National Library of Australia  - Gateways

ISSN 1443-0568 | no. 73 | February 2005


Libraries Australia—Gateway to a Wealth of Information

Libraries Australia homepag

The National Library announced in December 2003 that the Kinetica system would be redeveloped with a phased, modular approach through 2004 and 2005.

Libraries Australia was launched on 8 December and delivers Phase 1 of the redevelopment. Libraries Australia replaces KineticaWeb search, enabling access to the collections of Australian libraries and providing the ability to simultaneously search across a range of Australian and international databases. It also provides access to the online content of Australian journals through the Informit database, APAFT (Australian Public Affairs—Full Text). Libraries with a subscription to APAFT can provide the Kinetica helpdesk with the relevant user name and password enabling APAFT to be listed as one of the databases available for searching through Libraries Australia. As well as helping users find items, Libraries Australia offers a range of options for ‘getting’ items. Users can check the availability of an item online, in their own or other libraries, or link through to an online bookshop.

A Google-like searching interface enables easy searching, and advanced and command searching options are also available. Searching for a particular format is facilitated by the use of checkboxes from both the simple and advanced search screens. Several limits are provided through the advanced searching option to further refine a search: limit by date, limit to the holdings of libraries in a particular state or states, or limit to material held only in your library. A new release of Libraries Australia planned for early March will also allows users to limit a search to material not held in your library.

There are also improved options for:

  • Saving, emailing, downloading, printing and viewing records
  • Saving, editing and re-running searches
  • Creating reports on what’s new in an area of interest through ‘alerts’

In addition to password access it is also possible to get access to the service via IP authentication.

Libraries Australia provides links to high-quality Internet guides on Australian subjects such as law, literature, government and family history, a link to a range of Australian and overseas search engines and the Ask a Librarian service. A different library is highlighted each month, with information about the size and strengths of its collection and a link through to its catalogue.

Libraries Australia is an innovative and exciting service which has been well received by the Australian library community. Stage 2, to be delivered in late 2005, focuses on the implementation of the National Bibliographic Utility (NBU) which underpins the Kinetica service. The NBU will support the intake, creation and editing of bibliographic, authority and holdings data from Kinetica customers and other sources, including data in non-roman scripts.

Significant improvements will be offered to Australian libraries and the communities they serve through the redevelopment of Kinetica. Libraries Australia has made an important start.

For more information on access to Libraries Australia contact the Kinetica Helpdesk on 1800 026 155 or by email at kinetica@nla.gov.au
—Fran Wilson, Acting Director, Collaborative Resource Sharing Services

| Contents list for this issue of Gateways |


National Library of Australia Gateways