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ACTive ALIAproACTiveNumber 257: August 2006[ Report on visit to the United States Information Resource Center | Parliamentary Committees and their reports | What is in an FAQ? | Volunteer Job at the Planning Institute of Australia | Census 2006 Dissemination | ABS wins AGLIN Innovation Award 2006 | New library for braidwood | New website for the Australian Government Libraries | AGLIN Conference a great success | ACTive ALIA MidWinter Dinner and Prize Giving | Forthcoming AGLIN/ACTive ALIA Information Sharing Forum | Forthcoming ACT NewGrads events ]
Report on visit to the United States Information Resource Center: ACTive ALIA/AGLIN joint information sharing forum, 21 June 2006Aileen Weir,Manager, Information Services, National Library of Australi On Wednesday June 21, members of ACTive ALIA and AGLIN were treated to an informative and entertaining presentation by Alexis Yeadon, Chief Librarian of the United States Information Resource Center (U.S. IRC). An American citizen who has lived in Australia for 21 years, Alexis is uniquely placed to help fulfil the mission of the U. S. IRC which is to provide reference and referral services for Australians on U.S. policy and federal legislation. Although it has limited opening hours, the U.S. IRC is predominantly an electronic library with an extensive collection of useful links to information about American policy, U.S.- Australia relations, and topical issues such as Hurricane Katrina. The "East Asia and the Pacific" page is particularly notable for Canberra librarians as it focusses on US policy as it applies to this region. Alexis and her small, but dedicated, staff are part of a network of U.S. Information Resource Centers around the world that provides information to help explain U.S. policy to non-Americans. Queries can cover any topic and come from journalists, government employees, other librarians, and the general public. In addition to the very useful overview of the U.S. IRC website that Alexis provided, AGLIN/ALIA members were also offered a selection of pamphlets and publications about the U.S to take back to their own libraries. Those who attended left well informed, well sated (thanks to the drinks and nibbles), and in no doubt informed about the level of passion, knowledge and commitment that Alexis and her team bring to their jobs and our profession.
Parliamentary Committees and their reports: Report on the ACTive ALIA/AGLIN joint information sharing forum, 19 July 2006Renee Shuttleworth, Music Cataloguing, National Library of Australia Roy Jordan of the Parliamentary Library, presented an information session outlining Parliamentary Committees and how to access web site information about them. Information presented covered current committee practices and did not address recent proposed changes to the Senate committee process. There are four main types of committees: the Senate, House of Representatives, Joint and Statutory committees. Parliament assign tasks to committees as it does not have enough time to address all business in the main chambers. The role of a committee is to consider controversial or detailed legislation (eg. anti-terrorism legislation); subjects of social or national concern (eg. poverty); budgets and administration of government departments and agencies. A committee inquiry results in three main types of Parliament House web site publications: reports, transcript of hearings (Hansard), and submissions. In general all major submissions are published and representative form letters published to represent the many letters of submission received on the one topic. Being able to access published submissions is a great advantage for researchers as they are often submitted by academics who have included detailed research material on the committee topic. The government is not legally bound to respond to a committee report, however if a response is given it will usually be within three months of a committee report being tabled. Responses are published in the chamber Hansard and on the Committee's web site. Senate tables a list of reports and the dates of government responses twice yearly in June and December.
Searching for Committee reports and submissions - Individual committee web sites are not uniform in design or searching features however there is progression toward a standard. A controlled vocabulary does not exist, browsing should be done by committee name or broad subject area. Information can be found by searching the subject index on the committee web portal; contacting the committee offices in the Senate and House of Representatives; accessing internet discussion lists; using commercial alert services such as Capital Monitor; or subscribing to the free House of Representatives committee alert service. (The Senate does not have an information alert service). Some committee web sites publish minutes of evidence in their reports which are also published on the Hansard web site.
