Statement from the president

It is interesting to speculate whether at the annual general meeting in Adelaide in 1998 many of us understood what adopting a Charter of Renewal would really mean for the Association. I certainly did not appreciate the extent to which the Charter, a seemingly bland document, would produce such radical changes in the Association.

These changes began in earnest during 1999 as we prepared to move to incorporated status and to governance by a Board of Directors rather than a representative body. Early 2000 saw incorporation confirmed with new responsibilities and accountabilities under Corporations Law and the opportunity to be the 'nimble' organisation we had said for years we wanted to be.

So where have our new 'nimbility' and renewal, in general, led us? Surely when the next millennial history of ALIA is written a key change which will be noted is the new Association structure. The direction of this change in structure was driven by the National Policy Congress (NPC) following extensive consultations across the Association. At the NPC, a remarkable gathering of representatives of divisions, effectively voted the divisions out of existence. Two days of intensive discussion and a lot of give and take resulted in a series of strong recommendations to the new Board of Directors to introduce the idea of self-nominating groups as the fundamental unit of the Association. The basic idea was that the former neat but inflexible structure of branches, sections and special interest groups would be replaced by a grass-roots structure built on the specific requirements of groups of members.

By the end of this ALIA reporting year there is intense activity across the Association with groups of members completing pro formas for support to establish self-nominating groups and activities funded directly from the Board of Directors. For the Board of Directors it has been very rewarding to see the level of energy stimulated by the opportunities which are being afforded to these dynamic groups. It has been rewarding too to realise that the bureaucratic requirements of the old division structure have been swept aside and replaced with more focused reporting requirements. The organisational chart of ALIA in this coming year certainly won't be a tidy one, but what matters surely is that we have activities and professional growth of our members through these locally-developed and delivered activities.

The outputs of other significant activities in the January 2000 to May 2001 period will not yet be entirely visible to all members but the foundations for further radical changes have been put in position. These include the review of all ALIA activities and services relative to the revised Objects of the Association; active negotiations with a range of like-minded associations to establish strategic partnerships; analysis of member services and benefits with planning to extend the range of benefits offered; vigorous representations for additional funding for libraries from non-government sources; review of the Association's role in lifelong career education and professional development including CPD and mentoring activities.

In closing, I would like to thank the ALIA National Office staff and the executive director who have been unstinting in their efforts to bring the Association through the incorporation process and to put the new base of operation and support to members in place. The interim Board of Directors and, later, the seven 'real' directors took up their roles with great enthusiasm and commitment. They rapidly developed a way of operating so that the good of the Association as a whole, rather than sectional interests and interstate politics, have driven the strategic agenda. And thanks to you as members for the confidence you have shown in the Association, its staff and Board. Your support has been vital to what has been an excellent year of achievement.

At a personal level, it has been a great pleasure to have served as president of ALIA - I certainly could never have imagined when I wrote to LAA in 1974 to have my Irish qualifications recognised prior to migrating that I would one day have the privilege of serving in the office of president.