Library and Information Week (LIW) 2024 took place from 29 July to 4 August, and the theme, ‘Roots of Democracy’ resonated deeply within the library and information services community, inspiring institutions and individuals to proudly showcase their role in supporting democracy.
All kinds of libraries, whether public, schools, academic, national and state or special, found creative ways to celebrate library and information services as propagators of democracy. Some libraries featured titles in their collection that spoke to social issues and other topics relevant to democracy, another collaborated with an artist to set up an installation that encouraged young library users to vote on future programs, and one spotlighted their free learning materials for students and teachers to increase understanding of the Australian law system. As the far-reaching roots that extend to connect people and communities, libraries also showed appreciation for current and new library members as well as library staff with prize draws and messages of gratitude.
Images above (left to right): social media posts from the ANU Library, City of Darwin Libraries, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Supreme Court Library Queensland, and about the Yarra Plenty Regional Library initiative. Click on the images to visit each post on their respective social media platform.
In a show of solidarity, friends and partners of the profession took to social media to voice their support for the vital role libraries play in upholding democratic principles.
Images above (left to right): social media posts from the Australian Government Office for the Arts, Raeco, publishing consultant Kean and Creative, and Voced Plus. Click on the images to visit each post on their respective social media platform.
The week was punctuated with daily thought-provoking webinars presented by experts hailing from parliamentary libraries, court libraries, academic libraries, archives, higher education, media, and policy research just to name a few. The webinars began with a look into the day-to-day activities of our government, parliamentary and special libraries in upholding democratic principles in an information management context, before widening to information literacy, democracy strengthening activities in European libraries, preserving political ephemera, and finally the impact of AI, censorship and information control on our media landscape.
With over 1,000 registrations, it is clear professionals of the sector are proud to share the ways democracy is upheld in their professional practice, in addition to exploring different avenues, tactics and approaches to keep democracy thriving.
The Roots of Democracy not only celebrated the foundational role libraries and library staff play in nurturing democracy, but also reaffirmed their role as pillars of civic engagement. We thank you for being a part of LIW 2024, and look forward to celebrating the value of library and information services with you in 2025. Missed out on our LIW webinars? All recordings are now available in the ALIA Shop (Free for ALIA Members, $100 for Non-Members).