ALIA Board Blog

Today was the first day my feet had not felt the effects of last week’s conference.  The perfect time to write, before the memories fade….

It was a great week last week in Sydney for ALIA Information Online 2011.  Not withstanding the record Sydney heatwave of 35Cdegree+ most days of the week, the conference had some hot topics, interesting workshops, calescent conference mentoring, sizzling presentations, warm welcomes, fantastic keynotes, fiery debates, flaming red dresses, fab food and opening drinks, happy award winners, incandescent shoes, outstanding dancefloor moves, and hundreds of delegates and trade exhibitors pleased for whatever air-conditioning they could find at the Sydney Convention Centre.  There was also Tweet-Ups and the lunchtime StitchAndBitch sessions,  as aside activities.  I am sure our Dinner MC, Jean Kittson,  also made a few people hot under the collar, or tearing with laughter.

Our thanks to the wonderful Conference Committee - two years of hard work that proved a success.  You can catch up on their news and photos at the Facebook, Blog (good summaries and links) and Twitter. 

ALIA Conferences would also not be made possible without the support of sponsors and vendors.  They also had a good few days welcoming not only delegates and friends, but also visitors from the general public (yes, anyone can attend the ALIA Information Online trade exhibition - just walk in off the Harbourside)  You can still visit our vendors virtually though their websites - with the full list here.

Many of us also got to enjoy Sydney views, restaurants, summer sunsets and harbourside breezes - all part of the broader Sydney experience.   For those who were not onsite  - our Webstreaming Delegates - we hope you also enjoyed the experience too.

Thanks everyone  - and especially to our speakers (papers will be on the website soon) and delegates,  for making it an excellent week. 

See you at the next ALIA Conference!

Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director

Today is the last day of Library Day in the Life 6.  There is even a #libday6 Twitter Fountain.

The weekend is often a time for reading, writing, listening and thinking. 

READING:- Just a few bits for this weekend include - OCLC’s Perceptions of Libraries 2010 report & Gartners 2011 Tech Predictions (via twitter).  I am also catching up on the Google Australia blog and tweets, seeing as I will be introducing fellow Safer Internet Group member, Iarla Flynn on Tuesday at ALIA Information Online.  

I have a couple of library news feeds and this one came through :  South Korea to Open 180 Libraries, UK to Cut 400 (& mention of ALIA Disaster Recovery resources and Australian libraries and floods).        and all the tweets for #ALIAioc of course.

This coming week if you are an ALIA Member you will be hearing about our support for our colleagues in the UK and we hope that you join in the Save our Libraries Day campaign on 5th February 2011.  Tweet, blog and email to let the world know that libraries are valuable, and should not be closed.

WRITING:  I needed to do a few notes for speeches for the coming week at #ALIAioc. Also the finishing touches to a brief submission this time for Book Industry Strategy Group (I always wish for more comments from members for our submissions as we mostly get only a handful of comments or less).     Also a few notes for our Boardroom Bound workshop session tomorrow.  Have you thought about becoming a board director?  ALIA conducts these sessions usually at our larger conferences.   And finally the writing has included this blog post.  I have enjoyed doing abit more blog writing this week (it is my 5th Anniversary of blogging and starting as ALIA ED this month), but may have to cut back abit as conferences, board meetings and travels start to overtake the next few weeks.  I will try to be more regular with my 2011 blogging now that #libday6 has finished.

THINKING and LISTENING:  It’s good to have some uninterrupted time to think, plan, ponder, create, consider ideas.  I love driving (except for extreme long trips) and the four hours from Canberra to Sydney (with a good Coffee Stop in the middle) is a good amount of easy driving time.  It’s also great listening with the iPod on shuffle, including a few new songs downloaded before the trip to mix it up abit.  Music is the other thing that keeps me going.

Tonight,  a walk around Darling Harbour and Pyrmont, and a beautiful Sydney sunset, before the next week at a fantastic ALIA Conference. 

Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director

It’s wonderful to see the success of another Library and Information Week, with library activities, celebrations and events held across the country.

Last Saturday, wearing my ALIA Board “hat”, I headed off to the ALIA SA Quiz Night, a traditional event on the LIW calendar in South Australia.  While making my way to the venue on a cold Adelaide night, it struck me that this successful event had been running for 6 years now - how time flies!

