The ALIA National Advisory Congress 2005

ALIA NAC 2005 Townsville report

1. Roll attendees

To come.

2. Selected representative to attend Canberra NAC

Name: Claire Swift.

3. Celebrating success

Thuringowa Library Service - Queensland Public Library of the Year 2005

Thuringowa Library Services was awarded the Queensland Public Library of the Year Award in April 2005 for its innovative range of programs and services. It has received several awards and grants. In 2004 it received a Commendation Award in DOTARS National Awards for Local Government (Information Services), for its digital.literacy@thuringowa.library project and a High Commendation Award from National Trust of Queensland for Old roads new roads (CD-ROM). It has provided leadership amongst public libraries through its development of innovative programs such as its weekly column in the Townsville bulletin on web searching techniques, through InfoInstruction, a web-based, interactive information literacy package (a first for a public library in Australia) and through making available LearningFast on its website, an online interactive suite of programs providing instruction in the use of basic Microsoft programs. It is currently providing leadership in Thuringowa Council working as a catalyst and as key player in the development Thuringowa as a learning community.

Judges of the award commented on the alignment of the library strategic plan with the council's corporate and operational plans and 'demonstrated equity in their provision of services to the community [with] the employment of a indigenous library resources officer; the range of targeted learning programs; partnerships/collaborations with the Smith Family, local schools, national library etc; and innovations ... It is also important to note TLS is looking a long way ahead by the development and implementation of its strategic plan, five year plan and marketing plan'. One judge commented that the employment of a consultant to plan for the future 'shows a strategic thrust evidenced in its strategic and management plans ...The range of services offered to a diverse range of clients are well documented and display creativity.'

Bronia Renison
Bronia Renison, health sciences librarian at the Townsville Health Library won the 2005 Queensland Library Achiever of the Year Award. Bronia feels that this event has received enough publicity.

4. ALIA stars program

Suzie Davies
Suzie Davies, library manager, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) is the current chair of the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) group of experts on marine information management. This group is a team of marine librarians selected to form an international network to develop marine libraries and information services around the globe.

Kirwan High School and Thuringowa Library Service
Two students from Kirwan High School have completed a school-based traineeship in Certificate II in Library Services. The students received strong support from the school library and the Thuringowa Library Service. For the students, the staff of Kirwan SHS's library, and the staff of Thuringowa Library, the traineeship has been a huge success and has benefited all parties involved.

Local publicity of stars and other events: unable to rely on the Townsville bulletin to report events, even when the paper is given advance notice and supplied with information. Suggested plan of staggered media releases @ your library.

5. Election of directors

• It is understood that the changes will reduce the power of the NAC.
• It is often difficult to vote, as all candidates are unknown to general members.
• Since the demise of ACLIS, large institutions have only one vote. ALIA is heavily dependent upon the goodwill of institutions.
• It is suggested that the Board has one person who is elected only by institutions.

6. Workforce planning and education

• There is no library school outside a capital city, so the regions are totally dependent on library schools that offer a distance education course. In the interests of equity, ALIA's role must be to ensure that people in the regions:
  
  1. have access to distance education
  2. have a choice of distance education courses
  3. that the schools are attuned to the needs of regional/remote students
  It is understood that ALIA may only recognise, not accredit, courses. ALIA should undertake a watchdog role.
  
  
• It is of great concern that some areas of specialisation will be lost eg cataloguing, archiving, children's literature. A currently enrolled student said that in her course, some basic tools are electives but in her view, they should be compulsory.
  
  
• ALIA must protect core skills - students must be aware of theory and principles. Students best learn skills in the workplace - this is a problem in workplaces that outsource core functions.
  
  
• Quality issues are also a concern.
  
  
• Higher degrees and research: increasingly, employers expect a masters qualification. Research funds are available but ALIA needs to promote this, as nominations are few.
  
  
• Mentoring
  
  1. there is scepticism about present schemes; mentoring relationships work best when they are spontaneous, and the parties are compatible
  2. the best predictor of a successful mentoring relationship is regular meetings (formal or informal)
  3. the director of a large library is well qualified to advise on suitable career paths

7. Questions

• Does ALIA see its responsibility to redress the inequity in continuing professional development outside the capital cities? The regions see themselves as the increasingly education poor. eg the copyright council no longer sends an officer to North Queensland to advise on recent developments. Consider the scenario of library workers saying 'I won't join ALIA because there's nothing in it for me'. The predictable result will be zero ALIA members in the regions.
  Travel subsidies are suggested as a partial solution.
  
  
• The pay equity determination in NSW:
  
  1. Did any job losses follow the increased salaries from the determination?
  2. Is there any progress towards a flow-on to Queensland?
  3. When can Phil Teece visit North Queensland? Visit now arranged for March 2006.

8. Evaluation

The originals of the completed evaluation forms were collected by Ann Ritchie.

9. Any other comments from the meeting?

• To consider an exchange of stars and new graduates.
• To consider an annual symposium, with a local focus (see Darwin model) but with one imported guest speaker.

Are we informed and inspired? Yes, thank you.

Are we planning innovations? Yes!