Vale ~ Marlene Magee

Marlene Magee worked at Redland Libraries for almost 25 years in roles that enabled her to help people in the community, something she loved to do. She was the very hard working Outreach Services Librarian for the last 10 years and prior to that she was a wonderful and much loved Mobile Library Assistant.

Library staff and Marlene's many friends across council and in the library world will miss her sense of humour, tremendous energy and positive outlook as well as her courage and determination. Marlene was known as the "networker par excellence" and has friends everywhere through her great commitment to her job, her sporting activities and her other community involvement.

Vale ~ Kay Poustie OAM

Colleagues and friends are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Kay Poustie OAM, ALIA Fellow, on 29 October 2009, after a brief illness.

Kay was a deeply respected and treasured colleague whose immense contribution and passion for public library services was recognised Australia wide, and in international circles. Kay will be sorely missed, but her legacy to the library profession and public library members will live on.

Kay contributed tirelessly to the library and information profession and to the promotion of ALIA throughout her 46 years of ALIA membership. Through her positions in the WA Branch, the Public Libraries section (WA Group) and on the ALIA Board of Education, Kay influenced the development of the library and information profession in Australia. She contributed to the quality of public libraries and was dedicated to the delivery of excellent service and to ensuring free access to information through the public library system. Kay worked unstintingly to raise the awareness of influential decision-makers about the importance of public libraries.

Kay was also committed to the importance of continuing professional development. She generously shared her broad experience with colleagues; her enthusiasm for ALIA and the professional comradeship it offers encouraged others to support and enjoy the Association. As part of that commitment, she was chair of the finance committee for the first ALIA Biennial Conference held in Perth in 1990, and then returned as program chair of the ALIA Biennial Conference when it was held again in Perth in 2006.

Kay's activities were not restricted to the field of librarianship. She was active in the wider community through Zonta International, an international service organisation for executives in business and the professions, and from 1989 to 1992 served on the Board of Meath Homes for the Aged in Western Australia.

Kay was awarded an ALIA fellowship in 1997. Her Fellowship citation provides more details of her contributions to ALIA and our profession.

In 2008, Kay was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the library and information services sector, to the community through the Zonta International movement, and to aged welfare.

ALIA mourns the passing of a very distinguished ALIA member.

Jan Richards
ALIA President

Leila Hoffman - Honorary Membership of ALIA

The Board of Directors has awarded Leila Hoffman Honorary Membership of the Australian Library and Information Association in recognition of the noteworthy service she has given in promoting the Objects of the Association.

Other recipients of Honorary Membership include Redmond Barry awardees

The Board of Directors acknowledges her loyalty to the Association as well as her tireless work to promote Australian children’s literature through school libraries. Leila’s drive and enthusiasm as President of the WA Branch of the LAA School Libraries Section in the late 1970s and early 1980s and as national President of the LAA School Libraries Section has contributed to the strong position the Association holds now.

The Board also recognises her 1992 Zonta International Woman of Achievement honour and her 2000 Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her founding work in three important separate areas: Equal Pay for Women, the WA Young Readers Book Award, and the Perth Hebrew Congregation Library.

Dr Alison Gregg - life member CBCA (WA Branch)

Dr Alison Gregg is well known for her work on the Orana editorial committee for many years as well as IBBY Australia and the Children's Book Council of Australia (just to acknowledge a few of her roles). It is great to hear that she was recently made a life member of the Western Australian branch of the Children's Book Council of Australia.

Retirees at Dreaming 2008

In the months leading up to ALIA Dreaming 2008 at Alice Springs early in September the ALIA Retirees had been planning a get -together for members interested in staying connected during retirement. Robin had arranged a "spot" in the schedule and we hoped to meet colleagues and friends in amongst the busy program.

As it turned out there were only three of us who met...Mylee, Robin and Val had been talking in teleconferences for nearly a year and finally had the opportunity to see each other, have a celebratory drink together and get acquaninted in person. It was a real joy!

The conference was a wonderful experience. The quality of speakers and the range of topics was superb and enough to keep all of us enthralled for the whole three days. We met colleagues old and new from all over the world and found, as usual, that we share a passion for our profession even though we are officially "retired" (but still working part time or as volunteers).