I was on the organising committee for the first ALIA SA Quiz Night back in 2005, where some things worked, some things didn’t work, but everyone had a lot of fun!  Since then, I’ve been involved every year as a volunteer.  I’ve even co-opted my husband…in the past he’s moved tables, arranged balloons, and acted as our official Quiz Master (He’s pretty good, if I do say so myself!)  And every year I’ve enjoyed working with a group of passionate, organised and enthusiastic ALIA members who volunteer their time and energy to ensure the event is a success.

Sitting at a Quiz Night table and watching the crowd have fun got me thinking about the value of ALIA’s volunteers, and the contribution they make to the Association.  It’s a conversation that I have been having with different people for some time now, and as a dedicated volunteer myself, an issue that is close to my heart.  Most recently, we’ve been talking about it on the ALIA Membership and Awards Standing Committee as we work through some of the results and detailed comments from the ALIA Member Survey.

For me, volunteering has always gone hand-in-hand with “being an ALIA member” - in fact it almost seems inseparable.  Even now, my role as a Director on the ALIA Board is as a volunteer, with the support and understanding of my employer and my family. Over the years, I have given back to the association by volunteering my energy, skills and personal time…but I have also gained immeasurably in friendships, experience and professional knowledge.

But I can also recognize my experience in some of the comments in the ALIA Member Survey  that talk about the problems with volunteering.  Being an ALIA volunteer can sometimes lead to “burnout” and disillusionment ; be demanding on time already committed to work and family priorities ; or be seen by other members as exclusive and “cliquey”.

Feedback like this is really useful for an Association that relies so heavily on local volunteers when providing services and events to members.  Without the hard work of ALIA volunteers across the country, there would be fewer workshops, seminars, library tours, social events and conferences for ALIA members to enjoy. And importantly, ALIA volunteers have tremendous power to affect local membership and recruitment, as they represent “the ALIA brand” at a grassroots level.  

This is why one of the major projects the ALIA Membership and Awards Standing Committee is working on is a Volunteer Review to look at a range of issues around volunteering for our Association.  This will include a survey of current ALIA Group officebearers, to be conducted in the next few months.

The outcomes from the Volunteer Review will be used to inform the discussions at this year’s National Advisory Congress (NACs) in September.  The NAC topic this year is “Volunteering with ALIA”  and we want to hear from members on this issue, especially those of you who have experience as volunteers.  Let us know your suggestions, ideas and feedback on how we can effectively encourage, support and reward volunteers in their contribution to the Association.  I look forward to the discussion!

Kate Sinclair - ALIA Board of Directors

Well the answer is, it depends. And it depends on a lot of things. Some variables that immediately spring to mind are – target audience, venue, who’s running it, the level of sponsorship, speaker costs. I could go on but I won’t as the list would be very long.

So how do you compare conferences? Again, variables that immediately spring to mind are – cost, value for money, the conference dinner, whether you had a good time with your colleagues, what new things you’ve learned or that excite you. Again, there are multiple variables that need to be considered. In considering whether to attend a conference or not I imagine one of the first things considered by the majority of people, after subject matter, is cost.

With ALIA Access 2010 the Conference Organising Committee aimed to do things differently and more inclusively. Unfortunately, differently and more inclusively doesn’t necessarily equate to more cheaply, nor does it necessarily equate to more expensively. While ALIA Access 2010 isn’t the traditional biennial conference, its organisation nevertheless is on the same dimension and similar scale. It is a sizeable, complex event that needs to be organised and run efficiently and profitably so that the returns can be invested in supporting the activities of the Association. Those who work for me can attest to the Scottish blood flowing through my veins, so I can assure you we have attempted to make this conference as cost effective as possible and that the budget is closely monitored.

For this conference we have a target of 450 delegates and to turn a profit of $50,000. The total budget for the Conference, including the profit, is in the vicinity of  $500,000. By way of comparison the ALIA Biennial Conference operates with  significantly larger profits, delegate numbers and overall budget.

Costs are fixed or variable and fall into five main categories – Venue, Marketing, Organisation and Administration (including IT and AV), Food and Profit.  There are two revenue streams – Registrations and Sponsorship and Trade Displays. Assuming we reach our target of 450 delegates the following tells the story of our expenses and revenue streams.

Expenses

• Marketing - 6%
• Venue - 30%
• Organisation and Administration - 30%
  (includes IT and AV)
• Food - 24%
• Profit - 10%

Revenue

• Registrations - 71%
• Sponsorship and trade exhibits 29%

Yes we could do things cheaper, but it gets to a point where for every saving made there is potentially an equal or greater tangible and/or intangible cost.

