ALIA Special Libraries Working Group

ABOUT THE SPECIAL LIBRARIES WORKING GROUP

Until 2018, a Special Library and Information Services Advisory Committee advised the ALIA Board on the development of a strategic program for members working in special libraries or with interests in special librarianship. The committee provided advice about issues relating to government, health, law, corporate and other sectors. In 2016, the Committee organised a summit for associations active in the special library space to meet and identify shared issues and opportunities and to prioritise research and other activities related to advocacy and professional recognition for the sector.

From 2018, the Advisory Committee has become a Working Group, focusing on specific priority activities which are seen to be essential for the sector. This Working Group also incorporates members of AGLIN (the Australian Government Library and Information Network), which became an ALIA Group in 2019, ALIES (Australasian Libraries in Emergency and Security), which became an ALIA Group in 2016, and ALIA Health Libraries Australia, which is a highly active Group and Committee in its own right.

Alissa Sputore (ALIA Board Representative)

WORKING GROUP ACTIVITIES

Download the 10 ways A4 handout showing 10 ways that library and information services power the health sector Download the A4 handout showing 10 ways that libraries power high performance organisations  Special Libraries Directory 4th Edition, May 2021
ALIA Guidelines for special libraries 2019 Not simple, not straightforward and not an instant cost saving, 2019 report about closing a special library Closing a government library, explaining the complexities and loss to the organisation
A special supplement on special libraries accompanied the May/June 2019 issue of INCITE

The Mandarin 2019 advertorials:

The value in government libraries and Celebrating 45 years of the Australian Institute of Criminology Library

 Guidelines for special libraries experiencing service reviews published 2018
Guidelines for undertaking a library review published 2018 The unique role and value of information professionals in special libraries 2017 research project

The Census of Australian Health Librarians and Health Librarians Working Outside the Traditional Library Setting published 2016

Join the aliaSPECIALS elist or aliaHEALTH for health libraries

 ALIA working for special libraries report 2016-2021 Return on investment of special libraries, published in 2013 but still relevant today, together with the return on investment study for health libraries
ALIA professional development specialisations for government, health and data librarians
 Special Libraries Working Group and AGLIN think tank considerations for shared service models 2021

For more information about any of the projects mentioned and others pre-2016, email [email protected].

SPECIAL LIBRARIES AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Health libraries support UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 - good health and well-being.

Special libraries support UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 by providing public access to information about government, civil society and other institutions.