ALIA National Conference

I'm at the ALIA National Conference which is a great opportunity to hear some inspiring presentations, catch up with our current suppliers, look at new products & services either being developed or already in the market and catch up with colleagues.

I've been really impressed with the presentation by the State Library of Queensland about their Libraries for Literacy: every day, every way.  Their full report is here too.  When I 1st saw these documents some time ago I thought that they were really good.  However what really got me was part of the presentation done by SLQ staff.  They showed a DVD about a reading program which was helping illiterate prisoners to learn to read stories which were burnt to CD and sent home so that their children could hear their father read to them at night.  And this was matched by the children coming to public libraries and reading sorties that were recorded and sent to their fathers.  It was "lump in the throat" stuff - about how love and family connections are powerful motivators.  I will see if I can find the DVD online and put up a link to it.  And there are so many other innovative partnerships they have made to get the reading message "out there".  

We can all learn from the innovative ways that they are going about their literacy programs.  So I am interested in looking at how PLS may be able to do something about this. 

As well as sitting in sessions I have attended an "invite only" workshop over a lunch break on using a computer program to assist in deep analysis of collection utilisation - leading to better informed purchasing and weeding practises.  I'm really excited about the product, but have not idea about cost yet. Also, I am not sure how it will work in a consortium environment.  So - something to follow up once I get home.

I have also been talking to key e-book and digital audiobook suppliers as PLS works towards putting an e-book/digital audiobook solution in place.  And I've had an opportunity to talk to a range of suppliers about how selections and acquisitions would work post-P2.

So - a very stimulating few days, which will keep all who attend fired up for some time to come.