Meet your 2015 committee : Treasurer

Our final committee member is also our longest serving ALIA Sydney Committee member, and as such we think she deserves a special spotlight of her own, she's been involved since ALIA Sydney was reformed in 2008. 

Vesna Cosic
Treasurer

Hi I'm Vesna, I've been a member of ALIA Sydney since October 2008 when it reformed after the National Advisory Council.

I work in a public library as a technology librarian and I certainly get a lot of variety in my job. I joined ALIA Sydney as I saw it as an opportunity to gain experience in working as part of a group to organise events. I also wanted to engage with as many people as possible from all areas of the Library sector. I see this as a great way of developing my skills professionally.





You can reach me and the rest of the committee, at aliasydneygroup@gmail.com.

Meet your 2015 committee : Social Media Officers

In 2015 the Social Media Dream Team of Caitlin and Maria are back for more!  You can follow the adventures of ALIA Sydney on this blog,  as well as twitter and our Facebook page. 

Maria Savvidis

Social Media Officer

@m_savvidis

Hello, I'm Maria. I joined ALIA Sydney in 2014 because I wanted to engage with passionate and diverse library folk.  
I graduated from UNSW with a Grad.Dip in Information 
Management and for the last decade have worked in Sydney and London in specialist library and information environments including public, academic, finance and banking, news and Government libraries. 

I look forward to meeting you in person or via 140 characters or less!

Caitlin Williams

Social Media Officer

@go_team_library

Hi! I'm Caitlin, a returning social media officer for 2015. 
I've started my 2nd year of study at CSU in Information Studies and currently work as a research assistant at the Parramatta Heritage Centre library. I'm passionate about children's and youth services, as well as libraries in Western Sydney.
I love volunteering for ALIA Sydney because I get to meet lots of fascinating information professionals (like you) and to help share our ideas via social media.

I'm looking forward to meeting you all during the new year! 







You can reach us, and the rest of the committee, at aliasydneygroup@gmail.com

Meet your 2015 committee : Coordinators

 This year we welcome Jackie and Lauren as our Coordinators, find out more about them:

Jackie Edwards
Coordinator

I’m Jackie and really looking forward to being part of the ALIA Sydney team as a Coordinator for 2015. As the Business Librarian at UTS Library, specialising in tourism, event management and Olympic Studies I have some skills in this area.

I am new to ALIA and hope to meet lots of new friends and get lots of ideas! I am interested in digital technologies and looking forward to a bright new future with Libraries being connected globally with many other organisations and people.

Lauren Castan
Coordinator

I'm Lauren, a newly graduated Library Technician. This will be my third year with ALIA Sydney and 

joining this committee has been a great way for me to dig deeper into the LIS industry in Sydney while I was studying. I also volunteer at my local library.  

2015 promises to be a big year for me with my continuing role at ALIA Sydney, NLS7 coming up in July, and my first library job about to start at a Sydney public library. I hope to meet many of you at ALIA Sydney events.





You can reach us, and the rest of the committee, at aliasydneygroup@gmail.com.

Meet your 2015 committee : Event Officers

Today we meet our two new Event Officers for 2015, welcome to the team Eleanor and Anne!

Eleanor Gerrard

Events Officer

Hi I'm Eleanor. I just completed a BA in Communication (Information & Media) and in International Studies at the UTS which included a year in Tokyo, Japan. I’m interested in library and information services across a wide range of areas including law, government, public and specialist services. 

In addition to volunteering at Hurstville Library, Museum & Gallery and at the Japan Foundation, I joined ALIA Sydney to gain invaluable industry experience and knowledge that will help me in my future career. 

I’m looking forward my role as a great opportunity to engage with like-minded professionals and contribute to providing professional development opportunities within the field. I hope to meet lots of new people at the next ALIA Sydney event! 

Anne Reddacliff

Events Officer

@AMoodiLibrarian

I'm Anne and if I was a character in a book I’d be Lily Briscoe from To the Lighthouse or Gerty Farish in The House of Mirth. It depends on the reader. I used to read a lot. Now I’m working full-time as a librarian and moonlighting as a PhD candidate. All I read are journal articles, conference papers and Twitter. I can’t tell you my hobbies include sailing a yacht across Sydney Harbour but I like movies and I once saw Julianne Moore in a park in Greenwich Village. 

