January-December 2004

Yearly report to the ALIA Board of Directors

Special Libraries South Australia is committed to discussing and disseminating information on issues affecting those working in and associated with special libraries in South Australia.

It offers a forum for professional and personal development, networking opportunities, promotion, and exchange of ideas and solutions through its active program. It raises members' awareness of new initiatives and offers support to those with an interest in special libraries.

The committee consisted of:

Silvia Muscardin, convenor
Chris Ridler, secretary
Tanya Hook, treasurer
Philip Keane, ALIA SA representative
Vicki Richardson, Law Libraries SA representative
Jackie Williams, SA Library Technicians representative
Andrew Meier, committee member
Benjamin Wheal, committee member
Blan MacDonagh, committee member
Catherine Daniel, committee member
Kate Sinclair, committee member
Kathleen Nugent, committee member
Marie Francis, committee member
Rachel Teesdale-Smith, committee member

The committee meets every month to discuss local issues and plan events. Committee members volunteer their time to operate the group.

E-list

The aliaSASPEC list counts 167 members at the end of November 2004.

Communication with members

In March Andrew Meier instigated the online newsletter ALIA SA Specials E-News that he compiles single-handed. The newsletter is distributed to all group members via the e-list to keep the committee in touch with its members in a more personal way. The group e-list is still used to broadcast incoming events and last-minute changes to any activity.

Website

During 2004 the ALIA Special Libraries SA expanded the use of the website to include virtual meetings. The initiative was sparked off by the necessity to facilitate the involvement of a regional committee member who lives at a remote location. The new ALIA guidelines directed towards more informal meetings were the catalyst for such drive.

The committee held its first online meeting in August, and elected to make use of the ALIAnet standard chat room sa. The first draft of the group's guidelines on virtual meetings was well tested in that first attempt. The second virtual meeting held in November run smoothly thanks to the amendments to the guidelines. An article on this initiative will appear in the December 2004 issue of inCite.

Events

In April members of the Specials and other ALIA groups celebrated International Special Librarian Day with a visit to Michael Treloar Antiquarian Bookshop and refreshments at the Balaena Café.

Attendance: 20. Income: $0.00. Profit: $0.00.

In July the group was introduced to the members of Mentoring SA during an evening organised by the Mentoring SA group.

Silvia Muscardin was one of the panel speakers at the ALIA Forum on Purchasing Agreements and Licensing, organised jointly with ALIA SA and the Australian Law Libraries Group and held on 29 July. A very stimulating event, very well co-ordinated by Philip Keane. The papers can be found here.

The year was concluded by a Round up for the year held on 25 November. The program included a guided tour of the Migration Museum, with a talk by the curator, and the group AGM followed by drinks and a meal at the Embassy Hotel.

Attendance: 19. Income: $0.00. Profit: $0.00.

ALIA Special Libraries SA motion before the ALIA AGM

Upon suggestion by Kate Sinclair, in May the ALIA Special Libraries SA group and the ALIA One Person Australian Libraries (OPAL) national group put a motion before the ALIA 2004 AGM for the re-instatement of the biennial Asia-Pacific Special, Health and Law Librarians Conference. The motion and the rationale can be viewed here.

The motion was defeated in favour of a foreshadowed motion by Trevor Weakley. The positive outcome of the Specials SA-OPALs action was to have arisen a lively debate within ALIA groups.

Involvement with ALIA initiatives

In October-November the group took part in the first stage of the review of the ALIA education policy statement.

New committee

At the 2004 AGM in November Silvia Muscardin stepped down as convenor, but remains as committee member. She will be acting convenor until the February 2005 committee meeting when a new convenor will be voted in.

Chris Ridler stepped down as Secretary and as committee member.

Vicki Richardson resigned as ALLG representative, at least temporarily, due to the incorporation process of the ALLG SA group. Vicki offered to continue to liaise with the ALIA Special Libraries SA group, albeit informally.

Jackie Williams stepped down as ALIA Library Technicians representative.

After an absence of one year, Caryl Armstrong returns to the committee replacing Philip Keane as ALIA Health Libraries SA representative.

New committee: Andrew Meier, Benjamin Wheal, Blan McDonagh, Caryl Armstrong (ALIA Health Libraries SA Representative), Catherine Daniel, Kathleen Nugent, Rachel Teesdale-Smith, Silvia Muscardin, Tanya Hook (treasurer).

Activities for 2005

11 January: One-day seminar with Steve Hillier: Practical approaches to effective library assessment. Joint event with the SA Government Special Libraries and the Australian Law Librarians' Group (South Australian Division).

20 April: International Special Librarian Day (ISLD). A social event is planned.

August: Tour of a library or an archive. TBA.

November-December: End of year event, possibly jointly with other ALIA SA groups.

A seminar on relations in the workplace between librarians and other professionals is in the pipeline, subject to availability of suitable speakers.

Future directions

The group will continue improving communication with members. The committee wishes to encourage greater involvement of regional members in the activities and governance of the group. Kathleen Nugent, a committee member based in Mount Gambier, proved that this is possible. The committee seeks to explore alternative ways, such as a wider use of the electronic channels of communication, to facilitate the exchange of ideas with members in remote locations.

Silvia Muscardin, ALIA Special Libraries (SA), 1 December 2004

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