Finding out if the recommendations of a committee report have been implemented -
Useful Links:
What is in an FAQ?Liz MacKenzie, Information Services, National Library of Australia In late February 2006 the National Library first made searchable FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) available to the public through its home page. Prior to this there had been a static page of 22 FAQs, but the idea of a frequently updated, unmediated and searchable service had not previously been tried. Originally the Library was testing the searchable FAQs as a 'proof of concept' idea, but their use has increased so dramatically that during the month of June a very substantial 42 817 hits were recorded. So it seems the FAQs are here to stay! While many commercial Internet sites make use of the concept of FAQs, surprisingly few libraries use this system as a resource to answer and anticipate enquiries. The Library's FAQs are mostly reference enquiries from external clients and are stored in the database of the Reference Enquiry Manager, which is software that manages enquiries for several areas of the Library. These questions are selected and edited by librarians who ensure that all identifying and personal information is removed before questions and their answers are made available through the searchable interface. At present there are around 120 questions, organised by topic and searchable by keyword. They contain anything from library specific practical information, such as 'Why register?', to more general information, such as 'Where can I get an ISBN?' or 'What barbeque facilities are available in Australian National Parks?'. The range and number of questions is continually expanding. There is also a Spotlight section that appears on the front page, generally consisting of five topical questions. These are changed each fortnight to keep them current and interesting. At the time of writing the current spotlights were:
These have received a total of 3190 views in 12 days. We would be interested to hear from you regarding the FAQs, or if you would like to suggest a question to be answered. Please use the form found at Happy exploring!
Volunteer Job at the Planning Institute of AustraliaMatthew Burless, Collection Management/Electronic Services, ACT Library Service Title: Librarian Organisation: Planning Institute of Australia Brief: The services of a librarian are required for the Planning Institute of Australia
Description: We need some advice on how we should develop and manage the collection and a borrowing policy. We also require assistance with cataloguing and a possible on line catalogue. The Planning Institute is a not for profit professional association representing around 4600 members nationally. (Check out our web-site www.planning.org.au) We are a small friendly office but do not have the skills or resources to undertake this work. One day a week in our office would be sufficient. Location: Barton, Canberra Contact Liz de Chastel. Email policy@planning.org.au.nospam (please remove '.nospam' from address).
The first stage of the dissemination system for the 2006 Census has been launched. Go to www.abs.gov.au>Census>2001 Census Data to check it out. ...and this is just the beginning There are three more stages, using 2001 data, to come. QuickMaps will be released in October 2006, CDATA Online in March 2007 and Table Builder in June 2007. For more information about Census 2006 products, see Information paper: Census of Population and Housing: Proposed Products and Services, 2006 (Cat. no 2011.0). Go to, www.abs.gov.au>Statistics>Catalogue number> 2011.0). We'd like your feedback! Let us know what you think by emailing library@abs.gov.au to give us your input.
ABS wins AGLIN Innovation Award 2006On 27 July 2006 the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Library was awarded the Australian Government Libraries Information Network (AGLIN) Innovation Award for its Research Skills Training Program. The award recognises the Research Skills Training Program, developed and delivered by the ABS Library, as being a technological and cultural innovation project that builds organisational capability. The aim of the program is to support the statistical, analytical and corporate work of ABS staff by encouraging excellence in research through information literacy skills training. The training comprises of three modules: Library Databases @ Your Desktop; Planning, Performing and Evaluating Research; and Advanced Internet Strategies. The training aims to build and improve research capabilities and increase effective use of the Internet, subscription databases and Lotus Notes, enabling participants to:
The Research Skills Training Program comprises of three learning streams to meet the needs of distinct client groups in the ABS. The groups include Senior Executive Staff, Directors (Executive Level 2 staff) and General (All staff from Australian Public Service Level 1 - Executive Level 1). The award was presented to Debrah Lewis, Director of Library & Information Services and Janine McLennan, National Liaison Team Manager at the AGLIN Third Annual Conference dinner in the presence of the Special Minister for State and Minister for E-Government, the Hon Gary Nairn MP. 
Janine McLennan, Debrah Lewis, Kym Holden,
New library for Braidwood
Sherrey Quinn The new Braidwood Rural Transaction Centre, incorporating the new Library and the Community Technology Centre, was officially opened by the Hon Gary Nairn MP (Member for Eden-Monaro and Special Minister of State) on Wednesday, 5 July 2006. The RTC provides local government services from Palerang Council, Medicare EasyClaim, Westpac In-store agency services and community services (library and CTC).
Palerang Shire encompasses the towns of Braidwood, Bungendore and Captains Flat, and the outlying villages of Araluen, Majors Creek, Mongarlowe and Nerriga. It also includes the areas of Wamboin, Burra, Bywong, Hoskinstown, and parts of Sutton, Royalla and Carwoola. About 100 people attended the opening, including representatives of the Southern Tablelands Regional Library and Queanbeyan City Council Library, CTC volunteers, and members of the local Braidwood community. Official guests included Mr Steve Whan MP (Member for Monaro), Ms Lucy Arundell (Acting State Librarian) and Ms Ellen Forsyth (State Library of NSW), Cr Jim Maclachlan (Mayor) and Mr Peter Bascomb (General Manager, Palerang Council). Following the formalities, a sumptuous afternoon tea was provided by the Braidwood Country Women's Association.
