NLA 35th Annual Report 1994-95
Collections and Services to the Community
Objectives
- To collect, organise, promote and utilise documentary materials which are of national significance in providing an understanding of Australia and Australians.
- To provide efficient, timely information services from the Library's collections, and through referral to other national and international services, to meet the needs of Australians engaged in the formulation and transmission of knowledge, particularly in research, policy development, authorship and creative endeavour .
The Library's activities to collect, organise, preserve, promote and utilise documentary materials of national significance continued and were focused according to the strategic plan.
- Collecting
- Organising
- Preserving
- Promoting and Utilising
- Exhibitions
- Films
- Publications
- Education
- Friends of the National Library of Australia
- National Portrait Gallery
- Collections and Services to the Community - Operational Statistics
Collecting
A key element in the Library's strategic plan is the reduction of the amount of material collected from overseas. The Library has moved away from the belief that it can best serve the needs of users and the Australian library community by developing a large pan-disciplinary collection containing substantial amounts of material from around the world. An increasing amount of material is being acquired by other Australian libraries and much of it duplicates the National Library holdings. The identification and location of titles and the delivery of material to users are improving due to the development of such things as the National Bibliographic Database and document supply mechanisms. The availability of information in electronic form is having a major effect on the way libraries meet the needs of their users. Increasingly access to information will be available through these means. The National Library intends to better support the library system by diverting funds and staff effort away from collecting and processing overseas material. It will apply the resources made available to higher priority tasks to ensure better access to information regardless of where it is held.
Extensive discussion took place on a strategy for reducing overseas collecting, taking account of the National Library's role in the Distributed National Collection. A statement on future collecting directions was released and the first steps taken to implement the change in acquisitions policy. The Library proposes to cut about 60 per cent of its current overseas serial subscriptions over a period of two years. Articles from these titles are readily available, when required, from agencies specialising in the provision of documents. A more extensive program of cancellations, covering books and a wider range of serials, is underway. As resources are released through reducing overseas collecting, the Library intends to put more effort into improving the scope and depth of its Australian collections. The Library will continue to collect government publications from the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, international legal materials and library and information science materials. It will further develop its collections of material relating to Asia and the Pacific.
A significant proportion of the Library's collections of Australian materials is acquired through deposit required under the Copyright Act, 1968. The Act currently covers only published materials in print format. As greater emphasis has been given to publication in other formats, the Library has recognised the need to seek changes to the Act. In the interim, the Library has taken measures to acquire publications in electronic format, especially those on CD-ROM, by a system of voluntary deposit. The response to letters sent to all major producers of CD-ROM products has been very positive, and a number of producers have agreed to deposit with the Library on a voluntary basis. In association with approaches to electronic publishers, the Library has developed guidelines for the use of voluntarily deposited products which limit use of the products to single-user access and ensure that any copying of information is done within the 'fair use' provisions of the Copyright Act.
The Collections and Reader Services Division undertook a number of surveys of Australian printed materials to identify collection strengths and problems. Surveys covered collection patterns and preservation status of Australian curriculum materials, holdings of Australian multicultural materials and holdings of Australian government publications. A project was commenced to remedy gaps in government publications holdings. Information from the other surveys is being used in collection management.
The Library's once-strong Papua New Guinea collections were also identified as an area in which an increased supply of materials was needed. In November 1994, Erica Ryan of the Library visited Papua New Guinea to acquire materials and to devise mechanisms by which future materials can be acquired. Relationships have been re-established with commercial and government organisations in Port Moresby, Lae, Madang, Goroka and other centres.
Analysis of collections during 1993-94 identified some collection weaknesses in the Oral History, Manuscript and Pictorial collections. Projects to remedy these weaknesses and supplement regular collecting commenced during 1994-95. The projects concentrate on material relating to law and Australian society, major Australian towns and the recipients of Australian of the Year Awards and will result in strengthened collections for research.
