Announcements @ ALIA #libday6
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