Application Form and User Agreement

To join the Libraries Australia Service you need to complete an online User Registration form and sign a User Agreement.

1. If you are a public library, we recommend you contact your consortium representative to obtain details of pricing in your State before submitting your request for access to Libraries Australia.

2. Complete an online User Registration Form:

3. Print, sign and send to us the User Agreement:

4. Contact the Libraries Australia Help Desk for assistance at any time during these processes.

The User Agreement is available for downloading in PDF. If you cannot download or read PDF, please contact Libraries Australia Help Desk and an Agreement will be sent to you.

Please post or fax the User Agreement to:

Libraries Australia Customer Support
National Library of Australia
Parkes Place
PARKES
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Fax number: + 61 2 6273 1180

The date of effect will be added when the copies are received by the National Library and one copy returned to you for your records.

What is Libraries Australia?

Libraries Australia is an Internet-based service for libraries and their users. This service can be used for many purposes including interlibrary lending, reference, collection development and cataloguing. The core of Libraries Australia is the Australian National Bibliographic Database (ANBD), which records the location details of over 42 million items.

The Libraries Australia service is managed by the National Library of Australia and uses international library standards and protocols for its content, data exchange and to search other similar systems.

Libraries have a proud history of working together in order to share resources and information as a way to serve their users. Libraries Australia helps libraries to be more efficient in a number of ways, including:

  • enabling individuals, including remote and regional users, to search for a wide range of print and electronic resources;
  • enabling libraries and users to find material in other libraries that they can then borrow or request from those libraries;
  • offering an interactive online tutorial allowing librarians to teach themselves the system;
  • enabling libraries to catalogue their collections efficiently by sharing records;
  • providing access to information using international standards.

How can I use Libraries Australia?

Finding material
Libraries Australia is used to locate material held in Australian libraries. Library staff around Australia use Libraries Australia to find material for their users. Libraries Australia can be searched by subject, author, title and many other fields for flexible, efficient retrieval. Acquisition staff use Libraries Australia to identify and order print and electronic material published around the world.
There is also a free version of this service available for anyone to use. It has a simple search interface which provides a gateway to resources in Australian Library Collections, and the digital collections represented in Picture Australia.

Document delivery
Libraries Australia Document Delivery is a web-based system for interlibrary lending and document delivery.
Libraries search the ANBD to find material and then order it electronically. The Libraries Australia Document Delivery Payments System provides an efficient means of managing payment for documents and loans between Australian libraries.

Cataloguing services
Libraries Australia offers a range of flexible cataloguing options for Australian libraries. Cataloguing can be carried out through the Libraries Australia Cataloging Client, the Libraries Australia Web Cataloguing Form or by Libraries Australia Record Import Service.

 

Who can join?

Anyone is welcome to join. Libraries Australia is used by a variety of different libraries and information centres including national, state, university, research, public and special libraries. Cataloguing contractors and library suppliers also use Libraries Australia. A number of Australian library schools are also members of Libraries Australia.

Individuals can also join Libraries Australia. Follow the links to find out more information about individual membership at http://www.nla.gov.au/librariesaustralia/enhanced.html .

 

How much does it cost to join?

All Libraries Australia charges are outlined at Libraries Australia Charges.

How soon will I be able to use Libraries Australia?

Once the User Registration Form and the User Agreement are signed and submitted your details will be sent out within five working days.

Do I need training?

It is highly recommended that new members complete the relevant Libraries Australia training courses. To register as a member of the Libraries Australia Document Delivery System it is essential that someone in your organisation complete Libraries Australia Document Delivery training and the same applies for the Libraries Australia Cataloguing Client. Information regarding Libraries Australia training is available at Libraries Australia Training and Libraries Australia manuals and documentation are available at Libraries Australia Documentation.

How do I Improve my Service?

If you wish to add Enhanced Requesting, Alerts, Personalisation, Products, the Record Export Service or the Record Import Service to your existing account, please email the Libraries Australia Helpdesk stating the name of the account (the username) you want to have these additions.

Email the helpdesk if you would like Customer Administration, Additional Databases or to have your password reset.

If you have been certified for the Libraries Australia Document Delivery service through a Training Service Provider and wish to have it added to your account, please email the Help Desk.