Invitation from the chairperson

Dagmar Schmidmaier, ALIA 2002 Conference Committee

On behalf of the conference committee I would like to invite you to Sydney in May 2002 for ALIA's Biennial Conference.

In May 2002 the ALIA biennial conference and Library and Information Week will coincide for the first time. The ALIA 2002 conference committee aims to leverage this national opportunity for ALIA to encourage broad participation, to set a public policy agenda and to raise the profile of the profession. In conjunction with the State Library of New South Wales' Colloquium entitled Research Library Futures: Strategies for Action (16-17 May), this will be the highest-profile event to be staged by the profession since the celebrations in Sydney in 1988.

ALIA 2002 will explore information, service and infrastructure issues in the context of key parent 'enterprises' in Australia - research, learning, community and business. The key outcome will be a public policy agenda for action on these issues for presentation to the peak bodies of the profession and to business and government leaders.

To meet this aim, ALIA 2002 will follow a new conference format. ALIA 2002 will actively exploit information technology to encourage broad participation in the development of an agenda for action. All members of ALIA, including those who are attending the conference, are encouraged to participate in the electronic 'Issues Forum' and contribute to the discussion and formulation of an agenda for action. Exhibitors will also be encouraged to participate in the interactive discussion, thus bringing a publisher/supplier perspective to the issues raised. Such e-participation can also be extended to overseas delegates and will provide a virtual open forum for professional debate.

To ensure that all the major issues are addressed the conference will have a single stream with contributions by invitation only. These contributions will include presentations and papers from prominent Australian and overseas representatives of the 'enterprises'. Moderators will develop and summarise the issues canvassed by the speakers and delegates in the electronic 'Issues Forum' prior to and during the conference. The final conference session will feature presentations from Malcolm Gillies and Neil McLean summarising the issues relevant to the formation of a public policy agenda for action.

Check the conference website regularly to keep up to date with progress on this exciting event.

Dagmar Schmidmaier
Chair, ALIA 2002 Conference Committee
dschmidmaier@slnsw.gov.au

Conference committee

John Bartholomaeus	jbart@ihug.com.au
Jillian Beswick	jbeswick@lakemac.nsw.gov.au
Maxine Brodie	mbrodie@slnsw.gov.au
Carolyn Cherrett	ccherrett@ebsco.com
Jo-anne Fuller	jojo@photographis.com.au
Lyn McCullagh	lynmccullagh@bigpond.com
Beth McLaren	bmclaren@hornsby.nsw.gov.au
Neil McLean	mclean@library.mq.edu.au
Jan Richards	jrichards@orange.nsw.gov.au
Dagmar Schmidmaier	Chairperson
Jennefer Nicholson	ALIA executive director - ex officio