QPLA President Nicole Hunt attended the final Australian Public Library Alliance (APLA) meeting of the year on 30 November 2023. The meeting was hosted by Libraries Tasmania at the State Library of Tasmania with representatives from all jurisdictions except for Northern Territory.
APLA members received a behind the scenes tour of the State Library located in Murray Street prior to the meeting commencing, followed by a tour of MONA and the MONA Library the following day. Thanks to the Libraries Tasmania team for providing such an amazing opportunity to explore these libraries.
Meeting Guests
- Hanlie Erasmus, Public Libraries Services SA
- Trish Hepworth, ALIA
Key Messages from the November meeting
- Hanlie Erasmus presented on the SA Public Library Network Performance Framework. An impressive program of outcomes, outcome measures, data, data graphics and data storytelling. Data sourced from monthly customer surveys and staff surveys. ALIA/APLA Standards and Guidelines are incorporated into the Framework. Outcomes used for advocacy and seeking funding and then outcome measures used to measure success of initiatives.
- Public Library Standards and Guidelines – ALIA/APLA will be reviewing these in 2024. Strong support for continuing to have National Standards and incorporating outcome measures. APLA will consider scope of review with a view to engaging a consultant in the second half of 2024.
- Sustainable Development Goals – APLA to continue reporting against the SDG Stretch Targets through the use of case studies to illustrate how public libraries advance the SDGs. Public Libraries Victoria Sustainability website launched in late 2023.
- National campaign
- APLA will continue to support Libraries Transform campaign via a working group of reps from interested states led by Adele Casey in partnership with Liz Bradtke from ALIA.
- Queensland campaign is coming along well and may be of interest to APLA for national application – this will be revisited in 2024 and will be considered in light of Libraries Transform activities. The Queensland market research report is a useful resource to inform campaigns.
- There is interest from ACT, NSW and Queensland in ALIA running another course on library leadership for non-librarians.
- ACSL representative to be invited as a guest to next APLA meeting.
- ALIA met with National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) who are keen to work with libraries and develop library specific material. NAPCAN to present at the February APLA meeting.
- Update on CSU research on workplace violence and library workers and relationship to Federal government services moving online and service support provided by libraries. CSU has worked with Libraries ACT, Libraries Tasmania and Yarra Plenty Regional Library.
- Update on social work in libraries research being undertaken by Dr Jane Garner, CSU. Formal request for anonymised incident report forms, EAP statistics to be sent out in the new year and Jane Garner to be invited to present at an APLA meeting.
- LOTE reviews are being undertaken by ACT, WA and SA.
- Thank you to Viv Barton, APLA’s Chair for the last 3 years, and Lisa Bateman for their extensive contributions to APLA.
- Welcome Nicole Hunt as incoming APLA Chair and Adele Casey as incoming APLA Deputy Chair.
MONA Library
