Two outstanding library leaders have been appointed to key advisory roles on government committees, a recognition of the expertise and important insights that LIS professionals bring to national policy issues.
Public lending rights committee
ALIA Vice-President and Director, Southern Cross University Library Clare Thorpe has been appointed to the Public Lending Rights Committee, alongside author representative Steve Carroll. Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the appointees’ extensive experience and knowledge would be assets to the Committee, stating that he was “excited to see Clare bring her strong experience to the role.”
The Committee is responsible for the administration of the Public Lending Right Scheme, which sees the Australian Government making payments to eligible Australian authors and publishers when their books are held in public or educational (school, TAFE or university) libraries. The payments recognise the public benefit when multiple people borrow and use these books, and in turn supports the creation, publication and dissemination of Australian literature.
For the first time in 2024 payments will be made for audio and ebooks, through a funded extension to the scheme announced in the Australian government’s National Cultural Policy Revive. This additional support for Australian creators and publishers was a significant advocacy win for ALIA, the Australian Society of Authors and our other partners in the book industry.
Copyright and AI Reference Group – Steering Committee
ALIA’s Deputy CEO Trish Hepworth has been appointed to the Steering Committee for the Australian Government’s Copyright and AI Reference Group (CAIRG). The CAIRG is a standing mechanism to engage with stakeholders across a wide range of sectors on issues at the intersection of AI and copyright to better prepare for future copyright challenges emerging from AI. The initial focus of the CAIRG will be on the use of copyright material as inputs for AI systems, with issues such as the copyright status of and potential copyright infringement in AI outputs also identified as priorities.
Trish is joined on the steering group by other library-associated representatives Tui Raven (Author of the Guidelines for First Nations Collection Description, Senior Manager Indigenous Programs Deakin University Library) and Sarah Powell (Copyright Law and Policy Advisor, Australian Library and Archives Copyright Coalition). Carlo Iacono (University Librarian, CSU), Roxanne Missingham (University Librarian ANU, CAUL) have been appointed to the reference group.