A special project of the Australian Library and Information Association

In 2006, Library and Information Week will be held from 22-28 May. Further details to come.

23-29 May 2005

Library and Information Week aims to raise awareness of the value of libraries and information services and information professionals in Australia. The week provides the opportunity to promote our professional services and skills to user communities and the public, to introduce new services, and to canvas issues of importance to the provision of library and information services in Australia.

In 2004, the ALIA Library and Information Week Planning and Advisory Group developed a new model for Library and Information Week (LIW) 2005.

It was agreed that ALIA would not continue with particular themes for LIW developed year by year, but would instead focus on building a strong program of events and activities aimed at raising awareness of the value of libraries and information services and information professionals across the sector, supported by suitable marketing collateral. In this way it will be possible to broaden the appeal of LIW to a wider audience.

As in previous years, ALIA National Office will design, market and distribute promotional merchandise for Library and Information Week. This merchandise includes posters and bookmarks, and will be available for order and purchase online from ALIAnet in April 2005. The LIW 2005 merchandise will be aimed at three different target audiences:

1. children, school and public libraries
2. information science/information online, with a focus on promoting librarians expertise, products and services in libraries
3. a general audience, which promotes libraries and library and information services to a tertiary student population.

Please visit ALIAnet for regular updates on LIW 2005 activities and for ideas and tips on how your organisation can celebrate Library and Information Week.

National Library Technician's Day - Tuesday 24 May 2005

Library technicians throughout the nation are holding events to celebrate National Library Technician's Day 2005.

Message from the Federal Minister of the Arts and Sport, Senator the Hon Rod Kemp Australia's public libraries continue to be some of the nation's most visited venues, with over six million Australians accessing our libraries in person and online each year. From their own communities, researchers young and old can explore other cultures, visit unique places like the Great Barrier Reef, trace the history of bushranger Ned Kelly or keep up with Harry Potter's latest adventures. With the progress of technology and the introduction of the internet, public libraries continue to be a portal to the world for researchers and students in many communities, particularly those in regional and rural areas. With the assistance of the National Library of Australia public libraries provide access to specialised research services like Kinetica, PictureAustralia, MusicAustralia and the National Bibliographic Database. The Australian Government's Internet safety advisory body, NetAlert, is sponsoring this year's Library Information Week. With the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), NetAlert has produced the very useful Libraries Guide to Internet Safety. I congratulate NetAlert and ALIA for this initiative, and encourage both adults and children to visit their local library and participate in activities during Library and Information Week 2005.