ALIA Board Blog

Today was a big day - with lots of ALIA announcements all in one day!

No. 1 - The Australian Government through the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) has announced funding of $1 million for the purchase of playback devices for public libraries around the country. This funding also covers the costs of acquisition, distribution, training of library staff and evaluation of the program.  This initiative is the ‛Local Government Increasing Accessibility Library Initiative’ (Library Initiative). The Australian Library and Information Association Ltd (ALIA) has been selected to deliver the Library Initiative.  The Library Initiative aims to improve access for people with print disability to print material in a digital format through public libraries around the country.

This initiative has been nearly a year ‘in the making’ and we are looking forward to working with FaHCSIA and Australian public libraries on this important project.  Our Chief Operating Officer, Rob Miller is co-ordinating the project at this time.  We are keeping our ALIA Public Library Advisory Committee colleagues informed as we go along.  More on the aliaPublic e-list soon, and in aliaNEWS and inCite of course. 

No. 2 - We announced a new ALIA service today - an LIS eBook package for members.  Professional reading is so important for us all, but sometimes our institutions may not have a focus on LIS material, or you may be in a small library service with limited budgets.  This new package goes well with our Proquest LIS Journal package for members.  Now there will be no excuse for not being able to say that you are “well read” on a library topic of your choice.  Not an ALIA Member?  Then now is the time to join to have access to this resource!

No.3 - We announced a key staffing appointment - Our next Education Manager will be Lisa Strickland.  Our accreditation of courses, collaboration with educators and employers and liaison with other peak bodies, like our Industry Skills Council IBSA is a key part of our business.  Even though Lisa has been my Executive Support Officer for awhile, she brought with her many other talents, skills and a background in higher education, and the public and private sectors.  It’s great to see people come into your organisation that can then take on more senior roles.  While I will be looking for a new ESO soon, at least Lisa’s skills will be retained by ALIA in a different role.  Congrats Lisa.

Today we also held a staff farewell morning tea for Robyn Ellard, our Director, Member Services.  Robyn has been with ALIA National Office for 4 1/2 years and during these years has managed our groups, membership, publishing, events and Local Liaison Officer (now our State Managers) teams.  She has spoken with so many members, answered so many of your enquiries, supported the Board and lots of committees, represented the Association at many meetings, functions and activities and has been a familiar face at conferences and events. We wish her all the very best for her new life in Melbourne. 

Another Blue Shield Australia meeting via teleconference today, with lots more interaction and discussion and collaboration between the archives/museums/galleries/library sectors on disaster recovery and ways we can support our members and the community.  The BSA website is gathering consolidated data which will be available next week on affected institutions and sites. 

Tonight, a special treat, with a Skype call with Annie Mauger, Chief Executive of CILIP.  You must have heard that it is proposed to close nearly 400 public libraries in the UK, and it was announced this week that 5th February will be Save Libraries Day.  It is Advocacy in full swing, with each group playing a different role for the combined effort (what Advocacy is all about).  I really like the   What you can do in two minutes, five minutes, thirty minutes idea here.  And the amazingly comprehensive Campaigning Toolkit.  (If Australian Governments ever attempted such an amass of library closures, heaven help them)  If you are a tweeter or blogger then 5th February 2011 is an opportunity for you, no matter where you are in the world, so show that you support UK Libraries and libraries everywhere by telling others about #savelibraries.

Tonight also finished at home with excited talkative girls for a sleepover, special cake, and packing planning for the ALIA Information Online Conference next week in Sydney.

Over to the other side of the world for the next part of today for #libday6 ….

Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director    LibraryDayintheLife

http://www.twitter.com/alianational

Today was a day of project and partnership discussions.  Sue McKerracher, our National Year of Reading project manager (and all-round amazing woman) visited us at ALIA House for meetings to further along NYR2012.   Speaking of ALIA House - it has been our home for more than 20 years now.  We have four other corporate tenants and it contributes to our income each year.  Part of the job of the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer is the maintenance of our building, being ALIA’s most significant asset.  So some days I count Real Estate Manager and tenant management as part of my job description.

