August 2004

In this aliaPUBNEWS broadcast:

News from ALIA
Forum on Purchasing Agreements and Licensing, 21 September; ALIA 2005-2006 plan: consultation draft; National Simultaneous Storytime; ALIA's National Policy Congress

States and territories
Aurora Library Leadership Institute; State Library of SA director appointed; National digital record-keeping initiative; Hornsby Library's innovative air-conditioning; Victoria's framework for collaboration

Policy and advocacy
ABS public libraries survey 2003-04; Cultural funding by government increases; Broadband access by local government

International
Captain Cook, North Country navigator; Visions for 21st century libraries; Libraries' role in fostering creativity underrated

News from ALIA

Forum on Purchasing Agreements and Licensing, 21 September
This one-day forum will bring together purchasers and suppliers to discuss the issues of concern to libraries and suppliers in the acquisition of online resources and follows highly successful forums in Melbourne and Adelaide. The forum will feature a mix of presentations by invited speakers, panel sessions and interactive discussion. Speakers and panel members will be drawn from a range of library and information services sectors and vendors. Tuesday 21 September 2004, Parliament House, Brisbane. Registration: $100 for ALIA members (and QGLC, Qld TAFE Libraries and ALLG Qld members) (GST incl), $135 for non-members (GST incl).
http://alia.org.au/events/moreinfo.html?817

ALIA 2005-2006 plan: consultation draft
The ALIA Board of Directors invites ALIA members to discuss and comment on the draft plan for ALIA for 2005-2006. The ALIA 2005-2006 plan sets out a strategic program for ALIA for the two years from January 2005 to December 2006. It works towards the realisation of the longer-term vision for ALIA expressed in ALIA: towards 2010, developed with the input of members through the 2003 NPC and endorsed by the ALIA Board of Directors in November 2003. The plan builds on the initiatives and achievements of the Association in recent years. It aims to maintain and enhance ALIA's position as the national professional organisation for the library and information services sector.

National Simultaneous Storytime
National Simultaneous Storytime 2004 will take place during Literacy and Numeracy Week on Friday 3 September at 11:00am AEST. ALIA invites all public library services, primary and pre-school libraries, early-childhood centres and pre-schools to participate in reading the picture-book 'Muddled-up farm' simultaneously throughout the country. 'Muddled-up farm' is written by Australian author Mike Dumbleton and illustrated by Jobi Murphy. 'Muddled-up farm' was awarded Book of the Year for speech and sound awareness by Speech Pathology Australia in 2003. Promotional posters, bookmarks and a participation certificate are being issued to participants who register for the event. The sponsor of this event is Australia Post.
http://alia.org.au/advocacy/storytime/

ALIA's National Policy Congress
The Board invites all interested personal members, designated representatives of institutional members, and all groups to nominate a delegate to attend their closest regional meeting. Regional meetings are being held until early September. The ALIA website events pages list meeting dates. If you are unable to attend but wish to contribute, please e-mail npc@alia.org.au.nospam. Any financial member attending a regional NPC meeting is officially an NPC delegate and is thus eligible to stand for election as the region's delegate to the national NPC meeting to be held in Canberra on 19-20 November 2004.
http://alia.org.au/governance/npc/

States and territories

Aurora Library Leadership Institute
Nominations are invited for the 8th Aurora Library Leadership Institute, to be held at the Thredbo Alpine Village, NSW from 16 to 21 February 2005. The Institute's mission is to assist future leaders in the library and associated cultural and information industry to maximise their leadership skills and potential. This is done through a combination of experiential learning, group and individual exercises, and by working with a strong team of senior and experienced Australian and New Zealand mentors. The Institute program explores leadership concepts including vision, risk-taking, creativity, communication, and styles of leadership. The Institute takes 32 participants, and it is expected that there will be strong competition for places. Nominations close 30 September 2004.
http://alia.org.au/aurora/aurora.html

State Library of SA director appointed
Alan Smith took up the position of director, State Library of South Australia, on 2 August 2004. He was formerly director of Carrick Hill. The latest ALIA SA Group newsletter 'InterALIA' (August 2004) includes a profile of Alan.
http://alia.org.au/members-only/groups/aliasa/interalia/2004.7/

