by Rob Penfold | Jan 16, 2026 | Events
📝 Event Description
This hands-on workshop will show you how to use Canva to create engaging and professional videos for library promotion and education resources. This session covers:
• Editing a Canva video template
• Image and text editing, animations and effects
• Using Canva record and screen capture
By the end of this training, you will have created your own short video ready to share for library promotion or educational purposes.
People who have prior experience with Canva will get the most out of this session. There will be hands-on activities. Participants will need access to a Canva account prior to the webinar.
👉 Numbers restricted to 40 participants – get in quick
🧑🏫 Trainers
• Eunice Ang – Medical Librarian, Northern Health
• Keren Moskal – Clinical Librarian and Education Lead – Monash Health
✅ ALIA HLA Competencies
C4: Leadership and management
C6: Health literacy and teaching
View HLA Competencies
🧗♀️ Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Worth 1 hour towards the Health Professional Development Scheme
🕐 When
Tuesday, 5 May 2026 1:00 pm – 2:15 pm AEST (75 minutes)
🌏 Where
Online Zoom webinar – a link will be sent the day prior.
💸 Cost
ALIA Members – $40 (savings of $35 if you were an HLA Member)
Non-Members – $75
✍️ Register
Register / More information
by Rob Penfold | Mar 12, 2026 | News
Set aside these dates for the 2026 Health Libraries Conference
This is a joint effort between HLA & HLi, so it will be twice as good
Theme: The Fire Within : Passion and Purpose in Health Libraries
More details to follow …
by Rob Penfold | Feb 2, 2026 | News
Three good reasons to complete:
- Very short (only 11 questions)
- Only one of the questions is mandatory – basically you only need to respond where you have something to say …
- It will be very helpful to the HLA Committee for shaping strategies, directions, events & more
You have no doubt returned to work bright-eyed & bushy tailed, and eager to advance health librarianship. So grab a cuppa 🍵 and let us know your thoughts:
➡️ HLA Survey 2026 ⬅️
by Rob Penfold | Jan 16, 2026 | News
I am working on a research project about health librarians’ knowledge and use of topic & methodological search filters in Australia and New Zealand. This research project was one of the winners of the HLA Anne Harrison Award in 2024.
The aim of the survey is to gather information on whether health librarians are aware of topic & methodological search filters, whether librarians use them and where librarians are getting these filters from.
Take the survey here (Takes 5-10 minutes)
I am using “health librarian” loosely. Basically if:
- You have previously worked or are currently working in a health/medical library setting, and
- You have heard of topic or methodological search filters,
you are eligible to take part in the survey 😊
It doesn’t matter if your job title isn’t strictly “librarian”, or if you have never used topic or methodological search filters. I still want to hear from you if you fulfil the two criteria above.
Your participation will be greatly appreciated! Please feel free to 👉 forward this survey on to your colleagues as well.
If you have any questions, please email me at eunice.ang@nh.org.au
by Rob Penfold | Oct 29, 2025 | Events
🐘 Event Description
In this session, we’re shining a spotlight on the creative and impactful ways hospital libraries are reaching out to their communities. You’ll hear from passionate professionals who are doing fantastic work through pop-up libraries and outreach services in their health settings. Each speaker will share their unique approach—how they’ve brought library services beyond traditional walls, connected with staff in new ways, and made health information more accessible and engaging.
Whether you’re looking for inspiration, practical ideas, or just curious about what’s possible, we hope you come along and learn from others and share your own successes with us all.
📢 Presenters
- Cherish Mcdonald – Hunter New England Local Health District
- Megan Giles & Sue Bethune – Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service
- Michelle Pitman – Grampians Health
Cherish a wearer of multiple hats, she can wax an eyebrow (was a beauty therapist in a past life) while doing a literature review (poorly, area of PD) and whip up a smart-looking CANVA graphic to market library services. Cherish is passionate about equity of access to health information and library services, a good espresso, the collection and maintenance of organisational history, and library marketing. She recently completed a Master of Library & Information Science at CSU, and is on the organising committee for the Hospital Librarians COP. Most importantly, she has an honorary PhD in snack collection for her two chaotic children and French bulldogs, in the words of Em Rusciano, a “maximalist power queen” and very tired.
Megan is a librarian with a special interest in hospital librarianship, committed to partnering with clinicians, students and partner organisations to enable improved health outcomes through evidence-based practice, research and collaboration. Coupled with extensive experience as a psychologist (organisational) and health professional, she is passionate about creating a welcoming learning environment, enabling access to contemporary evidence, and leveraging ‘teachable moments’ to build capacity and confidence amongst library clients.
Sue is a passionate health sciences librarian who uses her extensive background in education to foster self-efficacy and independent learning in library clientele. This is achieved through recognition that all learning environments must be non-threatening, relaxed, and based on hands-on activities if new skills and ideas are to be embedded. Sue particularly enjoys the intricacies of specialised librarianship and has worked in law, music, health and university libraries.
Michelle qualified as a late-in-life librarian from Curtin University in 2019 and has worked at the Horsham campus of Grampians Health since November that year. This role has her straddling the vicissitudes of being, simultaneously, a “solo” librarian, while also being part of the library team at the Ballarat campus. She’s however, very grateful for this support or it would get very challenging very quickly! Her professional interests are library marketing, health history and generative artificial intelligence in health and scholarly communications. Her personal interests are her cat ‘Lola’, sourdough bread making, reading Sci-Fi & epic fantasy novels and watching endless YouTube chateau renovation channels!
✅ ALIA Competencies
C2: Reference and Research Services
C6: Health Literacy and Teaching
🕐 When
Wednesday, 26 November 2025
1:00-2:00 pm (VIC / NSW / TAS / ACT)
12:00-1:00 pm (QLD)
12:30-1:30 pm (SA)
11:30-12:30 pm (NT)
11:00-12:00 (WA)
3:00-4:00 pm (NZ)
🌏 Where
Online webinar Zoom – a link will be sent the day prior.
This event will be recorded and sent to attendees following the event.
💲 Cost
ALIA Members – Free
Non-Members – $25
✍ Register
Register | Additional information
