15 July 2009

Delegates welcomed to the first ALIA Public Libraries Summit

Media Release PDF (44kb)

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) will welcome 50 politicians and public officials, their advisers and senior figures from the library world to the first ever ALIA Public Libraries Summit on Thursday 16 July at the National Library of Australia in Canberra.

The event brings together all three levels of government – local, state and territory, and federal – at a time when public libraries in Australia, and indeed around the world, are experiencing unprecedented levels of demand. ALIA Executive Director Sue Hutley commented, "The global financial crisis means more people are using public libraries more often, in more ways. As well as borrowing books, job hunters are using the libraries’ free internet access and resources to search for vacancies, attend sessions such as resumé preparation, submit online applications and fill in e-government forms."

The opening address by Senator Ursula Stephens, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, will be followed by presentations about public libraries as national champions of community engagement, including former journalist and political strategist Frank McGuire, speaking about social inclusion and community partnerships, from his perspective as pioneer of the ground-breaking Hume Global Learning Village, in Victoria. The other main themes are children, early reading and a literate Australia; encouraging the digital economy and digital citizenship, and health and aging.