ALIA Board Blog

Happy Library and Information Week to you all.  This year there are so many events for the week, we can’t keep track.  http://www.alia.org.au/liw/ We have been very pleased to see so many libraries issue media releases, and our first day of the week has included quite a few radio interviews. We know that many libraries are taking the opportunity to have photo opportunities with local media.  ALIA National Office staff have also referred media contacts to library locations in your region.  There is still time to fax off to your local radio or newspaper a quick media release http://www.alia.org.au/liw/media.html (examples here).  If you cannot undertake interviews, then please contact ALIA to assist with finding people to speak.

This year we have a new partner - Palliative Care Australia - as we share the week with Palliative Care Week   http://www.alia.org.au/liw/palliative.care.week.html .  We know that many Australians seek information about death and dying at their library.  Information kits for libraries are assisting to spread the word about a difficult topic - but one that we all need to face.

There are many gatherings for National Library Technicians Day http://www.alia.org.au/liw/tech.day.2010.html  (Tuesday) and please take the opportunity to acknowledge the ‘techs’ in your organisation. 

Hope you are following us on Twitter http://twitter.com/alianational and using the #LIW2010 tag to talk about the week.

Wednesday is of course National Simultaneous Storytime.  Even if you don’t have a copy of the book, you can follow along at 11am on 26th May with a copy of the book online (only available for this week at http://www.alia.org.au/storytime/ ) to see how the adventures of Smudge - the little white dog that can’t jump - work out in the end, with a little red sports car.  Tell us how your group of the 140,000 kids that are joining in have fun with the story with a tweet at #2010NSS or email us your photos and stories to events@alia.org.au

Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director

 The team behind my earlier performance were particularly keen on a re-run; believe me we created a monster during that exercise when a borrowed video recorder and a whiteboard on wheels masquerading as an autocue created a sense of ‘Cecil B DeMille’ amongst my colleagues. Luckily fate in the form of the pre-Christmas rush put such silliness to rest and my on-line Yuletide presence is limited to this blog.  

We all have “must read” blogs in our lives. One of mine (apart from this one!) is written by Kathy Doughty from Material Obsession. Last week she captured my mood when she wrote:

I always find this time of year very reflective.  The calendar mind map is always interesting as the year stretches out ahead and then, as if by magic, it is so many pages turned.  I can’t help but stop and sit for a minute and review all the wonder of the past year.   

2009 has been a huge year for ALIA. I will remember it as the year in which we:

• Integrated the results of the member survey into our planning and as a result focused on your # 1 priority, lobbying and advocacy, at the National Advisory Congress

• Weathered the global financial crisis

• Contributed to the discussion on issues affecting our industry; the National Broadband Network, Parallel Importation and internet filtering (to name a few)

• Enhanced the range of PD opportunities including access to online resources and current awareness services

• Worked with fire devastated Victorian communities in the Rebuilding with Books project

• Hosted the first Australian Public Libraries Summit which has led to the development of a Vision and National Framework for the sector

• Delivered Library and Information Week, Summer Reading Club and National Simultaneous Storytime

• Collaborated with other library and information associations

• Held a stand out Library Technician’s Conference in Adelaide

• Worked with LIS educators to accredit courses

• Supported IFLA in their decision to relocate the 2010 Congress to Gothenburg

• Embraced Library 2.0 technologies

And they’re just the things I was able to come up with on a hot December afternoon following a lunch time of shopping.

None of this would have been possible without our:

• fabulous ALIA National Office staff

• Local Liaison Officers

• dedicated Board of Directors

• committed volunteers

• and you our loyal members.

To you all a huge thank you.

As we count down the final days of 2009 I would like to send you all my very warmest wishes for the festive season. It has been a great pleasure to meet, work and reconnect with many of you during the year and I look forward to more of the same in 2010.

Jan

Jan Richards, ALIA President

Happy Library and Information Week 2008 !  There have been happy celebrations and events around the country at all types of libraries.  ALIA Board members and myself have also been talking to the media this week, and especially today following the Australian Bureau of Statistics Media Release on Australian Libraries Facts and Figures.  ALIA’s media releases,  the combined ALIA/ASLA media release about literacy, and events such as National Simultaneous Storytime have all created positive and useful stories to ‘feed’ the media.   Please email or fax us with copies of your local LIW/NSS media results.  We are also looking forward to your photos and stories for inCite on how you celebrated. 

When the interview I was doing with the local ACT ABC Radio began this afternoon, the presenter commented that when she goes into a library there are always lots of different types of people, from all walks of life, doing lots of different things in the library and the library providing such a range of services and resources.  I replied to her, “I guess that’s why we chose the theme for this years library week to be :  Libraries are for everyone! ” .

   LIW 2008 Dates :-  19 - 25 May 2008

Get your orders in now for LIW merchandise for 2008.   With the theme of  ‘Libraries are for everyone’ , the material really is for every type of library !

Download and fax the form to make your order from the LIW Website  http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/liw/2008/ 

You can also use the downloadable images for the week, check out http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/liw/2008/images.html 

Get involved and organise an activity at your library, there are  lots of ideas http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/liw/suggestideas/