ALLA (WA) News Blog

As 2023 draws to a close, and we all prepare to take a well deserved break (no matter how brief), the ALLA (WA) Committee wishes you a happy holiday season.  We hope you enjoy this time with your families, friends and loved ones. Enjoy all the celebrations that you can!  We look forward to seeing you all in 2023! May the new year be filled with success. 

Dear ALLA(WA) members, On the 30th November we had our ALLA(WA) AGM and welcomed our 2022-23 committee. An email with the AGM minutes and reports will be sent to members shortly.    Our new committee is as follows: President: David McDowell Secretary: Jane Beer Treasurer: Anne Young Committee members: Gilien Bevan, Alice Hewitt, Sky Atkins, Fiona Archibald I want to extend a warm welcome to Sky Atkins (Herbert Smith Freehills) and Fiona Archibald (Federal Court of Australia) for joining the committee and thank returning committee members for volunteering their time for another term. This will be my last term as President and Jane’s last term as Secretary so I encourage any interested members to attend our committee meetings throughout the year and learn about the activities of the Committee as well as these positions throughout the year as they will be vacant at the next AGM. Joining the committee has been a wonderful networking experience for myself and has helped me develop my care

Team Leader  The Law Library of Western Australia (Court and Tribunal Services, Department of Justice Western Australia) have advertised for the permanent, full time position of Team Leader. Details can be found on the Jobs WA website. Applications Close 20 December 2022.  Library Business Manager The Law Library of Victoria at the Supreme Court of Victoria has advertised for the full time position of Library Business Manager.  Details can be found on the Careers Victoria website . Applications close 18 December 2022. Manager Library Collections and Reader Experience The Law Library of Victoria at the Supreme Court of Victoria has advertised for the full time position of Manager Library Collections and Reader Experience.  Details can be found on the  Careers Victoria website . Applications close 18 December 2022. See the previous edition of  Seeking a Shelf Change :2022 (21)  for additional job opportunities that are still open.  Other Recently Advertised Library and Information Profes

Law Library Victoria is hosting the Australian Office of Parliamentary Counsel for an early look at the new Federal Register of Legislation website.  This free webinar is open to all including ALLA and non ALLA members.  When: Friday 9 December 1.15pm – 1.45pm AEDT / 11.15am - 11.45am AWST. Register via Eventbrite .

Law Librarian Francis Burt Chambers has advertised for a part time Librarian position in Perth. Details have previously been published on the ALLA (WA) Blog here .  Library Media Officer The Parliament of Western Australia, Parliamentary Library and Information Services, is advertising for a permanent part-time position of Library Media Officer. Details are available from the  Jobs WA website . Applications close 15 December 2022.  Library Support Officer The High Court of Australia is advertising for a part-time, ongoing position of Library Support Officer based in Canberra. Details are available from the APS Jobs website . Applications close 18 December 2022.  Casual Research Assistant Mills Oakley has advertised for a casual research assistant to work within their Melbourne Library and Research Team. Details can be found on Seek. Library Technician Thomson Geer has advertised for a full time library technician in their Sydney office. Details can be found on Seek. Other Recently Adv

The ALLA (WA) AGM, including special resolution vote, and annual dinner are next week on Wednesday 30 November.  ALLA (WA) members will have received an email containing details of the special resolution to be voted upon at the AGM.  ALLA (WA) members are also invited to join the new Committee at The Terrace Hotel for a complimentary dinner (pay-as-you-go drinks) following the AGM.  RSVPs and Proxies for the AGM and dinner are due by COB of Friday 25 November.  Send your Proxy or RSVP to the ALLA (WA) Secretary, Jane Beer .  Even if you can't join us, please complete your proxy form as it is important to enable the AGM to reach the necessary quorum for the AGM to proceed and for the Committee to be elected for the 2022-2023 year.  If you are having difficulties appointing a proxy, feel free to contact the current Committee who will be attending the AGM. They will be happy to act as proxy for those who require one.   

 The Federal Register of Legislation is undergoing a complete redesign of the website with plans to launch early 2023.  On 14 November, details of how the new homepage will look were release on the legislation.gov.au website.  You can check out theses details about the New Register here . 

