Statement from the president

For me, personal highlights were: having the opportunity to meet so many ALIA members making such an impressive contribution to the Association, the experience of dealing at first hand with the professionalism of executive director Virginia Walsh and the ALIA National Office staff, and involvement with the Centennial Conference here in Melbourne.

It is one thing to be aware of how dependent the Association is on the work of its members, but it was not until I had visited most state branches and many other sections and groups around the country that I really appreciated just how much work is being done with so much enthusiasm in so many fields - from mentoring, to lobbying, to continuing professional development, to work with other information professionals, to sharing knowledge and skills in the application of new technology, to getting to know our markets and the community better - and importantly - in the co-operative spirit which is the hallmark of the library sector, in ensuring that the benefits of all these efforts are shared as widely as possible.

It is also a pleasure to realise how well-regarded we are in the community. Early in the year we enjoyed the success of Australian Library Week and the very well-received Australian Library Week Oration. Sir Anthony Mason took a stand on principles of copyright which was an important step in the debate from the library point of view. The pleasure was that he was so willing to be involved and to work with the library community. Similarly, at the end of the year, one of my last very pleasant tasks was to present the Association's Redmond Barry Award to Barry Jones, long-term friend and supporter of the library sector, who was obviously delighted with the recognition and who is clearly passionate about libraries.

On both of these occasions, and many others throughout the year, I felt very proud of the image that the Association presents. At the March ALIA General Council meeting Virginia had arranged a presentation for Council members and Branch presidents on the role and work of the ALIA National Office. The presentation not only emphasised the wide range of work undertaken, but also the enthusiasm and professionalism of the presenters: the ALIA National Office senior staff.

The Centennial Conference in October was the culmination of four years work by local organisers. A strengthening role for specialist conferences means that lower attendances can now be expected at the biennial conference, but even with these lower numbers, the conference was financially very successful for ALIA.

1996 was also notable for work done on future planning for our Association, which will provide an ideal platform for us to go into the joint project planned for 1997, with the Australian Council of Libraries and Information Services and the National Library of Australia, to plan for the future needs of the sector generally. I hope that we can work to develop structures and a focus which will retain the very best of what we have in ways which will be flexible enough to meet the challenges of the future.

Helen Tait
President 1996