National Library of Australia - Gateways

ISSN 1443-0568 | no. 74 | April 2005


Information Online 2005—
A Perspective from the National Library Trade Stand

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The 12th Information Online Conference and Exhibition was held at Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre from 1–3 February. There were over 1100 delegates and over 85 exhibitors. The National Library’s stand was a great success, attracting interest from delegates and exhibitors alike. Libraries Australia was a drawcard. Visitors were keen to know more about the new Libraries Australia service, with many offering positive feedback and congratulations. Library staff were on hand to provide demonstrations, answer questions and offer advice. 

A rolling powerpoint presentation projected on a large screen highlighted the improved functionality and features of Libraries Australia, taking the viewer step-by-step through searching, saving records, creating alerts, display of results and the new ‘getting’ part of the service. Another powerpoint presentation showcased other online services available through the National Library—many of them collaborative services such as MusicAustralia, PictureAustralia, Pandora and AskNow! The Library’s show-bags were also an enormous success, the stained glass designs of Australian artist Leonard French being an eye-catching attraction. At the end of the three days the bags had all been snapped up. Drink coasters advertising LibrariesAustralia were also very popular.

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Several National Library staff gave conference presentations which generated flow-on questions at the Library’s stand. Tony Boston and Bemal Rajapatirana presented a session entitled ‘Simplifying the Search Experience’, focussing on the Kinetica Redevelopment Project, specifically LibrariesAustralia and an explanation of FRBR (Functional Specifications for Bibliographic Records) and the plans for implementing this on a pilot basis using records from the Australian National Bibliographic Database. Roxanne Missingham and Fran Wilson, together with Janet Smith from the Southern Tablelands Regional Library (NSW), presented a session on the evaluation of the Public Library Portal project—InformationAustralia; and Colin Webb delivered a paper highlighting the Library’s initiatives to foster sustainable access to digital information.

Over the course of the conference. and using the National Library stand, Jill Buckley Smith from the Communications Branch of the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing made herself available to meet with staff from several libraries and agencies expressing interest in the HealthInsite project.

The exhibition hall was humming as delegates and exhibitors discussed new products and services and exchanged ideas and business cards in an informal environment. There were also a number of product reviews and information sessions held in smaller venues over the course of the conference—providing another opportunity and forum to showcase LibrariesAustralia and the Kinetica Redevelopment Project. 

The Conference dinner, included in the registration fee this year, was held in the Convention Centre’s ballroom. It was a very successful evening with good food, wine, music and company. The highlight was the entertainment provided by the guest speaker—Adam Spencer, well-known presenter from the ABC's Quantum program, and former presenter on the Breakfast Show on ABC Radio Triple-J. Librarians took to the dance floor in droves, many seeking out Adam for an informal chat or an autograph. (One such autograph reads ‘Kinetica rocks!’)

Information Online 2005 offered an excellent opportunity for library and IT professionals to explore new horizons in the library and information industry—to learn, share and network with their national and international peers. It was also a chance for businesses and agencies to showcase their wares.  
—Fran Wilson,
Director, Kinetica Customer Services, fwilson@nla.gov.au

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