ALIA Special Libraries Section (SA)

Meeting minutes

8:10am 2 September 2004 at Se-Juiced, cnr Pirie Street and Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide.

1. Present

Silvia Muscardin, Andrew Meier, Vicki Richardson, Benjamin Wheal, Fiona Hemstock (observer)

2. Meeting open

8:24am

3. Apologies

Tanya Hook, Chris Ridler, Catherine Daniel, Jackie Williams, Marie Franis

4. Minutes of the previous meeting

As this was a virtual meeting the minutes have taken longer than anticipated to collate and post. Should be completed shortly.

5. Business arising from the minutes

5.1 Round up for the year

• Rachel was not present to update on refreshments and advertising for the end of year function.
• Café Allure on North Terrace is the suggested refreshments venue with attendees paying their own way and no booking required.
• Silvia to organise advertising with InterALIA and to provide something for the Specials E-news.

5.2 Virtual meeting - amendments to guidelines

• Silvia suggested that to streamline the flow of the meeting itself, items for discussion that would involve a large amount of typing could be circulated beforehand via e-mail - saving time online for actual discussion.

5.3 ISLD

• Silvia's ideas that had been distributed to members via e-mail some weeks ago were discussed. Agreed that function should be kept to the actual day (third Wednesday in April).
• Should confirm what actually takes place in regional areas on the day and encourage that if possible.
• Silvia suggested a flier with statistics (and humour) for workplace display.
• Fiona suggested 'Special Librarian of the Year' award.

5.4 Other items

• None

6. Correspondence

6.1 Correspondence in

• None

6.2 Correspondence out

• None

7. Reports

7.1 Treasurer's report

• Credit card authorisations complete.

7.2 Law librarians' report

• The scheduled talk by Michael Treloar from Antiquarian Booksellers was cancelled due to ill health.
• On 28 July, several law librarian's attended the joint ALIA/ALLG Joint Forum on Licensing and Purchasing Agreement seminar. It was beneficial for librarians from small special libraries to discuss issues and share concerns with publishers and other librarians in relation to purchasing online services.
• A seminar on negotiation skills for law librarians was held on 5 August. Megan Hender, a management consultant, led a lively and practical session which addressed management and communication styles, steps to take when preparing for a negotiation and strategies and tactics to use during negotiation.
• The committee has been very busy preparing for incorporation.
• The 2004 Australian Law Librarians' Group Symposium 'Capitalising on the Law' will be held in Canberra from 29 September 2004 to 1 October 2004.

7.3 SALT report

• None

7.4 ALIA SA report

• Silvia, Vicki and Benjamin attended the co-operative purchasing seminar on 28 July (Silvia involved in a panel session). All found it a worthwhile and interesting day.

8. New business

8.1 September deadline for 2004 specials report to ALIA and 2005 activities

• Silvia to send a report on Specials SA activities to end of September 2004.
• Silvia will be notifying ALIA of the following planned activities for 2005 (which do not have to rigidly adhered to):
  
  1. International Special Librarian Day (ISLD) (third Wednesday of April) celebration : Wednesday 20 April 2005
  2. AGM/end of the year round up, anticipated for the end of November.
  3. 2 seminars.
• Silvia has also suggested the committee consider a library/museum/archives tour, possibly in conjunction with the end of year function.

8.2 2004 NPC SA regional meeting (Thursday 9 September)

• Silvia encouraged all present to read the discussion papers and consider attending to give Specials a strong presence.
• 5:30pm to 7:30pm in Room 122, Level 1, Eleanor Harrald Building, Royal Adelaide Hospital.
• Papers on ALIA website.

8.3 Directory of special libraries in South Australia

• Silvia raised the issue of updating (SA only) the directory of special libraries that was last published nationally by the ALIA National Special Libraries group (no longer in existence) in 1995. Could be an online rather than print directory with ALIA co-operation.
• Benjamin raised the issue of time involved and keeping it up to date if it was made available online.
• Could be a project for a library and information management student at UniSA.
• Fiona suggested that the Australian Libraries Gateway but Silvia and Andrew believed that there would be a large proportion of special libraries that were not on this register.
• Andrew also raised Auslib press publication co-authored by Alan Bundy, Australian libraries: the essential directory, though this includes much more than special libraries.

9. Any other business

Andrew asked for items for the specials e-newsletter. Benjamin, Vicki and Silvia to provide some comments via e-mail on the co-operative purchasing seminar and Silvia to send another item.

10. Next meeting

8:10am Thursday 7 October 2004, at Se-Juiced.

11. Meeting finished

Meeting finished at 9:07am.