With acknowledgments to Palerang Council News:
New website for the Australian Government Libraries and Information NetworkA new Website for AGLIN was launched at the AGLIN Conference on July 27 by Jonathan Palmer, Deputy Australian Statistician (Services Group). The site has undertaken a major restructure - it now features a cleaner design, and broader range of content. All presentations from the recent AGLIN Conference are now available from the site, along with photos. Other content on the site includes:
Technically the site is leading-edge - it is based on Wiki technology, which makes maintenance and uploading content much easier. We are looking for people interested to help maintain the site - please let us know if this is you! The new site is intended to be interactive - we want YOUR content, comments and suggestions! The URL remains the same - http://www.nla.gov.au/aglin. For further details aglin@nla.gov.au.nospam (please remove '.nospam' from address).
AGLIN Conference a great successThe 3rd Annual AGLIN Conference, held at the National Library of Australia on July 27-28, was a great success. Over fifty delegates from a wide range of Government organisations heard a wide range of presentations based on this years theme, `AGLIN Libraries: Partnering for Whole of Government Outcomes'. Jonathan Palmer (Deputy Australian Statistician and CIO, Australian Bureau of Statistics) and Professor John Halligan (University of Canberra) presented Keynote speeches based on this theme - Jonathan focussing practical examples of knowledge sharing between Government departments, and Professor Halligan a theoretical perspective. Two overseas speakers, Moira Fraser (New Zealand) and David Taylor (United Kingdom), spoke about how similar groups to AGLIN operate in their countries. Other presentations focused on information sharing between Government libraries in a range of contexts - including digital commons and open repositories, the MAGDIR project to manage Australian Government digital information resources, and examples of libraries working collaboratively. The conference also featured panel discussions on partnering in professional communities and Intergenerational partnering for success. The Honourable Gary Nairn, Special Minister of State with responsibility for AGIMO and E-Government was guest speaker at the conference dinner. The Australian Bureau of Statistics Library won the 2006 AGLIN Innovation Award for its Research Skills Training Package; the Australian Taxation Office received a Highly Commended mention. A particular initiative which emerged from the conference was the development and facilitation of mentoring partnerships - this is being investigated by the AGLIN Training and Development Taskforce. All presentations from the conference are now available from the new AGLIN website.
ACTive ALIA MidWinter Dinner and Prize GivingALIA members, prospective members, colleagues and guests are invited to attend the annual ACTive ALIA Midwinter Dinner and Prize Giving.
Time: Friday 25 August @ 6:30pm for 7:00pm Dinner will be followed by an interactive panel discussion on Library 2.0 and the future of libraries. The first five New Graduate ALIA members or Student ALIA members to RSVP will attend free of charge (Note: for first time Midwinter Dinner attendees only). If you are an ALIA member, bring along a non-member. If they join ALIA on the night, both you and your guest will receive 50% off the cost of your ticket. This offer is available for up to five members and their guests - so 10 people can get their dinner for half price! (The first five members and their guests to arrive and join on the night will be the recipients of the half price dinners)
Please RSVP to Sherrey Quinn at sherrey.quinn@alianet.alia.org.au by Friday 18 August. Please contact Kate Davis or 02 6262 1526 if you require further information (please remove '.nospam' from address). Vegetarian meal options available - please indicate if required when RSVPing
Forthcoming AGLIN/ACTive ALIA Information Sharing Forum: ABS Library and Extension Services
Date: August 16 RSVP for numbers please to Karna O'Dea at: karma.odea@aec.gov.au.nospam (please remove '.nospam' from address). ABS Library & Information Services The Library Extension Program has over 500 member libraries around Australia, and has proven to be highly successful in developing community relationships, and as a key measurable in meeting the ABS' community service obligation. Building on the success of this program, the ABS has recently developed an 'information service' that broadens its client base to include groups that have responsibility in their organisations for staff training, staff development or for information literacy. Examples of these groups include:
This session will cover how the new model works, and a comprehensive overview of how to find information on the ABS Web Site (which has changed markedly since the move to free publications on the Web last December). Why wait? Would you like your library to become the ABS information resource expert in your organisation? Contact us now and we can help you to assist your clients to make the best use of our vast and valuable source of statistics by running free information sessions in your organisation. We'd like to hear from libraries interested in building this relationship with us. For more information, please phone 6252 6606 or email (please remove '.nospam' from address).
Forthcoming ACT NewGrads events
Other forthcoming local events
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