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

Progress Reports 1994-1996

Section A - Services to Special Communities
H: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities


RH1 That the National, State and Territory libraries and archives, and other collecting organisations, establish advisory mechanisms which will result in improved access to documentary heritage by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

1994 - 1996

The Libraries Board of South Australia Aboriginal Services Advisory Sub-Committee was established to develop policy regarding sensitive/sacred/secret materials in the State Library of South Australia and access to them, as well as to advise on future library services to Aboriginal people in South Australia. It held its first meeting in May 1995 and meets quarterly with formal agenda and ongoing program.

The State Library of South Australia Internet Homepage has been developed to highlight Aboriginal resource collections and services and to link them with those of other organisations. (http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/library/collres/aboriginal/aborig.htm).

State Library of Queensland has completed action on this Resolution.

The ACT Library Service plans to do this as part of the process of developing and establishing collections for the ACT Reference Library. They hope to begin a consultation process with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of the ACT by December 1994.

The Northern Territory Library Service is developing links with relevant aboriginal organisations with this resolution in view. Considering the number and diversity of Aboriginal communities/groups in the Northern Territory, the idea of one consultative committee is not feasible. However Northern Territory Library is working on establishing contacts with leaders in the various centres so that consultation can be made with appropriate persons when necessary. Through its close links with staff of community libraries in 15 aboriginal communities the Library has already established links with many groups of Aboriginal people. In the case of other communities Northern Territory Library utilises contacts formed by the Northern Territory Museum. Alternative types of advisory mechanisms are always canvassed with aboriginal communities/groups in the course of liaising with them e.g. utilising the expertise of field officers with the Department of Housing and Local Government who regularly visit all communities.

At Library and Information Service of Western Australia liaison is maintained with the Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority, and the head of Anthropology at the WA Museum. The Council which is to be established to compile a customer service charter is expected to include ethnic and indigenous representatives. The Battye Library of West Australian History and the State Reference Library have developed Aboriginal Service Delivery Plans in consultation with a range of Aboriginal groups. The Public Library Services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Plan was published in 1995 and an advisory group has met regularly to provide input to the development of Aboriginal Services.

The State Library of Tasmania has drafted a policy statement on services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Inter-departmental discussions have been held to determine appropriate advisory mechanisms on a departmental basis.

Libraries will be contacting local groups for advice and input to National Aboriginal and Islander Day. The inclusion of the Office of Aboriginal Affairs in the same division (Community and Cultural Development) of the Department as the State Library is expected to increase links between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The State Library of New South Wales appointed two Koori staff as trainee librarians in 1991. The main focus of their work is to assist indigenous people to gain access to the State Library's large collections of material relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. However, a considerable part of their work is to liaise with NSW community organisations and NSW cultural institutions. They are actively involved in a variety of forums.

The establishment of an Advisory Committee planned for early 1995 was delayed by the appointment of the new State Librarian. This will soon proceed with members expected to be drawn from ATSIC, NSW Land Councils, Aboriginal Education Consultative Groups and including country representation.

Activities during 1996 included:

State Library of Victoria. reports that in September 1994 an advisory committee was established in the La Trobe Library to guide the Koori Oral History Program. To date, suggestions have been made regarding possible publications on Koori sport people and on searching for Koori ancestors. The Advisory Committee is able to direct the Koori historians to relevant sources in the collections of the State Library. Further bibliographies of relevant material in the State Library are planned.

In 1996, the Library reported that the Koori Oral History Program was no longer located at the State Library of Victoria. The Library is currently negotiating with the Koori Program, Aboriginal Affairs Victoria, for ongoing access to oral history material

The National Library of Australia has commenced a project to produce a research guide to its holdings of original research materials relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Work is proceeding on this project which is intended to lead to publication in both electronic form and traditional hard copy. Although no formal advisory mechanism has been established, the Library is consulting informally with Aboriginal historians, researchers and other experts on issues of cultural sensitivity in relation to this project. A background paper on the project was presented to a conference on Indigenous Research Ethics held at James Cook University in Townsville in 1995. The National Library has recently joined ATSILIRN (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Library and Information Resource Network) and intends to use this mechanism as one means to improve its consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Library intends also to participate in regular meetings of ATSILIRN, including its forthcoming conference More than the Printed Page.

