Australian Capital Territory

1. Roll of nominated group representatives

ACTive ALIA Helen Roberts
URLS Michael Evans
TAFE National Group and ALIA InfoLit Helena Zobec
ACT Library Technicians Beth Clary
CYS ACT and Southern NSW-Riverina Judy Brooker
APSIG Jeanette Regan

Observers Ian McCallum, Sherrey Quinn, Ian Johnston, Georgina Dale

2. Election of one delegate to attend Canberra NPC

Jeanette Regan

3. Celebrating success

ALIA Information Literacy Forum
Advocacy kit - A library advocate's guide to building information literate communities. The group sought and received permission from the American Library Association to adapt its kit to Australia. This work was undertaken by a sub-group of the committee and was completed for a launch during Library and Information Week. The launch was attended by about thirty people and held at the Bayside City Library Brighton Branch. Support for the launch came from Adult Learning Australia (see below). Subsequently the kit has been made available on the ALIA website. An article about the kit and launch appeared in inCite in June. The value of the kit is that it provides key arguments, facts and ways to advocate for information literacy programs and libraries, covering all types of libraries.
Interim National Information Literacy Coalition We are partnering with Adult Learning Australia (ALA) this year to support them in their theme of literacy particularly for Adult Learners' Week. As this is the United Nations Decade of Literacy we both agreed to highlight this. As a result information literacy was the theme of Library and Information Week and a range of activities was undertaken by a number of libraries. We are currently working with the Global Learning Centre, Hume, and Adult Learning Australia on one of the Great Literacy Debates, that ALA is promoting during the week.

ALIA TAFE National Section
The ALIA TAFE Group is working with the National Working Group for TAFE Library Services (NWGTLS) to collate TAFE Library statistics and work towards developing performance indicators for the sector. TAFE Libraries have now been included in the revised edition of the National Information Literacy Standards through the input form the two major TAFE Library groups mentioned above. TAFE Libraries nationally participated in a National Consortia Purchasing Project funded by ANTA. Results of that project have been published and recommendations are now being discussed amongst TAFE libraries to identify the preferred way to proceed.

During the meeting the group also nominated these success stories: inCite article on Iran (APSIG); Meeting on propaganda in wartime (APSIG); Meeting with speakers describing library experiences during the Canberra bushfires (ACTive ALIA); ACT government funding for a new public library at Kippax (advocacy support for proposed new location from ACTive ALIA and ALIA president).

4. Research exchange and partnership (REAP) initiative

Research topics
Discussion of this topic was general, not specific. The group asked the NPC to consider the role of REAP in the context of the changing environment of tertiary education for librarianship/information science. To what extent does ALIA have stewardship of this area?

Researchers
Helena Zobec reported that ANZIL proposes to develop a compatible database to be linked to and from REAP, to cover formal and informal research.

5. Continuing professional development

a) What are the priorities?
The group discussed types of courses and general needs rather than specific subject content (see below)

b) What are the gaps between courses offered by brokered partnerships, ALIA conferences and ALIA Group CPD activities?
CPD opportunities for managers too senior to be Aurora participants, but not yet at Aurora mentor level. (Such courses are relevant in context of employer workplace planning/succession planning). ALIA should foster re-commitment opportunities for senior librarians. CPD credits for workplace, employer-sponsored courses. The group posed a question for the NPC: 'What are we doing to get an accurate view of training requirements across the profession?' (This group does not know the answer to this question.)

c) What types of workshops/seminars do members want to fill the above gaps?
Short focused courses, tied in with skills needs of employer (and recognised by employers); Top-up skills (refresher) courses; 'Immersion' courses (e.g., Aurora Leadership Institute)

6. Issues of critical importance

Promoting to industry the skills of librarians/library technicians which are relevant in non-library information environments. Increasing and maintaining membership. Encouraging and maintaining membership of ALIA among those librarians/library technicians who work outside libraries in information roles. 'How can we get these people back into the fold?' Convincing employers to value ALIA membership, so that they expect their recruits and employees to belong, and actively support and encourage membership of ALIA.

7. ALIA: Towards 2010 consultation draft

A snapshot of ALIA/ Sharing the vision/ Skilling members for the future/ Promoting innovation/ Communicating well
Presenting the Objects and Core Values up front is to be commended. Aims are defensive. How many of the bullet points can be counted or measured? Where are the criteria on which the Association is prepared to be assessed by its members? Are all these points of equal value? Priorities should be assigned. 2010 is too long a time frame. A rolling three-year plan would be more appropriate to our fast-changing environment. What feedback do we have on what has been achieved since last NPC? A succinct summary of successes and outcomes, in context, would be valuable. Three key questions to be asked: 'What are the objectives?'; 'What are the strategies for getting there?'; 'How successful have you been?'. Broader issues: Should 'universal access to a basic set of information services' be included in ALIA objectives? What is ALIA's role in facilitating strategies for broadening/diversifying the funding base for information services? 'What new sources of funding is it exploring?' (There is no explicit reference to the information economy in the NPC documents.)

8. Questions on notice

What has happened to the money handed over by groups? Where is the transparency in this process?

How can people who have 'Registration' qualifications but no other formal professional qualifications become professional members of ALIA? (Note: This specifically relates to those with 'Registration' qualifications who let their membership lapse in the past. Suggestion from the group was that these individuals should make their own submissions to ALIA concerning re-admission to professional membership status and that the Board consider these on a 'case-by-case' basis.)

What arrangements can be made to provide funds for Groups so that they can pay for dinner (or similar function) for guests who are being honoured, or who are invited speakers at that dinner/function?

How are international issues being handled? (Note: APSIG is doing a good job, but it covers only a particular geographic area)

Any other comments from the meeting?
The NPC appears to be inward-looking - is the balance of issues it explores the correct balance? On the Agenda: Delegates expressed the view that five minutes is too short a time to present a success story (given the logistics of changing over speakers etc, they won't actually get five minutes). How is the Association becoming more 'porous' or transparent to its members as a result of the NPC? Could we have some news of the achievements of the 'New Generation' group, please?

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