New ideas for a new century

In the first year of the 21st century, what was Australian Library Week is no more - it is now Library and Information Week, with a broader scope and specific opportunities for all types of libraries and information services - special, public, school, tertiary - to profile yourselves.

The five first days of the week have a theme. Why not use the opportunity of the week and its theme-days to raise issues that are of particular relevance to your library and community of users?

Monday 14 May is the very first Australian Information Rights Day - your Association is promoting its unique first object 'the free flow of information and ideas in the interest of all Australians and a thriving culture, economy and democracy'. The day - under the banner Information matters! - provides an opportunity to increase public awareness of information policy issues and to establish a dialogue with politicians and administrators. It also provides an opportunity to work with groups in the community concerned with freedom of information. Importantly, it provides an opportunity to profile library professionals and your library as leaders in protecting and enhancing public access to information.

ALIA has adopted an Information Rights Day proclamation. We are aiming for wide public support for this from other associations, organisations and the media with similar concerns about the public's 'right to know', 'the information rich and poor' and 'the digital divide'. If you are a public library, you can use the proclamation to draw political and media attention to your library. Other libraries can use it to attract the attention of senior administrators, staff, student associations or other relevant groups in your user community.

The proclamation is included in the enclosed Information Rights Day package with many ideas for the day and a bibliography. It has been developed from material produced by the Canadian Library Association and successfully used by libraries in Canada. ALIA has invited all major political parties in the federal government, and all state and territory ministers and shadow ministers with responsibilities for library and information services to provide a statement on their library and information policies. They will be published in the May issue of inCite and through ALIAnet. You may find them helpful in your dialogue with your elected members.

Day Two, Tuesday 15 May is National Library Technicians Day. It is an opportunity to profile, recognise and celebrate the indispensable contribution made by library technicians and library technician educators to today's libraries and information services. ALIA library technicians sections in all states and territories are planning a range of activities - details will be advertised by the sections themselves through their newsletters and will also appear in inCite. It is likely that the celebration will be of library technicians by library technicians and other staff, rather than as events for the users of the libraries and information services. An opportunity not to be missed.

Day Three, Wednesday 16 May is Thank-you Day. Do not be sceptical! It is a great opportunity to invite decision-makers to your library (they may not use the library directly themselves) to show what outstanding value it is - and that it is worthy of more investment. Decision-makers in all types of organisations are not often thanked for the difficult judgments and decisions they have to make - you could be the first to do so publicly.

The Association will be mailing all local council and state government-elected members a Thank-you brochure about public libraries urging them to take time out during LIW2001 to catch up on all the great things going on at their local public library. The Thank-you brochure is enclosed. It might be useful for you to have a look at it before your local members turn up. Alternatively, you might like to use the opportunity to invite your member to your library.

While the Thank-you brochure targets public libraries, Thank-you Day is not just for public libraries, and it is not just for thanking politicians. For example, if yours is a tertiary library, have a Thank-you Day feature for senior administrators and teaching staff, and student associations. If a school, invite your volunteers, the school council, parents and citizens, and the principal. If a special library, why not invite in those users and other people who help make your library special? And if yours is a public library, use it as a day to also thank your volunteers and Friends of the Library group, or work with your Friends group to organise the day - this is the International Year of Volunteers. If you are an employer or manager, it could be the day to say a special 'thank you' to those great people who make libraries such great places - I will be!

Day Four, Thursday 17 May is National Simultaneous Storytime. At 2:00pm AEST, the picture book Edward the emu will be read at the same time in interested libraries, schools and Dymocks bookstores around the country. The target audience for this activity is children between three and eight year of age - and their parents, carers, pre-schools and kindergartens. The event provides the opportunity to promote the value of reading and literacy, the value of books, and the important role which libraries have in stimulating literacy.

Edward the emu is written by popular Australian author Sheena Knowles, illustrated by Rod Clement, and published by HarperCollins. HarperCollins provides a special discount for libraries who place orders for the book directly with the publisher. Dymocks Booksellers will also provide a ten per cent discount for the purchase of the book by Storytime participants presenting the storytime promotional bookmark in Dymocks stores during May.

ALIA National Office is co-ordinating this event, including registrations of interest and involvement, and distribution of posters and bookmarks to participating libraries. Register online or contact Amanda Jacobsen at ALIA National Office.

Day Five, Friday 18 May is Libraries Online Day. An opportunity to demonstrate what libraries and library professionals absolutely do best - making cost-effective and expert use of information technology and electronic resources. Showcase the skills of library and information specialists in managing, retrieving, evaluating and applying information resources - and helping your users do the same.

Showcase your online services, undertake user education for beginners through to advanced users, and generally reinforce your library's ongoing commitment to the delivery of online services to the public and raising public awareness of the internet.

User education sessions can range from how to use a personal computer, how to use your online catalogue, how to search the internet and download information, to raising issues associated with online resources, such as copyright, censorship, filtering and privacy. You can organise special sessions for your older user group, for parents trying to keep up with their kids, or for people with disabilities requiring specific software. University and special libraries can give focus to search tools, subject gateways, favourite sites, or short-cuts.

Events for larger groups can also be arranged with the help of projection equipment - and a bit of imagination. A package with many ideas for the day, and some supporting facts and figures, is enclosed with this package.

Promoting your activities
LIW2001 provides you with the opportunity to raise the profile of your library and of the library and information profession to your local community. To assist you, the Association has produced a media kit which not only gives you hints on how to write a media release and deal with the media, but also provides sample media releases ready for you to adapt to match your own activity.

The LIW2001 package and promotional merchandise
ALIA has produced the enclosed package of material as a 'self-help' resource for you. It is intended as a starting point when developing your LIW2001 activities. It provides ideas and other support material for each day of the week. While the package primarily targets public libraries, it is of use and inspiration to all types of libraries and information services - special, public, school, tertiary - depending upon your particular interests and issues. The printing and distribution of the package is kindly sponsored by RoweCom Australia. LIW2001 promotional posters, bookmarks, postcards, stickers, balloons, tattoos and more - available at cost - can be viewed online and orders can be made by phone, fax or mail to ALIA National Office.

Please share your ideas and provide us with feedback.

LIW2001 will provide valuable learning experiences for LIW2002, and will inform the Association in achieving its strategy to raise the profile of all types of library and information services for its institutional and personal members. We would therefore greatly appreciate comments on the expanded framework for the week and on this package of support material.

The Association would also be most interested in learning from your experiences - what you have tried, what worked and what did not. We would be grateful if you would send us this information soon after the week - we may publish them in the July issue of inCite and on ALIAnet, and include the good ideas in the material for next year (stories and photographs for inCite need to be received by 1 June 2001 - please direct enquiries to the editor at incite@alia.org.au.nospam (please remove '.nospam' from address).

If you would like to share your ideas and plans with others before LIW2001, that is what ALIAnet is for. ALIA has developed the framework - now it is up to all of us to respond to Library and Information Week 2001 - a week of opportunity. Enjoy it!

Alan Bundy
2001-2002 president

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