Library Board of Queensland

The Library Board is the governing body of the State Library of Queensland and draws its powers from the Libraries Act 1988 [PDF 470kb]. The object of this Act is to contribute to the cultural, social and intellectual development of all Queenslanders.

The Library Board has adopted a Code of Conduct [PDF 211 kb] which all members uphold and which has been approved by the responsible Minister.

The Library Board is committed to improving access to information and knowledge for all Queenslanders. The Board periodically meets outside of Brisbane to keep informed about local issues and to strengthen relationships with local councils and the community.

Library Board members

Professor Emeritus Roland Sussex | dr dale spender | Distinguished Professor Stuart Cunningham | Mr Max Lenoy | Mr Matthew McDonnell | Dr Grace Sarra | Ms Helen Brodie | Ms Ruth Drinkwater | Ms Lyn McLaughlin | Ms Jane Power | Mr Scott Reid | Ms Janette Wright, State Librarian

The Library Board is the governing body of the State Library of Queensland. Biographical details for its current membership are listed below.

Chairperson

Professor Emeritus Roland (Roly) Sussex OAM

Roland (Roly) Sussex is a Professor Emeritus of the University of Queensland’s School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies, as well as Research Fellow at the Centre for Educational Innovation and Technology.

Professor Sussex received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2012 for his services to the development and understanding of languages in Australia. His academic work involves research and teaching on languages, the social and cultural context of languages, and the development of technology in language learning and communication.

Professor Sussex is a weekly contributor to language talkback radio with the ABC, and he writes a Saturday column on language in The Courier-Mail. He is an Australia Day Ambassador, and a visiting professor at Xinjiang Normal University in China.

Members

dr dale spender AM (Deputy Chairperson)

dale spender has been an author, feminist, educator and public speaker most of her life. She started her career as a high school teacher, lectured at James Cook University and received her PhD at the University of London where she also taught teaching teachers to teach.

dr spender has been an adjunct professor at the university of Queensland and at James Cook University and is currently associated with Bond University utilising her long-time interests in women and language and e-literacy. A former chair of the Copyright Agency Limited, she has served on numerous boards in the public and private sectors as well as working as a consultant with AOL, Microsoft, Apple, Fujitsu and the Commonwealth Bank.

dale has written and edited more than 30 books and currently writes and comments on women and language – and the move to new literacies.

Ms Helen Brodie

Helen Brodie is the former Commercial Manager, Queensland, for Australia Post and was part of the team that led its transformation into the country’s largest retail network. Her strengths include commercial acumen, retailing, customer focus, service industry experience and team building for improved performance.

Ms Brodie is a board member of Southbank Institute of Technology and chairs its Remuneration and Nominations Committee. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Chair of the Starlight Children’s Foundation Advisory Board (Queensland). Ms Brodie served on the Board of Australian Institute of Management (AIM) (Queensland and Northern Territory), formerly chaired the its Audit and Risk Committee, and chaired the AIM Management Excellence Awards from 2006–09.

Distinguished Professor Stuart Cunningham

Stuart Cunningham is Distinguished Professor of Media and Communications, Queensland University of Technology, and Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation. He is one of Australia’s most prominent scholars focused on digital transformations of the media, cultural, and communications sectors.

His recent and current appointments have included President of the Council of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS), 2006–08; Chair, Humanities and Creative Arts panel, Australian Research Council College of Experts, 2007, and member of panel, 2005–07; National Cultural Policy Reference Group 2011–12; and New South Wales Creative Industries Task Force 2012-3.

Professor Cunningham was awarded a Centenary Medal (Australian Honours list) 2003 in recognition of his contribution to the humanities in Australia.

Ms Ruth Drinkwater

Ruth Drinkwater is an experienced investment and commercialisation manager, with particular expertise in the areas of entrepreneurial culture and innovation; creative industries; investment (venture capital, angel capital, social and ethical); business strategy; intellectual property; and commercial revenue generation from knowledge-based products.

Ms Drinkwater is currently a Director of the Australian Association of Angel Investors; Director of QUT Creative Enterprise Australia; and Director Renewable Energy Solutions Australia Ltd, and former Director of Women in Technology BioTech.

Ms Drinkwater holds an MBA from the University of Queensland, and is a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.

Mr Max Lenoy

Max Lenoy is a Warungnu and Jirribal (maternal) and Kuku Yalanji and Walangama (paternal) bama man from North Queensland. He teaches Indigenous Education and Educational Technologies in the Bachelor of Education program at the School of Education, James Cook University (JCU).

