ALIA Board Blog

Each year as Executive Director I reflect on this week - it’s the biggest week of the year at ALIA National Office.  I’ve realised that I have not summarised the activity of the ‘third week of May @ ALIA’ before on the blog.  Here is abit of an insight ….

Monday starts with the induction of new Board members.  This year we welcome Margaret Allen, John Bayliss, Andrew Hocken and Julie Rae.     You can find more about the new directors here.   The incoming President and outgoing President assist with the induction. We spend the day going through ASIC Duties and Responsibilities, matters relating to being on a Board of a Company Limited by Guarantee, talking through many induction and company documents, meeting the National Office staff and answering questions from our new board members.   The day concludes with the new board members being introduced to other board members over dinner.

Tuesday is an all-day board meeting where outgoing board members hand over their Standing Committee responsibilities and we cover off any financial and legal requirements for the changeover of the board.  Both current and future board members are all present, as well as Executive Staff members.  Further audit reports and other financial matters are tabled. Strategic matters and the strategic plan are discussed with outgoing board members offering their perspective from their time as directors, sharing of knowledge, updates on recent ALIA projects and initiatives in-progress, and often some good tips and advice for ongoing board members.  We are usually cramming to complete the 20-or-so Agenda items for the day by 5pm.  There is then a ‘quick change’ as the staff ready ALIA House for 6pm on Tuesday when we welcome many more members to the Annual General Meeting.  It is presided over by a distinguished member, and again this year it will be Averill Edwards, past president.  We must have 21 members as quorum for the AGM (so we always hope that the May Canberra weather won’t be too cold).  The President and Executive Director give reports, we confirm the Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements as well as our Auditors for next year and discuss any questions that the members in attendance may have.  Jan Richards (ALIA President 2009/10) summarised 2009 here on the blog and also in our Annual Report.   The AGM is also a time to celebrate the year with ‘a glass of something’.  The Board concludes the night with a smaller farewell gathering for outgoing board members, this year being Michelle Brennand, Helen Partridge, Philip Keane (all of whom have served four years on the board) as well as Jan Richards.    My sincere thanks to Jan, Helen, Michelle and Philip - for all that they have contributed to ALIA during their terms as board members.

On Wednesday the ongoing board members ‘the new board’ re-convene to start planning and discussing future board matters.  There are the standing committee confirmations and discussion on way forward for the Strategic Plan.  This year, with new Executive Staff and the new structure in place, we are also planning staff activities relating to board planning.  This Wednesday will also have reports on the project plans for the National Year of Reading 2012 and our many advocacy initiatives, and how our board and members will be a part of this.  During this board meeting we also confirm the National Advisory Congress theme and dates for August - October.  This is again an all-day meeting.  Most board members depart late at night, and after three full days & nights they welcome the peace of the aeroplane to home.  Being on the ALIA Board is a significant commitment and responsibility - not just for the first three days of inductions and meetings, but for all that the company’s directors undertake in their duties.

This year we are also hosting the ALIA Roundtable 2010 meeting on Thursday 20th May 2010. Graham Black as incoming ALIA President will chair this full-day meeting.  This meeting of peak library associations and groups is an opportunity to discuss the compelling issues for our profession (and in an election year, it’s an important time to be speaking with one voice).  The outcomes of this meeting will be reported on the ALIA Roundtable 2010 webpage in coming weeks. 

It is always a very exhausting week for everyone ; the staff who manage all the logistics, agendas&papers, presentations&reports, and every other detail both before and after the meetings ; and our volunteer board members. 

There is only then a weekend to recover however before Library and Information Week is upon us.   [More on that in my next posts].

To the ALIA staff and the Board - my sincere thanks again for all that goes into making this coming ‘Marathon Week in May’ a reality  ….

Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director

January sees the start of the ALIA financial year and by the end of the month our auditors have arrived to do the analysis of the previous year’s accounts.  Our Annual Report financials in 2008 were clearly affected by the GFC.   At the end of the first full ALIA financial year after the financial squashing our investments received, we are starting to bounce back slowly.  ALIA House continues to be a major (but aging) asset with the next 3-year-annual re-valuation to be reflected in the 2009 figures.   Salaries and staff movements continue to be our major expense, as would be expected in an organisation where providing professional services and facilitating the many groups, committees, events, campaigns and activities to members is our priority.  A restructure of ALIA National Office management staffing began in December 2009 and will continue though the first half of 2010.  Positions will be advertised during coming months. 

