ALIA Vic

06/10/2026

📚🎨 A book cover is an invitation to look closer.

Join us and illustrators Sabina Wills cartoonist, Zeno Sworder and Anna Walker for a behind-the-scenes conversation about creating book covers.

They’ll discuss:
✨ How illustrators find their way into cover design
✨ Creative direction and collaboration
✨ Children’s versus adult covers
✨ Designing for libraries and bookstores
✨ Artistic influences and emerging trends
✨ Working with illustrators
✨ The impact of AI on illustration

Whether you’re a library worker, illustrator, author, designer or devoted reader, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

📆 2-4 pm, Sun, 18 Oct
📍 PMI Victorian History Library
🔗 Book: Click the link below and go through link in bio: https://www.alia.org.au/EventDetail?EventKey=VIC1026

03/10/2026

20/09/2026

🎨 What happens behind a book cover?

Join us for a panel discussion with illustrators Sabina Wills, Zeno Sworder and Anna Walker.

The panel will explore:
How illustrators enter the book-cover industry.
Creative direction and collaboration.
The differences between children’s and adult covers.
Designing for libraries and bookstores.
Artistic influences and recent cover trends.
Advice for new illustrators.
The impact of AI on illustration.
Whether you work in libraries, create art, publish books or simply love books, come along for an engaging behind-the-scenes conversation.

📆 2-4 pm, Sun, 18 Oct
📍PMI Victorian History Library
🔗 Book through the link: https://www.alia.org.au/EventDetail?EventKey=VIC1026 or go to linkinbio

17/09/2026

It was a delight to present James Baker, our 2026 Victorian Library and Information Award winner, with Hush. Our judges had a tough time selecting from our shortlist this year as we have many Victorian Librarians doing so much fantastic work in our sector.

Thank you to everyone who came on the night to help us celebrate all of YOU, you wonderful library and information professionals ♥️

And thank you to all of our sponsors who helped us put together a wonderful Soriree.

25/08/2026

REGISTRATIONS CLOSING SOON!

Join ALIAVic at the beautiful narrm ngarrgu Library to celebrate Children's Book Week in style.

Come dressed as a book character to celebrate in true bookish style. There will be a costume catwalk and award for best costume, and well as drinks and delicious canapés.

We will also be celebrating the second annual Victorian Library and Information Award (VLIA) with the shortlisted nominees in attendance and the winner being presented with the bespoke VLIA perpetual trophy 'Hush'.

When: THIS FRIDAY August 28th, at 6:00pm
Where: narrm ngarrgu Library, 141 Therry St, Melbourne
Cost: ALIA Members $20, Non-Members $30

For more information and to book your place, see here:

Join ALIAVic at the beautiful narrm ngarrgu Library to celebrate Children's Book Week in style. Come dressed as a book character to celebrate in true bookish style. There will be a costume catwalk and award for best costume, and well as drinks and delicious canapés. We will also be celebrating the ...

22/08/2026

We are so excited to have narrm ngarrgu library as hosts for our And Annual ALIA Presentation. We couldn't think of a more amazing library for such a night!

20/08/2026

Remember the joy of dressing up as your favourite book character?

This Children's Book Week, ALIA VIC is bringing that magic back, grown-up style. Step into narrm ngarrgu Library dressed as your favourite bookish character, walk the costume catwalk, and there's a prize for best dressed (thanks to Lamont Books) on the line.

We'll also be presenting the 2nd annual Victorian Library and Information Award (VLIA) — celebrating a Victorian library and information professional whose work doesn't always make headlines but always makes a difference. Shortlisted nominees will be in the room, and the winner takes home the perpetual trophy, "Hush."

Drinks. Canapés. Your library people. Come as you (or your favourite character) are.

📚 ALIAVic: Book Week Soirée & VLIA Presentation
📅 Friday, 28 August 2026
⏰ 6:00pm – 8:00pm AEST
📍 narrm ngarrgu Library, 141 Therry Street, Melbourne
🎟️ $20 ALIA members / $30 non-members
🔗 Register: alia.org.au/EventRegistration?EventKey=VIC0826B

18/08/2026

Join us in welcoming as another Gold Sponsor to the ALIA Book Week Soiree!

Thank you so much for supporting this event and our Victorian Library and Information Awards.

16/08/2026

Meet Hush... the trophy that's about to get a second name.

Last year, the inaugural Victorian Library and Information Award went to Pru Mitchell, recognising the quiet, tireless work library and information professionals do every day. This Book Week, ALIA VIC hands the award — and the bespoke perpetual trophy — to a new name.

Join us at narrm ngarrgu Library to celebrate the 2nd annual VLIA, cheer on this year's shortlisted nominees, and toast Children's Book Week in style. Dressed as your favourite book character, with a costume catwalk and a best-dressed prize up for grabs.

Drinks, canapés, and your library people, what more could you want?

📚 ALIAVic: Book Week Soirée & VLIA Presentation
📅 Friday, 28 August 2026
⏰ 6:00pm – 8:00pm AEST
📍 narrm ngarrgu Library, 141 Therry Street, Melbourne
🎟️ $20 ALIA members / $30 non-members
🔗 Register: https://alia.org.au/EventDetail?EventKey=VIC0826B

14/08/2026

Not every library speaks Dewey.

In a remote Northern Territory community, many residents spoke a different language and saw the world differently, time as circular, not linear. Knowledge as interconnected, not boxed into "fiction" and "non-fiction." So the local library didn't force Dewey onto the shelves. Library staff and community members built their own classification system from scratch, in their own language (Mawng), reflecting how they actually think about knowledge. Six months later, a brand-new staff member who'd never worked in a library before said it just made sense, because it was already speaking her language.

That's just one of three "different to Dewey" stories in this panel. We also hear from a law librarian on the 1960s-era Moyes system built for legal materials, and an MCC librarian on the wonderfully specific classification built just for a world-class cricket collection (turns out Dewey only gives cricket 12 numbers).

150 years into the Dewey Decimal System's life, thiw panel is a reminder: classification isn't neutral, and sometimes the most useful system is the one a community builds for itself.

🎥 Watch our panel, Different to Dewey — link in bio / below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShTAY5kncA0