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ALIA general councillor portfoliosALIA General Council met formally in March, July and November in 1997. General Council uses a portfolio allocation system to ensure that all sectors and special issues and skills have the specific attention of at least one councillor. The portfolio holders and their responsiblities were allocated as follows:
International activitiesAt the 63rd IFLA council and general conference in Copenhagen, former IFLA president Robert Wedgeworth acknowledged the contribution of ALIA and of the IFLA treasurer Warren Horton to the revitalising of the International Federation of Library Associations. The ALIA president and executive director attended the conference which highlighted IFLA's efforts in five key areas: access to information; the electronic environment; preservation and conservation; services and standards, and professional development. The executive director attended the American Library Association Conference at the end of June. Alana Garwood from the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies in Canberra and Melissa Jackson from the State Library of New South Wales gave an overview of Australian library services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients and communities, including ALIA's employment and recruitment strategy.ALIA national officeFollowing the endorsement of the ALIA strategic plan by General Council at their first meeting in March, ALIA National Office realigned and reorganised its organisational plan to reflect the new strategic arrangements. Corporate divisions that reflect the nature of core ALIA business were made to create four main areas of direction and responsibility - policy development and support; promotion and communication; administration; and expert advice and special projects. This new arrangement was welcomed enthusiastically by ALIA National Office staff, and was further refined and developed throughout the year.MembershipGrowth in membership slowed slightly in 1997 as a result of changes in the workplace which saw closure of libraries and loss of positions. This is consistent with the drop experienced in institutional and voucher-only memberships during the year.However, in the latter part of the year the Association experienced growth in overall membership compared with a similar period in the previous year. In 1997 overall membership increased by 6.8% - more in the second half of the year than for the same period of 1996. This may in part be explained by the introduction in July of special categories for retired members which encouraged these members to retain their membership. The March 1997 meeting of ALIA General Council formally established the children and youth services section (Queensland group). Other active sections include acquisitions, cataloguers, education for library and information services, health libraries, information science, library technicians, local studies, public libraries, reference and information services, school libraries, special libraries, TAFE and university, college and research libraries. The information literacy special interest group was formally established at the November 1997 meeting of ALIA General Council. The Association is now represented by 12 special interest groups. In 1997 there were some 110 divisions which indicates the breadth of interests of members of the Association. The new computerised membership database was fully implemented in 1997, providing enhanced reporting mechanisms which divisions may use to identify membership trends more readily and thus maximise opportunities for retention of members. Government activitySome of the Government administrative and legislative action affecting the library and information sector in 1997:January Libraries Working Group, Cultural Ministers' Council publishes reports; 2020 Vision - Towards the future library: a strategic agenda and policy for Australia's state and public libraries State of the nation: Australia's public libraries February Arts Institutions (Amendment) Act (Victoria) abolishes Museums Advisory Board and the Libraries Board of Victoria; Standard Telephone Service Review Group, Department of Communication and the Arts (Cth) report comments on role for public libraries in broad access to telecommunications information services June Release of part three of the report of Senate Select Committee on Community Standards Relevant to the Supply of Services Utilising Electronic Technologies, Regulation of computer on-line services July Standing Committee of Attorneys General (SCAG) adopts general recommendations of the Australian Broadcasting Authority on Internet content regulation August Heritage Access Inquiry, Senate Environment, Recreation, Communications and the Arts Reference Committee report December Review of the Archives Act 1983, Australian Law Reform Commission report; Copyright Law Review Committee reference Simplification of the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth); National Standards and guidelines and initial teacher education project of the Australian Council of Deans (ASCOD) for the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DEETYA)
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