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Agenda for the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Board of Directors Meeting held on Monday 6 December 2021 via Zoom.

Agenda for the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Board of Directors Meeting held on Monday 15 March 2021 via Zoom.

This report provides outcomes of the research project National Survey on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment in Australian Libraries conducted in the period of 2020 to 2021.

The research aimed to find out more about the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people employed in Australian libraries and identify the current employment types across a range of library settings. It also sought to find out more about the location of libraries with Indigenous staff across states, territories, and public, academic, and school, or other specialist libraries. By conducting the study, we have been able to identify the trends in current employment roles, identify gaps, and understand more about the experiences of Indigenous people working in these libraries.

The report provides an outline of the demographic information provided by participants to the online survey and a summary of the major themes identified from data collected in the semi-structured interviews.

The research has shown there are unique opportunities for the library sector to support the work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australian libraries and develop new pathways for current staff to access leadership roles and others to enter the profession. It has also identified significant gaps in support in this area and provided recommendations for future action and research.

Health Libraries Australia Lunchtime seminars 2021: Thursday 15th July and Thursday 22nd July, 1.00-2.30pm. 

This seminar presentation (PowerPoint slides) discusses work by the authors to progress an open research strategy, done at a national level, including implications for health researchers and health research leaders.

This document promotes news regarding Australia Reads campaigning as of Tuesday 25 May 2021.

Health Libraries Australia Lunchtime seminars 2021: Thursday 15th July and Thursday 22nd July, 1.00-2.30pm. 

This seminar presentation (PowerPoint slides) discusses the work of the Open Research Reference Group formed to address the barriers to change in the first steps towards making open research a reality at Griffith University.

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.

This directory is an update of the 4th edition published in early 2021.

Health Libraries Australia Lunchtime seminars 2021: Thursday 15th July and Thursday 22nd July, 1.00-2.30pm. 

This seminar presentation (PowerPoint slides) discusses impacts of and responses to open access, and ways to target the future goals of the practice.

On 24th March 2020 the Prime Minister of Australia declared the immediate closure of libraries across the country as part of the national attempt to slow the rate of COVID-19 infections. This meant over 1,600 public library service points across the country in urban, regional and remote locations, were no longer able to offer services on their premises.

This research aimed to explore the response by public libraries across Australia to the COVID-19 crisis. Its findings will assist public libraries in understanding their own roles and performance in a community crisis and will enable them to better prepare for and react to similar crises in the future so that community needs are met as efficiently and effectively as possible. In addition, the research aimed to identify possible trends in future service and resource provision resulting from measures put in place during the COVID-19 crisis.

It is important to note that the protracted nature of the pandemic has meant that many public libraries across Australia are still facing significant operational challenges. We therefore recognise that examples of innovation and best practice are still emerging, and that in many cases public library staff have yet to be afforded the space and time needed for effective reflection on their response to the crisis.

Library services at VET education providers improve the lives of students by supporting every student, providing 24/7 access to resources, acting as a welcoming space, facilitating digital inclusion and independent learning, widening horizons, providing copyright expertise, business efficiency, education equity, and the recruitment, engagement and retention of students.

Libraries contribute to the university's competitive advantage by providing a central point of reference for students, award-winning spaces, digital access to the world's knowledge, understanding of new digital technology, copyright expertise, contributions to and dissemination of research output, open access and traditional publishing, business efficiency and the recruitment, retention and engagement of students.

Agenda for the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Board of Directors Meeting held on Monday 24 May 2021 at ALIA House, Canberra and via Zoom.

The first meeting of the ALIA Professional Pathways Board in 2021 was conducted over Zoom on 5 July 2021, and included discussion of a range of issues including:

• Meeting in NAIDOC week.
• Conduct of the Board.
• Professional Pathways.

During the first phase of ALIA's digital health literacy training program, more than 2,700 public library staff have been trained to support patrons in navigating and understanding Federal Government digital health initiatives, such as My Health Record.

This document (PowerPoint slides) provides instructions and templates to create a visual resource to help library staff run information sessions ALIA has created.

ALIA, along with the Australian Space Agency and The Office of the Chief Scientist, and with help from Science Time From Space, is very excited to be able to bring an additional science and educational component to National Simultaneous Storytime 2021 - a science demonstration conducted by astronauts on the International Space Station emulating the heat balances between the sun/Earth/space.

Student questions about temperatures in outer space were answered by Bjarni Tryggvason, Former Astronaut, Research Engineer and Test Pilot.

This submission is made on behalf of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) in response to TEQSA’s draft text for the proposed legislative instrument relating to the quality of research generated by accredited higher education providers.

