RK1 That the National Library of Australia regularly monitor the extent to which alternative format materials accessible to people with disabilities, are included in collection development policies and collecting agreements that are reported to it.
The State Library of South Australia reports that the South Australian Copyright Act was amended in 1989 to cover non-print formats. They are thus collecting material by default in formats accessible to people with disabilities. They also actively attempt to collect a representative sample of items in different formats, including Braille. Since budgets do not allow us to purchase sufficient materials, they work co-operatively with other agencies. For example, they refer people to the special services for people with hearing impairments offered by Townsend School, with whose librarian they have regular contact, to other special libraries and to public libraries.
State Library of Queensland reports that this Resolution is covered by State Library of Queensland legislation
The ACT Library Service reports that the ACT has no legal deposit legislation as yet. It is however planned to develop this legislation in 1995 or 1996 and this will be included at that time
The current draft legislation for the Library and Information Service of Western Australia includes references to formats of materials accessible to people with disabilities.
Alternative format titles with Tasmanian content or titles which are published in Tasmania only in an alternative format are obtained under legal deposit by the State Library of Tasmania. No change to legal deposit legislation is required or anticipated.
Northern Territory Library is developing a case for the introduction of library legislation including legal deposit legislation - consultation about formats of materials to be collected will be part of this process.
State Library of New South Wales reports that in NSW the Premier's Memorandum covering government publications has been changed and now extends to non-print material, some of which is appropriate to people with disabilities.
The Legal Deposit legislation for NSW is being drafted to incorporate non-print materials some of which are appropriate to people with disabilities. Drafting legislation and having it enacted is a lengthy process and it may be some time before this is achieved. In the meantime the Library continues to collection material suitable for people with disabilities. Adaptive technology is used to make all formats accessible. The Disability Access Consultant provides input to the selection process for new collection items.
The State Library of Victoria reports that within Victoria the legal deposit provisions of the Libraries Act 1988 have a broad coverage which includes such material. There is no need for change in the legislation.
RK3 That the Australian Committee on Cataloguing work to influence international bibliographic standards and practice to improve access to materials for people with disabilities.
A watching brief is being maintained by ACOC, and consultation with librarians involved in disabilities' issues is ongoing.
The Australian Committee on Cataloguing has noted that all the identified tasks to improve bibliographic access to information in alternative formats have been addressed. These are: the production of guidelines for cataloguing computer files used for the production of alternative format materials, the provision of access to signed and captioned video recordings, access to easy to read materials, and access to coded data in records for sound recordings. ACOC will report on these projects and invite suggestions for further projects in a future issue of Link Up.
RK5 That the Copyright Committee to be established by ACLIS include in its deliberations the issue of a broadening of the statutory licence provisions, with the aim of promoting access by anyone who cannot read standard print material to productions in alternative formats
RK6 That the National Library ask the Commonwealth Government's Public Lending Right Committee to consider appropriate changes to the Public Lending Right Scheme to include audio books and other alternative format materials
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