ALIA QLD Mini Conference wrap up

On the 14th of October, people joined together at the State Library of Queensland to discuss topics in the library and information topics. The first talk to start the conference was from Keynote speaker Steve O’Connor from Curtin University, who asked us to think about the future of our libraries and to approach our strategies from the perspectives of library users.

Session one
Natasha Ratajczek spoke about collaborations between the State Library of Queensland and communities all over the state. Then Phyllis Marsh and Kym Brinkley spoke about Knowing, Being and Doing, embedding First Nations perspectives into the school environment. Afterwards, Rachel Merrick discussed Reparative and inclusive description practices at the State Library of Queensland. Finally, at the end of session 1, Karen Flynn rallied everyone in support of library support staff and teacher librarians working together to protect school libraries.

Session two
The session was divided into two distinct tracks, one was a selection of tours, at back-of-house operations at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) and miniature Queenslanders woodcuts & paints by the Digital Media Lab at The Edge. The other track was three different speakers, the first of which was Kyleigh Langrick whom talked about two important tools that need revitalisation, and then Maggie Nolan talked about new changes to the AustLit database and introduced the tools and searching the database. Finally, Steve O’Connor discussed scenario-based planning and how to prepare for it.

Session 3
This round was Lightning Round!, it was just under an hour and 6 speakers!

• Sue Hutley talked about supporting and advocating with people with disabilities with assistance from the Sunflower network.
• Anna Kinney and Kerryn Whiteside shared the journey to becoming Dementia-friendly libraries.
• Debra Cooper and Carrie Carlile shared the process of creating social stories with the library community.
• Kristie Jones presented an example of university libraries embedding into the first-year curriculum.
• Chloe Delaney and Lorraine Bettinson gave us an update about their Wellness Initiatives for library staff.

Well, that’s a wrap, see you for the next one!