ACTive ALIA

proACTive

Number 231: February 2003

ACTive ALIA convenor's column

Dear Colleagues

I am writing this editorial (in place of Helen Roberts, who is enjoying a well-earned break) for ALIA ACT members under rather different - and difficult - circumstances. Instead of blithely typing it on a computer to send to our wonderful editor Peter Judge, I am writing it by torchlight in my power-cut home in Kambah, amongst the smoky fumes of Canberra's worst bushfires.

In circumstances such as these, a reflection on the past year on libraries in the ACT and our challenges in 2003 may seem of lesser weight. Our future however, is just as fragile as the landscape which is now in flames around Canberra. In some ways we can draw a parallel between what is happening right now to our environment and what we are seeing in the information landscape, which has changed so radically in the past 5 years - with small bushfires such as outsourcing breaking out, and a swathe of digital fire pushing us forward, we hope, to a new and fertile future. Over the past year ACT libraries have continued to experience significant changes. Some of these have been:

• new approaches to digital services focused on managing digital resources better (remember the ACTive ALIA workshop run in Wagga), providing new skills (information literacy - there was an excellent URLs evening) and new methods to provide services (virtual reference, another URLs theme);
• management and change issues have been all embracing. The outsourcing of the Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Development Library to Australia Post is an example that has led to much constructive reflection on library structure and services;
• copyright has remained an extremely important issue, with ACTive ALIA discussions providing a very important lead-up to the review of the digital copyright amendments, very ably led by Helen Roberts, our convenor and member of the ALIA Copyright Committee.

The future year is likely to offer continuing developments in these areas, with additional challenges in providing services and maintaining collections in a time of very significant budget pressures.

On behalf of the executive of ACTive ALIA I would like to thank you for your ongoing support and encourage you to participate in your professional association in 2003.

To start this year on a high note there are some very special announcements:

• Congratulations to Vic Elliott on his appointment to the ANU position in charge of library services. Vic has an extensive career in academic libraries and we will all welcome him to his new home of Canberra.
• Congratulations to Merilee Pigram on her appointment to head ACT Library and Information Services. Merilee has made an outstanding contribution to ACT public libraries and will provide great leadership.
• A special thanks to Helen Roberts for convening ACTive ALIA for the past two years with enthusiasm, passion and a wonderful ability to work with us all.

Roxanne Missingham

PS to convenor's report
As this issue is late to press because of the fires and subsequent loss of power, I can add a brief note to Roxanne's excellent piece. I was in New York visiting one of my daughters but followed the reports of the fires with great concern, particularly after a middle-of-the: night call asking me what should be evacuated from our house as the fires approached.

Although I was away my family was involved in the emergency. My son had his first summer as a volunteer bush fire fighter and my other daughter, who is a doctor at Canberra Hospital, came back from a holiday at the coast to work at Canberra hospital. Like many people in Canberra we discovered how wonderful our friends and neighbours are. As they knew we were away, friends, including four of my son's mates, turned up to protect our house, which is in a vulnerable position backing on Mount Painter in Cook.

Michael Evans, who is on the URL's committee, e-mailed a similar story to me: 'Our house in Allchin Circuit, Kambah is untouched but with no fence and minor damage to the carport. Our front and back gardens are very burnt and a complete reorganisation of the garden will be necessary. We were very fortunate, and grateful to neighbours who defied the road closed orders to come back and hose down their and adjoining houses. One neighbour has 25 years experience of dealing with bush fires and was going to stay with his house until he saw the wall of fire rolling down the hill at the rear; he had his car idling in his driveway for a quick exit.' What a great community we live in.

Helen Roberts
Convenor, ACTive ALIA