I joined ALIA Sydney because I thought it would be a good networking opportunity and I wanted to become more involved in my profession. I look forward to meeting lots of lovely people at ALIA Sydney events. Please say hi, I’ll be the girl in the Emily Green necklace.

You can reach us, and the rest of the committee, at aliasydneygroup@gmail.com.

ALIA Sydney Committee: Call for Expressions of Interest

ALIA Sydney presents a selection of formal and informal professional development events to encourage discussion and critical engagement and create networking opportunities across the library and information sector in Sydney and beyond. The ALIA Sydney committee is a group of vibrant and committed volunteers who make it all happen.

ALIA Sydney is currently looking for new committee members to join our team. Through these roles you will have the chance to develop skills in event and project management, and make vital professional connections -- plus you can have a lot of fun along the way.

Each of the below positions is voluntary in nature, and each role is for a 12-24 month period. These roles are to commence in 2015. 

Expressions of Interest (EOIs) should be received by COB Friday 9 January 2015. EOIs should briefly introduce yourself and cover the criteria outlined for the position of interest. All EOIs and any questions should be directed to the ALIA Sydney Convenors, Kirsty Butler and Tracey McDonald at aliasydneyconvenor@gmail.com, or call 0431 226 255.

Coordinator x 1

This role shares responsibility for coordinating the professional development events of ALIA Sydney under the guidance of ALIA Sydney Convenors.

Coordinators are expected to:

·         Plan and organise 2 events each year in conjunction with the rest of the committee.

·         Liaise with the ALIA Sydney Convenors for event ideas and ongoing support.

·         Liaise with the ALIA Sydney Treasurer for event budget submissions.

·         Submit updates for the ALIA Sydney blog at least monthly, including upcoming events (http://aliasydney.blogspot.com/).

·         Post on/update ALIA Sydney social networking pages regularly, featuring both ALIA Sydney event promotion and current awareness of library and information sector news and issues, as required.

·         Ensure a consistent and professional format for all ALIA Sydney communications in line with our communication strategy and templates.

Average Time Demand per month: 8 hours (prep plus actual events)

The interested person should:

·         Be, or be willing to become, a current member of ALIA.

·         Have an active interest in professional development within the Library & Information Sector.

·         Maintain an active awareness of new issues and development within the sector.

·         Have strong interpersonal and communication skills so they can be good at kick-starting conversations and making introductions to put attendees at ease.

·         Have a head full of ideas for ALIA Sydney events, promotions and online content (eg blog posts).

·         A strong interest or expertise in technology, career development, emerging or other topics related to the sector.

Event Officers x 2

This role helps make events happen. On a rotating basis, the Event Officers will be teamed up with a Coordinator to help with event organisation and management.

Events Officers are expected to:

·         Assist with the organisation of at least 2-3 events each year in conjunction with a Coordinator.

·         Post on/update ALIA Sydney social networking pages regularly, featuring both ALIA Sydney event promotion and current awareness of library and information sector news and issues, as required.

·         Submit updates for the ALIA Sydney blog at least monthly, including reports on ALIA Sydney events (http://aliasydney.blogspot.com/).

·         Ensure a consistent and professional format for all ALIA Sydney communications in line with our communication strategy and templates.

Average Time Demand per month: 4 hours (prep plus actual events)

The interested person should:

·         Be, or be willing to become, a current member of ALIA.

·         Have an active interest in professional development with the Library & Information Sector.

·         Maintain an active awareness of new issues and development within the sector. 

·         Have strong communication and collaboration skills. 

UnMeash3 Unconference Wrap-up

Rob and Connie opening UnMeash3

Unconferences are all about sharing ideas and experiences. What you know, what you’ve seen and heard, what you want to know, what you’ve tried, what worked and what didn’t work. With all participants contributing their experience and expertise, new knowledge and proven tricks of the trade, asking questions and giving advice it all adds up to a day of cooperation and learning. The UnMeash unconference (held earlier this year on Saturday 5 July) is a great example of information professionals from Sydney (and beyond) doing it for themselves, and the results are always interesting.

This unconference is in its sixth year, the third year under the UnMeash moniker, and the second year at the very generous UNSW Library. The day starts with everyone suggesting topics for discussion, and then voting their preferences from the whole list, to determine the morning sessions. If popular sessions conflict, then they might be run twice. If the session you have chosen to attend doesn’t grab you, then you are encouraged to leave it to join another discussion.