Mr Lenoy holds an Education Masters from Harvard University Graduate School of Education; and a Bachelor of Education from JCU.

Mr Lenoy was a member of the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council (2008-10) and the Queensland Indigenous Arts Marketing Export Agency.  He is an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Indigenous Issues and an Editorial Committee Member, Journal of Indigenous Policy. He was also a Director of North Queensland Employment.

He has a proven track record in Indigenous education and online learning. He is currently designing a culturally responsive Indigenous pedagogical framework that will be used in an Indigenous outdoor learning centre on the JCU campus.

Mr Matthew McDonnell

Matthew McDonnell holds a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University, is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and a registered company auditor.

Mr McDonnell is a chartered accountant and has 19 years experience in the accounting profession. He is currently a Partner at KPMG providing audit, accounting and advisory services to clients in the private and government sectors. In this role, he has also been responsible for the deployment of key project management initiatives including IT software and various regulatory requirements.

Ms Lyn McLaughlin

Lyn McLaughlin is a primary school teacher, who served as Mayor of Burdekin Shire from 2004 to 2012. She had previously been elected as a Councillor in 1994 and 1997.

Ms McLaughlin is Chair of the Queensland Local Government Grants Commission, Deputy Chair of Regional Development Australia (Townsville and North West Queensland), and a member of the boards of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority; the Townsville Hospital and Health Service; and the North Queensland Sports Foundation. In her role as Mayor, Lyn chaired and was a member of numerous regional and district committees.

Ms McLaughlin has also served as president, secretary and treasurer of numerous community, recreational and sporting organisations.

Ms Jane Power

Jane Power is a Business and Marketing Consultant.  Jane provides a variety of strategic consulting services such as strategic planning, marketing strategy development, change management and facilitation. Her business focus is on assisting business performance and achieving profitable growth through a customer centric lens.

Jane has worked in financial services for 15 years with previous experience in retail marketing, prior to moving to financial services. She holds a Bachelor of Business and an MBA.

She is experienced in sales, marketing, customer management and product development. She has previously held senior positions in Top 20 ASX financial services organisation’s including NAB/MLC, CBA and Suncorp. Jane has a flexible, collaborative, outcome focused approach.

Mr Scott Reid

Scott Reid is Regional Manager for Cisco Systems, responsible for its entire operations in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Papua New Guinea, including business strategy development and execution for the region and high level corporate and government relationships within the region.

A seasoned ICT executive, Mr Reid has over 22 years experience in the ICT industry in Queensland and has held management roles with national and international companies such as Dell Computer Systems and Volante. He previously owned and operated a large local ICT firm, Silicon Data.

Mr Reid is dedicated to ensuring the ICT industry's participation in social responsibility and continues to be a strong advocate for the industry.

He is a member of the Australian Information Industry Association and head of its Infrastructure Sub-Committee, a member of the Infrastructure Advisory Committee to the Lord Mayor and a committee member of the Smart Connected Transportation Centre of Excellence.

Mr Reid holds a Diploma of Education from Launceston State Institute of Technology.

Dr Grace Sarra

Grace Sarra is presently a Senior Lecturer and a researcher within the YuMi Deadly Centre at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Born and raised in Townsville, Dr Sarra is of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage. She has been teaching in schools and universities for over 20 years. She completed her Doctor of Creative Industries at QUT. Her interest is in the area of Indigenous education with a particular focus on school change and leadership, social justice and inclusive education.

Dr Sarra is the Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Group, State Library of Queensland; a member of the Indigenous Advisory Committee for the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER); a member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory group for the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA); a member of the equity committee at the Queensland University of Technology; and a researcher in the YuMi Deadly Centre at the Queensland University of Technology.

In attendance

State Librarian and CEO

The State Librarian is responsible for the proper and sound management of the State Library of Queensland, under the authority of the Library Board of Queensland. The State Librarian provides strategic advice and direction to the Library Board; plans and develops new initiatives, services and programs; manages the resources of the State Library; initiates strategic partnerships and leads the State Library of Queensland.

Under the Libraries Act 1988 (Queensland) [PDF 470kb]. the State Librarian must attend all meetings of the Board unless excused or precluded by the Board.

Library Board committee

The Library Board has appointed an Audit and Risk Management Committee to advise and inform the Library Board on issues that arise within the scope of the committee.

Advisory Groups

The Library Board appoints a number of advisory groups which, while not undertaking the functions of the Board, provide strategic advice and act as a consultative arm.

• Indigenous Advisory Group
• Public Libraries Advisory Group