National digital record-keeping initiative
National, state and territory public record institutions have joined together to form the Digital Record-keeping Initiative. The initiative will promote a single Australian approach to digital public record-keeping across all jurisdictions.
http://www.naa.gov.au/recordkeeping/er/summary.html

Hornsby Library's innovative air-conditioning
Hornsby Library (NSW) has installed an innovative and environmentally-friendly air-conditioning system powered by waste heat. The Hornsby Library Cogeneration System was developed by the CSIRO in partnership with Hornsby Council and funded by the Australian Greenhouse Office. The system brings electricity generation close to where it is used so that the waste heat can be recovered and used in a high-technology cooling system to produce air-conditioning, for free. The technology is expected to save Hornsby Council thousands of dollars and more than 250 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year.
http://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au

Victoria's framework for collaboration
The Library Board of Victoria and the Victorian public library network have developed a 'Framework for collaborative action' (June 2004). The framework defines the way in which the Library Board of Victoria, through the State Library of Victoria, will partner with the public library network to deliver enhanced library services to Victoria's communities over the next five years. The framework document was developed between November 2003 and May 2004 by representatives of Victoria's public libraries, the Municipal Association of Victoria, the Library Board of Victoria and the State Library of Victoria. The document can be downloaded from the State Library of Victoria's website.
http://www.slv.vic.gov.au

Policy and advocacy

ABS public libraries survey 2003-04
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is conducting a survey of Australia's public libraries and archives for the 2003-2004 financial year. The last public libraries survey was conducted for the 1999-2000 financial year, with the results available in 'Public libraries Australia, 1999-00' (cat no 8561.0). The 2003-04 survey questionnaire was despatched to national and state/territory libraries and archives and to a sample of public libraries across Australia on 9 August. The survey results will provide key financial and activity measures for public library and archive services in Australia. Data from the survey is expected to be available in mid-2005. For further information on the survey, contact ABS staff, William Milne (ph 03 9615 7862) or David Cannington (ph 03 9615 7338).

Cultural funding by government increases
Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that government funding across all levels of government for cultural activities rose to $5 billion in 2002-03, a five per cent increase on the previous year. State and territory governments contributed the most funding to cultural activities (45 per cent of the total). The federal government provided 34 per cent of the total. Local government funding for cultural activities was $1.025 billion in 2002-03, an increase of 22 per cent. [Australian Bureau of Statistics, 'Cultural funding by government, Australia, 2002-03' (cat no 4183.0)]
http://www.abs.gov.au

Broadband access by local government
A new report has found that continued government support is needed to improve broadband access for councils, businesses and individuals in regional areas. 'Broadband adoption by agriculture and local government councils' was conducted by Wondu Business and Technology Services for the Australian Local Government Association and the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. A survey of 200 councils carried out as part of the report found that all councils had internet access. However, 89 per cent of urban councils were on broadband, compared to 59 per cent of those in rural areas. The report recommends that higher speed and lower-cost broadband satellite services or services that can compete with satellite should be developed as a priority.
http://connect.alga.asn.au

International

Captain Cook, North Country navigator
Captain James Cook has been voted one of the top twenty Britons. Captain Cook is especially revered in the northeast of England, where he was born and grew up. This virtual exhibition draws on the collections of the British Library and museums and other institutions in the North East of England to celebrate the great North Country navigator.
http://www.captaincook-ne.co.uk

Visions for 21st century libraries
The report, '21st century libraries: changing forms, changing futures', by the UK's Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) looks at the ways in which public libraries have re-invented themselves in the last decade and describes a number of future visions for public libraries that provide a framework for debate for those involved in delivery of library services. The scenarios include: the new civic landmark, the retail model, the neighbourhood life-long learning centre, the mobile library or pod and several others.
http://www.cabe.org.uk/publications

Libraries' role in fostering creativity underrated
Libraries are the forgotten players in the creativity debate in the UK, according to a new report produced by Demos and the Reading Agency. 'Creative reading: young people, reading and public libraries' by John Holden finds that public libraries already play a vital role in nurturing reading but their potential to help the next generation to develop higher-order skills of creative reading has been greatly underrated. The report also considers ways that libraries could make themselves more attractive to young people and could work in partnership with schools, youth services and other agencies.
http://www.demos.co.uk

A a