History
- Public Libraries Australia Ltd (PLA) was formed in 2002 in response to the identified need for a peak body to represent the Australian public library sector.
- PLA has a Board of Directors consisting of one elected representative from each of Australia’s states and territories (8), as well as appointed representatives from the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), the Australian Library & Information Association (ALIA) and the Council of Australian State Libraries (CASL). The organisation is operated primarily on a voluntary basis at this stage of its development.
- PLA developed a Strategic Plan 2003-2006 to provide an operating framework for the establishment phase of the organisation.
- PLA held its inaugural conference – Libraries Are Loud – But Who’s Listening in November 2005. Some 200 delegates attended this very successful conference.
- A strategic planning session held at the conference identified the following mission-critical areas for the future growth and development of PLA:
- Defining the role and deliverables
- Developing a sustainable financial base
- Increasing membership
- The current PLA Strategic Plan 2006-2007 was developed from Board and membership input provided at the planning session.
- PLA is a grass-roots organisation that seeks to represent the aspirations of the public library sector.
- PLA will be working on a number of projects in 2006, including the national Books Alive campaign in collaboration with the Australia Council.