July-December 2001 report

ALIA Tasmania Group provides membership services and CPD activities for ALIA members in Tasmania and is active in lobbying to increase the public awareness of all library services in Tasmania.

Group activities

Short-notice events (up to 4 per year)

Visiting speakers (interstate and international) in Tasmania for personal/professional visit (eg. CASL meeting, conference, holiday)

The ALIA Tasmania Group has held three of these events since July and had another planned in the north-west of Tasmania, which had to be cancelled at short notice due to the collapse of Ansett.

The talks have attracted members and non-members from different library and information sectors.

Event 1: July 2001
Siobhan Gaskell, Director (Library Services), State Library of Tasmania, who gave a thought-provoking talk on future directions of libraries.
Lunchtime talk in Hobart
Attendance = 17
Cost = $10 for speakers gift; $60 for administration
Variance to budget = below budget requested

Event 2: August 2001
Pam Saunders from the Yarra-Plenty Library Service in Victoria who spoke on her study tour to the USA researching the potential applications of E-Books for public libraries in Australia.
Evening session held in conjunction with ASLA, in Hobart
Attendance = 10
Cost = $55.00 for room hire; $60.00 for administration
Variance to budget = below budget requested

Event 3: August 2001
President of ALIA, Dr Alan Bundy, during his attendance at the Library Technicians Conference spoke on information literacy and attracted an audience representing a wide cross-section of library and information service providers as well as academics.
Breakfast session in Hobart
Attendance = 30
Cost = $20.00 for speakers gift; $60.00 for administration
Variance to budget = below budget requested

Professional information sessions

Series of talks by local speakers, arranged to provide information on a current program of interest to the library and information community and includes talks by Tasmanian library and information workers attending interstate and overseas conferences. This program evolved from suggestions by members and a recognition by the Committee that this type of program is important to increase awareness of current professional issues and practices. This program was not part of the ALIA Tasmania Group's original submission for 2001.

Event 1: September 2001
Peter Richardson, the Project manager for the State Library of Tasmania's E-heritage project, spoke on this new and innovative project working with local groups to record and preserve Tasmania's cultural heritage
Evening session in Launceston
Attendance = 16
Cost = $25.00 for speakers gift; $60.00 for administration
Variance to budget = program developed after group formed and was not included in group submission

Event 2: November 2001
Kelsey Hartland, Library Technician at Launceston Library was guest speaker with a stimulating presentation on her attendance at the national Storytelling conference
Afternoon session in Launceston
Attendance = 15
Cost = $25.00 for speakers gift; $60.00 for administration
Variance to budget = program developed after group formed and was not included in group submission

Event 3: November 2001
'What's new in cataloguing': an update with a panel of speakers after their attendance at the national Cataloguing Conference
Early evening session in Hobart
Attendance = 20
Cost = $30.00 for speakers gift (2 x $15.00); $60.00 for administration; $100.00 for catering
Variance to budget = program developed after group formed and was not included in group submission

Social activities

Christmas dinner in Hobart (10 December 2001) and in Launceston (12 December 2001)
Cost = $120.00 for spot prizes ($60.00 per dinner);
$25.00 for speakers gift (Launceston);
$120.00 for administration
Variance to budget = program developed after group formed and was not included in group submission

Lobbying activities

ALIA Tasmania Group has actively pursued matters referred by members:
Australian Taxation Office: downgrading of library services including closing of Hobart ATO library.
ALIA Tasmania Group has been advised that ALIA National Office is lobbying nationally on this issue, but has received no correspondence specific to this issue
Commonwealth Law Courts: concern of possible downgrading or closure of library services
ALIA Tasmania Group seeking further information and maintaining a watching brief at this stage
TAFE Tasmania: decline in teaching hours for the Library Technicians course in Launceston and possibly other TAFE campuses
ALIA Tasmania Group is maintaining liaison with TALIATecs on this issue

Cost = $300.00 for work of executive officer to pursue and deal with these issues.

Liaison with professional associations

ALIA Tasmania Group is participating in the workforce planning investigation being conducted by the Allied Health Professional Group to ensure the workforce planning needs of librarians and library technicians in the health industry are taken into account in this investigation, and that health organisations are made aware of the need for information professionals to support their work.

Membership services

ALIA Tasmania Group maintains an office space within the State Library of Tasmania. Running costs of this space are ongoing with telephone, stationery, postage and equipment maintenance costs required.

Communication with members is predominantly by e-mail or e-list and a monthly newsletter is produced by the executive officer. Sourcing and producing material for the newsletter takes a minimum of 10 hours per month for the executive officer.

Preparation of reports and submissions to ALIA National Office is done by the Committee in conjunction with the Executive Officer.

Planning for activities is undertaken by the Committee with support from individual members depending on the activity. Forward planning for activities to be held in 2002 is done mostly by the Committee and the executive officer. The Committee is small with Committee members coming form the north and south of the state.

Jane Coatman
Convenor
ALIA Tasmania Group

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