Aileen Weir, ALIA Director lead the WA ALIA National Advisory Congress/ Annual Member Forum on Monday 6th October at the State Library of Western Australia. Aileen who is the Director of Reader Services at the National Library of Australia, also took the opportunity to talk to us about some exciting changes to Reader Rooms at NLA.
The congress which was run as a workshop was a big success with attendees sharing many ideas on the future of the profession, ALIA and advocacy.
I was pleased and privileged to come to Perth and meet such a committed group of library professionals at the ALIAWest Members' Forum on Monday. It was great to receive input from colleagues across all sectors including university libraries, the State Library, public libraries (even Sharon from Port Hedland!) as well as health, defence and other special libraries. The group had a lively discussion on topics such as ALIA's continuing professional development scheme, the need for more training in advocacy and lobbying techniques, and the evolving roles of information professionals. The ALIA Board will review the ideas raised in each State/Territory Forum to ensure our Association focuses on the strategic issues of greatest importance and relevance to our members and profession. Thank you for allowing me to hear your views.
Aileen Weir