July 2007

In this aliaPUBNEWS broadcast:

National
National Simultaneous Storytime 2007; Internet Filtering; Summer Reading Club; Australian Framework and Action Plan for Digital Heritage Collections; New CAVAL CEO; Black Words: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Writers and Story Teller; 2007 National Oral Histories Conference

International
Imagination to Transformation [Mid-Atlantic Library Futures Conference]; 'More reading' than in 1970s; The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council announce new Chief Executive; LIANZA Conference 2007: TRANZFORM - Te Tiinihanga; Vatican Library closed for rebuilding; National Library of New Zealand - Strategic Directions

States and territories
State Library of NSW – Change to opening hours

Conference report
Information Access for people with print disabilities; Web 2.0 Presentation from PLNSW - Country Conference 2007

Celebrating Libraries and Librarians
Comments on a Public Library; Library Hotel; Librarians - we're not what you think!

Public Libraries Australia
New Public Libraries Australia Newsletter; Public Libraries Australia Conference

News from ALIA
ALIA National Library and Information Technicians Conference

National

National Simultaneous Storytime 2007
In 2006, approximately 40,000 children at over 620 locations around Australia took part in the National Simultaneous Storytime. On Thursday 6 September 2007 at 11:00am children all over Australia will be listening to The magic hat by Mem Fox, illustrated by Tricia Tusa. Activity packs, posters, balloons and bookmarks are available for purchase from the Australian Library and Information Association.
http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/storytime/2007/

Internet Filtering
Sex on the Net Check out this podcast from the ABC's Background Briefing Programme: "Whether adults like it or not, the Internet is where life's at for young people now - friendships, games, school stuff, comedy, adventure and sex. Teenagers are getting used to coming across pornography, and dirty old men. Sometimes they even turn the tables, and play indiscreet games. We don't know enough about the Internet generation - and government filters won't work on the new 3G phones."
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/

Summer Reading Club
Are you ready for a Superhero Summer at your library? That’s right, the national Summer Reading Club for children has a superhero theme: Superhero Summer - Read Around Oz. This year the development of the Summer Reading Club has been coordinated by ALIA. Administration of the program has until this year been managed by YACCIN, but the growing success and recognition of the program Australia wide means that the National Summer Reading Club has grown beyond the capabilities of this dedicated group. The team at YACINN would like to express their gratitude to ALIA for ensuring that the Summer Reading Club continues as a national program. They look forward to supporting ALIA with the ongoing delivery of the Summer Reading Club across Australia. When will the Summer Reading Club operate? 1 December 2007 to 13 February 2008. Who will participate in the Summer Reading Club? Most public libraries throughout Australia will offer a Summer Reading Club and holiday activities for children aged five years and older and their families over the summer break. The Summer Reading Club includes promotional posters, reading records, puzzles, activities, reading incentives, a website and a library manual â•„ everything a library needs to run the program. State coordinators are: ACT: Sarah Steed sarah.steed@act.gov.au NSW: Mylee Joseph mjoseph@sl.nsw.gov.au NT: Iris Beale Iris.Beale@nt.gov.au QLD: Denise O’Connor Denise.OConnor@slq.qld.gov.au SA: Helen Kwaka kwakh@cttg.sa.gov.au and Vanessa Davidson vdavidson@wtcc.sa.gov.au TAS: Patsy Jones patsy.jones@education.tas.gov.au VIC: Caz Smith carole.smith@darebinlibraries.vic.gov.au WA: Vicky Carlyon vicky.carlyon@liswa.wa.gov.au
http://alia.org.au/src

Australian Framework and Action Plan for Digital Heritage Collections
The Collections Council hosted a Summit on Digital Collections in 2006. Arising from the Summit, a draft Australian Framework and Action Plan for Digital Heritage Collections has now been drafted. Comments on the draft are welcome, up to 3 August 2007.
http://www.collectionscouncil.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=419

New CAVAL CEO
Janette Wright, currently Director at RMIT Publishing, has been appointed at CAVAL as their new CEO. Janette will commence work at CAVAL 20 August 2007 - one of her first tasks is progressing to the next stage of the CARM joint storage facility, which is currently in the planning stages. When completed, this will provide a world-class archival facility, providing permanent storage for approximately 1,000,000 volumes - more than doubling the current capacity of the CARM centre.
http://www.caval.edu.au/

Black Words: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Writers and Story Teller
Black Words is a wide-ranging, inclusive and informative discovery resource of structured information relating to the lives and stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers and story tellers. On Black Words you will find: * biographical records for writers and story tellers * records of all types of published and unpublished works of creative writing by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers * information about organisations such as publishers, theatre groups and other cultural groups * information on works on particular subjects relating to Indigenous cultures or literatures * critical articles on a range of relevant subjects and excerpts from scholarly works on a wide array of topics * links to other sites and resources for study, teaching and general interest * a Calendar of events Black Words is an initiative of AustLit: The Resource for Australian Literature.
http://www.austlit.edu.au/specialistDatasets/newBlackWords