The proposed registration difference for non-members is $300 which is greater than the cost of one year’s membership of ALIA. If we really want to maximise the profit that we plough back into the Association for the benefit of members we all should encourage as many non-members as possible to attend!

So now you have an overview of the budget and costs associated with running ALIA Access 2010.

I’m aware that some people are comparing the cost of attending ALIA Access 2010 with the cost of attending IFLA in Gothenburg. IFLA is a five day conference (including a tour day for most delegates) with a registration fee of approximately $620. What is often not realised is that IFLA doesn’t include meals and that it receives a very generous subsidy from the host city or country. (Think of our budget, double it, and add a bit more) I’m afraid that in Australia unless it’s for something like a major sporting event, obtaining similar levels of government support is very difficult.

In essence, the decision to attend a conference is based on weighing up cost and benefits for the individual or the organisation at a given point in time. Comparing conference isn’t like comparing apples, its more like comparing oranges and lemons or rather oranges, lemons, grapefruit  and all the other members of the citrus family.

We seek your support to register for the conference. Registration opens on 1 April and the Early Bird rate will end on 7 July. Over the next little while we’ll be providing tips for you to convince your manager and some information on the tax deductibility nature of the conference.

I look forward to meeting you at ALIA Access 2010.

Graham

Graham Black, ALIA Access 2010 Conference Convenor

Believe it or not we’ve just said farewell to the last day of summer and welcomed the first day of Autumn. Not only does that mean that we’re in for some cooler weather but it also means that we’er only 6 months away for ALIA Access 2010 in Brisbane. (Its also a reminder that my eldest daughter’s birthday is in 6 months time as well!)

Brisbane in September is normally beautiful – the days are warm and sunny and there is still a chill in the air (at least for us Queenslanders) in the evenings. While we don’t have much control over the weather we are looking forward to presenting our members and other delegates with a dynamic conference. We’ve only had 13 months to plan and deliver ALIA Access which is not much time to prepare and plan for a conference of this magnitude ( there’s nothing like a quickly looming deadline to focus the mind!) so we decided to do something different – a conference that’s more engaging and more focused on our members’ areas of interest.
I expect there will be a number of highlights for delegates. Firstly, there’s the stream or symposium approach to the conference. This will give each of the participating sectors or interest groups an opportunity to discuss, debate and showcase issues, trends and achievements in their own sector/area of interest. Secondly, there is also the converse -  the opportunity to engage with other sectors/interest groups. Thirdly, we’re trying new initiatives such as live videostreaming of selected sessions. It won’t be the same as being there but it will enable those who can’t attend the whole conference to  participate via the net. We’re still working on the finer details with this so once we’ve got it sorted we’ll advise members accordingly. Fourthly, a new approach to the conference dinner- what we’re calling the ‘Dine Around Dinner’.

I’ve been to some great conference dinners – good food, great music, good company. I’ve also attended some dinners where the alternative drop wasn’t what I would have wished for and the music was so loud I couldn’t talk to my colleagues at the same table. As we’re doing something different with the conference proper we thought we’d do something different for the Conference Dinner. Brisbane has some great restaurants around the conference venue in South Brisbane. The Dine Around’ dinner will give delegates the opportunity to chose their own restaurant from a selected list of establishments and when they get to the restaurant they’ll be able to chose their own food and drink up to a specified value. Delegates will be able to pre-book their restaurant with their registration. We’ll be encouraging delegates  to liaise with their colleagues prior to the conference about where they’d like to eat.

So, what am I hoping to get out of ALIA  Access 2010? Well, where do I start! Getting ideas and inspiration from other sectors. I work in the higher education sector. Over the past couple of years I’ve attended a couple of ‘broad church’ conferences where I’ve picked some really interesting strategies and  approaches to customer service from some the public libraries that probably wouldn’t have been discussed in my ‘home’ sector. Meeting members of ALIA from across the nation to discuss their needs, what the Association is doing well and what we can do to provide new and/or enhanced services. And finally, there is always catching up with colleagues over a coffee or a cleansing ale!

There is still a lot to prepare for the conference. The Conference Organising Committee consisting of ALIA members, ALIA National Office staff and staff from our Conference organiser, ICE, are working hard on the details. There is also a lot of work being undertaken by each of the stream organisers to pull the program together. Conferences like this just don’t happen without the involvement of a number of dedicated people!