Significant acquisitions during the year included the papers of the Torres Strait Islander activist and educationalist Edward Koiki Mabo, and the manuscript of the novel Ralph Rashleigh, written by the convict James Tucker around 1845. The Ralph Rashleigh manuscript is the earliest substantial literary manuscript acquired by the Library, and adds to the considerable strength of the Library's collection in documenting the convict experience. The papers of Eddie Mabo were acquired after extensive negotiations and will be a rich source on Mabo's activism and personal affairs, and the struggle for land rights on the island of Mer (Murray Islands).
The most significant pictorial acquisitions were a portrait of Rear Admiral William Bligh, a watercolour painting on ivory, and a pastel portrait of surgeon William Brougham Monkhouse (surgeon on Cook's Endeavour voyage of 1768-71) by an unknown artist. Significant interviews conducted for the Oral History program include those with Ian Temby QC (prominent barrister), Sir John Cornforth (eminent Australian scientist) and Lieutenant General John Sanderson (Australian Joint Forces Commander).
During the year the Library cooperated with staff from the ACT Library Service to establish policy guidelines for an ACT Reference Library and Heritage Collection. Cooperation took the form of a series of discussions and the secondment of an officer from the Library. This seconded officer assisted with planning and with the identification of material in the Library collections suitable for transfer to an ACT Reference Library. In February, the ACT Government announced that further development of an ACT Reference Library would be deferred pending budget consideration.
Organising
The Library continued to offer services to publishers through its Cataloguing-in-Publication program and the allocation of International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN) and International Standard Serial Numbers (ISSN). During the year the Library also agreed to become the Australian centre for the allocation of International Standard Music Numbers (ISMN). All servicees operated at a high level of demand. The Cataloguing-in-Publication service surveyed publishers and libraries on the usefulness of the service. Results indicated a high level of satisfaction and, as a result of survey responses, some additional elements of service may be introduced. Requests for some of the Library's regular services such as Cataloguing-in-Publication, ISBN and ISSN can now be received electronically through the Library's information server, resulting in a speedier, more efficient service.
Preserving
Preservation activities included preliminary investigations into the proposed transfer from analogue to digital technology for the preservation of sound collections, the revision of the collections' disaster plan, including the updating of the register of nationally significant materials, and planning for increased off-site storage of the collections. An unforeseen activity placing pressure on the preservation services of the Library was the management of the effects on collections of the closure of the air-conditioning system in February 1995.
Promoting and Utilising
The Library is using the recently established information server to provide information to remote users on its collections and services. Users can read the latest drafts of key documents, browse through a range of images from the Library's Pictorial collection, or find out about particular items held in collections. The Library also opened an Internet Cafe facility in its Bistro in May. The Internet Cafe allows members of the public to browse the Internet and try some of the searching tools available. It is the first of its kind in Canberra.
The Internet Cafe, opened in May 1995 in the National Librarys Brindabella Bistro, allows Library patrons the opportunity to access the World Wide Web and explore the Internet.
Services to clients using the Library's reading rooms were improved by providing access to information services available on international networks and through electronic document supply. The installation of an on-site CD-ROM network and the provision of equipment and training necessary to access the Internet have widened the range of information available to clients beyond that which is held in the collections. Access to and supply of journal articles available in electronic form from the UnCover service have also enhanced the service the Library offers to on-site users. In an attempt to improve services offered to the Library's prime clientele, statements on the levels of service offered to different categories of users were developed.
Exhibitions
The Library has continued to develop a range of static and touring exhibitions based on its collections as a way of providing wider community access to original heritage and documentary materials held in its collections. Nine exhibitions have been seen by over 180 000 visitors.
Travelling exhibitions were taken to Australian audiences in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Ballarat, Newcastle and Moree and to New Zealand audiences in Wellington and Auckland. Communities have been quick to seize the opportunity to view part of the Library's collections. Travelling exhibitions have been well attended with visitors comprising up to 10 per cent of a region's population. Federal government funding through the Visions of Australia scheme assisted tours of Harold Cazneaux-Photographer and 'It's about Friendship'-Rom: A Ceremony from Arnhem Land. Funding from this program will assist the Library to organise tours of Cover Up-The Art of Magazine Covers in Australia and An Ideal City? The 1912 Competition to Design Canberra to Sydney, Melbourne and Perth in the coming year.
