701  

Other contacts: Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director, 02 6215 8215 or 0412 764 922