ALIA Retirees [retirees]

The group aims to maintain the connection between retirees, to encourage engagement in the profession, to recognise retirees' achievements, to ensure their professional interests and aspirations are fostered, and to encourage members retiring from the profession to remain involved with the Association. By doing so, the group aims to assist in the long-term future of the Association.

Retired from work but don’t want to lose touch? Joining ALIA Retirees is a way to keep in touch and at the same time continue to contribute to the Australian library and information profession.

Our theme is "Staying Connected". Most of us have valued memories of colleagues and libraries we have worked in, so maintaining or renewing contact with former friends is a strong focus for the group. An e-list and a blog have been established for members to use and participate.

Occasional social gatherings have been very successful in renewing acquaintances and keeping in contact, and we hope to schedule more in the coming months. In 2008, ALIA Retirees will host a social event at ALIA’s Biennial Conference, Dreaming ’08. For those interested in discussions of books, a "Classic Readers" blog has been established.

The e-list is used to publicise all our activities. We hope you will encourage other Retirees to join the Group and contribute ideas through the e-list or blogs. You’ll find information below on how to join our e-list.

We are also keen to remind members of the benefits of joining ALIA Retirees. These include:

• Full membership benefits at a reduced rate, $68 pa, which includes Incite, essential for keeping up to date with the profession.
• Full membership voting rights.
• Concession rates for attendance at ALIA Conferences and events.
• Sharing opportunities for contract work, volunteering, mentorship etc.
• Participation in the development and exchange of information and ideas, with fellow members of our profession.

A committee meets monthly, by teleconference, to exchange ideas about future directions for the Group. We have representatives from NSW, NT, Qld, Vic and WA; it would be good to have members from the ACT, SA and Tasmania so we are representative of our national membership. If you would like to consider joining us, any of the committee can be contacted by following the “Office bearers” link on the panel to the right of this message.

We look forward to "staying connected" with retired colleagues, meeting new friends and continuing to contribute to the vitality of our Association and our profession.

Val Hooper
Convenor, ALIA Retirees

Join our e-list!
aliaRETIREES is the ALIAnet e-list affiliated with this group or activity. Subscribe to aliaRETIREES by heading to the e-list web interface and entering your e-mail address and a password. You'll be sent an e-mail asking you to confirm your subscription - just follow the instructions and you'll be communicating with the rest of the group's members in no time at all.