TOWARDS FEDERATION 2001: Linking Australians with Their Heritage Review Meeting 1993

Progress Reports 1994-1996

Section B - A: Collecting Issues


RAA1 That all institutions holding collections of Australian documentary heritage materials complete and publish acquisition/collection development policies for their Australian documentary heritage materials.

1994 REPORT

The Australian War Memorial, the National Library, the Northern Territory Library Service, the State Library of Victoria, and the State Library of Queensland have already completed acquisition/collection development policies.

The recently established DNC Office at the National Library has commenced actively collecting copies of collection development policies. They have been catalogued onto the NBD, and are available through interlibrary loan.

Draft collection development policies have been completed, or are in process by 26% of institutions who submitted information, with publication of the final document expected before the end of 1995. These include the State Library of South Australia, the State Library of Tasmania, the University of Sydney Library, and the University of Queensland Libraries. Another three institutions have not yet prepared collection development policies.

1996 REPORT

The National Library of Australia Collection Development Policy for Australian materials was published in 1994 for comment, and a final version made available via the NLA Web-Server in 1995 (http://www.nla.gov.au/policy/cdp/cdpint.html). Subsequent updates include Guidelines for the Acquisition of Portraits (May 1996) (http://www.nla.gov.au/policy/port.html), and revisions to the section on Australian educational curriculum materials. Guidelines for Australian electronic publications are being developed during 1995/1996.

The University of Sydney Library collection development policy is still in draft form, pending completion of conspectus assessment. Significant heritage material held in the Rare Book Library is described in the "Rare Book Code", which is also accessible on the web at http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/Services/Libraries/Rare/index.html.

The Australian Defence Force Academy Library publishes its acquisition/collection development policy annually (A collection profile of the Australian Defence Force Academy Library -- ISSN 0817-7910). This includes our policy relating to Australian documentary heritage materials.

State Library of Victoria published its revised Collection Development Policy for Australiana in May 1995. The draft CDP for all collecting, including updates to the Australian Policy, was distributed for comment in April 1996. It is currently available on the Internet (http://home.vicnet.net.au/~slv/cdp/) on the State Library homepage and was published in July 1996.

The State Library of South Australia's Collection development policy was published in printed form in June 1995 and distributed to key libraries, library schools and other organisations. Those sections of the policy relating to heritage collections were placed on the State Library of South Australia Homepage on the World Wide Web in April 1996. (http://www.slsa.sa.gov.aunew/coldev.htm). People wishing to obtain the complete policy are given the option of requesting the printed version or an electronic version via Email.

The Library and Information Service of Western Australia published its collection development policy for the permanent collections in the Alexander Library Building titled "Past Imperfect Future Imperative" in 1990.

The published National Film and Sound Archive Collection Development Policy is being revised in consultation with other collecting organisations, to ensure that all areas of collecting responsibilities for Australian documentary heritage materials are being covered.

The University of Adelaide is in process of writing its collection development policies, which will include Australian materials. Completion date is December 1996.

The State Library of New South Wales has a Collection Development Policy in place, and Australian documentary heritage materials receive coverage throughout the policy. A statement on local studies collecting has been drafted for comment. A high proportion of local studies material may be categorised as Australian documentary heritage material. A collection development policy specifically relating to Australian document heritage materials is under consideration and may be completed in 1997.

The DNC Office continues to acquire collection development policies. Print copies are catalogued on to the NBD and available through interlibrary loan; electronic copies can be accessed through the DNC Office Home page at http://www.nla.gov.au/niac/cdp.html.

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.

1994 REPORT

All of the institutions who submitted information actively collect and retain a copy of the significant published output of their agencies. A majority provide ABN records for this material.

1996 REPORT

The National Library of Australia collects its own publications, including ephemera, as comprehensively as possible. University of Sydney Library retains copies of all University publications, including higher degree theses in the Rare Book Library. Australian Defence Force Academy Library tries to collect and retain a copy of all the significant output of the Defence Academy. They also make sure it is catalogued on the NBD. State Library of Victoria maintains an archive of its own published output. Significant material is also added to the collection and recorded on the NBD. State Library of South Australia considers that this has been achieved as at the 1994 report.

The Library and Information Service of Western Australia reports that this was identified as a recommendation in the report Just in Case or Just in Time?: Strategies for the development and management of Western Australian government library and information services. The Battye Library has established a contact with each State government agency to ensure that a copy of each of their publications is sent to the Battye Library. Government libraries have tried to undertake this role although they are not always successful.

The National Film and Sound Archive retains a copy of its publications, both printed and audio-visual, as part of the collection and in its Library and/or Access area. The University of Adelaide collects material produced at the University of Adelaide, and also monographic material and journals by staff at the University, but published commercially, etc. Off-campus. The State Library of New South Wales maintains a "mint" collection of all State Library publications. This collection has recently been reviewed, gaps have been filled and contributors have been reminded of their responsibilities.


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