ALIA Public Libraries Advisory Committee

The ALIA Public Libraries Advisory Committee advises the Board of Directors about matters relating to public libraries and is charged with delivering against the national vision and framework for public libraries.

In addition, it aims:

• To facilitate collaboration in the public library sector
• To increase awareness of and participation in ALIA services and activities by public library institutional members
• To increase the membership of ALIA from the public library sector (both institutional and personal membership)

Major achievements in 2010 have been to produce National Standards and Guidelines for public libraries and a National Vision and Framework which will guide the work of the Public Libraries Advisory Committee.

ALIA National Standards and Guidelines for Public Libraries

The Standards and Guidelines for Australian Public Libraries were launched on 1 April 2011. Download the Standards and Guidelines here.

ALIA National Vision and Framework for Public Libraries

The National Vision and Framework for Public Libraries is now available to download. It is in three parts:

Document 1: Strategic overview
Document 2: Workplan for the library sector
Document 3: Executive summary
There is also a summary of the project.

ALIA PLAC Working Groups

Out of the National Vision and Framework for Public Libraries came a workplan for PLAC which required the development of two working groups, one for Innovation, the other for Community Engagement.

The Innovation Working Group comprises Karen Ward-Smith (VIC - Chair), Vanessa Little (ACT), Robert McEntyre (NSW-M) and Janice Nitschke (SA). Its purpose has been defined as:

• To find a way of sharing ideas, information and best practice/next practice between public library managers in Australia, supporting creativity and forward-thinking, while reducing duplication
• Provide library managers with case studies/evidence of activities in other libraries around Australia and internationally to support budget submissions for new buildings, programs and services, increased staffing, etc
• Contribute to the Business Planning Framework
• Position libraries to enter awards for excellence both within and, importantly, outside the library sector, taking advantage of national opportunities for recognition eg local government awards

You can download the Innovation Working Group workplan for 2011 here.

The Innovation Working Group is always looking for case studies of best practice in Australian public libraries. Download a case study entry form here. View Best Practice Case Studies.

View a list of state-based and national awards which your organisation may be eligible to enter.

The Community Engagement Working Group comprises Kathryn Cass (NSW-M), John Murrell (VIC), Jan Richards (NSW-C) and Graham Smith (NSW-C). At its first teleconference, the participants agreed that, while many public libraries in Australia have recognised the need to look outside the core library user group to identify and engage with non-library users and non-library members, a significant proportion would benefit from a community engagement toolkit, including:

• Introduction to the practice of community engagement and the benefits for public libraries, especially in relation to government funding
• Methodologies and tools for profiling communities - where to find the latest demographic data; sample surveys, etc
• Ways of reaching out to new groups
• How to identify and tackle barriers to use
• Examples of successful programs, events and services
• Potential for a community engagement benchmark to be included in the next iteration of the National Standards

The group agreed that a great deal of material already exists, both in Australia and internationally, and this could form the basis for a toolkit. However, the progress of the Community Engagement Working Group in 2011 is dependent on funding.

ALIA Public Libraries Summit

The ALIA Public Libraries Summit was held on 16 July 2009 in Canberra. The purpose of the Summit was to demonstrate the many ways public libraries play a central and valued role in strengthening communities, developing people and achieving social inclusion. http://www.alia.org.au/summit09

ALIA and public libraries

Public libraries play a central and valued role in strengthening communities, developing people and achieving social inclusion. ALIA undertakes strategic activities for the public library sector and provides many services that are of particular interest and benefit to public libraries and to the library professionals who work in them.

Read about ALIA's activities and services for public libraries.