First up were sessions on Useful Online Utilities, New Technology, and Innovative Information Services. Everyone divides into groups which move to the area for each discussion, then dive right in. While it’s often difficult to decide on a session, by using the hashtag #UnMeash3 or following @unmeash3 each group can get some idea of what other groups discussed and share their own information. The afternoon sessions included Digital Resources for Kids, Gaming to Promote Libraries, and the Repurposed Library. The sessions I attended provided me with plenty of ideas, information, and resources to note down and explore later. 

Not every session is a huge success. Sometimes the weight of numbers generated by interest in a single session means that other discussions might not get going. Sometimes the topic of greatest interest to you doesn’t get any votes at the start of the day and isn’t included. Occasionally a session may be dominated by participants who have little experience and loads of questions, and end up a little unsatisfying. My experience has been that no time is wasted, and the unanswered questions prompt me to search out answers later, through other avenues. 

Plus, there’s always plenty of time at UnMeash for informal chatting over morning tea, afternoon tea, and lunch at The White House. This is the time for finding out where people work, what they are doing that’s interesting, what they are planning for their career, their news and views. These connections are also an important part of the event.

With thanks to the ALIA NSW Library Techs, ALIA Sydney, and ALIA NSW New Grads who joined forces to organise the event, under the very capable leadership of Rob and Connie, I look forward to UnMeash4 in 2015.

-Lauren Castan

Art & About: Hallowed Ground

Hallowed Ground is back for it's fourth year and this year's panel will be discussing what the librarian of the future will look like. The City of Sydney Libraries and ALIA Sydney have put together a great panel to chat about those important people who inhabit our libraries. 

This years' panel includes: Sue McKerracher (Managing Director of ALIA), Roxanne Missingham (University Librarian at ANU), Michel Carney (Librarian at NSW State Library) and Dr Mary Carroll (Associate Course Director in the School of Information Studies, CSU).

Places are limited so book now so you don't miss out! 
When: Thursday, 9 October 2014 from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM (AEDT)
Where: Customs House Library, 31 Alfred St Circular Quay Sydney

Lindt Cafe Wrap Up

Last Tuesday a small but dedicated group of information professionals attended the ALIA Sydney meet-up at Lindt Cafe in Darling Harbour. Although the weather was not the best the hot chocolate was (yum).

The evening was a great opportunity for some interesting conversations; a range of hot topics were discussed including education, training and employment for information professionals, as well as a lively discussion about politics and the information profession! 
Another notable topic discussed was the need for information professionals to raise profile of our profession to ensure it ongoing viability.

Overall it was a very interesting evening, thanks to all those who were able to attend.

(If you couldn't make it last week, we're hoping to squeeze in another ALIA Sydney meet-up event before the end of the year, more information to follow)

Tracey McDonald @McDonaldTracey
Event Officer, ALIA Sydney

Wrap up: State Library of NSW tour

June sure was a busy month for ALIA Sydney.

Along with our #blogjune challenge, we had our wonderful Events Coordinator Gabby organise a special behind the scenes tour at the State Library of NSW on June 21.

Our brilliant tour guide Wendy Holz (a family history librarian with SLNSW ), was able to show our group around to some areas of the Library that most do not have the privilege of seeing, namely the stacks underneath the Reference Library. The smell of old books and paper is really strong down there! An interesting fact that Wendy mentioned is that at the sub level that we were standing on, only 2 metres of concrete separates us from train lines.

Wendy showed us a selection of beautifully preserved maps showing the history of cartography in Australia and sub division plans that were produced in the early 20th century.

Our group also had the opportunity to view some of the exhibitions that were showing at the time, such as the World Press Photo 2014 gallery.

After wandering through the exhibition area, Wendy took us over to the Mitchell Library, where she explained the history of that wing. We observed some librarians and clients who were examining items from the special collections.

Afterwards, our group was given the opportunity to examine in up close old maps, photographs and diaries. It was a wonderful experience to look through these treasures.

A very big thank you to Wendy Holz for her lovely tour, and to Gabby for organising this event. Watch this space for future events from ALIA Sydney, we hope to see you soon!

-Caitlin Williams

Blog Every Day in June Day 26 : The Unmeash Three Unconference

Saturday 5^th July will see the ALIA Library Professionals Unmeash Three Unconference at the UNSW Library. 

This will be the second year that the Unmeash Unconference has been at UNSW Library which offers an amazing Library location with lots of spaces for breakout sessions and a wonderful lunch location at the Whitehouse on campus.

