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The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), the Australian Public Library Alliance (APLA) and National and State Libraries Australia (NSLA) submission in response to the 2020 Senate inquiry into the issues facing diaspora communities in Australia.

This response provides a summary of libraries' services for multicultural communities.

INCITE: The magazine for library and information professionals - November/December 2020 Volume 41 Issue 11/12

Contents: From the President -- From the CEO -- HCL Anderson Award recipient Cheryl Hamill -- Make a date for Library Lovers' Day 2021 -- The show must go on...line -- Tips for reflective practice -- Meet the convenor: Damien Linnane -- Health Libraries: Better Evidence = Better Health -- The latest from the states and territories -- Contribute to INCITE in 2021 -- Reading with rainbow royalty -- Calling for Change -- Reflecting who we are -- Delving into diversity -- Changing with the times -- Continuing the conversation -- Measuring the immeasurable -- Statewide vision, local focus -- Learning to embrace change -- Every school library counts -- Let's talk change in the LIS sector -- The winds of change -- The art of browsing -- Preparing for a post-COVID world -- Transforming with technology -- Open, shut them, open... -- Connecting through COVID -- The state of the union -- Cut waste, grow sustainably -- New graduate, same old problems.

This submission from the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and the Australia Public Library Alliance (APLA) discusses the expansion of libraries into the broader arts and culture mix; the ongoing need for university qualified library and information professionals; and the benefits of creative and cultural industries to Australian society.

ALIA-APLA provides the following recommendations:

• Align librarianship with IT and education in the Job Ready Graduates plan
• Invest in Australian books, writers and reading
• Promote public libraries as centres for digital transformation of government services

Article by Sue McKerracher, CEO of the Australian Library and Information Association from ACCESS November 2020 Volume 34 No. 4

This article discusses the Australian Media Literacy Alliance's (AMLA) approach to creating media literate citizens.

This document provides an overview of how Australian libraries provide valuable support for Australian authors and publishers. 

Notice of the 32nd Annual General Meeting of members of the Australian Library and Information Association Limited (ALIA) held on Monday 4 May 2020.

Article by Roxanne Missingham (FALIA) from INCITE January/February 2020 Volume 41 Issue 1/2 - Critical Librarianship.

This article discusses the social, ethical and legal complexities in the debate surrounding freedom of speech in library spaces.

ALIA’s Special Libraries Working Group has put together this directory of special libraries to support collaboration. The directory is not a comprehensive listing, but it does identify like-minded individuals working in similar situations. The aim is to enable people to share non-competitive information, insight, expertise, ideas and resources; to improve the sense of connectedness in a sector with many one-person libraries, and to strengthen special libraries’ advocacy network.

Article by Katalin Mindum AALIA (CP) from INCITE March/April 2020 Volume 41 Issue 3/4 - Leadership.

This article discusses the ways libraries can provide leadership in sustainable practice.

The Australian Library and Information Association’s (ALIA) move into a new building in Canberra in 1990 - 9-11 Napier Close, Deakin - was a major step for the Association. Over the years, ALIA Directors have debated the merits of retaining the building as the Association's main asset. After consultation with an Advisory Committee of long-term ALIA members and senior library leaders, the ALIA Board has made the decision to progress with the sale of the building. The property will be listed for sale in May 2020.

The financial status of ALIA is secure and stable. This decision has not been made because ALIA is in financial distress, but rather to safeguard the financial future of the Association. Our aim is to ensure the Association reaches its 100th anniversary in 2037 fit for purpose and in a strong and sustainable position. The sale will enable ALIA to create a substantial, flexible asset base, with several million dollars held in a balanced investment vehicle and it will relieve ALIA from the burden of property management and provide more flexibility for the future of the Association. There are no plans for ALIA to move from Canberra and, depending on the terms of the agreement, it is likely that the Association will remain in our current premises for at least three years post-sale and potentially longer.

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) is committed to reconciliation in Australia. Respect for the diversity, individuality and equality of all and recognition of the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is a core value within the ALIA Strategic Plan 2018–2022.

