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Kate becomes youngest national library board director
University of the Sunshine Coast librarian Kate Watson has become the youngest director of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) board.
Kate, 27, who has worked at USC’s Library for the past 18 months, was elected in May by ALIA’s 6000 members. She will serve a two-year term on the eight-member board of directors.
ALIA is responsible for the promotion and delivery of quality library and information services across Australia.
“I am the youngest member of the board which is a bit cool,” she said. “I completed a degree in Art History but wanted a job that combined research and information technology so went on to complete a Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Studies and a Masters of Information Technology.”
Kate uses her research skills as coordinator for USC’s Regional Universities Building Research Infrastructure Collaboratively (RUBRIC) project.
“My role as RUBRIC coordinator means I am responsible for project managing the development of a USC Institutional Research Repository,” she said.
This benefits USC students and academics in a variety of ways by highlighting the research profile of the University.
Being an ALIA director will give Kate various opportunities to promote USC and the information and library sector.
“It is good to have representation from USC and the region on a national board,” she said.
Kate said there was a misconception that working in a library was all about books.
“Today it is all about Information Technology (IT) and online delivery, providing information online to people’s desktops. Most librarians don’t even work with books,” she said.
– Katrina Scott