Two existential library articles

Worried about your library and your job? Despite frequent gloomy predictions, the demise of the library sector hasn’t happened – and as one article reveals, sloppy research can be the cause of the faulty prediction.

Libraries and Librarians Aren't About to Disappear

A widely shared article declaring libraries and archives to be among the fastest-declining industries in America has been debunked.

Takeaway message – make sure you have all the information before extrapolating ….

The Extinction of Libraries: Why the Predictions aren’t Coming True

While this article is about public libraries, and how, despite predictions that they will wither and die, they are still around and generally growing, there is a message that is relevant to all libraries:

The key to continued support of libraries is engagement equals ownership. As humans we have an innate need to feel wanted and valued, to know that what we say matters. When libraries engage communities by asking for their input and then report back to them how that input was incorporated into their programs, activities, or design of the spaces and buildings then the community gains ownership which translates to increased support.

So do you have sufficient engagement with your community? That can be a lot of time and effort that might seem impossible to squeeze into your already crowded day but the ROI might just be worth it.

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ALLA National Board - Nominations Open

ALLA members would have received an email from Emma Joneshart, President of ALLA Ltd regarding a call for nominations for members to join the ALLA Ltd Board of Directors. Nominations will be voted upon at the ALLA AGM, held on Thursday 23 September during the ALLA Virtual Conference 2021 . The ALLA Ltd Board of Directors is an important part of the Australian Law Librarians' Association's governance. Made up of at least eight members of ALLA, nominations are open for the following positions: Vice President Secretary Treasurer Vendor Relations CPD Coordinator General Directors The Vice President position is for a term of 3 years, consisting of a year each as Vice President, President and Past President. The other positions are for a 2-year term, allowing for a sufficient time period to become familiar with the role and have meaningful impact on ALLA projects. Each role is varied, with support from other members of the Board, and in addition to monthly meetings (mainly via te...

Keeping Up With ALLA (WA) News

In March 2023 we announced the closure of the Allgwa list , and welcomed the arrival of the ALLA (WA) Google Group . To take full advantage of the Google Group - particularly the ability to deliver news directly to your inbox - the ALLA (WA) Committee has made the decision to cease posting to the ALLA (WA) Blog. ALLA (WA) Members are encouraged to join the Google Group to make sure they don’t miss out on key news, events, job opportunities from the committee and our members. Over the past twelve and a half years we've have over 208636 visitors (and still counting) to the ALLA (WA) Blog, from all over the world. We thank all of our readers who have supported the blog. We especially thank all of our blog editors and contributors who have volunteered their time, skill and knowledge to develop this resource. The ALLA (WA) Blog will continue to be available in an archive format. We look forward to using the ALLA (WA) Google Group to share infor...

Copyright training 27th July

The Australian Libraries Copyright Committee is offering training sessions in Perth on Monday, 27 July. The sessions are free to to member organisations and their employees - ALIA, NSLA, CAUL, NLA, AGLIN, NAA, CAARA and Aust Soc Archivists ( note: ALLA is not included ). Each half day session costs $60 for non-members. For more details and registration information, visit the ALCC website . Space is limited, so don't delay!