Welcome to the 2007 QPLA Conference!
 Ipswich City welcomes delegates to the QPLA Conference in September. We
hope you enjoy your visit and find out a little about the city while you're here.
 A
Message from Cr. Paul Pisasale - Mayor of the City of Ipswich
Welcome to the 25th anniversary Queensland Public Libraries Association
Conference in Ipswich. We are very proud to be hosting this significant
milestone in our city.
It is an exciting time to visit Ipswich as the city is undergoing significant
growth. As we grow we want to make sure we retain our sense of community
and our public library is playing a significant role in helping us to
achieve this goal.
Libraries add a human dimension to the concept of economic development.
They are deeply connected to their community and provide all residents
with a way to access a range of information resources and library services.
In many small communities libraries are actually the heart of community
life. Central to all libraries is a philosophy of "making a difference" to
the individual and the community.
By opening its doors to everyone, libraries provide unencumbered access
to life-long learning and are trusted and highly frequented local destinations.
Despite a rapid increase in home computers, libraries are still seen
as an important entry point for new technology users.
They also play a significant role in creating liveable communities
where people want to live, work, visit, actively participate and make
a contribution to their community.
Public libraries are well placed to create and support liveable communities.
To all of the conference delegates, I look forward to warmly welcoming
you to Ipswich and sharing the many attractions Ipswich has to offer
with you.
Councillor Paul Pisasale
Mayor of the City of Ipswich
 A Message from Kerri Contini - President, QPLA
25th Anniversary Conference heralds time of change
Queensland Public Libraries Association warmly invites you to the
25th QPLA Conference to be held 16th-19th September in Ipswich.
It
seems such a short while ago that we were enjoying each others company
in sunny Cairns and, while we weren't 100% certain what our future
looked like, we felt relatively secure about it. 12 short months
down the track and our world is topsy turvy with the announcement of
the Queensland Local Government Reform process and amalgamations. Amidst
all of this chaos we can be sure of one thing - change and lots of
it. But I'm comforted by the prospect that we can also be sure of
the continuing importance of the role of public libraries, particularly
in ensuring that our communities continue to receive high quality
services while the new local government organisations go through their
change process.
The 2007 QPLA Conference, "Building Bridges to Knowledge", is
sure to provide a great opportunity to discuss this important issue
and gain essential knowledge and skills to prepare us for the road
ahead. This is also a special conference as it celebrates the 25th
Anniversary of Queensland public library conferences, first as the
Chief Public Librarians Association Conference and then as the Queensland
Public Libraries Association conference. Narelle Rhodes and the team
at the Ipswich Library & Information Service have put together a fabulous
program to celebrate this important milestone with presentations that
will inspire and challenge us as we explore the library's role at the
heart of community life.
Take the time to enjoy beautiful Ipswich which is renowned for its heritage
buildings and homes. As one of the fastest growing cities in South
East Queensland the city profile is changing so please take the time
to explore.
I look forward to catching up with you all as we reflect on our past and
look forward to the future.
Kerri Contini
President - Qld Public Libraries Association
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