2007 National Oral Histories Conference
The Oral History Association of Australia - Queensland Inc will hold its biennial national conference in Brisbane from 27 to 30 September 2007. This will be held in a delightful riverside setting 15 minutes from the CBD and will bring together oral historians from around the country and overseas. The theme of the conference is: Old Stories New Ways. Sub themes include: * interpreting story; * working with community; * understanding memory; * oral history and independent practitioners; and * addressing changing technologies There will be social gatherings, cultural events, performances, papers and panels as well as a welcome cocktail reception for full attendees.
http://www.ohaaqld.org.au/index.html

International

Imagination to Transformation [Mid-Atlantic Library Futures Conference]
Planned by PALINET, a multi-state library network, and five state library agencies from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, this conference brought together experts with insightful, provocative, and innovative ideas about the future with 300 library leaders from the mid-Atlantic region. Quite a few of the presentations are available for download in mp3, podcast, PowerPoint and PDF formats. Click on link to download.
http://www.palinet.org/futures/malfuturesconference.aspx

'More reading' than in 1970s
Books have been flying off the shelves in the UK. People in the UK seem to have been reading more over the past quarter of a century, a study suggests. The BBC also reports on a study which show people are reading more than they were in the 1970s This short article highlights some reasons for this change - see link below. A press release from the University of Manchester also has more information about this - see http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/display/index.htm?id=119971
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6285740.stm

The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council announce new Chief Executive
The MLA Council has announced that Roy Clare CBE, previously Director of National Museum at Greenwich, has been appointed as its new Chief Executive. He will take up his new role at the beginning of September 2007. Mark Wood, Chairman of MLA, said: “It is great news for the MLA and the whole cultural sector to have someone of Roy’s calibre; experience and energy take over the leadership of the organisation. Roy has a very clear vision of what the MLA can and should achieve and he will ensure it makes a reverberating impact in the years ahead. Chris Batt, who is leaving MLA in September, has been Chief Executive for 4 years and has implemented many successful programmes including the Renaissance investment in regional museums. He has been pivotal in creating the dynamic and focused organisation that MLA Council is today. For many people his lasting legacy will be his work on ‘The People’s Network’ for which he received his OBE.
http://www.mla.gov.uk/website/news/press_releases/ne_ceo

LIANZA Conference 2007: TRANZFORM - Te Tiinihanga
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! Visit the Registration page on the Conference website for a PDF version of the Registration Brochure, as well as online registration. Programme and abstracts are also available from http://www.lianza.org.nz/events/conference2007/programme.html The Annual Conference of The Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) is the single largest gathering of library and information professionals in New Zealand, and one of the largest in Australasia, attracting approximately 700 delegates each year. The LIANZA 2007 Conference Committee is pleased to announce that the Registration Brochure for TRANZFORM - Te Tiinihanga is now available. The Registration Brochure includes; an Invitation, Conference Highlights, Programme Details, the Social Programme, Accommodation list, full details relating to the registration process and the registration form. Keynote Speakers at LIANZA Conference 2007 are Dr Ian Brooks, Penny Carnaby, Loriene Roy, Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, Roy Tennant and The Hon Judith Tizard, M.P. Full biographies and photographs are on the LIANZA website: http://www.lianza.org.nz/events/conference2007/keynote.html LIANZA welcomes any questions or discussion you might have about LIANZA Conference 2006. Please direct all enquiries to: The Conference Company (TCC) E-mail: lianza@tcc.co.nz
http://www.lianza.org.nz/events/conference2007/registration.html

Vatican Library closed for rebuilding
One of the world's oldest public libraries, the Vatican Library, has closed for rebuilding for approximately 3 years (from 14 July 2007). It is not expected to reopen before September 2010.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6901606.stm

National Library of New Zealand - Strategic Directions
The National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga O Aotearoa is seeking feedback on its strategic direction. The Next Generation National Library draft feedback document outlines the Library's draft strategic direction to 2017. The document: * outlines a vision for the year 2017 * outlines the proposed four strategic priorities to 2017 * outlines four supporting success factors to achieving the strategic agenda * proposes six questions for feedback.
http://www.natlib.govt.nz/catalogues/library-documents/next-generation-nati