Considerable effort has been made by the National Library to review and improve its record in acquiring printed and published materials relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Library acquisitions staff have carried out a number of field visits to Indigenous organisations in Queensland and the Northern Territory and further activity is planned.

The National Library is currently carrying out a review of its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collections to assist in the planning of preservation and maintenance strategies. This project is being carried out with the assistance of funding provided through the Getty Foundation.

The National Library has employed an Aboriginal staff member under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cadetship Program administered by DEETYA.

RH2 That the National Library of Australia, in cooperation with Council of Australian State Libraries, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, the Council of Federal, State and Territory Archives, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Library Resource Network, undertake to convene a biennial Round Table on Library and Archives collections and services of relevance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

1994-1996

The first Roundtable was held in Adelaide on 4 May 1995, with every state and territory represented. Archivists and librarians were present and included 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff. Resolutions carried at the Roundtable related to adoption of the Protocols for Library and Archives Services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for discussion within each organisation represented at the Roundtable, annual reporting on progress in implementing the Protocols, and a request for funding to complete the Aboriginal Thesaurus for publication in 1996. Papers for the Roundtable are available through the DNC Home Page on the National Library Webserver at URL http://www.nla.gov.au/naic/meetings/aborigrt.html.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander protocols for libraries, archives and information services were published in 1995 and are intended to guide libraries, archives and information services in appropriate ways to interact with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the communities which the organisations serve, and to handle materials with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content.

The Aboriginal Thesaurus is scheduled for publication in November 1996.

RH3 That, in association with Resolution RH1, the National, State and Territory Libraries undertake to disseminate information about their holdings related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; and that conditions of access and use be negotiated with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

1994 - 1996

Northern Territory Library Service. The LINNET network gives access throughout the Northern Territory to all material and holdings in the Northern Territory Library system, together with all high schools, colleges (with the partial exception of the Northern Territory University, and some departmental libraries. CD-ROM based catalogues are now available to any person or organisation who has the necessary basic hardware, thereby providing direct access to the catalogue. Northern Territory Library has established a homepage on the Internet, and a separate homepage for the Northern Australia collection will be completed shortly. These will provide information about the library's holdings and services to a wide range of remote communities which already, or shortly plan to, access the Net. Liaison with pupils and staff of the Northern Territory's Aboriginal post-secondary and secondary educational institutions is continuously maintained with the intention of making known the Library's holdings of Aboriginal material and of attracting the lodgment of appropriate items.

As regards conditions of use and access, where necessary these can be negotiated as per RH1. However, as Northern Territory Library does not hold archival records, the material required such treatment is very small and such items are held in closed stack, or, in the case of photographs are not made visible on the public access laser-disk system.

Northern Territory Library conducts regular training of Aboriginal staff in community libraries, and this includes visits to the Northern Australian Collection, familiarisation with the services offered and the material available.

A staff member is currently finalising a project whereby information on Australian and Torres Strait Islander material and holding institutions will be made available through the Internet.

This will be implemented by the State Library of Tasmania as appropriate advisory mechanisms are determined. All published materials are listed on TALIS (Tasmanian Automated Library and Information System) which is accessible on line at 18 public libraries and via Dialpac. Access will be extended to a further 8 libraries by June.

The State Library of Queensland is awaiting discussion by advisory committee before implementing this Resolution

Collection Development policies have been published by the Library and Information Service of Western Australia. (see also response to RH1)

The State Library of Victoria published The Aboriginal people of Victoria: select bibliography of pre-1960 printed sources in 1993. This was widely disseminated in the Victorian Aboriginal community. Volume 2 (sources published since 1960) is in preparation. The Koori Oral History Program, which was situated at the State Library, has produced a listing of audio and video tape oral history material available for consultation in the Library. (See also report for RH1)

Work is well advanced on the preparation of a guide to the National Library's holdings of manuscripts, pictorial, oral history and film material related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The work is intended to result in the publication of a printed guide and an electronic "publication" with digitised material linked to entries in the guide.