The Board of Directors election nominations closed on 13^th January 2010 and the unusual situation of having the same number of nominations for available positions occurred.  This means that the Association is not required to conduct an election this year.  A number of members considered nominating this year (and discussed their intentions with our current board members) but indicated that it was just not quite the right time for them either personally or professionally.  A director position not only comes with significant responsibilities (ASIC and AICD give good summaries) but also a great time commitment.  To enable greater effectiveness for board processes, the ALIA Board has implemented a few changes how the company’s board started out in the early 2000’s in regards to meetings and board decisions.  The board meets more frequently than in the past – with teleconference meetings (as official board meetings) in between the face-to-face meetings often held in Canberra or other capitals (as I write this I am on the plane to a board planning meeting in Brisbane, the closest location for three of our current board members).   We also have 6 Standing Committees of the Board, which a board member chairs. The focus of these SC’s is high level discussion, research, reports and recommendations also using key expert member input, for that board member Chair to bring to board meetings.  It allows a board member to focus on one or two area of strategic importance for the Association – while at the same time getting the summaries and overall picture by hearing from other board members and the Executive Director.  Our congratulations to Margaret, John, Andrew and Julie and we look forward to working with you all and getting ready for your official terms from May2010 to May2012. We also acknowledge their employers and staff and families who will be supporting them in their role as a board member (it really is a combined effort).

Other members expressed their interest in nominating this year, but after further information realised that they may need more background in finance or governance, or just learning more about the wide scope of work of the Association to become a more productive board member so that they might get the best out of their 2-year term on the board.  The ALIA Boardroom Bound program will continue and you can sign up for a board buddy.  Some potential board members have considered nominating for an ALIA Advisory Committee in the meantime.  We need quite a few more members to assist with these committees – nominations are being called again in the March edition of inCite, so keep a look out for that.

Advocacy will be a great focus for us at ALIA in 2010.  Over the past few weeks it has centred on the ISP filtering proposals and RC Classification and the ACMA blacklist.  Your case studies so far on examples of how library-related enquiries and research work can be inhibited by ISP filtering have been very useful for our submission – please continue to send your comments and responses to advocacy@alia.org.au by 10^th February so that we can finalise the submission by the due date.

Following on from the ALIA Public Libraries Summit we are also continuing on with the discussion around the social inclusion contribution that libraries make to society.  It’s sometimes interesting to see who reads blog posts – including comment from the Social Inclusion Minister these past few days (thanks Ursula for taking the time).  We are very much looking forward to working with DEEWR, the Social Inclusion Board and Senator Stephens’ office on continuing to place libraries at the centre of our community contributions in this area.  Her comments on literacy and reading and the national agenda comes at a time when our third ALIA Summer Reading Club is coming to an end and the announcement of the book for National Simultaneous Storytime for 2010 is made.  ALIA members should feel proud of the contribution that these national reading campaigns contribute to the nation’s literacy agenda – and they are great fun too.  We hope you have enjoyed ‘Reading on the Wild Side’ and are now placing your order for ‘Little White Dogs Can’t Jump’ and putting the date of 26 May 2010 into the diary to organise a reading session in your library – no matter what type it might be.  The importance of reading and literacy, and how literate citizens improve our society, can be highlighted by library staff everywhere.

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

http://www.everydayhero.com.au/event/lifeline_stress_down/top_ten

Ok, I will admit it - I wore the slippers at work today !  and we were one of the top-ten fundraising teams.     Stress Down Day 2008 was lots of fun.  Thanks also to one of the staff who braved wearing PJ’s !    ALIA National Office is in the throws of a few big things at the moment, membership renewals using a new system being just one - so abit of morning tea light relief, a massage and a good cup of coffee was welcomed.  It’s been great to talk to so many members renewing over the phone.  Continue to call us to chat on 1800 020071 and to pay via credit card etc.                                      

Sue Hutley,  ALIA Executive Director