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On behalf of our members, representing library and information professionals, libraries and information services, academics, researchers, research practitioners and the Library and Information Science (LIS) community Australia-wide, the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) welcomes the opportunity to provide a response to the ANZ Standard Research Classification review. For LIS, we recommend the relocation and renaming of one FoR (080702), the renaming of four FoR (080701, 080704, 080706 and 080708) and the addition of two new FoR (080710 and 080711). We would be pleased to be involved in further discussions about the review as required by the review board.

Summary of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Board of Directors Meeting held on Friday 8 March 2019.

Summary of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Board of Directors Meeting held on Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 May 2019.

Summary of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Board of Directors Meeting held on Monday 10 September 2019.

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) has been an active participant in the discussions around the proposed Data Sharing and Release Legislation, and we would like to commend the Office of the National Data Commissioner on the extent and depth of the consultation process. We understand that there is further work to be undertaken and welcome the opportunity to continue to be involved and to highlight the evolving role of library and information professionals, making data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (the FAIR principles).

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

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".

Agenda for the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Board of Directors Meeting held on 8 March 2019 at ALIA House, Canberra.

Agenda for the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Board of Directors Meeting held on 10 September 2019 at ALIA House, Canberra.

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.

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.

Agenda for the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Board of Directors Meeting held on 9 December 2019 at ALIA House, Canberra.

This document is an article published in INCITE July/August 2019 Volume 40, Issue 7/8.

Australian librarian and ALIA Fellow, Christine MacKenzie, will become the President of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) at the World Library and Information Congress in Athens later this year for the 2019–2021 term. Before she commences her presidency, ALIA grabbed a moment of her time to have a chat about her presidential theme, the challenges on the horizon, and what she’s most looking forward to in her time in office.

Promotional sticker template for use in libraries as part of the 2019 FAIR "Vote Library" campaign.

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.

Agenda for the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Board of Directors Meeting held on Wednesday 22 May 2019 at ALIA House, Canberra.

This submission from the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) discusses the value of school libraries in supporting teaching staff, building reading and information literacies, promoting cybersafety and digital skills, and providing access to recreational books as well as essential study materials.

ALIA supports the notion of introducing mandatory, reportable minimum standards for literacy, numeracy and digital literacy and urges the review to make a clear link between these skills and the role of school libraries. Well-resourced school libraries, staffed by qualified professionals should be available to all young people in order to prepare them for future study and work.

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.

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 Truth, Integrity, Knowledge (TIK) campaign ran throughout 2019. The campaign focused on why librarianship is one of the most trusted professions in Australia and how people working in libraries (whether LIS qualified or from another discipline) promote the free flow of information and ideas in the interests of all Australians.

This promotional poster summarises "10 ways library and information professionals promote truth, integrity and knowledge". The poster is designed with white and black text.

Headings: TRUSTED PROFESSIONALS -- FREEDOM OF INFORMATION -- EVIDENCE-BASED -- DIGITAL EXPERTISE AND INCLUSION -- INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE -- FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION -- EQUITY -- PRIVACY -- OPEN ACCESS -- COLLABORATION.

This document is a template letter to a local candidate for election in the 2019 Australian federal election, encouraging the candidate to support open access, investment in libraries and library staff and copyright law reform.

Public libraries across Australia provide and facilitate invaluable, community-focused workshops and programs for people with, or at risk of developing, mental ill-health. We provide information, raise awareness and aim to help remove any stigma from mental health issues. Hospital libraries, in addition to providing evidence-based information about mental health, are involved with work-based mental health programs, supporting health professionals for whom it is essential to care first for themselves, before being able to care for others. As libraries provide this ad hoc support for library patrons it often falls on individual libraries to train their staff in mental health first aid. Additionally, as reading plays an important role in maintaining good mental health, by allowing people to explore other places, times, people, situations, and look for meaning in their own lives, the role that libraries in providing access to books cannot be undervalued.

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) recommends that there be more formal support and funding for libraries to facilitate this support, starting with a pilot scheme. Funding for a pilot of a more ‘joined up’ approach between existing service providers would demonstrate how libraries, in partnership with case workers, could assist those suffering metal illness to be safe and utilise these welcoming and supportive community spaces. The introduction of more consistent and formalised funding to enable public libraries and hospital libraries to run the programs and workplace initiatives described in this submission is critical to ensure that libraries can continue to provide these services.

ALIA, ALIA Australian Public Library Alliance and ALIA Health Libraries Australia would welcome the opportunity to engage in discussions with the Productivity Commission about the points raised in this submission.

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) sets and maintains education standards for entry into the library and information professions in Australia and it plays a vital role in ensuring library and information science professionals are supported in their continuing professional development.

ALIA has a responsibility as a standards and compliance body to ensure the available education courses are high-quality accredited programs, both as a basis for professional practice and as a means of ongoing professional development, and to foster forward looking and dynamic educational opportunities for library and information professionals. To this end, ALIA works collaboratively with educators, students, employers and training providers to promote and encourage continuous improvement in the education of library and information professionals, institutional support for library and information courses and the contribution of practitioner expertise to courses and for ongoing professional development.

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) works collaboratively with higher and vocational education institutions and registered training organisations (RTOs) recognised by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) and the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), employers, practitioners, students and other relevant professional associations to promote the development and continuous improvement of library and information science (LIS) courses.

ALIA’s course accreditation process is an essential mechanism to ensure the high standard of personnel engaged in information provision and forms the basis for international comparability and reciprocal recognition of qualifications, graduate success and mobility. ALIA accredits LIS courses at the Diploma, Bachelor, Postgraduate Diploma and Masters levels.

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.

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) 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.

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.

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

The subject benchmark standard for librarianship, information, knowledge, records and archives management defines the academic standards that can be expected of a graduate, in terms of what they might know, do and understand at the end of their studies, and describes the nature of the subject.

This document is reproduced with permission from QAA. The statement is scheduled to be revised in 2023.