Registration will be open soon, but if you can’t wait to find out more about ALIA Access 2010 check out the conference website at http://conferences.alia.org.au/access2010/

Graham

Graham Black

ALIA Vice President and Convenor, ALIA Access 2010 Organising Committee

On behalf of all the Board of Directors I welcome all ALIA members to the 2010 New Year.   It will be another full year of activities and forward moves for the Australian library industry and profession. 

The Board will be seeking to elect four new board members this year – a Vice-president and three Directors.  We look forward to welcoming these members for a two-year term from May 2010 to May 2012.  If you think you may be interested take a look through the election webpages and the Boardroom Bound information.

Wanting to vote in the 2010 election? You need to be a current financial member by January 13^th 2010 (the day that nominations close for the election).  ALIA will again be conducting online election voting which will open in March.  You will also need a valid email address for us to contact you with the voting information.  Check your ALIA membership current contact details with us as a New Year admin task - login here.

For your diary this year - here are just some of the key ALIA dates for 2010:  - more added during the year at http://www.alia.org.au/events/home.html 

Board nominations close  13 January 2010

Library Lovers Day 14 February 2010

ALIA Access call for papers due 11 February 2010 and ALIA Information Online call for papers due 31 March 2010

AGM motions due by the first week of March 2010 for the May AGM

LIW and NSS and LTDay 24th - 30th May 2010

Membership renewals taken from June-September

ALIA Access 1-3 September 2010 in Brisbane

We hope that many members will be involved in the Association’s work again this year – while we already have lots of participation in our Board, Standing Committees, Advisory Committees and Groups … it is our new members, or those who might decide that it is ‘the right year’ to volunteer that we welcome back.

Think about nominating for a Research Award or scholarship this year or consider nominating a colleague for an achievement award in 2010.  There will soon be a dedicated Groups Liaison and Awards Officer at ALIA National Office (look out for the job advertisement soon here ).  With the departure of a number of senior staff at National Office in 2009 a restructure of management has been approved by the Board and recruitment starts in January 2010. 

2010 marks the International Year of Biodiversity, the Year of the Girl Guide, Year of the Tiger and the Year of Women in Local Government  amongst other celebrations.  It will also be a federal election year - good timing for ALIA’s ‘Every member an Advocate’ launch in the coming months.

Whatever the year brings to you - may it be rewarding, successful and memorable.

Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director

I’ve just returned home from Sydney, a combination of ALIA and ‘real job’. It was great to catch up with so many friends and colleagues over the 5 days and be immersed in all things library.

• Congratulations to the organisers of SWITCH: Public Libraries in a Changing Environment the 2009 NSW Public Libraries Conference and Exhibition held on Monday and Tuesday at the Sydney Masonic Centre.  The ‘S’ in SWITCH stands for sustainability, and the role that public libraries play in economic, social, cultural and environmental sustainability together with partners from the business, government, education, cultural and community sectors. The program was built around a diverse range of speakers, many from outside the industry which brought a new perspective. The exhibition was busy and as usual it was wonderful to catch up with our vendor mates. It was also great so see so many interstate visitors.
• The ALIA Board also met on Monday and spent the day working through a range of issues. A summary will be available early next week.
• The MAPLs (NSW Marketing Awards for Public Libraries) were announced at a Gala dinner at Darling Harbour on Monday night. Huge congratulations to West Wyalong, Kiama, Coffs Harbour, Narrabri (Talk like a Pirate Day - what fun), Kogarah, Lake Macquarie, Randwick, Bankstown and Orange (us! what a surprise). The projects represented the diversity of the public library sector and the many ways they interact with the community.
• If you’re like me you’ve probably been tempted by the ‘Library Folk in the Pub’ emails only to realise that you have to be in Sydney to go. On Wednesday night the stars were aligned and I joined the ‘folk’ and Sydney ALIA for their Christmas get together. It was a delight to be able to put faces to names and I have a few coffee dates lined up for future visits. I spoke about my career in libraries - in truth I yelled over the music so while everyone smiled politely they probably all have a very disjointed  view of me and the path I’ve taken!
• There was also the chance to work with ICE, ALIA’s new Professional Conference Organisers on the  ALIA Access 2010 Conference - things are coming together well and it promises to be the place to be seen in the second half of next year.

Between all that I managed a little shopping, lots of coffee and champage breaks and the odd quiet moment.

