National Library of Australia
Annual Report 2001-2002
 Output 1.2 Information Services
Output 1.4 Australian Library Network Services
Contents
Director General's Review
Corporate Overview
Report on Operations
Financial Statements
Appendices
Resources
  
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Report on Operations

Output 1.3—Public Programs

Output Description

Public programs, promoting the Library and interpreting and making its collections and other documentary resources more widely accessible, are delivered nationally and internationally to targeted audiences and the general public.

 

 

Performance—Outputs

. MEASURE
TARGET
ACHIEVED
Effectiveness Community interest in and awareness of the Library
Percentage of Library users that rate public programs successful in achieving improved access to the Library and its collections
90%
87%
Quality Percentage of visitors to/participants in public programs that are satisfied
90%
96%
Quantity Number of visitors to/participants in public programs
840 000
1 409 988
Price Cost per visitor or participant in public programs
$9.97
$6.52

Effectiveness

Community interest and awareness of the Library graph

click chart to enlarge

Comments on Performance—Effectiveness

87 per cent of Library users surveyed believed that the Library’s exhibitions and events were effective in improving understanding of the Library and its collections. This was three per cent below the target. Further analysis of survey responses is being undertaken to better understand the impact of the Library’s public programs.

Quality

Satisfaction with public programs graph

click chart to enlarge

Comments on Performance—Quality

All quality targets for public programs were exceeded. Generally, participants in public programs rated their experience very highly.

Quantity

Number of visitors and/or participants graph

click chart to enlarge

Comments on Performance—Quantity

While increased participation in public programs was predicted this year, the final result of over 1.4 million was 68 per cent above expectation. This is attributed to the large number of people who attended the Library’s exhibitions, and the high level of usage of the web site for purposes such as viewing online exhibitions.

Price

Cost per visitor or participant in public programs graph

click chart to enlarge

Key Issues/Developments

Special celebrations

This year has seen the continuation of major celebrations of the Centenary of Federation and the Library’s own centenary. Key events included the following.

  • Open Day—the Library celebrated its 100th Anniversary with an Open Day on 23 September, which attracted 6000 people.
  • Treasures from the World’s Great Libraries—this exhibition included 168 loans from 38 institutions in 24 countries. A record 115 000 visitors attended, with demand so great that the exhibition was, in its final weeks, open for 22 hours each day. A significant amount of broadcast and print media publicity was achieved throughout Australia. The Treasures web site won the Australian Publishers Association’s award for Best Designed Literary or Publishing Website. For the first time, Library exhibitions visited all States and Territories during the year.

Outreach

In keeping with the objectives of Directions for 2000–2002, the Library continued to expand its outreach to Australians wherever they are located. This was achieved by such programs as the following.

  • The Library’s Travelling Exhibitions Program included exhibitions in 21 locations in all States and Territories. A total of 251 000 people visited the exhibitions.
  • A highlight of the Library’s Events Program this year was The Secret Self, a two-day conference on biography and autobiography, which attracted a capacity audience.
  • The Library’s Education Program was expanded during the year. School Holiday Programs for 4- to 12-year-olds are now offered in all school vacations. Regular teacher information nights have commenced, to give teachers valuable background information on Library programs. 5000 students toured in ‘behind-the-scenes’ activities at the Library.
  • Friends of the National Library of Australia membership grew by 17 per cent during the year. The annual Kenneth Myer Lecture, hosted by the Friends, was held in Canberra in August, with a capacity audience addressed by Professor Peter Doherty AC on the topic of ‘We Know What We Are But What May We Become?’ The lecture was later broadcast on ABC Radio National. 
  • National interest in the work of the Library was clearly demonstrated with 60 per cent of visitors to the Treasures from the World’s Great Libraries exhibition coming from outside the ACT/Queanbeyan region. A further 4 per cent came from overseas. 45 per cent were first-time visitors to the Library. Of those visiting the exhibition from interstate, 77 per cent travelled to Canberra especially to see this exhibition.

Community Heritage Grants

During the year the National Archives of Australia became a partner with the Library and the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts in the Community Heritage Grants program. Funding and training in preservation techniques was given to 45 community organisations to assist with preserving nationally significant documentary heritage material in their care. This represented an increase of 40 per cent on the number of grants awarded in the previous year.

 

 Output 1.2 Information Services
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Output 1.4 Australian Library Network Services


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