home > governance > nac > 2006 > reports > ALIA NAC Hobart regional meeting report 2006

The ALIA National Advisory Congress 2006

ALIA NAC Darwin regional meeting report 2006

Julie Adams, Sarah White, Linda Marchesani, Ann Ritchie, Liam Casey, Stephen Barnett, Anastasia Covan, Dianne Glasson, Robin hempel, Sue Chilman.

Apologies
Alex Kermakers, Ruth Quinn, Jayshree Mamtora, Leonie Whiting.

Name: Linda Marchesani

Visit by President of ALIA to Darwin in June 2006.
During her two days in Darwin Dagmar visited eleven Libraries, attended a cocktail party and held three meetings for the Top End Library community. The visit was seen as very successful as the events attracted many members who do not usually attend ALIA meetings, plus many non-members also attended.
Vitels 'My Brilliant Career' panel discussion.
LIW saw a panel of 'very important Top End library' managers discuss how they started in Libraries, their experiences, both good and bad, how the profession had developed during their careers and how they saw the future. It was a very interesting discussion and the meeting (including a visit to the new Palmerston City Library) attracted a large group of members.
Liber8on
The first Top End Education Formum was held in August 2006.

Achievements & actions in 2005 & 2006

Membership
- Problem of cost of membership when paid in one go. Should promote availability of paying in instalments.
- Member Advantages - not seen to have a lot of relevance to NT.
- Instead of going straight from students rate to employed members rate have a 2 year period where the membership fee increases slowly so that it's not such a sharp rise when there are lots of other increased expenses.
Conferences
- ALIA could play a much stronger role in the promotion and running of the conferences.

Membership recruitment and retention
- Need to survey non members in a serious way to find out why they are not members,
- LLO's could personally go to Libraries and speak to all staff about membership of ALIA and its benefits, plus hand out membership packs.
Support for membership recruitment and retention.
- Have a 'spotters fee', ie some sort of recognition for recommending new members - perhaps a discount on membership for the person who encourages others to join or bottle of wine? On membership form indicate who referred the new member to join.
ALIA services or activities you value most.
- Top End Symposium,
- Advocacy - issues that really affect our Professional lives.

Other points raised:

ALIA personal (eg President ect) need to wear badges clearly identifying them as ALIA,
Need 'branding' of ALIA. Each State & Territory need a pull up banner, with compliments forms etc so that it is easy to see at any event that it is an ALIA event.
Does ALIA do anything for Library Assistants such as networking, professional development? It is a group that could be targeted.

Communicating activities and contributions of groups?
- Teleconference for group convenors - needs to be at least 3 per year, have only had one so far this year, need to be more regular.
Increase participation of members in groups.
- Online meetings in chat room during lunchtimes at work on ALIA website for different groups on a regular basis.
Assisting group office bearers in their roles?
- Group Support Officer very useful,
- ALIA needs to approach other Institutions or other Associations to share support/office space/PC ect (eg Computer Society.)

Increasing participation in PD scheme.
- When members renew their membership they should be sent out PD registration/information.
- At a local level have a get-together a few times a year where everyone sits down with their information and register online together.
- How much of our PD scheme is aimed at Library Assistants? Could it be a way to attract Library Assistants as members of ALIA.
- Needs to be a higher employer recognition of the ALIA PD scheme - would help increase membership.
- ALIA members enrolled in PD scheme should get discounts at Conferences.

Communicate to members the Board's role in governance.
- Regular articles in Incite.
Changes to Board Structure.
1. The group could not come to a consensus about the term for the President. The majority felt that it would be better to retain the status quo where the Vice President becomes the President thereby practically having a two year term. Those that agreed to the 2 year term did so with the proviso that the President was not Vice President. The majority did not agree with everyone being elected in a single election.
2. The majority agreed that the President and Vice President should be elected as individual positions separately.
3. The Group did not want the Executive Director to become a voting member.
4. Agreed that the Board could co-opt individuals to fill additional positions. The suggestion was put that criteria for being on board could include financial &/or legal experience.
5. Yes.
6. N/A

Communicate the Board's role in financial health of Association?
- Ensure members know that the information is in the Annual report.
- Need articles in Incite informing members of what Directors have done. Increase Directors visibility.

Money from the Top End Symposium needs to be put back into Professional Development in the Top End rather than just absorbed into general revenue.
ALIA needs to be investing in the Regional areas - PowerSearching was postponed earlier this year even though Darwin had high registrations, now there is a new itinerary and Darwin is not on list.
Library and Information Week - unclear as to what ALIA's role is. ALIA National should be providing TV ads with high profile people (eg Bryan Brown ect) doing a quick grab for Libraries.
Lack of participation at a local level by the Directors of NT Library, Darwin City Council Libraries etc.

back