All three of us who attended were amamzed at the range of projects being undertaken by librarians in large and small communities all over Australia and the world. As could be expected with the venue being Alice Springs many of the conference papers and presentations had a focus on indigenous culture and library services to indigenous communities. These examples were inspiring.

The venue and the social events were just spectacular, taking advantage of the unique features of the unusual location. We met local wildlife, stargazed at a clear desert sky and danced in the red dust. The convention centre caters well to such an event and the whole population of the town showed us real outback hospitality.

We thoroughly recommend attending ALIA conferences as a way of keeping contact with colleagues and in touch with our profession, especially at the bargain price offered to Retiree members! We look forward to another great time at ALIA Brisbane in 2010, in conjunction with IFLA! See you there.

Regards, Val Hooper

Greetings from Ex Libris - Canadian retirees

[transcript]
Dear Mrs. Hooper:

As President of the Ex Libris Association, the Canadian national association formed in 1986 for retired persons whose careers have been in libraries and related areas, I would like to congratulate you on the formation of your ALIA Retirees Group.

Like the ALIA Retirees Group, ELA provides a forum for library retirees to keep in touch and up-to-date on library issues. We advocate for libraries in stress and support research in library history. Our web site at http://exlibris.fis.utoronto.ca/ describes our activities in more detail.

We at ELA wish your association all the best.



Yours truly,
Janet Jacobson, President
Ex Libris Association
352 Mountbatten Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario K1H 5W3
jdgj@rogers.com

Lorna Prendergast ~ ALIA Retirees committee

Due to living all of my life in the beautiful south-eastern corner of Australia, at Bairnsdale, I found obtaining further education extremely difficult to say the least. The nearest university was at Melbourne, about 280 kms away. So on turning sixteen I passed the Commonwealth Entrance Exam and became a telephonist at the Bairnsdale Telephone Exchange during the last year of World War 11. After six tremendous years, I had no option but to resign when I married Jim, in 1950, as that was the policy.

We raised four great kids, two girls and two boys, and then in 1967, I had the opportunity to work at the East Gippsland Public Library, following in the footsteps of the famous Australian author, Hal Porter. Our library service covered 21,056 square kms. over some of the most rugged and isolated areas in Victoria. People in these outlying districts loved to see the "Bookie" coming (Keith Ridout has recently completed 45 years on the Run).

I was studying for the ALAA by correspondence when our fifth baby notified us that she was on the way. So after two wonderful years at the public library I was despatched back home again. I continued to study for the ALAA and had two lovely years with our baby girl who won all our hearts. In 1972 I was invited to join the staff at the Bairnsdale Technical School Library and remained there for about 15 years until the Senior School became a TAFE College.

During my time at the Tech, The Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education (now a branch Of Monash Uni.) was established at Churchill (about 160 kms away) which afforded me the opportunity to complete a BA and B Ed there; and a Grad Dip Ed Admin from Hawthorn Institute of Education. This stood me in good stead when I was appointed Librarian in charge of the East Gippsland TAFE College Library. Establishing a new library was a challenge which I thoroughly enjoyed thanks to the help I received from the VATCL librarians and the computer groups. Jim and I love to travel, so while on leave I took every opportunity to meet overseas librarians and check out their libraries, this was particularly useful when setting up the internet as they were a little ahead of us at that time.

I enjoyed every aspect of my library work. Remarks from proud mothers that their children had excelled due to the books available at the public library; or seeing the Technical school girls and boys take their positions in the workforce: or helping provide an opportunity for older TAFE students, like the one who said, "TAFE has given me another chance in life", was the icing on the cake. I still marvel at the changes in information dissemination in my lifetime....it is a long way from when the library was a few books held in the sports cupboard during my school years, to the internet and the wealth of knowledge, so readily available, affording people the opportunity to study almost any thing any where in the world.......it even beats the old adage ‘The right book in the right hand at the right time!’

I retired in 1993 and have continued to enjoy my family, travel, research and voluntary library work with the East Gippsland Family History Group and the Public Library. My husband, Jim is a military historian, author and artist, so between us we rarely have a dull moment.