Integral to the success of the exhibitions program has been the establishment of partnerships with kindred institutions, both State and federal, in the development of exhibitions. The Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales was a partner with the National Library in two exhibitions: Harold Cazneaux-Photographer and Cover Up-The Art of Magazine Covers in Australia. 'It's about Friendship'-Rom: A Ceremony from Arnhem Land is a partnership between the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, the National Museum of Australia and the National Library.
Sponsorships have been important in contributing to continued success. The National Capital Planning Authority provided funding towards the development of the exhibition An Ideal City? The 1912 Competition to Design Canberra organised in partnership with Australian Archives, which was officially opened on 19 June by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. Brian Howe MP.
Different forms of presenting the Library's collections have been investigated. The Library in partnership with The British Council developed a poster-based exhibition, Literary Links, which explores influences in the arts between Australia and Britain. The exhibition has proved to be very popular and has so far been shown in Britain, Portugal, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Italy as well as in many Australian venues.
Exhibitions are often linked with other events in the Library. The exhibition 'On This We Stand': Menzies and the Liberal Party of Australia was opened on 20 September by the Hon. Anthony Staley, Federal President of the Liberal Party. Educational programs and a seminar, 'The Legacy of Sir Robert Menzies', were held in association with the exhibition, thus strengthening the overall presentation of materials from the Library's collection and fostering debate and discussion.
The Hon. Tony Staley, Federal President of the Liberal Party, opens the Library exhibition 'On This We Stand': Menzies and the Liberal Party, September 1994.
The National Library lent 104 works from its collections to 16 exhibitions organised by other institutions, allowing the Library's collections to be viewed by a wider audience.
Films
To mark the centenary of cinema, eight silent film packages were prepared and made available to film societies and other borrowers. This was a joint project of the National Library and the Australian Council of Film Societies. Each package focused on a particular aspect of silent cinema and contained a feature (and in one case a compilation of shorts) on 16mm film together with an information booklet and an audio cassette of specially recorded music to accompany each film. The themes of the packages are: Early Cinema (two packages); Australian Naturalism (two packages); The German Influence; Comedian Comedy; The Epic; Melodrama.
Publications
This year's publishing program for the trade market included three new titles: Beyond Chinatown: Changing Perspectives on the Top End Chinese Experience by Diana Giese; Real Folk by John Meredith, comprising photographs and background information on nearly 100 Australian bush musicians; and Walter Burley Griffin: Landscape Architect by Peter Harrison, edited and with an introduction by Robert Freestone. Each of these books draws on different aspects of the Library's collections of oral history, manuscripts and pictorial material and all reveal the diversity of the Library's Australian documentary collections.
Two books published to assist researchers to access the Library's collections were: Communism in Australia: A Resource Bibliography compiled by Beverley Symons with Andrew Wells and Stuart Macintyre; and Our Multicultural Heritage 1788-1945: An Annotated Guide to the Collections of the National Library of Australia by Barry York.
Liaison with the Australian Defence Force Academy during the year resulted in further progress on a program of ongoing joint publishing activity. By the year's end, publication of Douglas Stewart: A Literary Life by Susan Ballyn and Jeff Doyle was imminent.
Considerable work has been undertaken during the year to prepare long-term publishing proposals and budgets which will form the basis of the Library's future publications policy, aimed at achieving regularity and frequency of appearance of titles in each year's publishing list.
The Library has initiated this year the development of a CD-ROM publishing program, building on the interactive technology program in the Library's Visitor Centre. The Library has applied for funding for a Writing Australia CD-ROM, under the 'Australia on CD' initiative presented as part of the Commonwealth Government's Creative Nation policy statement, and produced a prototype to accompany the application.
Planning has proceeded and some work has been carried out on a joint project with the Australian National Maritime Museum to produce Cook's Endeavour Journal as an interactive multimedia publication.
Liaison with publishers and writers has been maintained during the year through correspondence and attendance at literary seminars and events. Staff attended the Australian Book Publishers Association Book Fair in Sydney and the Word Festival in Canberra.
This was the fourth year of publication of the Library's quarterly journal, Voices, featuring a wide range of academic, artistic and literary themes and including debate on constitutional, historical and cultural issues. The journal continues to attract favourable comment and plays a useful role in stimulating public discussion on some of its themes.
