National Library of Australia


State Library of Queenland collection assessment
Education

[1998]

Division Report Comments

A total of 4143 monographs are held in this division. Given the publishing output in this area, these holdings are not particularly substantial. However, State Library's holdings relative to the standard bibliographies checked suggest a better coverage of the Division than the category assessment and the relationship to publishing output indicates.

Overall, the collection is uneven and, in some areas, dated. Most acquisitions for the Division were made in the period from 1970-74 although approximately 30% of the collection was published in the last 10 years. It offers little above basic information level.

Collection strength is in the provision of current Australian university handbooks and directories.

While serials acquisitions appear substantial, a large proportion of these are university and college handbooks and calendars.

State Library holds the Australian Education Index, in both paper copy and on CD-ROM, the Education Index and the British Education Index. It is anticipated that the subscription to the British Education Index will be cancelled in 1998.

It is Collection Development policy not to acquire any juvenile literature, school or tertiary curriculum texts or advanced academic research material.

Holdings in the John Oxley Library have not been included in this assessment. This collection has substantial holdings relating to education, including historical and contemporary material and issues, in Queensland and australia. As the legal deposit library, this collection also has holdings of educational material and textbooks published in Queensland.

Relevant sections of the following major standard bibliographies have been checked against State library's monographic holdings:

Title Total checked SRL Holdings % Held
Australian National Bibliography 1992-1996 115 208 18
Colliers Encyclopedia 317 34 11
Walford's Guide to Reference Books 225 58 26
Philosophy of Education (1982) 247 66 27
The Literature of Education: a critical bibliography 1945-70 1022 450 44
A Critical dictionary of Educational Concepts (1990) 566 149 26
Schooling: More or Less (1980) 362 159 44

Serials:

There are 167 open and 236 closed serials subscriptions. The collection is basic when compared to large publishing output for the subject area. A range of CD-ROM products augments this collection.

Relevant sections of the following bibliographies have been checked against State Library's holdings:

 Title Total checked SRL Holdings % Held
Education index 417
56 13
Information British Education Index 313 7 2
Australian Education Index 125 35 28

Last modified: August 18 2004.