Job opportunity - Librarian Francis Burt Chambers is currently seeking an enthusiastic and experienced Librarian to join our friendly library team in February 2023 on an ongoing part-time basis, working two days per week (preferably Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday).  About the role Your duties will include: Providing simple and complex reference services to members, using print and electronic services Promotion of library services and resources  Conduct complex research tasks Assist with legal research training for members and staff Cataloguing Maintenance and continual development of the library intranet Participation in library team projects as required. About you You will need to: be proactive, with a strong commitment to customer service have a thorough knowledge of legal research resources and strategies have excellent written and oral communication skills  have strong IT skills experience using First Software Solutions is desirable have the ability to work within a team environment

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), with Health Libraries Australia, the LIANZA Health SIG Community, the LIANZA Special Libraries and Information SLIS Community, the Australian Law Librarians Association and the New Zealand Law Librarians' Association are delighted to announce the relaunch of our Health, Law and Special libraries conference. The Asia-Pacific Health, Law and Special libraries conference will take place as a virtual event on 13th, 14th and 15th June 2023. It will be an opportunity to join delegates from Australia, New Zealand and beyond as we connect over common interests, explore future trends, and learn from the experiences of library professionals throughout the world.  The Asia-Pacific Health, Law and Special libraries conference committee now invite proposals relating to the conference theme: Connecting. Recent years have brought changes to the way we live and work, where we live and work and how we interact. Connecting with each other, w

The adventures of the Finding the Law Project continue!  So it’s time for another update from the Project Lead, Anastasia Stepanovic, and Project Coordinator, Alice Hewitt. Our last update on the ALLA (WA) Blog was back in June – and since then we have presented at the ALLA (WA) Conference, published articles in the Australian Law Librarian journal, and we’ve gained a lot of ALLA member feedback and suggestions – end even a few new members to the project team.  At the ALLA Conference 2022 in Hobart, Anastasia and Alice presented a paper paying respect and homage to the evolution of Finding the Law – including all its various names, formats, and teachers. The presentation was centred around where ALLA had began this sort of law librarianship skills training, the different names the course was titled over time, and the different divisions that took the lead over time. The conference presentation was delivered using Rise Articulate, the building ground of the new FLO Project and you can v

Wrap up #20 for 2022. Not long left in the year! Knowledge Resource Analyst King & Wood Mallesons is advertising a 12 month contract position in their Melbourne office for the role of Knowledge Resource Analyst. For more details see the King & Wood Mallesons website . Applications close 8 November 2022 Liaison Librarian (Learning and Teaching)  The University of Melbourne is advertising for a full time, continuing position of Liaison Librarian (Learning and Learning) in the Law Library. For more details see  the University of Melbourne website . Applications close 10 November 2022.  Liaison Support Librarian The University of Melbourne is advertising for a full time, fixed contract position of  Liaison Support Librarian in the Law Library. For more details see the University of Melbourne website . Applications close 16 November 2022.  Knowledge Management Solicitor  The Victorian Government Solicitor's Office is advertising for this newly created part-time position to assis

This Halloween let's review the case of West v Augusta Richmond County Public Library System . A 2016 case from the United States of America, in which, library staff are accused of using witchcraft upon the plaintiff.  During the screening of the complaint, Magistrate Judge Epps in the Southern District of Georgia explained the background to the matter ( CV 116-008,  S.D. Ga. April 15 2016 ). This nonsensical and fantastical complaint alleges, or at least appears to allege, that unidentified library workers, relatives of Plaintiff, and others colluded to add homosexuals as friends of Plaintiff on his Facebook page. Such unidentified persons also engaged in a fraudulent credit card scheme with Comcast Cable that somehow resulted in homosexual activity occurring within the apartment complex where Plaintiff resides. They also used witchcraft on Plaintiff and, as he described, "disappeared around me to wait and see what kinda activity me gone do."  By way of relief, the plain