• On the way home I read the December issue of the (sydney) magazinewhich last month contained a feature on Sydney’s libraries ‘Shhh! read all about it’  (you might remember I blogged about it). This month there’s a letter to the Editor ‘Well Worth Reading About’ from Garth Clarke of North Sydney. He writes:

‘ When I moved into a retirement village, I no longer had space for my beloved books. My loss was ameliorated by the realisation that my pension would stretch further if a large part of it was no longer spent on books. Nothing however matched the consolation I sought and found at my local library. Wandering through the stacks I became reacquainted with the joys of browsing and discovering. If reading is indeed a journey, then these local libraries are travel agents for the spirit, worthy of not just celebrating but preserving as well”.

It couldn’t be put more perfectly.

I love Sydney, but I also love the moment when the mighty SAAB 340 touches down at Orange airport and I know I’m home.

Enjoy your weekend.

Jan

Jan Richards, ALIA President

Like Jan I too have been busy representing the ALIA Board over the past couple of weeks.I was fortunate enough to attended the last two days (17-18 September) of the very successful National Library and Information Technicians Conference in Adelaide. The conference certainly had a buzz about it, and that buzz even prevailed on the closing day, after the every energetic conference dinner. I’d have to say, and I think many agreed that band, “The Smarty Boys” were fantastic.  The lead singer actually works in the University of South Australia Library, which just goes to show what a versatile bunch we library workers are.

On a more serious note, the conference demonstrated the versatility and depth of talent we have in the Library Technician ranks. Congratulations to the award winners, and in particular to the organizers who hosted an engaging and stimulating conference. The next National Library and Information Technicians conference will be held in Perth in 2011.

While Jan was in Perth attending ASLA, I was up in Darwin attending the Top End Symposium. The symposium is an annual event that provides an opportunity to showcase initiatives and achievements by Top End library staff. The symposium theme was Exploring Library Spaces for Learning and Elearning.  Topics explored include new libraries and technology, online tutorials, creating new spaces in aged buildings, the use of libraries by disaffected indigenous youth, and setting up an elearning environment within the NT health system.

The symposium attracted approximately 80 delegates, most of whom attended the final session on Saturday (yes Saturday) morning. Once again congratulations to the organizers for putting together the symposium at such short notice, and my thanks for the hospitality offered to me while I was there.

I can recommend Darwin as a place to visit, it has its own tropical style (and climate), the people are friendly, the sunsets are beautiful, and its a good place to buy wedding anniversary presents. I don’t recommend the red-eye flights in and out of Darwin though.

While I was in Darwin, and just before I left Rockhampton to attend the ‘Tech’s conference in Adelaide, I hosted NACs. The first one was for rural and remote members, and the Darwin  one was obviously for NT members. Some of the key points to come out of the meetings were:

• the need to focus on special and other libraries, in addition to public libraries,
• for ALIA to make submissions to government bodies on matters of importance to members,
• to somehow bridge the proliferation of library and related information bodies, and
• the importance of providing independent industrial relations advice.

Next week I’m in New Zealand  representing the Association at LIANZA and attending CONZUL, while Jan is in Townsville attending the Public Libraries Australia/Queensland Public Libraries Association conference. I think the weather will be somewhat  warmer in Townsville than Christchurch.

Till next time,

Graham

Graham Black
Vice President

Dear Colleagues

The final 2007 ALIA National Advisory Congress (NAC) meeting was held last night.  This year’s approach to the NAC gave a sharp focus on the issues of highest importance to ALIA members - employment and education.  The teleconference was a new approach and everyone participated, sharing views from each group meeting on the key issues and making excellent suggestions for ALIA’s planning for 2008 and beyond.

I’d like to thank those who attended the teleconference Nathalie Smith, Alice Springs; Ruth Marsh, Townsville; Jo Keleher, Rockhampton; Christopher Griffiths, Wagga / Riverina; Gemma Siemensma, Ballarat; Rebecca Parker, Melbourne; Sally Murdoch, Hobart; Benita Wheeler, Adelaide; Kimberley Hargrave, Gawler / Barossa Valley; Andrew Osborne, Brisbane; Alyson Dalby, Sydney; Andrew Finegan, Darwin; Alissa Sputore, Perth; Bradley O’Brien, Library Technicians; Helena Zorbec, Canberra; Tania Barry, Regional & Rural meeting, Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director; Robyn Ellard, ALIA National Office; Derek Whitehead, Vice President and Damien Lodge, Director).

A report on NAC will be provided online through http://www.alia.org.au/governance/nac/2007/

Next years NAC meeting will be held in conjunction with the ALIA Biennial conference. I encourage you all to participate in the process and contribute your thoughts!

regards

 Roxanne