Many ALIA Members would know Sue M, as she conducted our Every Member an Advocate workshops around the country in 2010 and supported our Public Libraries Advisory Committee last year as well.  There are also other excellent advocacy tools available on the ALIA website.  Let us know what you think of them by emailing comments to advocacy@alia.org.au

We also met with the Canberra Centenary team today, to discuss project ideas for us to work together on for the National Year of Reading.  Their big year will be 2013, and we hope to partner on a number of projects in the lead up to that year.  Also,  I learnt about a new thing today - what a Diaspora is all about (it’s not a term that I have come across).  Check out http://www.canberradiaspora.com.au/ If Canberra has been a part of your life, you will be asked to contribute your story.

The National Year of Reading is for everyone - all libraries are encouraged to get involved - and we also have some significant partners on board.  If you haven’t yet learnt how to do the “Love to Read” symbol - try it out at your next staff meeting ! To see the videos go to the NYR Facebook page.

I also spoke to and emailed quite a number of other Australian Library Associations colleagues today.  Talking about how we can work together, reduce duplication and get meaningful projects off the ground.  Also discussions with our sectoral Advisory Committees, including the TAFE Libraries Advisory Committee who are planning some great resources and research this year for that sector.

There are many large projects that we run simultaneously at ALIA with the contribution and teamwork of  ALIA Staff, the Board, our contractors (like our Professional Conference Organising company), sponsors and vendors, and our many wonderful volunteer members.    Just a few include our Conferences, Campaigns and other special grant programs (with one past example being Human Libraries Australia of which funding has concluded).

My evening finished at home with the new ratbag cat bringing a cute mouse into the house to play with.  At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what library day job you have, you still only exist to serve the cat of the household :-)  You have to have some perspective!

Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director

I have been meaning to blog - really, truly - but I’ve sort of got out of the habit.  I have to say that 2011 has started off so unexpectedly for so many Australians that we have all been abit distracted. I hope to use committing to #libday6 (website here, facebook here, twitter here) to put together a few summaries of some of the things ALIA is doing at the moment, abit of what my ‘day job’ is like, reflections on what I do as Executive Director of the national peak body for libraries in Oz, and why I am *still* a librarian even though it is not my current job title!

I have been watching Library Day in the Life since it’s inception and for the past week have been musing - ‘will I, or won’t I’.  Looking at this next week there is alot on as usual, so I hope my late night writings can do it justice. 

So how was today?  Sometimes I feel abit like that Gary Larson cartoon of always being on the phone  (On the way to work in the car handsfree, at the Office and on the mobile wherever I am)  I had the usual wide range of phone calls today, mostly relating to Disaster Recovery with our Queensland and Victorian colleagues.  If you have not been near the TV lately, a great proportion of Australia has been under water with devastating floods, and we will be recovering for quite awhile.  ALIA has been involved with Blue Shield Australia since 2005 and we undertook an extensive library disaster recovery projects in 2009/10 following the Victorian Bushfires. Check out the current links and resources on the ALIA website.   Our first Disaster Recovery Project Manager, Jane Grace recorded her story of being a librarian in the middle of a major natural disaster.  My calls today and over the past few weeks to people in Ipswich, Toowomba and Brisbane indicate that similar stories of library contributions to their communities are happening again - storytelling at recovery centres, co-ordination of assistance, support, and a safe place to be in the craziness of what else is happening.  We have been starting to get reports and photos in from Victorian library colleagues as well.  Our best wishes to them as the waters finally start to receed.

I also caught up with ALIA President, Graham Black, (Leader of our Board of Directors) on the phone as he is now back in Rockhampton, to have some time to update him on a few things and chat about our itinerary for next week - our biggest conference ALIA Information Online.  Looking at all the meetings, functions and activities we need to be involved in next week, I am glad I have been keeping fit.  It’s a full week, non-stop, but we are all looking forward to seeing so many members in Sydney very soon.

