February 2005

In this aliaPUBNEWS broadcast:

States and territories
Increased community awareness of public libraries in SA; 2005 @ your library campaign in NSW; Local government portal in WA; Queensland public libraries conference; PANDORA: Australia's web archive; Award for service for blind and vision-impaired people

Policy and advocacy
Collections Council of Australia; Arts and culture in Australia: statistical overview

News from ALIA
Superannuation choice of fund - what does it mean?; Forum on government publications online

International
Library in a Welsh pub; IFLA Metropolitan Libraries Section conference; Food for fines amnesty

States and territories

Increased community awareness of public libraries in SA
A 2004 survey in South Australia has found that public awareness of information promoting libraries has increased by 8 per cent since 2001. This awareness is mainly due to TV, radio and print advertising and can be attributed to the '@your library 2003' campaign. The survey also found that people's attitudes towards library staff are very positive, but that awarenss of many services other than borrowing remains low. Council of Library Administrator, South Australia (CLASA), 'Public awareness, attitudes and perceptions of libraries' 2004.
http://www.plain.sa.gov.au/what's.htm

2005 @ your library campaign in NSW
A calendar of key dates and events for the NSW '@ your library' campaign in 2005 is now available. Materials for the first three mini-campaigns, 'Connect, Holiday fun and Life-long learning', are also available.
http://www.atyourlibrary.sl.nsw.gov.au/

Local government portal in WA
The Western Australia Local Government Portal was launched on 18 February 2005. The portal is the first online shared service that includes all 144 WA councils. The portal provides councils with a secure and personalised channel for accessing information and for supporting efficiencies through collaboration. Members of the public will also have access to a public portion of the portal, providing a single window to local government information and services in WA. The portal is managed by the WA Local Government Association (WALGA) and is supported through the Networking the Nation program of the Federal Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.
http://www.councils.wa.gov.au/

Queensland public libraries conference
Moving mountains is the theme of the 2005 Queensland Public Libraries Association conference, to be held in Toowoomba on 3-6 April 2005. Included in the conference program is a smart ideas forum in which libraries are invited to share the details of successful library programs and innovations.
http://www.connectqld.org.au/qpla/

PANDORA: Australia's web archive
The National Library of Australia and its PANDORA partners routinely select Australian online publications for long term preservation in the PANDORA archive. Every two months an announcement is made on the PANDORA website and via the natstatlibs e-list (covered in the December 2004 issue of aliaPUBNEWS)of the new titles successfully archived on PANDORA. The selection guidelines for PANDORA are also available.
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/

Award for service for blind and vision-impaired people
A partnership by the City of Burnside (SA) and the Royal Society for the Blind to help blind or vision-impaired people access a wider range of information and reading material was recognised as the 'Best innovation by a local government in Australia' at the 2004 National Awards for Local Government. 'Books in the Sky' uses broadband technology allowing users quickly and easily to download material from a central computer server into a battery-powered audio handset the size of a mobile phone. The 'Books in the Sky' program enables multiple users, across a wide area, to access the same digital text at the same time, 24 hour a day, seven days a week. An extended trial of the program will start in December 2005 at the Burnside Library and several other South Australian libraries.
http://www.burnside.sa.gov.au/around/index.htm

Policy and advocacy

Collections Council of Australia
The Collections Council of Australia (CCA), the national peak body representing the shared interest of archives, galleries, libraries and museums, has a new chair and chief executive officer. At its inaugural meeting on 18 November 2004, the board of CCA elected Ms Sue Nattrass as chair. Ms Margaret Birtley has been appointed to the position of chief executive officer. The CCA is working to establish itself as a high-level independent forum to address issues across the sector and to build new collaborative relationships within the sector, with government and between the sector and other areas. The Cultural Ministers Council is funding the first three years of the CCA's operations.
http://www.dcita.gov.au/

Arts and culture in Australia: statistical overview
The new Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) publication 'Arts and culture in Australia: a statistical overview' (2004, cat. no. 4172.0) contains a wealth of data drawn from ABS and other sources. It presents data on both a topic basis (eg. participation in cultural activities, employment in cultural industries) and a sector basis (eg. museums, libraries and archives). Chapter 10 gives a statistical overview of aspects of Australia's public libraries, with data drawn primarily from three ABS sources: the 1999-2000 survey of public libraries; a 2002 houshold survey of attendance at cultural venues and events; and the 2001 census.

News from ALIA

Superannuation choice of fund - what does it mean?
From 1 July 2005, many workers will be able to choose which super fund their contributions are paid into. The changes are designed to promote competition and greater efficiency. This report for ALIA members analyses what these changes will mean for employees and employers.
http://alia.org.au/members-only/employment/superannuation.html

Forum on government publications online
The draft program and registration form are now available for 'Digital amnesia: the challenges of government online', a one-day forum to be held at the National Library of Australia, Canberra, on 21 April 2005. The seminar will examine the issues relating to access to and management of government publications online, now and into the future. The seminar is targeted at those who are responsible for high-level policy regarding publications in governments, both Commonwealth and state/territory. The forum is presented by ALIA and is sponsored by the National Library and the National Archives of Australia.
http://alia.org.au/events/moreinfo.html?933

International

Library in a Welsh pub
If you are visiting Wales and fancy a pint of beer and a good read, the place to go is the Lighthouse Inn, believed to be the first pub in Wales that offers a library service. The pub/library is very handy for those living on the nearby retirement estate which is three miles from the nearest village. Susan Pugh, development librarian with Newport council's library service, said that 'kiosks' have been established in village halls and community centres for the past year, but the Lighthouse Inn was the only pub involved. The kiosks are computers directly linked to the library service where people can access the library catalogue and reserve or renew them books for loan. Until now library members would have had to visit the library, or a mobile library, to collect and return the books. The new set up at the Lighthouse Inn allows them to collect and return books to the pub instead.
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/

IFLA Metropolitan Libraries Section conference
The 2004 conference and mid-term meeting of the Metropolitan Libraries Section of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) was held in Singapore on 26 September - 1 October 2004. Among the topics covered in the papers and presentations were: innovation in libraries in Singapore, Singapore's new National Library building, key library developments in the UK, use of information architecture techniques in Pittsburgh to make libraries more user-friendly, and how Paris public libraries exchange information and co-operate with other libraries in the city.
http://www.ifla.org/VII/s46/index.htm

Food for fines amnesty
Southampton Libraries in the UK has 'food for fines' scheme under which users who have stopped using the city's libraries because of unpaid fines can, for one month, donate a tin of food for every pound owed. The tinned food is donated to a local charity which provides emergency food and clothing for local families. There is also a fines amnesty on childern's books. (CILIP 'Update', December 2004, p.9)

A a