March 2007

In this aliaPUBNEWS broadcast:

National
Books Alive 2007; Community Heritage Grants now open; Major newspaper digitisation announced; VALA 2008 Call for Papers

International
IFLA Metropolitan Libraries Conference 2007; New Zealand records to be added to WorldCat; NZ Public Libraries Summit Update; Public libraries: a roundtable discussion (UK); LIANZA Conference 2007; Celebrations for both Carnegie Medal and Kate Greenaway Award; 2008 National Year of Reading in the UK; Maintain IT Project

States and territories
Library models at a glance; Name change for NSW public library associations; Colin Mills Scholarship applications now open; Comment invited on Victoria's Public Library Asset Audit; New Associate Director, SA Public Library Services

News from ALIA
Feedback on Library Lovers Day; Information Awareness Month; Great ideas for Library and Information Week; ALIA contacts in each state and territory; Negotiating E-Licences

Policy and advocacy
5th International Indigenous Librarians' Forum; Public Libraries Australia 2007 Conference; "The Librarians" -- A new page in comedy from the ABC; Evelyn Woodberry to chair lending right committee

Conference report
Unconference unqualified success!; Learning Futures

Message from the Editor

National

Books Alive 2007
All Australian libraries are invited to participate in Books Alive 2007, an Australian Government initiative that aims to encourage all Australians to experience the joys of reading. Every year, Books Alive runs a nationwide campaign to ignite the country’s passion for books and make it easier to choose a really great ‘read’. Register now to make sure your library is kept up-to-date with this year's campaign, as well as future ones. Libraries can also request an author visit during the 2007 campaign. Details and forms on the website.
http://www.booksalive.com.au/library

Community Heritage Grants now open
Community Heritage Grants of up to $15 000 are available to support preservation projects undertaken by not for profit community organisations, such as local historical societies, regional museums, public libraries, and Indigenous and migrant community groups which hold cultural heritage collections of national significance. Applications close Friday 8 June.
http://www.nla.gov.au/chg/

Major newspaper digitisation announced
The National Library of Australia announced that it has entered into a contract with Apex Publishing to support a major newspaper digitisation program which will commence later this year. The Library will use Apex’s services to build a database covering the period 1803 to 1954 using one major newspaper from each state and territory. From early 2008 the Library expects to offer a new online service to enable full text searching of these newspapers and viewing of the content free of charge.
http://www.nla.gov.au/pressrel/2007/NDP_press.pdf

VALA 2008 Call for Papers
VALA's 14th Biennial Conference, "LIBRARIES / CHANGING SPACES, VIRTUAL PLACES", will be held at the Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre, in Melbourne, Australia, from 5 - 7 February 2008. An invitation to submit abstracts for papers for presentation to VALA2008 has now been issued. The closing date for abstract submission is 30 April 2007. Details on the website.
http://www.vala.org.au/conf2008.htm

International

IFLA Metropolitan Libraries Conference 2007
Program details for this year's conference are now available. The conference will be held May 6 - 11 at the Seattle Public Library, Seattle, Washington, USA. The conference theme is "The Changing Face of Metropolitan Libraries: Inventing the Future but Anchored in the Past". Australian public libraries are represented amongst the speakers.
http://www.ifla.org/VII/s46/conf/SeattleProgram.htm

New Zealand records to be added to WorldCat
The National Library of New Zealand will add some 8 million records and the holdings of 275 libraries to WorldCat, the world's richest database and resource for discovery of materials held in libraries around the globe. As a result, records of items held in New Zealand libraries will be visible to Web searchers worldwide through the OCLC WorldCat.org service, or through popular search engines such as Google and Yahoo!
http://www.oclc.org/news/releases/200653.htm