The monthly magazine, National Library of Australia News, has continued to present information and articles about the varied activities and resources of the Library. It contains regular quarterly supplements from the National Preservation Office and the International Relations Section of the Library. The March 1995 issue, timed to coincide with the biennial Word Festival in Canberra, featured a 32-page literary and cultural review sponsored by the ACT Government's Cultural Council in celebration of ACT writers and writing.
Education
The education program promotes an awareness and understanding of the National Library as one of Australia's leading cultural and information institutions through a range of activities including Visitor Centre displays, electronic media based items, public tours, school and community programs, seminars and lectures. Education programs stress the Library's role as a major cultural heritage institution with responsibility for a leading documentary and reference collection relating to Australia and Australian people.
During the year, the Education Section developed education programs to accompany all Library exhibitions. Teachers' evenings, education kits and exhibition tours were provided for 'On This We Stand': Menzies and the Liberal Party of Australia, Beyond the Picket Fence and An Ideal City? An issue of Voices and a seminar, 'The Legacy of Sir Robert Menzies', were linked with the exhibition on Menzies. An initiative this year for the Education Section was the development of a holiday program directed at both children and adult visitors. Link Up, a quarterly newsletter providing a vehicle for the discussion of issues relating to services in Australian libraries in the fields of multiculturalism, literary and disability services, was produced and distributed to over 1600 clients.
Friends of the National Library of Australia
Established to promote the National Library of Australia nationwide and to offer its supporters an opportunity to contribute in positive ways to the work and development of the Library, the Friends of the National Library increased its membership and extended its program of activities. This year the Friends initiated the presentation of evenings explaining and investigating the Internet. These met with an enthusiastic response from the public. The Friends lunches, held in Chapters Restaurant, continued to be popular attractions. The annual Kenneth Baillieu Myer Lecture was one of the highlights of the year as Professor John Mulvaney presented 'The Wisdom of "Non-Relevance": The Humanities and Australia's Cultural Heritage' to an audience of over 300. The Friends publication Geoffrey Serle: In Tribute and the associated function marked the outstanding contribution to scholarship, biography, writing, editing and teaching in Australia made by this distinguished Australian scholar.
The Friends of the National Library, through the work of a few dedicated volunteers, manages the Indo-China Book Appeal, which continues to help restock the libraries of Indo-China. In association with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Centre for Publications Acquired for Development, the Friends have sent over 1300 cartons of much needed books, primarily reference and academic texts, to libraries in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
National Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery, successfully inaugurated in March 1994, consolidated its position and developed its forward program. Permanent staff, including a Curatorial Manager, took up their positions in 1994. Work commenced on the planning of a medium-term program of exhibitions for the period 1994-96.
Two exhibitions were held in 1994-95. All in the Family: Selected Australian Portraits was officially opened by Phillip Adams AM in October 1994 and attracted a good response from approximately 25 000 visitors. High Society: Society Portraiture and Photographers 1920-1960 was opened by the Minister for Communications and the Arts, the Hon. Michael Lee MP, in March 1995. This exhibition of fine studio portraits of a cross-section of Australians attracted considerable community interest and stimulated a strong debate about the concept of a national portrait gallery in the Australian context. High Society: Society Portraiture and Photographers 1920-1960 attracted 34 000 visitors.
The National Portrait Gallery has relied on a program of borrowing from both public and private collections throughout Australia. This generous support has made many works of portraiture publicly accessible for the first time to a wide audience.
National Portrait Gallery staff have developed a program of learning-centred activities for people of all ages from both the formal and informal education sectors. Floor talks at the National Portrait Gallery in Old Parliament House, workshops, holiday programs and classroom sessions attracted over 100 groups during the period July 1994 to June 1995.
Mrs Ingrid Murphy and her son Blake pictured beside the portrait Lionel Murphy by Clifton Pugh at the opening of the National Portrait Gallery exhibition All in the Family, October 1994.
