As well as plenty of sunshine, the 2 days (June 21-22) spent on Turrbal and Yugara land (Brisbane / Meanjin), provided ALIA Regional Engagement Manager, Emily Wilson with opportunity to meet, connect, and reconnect with some wonderful library and information professionals.
With coffee in hand, Kyla Stephan spoke to me about her upcoming plans for the ALIA Gold Coast Library Network, while we strolled the South Bank near the Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art. Kyla was an excellent guide, providing a history of the area and pointing out things of interest as we walked.
Next up, a half-day workshop for SE Queensland Public Libraries at the State Library of Queensland, and then in the early evening, a social event for ALIA members at the Poppies wine-bar. Cathie Warburton (ALIA CEO), Amy Walduck (Director on the ALIA Board), and Phyllis Goodridge (from the ALIA QLD Group) attended, along with library and information professionals from the Brisbane region.
Images above L to R: Kyla Stephan (ALIA Gold Coast) with her latest book purchase; the State Library of Queensland, read more about this stunning architecture here.
The following day, Cathie Warburton and I headed to The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Kelvin Grove Campus. Here we met with Jill Rogers, Digital Collections Librarian and Service Manager. Highlights from our meeting included the GIFs made from QUT Digital Collections for Gif It Up (a fun way to increase discovery of collections), and learning about Brisbane’s early years while exploring the Bain/O’Gorman archive.
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Images above L to R: the fabulous furnishings of QUT’s Kelvin Grove Library; Jill Rogers & Emily Wilson enjoying the Brisbane sunshine; Bruce Munro, Nicole Clark & Emily Wilson (Shhh).
Jill is also the Convenor of the ALIA Digitisation and Preservation Group – a newly formed community of practice for the GLAM sector - designed for networking, support, professional development, and resources sharing.
I’d first met Nicole Clark, QUT’s University Librarian, when she gave a lightning talk at the ALIA National Conference in 2022 about creating safe, inclusive, and welcoming library spaces for LGBTIQA+ students at QUT Library. So it was wonderful to be given a tour of the Kelvin Grove Library by Nicole and Bruce Munro, the Manager Library Service. This welcoming space also offered stunning city views, brightly coloured furniture, neon signs and a games room.
And that concluded the busy 2 days. Thanks to everyone who took time to speak to me about ALIA, the Queensland library landscape, library collections, and supporting community. Particular thanks to those who opted to miss the State of Origin game to attend the networking event!
Emily Wilson
ALIA Regional Engagement Manager