Unmeash Three is hosted by three ALIA groups: ALIA NSW Library Technicians, ALIA Sydney and ALIA NSW New Grads. This is the sixth unconference that I have organised; the first four were run on behalf of ALIA NSW LT Group at the Australian Catholic University, North Sydney. In 2012 I was joined by Connie Ross and we coined the name Unmeash as a portmanteau of unleashing of ideas, the unconference, and the mesh idea of a network and the meshing of ideas and mashing of applications.

Unconferences are a fantastic opportunity to network and collaboratively learn from each other. They are empowering as everyone is encouraged to provide input and as they are participant-driven it’s those who attend who set the agenda for the day and choose the topics we discuss. It’s a gift economy where everyone gives. The other thing I reckon is that because we are all Library people, we are all speaking the same ‘language’ and although we all come from different Libraries and different roles we understand the work environment we all come from.

Unconferences are extraordinarily democratic – and a bit chaotic! But in a good way! Everyone is asked to submit their topics they’d like to discuss and contribute to and then on the day we choose the top topics to be discussed and then we break out into four breakout sessions to discuss and contribute to the discussions on those topics. People can choose to go to which ever topic they are passionate about (or interested in) and then we return for a coffee or tea and a bite to eat. Then off on another breakout session before lunch.

Because we get people coming from school Libraries, university Libraries, TAFE Libraries, public Libraries and from every level across the profession we get a kaleidoscope of views and insights into common problems and areas of interest.

On a rough count, over the year’s we have had something like over 150 participants who have been to at least one unconference – many have been more than once and at least 15 or so people have been to every one of the unconferences I’ve organised! Everyone enjoys the day and are empowered and energised by the experience. Here are two quotes from last year’s unconference: “I feel reenergised after attending – a similar feeling to attending big conferences, but for a fraction of the price” and “it reignites your original reasons for getting into the industry leaving you motivated and positive” 

So, don’t miss this year’s Unmeash Three! Register today at http://unmeash3.wordpress.com 

- Rob Thomson

Books for Everyone!

In recent times there has been a lot of discussion about ebooks, platforms, licensing etc. - but what about audiobooks?

There is something nice about listening to someone read a book to you; so long as the reader does not have an annoying voice it is a rather pleasant experience. I have recently come back from a rather long road trip and for me road trips are all about good snack food and really good book/s. Audio books are a pleasure because I am able to take something mundane and boring and make it something interesting and even enjoyable. This got me thinking: what about those people that cannot read books?
In the guardian there was a story of France leading the way on audiobooks for blind or visually impaired people, so kudos to the Association Valentin-Haüy (AVH) for making it happen.

Working in a rather specialised academic library there are very limited academic resources for those with visual impairment or other disability. In France in 2006 a law was passed requiring publishers to make their source available to certified organisations, enabling the latter to transcribe books into sound or braille - or digitally and paper - and to distribute them.

In Australia, Vision Australia has been working tirelessly to improve services for those with vision impairment and have a collection of fiction and non-fiction resources available on their website. Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go in terms of academic resources.

I would also like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the public library that introduced me to the joy of audiobooks. Back in my high school days, when there were no more copies of Harry Potter on the shelf the friendly librarian showed me to their audio collection of Harry Potter read by Stephen Fry (sample here).

Please comment below on your experiences.

-Gabby

Sabotage in the Library / Are you ready for #blogjune ?

Hello everyone,

If we have been a little quiet on the blog front lately, that's because we are preparing for the full-on-funfest-of-posting that is the annual #blogjune challenge.

Starting on Sunday we will aim to bring you one post each day in June. We have some great guest contributors lined up and writing about a range of interesting topics that will be sure to grab your attention. If you have something great to contribute to our blog in June, as always we'd love to hear from you . Otherwise, sit back and enjoy the next month of reading on ALIA Sydney's blog.

Also, as we are more than halfway through the working week, let's celebrate with a very special library remake of Spike Jonze's iconic 1994 Beastie Boys video for 'Sabotage'.

-Maria Savvidis @m_savvidis

Social Media Officer, ALIA Sydney

Should library and information professionals be researchers?

Short answer: yes.

Slightly longer answer: yes, because research will help us learn more to do our jobs better, and improve our services, by basing decisions on evidence. I work in an academic library, and am constantly advising and assisting students to back up their ideas with evidence - so I feel like I should put my money where my mouth is. And as a bonus, conducting research gives me a very useful insight into the needs of the researchers I support as part of my 'day job'.