Collections and Services to the Community - Operational Statistics
Table 11: Expenditure on library materials by type of material ($A'000)
Year Booksa Elect. Films Pic. Maps Oral Music MSS Copying
Total Total material Hist.
of library library
Aust. material materials
hist. as % of
records gross
expenditure
'91-2 5 360 - c 300 205 30 113 43 300 115 6 466 14.5b
'92-3 5 275 - c 296 122 36 131 49 296 147 6 353 15.9
'93-4 4 962 89 259 231 38 153 29 207 34 6 002 12.6
'94-5 4 246 101 199 309 48 229 27 419 40 5 618 13.1
a This general category covers the purchase of monographs, serials and
microforms.
b The expenditure on library material as a percentage of gross
expenditure fell in 1990-91 and 1991-92 because the gross expenditure included
a large component for building works and ILMS. Excluding this expenditure the
figure would have been 16.5% in 1991-92.
c Statistics not collected.
Table 12: Expenditure on printed and electronic materials a
1992-93 1993-94 1994-95
Australian print monographs 264 094 275 264 327 661
Australian print serials 225 152 190 039 191 661
Australian electronic (serials - 23 104 41 267
and monographs)
Total Australian b 489 246 488 407 560 589
Overseas print monographs 786 084 860 453 876 335
Overseas print serials 3 751 072 3 389 549 2 556 924
Overseas electronic (serials and - 65 667 59 765
monographs
Total overseas 4 537 156 4 380 629d 3 579 936d
Total Expenditure c 5 026 402 4 869 036 4 140 525
Total print monographs 1 050 178 1 135 717 1 203 996
Total print serials 3 976 224 3 579 588 2 748 585
Total electronic - 88 771 101 032
a Data on electronic materials first collected in 1994-95.
b
Excludes value of items received as legal deposit, gifts or donations.
c
Excludes items purchased for use in gift and exchange programs and working
copies.
d Total includes expenditure for the Thai and Indonesian
acquisitions programs which cannot be split by format. In 1993-94, $A4 136 was
spent on acquisition of Thai materials and $A60 824 on acquisition of
Indonesian materials. In 1994-95, $A5 351 was spent on acquisition of Thai
materials and $A81 561 on acquisition of Indonesian materials.
Table 13: Monograph acquisitions by method of procurement (volumes)
1992-93 1993-94 1994-95
Australian
Purchase 2 506 6 782 7 284
Gift and exchange 2 775 2 909 2 667
Legal deposit (including 12 019 15 242 16 465
government publications)
Total 17 300 24 933 26 416
Overseas
Purchase 27 497 28 057 24 540
Gift and exchange 3 081 4 899 4 265
Total 30 578 32 956 28 805
Table 14: Serial acquisitions by method of procurement (titles)
1992-93 1993-94 1994-95
Australian
Purchase 2 283 2 286 2 334
Legal deposit (including 38 103 39 022 40 115
government publications)
Total 40 386 41 308 42 449
Overseas
Purchase 29 787 27 732 27 072
Gift and exchange 35 847 35 679 35 682
Total 65 634 63 411 62 754
Table 15: Holdings by type of material
1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 %
change
1993-94
to
1994-95
Monographs including microforms 2 294 748 2 339 405 2394 626 2.4
(titles) est.a
Serials, including newspapers
(titles)
current 106 020 104 746 105 230 0.5
non-current 105 506 105 102 105 447 0.3
Total serial titles 211 526 209 848 210 677 0.4
Films and video cassettes 23 027 23 550 14 240 -39.5
(titles)
Manuscripts (metres) 9 226 9 442 9 653 2.2
Oral history collectionb
tape recordings 45 050 47 101 49 257 4.6
transcripts (metres) 105 113 126 11.5
Music scores 166 132 166 595 166 952 0.2
Paintings, drawings and prints 40 957 41 192 41 672 1.2
Photographs 531 234 534 328 541 247 1.3
Maps 458 186 474 577 495 280 4.4
Aerial photographs 728 902 799 316 800 764 0.2
Electronic media (titles)c - 132 332 151.5
a Monographs and microforms were reported by volume equivalent in the
past. The change to reporting by number of titles will allow for greater
comparison between types of materials held.
b A survey to determine actual
oral history collection holdings was commenced during 1994-95.
c For
example, CD-ROM, floppy disks, etc.