ALIA’s commitment to developing the first Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan was confirmed by the development of a Working Group in February 2019 which has guided the development of the ALIA RAP. The Working Group champions all aspects of the RAP internally and consists of five ALIA staff members along with the Indigenous Curator of the National Library of Australia.

This document, revised in October 2020, describes the role, skills and attributes, and duties and responsibilities of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Board of Directors.

The Australian Library and Information Association’s (ALIA) move into a new building in Canberra in 1990 - 9-11 Napier Close, Deakin - was a major step for the Association. Over the years, ALIA Directors have debated the merits of retaining the building as the Association's main asset. After consultation with an Advisory Committee of long-term ALIA members and senior library leaders, the ALIA Board has made the decision to progress with the sale of the building. The property will be listed for sale in May 2020.

The financial status of ALIA is secure and stable. This decision has not been made because ALIA is in financial distress, but rather to safeguard the financial future of the Association. Our aim is to ensure the Association reaches its 100th anniversary in 2037 fit for purpose and in a strong and sustainable position. The sale will enable ALIA to create a substantial, flexible asset base, with several million dollars held in a balanced investment vehicle and it will relieve ALIA from the burden of property management and provide more flexibility for the future of the Association. There are no plans for ALIA to move from Canberra and, depending on the terms of the agreement, it is likely that the Association will remain in our current premises for at least three years post-sale and potentially longer.

This is the sixth annual ALIA LIS Education, Skills and Employment Trend Report. Our intention is to provide students, educators, employees and employers with an understanding of the national library and information science (LIS) landscape, and the Association with the data we need to help inform our approach as the sector’s peak professional body.

This 2019 report updates some of the statistics in the previous editions, using the latest figures from the Commonwealth Department of Education and The Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business. In some sections we have included data for related fields (Gallery and Museum Technicians, Archivists, Curators and Records Managers).

ALIA President Robert Knight has taken leadership as the theme for his presidential year, from May 2019 to May 2020, highlighting the vital role of strong leadership at every level, in order to secure a sustainable future for the library and information sector. The theme has been commended by ALIA Members, who have been keen to participate in what is seen to be a necessary and timely discussion.

A survey was carried out at the end of 2019 to generate responses to an Issues Paper. Responses were received from 158 people between 22 October and 15 November 2019. This report covers the findings from the survey and provides qualitative and quantitative data about our performance as a sector. This will provide the basis for further discussions at our ALIA Leadership & Innovation Forums early in 2020.

This submission from the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) discusses the role of library and information professionals in supporting formal education and lifelong learning through school, TAFE, university, public and special libraries. In order to run these institutions and provide these services, we need tertiary qualified library and information professionals.

Under the government's draft legislation, teacher librarianship units of study will be funded in line with teacher education units of study in the proposed new model. However, ALIA is advocating for all library and information science courses to be reassigned from Cluster 1 to Cluster 2, alongside IT and education, given our professions’ close alignment.

The aim of these Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) guidelines is to provide all libraries, regardless of type, size or resourcing, with minimum standards for the provision of accessible and inclusive services for people with disabilities. These guidelines can be used to:

• analyse the present level of service,
• facilitate forward-planning,
• develop strategies for more effective services

These guidelines provide a benchmark to ensure that a standard minimum level of service is provided across the entirety of the library and information services sector.

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) believes that employers are critical partners whose active involvement contributes positively at both the initial education stage and to the continuing professional development of library and information professionals.

Library and information employers have a key responsibility to support and assist education providers in producing graduates capable of providing quality information services. They also have a responsibility to provide opportunities for learning that support library and information professionals to enhance their knowledge and skills throughout their career in order to meet the changing needs of their clients, employers and society. This investment is essential in order to continually improve the quality of the profession and its capacity to support employer organisations.

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) recognises that the dynamic and changing library and information environment demands that library and information professionals continue to develop and broaden their knowledge and skills so that they can anticipate and respond to the needs of clients, organisations and society.

ALIA supports library and information professionals to engage in formal and informal learning experiences through the ALIA PD Scheme, ALIA Mentoring Scheme, ALIA conferences, symposia, events, forums and training.

