National Library of Australia - Gateways>

ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 46 | August 2000


Digitisation enhances access to collections

The National Library’s current Directions for 2000–2002 (www.nla.gov.au/library/directions.html) has as one of its key goals that ‘All Australians, at their place of choice, have direct, seamless access to print and electronic sources of information’.

A key strategy in achieving this goal is the digitisation of Australian original material in the Library’s collection. To guide the Library’s progress in digitisation, a policy statement (National Library of Australia Digitisation Policy 2000–2004) has been developed and is now available on the National Library’s web site (www.nla.gov.au/policy/digitisation.html).

The policy sets out the principles behind the Library’s digitisation activities, and identifies the primary purpose of these activities as enhancing access to the Library’s collections, while assisting the preservation of rare and fragile items. In addition, the policy provides details on the criteria the Library will use to select items for digitisation and about access to digitised collections.

As well as digitising a wide range of materials from its own collections, the Library will seek opportunities to collaborate with other institutions on digitisation projects where a mutual interest exists.

The Library has recently developed an Australian digitisation project section within the Australian Libraries Gateway (www.nla.gov.au/libraries/digitisation). The broad aim of this new section is to record and make available on the web information about digitisation projects within the Australian cultural community.

If your organisation is undertaking digitisation projects, you will find a form on which you can record these details at www.nla.gov.au/libraries/digitisation/projects.html. There is also information about the types of projects which are suitable for this listing, and those which are generally excluded.

Printed copies of the Library’s Digitisation Policy are available from Sandra Henderson (shenders@nla.gov.au), telephone (02) 6262 1481. Queries or requests for additional information about the Australian Libraries Gateway digitisation projects section may be sent to alg@nla.gov.au.
Sandra Henderson

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