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National Consultative Meeting on the Management of Australian Physical-Format Digital Publications

First National Consultative Meeting on the Management of Australian Physical-Format Digital Publications

Survey of National and State Libraries
Management of Australian Physical-Format Digital Publications held by Australian National and State Libraries

  • Background to Survey
  • Acquiring Australian Physical-format Digital Publications
  • Australian Physical-Format Digital Publications: Surveying Your Collection
  • 3. Providing Bibliographic Control of Australian Physical-Format Digital Publications
  • Providing Access to Australian Physical-format Digital Publications
  • Australian Physical-Format Digital Publications: Preservation Issues
  • Australian Physical-Format Digital Publications: National Coordination/Collaboration

Background to Survey

The purpose of this survey is to collect information on the management of Australian digital publications which are distributed in multiple copies in physical-formats. There is as yet no universally accepted terminology to describe this category of publication. In this survey, we have used the term ‘physical-format’- other terms sometimes used to describe this category of publication include ‘hand-held’, ‘physically tangible’ and ‘portable’. All are potentially misleading but, for the purpose of this survey, essentially cover CD-ROMs and floppy disks.

CD audio, video and DAT are not included in this survey, but will be considered at a later stage.

The National Library would like to collect information on this category of material from State Libraries as background to the two day consultative meeting to be held on 27 and 28 October 1997. The aim of this meeting, at which the National and State libraries and the publishing sector will be represented, is to continue the process of developing a national strategy for digital library resources.

While many of the questions in this survey might be answered simply with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, you are encouraged to provide responses which are sufficiently detailed to clearly represent your library’s activities and intentions. The survey form has been designed to allow distribution of its various parts to the section of your library which has responsibility for the issues identified. You are also invited to supply copies of any additional information you think is relevant to the survey

A summary of the results of this survey are available.

1. Acquiring Australian Physical-format Digital Publications

1.1.1. How do you acquire this material?

actively
passively
a combination of the two

1.1.2. On what basis do you acquire this material?

legal deposit legislation
voluntary deposit agreement
voluntary deposit without an agreement
purchase
other (please specify below)

1.2. If you acquire this material actively, what sources do you use to locate it?

The Directory of Australian & New Zealand CD-ROMs
Australian Multimedia Catalogue (AFC)
National Bibliographic Database
publishers’ and vendors’ catalogues
journal, magazine and newspaper reviews
other (please specify)

1.3. Does your library’s collection development policy specifically cover this material?

1.4. If your answer to Q1.3 is yes, are there criteria other than those in your collection development policy used to select or reject this material?

1.5.1 If your answer to Q1.3 is no, are you currently developing a collection development policy that will cover this material?

1.5.2 If your answer to Q1.3 is no, what criteria do you currently use to select or reject this material?

1.6 If you acquire second copies of this material, either through legal/ voluntary deposit or purchase, are they for:

access within the library?
interlibrary loan?
preservation?
other? (please specify)

2. Australian Physical-format Digital Publications: Surveying your collection

2.1. Over what period has this material been collected by your library?

CD-ROMS: <2 yrs, <5 yrs, over 5 years
Floppy disks: < 2 yrs, < 5 yrs, over 5 years

2.2.1 If possible, please estimate the total number of items of this type held by your library:

CD-ROMs and floppy disks (combined total)

OR

2.2.2 If possible, please estimate the number of items your library holds in each of these categories:

CD-ROMs
Floppy disks

2.3. If possible, please estimate what proportion of your library’s digital publications are in the following formats:

CD-ROMs
Floppy disks

2.4. If possible, please estimate what proportion of these items in your library’s collection are unusable (eg due to technological obsolescence or media deterioration).

Please comment.

2.5. If possible, please list some of the major publishers of physical-format digital publications in your collection.

3. Providing Bibliographic Control of Australian Physical-format Digital Publications

3.1. How do you provide bibliographic control for these materials?

catalogue onto ABN
catalogue only onto local system
not catalogued
other (please explain)

3.2. Which fields do you regularly use to describe the disk (eg CD-ROM, floppy disk) component of a publication when cataloguing this material?