This document identifies and describes the ALIA Health Libraries Australia (ALIA HLA) eight competency areas. Health librarians, from novice to expert, need a basic understanding of each competency area:

1. The health environment
2. Reference and research services
3. Resources
4. Leadership and management
5. Digital, ehealth and technology
6. Health literacy and teaching
7. Health research
8. Professionalism

The competencies review compares the ALIA HLA Competencies 2018 to equivalent standards by relevant organisations.

There are 246 TAFE libraries in Australia, supporting VET students in every State and Territory. At the beginning of 2019, ALIA's Vocational Education and Training Libraries Advisory Committee (VLAC), chaired by Brenda Burr, sought feedback about how changes in structure and funding have affected TAFE libraries and the library and information professionals who run them.

TAFE libraries were asked to complete an online questionnaire with 34 questions relating to budgets, staffing, collection formats, library space and size of customers served, library closures, changing user demands and the role of library and information professionals in the VET sector.

The survey ran in March 2019 and followed on from a similar survey carried out in 2016. Where possible, we have shown the results from both surveys to highlight similarities and differences. The 2019 survey data infers a sector reacting to both internally and externally driven circumstances. The survey results show a challenging environment in which TAFE libraries and their staff operate.

The Australia Reads campaign, incorporating the Australian Reading Hour, was a huge success in 2019 with more than 240 registered events across all Australian states and territories, featuring appearances from more than 60 authors. Many of these events were held in Australian public libraries, with attendance from more than 1,400 people.

Libraries created the Australian Reading Hour as part of the National Year of Reading in 2012, and it has turned into a massive event, supported by federal government, state government, media channels, shopping centres, transport networks and other big name partners. Following on from the success of the Australian Reading Hour 2019, the campaign has been rebranded Australia Reads to allow a greater and more diverse coverage of activities.

This document, created by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and ALIA Australian Government Libraries Information Network (AGLIN), provides information for government libraries which are threatened with closure. It highlights the difficulties, complexity and cost of closing a library; and the difficulties of continuing the provision of library services without a library and information science professional in place.

This checklist accompanies the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and ALIA Australian Government Libraries Information Network (AGLIN) publication "Not simple, not straightforward and not an instant cost saving: the realities of closing a government department library".

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and the Australian Public Library Alliance (APLA) joint statement in support of the removal of overdue fines in public libraries.

A growing number of Australian public libraries are removing fines for overdue items. This is in line with the global movement to make libraries more accessible for all people in our community. A number of trials have established that often the cost of collecting overdue fines is greater than the revenue received. Overdue fines are also a distraction from the core work of public libraries: lending items, encouraging reading and facilitating free access to information.

Vocational education and training (VET) libraries provide essential support for educators and students. They provide print materials and electronic resources; individual and group study spaces; computers and fast internet connection; information and digital literacy support, and expert assistance from qualified library and information professionals. VET libraries make a significant contribution to learning outcomes and to the employability of students.

These guidelines were developed by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) in 2015, and updated in 2019, with the assistance of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Libraries Advisory Committee. 

Letter from ALIA President, Lyndall Ley, to members of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) highlighting recent activities and initiatives.

The ALIA NT Recognition Awards are an annual merit prize which celebrates and recognises the work of a team or individual working in any sector of the library and information profession in the Northern Territory. There are two awards reflecting the unique geography of the Territory.

In 2019 there were joint winners of the ALIA NT Recognition Award - Alice Springs Public Library Youth Team and the Northern Territory Library.

This joint submission from the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and the Australian Public Library Alliance (APLA) discusses the role of public libraries in the digital space, enhancing people’s online experiences, helping people connect to this new virtual world, and providing a safety net for those who are in danger of being left behind, particularly in terms of the ability to access government information.

ALIA and APLA support equality of access to the benefits arising from our increasingly digital society and view public libraries as having an important role in bridging the gap for those who don’t have the skills, knowledge, money, devices or high speed connection to be regular and confident users of the internet.