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This submission from the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) highlights the key role of school information services and teacher librarians in delivering improved curriculum outcomes, attainment of the goals of education, promotion of literacy and reading, information literacy, technology use in schools and the curriculum, and lifelong learning.
 
Having access to a well resourced school library and the services of a fully trained and qualified teacher librarian is the right of every student in an Australian school. The provision of the school library facility and the employment of a qualified teacher librarian in every school is the responsibility of the federal and state governments of Australia, and is in the national interest.

Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and Australian School Library Association (ASLA) statement describing and promoting the role of teacher librarians in Australian schools.

ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger
Not only will this conference presentation make theoretical connections between schools, libraries, technology and how integral teacher-librarians are to this process; but it will also make strong links between school and public libraries and the opportunities that exist for ongoing collaboration, with the primary aim of establishing consistent messaging about knowledge-sharing and positive use of digital technologies.
Educating school communities on cybersafety and digital literacy is now a very important part of the school’s remit in the digital era, and teacher-librarians are integral to this process – many of whom are drivers of digital innovation and collaboration within schools.  
 

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead
 
This conference presentation (PowerPoint slides) supports the paper which charts the development of the scaffolded liaison librarian training program based on an annual Training Needs Analysis (TNA); evaluation and the new directions of the program.
 
Professional development is essential for academic librarians to smartly navigate through options, opportunities and challenges in their professional career (Bell, 2015). Commitment from senior university library administrators’ to champion staff development programs ensures that librarians are equipped to fully participate in a rapidly evolving information environment. Such a commitment signals the important leadership role that librarians can play in supporting academics with their research activities and in guiding students to become sophisticated users of information.
 
Deakin University Library is regarded by academics and senior university administrators as an essential service to deliver on the promise of “accessible, media-rich, interactive and active educational experiences designed for excellent learning outcomes and optimum employability” (Deakin University, 2012). In order to maintain such a leadership position, the Library Executive endorsed a professional development program for liaison librarians to build their capacity to work effectively and confidently with academics.
 
 

ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger
This conference paper reviews the role faculty librarians in the Health Sciences Team have played in responding to this new agenda, with participation in workshops, planning consultations with researchers, whilst simultaneously aligning and redeveloping services to meet this emerging need. 
The services include research consultations; researcher training (includes literature searching, bibliometrics, social media and more) the new customised search service (provides customised literature searching to support grant proposals and funded projects), and the research impact advisory service.
Another important aspect that has impacted on service provision has been the interdisciplinary nature of the University’s research agenda.  Faculty librarians are required to work across all disciplines in collaboration within Learning and Research Services in the Library and with researchers in the Faculties.  Within each Research Focus Area, there are multiple rounds of funding allocated and the customised search service has been heavily utilized.  This paper reviews how librarians from the Health Team have become involved in quite complex negotiations with researchers as they scope out the requirements of each request, work within the team to ensure timely delivery of often quite multifaceted search requests.  Evaluation of this response to La Trobe University’s research agenda will be reviewed and results analysed to ensure continuing sustainability and excellence in practice.
 

ALIA Information Online 2015 Conference, 2-5 February 2015, Sydney: at the edge
 
Abstract:
 
The International Librarians Network (ILN) began as a way to help librarians develop an international professional network without having to travel overseas. Focusing on openness and relying entirely on freely available technology and volunteer time, the program was designed to reinforce the idea that ideas can cross borders and make us better at what we do. The ILN launched in 2013, free and open to anyone in the profession, and has facilitated connections for over 1500 people in 103 countries.
 
Unfunded and completely independent, the ILN was established using a suite of freely available technology to create and maintain an online profile. This included Gmail, Google Drive, Google Forms, Dropbox, Wordpress, Twitter, Facebook and AnyMeeting. In the development stage of the program these tools were sufficient, and their ease of use allowed the ILN founders to focus on the content and rapid development of the program, rather than requiring advanced technical skills. Combined with a network of volunteers, the ILN was able to have a positive impact on librarians around the world.
 
