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ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 52| August 2001


Electronic Information Resources Strategy and Action Plan 2001–2002

The National Library of Australia has a particular goal, as stated in its strategic plan, Directions for 2000–2002, and that is:

All Australians, at their place of choice, have direct, seamless access to print and electronic sources of information.

The Library has prepared an action plan describing the key strategies the Library will pursue in the coming year to work towards this goal. In particular, the action plan aims to continue the Library’s focus on broadening access to its collections through creating new pathways to electronic sources of information and enhancing direct access to digitised content via the Internet.

The action plan addresses the development of products and services that will provide an effective means for Australians to discover what electronic information is held in the collections of Australian libraries and where appropriate, other cultural institutions.

The plan will be updated regularly to reflect new developments and strategies adopted by the Library. It is available on the Library’s web site at www.nla.gov.au/policy/electronic/resourcesplan.html

The strategies and action plan covers a range of the Library’s activities, including collecting, preservation, bibliographic control, access, and support for resource sharing services. Some of the activities outlined in the plan are already underway, such as the project to digitise 40 000 Australian pictorial, sheet music, map and manuscript items during 2001–2002. Others are new, such as the project to investigate the most effective means to extend resource sharing services to encompass a range of electronic resources. Fundamental to the plan is the Library’s commitment to the collecting or creating of information in electronic form, and the long-term preservation and provision of access to this information.

The strategies outlined in the paper are:

Collecting

1. Ensure that the most significant Australian electronic resources are collected/archived with a view to long-term preservation by:

collecting Australian physical format and online electronic resources in accordance with the current Collection Development Policy (www.nla.gov.au/policy/cdp) as supplemented by Acquisition Guidelines for Australian Physical Format Electronic Publications (www.nla.gov.au/policy/acqguide.html) and PANDORA selection guidelines (http://pandora.nla.gov.au/selectionguidelines.html).

collaborating with other organisations to achieve a national collection of archived Australian electronic information resources.

2. Ensure overseas electronic resources are collected in accordance with the current Collection Development Policy to meet information needs of researchers.

3. Apply and encourage practices to ensure persistence of access to Australian electronic resources.

4. Continue to collaborate with Government and other relevant Australian organisations in relation to the collecting and managing of Australian electronic information resources.

Preservation

1. Apply appropriate preservation strategies to the Library’s own collections of electronic resources for long-term access.

2. Provide leadership to Australian libraries and other relevant organisations in developing policies and techniques for preserving electronic resources, and participate in international forums to develop electronic preservation standards.

Access

1. Provide integrated access to: print and electronic resources; and, collections, items and parts of collections through continued development of the Library’s online public access catalogue and information portal.

2.Extend the availability of digitised information content (including digitised Library collections and access to other electronic resources).

3.Collaborate with other organisations on the development of delivery systems (such as portal technologies and rights management systems) that enable users to have improved access to electronic resources.

Support for resource sharing

1. Extend the concept of resource sharing among Australian libraries to include electronic resources, by undertaking a range of activities that facilitate the use of nationally operated bibliographic and metadata services for the description, discovery and delivery of electronic information resources.

2. Make available subsets, in MARC and non-MARC formats, of national bibliographic/metadata services for repurposing to form part of other services tailored to provide a deeper and/or broader level of access to resources in a given format or on a given subject.

3. Collaborate with a range of library and non-library partners to develop and host information and directory services that include electronic resources. Some examples include the Register of Australian Archives and Manuscripts (RAAM), PictureAustralia and subject gateways.

4. Collaborate with State, Territory and public libraries on consortia acquisition of a selection of full text electronic resources, with the ultimate aim of providing all Australians with access to these resources regardless of location.

Feedback on the Plan is welcome, and should be addressed to:
Mr David Toll, Deputy Director-General,
National Library of Australia
Canberra ACT 2600
Email: dtoll@nla.gov.au

A published version of the Action Plan is available upon request from :
Sandra Henderson, Manager,
Research Coordination Support Branch,
National Library,
Canberra ACT 2600
Email:shenders@nla.gov.au.

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Please address any comments and enquiries to The Editor, Gateways: dthomas@nla.gov.au

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