The ALIA Community on Resource Description (ACORD) is a new ALIA Advisory and Special Interest Group which aims to support the Australian resource description community. ACORD carries forward the role previously played by the Australian Committee on Cataloguing (ACOC), which dissolved in May 2019, after 40 years of serving the Australian cataloguing and resource description community.

This document sets out the 2019 ACORD Terms of Reference.

INCITE: The magazine for library and information professionals - July/August 2021 Volume 42 Issue 4

Contents: From the President -- From the CEO -- Celebrating books at the ABIAs -- Library and Information Week 2021: Newcastle Libraries Humble Lecture -- Exploring stories that matter -- If you go out on the Quad today -- Creating curious kids -- Data for advocacy -- Public libraries, public good -- The best fit for the job -- Professional Pathways update -- Easy as 1 2 3 -- News from the States and Territories -- From space, everybody can hear you read -- I believe -- Let's talk: Theological libraries -- Building the Christian library -- An exceptional school library -- Angaza Beyond -- Shouting from the rooftops -- What do I believe? -- Try this.

This advocacy document supports the #VoteLibrary campaign. As we head into the 2022 federal election, the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) encourages candidates to adopt the library agenda. Fifteen policy, legislative and funding positions are outlined which support the values and goals of the library sector.

ALIA is investing in a new website and database designed to make managing membership easier and more convenient, and to make information more findable for all our website users.

This document describes the new Member Centre, to be launched 23 August 2021, and answers frequently asked questions.

The ALIA Board met on 10 August 2021 to develop the next iteration of the ALIA Strategic Plan 2020-2024, with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as its planning framework. At this time, and for the next four years, the ALIA Board foresees the need for a four-fold approach:

1. Supporting a resilient, diverse workforce
2. Developing alliances and collaborative ventures
3. Succeeding through advocacy
4. Enhancing Member value

In addition to ALIA’s ongoing investment in advocacy and the development of critical stakeholder relationships, the workplan for 2021-2024 will feature three major areas of activity linked to the strategic priorities and ALIA’s continued commitment to the SDG.

1. Delivery of the Professional Pathways initiative
2. Review and refresh of ALIA’s structure and operations
3. Increased focus on ALIA and the Sustainable Development Goals

Paper produced by the ALIA Special Libraries Working Group and AGLIN Think Tank on July 2021 as information resource for ALIA Members and selected stakeholders.

From small libraries run by one or two qualified librarians through to sizeable library and information services employing a team of professionals, special libraries are constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of their users. Special libraries have readily introduced new technologies and new ways of working to deliver greater efficiency and effectiveness.

This paper sets out the position for special libraries in relation to networked or cluster models and offers factors for consideration by management and the library team if this approach is tabled within the organisation.

During the first phase of ALIA's digital health literacy training program, more than 2,700 public library staff have been trained to support patrons in navigating and understanding Federal Government digital health initiatives, such as My Health Record.

This document provides a visual resource to help library staff run information sessions ALIA has created.

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and ALIA Australian Public Library Alliance (APLA) respond to the Regional Telecommunications Review issues paper drafted by the Australian Federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.

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.

ALIA and APLA ask the Regional Telecommunications Review committee to reference the role and value of the public library network in its report and to encourage federal government, telecommunications industry actors and other stakeholders to approach libraries, through councils, as key delivery partners in new initiatives in this space.

The Greening Libraries Literature Review provides an overview of academic and professional literature relating to sustainability practices in the library and information sector in Australia and overseas. It is the first output from the Greening libraries research project and was commissioned by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) with the support of the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL).

This submission from the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and Australian Public Library Australia (APLA) discusses how libraries bring lifelong learning to the people who need it most; support adult literacy in its many forms; and make the link between early literacy and family literacy. 

Summary of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Board of Directors Meeting held on Monday 24 May 2021.

Poster promoting live online workshop, held 19 August 2021, for librarians who are presenting the results of their research or assisting researchers and clinicians in health and medical disciplines.

Summary of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Board of Directors Meeting held on Monday 15 March 2021.

This advocacy document for the #VoteLibrary campaign discusses the services and impacts of libraries in Australia. When people think about libraries, they think about public libraries, but across Australia there are some 13,000 public, school, university, TAFE, health, law and other special libraries, serving more than 10 million people. There are government department and parliamentary libraries, assisting researchers and policy makers. And there are our National, State and Territory Libraries providing access to heritage materials which document the living history of the nation. The goal of all libraries is for a smarter, more literate population, with universal access to information, leading to increased civic engagement. Libraries comprise collections, physical and virtual spaces, technology, programs and services, expert staff and are shaped around the needs of their 10 million-plus users.