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Summary of the Health Information Workforce (HIW) Peak Bodies’ 8-point action plan to prevent workforce shortages in critical health areas.

Australian National Early Literacy Summit, 7-8 March 2016 Canberra

This conference presentation (PowerPoint slides) from the summit provides an overview of early literacy programs in NSW public libraries.

The aim of the National Early Literacy Summit is to spark debate about what a National Early Literacy Strategy for Australia might include and how it would help deliver the best results, building on existing work such as the Australian Literacy Educators’ Association’s "Declaration of Literacy in 21st Century Australia" and Victorian Libraries' "Reading and Literacy for All".

Government, educators, researchers, libraries and early years service providers will break new ground in collaborative engagement around this most vital national priority – future generations with the literacy skills to fight disadvantage, and advance Australia’s interests in the global knowledge economy.

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead

This conference presentation (PowerPoint slides) supports the paper that analyses changes to the librarian role and outlines how the Discipline Librarian (DL) role has developed over the last two years at Griffith University, moving away from traditional librarian services and towards a more targeted approach that delivers newly created services supporting scholarly impact throughout the research lifecycle. A strategic change in the service model delivery and a review of research support services identified new services and skills sets that would be required by DL’s. An audit of existing research skills identifying potential skill gaps indicated most DL’s would require additional training and development. This paper also discusses the capability framework and maturity model used for skills development. The authors, employed as Discipline Librarians, surveyed their peers to discover individual perceptions around the newly defined role and also to identify challenges or perceived barriers in communicating the new role and services to their community. Survey findings are discussed. 

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead

This conference paper examines the role of Australia in library and librarianship research undertaken by Chinese academics.

Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and Australian School Library Association (ASLA) statement to advocate for library and information resources, programs and services in schools.

The TAFE Libraries National Reciprocal Borrowing Scheme is managed by the ALIA VET Libraries Advisory Committee. It allows students and staff of participating TAFE libraries to register and borrow materials in person from any other participating host TAFE library in any other state, in addition to their own library. The scheme is designed to assist students and staff who may be enrolled with or employed by a TAFE institution in one state but who find it more convenient to access TAFE library services in another state. The reciprocal borrowing arrangements between TAFE libraries within a state are not covered by this scheme.

An updated list of participating institutions can be found at Mapping of TAFE Libraries: Updated 2021.

There are 246 TAFE libraries in Australia, supporting VET students in every State and Territory. At the beginning of 2016, ALIA's Vocational Education and Training Libraries Advisory Committee (VLAC) 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 32 questions relating to changes in collection format, staffing, funding, space and the size of population served. The survey ran from 1 to 25 February 2016.

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead

This conference presentation (PowerPoint slides) supports the paper which discusses the challenge of promoting online collections in public libraries.

Ongoing financial, administrative, and technological changes present significant challenges and opportunities for government libraries in delivering services to their clients. Determining how government library and information services might best confront these challenges and take advantage of new opportunities is crucial for the future of the sector. The Australian Government Libraries Information Network (AGLIN) has commissioned a review of service delivery models in Commonwealth Government libraries. The goals of the Commonwealth Government Agency Libraries Review (CGALR) are to evaluate the libraries’ current service delivery models and to develop an options paper outlining some future models which might better serve needs of clients across government.

This literature review considers a range of current perspectives on library and information services,focusing on the specific issues and challenges facing contemporary government libraries and librarians. The review incorporates four key areas:

• Directions in government administration
• National and international trends in government library services
• Developments in contemporary special libraries
• Skills and competencies required by special librarians

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead.

This conference presentation supports a report prepared by the eGov Ready Project Team that emerged as part of the State Library of Vicoria and Public Libraries Victoria Network 2015 Shared Leadership Program.  The conference paper discusses how public library staff are reporting increasing demand to help patrons navigate and find online resources relating to eGovernment. Framing this is the federal policy for all high volume government services to be online by 2017, and 80% of all government service interactions to be through digital channels by 2020.

This presentation showcases a diagnostic toolkit to enable public libraries to assess their eGov readiness, which was produced as part of an action learning project sponsored by the State Library of Victoria and Public Libraries Victoria Network’s Shared Leadership Program, with the assistance of Cube Group, offers public libraries a practical and scalable means for evaluating their capacity to provide support, resources and training.

The evidence base underpinning this project draws from the ALIA and Australian Public Library Alliance proposed report, The impact of eGovernment on Australian public libraries (2015).   The questions posed in this document were used to develop online surveys for Victorian public library management and staff to evaluate the impact of eGov on:

• Staff time and skills
• ICT
• Programming and partnerships.

While public libraries are well-equipped and accessible places for eGovernment community access and education, data gathered from over 300 frontline staff shows that despite the fact that over the past 3 years, more than 90% of respondents reported having to spend more time on enabling patron discovery and interactivity with government information, forms, data and records, less than 10% believed that they were adequately prepared and trained for providing effective eGovernment information services.

How do we ensure we understand the broader environment in which we operate and how do we connect with it?

Australian public libraries are valued community hubs, and the largest providers of free internet and Wi-Fi services. The continued rollout of eGovernment will only increase demand on the sector to provide eGov support services to our communities. It is thus imperative that public library services actively seek out ways to effectively engage with our communities in this socio-political agenda. Our eGov Ready Libraries Toolkit offers public libraries a ‘traffic light’ rated diagnostic tool, the results of which link directly to practical ideas for suggested areas of improvement across all platforms: ICT, programs, partnerships, community engagement and staff development.

