Editorial.

Editorial. With this, my first issue as Editor of the Australian LibraryJournal, I'm pleased to be setting the scene with a new EditorialBoard who will be helping to shape the Journal's strategicdirection in alignment with the rest of the ALIA Publishing portfolio There are a number of issues which we will be teasing out over thenext year, including the need to work with the creative tensionsinherent in any journal's attempt to appeal to a wide range ofpractitioners while aspiring to reach recognised standards of a highquality, research-based publication. I am cautioned to keep in touchwith the Journal's readership by one of my predecessors, JohnLevett, who in his parting editorial wrote: 'whilst ALJ ALJ Administrative Law JudgeALJ Association for Legal Justice (Northern Ireland)mightproperly honour scholarship and publish scholarly works, its readership,already limited, would diminish further if it omitted, or worse,rejected those proud accounts of 'how we do it at my library'.(2006, 281) We will aim for a balance, and have adopted the description:'ALJ is an internationally recognised journal that showcases thebest of Australian library and information research and practice.' This issue comprises five articles covering a number of topicsrelevant to practice in all types of libraries. Fiona Duthie looks atthe vexed question VEXED QUESTION, vexata quaestio. A question or point of law often discussed or agitated, but not determined nor settled. of the ethics of censorship, particularly focusing onpublic and school libraries, where practical interpretation of sometimes'high sounding' codes and policies, and guidance in makingdecisions, are much needed. Peta Wellstead has conducted her researchinto the information seeking Information seeking is the process or activity of attempting to obtain information in both human and technological contexts. Information seeking is related to, but yet different from, information retrieval (IR). behaviour of males in stressful,everyday-life situations. She raises the issue of how vulnerable and'hard-to-reach' groups might be served better if socialmarketing campaign designers and online community information services See Information Systems. engaged librarians and their information management expertise. JoanRuthven returns with part two of her study, this time exploring thetraining needs and preferences of adults in using public libraries'online databases. Fiona Blackburn reflects on her observations andexperiences with electronic and social networking See social networking site. social networking - social network learning technologiesin a public library, which she views as 'an alternative learningspace'. Information literacy Several conceptions and definitions of information literacy have become prevalent. For example, one conception defines information literacy in terms of a set of competencies that an informed citizen of an information society ought to possess to participate intelligently and is a thread which runs through allthese articles, highlighting the necessity for librarians to be skilledin helping their clients to access information in an online world. In an initiative intended to encourage and mentor novice authors,we are introducing a new regular feature,'Scholarship-in-practice', in which articles contributed byLibrary and Information Science students will focus on topical issues.The first series will be edited by Kate Davis, whose introductionprovides more detail about this feature, and precedes an article on webarchiving Saving the pages from Web sites as they change over time for historical purposes. Using crawlers similar to the ones search engines routinely deploy, there are services that archive the pages of a company's own Web site or pages from selected Web sites across the Internet. by Lachlan Glanville. And ALJ's regular book reviewsection, compiled by Gary Gorman, continues to provide an invaluableguide to the latest literature of our profession. John Levett, in the same editorial quoted above, lamented the'variable success' of the Journal's attempts to'provoke, resuscitate re��sus��ci��tatev.To restore consciousness, vigor, or life to. , revive, and sustain debate in theprofession' as signified by the paucity of correspondence appearingin the 'letters to the editor' page (p. 282). Perhaps timeshave changed? There is much in our profession to prompt discussion, andto quote Fiona Duthie, who invites debate about the controversial topicof censorship: 'It is hoped that in this arena, many voices willcontinue to be heard. Perhaps there will never be a decisive conclusion.It may even transpire that ongoing, constructive debates and discussionsare the best possible outcomes. They are a testament to the purposelydynamic nature of the library and information environment which strivesunceasingly to seek, test and employ new and creative methods ofimparting information.' Finally, I would like to thank and acknowledge my predecessors fortheir legacy--a journal which is the flagship publication of ALIA,providing an historical record and a research base for our profession.Each editor has had a unique influence on the Journal's evolution,and on the intellectual life and practice of librarianship in Australia,and the ones I have known personally I would like to acknowledge. JohnLevett provided thought-provoking, grounded, and entertaining commentaryover many years; Ian McCallum's leadership took the Journal to newlevels of achievement, with award winning content, recognisedinternational indexing quality, and high ratings from ALIA'smembers; and Ian's insightful editorials and wry commentaryprovided an invitation to the Journal's contents and an apposite ap��po��site?adj.Strikingly appropriate and relevant. See Synonyms at relevant.[Latin appositus, past participle of app assessment of the context; and most recently Helen Partridge providedcontinuity as interim Editor, foreshadowing new directions. I amhonoured to join this clan of editors, all of whom, I suggest,appreciate and value, as I do, the written word, and the position oftrust in which we are placed by The Journals's authors and readers,and profession at large. I value words for the precise meaning theyconvey as well as the fascinating way that meanings evolve--English is aliving language. I am fascinated by the derivations of words, and theuse of grammar to elucidate and communicate intent (and I even confessto enjoying browsing through my new Chicago style manual, which mustmake me something of a pedantic pe��dan��tic?adj.Characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules: a pedantic attention to details. 'word nerd'). I also valuewords for their inspirational qualities. To be published and haveone's words recorded forever in the public domain, I believe, is anawe-inspiring responsibility. There is an inevitable selection andinterpretation that an editor brings to an author's work, and thechallenge is to do this with as light a touch as possible. The previouseditors have left their mark, helping to shape our profession throughtheir focus and their commentary, and I will endeavour to serve theprofession as well. So with these opening remarks, I say welcome to the August issue ofThe Journal. I extend to all our readers and authors an invitation tocontribute to the intellectual life of our profession by reading andwriting, observing, reflecting, discussing and putting into practice theideas and evidence-based research outcomes that we showcase in this andensuing issues. Ann Ritchie AU Editor References Levett, John. 2006. The end of an affair ..., The AustralianLibrary Journal, 53, no. 4: 281-283.