Ainslie Drew - ALIA Fellow

Ainslie Dewe has been conferred with the distinction of Fellow of the Australian Library and Information Association. ALIA fellowships are awarded to distinguished members of the profession and Ainslie joins an elite group.

Ainslie Dewe is University Librarian at La Trobe University, in Melbourne. Prior to taking up this appointment in 2008, Ainslie was University Librarian and Director of Knowledge Management at Auckland University of Technology from 2002 and 2008 and was Director, RMIT University Library, also in Melbourne, from 1997 to 2002.

Vale Norman Horrocks

ALIA is saddened to inform members and the library community of the death of Norman Horrocks, professor emeritus, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, who died peacefully during the night 14 October.

In 2006, Norman was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his lifetime devotion to library and information science and was the only person to have been elected to Honorary Membership in the three national library associations, Canadian, British, and American. Norman was very proud of his membership of four national library associations, those of Canada, UK, USA and Australia and his links with colleagues in those countries were highly valued. His loss will be felt by many in the countries where he made his home at various times and throughout the world.

Vale Michele Huston

"She encouraged and championed new thinking from perspectives well away from the traditional areas in cultural institutions. The Australian library sector has lost much with her passing, but she leaves a legacy in the people she encouraged and in many of the web initiatives she set in place." Mal Booth

Vale - Bob McKee CILIP CEO

Bob McKee PhD MCLIP FRSA

At the time of his death Bob McKee was Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). He was previously Chief Executive of The Library Association, one of CILIP’s predecessor bodies. Bob was a prominent member of the library and information community. Bob was attending the International Federation of Library Associations Congress in Gothenburg, Sweden. He was attending the meeting as a member of the Governing Board and Executive Committee of IFLA.

University of Queensland 100 reunion

The photos and news about the University of Queensland 100 reunion celebrations can all be found on the UQ website.

Vale ~ Suzanne Mourot

Miss Suzanne Mourot held the position of Mitchell Librarian at the State Library of NSW between 1973 and 1979. Last week she passed away at the age of 91.

Miss Mourot was born in New Caledonia. She joined the Public Library in 1944. Her considerable talents were quickly realised and she worked across the Library's collections, both published and unpublished. She was particularly interested in collection arrangement, and was instrumental in regularising the cataloguing and description of the pictures and manuscript collection during the late 1950s. Her roles included Manuscript Librarian, Dixson Librarian, with responsibility too, for the pictures collection.

At various times she also held the positions of Deputy Mitchell Librarian and Associate Mitchell Librarian, before being appointed Mitchell Librarian in 1973. She retired in 1979. Her corporate history, however, does little to capture the respect and high regard with which she was held, and the influence she had on this Library. Miss Mourot was widely admired for her authority and knowledge of the collections she administered, and she was keenly involved with their interpretation and promotion. She led the very successful Captain Cook Bicentennial Exhibition in 1970.

Book supplier honoured

Len Woodley, founder of Standard Book and ALS Library Services, received a Medal of the Order of Australia ‘for services to the community and book industry’, in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Professor Paul Sturges OBE

Professor Paul Sturges has been awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. Professor Sturges was the Chair of IFLA's Committee on Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) between 2003 and 2009, and has been involved in international librarianship for many years, contributing a tremendous amount through his work in the area of freedom of access to information and freedom of expression. For more information see the IFLA article.

Queen's Birthday Honours 2010

Congratulations to Janice Rickards and Jennifer Muir who each received a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to libraries.

Vale - Alan Smith

Alan Smith, former Professor of Distance and e-Learning at the Central Queensland University, and acting university librarian from 2005 to 2006, died last week after a short illness.

Vale ~ Paul Reynolds

New Zealand internet commentator Paul Reynolds has died suddenly. He served on the New Zealand Government Digital Strategy Advisory Group, the Capability Panel for the Advanced Network (KAREN), the New Zealand Library and Information Advisory Commission, and the board of Auckland War Memorial Museum. Much more detail about his contribution to the library industry in New Zealand and Australia (via NSLA) is included in the notice on Hard News.

Paul was an avid blogger and shared his insights in presentations and articles. Paul's final presentation : Living and learning in the cloud is available on his blog.

Dr Trish Milne - ALIA Fellow

Dr Patricia Milne (Trish) has been conferred with the distinction of Fellow of the Association. ALIA fellowships are awarded to very distinguished members of the profession and Trish joins a very elite group.

Trish has made an outstanding contribution to the field of library and information science as an educator, researcher and by sharing her knowledge through publication. In these ways she has helped others to become aware of issues facing the profession and encouraged them to explore new directions and ideas to strengthen its intellectual base.

As an educator, Trish has demonstrated energy and enthusiasm in her teaching, design and delivery of programs which have engendered in her students a commitment to promoting library and knowledge management and delivering excellent services. Further, Trish has made an important contribution to the discussion on LIS education needs and the role of ALIA and library course providers. During her career Trish maintained a focus on excellence in teaching and learning and scholarship, pioneering the development of quality online teaching and learning at the University of Canberra, recognised when she received a New Initiative Grant to facilitate the development of the university’s first online course, the Graduate Certificate in Information Access and Delivery.

In awarding the distinction of Fellow of the Australian Library and Information Association on Trish Milne, the Association recognises the significant and valuable contribution Trish has made to education for and development of the library and information services profession in Australia and her dedication to the aims of the Association.

Her fellowship will be awarded at an event in mid 2010.

HCL Anderson award winner - Jan Fullerton

Jan Fullerton, Director General of the National Library of Australia has been awarded the ALIA HCL Anderson Award.

The HCL Anderson Award, the highest honour which the Australian Library and Information Association bestows on an Associate member, has been awarded to Jan Fullerton, Director General of the National Library of Australia. Theaward recognises Jan's outstanding service to the library and information profession and to the practice of library and information services. The National Library of Australia has taken on the important leadership role ofencouraging libraries to work together more collaboratively and thus provide better access to information resources. At the same time the National Library, under Jan's leadership, has responded innovatively to changes intechnology so that all Australians now have greater access to its own resources.