Held on Kaurna Miyurna Yerta at the State Library of South Australia, the ALIA SA End of Year Celebration on Friday 21st November, was festive and fun.
Photos (l-r): Megan Berghuis, Director of the State Library of South Australia, and Natasha Edwards, Convenor of ALIA SA, welcome guests to the event (photos courtesy of Eli Mir)
With the Treasures Wall as a backdrop, and refreshments thanks to the generous sponsorship of James Bennett, ALIA members were recognised with a number of awards.
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Photos (l-r): Refreshments thanks to James Bennett (photos courtesy of Eli Mir)
Eleanor Thomas 25-year member
Photo (l-r): Jessica Coates, ALIA, presents Eleanor Thomas with her pin (photo courtesy of Eli Mir)
Eleanor Thomas graduated as a Library Technician in Newcastle in 1998. She moved to South Australia and was awarded her BA (Information Studies) at Uni SA, before working at Uni SA Library for 17 years. In 2018, Eleanor gained the position of Acquisitions Coordinator at University of Adelaide Library. A career highlight - being given the opportunity to travel to the UK in order to share her knowledge of library acquisitions and eBook purchasing strategies, speaking in Leicester, Glasgow and London. Eleanor is currently focused on establishing acquisitions, resource sharing and finance processes as part of the Interim Acquisitions team for the new Adelaide University.
Renya Spratt: 40-year member
Photo (l-r): Jessica Coates, ALIA, presents Renya Spratt with her pin (photo courtesy of Eli Mir)
Renya Spratt has done many wonderful things in libraries to support the library community. She is currently Branch Operations and Volunteer Support Officer at City of Marion. Here she brings passion, experience, and deep knowledge to everything she does.
Sue Johnston: 40-Year member
Photo (l-r): Jessica Coates, ALIA, presents Sue Johnston with her pin (photo courtesy of Eli Mir)
Sue Johnston’s career has been as a Teacher Librarian across many R-12 schools in SA. Always active in professional associations, including ALIA, SLASA and ASLA and involved in many aspects of advocacy including Students Need School Libraries and professional development for library staff and others. Sue is always ready to support, promote and advocate for the role of libraries in schools and the community.
Zoran Opacic: SALIAs 2025 Winner
Photo: Zoran Opacic, SALIAs 2025 winner (photo courtesy of Eli Mir)
From a shortlist of six exceptional ALIA members, the SALIAs 2025 winner was Zoran Opacic from Public Library Services at the State Library of South Australia! Zoran expanded the reach of digital literacy programs to regional communities, delivering high-quality training to both library staff and community members. This has assisted South Australians to build essential digital skills and engage confidently with emerging technologies.
Congratulations to Zoran and to all the nominees – your dedication, talent and commitment to the people of South Australia continue to strengthen our library community.
Photo (l-r): The ALIA SA Committee: Natasha Edwards, Fei Chang, Eugenia Grypma, Hayley Hillson, Beifang Hou, Amy Sowinski, Matthew Sykes and Madhavee Wright (photo courtesy of Eli Mir)
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the celebration, and to ALIA SA for hosting such a warm and lively end-of-year event.