Directions for 2000-2002, National Library of Australia
View of National Library with black swans in lake
"A National Library is a place where a nation nourishes its memory and exerts its imagination - where it connects with its past and invents its future" - Pierrre Ryckmans, 1996

The National Library of Australia is a place which nourishes the nation’s memory. We support the development of ideas, scholarship, research and creativity, and the enjoyment of these pursuits. To this end we continue to build, care for and protect a national collection of library materials in many formats. We make our collection available to the public, balancing this need for access with a requirement to preserve material for posterity. We facilitate the sharing of collections in Australian libraries and foster the development of the Australian library and information network.

The environment in which libraries operate has changed since our last strategic statement was issued in 1994. There has been increasingly rapid technological change, including the emergence of the Internet as a major vehicle through which libraries now communicate across the world. Significant changes to the way we operate have been introduced through the Government reform agenda. Contemporary issues in Australian society, including multicultural and indigenous needs, have influenced our policies and activities. Challenges to the traditional value systems on which library service used to be based have emerged. These challenges will continue.

Our key challenge over the next decade is to capitalise on the opportunities offered in this new environment to ensure that the National Library continues to serve the nation and provide access to the information resources of the world. In doing so we will continue to be committed to:

  • Supporting the vitality of Australian culture and heritage
  • Maintaining focus on our users and responsiveness to their changing needs
  • Demonstrating a strong national focus in all our services, products and programs
  • Working in cooperation and partnership with those who share our goals
  • Maintaining objectivity and professionalism

OUR GOAL

The Outcome Statement defined in the Portfolio Budget Statements 1999–2000 for the National Library is that:

Australians have access, through the National Library of Australia, to a comprehensive collection of Australian library material and to international documentary resources.

Our particular goal for 2000–2002 and beyond that is:

All Australians, at their place of choice, have direct, seamless access to print and electronic sources of information.

OUR OBJECTIVES AND KEY PRIORITIES

1. To ensure that a comprehensive record of Australian history and creative endeavour, and a selected record of universal human knowledge is collected and cared for, we will

  • Collect Australian publications and significant materials and cooperate with others to ensure comprehensive national coverage
  • Respond to the challenge of collecting and preserving significant Australian electronic information resources
  • Preserve and maintain all Australian and significant non-Australian library materials to ensure they are available for current and future use.

2. To ensure that the Library provides effective and open access to its own collections, and to information sources elsewhere, we will

  • Digitise selected Australian original material and make them widely accessible through the Internet
  • Ensure that all the Library’s collections are catalogued and readily identifiable through online catalogues
  • Take advantage of the opportunities of the Internet and lead the development of expert reference and information services to users throughout the nation.

3. To ensure that Australians, wherever they live or work, have access to information resources in Australia and overseas, we will

  • Continue to support resource sharing among Australian libraries
  • Rethink and redevelop the national infrastructure to take advantage of emerging technological opportunities
  • In doing so, give prominence to achieving direct individual access to online catalogues and collections
  • Lead in collaboration initiatives, policy formulation and the development of national standards that will support unmediated access to information resources.

4. To foster a broad understanding of the importance of libraries, and of the National Library in particular, and to communicate the value of the Library in underpinning Australia’s cultural and intellectual life, we will

  • Demonstrate that access to information through libraries underpins the values of an open, democratic society
  • Affirm the National Library’s role in supporting scholarship and other creative and intellectual activity within Australia
  • Selectively interpret the Library’s collections in order to contribute to an understanding of Australian history and culture
  • Promote knowledge and use of the Library’s resources
  • Promote the richness and diversity of the National Library’s collection and its continuing role in collecting materials that represent contemporary Australia.

5. To contribute to the advancement of libraries and librarianship worldwide, we will

  • Participate in international library developments to ensure that issues of concern to Australia are addressed
  • Play a major role in digital developments to ensure effective access to information by Australians
  • Represent Australian libraries effectively in international forums
  • Provide the international community with the opportunity to recognise and benefit from Australian developments
  • Maintain the Library’s assistance to libraries in the Southeast Asian and Pacific region.

ACHIEVING THIS

These objectives and priorities will be achieved through

  • Being creative and innovative in the way we address our challenges and objectives
  • Improving internal processes to achieve efficiencies and economies
  • Ensuring staff have the right mix of skills and expertise to effectively meet our strategic goals
  • Applying new technology to enable us to meet our future directions
  • Identifying key stakeholders and our strategic relationships and expanding the level of cooperation
  • Delivering excellence in customer services and public outreach, based on research and in discussion with users
  • Monitoring and accessing our progress in achieving our strategic goals.


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NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA
, Canberra, ACT 2600, AUSTRALIA. ABN: 28 346 858 075
Telephone + 61 2 6262 1111; Facsimile +61 2 6257 1703; TTN: 1800 026 372
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Last updated Thursday 20-Jan-2005
http://www.nla.gov.au/library/directions_141002.html