December 2005

In this aliaPUBNEWS broadcast:

New executive director for ALIA; Call for nominations to ALIA Board; ALIA National Excellence Award to Anne Boyle; New Librarians' Symposium 2006; Library stars: best of the best; Research into secondment programs for library technicians; OCLC report on perceptions of libraries; Updated planning tool for public library buildings; Award winning library buildings in the UK; This most recommended book for Christmas this year; Public lending right in 2004-2005; Indigenous language library brochure and poster; Centres of excellence in access to legal information; Queensland's holiday reading program; NineMSN/NetAlert internet safety survey; Review of anti-spam legislation; Trust and growth in the online environment; National Licensing Proposal e-list; Survey of internet access in public libraries; Exhibition of treasures from Australia's great libraries; Internet filtering in Tasmania

New executive director for ALIA
The Board of Directors of ALIA is pleased to announce the appointment of Sue Hutley to the position of executive director of ALIA. Sue will take up her new role on 3 January 2006. Sue brings to the position her broad experience in the academic, TAFE, public library and special library sectors, underpinned by postgraduate qualifications in business and library science. She has a long-established record of contribution to the library and information sector profession through her active and proactive roles with the New Graduates Policy and Advisory Group, New Librarians' Symposium, ALIA Quorum, the Queensland Library Promotion Council and the Aurora Foundation.
http://alia.org.au/media.room/2005.12.13.html

Call for nominations to ALIA Board
Nominations for ALIA vice-president and three positions on the Board are now open. Close of nominations is at 5.00pm, 3 February 2006. Nomination forms are available from ALIA National Office or via ALIAnet. Nominations must be in writing and signed by two financial members. They must include the written consent of the nominee, a 100-word, current curriculum vitae (full details of academic and professional qualifications) and a 100-word statement of professional concerns. For full details see ALIAnet or the advertisement in the December issue of inCite.
http://alia.org.au/governance/elections/2006/board/nomination.form.html

ALIA National Excellence Award to Anne Boyle
Anne Boyle has won ALIA's National Excellence Award. Her work as local studies librarian in Geraldton Regional Library (WA) has created a collection that is respected across the nation, attracting funding and publishing three significant books on the history of the area. The increasing use of the collection and the innovative activity program related to it were particularly noted.
http://alia.org.au/awards/national.excellence/

New Librarians' Symposium 2006
The next New Librarians' Symposium is just one year away. Look out for exciting keynote speaker announcements, a call for papers that will inspire you to get writing, and a tempting social program. On Friday 1 December 2006 Australia's best and brightest will gather at Scientia, the conference centre at the University of NSW, for two full days of stimulating discussions, workshops, and quite possibly a trip to the beach. It is high summer, after all. Sign up to the NLS 2006 e-list for first notice of announcements. For more information you can contact the organising committee at newlibrarian2006@alia.org.au.nospam or visit:
http://conferences.alia.org.au/newlibrarian2006/

Library stars: best of the best
Australia's public libraries have a well deserved reputation for high quality and innovative services. 'Library stars: best of the best' forum will showcase public libraries, their projects, and successes to inspire and recognise public library practitioners. This one-day forum will be held in Perth on 19 September 2006 as a satellite event for the ALIA 2006 Biennial Conference. The ALIA Public Libraries Reference Group invites nominations from which the PLRG will select up to seven presentations that reflect the best of the best across Australia's diverse public library services. There will be a 'delegates' choice award' at the forum for the best project or story presented on the day. Please submit your nomination by 10 February 2006. Details about how to submit your nomination are at:
http://alia.org.au/governance/committees/public.libraries/stars.html

Research into secondment programs for library technicians
Sharon Uthmann, 2005 recipient of the ALIA Dunn & Wilson Scholarship is investigating the secondment programs offered for library technicians nation wide and in all library sectors. It is anticipated that when completed, library technicians and the broader LIS community will be able to use her report as a resource when seeking out secondment opportunities. If your organisation offers secondments and would like to provide information on how these are offered or if you have participated in a secondment and would be willing to be interviewed with regard to your experiences, please contact Sharon [sharonbenstead@optusnet.com.au.nospam]. To follow Sharon's research progress, please refer to her reflective blog.
http://dunnandwilson.blogspot.com/

OCLC report on perceptions of libraries
This extensive survey of information consumers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Singapore, India and Australia explores their perceptions and preferences; users' relationships with and use of libraries; awareness and trust of libraries and resources offered; the 'Library brand'; and people's perceptions of the purpose and mission of libraries. The findings confirm earlier OCLC and other research. Recurring themes are: that users are not aware of the electronic resources made freely available by libraries; users are as comfortable using web information sources as library sources; that the perceived 'library brand' is 'books'; that libraries continue to be trusted information providers; and that users have positive, if outdated, views of the library. The report, 'Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources', OCLC, 2005, can be downloaded or a print copy ordered.
http://www.oclc.org/reports/2005perceptions.htm