Notice of AGM  On Tuesday 18 October 2022, ALLA (WA) Members will have received Notice of the ALLA (WA) Annual General Meeting to be held on Wednesday 30 November 2022 at 5.30pm.  If you have not received this Notice, and are a current ALLA (WA) member, please reach out to the  ALLA (WA) Secretary, Jane Beer .  The AGM will take place at Allens, Level 11, Mia Yellagonga Tower 2, 5 Spring Street, Perth.  After the meeting, Gilien Bevan will show us Allen's new library space.  This will then be followed by our end of year dinner at The Terrace Hotel, 237 St George's Terrace, Perth - a short 2 minute walk from Allens.  Special Resolution At the AGM, there will be a special resolution proposing to amend the  Rules of the Australian Law Librarian's Association (Western Australian Division) Inc  (2021).  The AGM notice contains some details of the special resolution, and more details will be sent out closer to the date, together with a proxy voting form for members unable to atte

It's the ALLA (WA) Blog's 12th Birthday! The year has gone very fast; since our last birthday, we have posted 96 blog posts!  The ALLA (WA) Committee thanks all of our current and past contributors, along with our readers who are spread out all over Australia (and the world!). We look forward to sharing more with you during our next year! Our Blog has come a long way since our first post back on the 25 October 2010 -  a  President's Letter  from our then  President Jacqueline Seligmann.  Last year we celebrated with a letter from our President, David McDowell, but this year we're doing things a little differently and looking back on the year that was.  Since 24 October 2022, when we posted our celebration of our 11th Birthday , our blog has been viewed 15,200 times. Since 25 October 2010, we've been viewed over 197,000 times.  Our most read post of the year has been the Do you know about FLO? post. This post provides an update on the Finding the Law Online Project.

The Federal Register of Legislation (the Register) is being redeveloped to modernise the website, the technology supporting the website and give greater flexibility for future improvements. The redeveloped Register is scheduled to go live early in 2023. The Register plans to send out a series of updates in the lead up to the launch of the new Register. Each update will highlight an updated feature that will be available on the new Register.  The updates are available from the Regsiter website , with the first being published on 14 October 2002. it includes details of a survey about the current Register and invitations for people to complete the survey.  The survey results will be used as a baseline to assist the Office of Parliamentary Counsel to evaluate the impact of the improvements made to the new Registers.  The survey will be open until 4 November 2022. You can access the survey via Survey Monkey here.   The update also states: Once the redeveloped Register goes live, the Of

The Van Zyl Collection of Legal Antiquarian Materials was gifted to the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 1949, with the Brand van Zyl Law Library opening in 1962.  In celebrating the Brand van Zyl Law Library 60th year, their Dean of Law, Professor Danwood Chirwa has said: Law libraries are absolutely central to law academics, researchers, students, and legal professionals. Law librarians equally are central to the pursuit of justice through the provision and preservation of law information and resources.  The library was established through a donation of Bran van Zyl's private collection, and has grown over the past 60 years to be one of the top law libraries on the continent.  The Libraries Executive Director at UCT has said the success of the library was: made possible by the professionalism, commitment and tenacity of the library staff who set the standards of practice and engagement. and that It is also a testimony of the volunteerism and passion of academic staff to grow the

The ALLA (WA) Committee met on 12 October 2022 to discuss a number of important activities for the Division.  The Committee have decided that going forward we will provide recaps of what was discussed at each meeting to better share the work of the Committee with our Members. Key topics discussed at the meeting included:  Updating the ALLA (WA) Inc. Rules to meet legislative requirements Accessibility of Western Australian COVID-19 Directions AustLII medium neutral citation inaccuracy Database Roundtable Session  ALLA (WA) AGM and End of Year Dinner - 30 November 2022 Full details for the ALLA (WA) Annual General Meeting,  along with details for the End of Year Dinner and special resolutions to update the ALLA (WA) Rules, will be shared with ALLA WA Members soon.  The next ALLA (WA) Committee meeting will take place on Thursday 3 November at lunchtime via Teams. All ALLA (WA) Members are welcome to join the discussion at this and future meetings.

