ALIA West

ALIA West
The Sharr Medal and the Ice Breaker

Well the year was launched to a very successful start with the WA Forum Icebreaker and Sharr Medal presentation on 6 March at LISWA in the Great Southern Room. Much to the delight of the hard working organising committee over sixty members of the profession turned out to the event. We were most fortunate to have the state librarian and librarians from as far away as Albany and Bunbury who came for the event.

The pictures accompanying this article illustrate the gathering and the Sharr Medal winner and presentation. The Sharr Medal Committee was also pleased to present Certificates of Merit to the medal winner, Kim Grace and to Judy Allen and Pam Hartree. Certificate winners received a Certificate of Merit and a $25.00 Boffins Book voucher.

It was with great pleasure that the Sharr Medal Committee invited the ALIA National president, Alan Bundy to talk to the assembled company and present the 2001 Sharr Medal to the winner Kim Grace. This is the first time the Sharr Medal has been presented this century. Alan Bundy spoke on the significance of the Sharr Medal and the contribution of Ali Sharr, first State Librarian to the profession in WA. We were doubly blessed to have Dr Ali Sharr himself there to hand the medal to Kim and he signed a copy of Alan's book about Ali Sharr, making it the only signed copy in existence, which went to the Medal winner as well.

The Sharr Medal is awarded to the graduating student in the various fields of Library and Information Studies, resident in WA, who exhibits the most potential; the one most likely to have a positive impact on their preferred stream of the library profession.

Kim Grace demonstrates these attributes and is busily consolidating them in his new professional position as assistant librarian at Maylands Public Library. Kim comes to the profession from a long association with Public Libraries and his other skills as a cartoonist and children's book author. He has conducted cartooning workshops in local public libraries for the last eight years and aims to see his passion for involving young adults in libraries fulfilled through his professional work.

Kim delighted his audience in his acceptance speech with a tale from his early association with libraries as a 'country kid'. It is most worthy of inclusion in the LIW 2002 Libraries change lives page on ALIAnet. Please take note Kim!

WA Forum would like to thank all those members of the profession who came to an evening of camaraderie and nostalgia combined with new young professional hope. We had advertised that Alan Bundy would speak on the current state of ALIA however Alan chose to couch his remarks in an historical context given the occasion. Tradition and a sense of belonging were the hallmarks of his speech and this appeared to strike a note of concord with the attentive audience.

At the end of a convivial evening twenty of the company adjourned to the Brass Monkey Brasserie for a dinner with the Sharr Medal winner and Alan Bundy.

My thanks to the WA Forum Committee, the Sharr Medal Committee and our local presence officer for a job well done.

Bobbie Bruce
Convenor

The Sharr Medal presentation and the Ice Breaker: photo gallery