Table 16: Total catalogue records by type of material
1994-95
Monographs 1 827 454
Serials 193 991
Manuscripts (shelf metres 8 532
processed)
Pictorial collection 44 117
Films and video cassettes 14 240
Oral history collection 44 454
Music 78 105
Photographs 9 553
Maps 95 796
Aerial photographs 563 843
The Library's online public access catalogue contained a total of 2 119 629 bibliographic records at the end of the financial year.
Table 17: State of control of the collections (1994-95)
no. of no. of
items items
catalogued awaiting
in 1994-95 full
cataloguing
(estimate)
Australian materials 21 205 86 397
Overseas materials 39 063 506 560
Manuscriptsa 655 1 121 (shelf
metres)
Pictorial collection 527 -
Films and video cassettes 512 -
Oral history collection 611 20 000
Music 4 881 63 457 (items)
Photographsb 740 520 000c
Maps 2 495 567 179
Aerial photographs - 236 922
a One catalogue entry may control a collection of a number of items
covering several metres.
b One catalogue entry may control several
thousand photographs.
c Photographs stored under minimum control but not
fully catalogued. Final catalogue entries may control one photograph or
many.
Table 18: Preservation of the collections
Australian materials Non-Australian
material 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1992-93 1993-94
1994-95
Items receiving 10 114 21 223 9 527 472 395 554
conservation
treatments
Binding and 21 013 22 595 23 602 25 918 23 388 21 050
alternative
treatments
Storage materials 41 318 19 855 26 472 - - -
provided
Microforms 2 097 537a 4 053 226 3 381 8 185 4 404 45 484
produced (frames) 224
Pages reproduced 1 103 682 712 850 377 591 628 1 606 27 966
on microform
Analysis of 32 21 3 - - -
materials
Audio tapes 558 1 141 1428 - - -
produced (playing
hours)b
These statistics indicate some aspects of the Library's total preservation program. Preventative preservation is implemented using other mechanisms throughout the Library.
a An intensive program of filming Commonwealth electoral rolls was
undertaken during 1992-93.
b Australian and non-Australian materials are
not differentiated.
Table 19: Items supplied to reading rooms a
1992-93 1993-94 1994-95
Monographs and serials 278 086 306 656 254 978
Microforms and newspapers 86 062 134 504 129 700
Films 1 638 - b 1 483
Manuscripts 7 140 8 763 8 150
Oral history 386 1 111 1 680
Rare books 1 051 1 051 716
Music scores 815 20 796 33 386
Paintings, drawings, prints, 163 450 183 300 140 200
photographsc
Maps 14 280 16 910 26 377
Aerial photographs (boxes) 272 372 260
a These figures exclude the proportion of the collection which is
available for self-service.
b Figures not collected.
c Estimates
only, as readers have open access under supervision to a large number of small
items.
Table 20: Use of the collections-information requests a
1992-93 1993-94 1994-95
Main reading room 63 866 68 702 65 417
Asian 5 706 6 769 6 290
Newspaper-Microcopy 42 873 22 634 27 793
Films 3 727 3 983 3 554
Manuscripts 2 534 2 093 2 330
Oral history 3 856 4 271 4 314
Rare books 440 96 204
Music 433 - b - b
Pictorial 10 431 9 838 6 845
Maps 2 257 3 216 4 337
Total 136 123 117 619 117 530
a Includes inquiries by letter, telephone or personal visit.
b
Included in figures for other reading rooms.
Table 21: Visitors a
1994-95 National Library building individuals visiting the building 365 195 individuals entering the exhibition gallery 44 525 groups b 300 National Portrait Gallery individuals visiting the National Portrait Gallery 84 004 groups 76 floor tours 57 Friends events individuals attending events 1 138 Film screenings individuals attending screenings 3 616 Other events c 2 032
a The Library commenced new methods of collecting visitor statistics in
1994-95.
b Includes student, senior and special interest groups as well as
public tours.
c Includes attendance at exhibition openings, book launches,
special lectures and seminars.
Table 22: Items lent for exhibition
1993-94 1994-95
Manuscripts 39 51
Rare books 50 38
Pictorial items 116 253
Maps 42 44
Other 6 6
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