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You are here: Home Page > Events > 2005 AGM Report 2005 AGM - A Report:46 delegates and members attended the 2005 A.G.M., held on 10 March, in the Clarion Hotel, Lapps Quay, Cork. Ruth Flanagan, Cork County Librarian, was elected to succeed Gobnait O'Riordan as LAI President. Teresa Walsh, County Librarian, South Dublin Libraries and Ann Cleary, Librarian, Dundalk Institute of Technology, were both elected as Vice-Presidents. Denis Murphy, Assistant Librarian, Cork County Libraries and Catherine Watters, Senior Manager, Information and Research Centre, PWC, were returned as Hon Secretary and Hon Treasurer respectively. The following members were elected to the Executive Board for 2005/06:
In her address, Ruth Flanagan paid tribute to the outgoing President, Gobnait O'Riordan and the Executive Board. She applauded the achievements of the Association over the past two years, in particular those arising from the ongoing implementation of the Development Plan. The appointment of Antoinette Robinson as Development Manager was central to this progress. She referred to the attractive discount scheme and membership card, which is available for 2005. She encouraged the LAI to capitalise on these achievments by striving to further expand its membership base and area of influence. " We should lobby our decision makers in various Government Departments and get better recognition for the huge volume of usage that libraries currently have" she said. An example of successful lobbying was the recent allocation of €500,000 by the Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin, to primary schools in disadvantaged areas. This money will be distributed through the Public Library School Libraries Service. The inaugural Library Ireland Week was held during 7-12 March. Ruth feels that this annual celebration of libraries and librarians will enhance the profile of the Association and libraries in general. The President also complimented the professionalism of the Association
and in particular the Health Sciences Libraries Group in producing the
Standards for Irish Healthcare Libraries and Information Services. This
was adopted as an official
policy document at the AGM ( Ruth welcomed the positive recognition and coverage extended to libraries in recent reports by the Combat Poverty Agency and Age and Opportunity. She also referred to issues of professional concern that require attention : Public Lending Right, Intellectual Literacy and Copyright. On an international level, she looked forward to the EBLIDA Annual Council and spring Executive Meetings, in Cork, on 12-14 May, and the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), Tunis, 16-18 November. She also noted the UNESCO Decade of Literacy 2003-20012 and the Draft UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expression. The following resolutions were passed at the meeting for action by the Executive Board:1) That the Library Association of Ireland urges UCD to recognise the
contribution of libraries and librarians to Irish Society by ensuring
that the distinct identity of the current School of Librarianship is
maintained in the new administrative structures in UCD. The Association
calls on UCD to provide sufficient funding for the only centre which
provides professional education for librarianship on the island of Ireland,
to enable the expansion of academic and first professional courses,
continuing professional development programmes and research. 2) That the Library Association of Ireland calls upon the Department
of Environment, Heritage and Local Government to consult with the LAI
regarding changes in qualifications for library grades. 3) That the Library Association of Ireland calls upon local Authorities
to question the validity of membership and borrowing charges, and in
so doing abolish same. 4) That the Library Association of Ireland calls upon local authorities
to take on board the recommendations of the Department of Environment,
Heritage and local Government that Internet service at public libraries,
be provided free of charge to the public. 5) That the Library Association of Ireland calls upon the Minister
for Finance to apply a zero rate of VAT to electronic language learning
materials and audio books. 6) That the Library Association of Ireland welcomes the recent decision
of the Minister for Education and Science to target funding for books
to schools in disadvantaged areas and to ask the public authority schools
library services to manage this fund. 7) That the Library Association of Ireland calls on the Minister for
Education and Science, and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage
and Local Government to implement, as a matter of urgency, the report
of the interdepartmental review of the funding of the service to primary
schools, provided by School Library Services. 8) That this Annual General Meeting calls on the incoming Executive
Board to work with other agencies to adopt a standard for Information
Skills; lobby to ensure government is made aware of the need for, and
value of Information Skills; lobby government to recognise and affirm
the role of Libraries in the delivery and maintenance of Information
Skills. 9) That this Annual General Meeting calls on the incoming Executive
Board to investigate the options available to Government in implementing
the Public Lending Right Directive, including the use of the cultural
derogation, and to recommend to the Department of Enterprise Trade and
Employment whichever option or options seem to be in the common good.
10) That this Annual General Meeting commits the Library Association
of Ireland to initiate a dialogue with the Health Service Executive,
to discuss the future role of Libraries and Information Specialists
within the newly emerging Irish health service. 11) That this Annual General Meeting approves the second edition of
Standards for Irish Healthcare Libraries and Information Services, and
adopts them as an official policy document of the Library Association
of Ireland. 12) That this Annual General Meeting calls on the incoming Executive
Board to investigate the need for publicly funded bodies to develop
a copyright policy, including ownership of copyright, public access
to publicly-funded research and the issue of retention of copyright
when licensing publication of research. The following two motions did not succeed: 13) That Article 24. (i) of the Articles of Association of Cumann Leabharlann
na hÉireann be amended to read : "The Executive Board shall be the governing
body of the Association and shall consist of an Honorary Treasurer,
Honorary Secretary, and twelve other members elected by annual ballot
of all members. All members of the Executive Board must be personal
members of the Association, engaged in the profession of librarianship".
And that the Explanatory Note to Article 24. (i) remain unchanged. 14) That a new Article be added to the Articles of Association of Cumann
Leabharlann na hÉireann under the Special Sections heading to read:
No Member of the Association may hold an Officer position in a particular
Special Section of the Library Association of Ireland for longer than
four years. |
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223kb). It is hoped to launch the document in May.|
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