NZ Public Libraries Summit Update
Wellington was absolutely positively buzzing at the end of February as over one hundred decision makers and thought leaders met for the New Zealand Public Libraries Summit. They came from throughout New Zealand, as well as from Australia, representing libraries (35% of attendees), local government (35%), central government (10%), and business, community, education, media and civil society (20%). They came to discuss public libraries, debate, and deliver ideas for the future. Keynote speaker David Lammy, the UK Government’s Minister for Culture was required at home at the last minute and his leave was cancelled. None-the-less he still delivered his thoughtful and informative speech to the Summit - by podcast - proving he’s serious about the future of public libraries wherever they are in the world. David Lammy says his greatest portfolio passion is for public libraries; an impressive statement, given he is also responsible for world heritage sites like Stonehenge and Westminster Abbey, the collections held at the Tate and the British Museum, and England’s thriving arts scene. David Lammy’s podcast should soon be available online at: http://www.davidlammy.co.uk/da/28082
http://www.lianza.org.nz/news/newsroom/news1172802140.html

Public libraries: a roundtable discussion (UK)
The aim of the roundtable, held on 7 December 2006, was to discuss the future direction of public libraries around a vision that embraces their core purpose and translates into a model for 21st-century learning, information and culture. Amongst the 16 participants were David Lammy MP, Parliamentary Under-secretary for Culture, Media and Sport, and Chris Batt, Chief Executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. A copy of the report can be downloaded.
http://www.newstatesman.com/pdf/publiclibraries.htm

LIANZA Conference 2007
LIANZA has recently called for papers for its 2007 conference. The conference, scheduled for 9 - 12 September in Rotorua, has "Tranzform" as its theme. Conference organisers are seeking conference papers, panels and workshops as well as showcase sessions, and are inviting submissions that are "passionate, insightful, inspiring and provocative". See the website for full details -- but be quick, because submissions are due in early April.
http://www.lianza.org.nz/events/conference2007/

Celebrations for both Carnegie Medal and Kate Greenaway Award
In 2007 the CILIP Carnegie Medal celebrates its 70th Anniversary and the CILIP Kate Greenaway its 50th. The Carnegie Medal is awarded by children's librarians for an outstanding book for children and young people. The Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded by children's librarians for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children and young people. As part of the anniversary celebrations, a new enhanced Carnegie and Kate Greenaway website has been launched, redesigned with the support of an Arts Council of England grant. A Living Archive has been created, containing details of past winners, including author profiles, interviews, video clips and images. It also offers an interactive function where visitors to the site will be able to ‘tag’ books with descriptive words such as funny, sad, thrilling and inspiring.
http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/home/index.php

2008 National Year of Reading in the UK
Public libraries are expected to play a huge part in the UK's forthcoming National Year of Reading. The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) will work to highlight the contribution of public libraries in promoting reading and improving outcomes for children, young people and adults.
http://www.mla.gov.uk/webdav/harmonise?Page/@id=82&Section[@stateId_eq_

Maintain IT Project
Maintain IT Project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is working with US and Canadian public libraries to identify best practice for technical support of public access computers. The project's website says "Public access computers (PACs) are essential for giving communities access to the vast resources of the Internet. PACs in public libraries are often the only way for some individuals to find out about information, services, and resources that can significantly improve their lives. However, keeping PACs running can often be a challenge for busy librarians. The MaintainIT Project collects stories on challenges and successes of working with PACs. Based on these stories, the project will identify best practices for maintaining PACs, and create a series of guides tailored to specific libraries. The guides will be distributed free of charge through numerous channels, including WebJunction (www.webjunction.org)."
http://www.maintainitproject.org/

States and territories

Library models at a glance
This initiative of Public Libraries NSW - Country explores three common library models (standalone, regional and cooperative) with a view to better understanding the effectiveness of each. The report will help communities identify which model will work best for them. Data was collected via statistical analysis, visits to 18 selected representative libraries and in-depth meetings with 6 selected case study libraries, including discussions with key library stakeholders (library professionals, local government officials, councillors and private citizens involved in their local libraries). The report presents strengths and weaknesses of each model, as well as other attributes. The project was funded by a Library Development Grant from the Library Council of NSW.
http://www.cpla.asn.au/resources/index.html