My Publishing Manager and I talked through the ALIA Annual Report that we are starting to write for the 2010 calendar year.  It’s very much a combined effort. 

Part of my job is to connect our profession across the sectors (TAFE, University, School, Public and Special Libraries), and disasters prove that all library sectors face similar issues.  I hope that I can connect more of us together at times like this, to learn from past experience and to create opportunities for us to provide effective (useful) recovery projects for libraries and library staff.  We have around 50 library associations and organisations in Australia and ALIA connects and works with many of them when combined effort is needed.  Tonight I am working on proposals for us to combine efforts, collaborate and connect for what will be the next phase of ALIA’s Disaster Recovery Projects.

Many of you would know your Library Association’s Executive Director or CEO - our job is wide ranging, always full of variety, a privilege and very rewarding.  This week I will probably only talk about a snapshot of all that we might deal with in any one day.

Lets see what interesting things are on the agenda for tomorrow for the next #libday6….

Sue Hutley,  ALIA Executive Director  sue.hutley@alia.org.au

librarydayinthelife

Our right to access information is front and centre today courtesy of WikiLeaks. 

Not so long ago, in my day job, I had to defend that very same right.  It’s one that is absolutely core to our professional values.  For me it was also quite a public affair played out in the main stream media – newspapers, talkback radio and television (although clearly not on the same scale) .  Social media was also in full swing with blogs and tweets flying around the country and globally.  Some powerful lobby groups and politicians had firm views on the matter and didn’t hesitate to express them.   

It reinforced for me what a precarious path we walk in ensuring free and uncensored information for our communities. 

Opposition to free and uncensored information came, at the time, from some unlikely sources. But then, perhaps I really shouldn’t have been so surprised to see that some of the greatest opponents were those I had assumed would normally be in support of one of our core values.  They weren’t in this particular instance, because the information didn’t suit them. It was abundently clear that the most important consideration in the debate was promotion of a particular position, not the right for people to have access to alternate views and ideas and for the community and individuals to make up their own minds.

Whilst my own experience is nothing compared to that of Julian Assange, I can’t help but draw parallels.  Calls to suppress information are usually underpinned by an argument that the information presents a danger to society or to individuals and therefore those who think they know best argue it should be suppressed.  The debate about right to the information and allowing individuals to come to their own conclusions becomes overwhelmed by the argument about the dangers to society.  The person seen to be upholding the right of freedom of access is often the target of some quite personal and vitriolic attacks, usually from those who are challenged or perhaps embarrased by the infromation itself.  As is often the case, the defence of this right often has a very high personal cost.  

The lesson I learnt from my own experience is that both as a profession and as individuals we must remain vigilant and ready to defend this core value.  Is it worth the cost we will sometimes have to pay - yes absolutely!  Whilst information has perhaps never been more freely available, increasingly there are those who seek to control and censor that information – governments, politicians, special interest groups and individuals.   There has never been a more important time for us as a profession to stand up for our core professional values.  

ALIA’s position on this matter is clear and as professionals we need to stand tall in the face of opposition.  At the time, I found it useful to point to the statements of our professional values on the ALIA website.    http://www.alia.org.au/policies/free.access.html

For me there was one shining moment during my recent experience – a talk back radio session on whether listeners thought (public) libraries had a role as a place in which discussion and debate on sometimes controversial issues should take place. The response was an overwhelming yes!   

Thankfully, I sense the same community support for our right to freedom of information emerging now. 

Margaret Allen

Vice President

It’s thankfully only a few days to the election and I have been reflecting on the last few weeks of campaign promises, squabbles about debates and town hall meetings, and the inevitable bidding war comprising various programs and payments intended to win our vote.

On Monday night, I heard the first mention of Arts Policy and it wasn’t from the mouth of a politician.  Perhaps I missed something in the all the interviews, debates and media reporting but I’ve heard absolutely nothing about the arts from those who want to lead our nation.  The first mention came from a male, 20 something who posed a question about support for the arts via an internet question to Tony Abbott during the ABC’s Q & A program on Monday evening.