By early 2014, with the rapid growth of the program, the no-cost model that had served the ILN well started to hinder the growth of the program. As additional time was being spent to find and implement work-arounds to technical limitations, the ILN realised that free was no longer enough. The program needed to move beyond the limitation of free web-based tools and an informal business structure, but there was still no budget to do so. Early efforts to identify pathways forward were hampered by financial restrictions, a lack of transparency by service providers, and a confusing abundance of small scale commercial providers of services.
 
This paper will outline how the ILN used freely available technology to establish and grow, and what was achieved from this base. The paper will then explore the steps the ILN took to identify planning and development strategies for small organisations and projects that need to ‘do more with less’. It will pragmatically explore the limitations of ‘free’ and what to do when free is not enough, and show the role that small-scale strategic planning can play in helping small organisations or projects manage growth in a scalable and sustainable way.

Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and Australian School Library Association (ASLA) statement emphasising the importance of qualifications for a teacher librarian.

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead.
 
This conference presentation (PowerPoint slides) supports the paper which explores how academic librarians are under pressure to continually adapt services and resources to meet the changing needs of academic staff and students and respond to the wider availability of unmediated digital information (Jaguszewski & Williams, 2013). Many university libraries are responding by pursuing new methods of client engagement by providing more targeted and personalised library services (Tiffen & England, 2011). This paper presents findings from a small study of the information seeking approaches of 13 academics teaching mathematics in a range of Australian universities. It finds that while academics have direct access to more information than ever before, they are also time poor, face many challenges as teachers and are under increasing pressure to change their approaches to teaching. Findings suggest that communities of practice could be effective in supporting access to information about teaching. Librarians have the opportunity to foster such communities and to support the information gathering and sharing of the communities of practice. 

This infographic supports the Australian Library and Information Association Health Libraries Australia (ALIA HLA) 2016 census report which suggests that Australia is facing a potentially critical shortage of health librarians.

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead.
 
[Peer reviewed] This conference paper explores how academic librarians are under pressure to continually adapt services and resources to meet the changing needs of academic staff and students and respond to the wider availability of unmediated digital information (Jaguszewski & Williams, 2013). Many university libraries are responding by pursuing new methods of client engagement by providing more targeted and personalised library services (Tiffen & England, 2011). This paper presents findings from a small study of the information seeking approaches of 13 academics teaching mathematics in a range of Australian universities. It finds that while academics have direct access to more information than ever before, they are also time poor, face many challenges as teachers and are under increasing pressure to change their approaches to teaching. Findings suggest that communities of practice could be effective in supporting access to information about teaching. Librarians have the opportunity to foster such communities and to support the information gathering and sharing of the communities of practice. 

ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger

This conference paper explores how to become a data librarian, opportunities for transformation, understanding how research data are resources for new teaching and learning models and a horizon scan of what research data are available. The Australian National Data Service (ANDS) has worked with over 90 Australian research institutions and their Librarians and data managers to bring together in excess of 100,000 Australian research data collection records.  CSIRO has partnered with ANDS in developing and publishing their research datasets.

ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger

This conference presentation explores how to become a data librarian, opportunities for transformation, understanding how research data are resources for new teaching and learning models and a horizon scan of what research data are available. The Australian National Data Service (ANDS) has worked with over 90 Australian research institutions and their Librarians and data managers to bring together in excess of 100,000 Australian research data collection records.  CSIRO has partnered with ANDS in developing and publishing their research datasets.

ALIA National 2014 Conference, 15-19 September 2014 Melbourne : together we are stronger

This conference paper discusses how as librarians, most of us have indirectly contributed to a research project – this is often by performing a literature review or advising on citation management.  We might have a long-term link with particular members of a research team who seek ongoing assistance during the life of the project, up to preparing their work for publication. However a research team comprising busy academics and clinicians requires many talents to conduct the investigation of a specific hypothesis.

Much of the “production” work is delegated to the project research assistants (RAs). This may include literature searching and synthesis, developing surveys or other data collection materials, recruiting subjects, compiling data and contributing to reports on the findings.

How much overlap is there between health librarian competencies and the functions of the RA in a research team?  This paper examines the roles and duties of the research assistant in the “typical” university-based research team. It then compares these with the eight professional competencies identified for health librarians in recent Australian studies. The similarities and gaps between the two are discussed.

This is the final report of the 2012 Anne Harrison Award Project conducted between October 2014 - February 2015.