Gwenda Thomas, Director of CAUL’s Inspiring Sustainability program will facilitate a workshop-style event on the topic of “Building a Sustainable New Reality” with presentations by two expert speakers, Sue Roberts and Sue McKerracher. The workshop will include Q&A time for each speaker followed by breakout rooms to obtain input from CAUL members and enable further discussion. The aim of the workshop is to inform the direction of this new CAUL program and complement CAUL’s other strategic programs.
When: Thursday 22 October 2020 at 2:00pm – 3:30pm AEDT
Where: Zoom Webinar
Inspiring Sustainability is one of four strategic themes for CAUL for 2020-2022. Higher education is increasingly subject to global economic, social, technical and environmental trends that create uncertainty and increase the need for agility and responsiveness in tertiary institutions. This has been an acute experience in 2020 due to the reality and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst this year has presented significant global challenges, there are also opportunities for rethinking and reimagining what sustainability might look like in the “new reality” and what it might mean for the profession.
Sustainability as defined and shaped by an organisation’s ability to keep up with and respond to rapid change, emerging issues and disruptive influences is now more pressing than ever. Through a focus on inspiring sustainability and building a new sustainable reality, CAUL is prioritising current and emerging challenges framed as the “new normal’ which university libraries are facing in the short- and medium term as they recover, reset and reimagine sustainability in the following areas of focus:
- Leadership and the new reality – building resilience and empowering workforce capabilities
- Future financial sustainability – future proofing scholarly information resources funding and advancing the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in the new reality
Workshop speakers include:
- Sue McKerracher, CEO of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA)
- Sue Roberts, Director, Libraries and Learning Services at the University of Auckland
A related event that will be of interest to members to attend prior to this CAUL event is this Libraries 2.020 worldwide virtual conference, Sustainability in Libraries on 14 October:
Registration:
This event has now closed.