Technical Services Librarian Gilbert + Tobin has advertised for a permanent full-time position of Technical Services Librarian in their Sydney Office. For details, see the Gilbert + Tobin website .  Knowledge Manager McCabes (formerly McCabe Curwood) has advertised for a Knowledge Manager in their Sydney Office. For details, see the Seek job listing . Note that this position is seeking experience as a lawyer.  Other Recently Advertised Library and Information Professional Positions Technology Trainer Assistant Manager / University of Queensland (Brisbane, QLD) - closes 16 October 2022 *closing soon*  Coordinator, Acquisitions / University of Newcastle (Sydney, NSW) - closes 16 October 2022  *closing soon*  Manager, Services / State Library of South Australia  (Adelaide, SA) - closes 18 October 2022 *closing soon* Senior Library Technician / TasTafe (Devenport, TAS) - closes 18 October 2022  *closing soon* Library Intern (Open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Only) / Edi

The ALLA(WA) Committee has their next committee meeting on Wednesday 12th October and we would like to invite you to attend.  Our meetings are currently held remotely via Microsoft Teams and start around 5.15pm.  This would be a chance to discuss the recent ALLA Conference and AGM where many concerns and issues around communication were raised. We will also be discussing some upcoming events. This would be an opportunity to ask questions and make any suggestions. The ALLA(WA) committee is also interested in hearing any ideas on how we can serve our members better.  If you would like to attend please let David McDowell,  ALLA (WA) Presiden t know by COB Tuesday 11th October.  David McDowell ALLA (WA) President

We wish to share with you an exciting update about a cross-divisional, joint ALLA (WA) and ALLA Victoria collaboration. Over the past few years there has been much discussion about better ways to communicate with current and prospective ALLA members.  The Western Australian and Victorian Divisions have been using various social media channels for quite some time including, Twitter ( @alla_vic and @lawlibsWA ), LinkedIn , and the ALLA (WA) Blog (which is celebrating its 12th Birthday this month). These have provided a well-received presence online, but both Divisions have concerns around the possibility of missing out on hearing from current and perspective ALLA members through not being active on other social media platforms where our members are. Together the ALLA (WA) and ALLA Vic committees are looking to work towards creating a space to engage all current and future ALLA members, no matter what State or Territory they come from, in a new formed social media collaboration: Law Lib

Do those Monday blues have you looking for a new collection? Legal Research Librarian Maurice Blackburn Lawyers is advertising for a full time Legal Research Librarian, offering a hybrid-Melbourne office role which includes ergonomic reimbursements for your home set up. For more details see the Maurice Blackburn Lawyers website .  Library Officer The High Court of Australia is seeking a part-time library officer in a continuing role. Applications close 9 October 2022. More details can be seen on the High Court of Australia website or APS Jobs .   Library Technician Thomson Geer lawyers have advertised for a Library Technician based in their Sydney office. For more details see the Thomson Geer website .  Knowledge Manager McCabes Lawyers have advertised for a full time position of Knowledge Manager based in their Sydney office. For more information see the McCabes website. Research Analyst DLA Piper Australia have advertised for a Research Analyst  position based in their Sydney offic

Don't forget that our first in person ALLA (WA) event for some time is taking place this Thursday.  The night will be a great opportunity to share learnings from the ALLA Conference 2022 that took place in Hobart last month, along with a chance to catch up with colleagues.  View the original ALLA (WA) Blog Post about this event here . Or RSVP via the ALLA Website . 

Last week, Oakley Capital, a major European private equity investor, said that it had acquired majority ownership of vLex , the international legal research platform that lays claim to having the largest collection of legal information on a single service.   On episode 174 of  the LawNext Podcast , Robert Ambrogi, the publisher of LawSites  is joined from London by Masoud Gerami, managing director, vLex Global Markets, who oversees vLex in the UK, Ireland, Asia Pacific, Africa, the Caribbean and North America. They talk about this latest news and what it means for vLex, and also talk more generally about the company and its research platform. For those who haven't met Masoud, he joined vLex in 2019, when it acquired Justis Publishing Ltd., a 33-year-old UK-based online legal publisher. He had been managing director at Justis since 1986. He has a master’s degree in computer science from Swansea University. vLex were a sponser of the ALLA Conference 2022.