Updated planning tool for public library buildings
The second edition of 'People places: a guide for public library buildings in New South Wales' [Library Council of NSW, 2005] is a planning tool to assist in the development of public library buildings. The revised edition covers: the importance of public libraries in the community; future trends which impact on library design; how to determine the need and size for a new or extended library building; designing and building a public library which meets current and future community needs; and the processes for a library development project, from inception to completion. 'People places' was developed in close consultation with practitioners involved in planning, building and managing public libraries in NSW.
http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/pls/

Award winning library buildings in the UK
Winners of the 2005 UK Public Library Buildings Awards include: Jubilee Library, Brighton, in the partnership category; Swiss Cottage, London Borough of Camden, for interior design; and Waterford City Library, Waterford City Council, in the 'heart of the community' category. Hamilton Town House, South Lanarkshire Council, won in the 'architect meets practicality' category and also won the Mary Finch Award for Accessibility. The awards are run by the Public Libraries Group of CILIP, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. Philippa Harper, co-chair of the awards said that the winning libraries are 'striking examples of integrated design, bold, innovative architecture, the development of customer-focussed retail design principles, ICT innovation, an emerging cafe culture, and greatly improved access and community consultation.'
http://www.cilip.org.uk/specialinterestgroups/bysubject/public/

This most recommended book for Christmas this year
In answer to the question 'What book should be on every child's Christmas list?' UK librarians have nominated 'The lion, the witch and the wardrobe' by C S Lewis. The survey of the nation's librarians was conducted by the UK's Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Eric Carle's 'The very hungry caterpillar' and titles by Allan and Janet Ahlberg were popular nominations for younger readers.
http://www.mla.gov.uk/news/press_article.asp?articleid=880

Public lending right in 2004-2005
According to the Public Lending Right (PLR) Committee annual report for 2004-2005, payments of over $6.8 million were distributed to 8 949 PLR Scheme claimants in the last financial year. The top three books held in public lending libraries over the past three years were 'Possum magic' by Mem Fox, 'The other side of dawn' by John Marsden and 'Dirt music' by Tim Winton. Other authors in the top ten include Bryce Courtenay, Jill B Bruce and Di Morrisey. The PLR Scheme, operated by the federal government, makes payments to eligible creators and publishers based on the number of copies of their books that are estimated to be held in public lending libraries in Australia.
http://www.dcita.gov.au/arts/arts/lending_schemes

Indigenous language library brochure and poster
A leaflet and poster in 14 Northern Territory indigenous languages has been published by Darwin City Council Libraries on behalf of libraries across the NT. The posters and leaflets will be distributed to libraries throughout the Territory. They invite indigenous Territorians to visit their local public and community libraries to use the internet, find stories in their own language, show picture books to their children, and learn about the English language. The material features artwork by Andrew Margalulu Wanambi and Sonda Turner Nampijimpa and represents Arnhemland and Desert stories. The leaflet and poster were launched by Darwin Lord Mayor, Peter Adamson and NT Minister for Local Government, Elliot McAdam, at Casuarina Library on 24 November 2005.
http://www.darcity.nt.gov.au/aboutdarwin/news/news_online.htm

Centres of excellence in access to legal information
Tamworth City Library and Clarence Regional Library (NSW) have won the 2005 LIAC (Legal Information Access Centre) Centre of Excellence awards. Tamworth City Library received an award for its innovative in-house promotion of the service through its creation of a law and business 'living room', a distinct zone in the library containing LIAC resources in all formats. Clarence Regional Library's award reconised its ongoing promotion of the LIAC service and the development of a strong relationship with other legal service providers through collaborative Law Week activities [LIAC Newsletter, vol 15 no 3, November 2005]. LIAC, the Legal Information Access Centre, is a free library based legal information service for NSW residents. It is an initiative of the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW and the State Library of NSW and works through public libraries in NSW.
http://liac.sl.nsw.gov.au/

Queensland's holiday reading program
Every summer holidays, the State Library of Queensland runs a Summer Reading Program for children and their families. 'Cooee!', the program this year, is all about discovering great Australian books and authors. Last year more than 5,000 Queensland children participated in the program reading more than 50,000 books, improving their reading skills and winning prizes along the way. The Cooee! program has two parts: library activities, with games and activities for kids to do over the summer in Queensland pbulic libraries; and the Cooee! website which has games, puzzles, quizzes and competitions to enter. Children can also send in their stories, book reviews and drawings to be placed on the website.
http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/