Name change for NSW public library associations
From March the two NSW public library associations will be known as Public Libraries NSW – Country (PLNSW-C) and Public Libraries NSW – Metropolitan (PLNSW-M). Between them the Associations represent the 97 public library services and 152 Local Councils in New South Wales. Formerly known as the Country Public Libraries Association of New South Wales (CPLA) and Metropolitan Public Libraries Association NSW (MPLA) both Associations changed their names after a unanimous vote of members. For more information contact Jan Richards, Secretary of the Country group (jrichards@orange.nsw.gov.au) or Paul Scully, Secretary of the Metropolitan group (p.scully@liverpool.nsw.gov.au)

Colin Mills Scholarship applications now open
Applications are now invited from professional and paraprofessional library staff from Country NSW as well as Zones for the prestigious Colin Mills Scholarship. This is a fabulous opportunity for library staff to fulfill a development need which is outside normal budgets. Conferences, overseas visits, staff placements in other libraries/organisations are just a few of the past scholarship benefits. Applications close on 4 May 2007 and the Scholarship will be awarded at the Public Libraries NSW - Country Conference at Merimbula in July 2007. It will be valued at up to $8,000. Further information and application form at
http://www.cpla.asn.au/colin_mills_scolarship/cmillship.html

Comment invited on Victoria's Public Library Asset Audit
Comments are now being sought on the first statewide audit of public library collections undertaken in Australia. The report, Strategic Asset Audit of Victorian Public Libraries, was released this month. The audit is one of several pieces of strategic work that the Library Board of Victoria, through the State Library, is undertaking in partnership with public libraries. Comments will be accepted until 4pm on Thursday 12 April 2007. The address for receiving comments is contained within the report.
http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/about/news/latest/210307.html

New Associate Director, SA Public Library Services
Congratulations to Geoff Strempel, who has recently been appointed Associate Director, Public Library Services, State Library of South Australia.
http://www.plain.sa.gov.au/Newsletter/2007/Connect_PLSnewsletter_March07.pd

News from ALIA

Feedback on Library Lovers Day
We have had some terrific feedback about libraries' activities on 14 February as part of Library Lovers Day but would really appreciate more feedback about your exciting and innovative ideas and suggestions for how to improve the event next year. The feedback form is on the Library Lovers website: www.librarylovers.org.au Thank you to all the libraries that participated in the Interflora competition. The winners and their libraries are listed on the Library Lovers website. And the entries for our competition question - Why do you love your library? - were wonderful. Enjoy this sample of some of them: - I love my library because it retains my sanity. - My library is a place that transports me to wherever, whenever and however, just like magic. No better place in the universe!! - I am endlessly grateful to my library and my local librarians because they have fed my curiosity and passions all these years. - Relaxing, adventurous, imaginative, love in a world of make-believe and fantasy. A world away from everyday life. - Libraries foster a lifetime love of reading and learning. My library helps children start on this marvellous adventure in life. - I love the library because it’s bright and happy and makes me feel alive! - I love the way there are activities for all, my son is all smiles everyday he comes, especially after nursery time. Great people, great times. - Books take me back to another age, ahead to the future, life in the here and now, enter into other people’s lives, travel to other places, enjoy new hobbies, watch and listen to audios.
http://www.librarylovers.org.au/

