TOWARDS FEDERATION 2001
Linking Australians and their Heritage
Report of Review Meeting, 9-10 December 1993
Advice To
Institutions
The main resolutions contained in this report are intended to lead to specific actions by named organisations or institutions. The Resolutions headed Advice to institutions are designed to achieve one or both of two purposes. In some cases, they are directed to types of institutions not represented at the Meeting but which are none-the-less deemed to have a particular interest in Australian documentary heritage materials. In other cases, they incorporate a wider range of libraries, archives and other institutions than those present could directly influence. In both cases, the intention is that the Advices act as a spur to institutions to take actions which would both complement and enrich the outcomes of the main resolutions and thus extend the impact of the Towards Federation 2001 program.
- Collecting Activities
- Bibliographical Activities
- Physical Access
- Preservation Activities
- Services To Special Communities
Collecting Activities
RAA1
That all institutions holding collections of Australian
documentary heritage materials complete and publish acquisition/collection
development policies for their Australian documentary heritage materials.
RAA2
That libraries of Commonwealth, State and Territory
government departments, statutory authorities and other publicly-funded
agencies and institutions each collect and retain a copy of all the significant
published output of their agency.
Bibliographical Activities
RCA1
That institutions other than the National, State and
Territory libraries, which have significant collections of Australian
newspapers, catalogue all their holdings of Australian newspapers on the NBD by
the year 2001, in support of the National Plan for Australian Newspapers.
RCA2
That institutions other than the National, State and
Territory libraries, which have significant collections of Australian serials,
catalogue all their holdings of Australian serials on the NBD by the year 2001,
in support of the proposed National Plan for Australian Journals.
RCA3
That organisations with an interest in bibliographic
access to Australia's documentary heritage, develop strategies to provide more
effective bibliographic access to their Australian documentary collections, by
cataloguing and indexing both current and retrospective materials, and by
converting significant retrospective files for contribution to the National
Bibliographic Database. [Note: Strategies may take the form of assistance with
training, provision of support staff, financial incentives, or the funding of
special projects].
RCA4
That the National, State and Territory libraries, and
any other institution with significant holdings of 19th century Australiana,
endeavour to achieve comprehensive coverage of their nineteenth century printed
Australiana on the NBD by the year 2001.
[The Review Meeting noted that the following libraries have expressed their commitment to achieving this outcome: the National Library of Australia, the Northern Territory Library Service and the State Library of Queensland]
Physical Access
REA1
That national, regional and local document supply
networks take note of any Australian standards for document requesting and
document transmission developed by Standards Australia, and incorporate these
standards into their own systems wherever this is feasible.
REA2
That institutions holding significant collections of
Australia's documentary heritage develop a broad range of measures to improve
physical access, for Australian and international clients, which may include:
- exhibitions and publications
- other touring and outreach programs
- improved visitor information and orientation centres e.g., user friendly inquiry terminals
- staff training in outreach and service programs
- direct staff liaison with community groups to determine needs and to develop group specific access programs based on these needs
- access to storage, stacks
- decentralised access points
- programs which permit and encourage greater knowledge and use of Australia's documentary heritage in the broadest possible range of community activities.
Preservation Activities
RGA1
That institutions with collections of Australian
documentary heritage of national significance prepare preservation policies and
strategies, including disaster preparedness programs.
RGA2
That major collecting institutions consider the
principles expressed in the position paper of the ACLIS Taskforce on the
Preservation of Australian Electronic information. [Note: This position paper
was updated in December 1993].
RGA3
That in considering retrospective catalogue conversion
projects institutions give priority to recording items and collections they
regard as of national significance.
RGA4
That in the absence of comprehensive national standards,
institutions contemplating preservation projects to create digitised copies of
items consult the National Preservation Office, Australian Archives, or the
National Film and Sound Archive for advice.
Services To Special Communities
[Note: While these resolutions relating to special communities were separated in Review Meeting sessions in order to provide a clear focus for discussion, many resolutions recommend actions which would be incorporated in institutions' general policy developments relating to collecting, access, etc.]
RHA1
That the principles in the Council of Australian Museum
Associations document 'Previous possessions: new obligations: policies for
museums in Australia and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' be
considered as a basis for Institution policies on access to materials by and
for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
RJA1
That the principles in A plan for cultural heritage
institutions to reflect Australia's cultural diversity that refer to other
than indigenous peoples be used as a basis for institutions' policies, with
resources re-allocation as appropriate to institute the principles.
RJA2
That institutions include reference to multicultural
materials in their collection development and access policies, and complete
Conspectus sheets where appropriate.
RJA3
That institutions ensure that retrospective materials
which reflect Australia's cultural diversity (either as originals or copies)
are collected in line with overall collection development policies, and include
records for such materials on the NBD.
RJA4
That institutions continue to develop their
understanding of cross-cultural issues affecting service, through appropriate
staff training and other strategies.
RJA5
That institutions develop an in-house policy and
practice framework for the further development of cultural pluralism in
collecting and access, and that copies of these frameworks be circulated
amongst institutions and to the proposed National Round Table (Resolution RJ1)
to assist with developing best policies and practices.
RJA6
That institutions publish more reports and articles
relating to their progress of multicultural library services in the mainstream
library literature, as well as in specialist channels such as Multicultural
libraries.
RKA1
That institutions' collection development policies for
Australia's documentary heritage include alternative format materials and other
materials for people with disabilities.
RKA2
That institutions develop specific preservation policies
and plans for alternative format materials (including master versions, such as
audio masters, where appropriate) and report these to the National Preservation
Office.
RKA3
That institutions develop and implement access
technology plans for people with disabilities which will assist their access to
collections, bibliographical tools, premises and services.
RKA4
That institutions report to the NBD their holdings of
materials that are specifically accessible to people with disabilities and
provide cataloguing to ensure effective bibliographic access.
RKA5
That institutions:
- develop an in-house policy and practice framework for the further development of services to people with disabilities;
- develop consultative mechanisms with people with disabilities;.
- budget for sufficient resources, staff, equipment and upgrading of buildings to ensure implementation of policies and plans; and
- train staff and raise their awareness about all library issues relating to people with disabilities.
Return to Report of Review Meeting, 9-10 December 1993
Last updated 10 June 1998
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