NineMSN/NetAlert internet safety survey
The 'Online safety for teens' survey by NetAlert and NineMSN has highlighted the need for ongoing internet safety education for childran of all ages and the importance of parents being involved in their children's activities online. The research reveals a substantial discrepancy between parents and teens' understanding of 'rules' for time online. There is a growing trend of teens downloading content without parental knowledge or approval. The survey concludes that for 90 per cent of teens the home is the main point of access to the internet and that the location of a computer in the home has a major impact on whether and how well parents monitor teens' time online.
http://www.netalert.net.au

Review of anti-spam legislation
The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan, has called for public submissions to a review of the Spam Act 2003. Recognising that spam is a complex and evolving issue, the federal government committed to review the Spam Act within two years of its implementation. Public consultation is now being undertaken as part of the review and will contribute to a report to be tabled in parliament in 2006. The deadline for submissions is 1 February 2006. The issues paper for the review is available at:
http://www.dcita.gov.au/spam

Trust and growth in the online environment
A new federal government report details the findings of a survey of the perceptions, experiences and security practices of Australians who use the internet for transactions. Ten million Australians now use the internet in this way and the report shows a need for users to be more aware of and to follow safe and secure online practices. The report highlights that the issue of trust in online activities shapes how people and organisations use and respond to the online environment. ['Trust and growth in the online environment', Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, 2005]
http://www.dcita.gov.au/ie/benchmarking/trustandgrowth

National Licensing Proposal e-list
To keep up-to-date with developments relating to the National Licensing Proposal, you can now subscribe to the NLP-L e-list. As reported in previous issues of aliaPUBNEWS, the National Licensing Proposal is an initiative, being led by the National Library of Australia, to develop a national cross-sectoral consortium for selected online information resources. Most recently, over 800 libraries from across all sectors have participated in a survey about products already licensed and those wanted by Australian libraries. To subscribe to NLP-L go to the URL below, click on the 'Subscribe' link on the left and provide an email address.
http://listserver.nla.gov.au/wws/info/nlp-l

Survey of internet access in public libraries
Thank you to the many public libraries, both institutional members of ALIA and non-members, who responded to the recent ALIA survey about public library internet services. Over 180 completed survey forms have been submitted by libraries throughout Australia. Preliminary results confirm the findings of the earlier 2002 survey: that public libraries' internet services are very popular, highly regarded and heavily used; that these services are well-managed, with responsible and effective internet use policies and extensive user education and support programs; and that the level of complaints from users about internet content is very low. Changes since 2002 include a growth in the percentage of libraries offering separate internet terminals and special websites for children and in libraries requiring parental consent for children to use internet services. We will start the detailed analysis of the results in January with the aim of releasing a full report by the end of March 2006. For more information please contact Susan Magnay [susan.magnay@alia.org.au.nospam]. ALIA's advocacy webpages include ALIA's policy on online content regulation and other information relating to public access internet services.
http://alia.org.au/advocacy/internet.access/

Exhibition of treasures from Australia's great libraries
The 'National Treasures' exhibition opened at the National Library in Canberra on 3 December 2005. From March 2006 to August 2007 the exhibition will travel to all states and territories. The exhibition brings together national treasures from the collections of the National Library and the state and territory libraries and is designed around themes such as exploration and settlement, land and nature, heroes and villians and national obsessions such as sport.
http://nationaltreasures.nla.gov.au/

Internet filtering in Tasmania
The Tasmanian Education Minister, Paula Wreidt, has announced that from January 2006, public libraries and online access centres in Tasmania will use filtering software on their public access computers. The filtering software is intended to block access to pornographic and inappropriate websites and to minimise the risk of exposure to inapproriate content by patrons and staff. Ms Wreidt said that libraries and online access centres will be filtered at the same level as internet access in schools. She said 'Some concerns have been expressed about web filtering being a form of censorship. However I am firmly of the belief that we must do everything we can to ensure that members of the public and staff are not subjected to inadvertently viewing inappropriate material that others may choose to access.' ALIA has written to Minister Wreidt asking that she reverse this decision. ALIA President, Gill Hallam has written 'To restrict access by library users to legitimate sites, as is inevitable through the use of filters, is in our view an over-reaction, the wrong approach and an infringement of users rights. Tasmanians would be better served by your Government putting these resources into educating internet users on responsible use, on information use skills, and ensuring acceptable use policies are in place and adhered to.' ALIA has also written to the federal Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts expressing the Association's support for the federal government's policy position on internet filtering software and education for safe and effective use of the internet. ALIA believes that filters have no place in a policy framework that embraces new technologies and promotes safe and informed use of the internet.
http://www.media.tas.gov.au/release.php?id=16668

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