Information Awareness Month
The Australian Library and Information Association is one of the collaborating associations within the records/archiving/information management community for Information Awareness Month (IAM). Last May was the inaugural Information Awareness Month and it will happen again this year in May. In 2007 the theme for Information Awareness Month is “Technology as a Tool” which aims to highlight the ways in which we use technology in our day to day activities and the relationship between them and information. It is common place now for people to use technology in their everyday lives. Home computers or portable lap tops (note books), mobile telephones, PDA’s, electronic fax, electronic diaries, GPS, SMS, MMS, digital cameras, iPod’s and MP3/4 players and watches that would make even 007 proud, even combinations of the aforementioned items that should require huge operating manuals except that these too are available online. But within this proliferation of technology what information is being created, where is it being stored, is it ever destroyed and who owns it? IAM was originally an initiative of the Records Management Association of Australasia (RMAA) and they continue to 'drive' the event. The collaborating associations include: RMAA, Australian Society of Archivists (ASA), National Archives of Australia (NAA), Health Information Management Association of Australia (HIMAA), Institute for Information Management (IIM) and ALIA. The RMAA refers to the month as I AM (as in I am a records manager, I am a librarian, I am an archivist). IAM information will be included on the Library and Information Week website.
http://www.informationawarenessmonth.com.au/

Great ideas for Library and Information Week
Win a funky @ your library USB wristband by telling us your ideas for Library and Information Week. One person from each library sector - Public, Academic, TAFE, Special and School libraries - who submits a good idea will be selected to win a USB wristband. Ideas submitted by Friday 20th April 2007 will be entered into the competition draw. Simply complete the form on the website. Ideas will be collated and published on the Library and Information Week website. LIW for 2007 is 21 - 27 May.
http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/liw/suggestideas/

ALIA contacts in each state and territory
Did you know that ALIA has a Local Liaison Officer in each state and territory? LLOs are a point of contact for all members (both institutional and personal) and non-members. They also lend support to ALIA groups in their activities, planning and organisation. LLOs represent ALIA members at relevant meetings and promotions and keep an eye on what's happening locally so that the association keeps in touch with state-based issues. Contact details are on the ALIA website - feel free to contact your LLO with questions, news, suggestions or your opinions on ALIA-related matters.
http://alia.org.au/vital.link/contact

Negotiating E-Licences
Daunted by the complexities of acquiring and licensing electronic content? "Negotiating E-Licences", an ALIA PD workshop presented in partnership with CAVAL, is designed to help. This practical one day workshop is suitable for library and information professionals from any library sector grappling with the challenges of acquiring and licensing electronic content. For more information, dates and Australia-wide locations, contact Caval Collaborative Solutions, ph 03 9450 5508, training@caval.edu.au.nospam (remove nospam)or pd@alia.org.au.nospam (remove nospam). Please note the Sydney workshop will now be held on May 2.
http://training.caval.edu.au/pdt/show_course.php?CID=217

Policy and advocacy

5th International Indigenous Librarians' Forum
The 5th International Indigenous Librarians’ Forum will take place in Brisbane, Australia from the 4th to the 7th of June 2007. The Forum is hosted by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Library and Information Resource Network (ATSILIRN) in partnership with the State Library of Queensland and will be held in SLQ's new building. Venues include kuril dhagun, SLQ's Indigenous Knowledge Centre, the Talking Circle and auditoriums throughout the building. The Forum is an opportunity for Indigenous library workers from around the world to share information, contribute in the development of solutions to common concerns, and to discuss issues relating to the communication, documentation and preservation of Indigenous cultures.
http://5iilf.org/home

Public Libraries Australia 2007 Conference
Public Libraries Australia (PLA) is delighted to extend an invitation to all Australian public library sector stakeholders to attend the 2007 Public Libraries Australia Conference to be held in Adelaide from 5-7 August 2007. “Public Libraries Building Balance” is being presented by Public Libraries South Australia in conjunction with Public Libraries Australia, in partnership with ALIA. The conference will be held in Adelaide at the Adelaide Convention Centre—an excellent venue— and will feature a program that looks at current and emerging issues for the public library sector. The program will focus on strategies and skills for achieving balance in all aspects of library management and leadership to ensure we provide workplace and development opportunities for our staff, and that we understand community needs in order to provide relevant public library service and program development. The first keynote speaker to be confirmed is Rivkah Sass, Director – Omaha Public Library in the US. In naming Rivkah as the Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year 2006, Editor-in-Chief John N. Berry described her as being "a risk taker, change agent, library true believer". There is a great deal of enquiry already forthcoming and early indications are that the conference will attract attendees from all states of Australia. We hope that you will be one of them! Registration and program information will soon be available on the PLA website.
http://www.pla.org.au/Conferences.htm

