Features
Why We Joined a Consortium
Across regional Australia, public libraries are facing many of the same challenges. Budgets remain tight while the costs of running a modern library continue to rise, and patrons’ needs evolve. This all leads to staff having to do more with fewer resources.
For many libraries, the question is no longer simply which library management system should we use? Increasingly, it’s how can we work together to deliver better services?
That question was at the heart of the Regional WA Library Consortium, an initiative led by the City of Albany that has grown from just 14 libraries in 2018 to 43 libraries across 28 local governments today.
Reframing the Profession: The Updated HLA Competencies
Health Libraries Australia (HLA) has released its updated Competencies for Health Librarians and Health Library Technicians (2026) – a contemporary and future-oriented framework that reflects the expanding scope, complexity, and impact of health librarianship in Australia.
Reflections on the ALIA Mentoring Program
Thinking about applying for the ALIA Mentoring Scheme? In this reflective piece, mentee Jacinta Ward and mentor Martin Payne share their experiences of the program, exploring the value of a well-matched mentoring relationship, the insights gained through strategic conversations, and the lasting professional connections that can emerge along the way.
Reading Without Pressure: Bibliotherapy in the School Library
School libraries have long been places that support not only reading engagement, but also student wellbeing. Within this context, bibliotherapy is gaining attention as a way of connecting young people with literature in meaningful ways.
Notable Australian Graphic Novels for 2025!
The ALIA Graphic and Comic Novels Group has announced the titles that have been selected as the Notable Australian Graphic Novels for 2025. Read on to hear…
Lights, Camera, Borrow: Inside the Jerzy Toeplitz Library
Tucked inside the Australian Film Television & Radio School (AFTRS) on Gadigal land in Sydney is a library that many Australians may not have heard of. The Jerzy Toeplitz Library is both an academic library, a public library and a special library. It holds more than 60,000 items spanning books, eBooks, DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, magazines, journals and more, representing the most comprehensive specialist screen arts and broadcasting collection in Australia
Libraries Without Borders: Connecting Through the ILNP
I first discovered the International Library Networking Program (ILNP) through LinkedIn and thought it would be an interesting program to take part in. After submitting the application form and waiting a few months to discover if I was a successful applicant, I was accepted into the program. At the time, I didn’t realise how popular the program is, and how beneficial it was going to be!
Law, Legacy and Libraries: 10 Years of the Law Library of Western Australia
The Law Library of Western Australia, located in the David Malcolm Justice Centre in the Perth CBD, is the result of an amalgamation of the former Crown Law Library and the Supreme Court Library.
The Library provides services to members of the Judiciary and courts, legal officers of the State, and the broader WA legal profession. It is funded by the Department of Justice, with a contribution from the WA legal profession derived from annual practising certificate fees.
Kaarlak: Edith Cowan University’s New City Campus Library Opens in Perth CBD
In February 2026, Edith Cowan University (ECU) opened its new state-of-the-art City Campus in the heart of Perth’s CBD. The ECU City Campus is guided by the Life Layers narrative, developed through collaboration between Whadjuk Noongar Elders and ECU. This framework expresses the deep connections between land, water, culture and community through five interconnected layers—Ngarda (Earth/Subterranean), Kep (Water), Kaata (Hills), Moort Boodja (Community/Ecosystem) and Djinda Worlal (Stars/Sky). These layers shape the campus’s design, identity, architecture and cultural storytelling.
Interview with Pru Mitchell – Winner of the 2025 Victorian Library and Information Award
The 2026 Victorian Library and Information Award is open and in closes on the 21st of June. Ellen Coates, ALIAVic Convener, sat down with last year’s winner Pru Mitchell to talk winning the award, and why nominating your colleagues is so important.
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Twinkl Australia: Future-Ready Libraries Start Here
As technology continues to transform education and the workplace, the role of librarians has never been more important. Libraries are uniquely positioned to equip children and young people with the knowledge, confidence and curiosity needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world.