Please answer for disk as a monograph, disk accompanying a monograph, disk as a serial, and disk accompanying a serial.

Field (or equivalent for non-ABN users)
General material designation
File characteristics area
Collation
System requirements note
TED Technical details note
TYF Type of file or data
TDF Technical Details access
TY MAT Type of material code
System requirements for accompanying material note
Subject headings
Other

3.3. What specific information would you like to see on the packaging/ labelling on the publication to adequately fill in this record?

hardware platform
processor speed
RAM
hard disk space
CD-ROM drive speed
type of monitor
resolution
sound card (+ version number)
operating system (+ version number)
other software (+ version number)
software drivers (+ version number)
minimum requirements for operation
recommended requirements for operation
whether software is supplied
year of manufacture
copyright warning
licensing conditions

3.4.1. Is the cataloguing for this material based on viewing the title screen?

CD-ROMs: yes, no, sometimes
Floppy disks: yes, no, sometimes

3.4.2. If not, is this due to lack of:

equipment
human resources
financial resources
other (please specify)

3.5.1. If possible, please estimate the proportion of this material you copy catalogue.

3.5.2. Do you edit these copy catalogue records (i.e. to include additional information)?

4. Providing Access to Australian Physical-format Digital Publications

Access to Australian physical-format digital publications may be provided in a range of ways and may be subject to a variety of conditions or restrictions. Please provide as much information as possible to fully describe access arrangements in your library.

4.1. What arrangements does your library currently have for the provision of access to these materials?

licensing arrangements
networking arrangements
hardware and software available for staff
hardware and software available for users
interlibrary loan arrangements
other access arrangements

4.2. Are usage statistics kept for these materials?

5. Australian Physical-format Digital Publications: Preservation Issues

5.1. Do you intend to provide long-term access to this material?

5.2. Do you have preservation policies which cover this material?

If yes, please supply.

5.3. Have any consultative mechanisms been used to establish suppliers’/producers’ needs and preferences with respect to the preservation of physical-format materials?

5.4. Are you developing any strategies to overcome problems with technological obsolescence and/or operating software problems (eg migration procedures)?

If yes, please describe.

5.5. Do you have additional copies of physical-format materials (eg in printed, digital or other formats) for back-up purposes?

printed formats
digital formats
other formats (please specify)
comments

5.6. Name the areas of your library which is responsible for the following functions in relation to physical-format materials:

Function
selection and acquisition
cataloguing
storage
provision of access
preservation

5.7.2. Have additional resources been allocated to manage this material?

5.7.2 If yes, has this been through:
funding reallocation
new sources

Please describe, making reference to resource issues, both at the present time and in the future.

5.8.1. How are physical-format materials stored in your library?

separate run
main collection
combination of the above

5.8.2 If the material accompanies a publication in printed format, are they stored together or separately?

Please comment.

5.9. What are your library’s security arrangements for these materials (e.g. bar coding, security tags, tattle tapes, Pro-Loc or similar boxes)?

5.10.1 Does your library apply labels to identify these materials?

5.10.2 Where are they placed on the item?

5.11.1. Does the bibliographic record provide adequate information for the preservation management of this material?

5.11.2 If the answer to 5.11.1 is no, do you require further information stored on a separate system?

Please describe:

6. Australian Physical-format Digital Publications: National Coordination/Collaboration

6.1.1 Do you favour a cooperative approach to providing long-term access to physical-format materials?

6.1.2. If yes, which approach do you favour?

Responsibility distributed between:
all State libraries and the National Library
some State libraries and the National Library
some other partners involved
some other cooperative arrangement (please explain)

6.1.3 On what basis should responsibilities be allocated?

geographically (e.g. by State)
subject-based
by genre (e.g children’s material, training software)
other (please explain)

For further information contact:

Charu Sood
National Initiatives and Collaboration (NIAC)
National Library of Australia
Telephone: +61 (0)2 62621571
Facsimile: +61 (0)2 62734535
E-mail: csood@nla.gov.au


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Last updated 16 January 1997
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