Doing research also helps demonstrate our value as a profession to the wider community, as Jonathan Eldredge explains in his article about revitalising the profession through Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (EBLIP):

"The EBLIP process enables library and information practitioners to enhance their professional status by displaying a value in serving users and larger society, expertise in the subjects related to decisions made, and critical appraisal of the best evidence available for making these transparent decisions. EBLIP thereby offers our profession an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate our expertise and value to society." (Eldredge 2014)

Why is it so hard?

Short answer: time.

Slightly longer answer: finding the time is a key problem according to Jane Secker. Research is often not seen (or supported) as a 'core' part of our jobs, so it can become just 'one more thing' for busy library and information professionals to do.

How can I get started?

Short answer: if you're in Sydney, go to the ALIA LARK group meetup this Thursday 1 May, to kickstart your library research project.
Slightly longer answer: Jane Secker and Emma Coonan have provided some tips for doing research and fitting it in with the 'day job', as outlined on Emma's blog:

1. Find your thinking space (hint: this may involve coffee/fresh air). Where’s yours?
2. Modify your attitude to time – your research may well become your hobby! When’s your best thinking time?
3. Build a partnership: working with someone else is highly motivating, boosts your confidence, and means you can divide up the work. Who could you buddy up with?
4. Look out for funding opportunities: keep an eye on networks, JISCmail lists, and other resources and contacts. Where might you start looking?
5. Find your niche. What do you do that no-one else is doing? What do you love about your research field?
6. Develop your online identity, for greater recognition and to take part in a wider conversation. What platform(s) will you use to do this?
7. Present your ideas early: share and develop your existing resources, slides or ideas. You can present your work through so many different channels: blogs, Twitter, Slideshare, Mendeley, JORUM … What platform(s) will you use to do this?
8. Think about whether you want ‘academic’ publication in addition to the channels you’re already using to publish your ideas (see point 7). If you do: listen to your students’ questions and conversations about how to present their work and where to publish. Learning from them not only helps us offer better support, it will also make us better researchers.

So, what are you waiting for?

Now is a particularly good time for Australian-based LIS people to get started on those research ideas we've been thinking about, with ALIA Information Online's call for proposals now open. What better opportunity to answer a question about our practice and share it with others in the profession?

What do you think about librarians also being researchers? Please share your comments below.

-Amy Croft
ALIA Sydney Co-Convenor

Meet up at Dimitris!

Hello everyone!

ALIA Sydney is planning a meet up at Dimitris on Tuesday 6 May. (324 Crown Street, Surry Hills). It would be great if you could come. The event will kick off around 6:00pm.

Our meet ups are a great way to spent an evening meeting information professional folks - plus there's going to be great pizza and great alcohol! (There might even be some library themed desserts! yum!)

Spaces are limited - so please RSVP to aliasydneygroup@gmail.com. If you have any dietary restrictions don't forget to include them too.

We hope to see you there!



-Caitlin Williams
Social Media Officer, ALIA Sydney

Tech Snapshot - Wrap up

On Tuesday the 8th of April, ALIA Sydney held its Tech snapshot event. It was a fabulous evening all round, there was great food, drinks and even better company!

Insight into the world of technology is somewhat daunting but Alan Chan, IT specialist from FireEye made it interesting and applicable.
He gave us insight into the real world threats facing those on a global scale and everyday people, like us. Here are some practical yet simple ways to prevent that sinking feeling when you realise that you have just be duped:

• Have software security installed on your PC.
• Update software and applications
• Windows are constantly being targeted because they hold the largest market share - you can schedule updates to run automatically.
• Use a strong password 
• Google common passwords - do not use those;
• Furthermore do not have a strong password then write it down on a post-it note and stick it under your keyboard, its like using those fake rocks with a hidden key for your front door - not very secure!
• Back-up data
• There are many ways to do this now, particularly for Libraries where a lot of sensitive information is held, we need to assess risk and the value of the information to determine how much needs to be invested whether it is to use external hard drives or the cloud, a back-up should always be done.
• Stranger danger applies in the virtual world too;
• be careful of emails from strangers or emails with strange subject lines
• many phishing emails look legitimate but banks and other similar organisations will not ask you to send usernames, passwords or account details via email.
• Do not announce travel plans on social media!

Our very own Vesna Cosic took us through her process of going from 'Card Catalogue to IT'. She is bravely pursuing further studies in Information Technology after realising that technology is not going anywhere and the only way to handle it is to embrace it.

