neXus2 workforce planning study: the institutional picture

In March 2008, the neXus project team will undertake Stage 2 of the LIS workforce study. The neXus2 research work, funded by ALIA and NSLA, seeks to help the LIS sector in Australia better understand the diverse issues that impact on recruitment and retention, and the training and development of library staff.

Data is being collected using an extensive survey of workforce policies and practices at the institutional level, thus counterbalancing the individual data gathered in the neXus census. This major national study involves the participation of a wide variety of library organisations, representing the public, academic and special library sectors, ranging from the National Library of Australia to small regional libraries. The data collected will be analysed from the perspectives of the different library sectors and the different geographical distribution. Many LIS industry bodies are participating: Public Libraries Australia, Australian Law Librarians’ Association, Health Libraries Australia, TAFE Libraries Australia and academic library consortia, eg LATN, WAGUL and QULOC. The study is aligned with similar international studies, allowing us to compare and contrast LIS workforce policy and practice across different countries. The research findings will be disseminated through the professional literature, conferences and professional development seminars later in 2008.

The survey is open until Friday, 4 April 2008. If you would like your library to participate, please contact the Project Leader, Associate Professor Gillian Hallam.

The neXus census of the LIS workforce: the individual picture

This survey has been undertaken by the Australian Library & Information Association (ALIA), Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and CAVAL Collaborative Solutions. The report provides a demographic, educational and employment picture of the Australian library and information profession, as well as identifying diverse workforce planning activities being undertaken in the sector. The report can be found here. Appendices for the report are available.

The research is aligned with similar projects completed in Canada, the United Kingdom and United States, enabling a comparison between the situations in Australia and other countries.

The project leader for the report has been Associate Professor Dr Gillian Hallam, past President of ALIA and past Chair of the ALIA Education Reference Group. The work on which the report is based involved surveys of individuals and institutions within the Australian library and information sector.