Lightning Talk
Presentation Title:
Behind the Scenes of Running an ALIA Group
Presenter:
Ellen Coates, Jade Koekoe, Michael Barry, Emily Shumborski, Diane Johnston
Date:
Thursday 14 May 2026 | 2:00pm – 2:30pm
Presentation Description:
Have you ever wondered what goes into running an ALIA Group? Join the ALIAVic Committee on a panel as we take you through the ins and outs of group management.
Between our Committee members we have decades of experience not only on ALIAVic but with other ALIA things, including the ALIASNGG and ALIA NGAC committees, the New Librarians Symposium in 2019 and one of us was also ALIA’S ACT State Manager, once upon a time.
We’ll look at what it takes to run a volunteer ALIA Group, from the nitty gritty to individual roles like: Convener, Secretary, Treasurer, Social Media Manager and a General Committee Member. We’ll highlight flexibility, especially in how to pivot all activities to online (As we did during lockdowns) and then the new events program that grew out of it.
Most of all, we’ll explore the amazing world of Victoria’s librarians and how we all come together to create a program of networking and social and professional development opportunities to make Victoria’s library scene as vibrant as we can. Expect lots of good stories and practical insights both into ALIA groups and what it takes to run small volunteer groups more generally. We’ll go from basic communication right up to planning complex panels and book week soirees at the State Library and state wide awards. There’ll be something for everyone.
Ellen Coates
Collections Librarian and Volunteer Coordinator, PMI Victorian History Library Inc.
Presenter Bio
Ellen Coates is the Convener of ALIAVic. She’s also the Collections Librarian and Volunteer Coordinator at the PMI Victorian History Library Inc. She’s a history nerd, medievalist at heart, runs the blog Historical Ragbag and can be found on most socials as @BiblioEll
Jade Koekoe
Marketing & Communications, PMI Victorian History Library Inc.
Presenter Bio
Jade Koekoe manages the social media and comms for ALIAVic. They are also the Marketing and Comms person at the PMI Victorian History Library Inc. In their spare time they have their own small business called Misskoko the Librarian, where they help Libraries and Librarians make a rocking online presence they are proud of. They can be found online @misskokolib
Michael Barry
School library technician
Presenter Bio
Michael Barry is the Secretary of ALIAVic, and a school library technician. He joined the library sector in 2017 after trying a range of careers spanning hospitality, retail, manufacturing, and administration.
Emily Shumborski
State Library Victoria
Presenter Bio
Emily Shumborski is the treasurer of ALIAVic and currently works at State Library Victoria, where she leads statewide development projects in collaboration with Public Libraries Victoria and manages organisational initiatives for SLV. She has a passion for the democratization of information and equitable access to libraries and is committed to advancing these principles in her work.
Diane Johnston
School Librarian
Presenter Bio
Diane Johnston is an ordinary committee member of ALIAVic. She completed her Diploma of Library and Information Services online and now works in a secondary school, in her first paid library role. She continues to volunteer as a Greeter at State Library Victoria. Her passion is literacy, and helping people to become lifelong learners who will continue to enjoy reading and being a member of a library.