During 1995 an National Library staff member undertook extensive field visits to a wide range of publishers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander material.

Guidelines and policies for enhanced acquisition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander materials and a program of contact with ATSLIRN and relevant collecting agencies have been completed.

The State Library of New South Wales report that the work of the two Aboriginal liaison librarians continues to improve access by indigenous people with 753 Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people receiving special assistance in 1995/96. Information about their work has been widely disseminated within the NSW indigenous educational, genealogical and historical communities. The Koori librarians work with communities throughout New South Wales and are active in a number of formal and informal networks.

The establishment of the Advisory Committee is expected to further the dissemination of information about their work as will the process of formal community consultation which is required before access can be provided to the Tindale genealogies.

A fuller report on progress at State Library of New South Wales was prepared for the 1995 Roundtable on Library and Archives collections and Services of Relevance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and is available upon request from State Library of New South Wales.

This task is on-going for the State Library of Queensland. Conditions of access in regard to a large, single collection of Torres Strait Islander material has been completed. Additionally, access conditions for most Aboriginal material is now in place.

The State Library of South Australia is undertaking a number of activities in relation to this resolution:

RH4 That the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), in conjunction with the National Library of Australia, Australian Archives, Council of Australian State Libraries and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Library Resource Network develop proposals for funding by the Australian Aboriginal Affairs Council and/or other appropriate bodies to enable the development of a national strategy for linking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to all Australian documentary heritage materials.

JUNE 1996

There is no recent action by AIATSIS in regard to the resolution. However, AIATSIS is aware of some of the initiatives of other organisations of other organisations which are currently underway and which will contribute to the realisation of the aims of the RH4 resolutions.

Both the initiatives are concerned with identification of and access to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander materials and records.

Also the previous Queensland government in its cultural statement of 1995 Queensland Culture: Building Local Going Global identified a number of policy goals which would enhance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander access to heritage material.

RH5 That ALIA, following consultation with all schools of library and information studies, examine ways in which:

and prepare an appropriate submission to the National Review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education.

AUGUST 1994

Australian Library and Information Association contacted all schools of library and information studies in February 1994 requesting comments on action relating to this Resolution. Information was requested on differences in educating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to provide library and information services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at all levels on education. A submission was made to the National Review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education. The Association will follow up the outcomes of this Review and in particular the recommendations made in the submission. A copy of the submission has been forwarded to all schools. The Schools have advised that cultural awareness issues are integrated into the curriculum, This approach meets the requirement to cover the needs of all information users in the already heavy curriculum demand at first award level. These issues are also included in the Association's criteria for course recognition. There is scope for these issues to be covered as an elective, or in continuing professional development programs.

JUNE 1995

The Australian Library and Information Association has recommended to the National Library of Australia and Information Studies Curriculum Project Steering Group that they consider the incorporation of the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their culture and materials relating to them, in the development of the National Library of Australia and Information Studies Curriculum.

The Association has prepared, in cooperation with the Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education and Training, a proposal for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Recruitment and Career Development Strategy. Funding is anticipated for up to three years to implement the Strategy. The Strategy will cover employment, education and training, consultative mechanisms and cross cultural awareness training.

All Aboriginal Education Consultative Committees have been contacted re the Strategy.

JUNE 1996

The Association is implementing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Recruitment and Career Development Strategy. The aims include:

The National Coordinator is currently working with Aboriginal organisations, employers and educational institutions in the ACT, NSW, Vic and SA. To date 12 cadet/scholarship positions and 4 trainee positions have been identified.

A video on cultural awareness is being produced, together with supporting documentation.

The National Coordinator has a program for speaking to groups of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students on career opportunities in library and information studies; and to library and information studies students on cultural issues.


Return to Section A: Final Progress Report on Resolutions
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