Directions for 2003-2005
Replaces: Directions for
2000-2002
See also: PDF
Version
A National Library is a place where a nation nourishes its memory and exerts its imaginationwhere it connects with its past and invents its future.
Pierre Ryckmans, 1996
The National Library of Australia is a major centre for scholarship and research. Our Australian and international collections are essential to the pursuit of knowledge and innovation.
We build and care for a national collection of material in its many forms. We actively support the development of ideas and creative endeavour, and the enjoyment of these pursuits. We undertake initiatives to improve access to the national network of libraries, and we work to enhance services for all library users.
As a major cultural institution, the National Library is required to meet long-term objectives such as building its collections while also evolving to meet the changing needs of our customers. While our client base is broad and various, and we serve an Australian community of many cultures, consistency and continuity are important to us. Much of our strength has been achieved through actions conducted over considerable periods.
Above all we aim to provide users with fast and convenient access to library collections and services. Wherever possible we will enable users to discover and obtain information from our collections and those of our partners. Digital technologies and the Internet continue to provide us with opportunities to reach new audiences, to streamline and broaden our services, and to work innovatively.
The boundaries between libraries and other cultural institutions are increasingly fluid. The potency of strategic collaboration between key cultural institutions has been demonstrated through services, such as PictureAustralia, which provide a model for further cooperative work. We will energetically explore future opportunities of this kind.
To achieve our objectives we will encourage innovation and creativity in our staff. We seek to improve the efficiency and relevance of our services to the Australian community by maintaining a focus on our users and being responsive to their changing needs. We will continue to demonstrate a strong national focus in all of our services, products and programs, and aim to influence library practices worldwide.
Our Objectives & Key Priorities
Our major undertaking in 20032005 will be to provide rapid and easy access to the wealth of information resources that reside in libraries and other cultural institutions and to break down barriers that work against this. Services supporting access to library information will be simplified and made more user-friendly, and will be widely promoted.
Objective 1
To ensure that a comprehensive record of Australian history and endeavour, and a selected record of the world's knowledge, is collected, cared for and accessible, we will:
- collect Australian print and electronic publications and materials such as archives and manuscripts, pictures, maps, music and oral histories
- collect selected overseas publications in print form and provide electronic access to other sources of information in order to extend the range of overseas resources available for use
- cooperate with other libraries, cultural institutions and creators of information to ensure a wide and culturally diverse range of material is available to the Australian community
- store and house the collections in environmental conditions that will ensure their longevity, and plan for future collection growth
- implement additional preservation strategies for the collections, including Australian information in electronic form, to enable their ongoing use.
Objective 2
To meet the needs of our users for rapid and streamlined access to collections, we will:
- catalogue the Library's collections and make the records available online
- provide a more specific level of access to some collections, including those in electronic form, by indexing or providing guides to them
- improve the Library's services and facilities for readers by redesigning reading rooms
- digitise selected materials from the Library's collections and assist users to access and explore, via the Internet, each type of collection material
- restructure the web site so that its services better meet the needs of particular customer groups
- develop innovative and collaborative reference services using Internet technologies
- develop and improve free web-based discovery services, including services which integrate access to the collections of collaborating Australian institutions
- facilitate the access of individual users to the collections of Australian libraries through Kinetica, regardless of their location or library affiliation
- collaborate with other libraries to extend and transform the nation's interlibrary loan services to support direct requests by users and to provide more timely access to documents.
Objective 3
To foster understanding and enjoyment of the National Library and its vital role in Australia's cultural, intellectual and social life, we will:
- promote the Library's wide range of collections and services, and the relevance of these collections to Australia's culturally diverse communities
- share and make available the Library's collections through publishing and exhibition programs that selectively interpret and highlight these collections
- engage with the public through events and education programs aimed at stimulating discussion and ideas
- pursue relevant and clearly targeted collaborative opportunities and partnerships within the cultural arena and the broader community, including Friends, sponsorship and donor programs
- improve the Library's services and facilities for visitors by redesigning visitor areas.
Objective 4
To advance the development and understanding of libraries, we will:
- promote the importance of libraries to an open, democratic society
- work collaboratively with libraries and other institutions to develop a national agenda for action, including policies and practices to enhance the performance of Australian libraries
- undertake an advocacy role on behalf of Australian libraries to help governments and other stakeholders understand and value the importance of library services
- contribute to the development of international standards and emerging technologies to enhance services offered by Australian libraries
- play an active and influential role in international library developments through collaborating with national and other libraries
- contribute to the development of national libraries in the Southeast Asian and Pacific regions through support in the form of library materials, training and staff development.
Address and Contact Details
National Library of Australia
Canberra ACT 2600
AUSTRALIA
Enquiries: (02) 6262 1111
Facsimile: (02) 6257 1703
Web site: www.nla.gov.au
