Annual General Meeting

Draft minutes - 30 November 2001

1. Present:: Prue Mercer, Di Booker, Carolyn McSwiney, Marie Murphy, Maureen Nimon, Vicky Lebbin, Maria El-Chami, Mandy Lupton, Alan Bundy, Irene Doskatsch, John Sloan, Christine Cother, D Kingston, Diana Harrison, Kris Johnstone
2. Apologies:: Anne Hazell, Christine Bruce, Janet Flint, Sue Hazel, Peter Walton, Jayshree Mamtora, Sharan Harvey, Craig Grimison
3. Minutes of the previous AGM held on 24 October 2000: Moved Diana Harrison, seconded Carolyn Mc Swiney; accepted.
4. Business arising: 4.1 National Information Literacy Coalition Advocacy Project
Covered in the President's report; 4.2 Statement on Information Literacy for all Australians
Covered in the President's report
5. President's report: Committee
The 2000 committee continued for 2001 in order to carry through the development of the new group from that of the former Special Interest Group. The program tabled at the SIG 2000 annual general meeting was used as the basis for the establishment of the Forum. This was approved in May.
Like the SIG the Forum has focussed on having representation from most states and most library sectors. All committee members have worked extremely well together considering their locations. Overall this has been a highly productive and busy year.
Committee members:
Prue Mercer, president - State Library of Victoria, Melbourne - national, state and territory library sector
Kris Johnstone, secretary - Star of the Sea College, Melbourne - school library sector
Diana Harrison, treasurer - RMIT University Library, Melbourne - TAFE and university sectors
Sharan Harvey - Brisbane City Council - public library sector
Di Booker - Adelaide Institute of TAFE - TAFE sector

Meetings have been held by teleconference on 24 January, 21 February, 21 March, 2 May, 6 June, 11 July, 21 August, 12 September and 17 October.
A newsletter was sent to all members in March, June and September and a notice re the annual general meeting in early November.
The website has been updated several times as well. At this stage an editor has not been employed.
The Forum now has over 500 members almost double that estimated (300). Within the new ALIA structure members appear to join multiple groups and our cross sectoral representation is good.
The cross sectoral breakdown will be further analysed in 2002. A membership drive for Public Library members will also be investigated. Allan Bundy is happy to do that. Students in library schools will also be targeted.

Information Literacy conference 2001
The committee provided input into the program for this and the president and secretary are being funded to attend this fifth conference organised by the University of South Australia.

Continuing professional development
The group held an Online Forum using the ALIA INFOLIT electronic mail list. Judy Peacock, Queensland University of Technology, was invited to lead the debate on 'thriving with information literacy' in late August to early September. The forum generated lively discussion and was archived for reference. The use of the discussion list is a valuable way to communicate with a dispersed membership
On 24 October a successful free half-day workshop on the CAUL Information Literacy Standards was held at the ALIA TAFE conference in Brisbane
Planning is underway for a further workshop on standards to be held the day before the VALA conference in Melbourne 5 February.
CPD organised by the committee is always attached to other conferences. With a small dispersed committee it is too difficult to organise a separate conference.

Lobbying and Information Literacy Standards
As a follow up to the publication and launch of the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) Information Literacy Standards at the February Round Table, members of the group have undertaken to work within the TAFE and State/public library sectors to advance the use of these standards. They were endorsed by the Council of Australian State Libraries (CASL) in March who have since adapted them for publication in November. The standards have also been endorsed by TAFE libraries who are preparing their own version.

Statement on Information Literacy for All Australians
In October the committee revised its statement (endorsed in March) and put it into the new ALIA policy format. It was then re-endorsed by the ALIA Board of Directors.
The statement is available on the Forum website.

Round Table/National Information Literacy Coalition Feasibility project
The Special Interest Group (as it was) held a Round Table on 28 February 2001 in Melbourne, and subsequently advanced this to form a steering committee (chaired by the Forum president) with the National Library of Australia and the National Office of the Information Economy to assess the feasibility of a national coalition for advocacy in information literacy. $10 000.00 was allocated to the Forum to support this work along with project assistance from ALIA head office and this along with the equivalent from each of the other members of the steering committee has enabled the employment of consultants. The project is to explore the sustainability as well as relevance of a coalition, and a draft report has been received. It is anticipated that the final issues report from consultants ACER will be ready for distribution and discussion at the end of the year.
There may be an executive summary ready for the February Information Policy Congress.
6. Treasurer's report: As tabled. Current balance is $1098.19
Intended expenditure for 2002 includes a strategic planning workshop, communication through the online forum, advocacy and training allied to ALIA CPD conferences.
7. Draft programme for 2001/2002 (as tabled): This represents the basis of the reforming of the IL SIG and outlines a project structure for the new group.
8. Election of office-bearers: The present committee is endorsed and re-elected.
Moved Janet Flint, seconded Carolyn McSwiney; accepted
9. Other business: 9.1 Information Literacy is a key professional connector
Need to look for a slogan in strategic planning eg 'Connecting the profession' or 'Enabling Australia'.

9.2 Thanks to committee for the excellent work they have done particularly in relation to the National Forum and for their sensible and practical thinking in finding new ways to met continuing needs in a new environment.
Moved Carolyn Mc Swiney, seconded Maureen Nimon; accepted

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