Current projects
First Nations Collections Description
ALIA collaborated with representatives from AIATSIS, ACORD (ALIA Community on Resource Description), CAUL (Council of Australian University Librarians), CAVAL and NSLA (National and State Libraries Australasia) on cross-sectoral best practice guidelines for the description of First Nations collections. The project working team was formed in October 2022 and subsequently contracted Tui Raven, an Indigenous researcher to lead the development of the guidelines in early 2023. The Guidelines were published in late 2023.
You can read and download the Guidelines here: catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/10010699. Tui Raven also created a series of training videos to support implementation of the Guidelines understanding, which you can access here: vimeo.com/showcase/10833631
Adolescent’s recreational substance use and epistemic wellbeing
Dr Suzana Sukovic has been awarded the 2022 ALIA Research Grant for a project exploring adolescents’ recreational substance use, epistemic wellbeing and information seeking behaviour. The project will support our understanding of factors influencing young people’s wellbeing and information environments, which will benefit the education and health sectors, and it will demonstrate the value of LIS research as it relates to adjacent fields. Suzana founded ALIA LARK (Library Applied Research Kollektive) in 2012, promoting LIS practice-based research across the country and internationally. She has been a peer reviewer and contributor to JALIA (Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association).
LISRA Project
ALIA is pleased to support this ARC-funded project, which aims to encourage and enable research culture and practice within Australia's library and information profession.
Untapped: The Australian Literary Heritage Project
Associate Professor Rebecca Giblin from the Melbourne Law School is leading a joint ARC research project into ways of identifying out-of-print Australian books and bringing them back into digital domain. Watch a recording about the project here.
Recent projects and publications
Australian Library Design Trend Report
ALIA funded a research project into library design trends in Australia, showcasing architectural and sustainable innovation in library design and construction. The research team is led by Professor Lisa Given and includes Dr Kirsten Day, Professor Helen Partridge and Dr Katherine Howard. The visually rich report covers building designs as well as processes such as community consultation and environmental assessments. Read the report here: Designing for the Future in Australia: A Retrospective on the ALIA Library Design Awards.
Mis/Disinformation in University Library Collections in Australia
Dr Nicole Johnston (AALIA), Associate University Librarian and sessional lecturer at Edith Cowan University, and recent ALIA Board member, received the ALIA Research Grant Award for her project ‘The impact and management of mis/disinformation at University Libraries in Australia’. The grant goes towards Nicole’s project which investigates the current landscape of mis/disinformation at Australian Universities, specifically around teaching and collections. You can read Nicole's article published in the Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association or read the shorter snapshot report of the research.
Nicole presented her research and findings in a Research Review Seminar on 11 October 2023. You can watch the recording here: vimeo.com/manage/videos/873199906/7378e864e2
Greening Libraries
ALIA commissioned a short research project into sustainability and greening across the library sector internationally and in Australia. Research was led by Dr Jane Garner from Charles Sturt University. See the ALIA Greening Libraries page for more information about the research and to read the project's output, the Greening Libraries Report.
University of Canberra Media Literacy
ALIA partnered with members of the News and Media Research department at the University of Canberra (UC) to create tools, learning resources and opportunities for LIS professionals who would like to embed media literacy programming into their services. One of the first stages was a survey to collect information from library and information sector workers, the findings of which have support the development of an ALIA-accredited micro-credential at the University of Canberra.
Twila Ann Janssen Herr Research Award for Disability Services
Rebecca Muir and Mary Coe (AALIA) are the recipients of the ALIA Twila Ann Janssen Herr Award for 2020. Their research critically reflects on their personal experience in including people with an invisible disability as library and information science (LIS) research participants. The research, titled 'Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind': A Collaborative Reflective Case Study on Including Participants with Invisible Disabilities in LIS Research has been published in JALIA (Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association).
ALIA support for Library and Information Services research
The ALIA Research Grant Award is awarded every two years and provides opportunities for professional members to undertake research projects that they would otherwise be unable to do because of the time and costs involved.
ALIA supports diverse research in the profession through various supports such as the Anne Harrison Award for health librarians, and the Twila Ann Janssen Herr Research Award for Disability Services. Find out more about our national and group research awards.
ALIA Research Fund
ALIA is an Applied Research Institute and our Research Fund supports our research activities.
An approved research institute is a university, college, institute, association or organisation approved as an approved research institute for the purposes of section 73A of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 for undertaking scientific research which is, or may prove to be, of value to Australia.
ALIA Research Advisory Committee
The ALIA Board of Directors established the ALIA Research Advisory Committee to promote the value of research, to provide advice on ALIA's role in research in general, to recommend recipients of Research Grant Awards and to help identify research activities to be supported by the ALIA Research Fund.
Find a researcher
Collaboration is encouraged and the ALIA Research Advisory Committee has put together this spreadsheet of researchers who are keen to partner with others who share their professional interests. If you would like to be listed, send us your details.
ALIA Survey Protocols
Download ALIA's protocols for surveys.