The ALIA Board is monitoring the COVID-19 situation and we would like to express our concern for those of you in Victoria especially, who are facing a renewed lockdown. We understand how difficult this was the first time around and how hard it will be on both a personal and a professional level to go through this again.

ALIA has been working to remain responsive throughout the pandemic and continues to seek further opportunities to provide support to you, our Members, wherever you are located.

The team has reviewed and updated our COVID-19 webpages, with the latest US research into safe handling of library books and other items, and a UK perspective on contact tracing.

If you haven’t already joined a Friday night online chat with ALIA’s State Managers, it’s a good way to connect with other library professionals in Australia and (sometimes) from overseas.

We have stopped receiving donations to the ALIA Relief Fund for the time being, but still have $14,000 available to support Members experiencing financial hardship, thanks to the generosity of our Members.

And there are opportunities for professional development during lockdown through the ALIA PD Scheme and our training courses.

Acknowledging the financial constraints which many libraries will face as we emerge from the pandemic, ALIA has ramped up its advocacy with the Ministers for Education and the Arts. We have been actively engaged in the debate about university fees for humanities courses and we have been supporting Members in individual institutions already facing budget cuts.

If you need our support, we encourage you to contact us at ALIABoard@alia.org.au. We are here for you.

Viv Barton, ALIA President

Vicki Edmunds, ALIA Vice-President