21 April 1999

ALIA fellowship awarded to Alex Byrne

Australia's librarians have honoured one of the Northern Territory University's Pro Vice-Chancellors.

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) has elected Mr Alex Byrne, the University's Pro Vice-Chancellor (Information Resources) to a Fellowship of the Association.

Mr Byrne was the university's chief librarian from 1989 to 1996 and director of information services from 1996 to 1997, before his present appointment.

The ALIA citation said his services to the university had been distinguished and reflected well on the Australian library profession.

He played a major role in wider university affairs and was a member of the Vice-Chancellor's Management Group, the Planning Board, the Academic Board and many working parties and internal committees.

He was a foundation member of the university's Board of Management for the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies from 1990 to 1997.

His interest in developing Indonesian collections and relations with Indonesian libraries had been important.

The citation also recognised Mr Byrne's 'quite outstanding' contribution to the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), the world body for librarianship. He has been a member of IFLA's Standing Committee on University and General Research Libraries since 1993 and was the committee's chairman from 1997 to 1999. He played an important role in the establishment of IFLA's Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) in 1997 and is its chair.

ALIA has conferred its highest honour, the HCL Anderson Award, on the editor of the Australian Library Journal, Professor John Levett. Professor Levett is a former director of the Department of Librarianship in the University of Tasmania and chair of the Department of Librarianship, Archives and Records in Monash University.

ALIA also has elected to a Fellowship of the association Ms Helen Hayes, the vice-principal (Information) and university librarian at the University of Melbourne.