Books and reading

The purpose of this national early literacy framework and strategy for Australian public libraries is to define the special role of public libraries in early literacy; to raise the profile of the important role that public libraries play in pre-school learning both internally (with library staff) and externally, with the public, government and especially funding bodies; to gain formal recognition from government and other agencies providing early childhood support and services, resulting in the inclusion of public library representatives in high level state, territory and local government p

The ALIA Australian Public Library Alliance (APLA) is the peak body for public libraries in Australia. Our committee comprises the chair of every state-based public library association, a senior representative from the ACT, Northern Territory and Tasmanian library services, and expert members. We represent 94% of all the 1500 public libraries across Australia through membership subscription.

Taking into account feedback received from library and information professionals, ALIA developed a set of key principles for the procurement and use of ebooks in Australian libraries. These basic principles will guide the sector’s response to government policy and commercial initiatives, support our lobbying and advocacy, and enable us to take the lead in areas over which we have direct control.

This paper discusses the future of collections, 50:50 by 2020, is now available. ALIA predicts that library print and ebook collections will establish a 50:50 equilibrium by 2020 and that this balance will be maintained for the foreseeable future. To see the supporting evidence and get an idea of what this will mean for libraries and library management.

In November 2013, ebooks were, metaphorically speaking, flying out of the door and ALIA made a bold statement that ‘library print and ebook collections will establish a 50:50 equilibrium by 2020 and that this balance will be maintained through to 2040, when the last print-only generation hits 50’. In less than two years, the initial ebook sales boom has settled and the book industry is predicting the ebook phenomenon will plateau at around 20–30% of books sales, with print books remaining the dominant format.

Australian libraries provide valuable support for Australian authors and publishers in many ways. Mllions of dollars worth of books and ebooks are bought every year.  Authors are introduced to book buyers  People who borrow books also buy them. People discover and rediscover the joy of reading, creating new audiences.  Author talks in libraries are a useful source of income for writers and a good way to promote their work.