3 Days and counting!
Well, only three days to go until the Public Libraries Summit and we have a fantastic line-up of guests, including top level representatives from state/territory and federal government departments. We have reached our target of 50 politicians, advisers and senior members of the library world, and there are still a few more organisations who have yet to put a name to the ticket, but have said they are keen to reserve a place.
I have to say a big thank you to Senator Ursula Stephens’ office for all their help and advice in the run up to the event. And we’re all looking forward to the Senator’s opening address. As Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, who better to set the scene for the day?
Jan Fullerton and her team at the National Library have also been incredibly helpful; the submissions on a range of subjects from early literacy through to services for the aging population, have been invaluable in shaping the program and providing advance information for delegates, and of course everyone at ALIA House has been run off their feet in the last week, putting together Summit papers and handling all those last minute arrangements.
So much effort, so much preparation, and such big hopes for the outcome of Thursday’s Summit. Of course, we have grand, over-arching ideas, but at the very least, we want those politicians to walk out of that room having learnt something positive about public libraries, having considered how they might fit with their agenda, and having thought “we can work with these people”. If we achieve that, we have been successful in starting up the kind of conversation we need to have with government at all levels - and that’s what this Summit is all about.
Fingers crossed
Jan Richards
ALIA President