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead.

This report accompanied a conference paper presented at the ALIA National 2016 Conference relating to the introduction of eGov, following an Australian Government committment to providing online services for all high volume federal services by 2017.

The report defines eGovernment, the role of public libraries in facilitating access to eGovernment information, and promotes use of the eGov Ready Library Toolkit to assist public libraries in supporting their community.

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead

This conference poster paper highlights the challenges, strategies and successful inititatives of a university library electronic publishing service.

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead.

This conference presentation (PowerPoint slides) supports the paper which discusses how the NSW Parliamentary library went about building a learning organisation. The NSW Parliamentary Library is the oldest specialist library of its kind in Australia. The staff of the library are also specialists, who possess remarkable amounts of knowledge about parliamentary resources and history. Like many libraries today, a great deal of this knowledge is tacit, with vast amounts of corporate knowledge embedded in the memories of comparatively few individuals.

In the 2014/2015 Business Plan, in line with the strategic plan of the Department of Parliamentary Services, the Parliamentary Librarian set a goal-based activity to “Build a learning organisation”. A project team was formed, and an original plan for knowledge-sharing and capacity-building was implemented. The results have been overwhelmingly positive, promising and even unexpected.

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead

This conference presentation (PowerPoint slides) accompanies the paper discussing the City of Joondalup Local History Library's approach to digitising, preserving and publishing a local history collection.

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead

This conference presentation (PowerPoint slides) assesses and compares the usability of public library web sites in Australia, Canada and the United States.

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

Superseded by: ALIA ACSL Statement on School Library Staffing (2025)

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead.

[Peer reviewed] This conference paper reports on a research project that considered the perceptions, expectations, and behaviors of library employers on job negotiations as both employers and as job seekers. A survey was used to collect demographic data, including gender, age, position, and type of library respondents work in, as well as data on respondents’ reasoning of why they did or did not withdraw an offer of employment, their level of comfort in negotiating, and how much flexibility they believe there was for negotiating job offers. The research question was addressed through quantitative analyses of responses to multiple choice questions and qualitative analyses of responses to open ended questions.

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead.

[Peer reviewed] This conference paper discusses the issues faced by children with special needs and their families when accessing public libraries. 

The research found there were five common elements that libraries focussed on when addressing issues of accessibility for children with special needs and their families. These elements were: Collections, Programs, Partnerships, Physical barriers (space and equipment), Training. The elements were used to create an inclusive library model. The foundation of this model is supportive management. The inclusive libraries model provides an entry point and structure for public libraries wanting to improve access for children with special needs and their families. 

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead

This conference presentation (PowerPoint slides) accompanies the paper which examines the role of Australia in library and librarianship research undertaken by Chinese academics.

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead

This conference paper puts forward the case for a new publishing model for an open access (OA) library and information science (LIS) journal that also encompasses cultural heritage, informatics, and the digital humanities.

ALIA National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead

This paper details the 'scavenger hunt' designed by the Research Services Coordinator at Curtin University to engage library staff in developing research data management skills. The paper explores the background and methods of the scavenger hunt as well as presenting the lessons learned from an amibitious project that did not proceed quite according to plan. The experience it offers is valuable for librarians looking to undertake work in the emerging area of research data management.

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

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead

This conference presentation (PowerPoint slides) accompanies a paper which discusses an approach to managing copyright risk in libraries.

National 2016 Conference, 29 August-2 September 2016 Adelaide: Engage Create Lead

This conference paper discusses an approach to managing copyright risk in libraries.

Contents: Staying alive: health science library practice in the 90's by Andrew Rooke and Adam Clark; Medline and more: Sydney's St Vincent Hospital microwave their Medline by Judith Weaver; Wellington: wonderful or woeful? by Jo Marshall; President's column - 8th International Medical Library Congress; Editor's note: Stop thief! - discussion about copyright; National Executive: Ian Stubbin, Virginia Staggs, Toni Silson, Grahame Manns.

Original document held at ALIA House, Canberra.

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Minimum Standard Guidelines for Library Services to Prisoners provide guidance on the establishment, operation, and evaluation of library services to prisoners in Australia.

ALIA HLA professional development day, held 9 July 2015 at Queensland University of Technology. Featuring presentations addressing:

• Smart Searching: Search Filters and Expert Topic Searches.
• PubMed Train the Trainer.
• Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Health Librarians.
• Research Data Management for Health Services Librarians.

ALIA Information Online 2015 Conference, 2-5 February 2015, Sydney: at the edge.

ALIA Universities and Research Libraries (URLs) ACT and Australian Government Libraries Information Network (AGLIN) ACT Seminar, 9 September 2015 Canberra: change, challenges and opportunities - recasting your library skills

The ALIA URL group provides a networking and information-sharing forum for all levels of library staff interested in issues and trends affecting the development of university and research libraries.

This seminar presentation investigates the future skills and competencies required by health librarians.

The Reading Hour is one of the most celebrated annual reading initiatives in Australia, and supports individuals, families and communities to discover and rediscover the joy of reading. The Reading Hour emerged from the National Year of Reading 2012, and is an ongoing campaign from Love2Read, funded by the ALIA Australian Public Library Alliance and in partnership with the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.