ALIA 2013 Candidate Profile: Jill Abel

To continue our coverage of the 2013 ALIA elections we have the responses from Jill Abel. 

How can ALIA appeal to students and people entering the industry/profession? 
National cross-sectoral collaborations are needed to assist workforce planning with young and older people entering the profession or learning more about this industry.  Do counsellors in schools and colleges need more guidance on the pathways to the library and information profession? Can young people describe the role, functions and optimistic futures for library staff in the different sectors?

What are some of the advocacy issues you would like to see ALIA address? 

The advocacy issues are addressed in ALIA's strategic imperatives, but we need to think differently about building capacity, sustainability, networking and collaboration in partnership with other peak national associations. 

How can ALIA reach out and engage with people working in special libraries or other areas where they feel better served by other associations? (eg law librarians with ALLA, teacher librarians with ASLA). 

 ALIA continues to reach out and cross sectoral boundaries, recognising the well-being of the profession, the workforce planning and futures-thinking requires collaboration in social enterprises.  It is a common issue for all the professions looking at their networking governance.

Is anything you would like to let our readers know about you and what you would like to accomplish as a board member? 
 It is about continuing the collective voice on information policy from and for members, in all library sectors, informing government, industry, business, education and local community.

For more information about the ALIA 2013 elections head over to the ALIA web site 

-Amy B