proACTive

Number 240: November 2003

ACTive ALIA convenor's column

Party! Party! Party!

Christmas drinks will be early this year, so that we don't clash with other functions. I am looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday 12 November at the Group's christmas drinks with christmas goodies, 5:30pm in the NLA 4th Floor Conference Room. All ALIA members are welcome. Join us for mince pies, cake and other Christmas fare. Gold-coin donation. RSVP by 10 November: judy.brooker@act.gov.au (please remove '.nospam' from address).

Senate inquiry into the role of libraries in the online environment

The Senate Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Committee tabled their report on libraries in the online environment (in PDF format) on 16 October. Over 150 submissions were made from across the Library and Information sector, including a submission made by ALIA in August 2002. Committee transcripts of the public hearings are also available.

You can see the report in the advocacy section of the ALIA website.

Recommendations cover strategies to expand broadband access in public libraries, access to Kinetica for libraries and end-users, public awareness of and access to government information, national site licensing for key databases, digitisation of collections, identification and testing of adaptive technology for use by people with disabilities, establishment of a standing libraries working group of the Cultural Minister's Council to address development of a national information policy and the shared responsibility for public library funding between state and local government.

Spring visits to Canberra libraries

A group of 22 retired UK librarians visited Canberra on 1 October 2003, led by Tom Featherstone who was president of The Library Association in 1991. They visited Parliament House, the Parliamentary Library, the National Library of Australia, and Hancock Library and Chifley Library at the Australian National University. They ended the day with tea at ALIA House with PEARLS members. They were a delightful group and asked many interesting questions. I received the following thank you:

Dear Helen,

You will be pleased to learn that we have arrived safely back in UK after one of the most exhausting but most enjoyable 'holidays' any of us can remember.

We are very grateful for your organising the Canberra leg of our tour so efficiently. The visit to Parliament House and the library was one of the highlights of our tour, as was the National Library where we were treated to the 'Roxy and Heidi Show' which none of us will forget.

We will also not forget, at the ANU, the moving account which we were given of the destruction of the Astronomy Library. Please pass on our thanks to Sam Jackson and Margaret Henty.

We didn't get to Calthorpe's House as we spent most of the day at the Floriade, which we thought was absolutely splendid.

Finally may I thank you most warmly for putting together our program of visits - it certainly made my task so much easier.

Kind regards, Tom

Helen Roberts, convenor, ACTive ALIA

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