Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

This meeting of the ALIA Professional Pathways Board was conducted over Zoom on 28 October 2021, and included discussion of a range of issues including:

Project progress

Technical Report

Investment in research

Apprenticeships and traineeships

The meeting was scheduled to be held following the close of Phase 1 of the consultation period which was designed to progress two of the recommendations made by the Advisory Committee following the Technical Report:

Recommendation 1: Develop a framework of knowledge, skills and ethical behaviour

Recommendation 3: Develop new professional pathways

The Advisory Board discussed the areas of general agreement and areas where more work needs to be done. The three main areas for further work are:

1. Framework structure and conceptual design

The first meeting of the ALIA Professional Pathways Board in 2023 was conducted over Zoom, and included discussion of a range of issues including:

Framework structure and conceptual design

The question of mandatory/optional CPD

Professional recognition and categorisation.

The Australian Library and Information Association's submission to the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian society places a central focus on digital and media literacy skills and abilities of Australians to effectively understand and use social media applications. It addresses the issue of the disparity of skill levels across different demographic and regional groups and the role of libraries to help address these gaps and provide digital access and literacy support.

The submission makes the following recommendations:

ALIA Health Libraries Australia (HLA) made a submisison to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) consultation on the draft Good Institutional Practice Guide to highlight and promote hospital librarians' contributions to research culture and research quality. 

Public libraries play a vital role in local communities. They ensure that every Australian, no matter their economic means, is able to access information, assistance, education, community engagement and at a very basic level, a temperature controlled safe space. They support social cohesion, community wellbeing local history, the arts, culture and literacy.

ALIA made a submission to The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts' modernisation of the Australian Classification Scheme.

The submission includes feedback around current Classification procedures and mechanisms, several definitions that are central to reforms, the establishment and makeup of a proposed independent Classification Advisory Panel, and indications about future communications of classification decisions.

ALIA's submission to the Parliamentary inquiry into the adoption of artifical intelligence arguing for more support for libraries to ensure that people are not left behind in the AI revolution.  The submission also spoke to some of the copyright policy challenges and proposed solution. Three main recommendations were made: 

1. That the government work with ALIA to fund the development and roll-out of training for library staff addressing AI literacy and pedagogy to support the community to be AI literate.

The ALIA Code of Conduct outlines the standards of behaviour required by employees, volunteers and contractors in the performance of their duties and functions. Consistently applying these standards of behaviour, contributes to making a safe, respectful and productive workplace.

ALIA's submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters’ inquiry into civics education, engagement, and participation in Australia underscores the ways in which libraries support a democratic society.