Arts policy IS important to our profession – it’s most often the policy area at both the federal and state area that includes publicly accessible library services.  The National Library is the only federally funded publicly accessible library with the vital role of collecting, preserving and making accessible Australia’s documentary heritage.   

If you check the Arts policy for the three main parties, only one makes any reference to the importance of our national collecting institutions and has a policy of safeguarding and prioritising funding for them. 

One of the ALIAs election lobbying issues was support for the development of a national digitisation strategy to make available the rich and unique collections from

A national digitisation strategy, appropriately funded, is critical.  We know that in Europe and other parts of the world, hundreds of millions of dollars are being invested in digitisation so that local stories can be told.  These materials are being used for research and repurposed through all sorts of creative endevours that we can’t even begin to imagine.

Without digitisation of our rich and unique collections where will the Australian voice on the internet come from?  Will our collections remain locked away in storage, only available to those who can travel to access them? 

Why is it politicians at all levels don’t see this as important to our identity as a nation?  Why did recent advertising around the NBN boast that Australian children would be able to access cultural collections from overseas?   Does this mean our our own stories and collections and inferior or not so important?

ALIA works to raise these and other important matters with our politicians, but we need more individual voices advocating for what we believe to be important.  The ALIA election advocacy material can be easily translated to a state and local government context to continue the lobbying – there is almost always an election somewhere.  Regardless of the outcome on Saturday and the lack of policy position from the major parties, remember the next federal election is only about 3 years away – so lets keep our voices strong.

Margaret Allen

Vice President    

This weekend, Bill Shorten MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services announced    ” An additional $1 million will be provided for digital playback devices and improved access to digital content in public libraries around the country to increase the accessibility of print material, such as books and newspapers, for people with vision and physical impairments and learning disabilities that have difficulty reading traditional printed materials. ”

While ALIA welcomes this funding announcement, this is only minimal additional funding for this type of resourcing.  ALIA National Office undertook significant proposal work during 2010 to advise FACHSIA of options for support for disability services in Australian public libraries. We will work with the Government following the election to implement this program efficiently.  We await the Liberal Party indication of continuing support for this and other library-related funding if they are successful in winning the election.

  Public Libraries already provide a range of services and support for Australians with print disabilities.  Vision Australia also provides services and resources http://visionaustralia.org/ (and see also their Election 2010 alternative format materials) as do many other types of libraries.  It is important that all Australians learn to Love to Read - http://www.love2read.org.au and have equal access to information in a range of ways.

ALIA and it’s members will use our voice (and our votes) to demonstrate why libraries are important.   We call on all political parties to announce their funding support for libraries and to give recognition of the role that libraries play in ensuring a strong future for our economy, society and democracy.

Our election materials are available at http://www.alia.org.au/election2010  and key questions on library election topics and funding have been sent to each political party for responses.

Libraries are at the heart and centre of so many Australian communities, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, businesses, government and other workplaces -
href=”http://www.alia.org.au/australianlibraries”
>http://www.alia.org.au/australianlibraries

Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director

Being a part of your national professional assocation in an election year has it’s advantages.  Lobbying and Advocacy has been the focus of the National Office Staff  and the Board representing all members (and remember it was the topic of the ALIA National Advisory Congress meetings last year).     But now that the Federal Election has been called - it’s also up to you.  Your power as a voter in the election is undeniable - it’s time to get involved.

