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The year in reviewIn 1996 Reading the future was the theme for the ALIA Biennial Conference and Australian Library Week. Since the library and information sector is experiencing such profound change in all areas of endeavour it is essential that a valiant attempt be made at shaping its destiny. That can only be done if there is an appreciation of the social, political and economic environment and where it is headed. It is in the new age of convergence that the library sector is becoming aware of the threats from related professions to the services traditionally provided by its librarians. However, software engineers and telecommunications developers are not in the business of organising, storing and providing access to information. Nevertheless there remains an uncertainty within the wider community of what it is that librarians actually do.Making headway in this new age requires the development of strong claims to a role for the information professional that reaches into the future. Many relevant issues were tackled during the year and the Association was diligent in promoting the interests of its library community. Regardless, the warning bells are ringing. Unless the profession is prepared to renew and update skills and demonstrate the necessary flexibility in its approach to library work, the future will be rife with lost opportunities. Consumers of information will be denied access to information, resulting in a society which is denied equity of access to information with the consequent impact on information literacy and the basic democratic rights of its citizenry. In presenting the inaugural Australian Library Week Oration on 1 May 1996, Sir Anthony Mason said: 'The title to this oration, Reading the future, calls for a speaker with the qualities of a seer. Unfortunately, I am no Nostradamus. Yet reading the future is the challenge which now confronts libraries and library communities throughout the world.' Sir Anthony went on to speak about special challenges in relation to copyright in the brave new digitised world. Privacy, content regulation, preservation and censorship, together with copyright, continue to be big issues for the Association. New telecommunications policies which are impacting on the quality of digital connections, as well as their cost, have also featured on ALIA's 1996 advocacy schedule. The Australian political landscape was substantially reshaped in March 1996 with the election of a Coalition Government - after thirteen years of Labor rule. This transition was a challenge for the Association as it immersed itself in the task of placing issues on the political agenda. ALIA received enthusiastic support from members of the new government but, as ever, faced the burden of converting enthusiasm to appropriate action. Disappointingly, the promise of over $11 million for public online services in libraries was reduced to $2 million in the August budget. This program, like many others, was the victim of budgetary cuts but, in spite of limited federal government financial support, local, territory and state governments have forged ahead with the development of online networks. These developments are demonstrating the important role for libraries in the digital world and are an inspiration to many within the library community. As ALIA moves ahead into 1997, the crystal ball has become an essential component of the modern information professional's armoury. The library community can be confident that its Association remains well-placed to serve the diverse interests of its members as the detail of this annual report demonstrates. Virginia Walsh
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