States and territories

State Library of NSW – Change to opening hours
After working closely with State Library staff, clients and researchers to identify opportunities to enhance the many services the State Library provides to the people of NSW, Regina Sutton the NSW State Librarian & Chief Executive has announced changes to the State Library’s opening hours. As of 1 August the State Library will change its opening hours to provide greater access to the Library’s collections and a consistent weekday service in both the Mitchell Library Reading Room and the State Reference Library. The Library’s Galleries will also operate on the same opening hours so clients and visitors can enjoy the free exhibitions after work or during a break from their research. Click here the link below to view the new opening hours. Prior to the commencement of the new opening hours, the Mitchell Library Reading Room will undergo some enhancements, resulting in improved service delivery, better access to technology, and generally a more comfortable research environment. The Mitchell Library Reading Room will be closed from 14 - 31 July 2007 and will reopen on Wednesday 1 August to coincide with the new opening hours. If you have any questions, please contact Grazyna Tydda, Acting Manager, Reader Services Division on her direct line 02 9273 1448 or email gtydda@sl.nsw.gov.au.
http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/visit/hours.cfm#new_hours

Conference report

Information Access for people with print disabilities
The most recent Round Table on information access for people with print disabilities inc was held in Adelaide in May. The abstracts and some of the papers are available by visiting the web link below. There are papers looking at technologies such as podcasting, which are relevant in a library.
http://www.e-bility.com/roundtable/conf_proceedings07.php

Web 2.0 Presentation from PLNSW - Country Conference 2007
Helene Blowers of the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (USA) presented an interesting paper on Web 2.0 at the recent Public Libraries NSW - Country Conference in Merimbula. Web 2.0 generally refers to a second generation of services available on the WWW that lets people collaborate and share information online. For a copy of Helene Blowers PowerPoint presentation in PDF format go to:
http://www.librarybytes.com/2007/07/public-libraries-cultural-pearl.html

Celebrating Libraries and Librarians

Comments on a Public Library
Comments from author and radio host Garrison Keillor at the Closing Session of the American Library Association Annual Conference last month: A library is a cathedral of quietness," he declared, "and home is not. The office is not. The coffee shop is not." He said he found inspiration in the new library in his home city of St. Paul, seeing "all these young people... poring over books." Most of those readers are immigrants: Hmong or Vietnamese or Somali. "When politics turns mean and nasty in our country," he said, "you can recover your civic happiness by walking into your local library, by looking at all those heads bend down over those books." The public library is "one of the noblest expressions of democracy, still." And the future of libraries, he said, may be "simply as a quiet room where people can go to gather our thoughts... an unwired place." He acknowledged that libraries "were in a big rush to get wired, but maybe people are looking to get unwired." Most of those librarians at the conference have been trying to embrace the best of both tendencies, but, given Keillor's closing endorsement that "you preside over a sacred place," they were not about to quarrel with him. [Quoted from Library Journal.com]
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6455264.html

Library Hotel
Fashioned from a landmark 1900 brick and terra cotta structure, this New York City treasure has been beautifully restored into a small luxury hotel of the highest caliber. Each of the ten guestroom floors is dedicated to one of the ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System.
http://www.libraryhotel.com/index.shtml

Librarians - we're not what you think!
Cultural Images of Librarians Librarian stereotypes in popular culture support the image of a librarian as a shushing school marm who does little more than stamp and shelve books. Maybe that’s all you’ve seen librarians do. However, this perception is about as inaccurate as believing that US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is nothing more than a glorified bank teller. The technology may change but the mission of the profession remains the same: organize information and help people find it. Libraries have been around a lot longer than the Internet, and provide answers to questions about almost anything. A library is sometimes much more useful for researching information than the Intenet. Today librarians not only administer Web servers and dynamic databases to help manage large digital collections and thousands of electronic resources, they teach people how to use library systems. And the library profession not only is part of the Open Source and Open Access movements, but also has a long history of staunchly defending freedom – from book burnings to the FBI’s Library Awareness Program to the latest privacy and copyright battles and almost all other current issues in intellectual freedom. Click on the link below for more:
http://www.tk421.net/essays/nwyt.pdf

Public Libraries Australia

New Public Libraries Australia Newsletter
PLA has just published its new look newsletter for members and other interested parties. The July 2007 newsletter is available for download from the PLA web site. Contributions and feedback are welcome and can be sent to the editor: Roger Henshaw at roger@rhcs.com.au The current newsletter includes articles on: * PLA/ALIA Partnership * Online Filtering * State and Territory news
http://www.pla.org.au/

Public Libraries Australia Conference
"Public Libraries Building Balance" * Public Libraries Australia 2007 Conference presented by Public Libraries SA and supported by ALIA * 5-7 August 2007 * Adelaide Convention Centre, North Terrace, Adelaide REGISTRATION is still open to this exciting and important conference!
http://www.pla.org.au/conferences.html

News from ALIA

ALIA National Library and Information Technicians Conference
The ALIA National Library and Information Technicians Conference is on from 9-12 October 2007. The conference will provide a forum for professional networking and socialisation among national and international participants. Delegates will learn about the latest trends and developments for libraries, share the expertise, experience, and knowledge of the invited eminent speakers and update themselves on new products and services from the trade and publishing worlds. The conference program will be devised to encompass the daily themes of Innovation, Initiation and Inspiration. For more information on the conference click on the link below:
http://www.alia07.com/

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