ALIA has developed an election advocacy campaign kit  with topics, tips and templates.  It’s easy, and yes, even one more letter and a visit to your local MP’s office can move an issue forward.   Each time I look at the Campaign Kit I think,   oh we should have added that, or included that point, or changed that…  but then I realised that there are more than 6000 versions of the kit - one for each of our members who is an advocate.  Make the kit into your own version.  Use it as a base for talking to your local member about library issues that you are passionate about - but there will be others that might not be specifically listed.  Use the templates and change them accordingly.  But use your voice, and that of the Association (as a Member) during this short election campaign period.  In an ALIA teleconference today it was also suggested that other friends and colleagues might be interested in it (e.g. parents who can lobby for school libraries)

ALIA has sent a set of questions to each political party, requesting a response as soon as possible, on the big issues like digitisation, library funding, improving literacy, internet filtering and school libraries.  Look out for the responses soon on the website at http://www.alia.org.au/election2010

You can connect with even more ‘real time’ comments and updates on our twitter  http://www.twitter.com/alianational (follow us today) 

however sometimes 140 characters cannot explain it all,  so take a look through the extensive information and links at http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy  or email your questions to  advocacy@alia.org.au

Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director

Well, it’s nearly a year to the day since the idea of a National Year of Reading was talked about at the ALIA Public Libraries Summit.      At that event, there was a consensus in the room that it was something libraries needed to do, not only to help tackle Australia’s poor literacy performance, but also to show government that public libraries and library associations across Australia could truly unite behind a national priority and make a significant difference. As a result, eleven founding partners, including ALIA, have got together to produce the National Year of Reading 2012.  We’re pleased to be working with Public Libraries Australia; ACT Library and Information Service; five state-based public library associations in New South Wales (Country), South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia, and the State Libraries of the Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania, and Western Australia. 

This campaign gives libraries the opportunity to be the lead agency in a high-profile, national initiative which can help improve the lives of thousands of Australians.  Astonishingly, 46% of Australians lack the prose literacy skills required for normal everyday life and work.  Things like reading a recipe, the instructions on a medicine bottle, a newspaper, or job description are beyond them. (have you seen the flyer on the front inside page of this month’s inCite magazine?)

You can find out all about the National Year of Reading on the newly-launched website at www.love2read.org.au.  This is the start of a very busy 18 months.  It sounds a long lead-in, but the time to plan is actually quite short.  At ALIA, we’ve already started thinking about what we’ll be doing for our members during 2012.  

There will be some major national programs, but there is also the opportunity to create your own local initiatives.  We’d love to hear what you’d like us to do in 2012 and about your ideas for your own projects.  Send your thoughts to advocacy@alia.org.au

You can also use the #Love2Read hashtag to tweet about your creative ideas and suggestions.

Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director

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

The ALIA Every Member an Advocate national roadshow kicked off last week with workshops held in Darwin. Northern Territorians gathered at the Charles Darwin University library to hear Sue McKerracher present ALIA’s recommended approach to advocacy and lobbying and workshoped with participants on their local issues and individual library needs. The reason for the Every Member an Advocate workshops is that we all need to advocate on behalf of our own libraries and the profession.  At a national level, ALIA lobbies the federal government on a number of issues, working with the DEEWR (School Libraries, VET & PPP), Social Inclusion (Public Libraries), DBCDE (Broadband and Cybersafety), FAHCSIA (Access and Disability) and DEWHA (Libraries, the arts and literacy) and Innovation (BISG) on specific issues and programs or involved in Inquiries or Groups reporting to government.  http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy

Last week was also the launch of the Safer Internet Group’s website http://www.saferinternetgroup.org

ALIA is also there to lobby on behalf of libraries where a local team is unable to do so because of the constraints of their position.  There have again been recent reports of many restructures and industrial relations issues in public libraries around Australia.  Members are encouraged to contact us by email with your initial request for assistance regarding such matters or phone the MembersLine 1800 020071.

The workshops show just how easy it can be for everyone to become an effective advocate, without having to step too far outside their own comfort zone.  It’s such an important skill to have, we have made the advocacy workshops free for ALIA members, Please make the time and be a part of these events when they are held in your state or territory.   The feedback from the Darwin workshops has been positive with 26 people sharpening their advocacy skill-set - now there’s just a few more thousand to go!

Dates and locations for the workshops are on the ALIA PD calendar – visit http://www.alia.org.au/education/pd/pd.services/training.calendar.html 

Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director