Last but certainly not least Marilyn Taylor has and is moving 'Leichhardt Digital Direction'. They have established 2 parallel collections (digital and non-digital) and take a forward approach with E-book vendors. Marilyn advises talking directly with vendors to see if e-books can be bought, rather than just taking a contract.

Thank you to all that attended! We here at ALIA Sydney hope you had a good evening.

Meet your 2014 committee : Treasurer

This year we have a new committee, so we thought it would be nice to say hi and let you know a little about us! 

Our final committee member is also our longest serving ALIA Sydney Committee member, and as such we think she deserves a special spotlight of her own, she's been involved since ALIA Sydney was reformed in 2008. 

Hi I'm Vesna and I'm the Treasurer for ALIA Sydney.  I've been a member of ALIA Sydney since October 2008 when it reformed after the National Advisory Council.

I work in a public library as a technology librarian and I certainly get a lot of variety in my job.  I joined ALIA Sydney as I saw it as an opportunity to gain experience in working as part of a group to organise events.  I also wanted to engage with as many people as possible from all areas of the Library sector.  I see this as a great way of developing my skills professionally.

Vesna Cosic,

Treasurer, ALIA Sydney

You can reach me, and the rest of the committee, at aliasydneygroup@gmail.com.

Meet your 2014 committee : Social Media Officers

This year we have a new committee, so we thought it would be nice to say hi and let you know a little about us! 

Hi! my name is Caitlin and I'm a new Social Media Officer for ALIA Sydney. I've just started my first year of study at CSU in Information Studies. I also volunteer at the Parramatta Heritage Centre Library and the WEA library. Some of my library related interests are Library advocacy, Children's and Youth services and in particular libraries in Western Sydney. 
I wanted to join ALIA Sydney because I really enjoyed an event they held, and wanted to spend time assisting in the development of the group's social media presence across many platforms.

My interests aside from libraries are Powerlifting, fashion and painting.

Caitlin Williams,
Social Media Officer, ALIA Sydney

Hello, I'm Maria -one of ALIA Sydney's Social Media Officers. I joined the team this year because I wanted to engage and surround myself with passionate and diverse library folk. I've worked at lots of different libraries over the last decade, but Specials and the GLAM sector have my heart.

Look forward to meeting you in person or via 140 characters or less!

      

Maria Savvidis, 

Social Media Officer, ALIA Sydney
@m_savvidis

You can reach us, and the rest of the committee, at aliasydneygroup@gmail.com

Meet your 2014 committee : Event Officers

This year we have a new committee, so we thought it would be nice to say hi and let you know a little about us! 

I am Lauren, one of the ALIA Sydney Event Officers. I'm currently studying at TAFE Ultimo and hope to be a fully fledged Library Technician by the end of this year. I'm studying part time, I have two primary school aged children, and I work part time for a migration lawyer. I play and umpire netball, and this year am coaching two teams of 6 and 7 year olds. I had a pre children career in money market trading but I don't miss it. I volunteer at Hurstville City Library Museum Gallery, and I love their graphic novel collection.

I joined ALIA Sydney at the beginning of 2012, replying to their call for new committee members, and hoping to learn a bit about the library sector in Sydney. I expected to feel a bit like an unqualified interloper, and be relegated to the lowliest jobs, but that wasn't the case at all. I have learned so much about different libraries and issues library staff are facing, and meeting librarians from every different type of library, as well as other students has been a real benefit for me both in terms of my study, and my understanding of the local industry. I try to attend events with the Lib Techs, as well as ALIA Sydney, and have always been delighted by how welcoming everyone is.

So I say to all the students out there, especially if you're studying online, don't be shy, come along to some events even if you are on your own. We're very friendly and work hard to provide interesting and useful events.

Lauren Castan, 
Event Officer, ALIA Sydney

Hi my name is Tracey McDonald, I’m a Library Technician and CSU student. I have been an ALIA member since 2009 (joining as a student Library Technician). 

My association with ALIA and its members have provided me with encouragement and support for my professional development and career aspirations. Serving on the ALIA Sydney committee gives me the opportunity to return the favour. ALIA Sydney does a great job of providing affordable professional development activities and I’m looking forward to being on the 2014 team.


Tracey McDonald, 
Event Officer, ALIA Sydney

You can reach us, and the rest of the committee, at aliasydneygroup@gmail.com.