"The Librarians" -- A new page in comedy from the ABC
Coming soon to a screen near you -- the ABC has recently started production on a new comedy series, "The Librarians". Due to be screened later in the year, "The Librarians", a six-part series, "centres on the trials and tribulations of Frances O'Brien, a devout Catholic and head librarian. Her life unravels when she is forced to employ her ex-best friend, Christine Grimwood - now a drug dealer - as the children's librarian. Frances must do all she can to contain her menacing past and concentrate on the biggest event of the library calendar - Book Week." With a plot like that, the series seems set to tackle outdated librarian stereotypes. Some ALIA groups are already planning big screen viewings in local pubs; you might like to do the same.
http://abc.net.au/corp/pubs/media/s1860093.htm

Evelyn Woodberry to chair lending right committee
Evelyn Woodberry, University Librarian, University of New England, has been appointed the new chair of the Public Lending Right Committee. In announcing her appointment, the Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator George Brandis, said “She is the first chair of the PLR committee who is resident in a regional area of Australia and the first woman to chair the committee. Ms Woodberry's professional experience and expertise will help her lead the committee as it considers future directions for PLR.” The PLR scheme is an Australian Government initiative that supports the enrichment of Australian culture by encouraging the growth and development of Australian writing and publishing. In 2005–06 it made payments of over $7 million to eligible Australian authors, illustrators and other creators as well as publishers to compensate for income lost through the free use of their books in public lending libraries. The PLR committee also advises the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts on the administration of its sister program—the Educational Lending Right scheme—that deals with school and university libraries.
http://www.minister.dcita.gov.au/brandis/media/media_releases/2007/evelyn_w

Conference report

Unconference unqualified success!
The L2 Melbourne unconference held on Friday 2nd March at Thomastown Library was a great success according to those who attended. Hosted by Yarra Plenty Regional Library and generously supported by SirsiDynix, it attracted 100 participants in a day full of engagement, interaction and participation. The broad themes of the Melbourne uncon were based on Library 2.0: Embracing change, Empowering users and Unblocking information. Most people agree the best part of conferences is the networking; the opportunity to talk to colleagues and vendors. An unconference is just that – a whole PowerPoint free zone! You don’t get talked at – you are part of the conversation. The unconference blog is still open if you are interested in the concept and to see people’s feedback.
http://l2unconferencemelbourne.blogspot.com/

Learning Futures
According to conference chair Dr Alan Bundy, “a bright future for children's and YA services” was the main message to be derived from 'Learning Futures' the second annual Auslib conference for public libraries in Australia and New Zealand held in Adelaide 9-10 March. The 23 speakers from Australia, New Zealand and the US provided a wealth of information and ideas on many exciting developments and initiatives in all aspects of children's and YA services in public libraries. 'The Learning Futures program covered services to babies and toddlers, children, school students and young adults. Patrick Jones, the US authority on services to young adults, in his keynote address 'Connecting young adults and libraries in the 21st century' asserted that 'public libraries must rethink their goals, reprioritise their resources, reshape their buildings and re energize their services to all teens and libraries to reach their full potential. The full printed proceedings of 'Learning Futures' will be available in late April from Auslib Press.
http://www.auslib.com.au/

Message from the Editor
The March issue of aliaPUBNEWS offers many opportunities to get involved in the wider public library community. From taking part in promotional campaigns such as Library and Information Week and Books Alive to presenting conference papers to becoming an active volunteer with your local ALIA group, your involvement can help shape the future of our libraries. Why not make the coming month a time to try something different by stepping outside your usual library "comfort zone" and doing something new?

A a