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In 2005, the Library at UNSW began a comprehensive restructuring process that fundamentally changed the provision of services to its academic community. A primary aim of this process was to increase flexibility of service development and delivery and so to improve research support. The motivation for reformed services arose from considerations including the University Library need to realign its services to support the university’s strategic goals, the increasingly competitive nature of the research environment, the introduction of the RQF/ERA, and a renewed emphasis on research outcomes by UNSW. The measurement of research impact using bibliometrics was seen as a strategy for supporting UNSW researchers. University Library staff consulted the bibliometrics literature and appropriate methodologies were devised to measure the impact of publications, authors and departments. The result was the creation of a Research Impact Measurement Service (RIMS) that now produces over 30 reports every month and employs 6-7 full time equivalent staff. Most of the reports are used to support promotion, grants, and institutional comparisons. This research support service also informs and improves the performance of such traditional library activities as collection development. RIMS is now integral to the measurement of research outputs at UNSW, and has significantly raised the profile of the Library throughout the academic community.AARL June 2009 vol 40 no 2 pp76–87 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information literacy researchers are beginning to develop a collective consciousness, a consciousness that represents the newly appearing territory of information literacy research. This paper analyses the information literacy research territory as it is represented by the emerging collective consciousness of information literacy researchers. Five dimensions of the collective consciousness are proposed: 1) the sectoral location of the research; 2) ways of seeing information literacy; 3) ‘what’ is being investigated, that is the research object; 4) ‘how’ the object is being investigated, that is the research approaches and paradigms; and 5) disciplinary influences. These dimensions are used to: 1) reveal the character of the information literacy research territory which is in early stages of construction; 2) show how different kinds of research approaches can shed different kinds of light on the object of research; and 3) demonstrate how the five dimensions work together in the development of new studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although collection measurement has been much practised by librarians, it is seldom linked to precise, qualitative and client-centred objectives. The RLG conspectus offers a methodology whose validity for Australia needs to be examined carefully. Program performance evaluation has already proved illuminating at the State Library of New South Wales. Collection evaluation is useful for cooperation if properly documented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article explores the standard workplace policies and practices for library science professionals among libraries in Australia. Particular focus is given into the aspects of professionalism and accountability for organizational resources of library personnels, offering library information technology. It also notes on the collaboration and development of library and information profession for educational sectors.

The article shares the author's reflection on results of an analysis study which explores the intellectual isolation of Australian Library and Information Studies (LIS) using content analysis methodology. The author examines the LIS in Australia involving understanding on similarities and definitions on international and national studies of library science. The author also highlights the improvements in research programs in Australia.

The State Library of New South Wales (SLNSW) has embarked on a significant project to identify and make accessible materials in its collection relating to Indigenous Australian languages. The projectRediscovering Indigenous Languagesseeks to reconnect Indigenous Australia people and the wider Australian community to word lists and vocabularies relating to the first languages of Australia. The various phases of the project – from research and curation, through to community engagement and collaboration – aim to connect with both Indigenous people and other language projects to assist with the process of language and cultural revitalisation. This paper will discuss principles and protocols guiding the work of theRediscovering Indigenous Languagesproject, in particular the importance of encouraging active discussion with communities and linguists in regards to the use and revitalisation of these historical documentary resources. As a case study, this project demonstrates the importance of designing library and archival systems that proactively connect Indigenous people with their knowledge sources held within library and archive collections. Community engagement and collaboration, led by Indigenous protocols, are vital components of designing and delivering projects that have maximum impact for language and cultural revitalisation. Measuring the impact of theRediscovering Indigenous Knowledgeproject requires new ways for libraries to consider the value of their engagement with communities. Approaching Indigenous library service development and services in these ways will ultimately lead to more sustainable and collaborative projects being developed to benefit the broader community. In addition, there is potential for archival collections to be enriched and revitalised in new and exciting ways. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes how library and information science education in New Zealand has evolved to include Māori cultural components into the content of the curriculum. It considers the influence that the wider library and information profession, including the professional associations, LIANZA and Te Rōpū Whakahau, have had on these developments. The inclusion of ‘indigenous knowledge paradigms’ within the profession registration programme is described as is its effect on library and information education and the continuing professional development of library and information professionals in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 2010, Libraries ACT created a number of community engagement specialisations to be implemented at the Librarian or Professional Officer Class 1 level. The specialisations spanned existing core library activities, target groups already the focus of library programming, lifelong learning, and specific groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This paper describes the specialisations initiative from first implementation through a review to implementation of a modified approach. It focuses primarily on engagement with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities resulting from both implementations. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Protocols for library archives and information services (‘the ATSILIRN Protocols’ or ‘the Protocols’) have become a key tool to planning that engagement, although ideas for engagement and participation are increasingly being generated by community members themselves. The use of the Protocols is discussed and the relevance of cultural competence in libraries is introduced. The specialisation initiative, and related engagement activities, may provide the basis of formal study, which could address the transferability of the tentative findings of this overview or explore the development of cultural competence through engagement activities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Macquarie University Library's decision to include an automated storage and retrieval system as part of its move to a new library building in 2011 has allowed the location onsite of all library holdings and obviated the need for offsite storage to manage issues of competing demands for collections and client spaces. As we reach the two-year mark from the commencement of storing 80% of the library collection in our Automated Retrieval Collection (ARC) we are reviewing our success measures and looking at what our clients' use of the ARC tells us about their resource needs and their adaptability to new methods of discovery and access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study reported in this paper is part of a larger program of studies designed to review and renew the curricula of Library and Information Science (LIS) and the broader Information Management (IM) courses. This paper analysed job advertisements as readily accessible indicators of the knowledge, skills, and competencies required of IPs by employers and potential available roles. It presents current findings and compares them with trends identified in earlier Australian job advertisement content analyses based on data collected in 2004. The information revealed by the study may be utilised by educators to inform curriculum review and renewal. Current advertisements were collected from web-based sources; ALIA's employment web pages and two national web job-boards, Seek and MyCareer.com. Text from job advertisements was analysed using a content analysis software package. The data revealed an increasing demand for IPs with records management skills, and skills in business content management, web management and other information management systems, indicating an increasing overlap with the field of information systems. The "move to the generic" identified as an emerging trend in 2004 has solidified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do internships and work experience, such as volunteering, give students a taste of the environment in which they hope to be employed? How do they provide pathways between educational institutions and the workplace? This paper reports on a qualitative research study about the initial professional learning experiences of individuals newly recruited by collecting institutions such as archives, galleries, libraries, and museums. It included investigation into work-based learning experiences, including internships or practicum placements, paid work, and student volunteer activities. The article highlights reflections of internships and student work experience. The findings are of interest to: educators organising internships; collecting institutions hosting or employing students in a paid or unpaid capacity; and individuals preparing for employment in collecting institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper grew out of a presentation at the 'Research for LIS Practitioners Workshop' organised by the ALIA Research Committees and held at the State Library of New South Wales. The workshop was a satellite event of the Information Online Conference. The goal of the workshop was to encourage practitioner research and publication in the US community and the goal of this paper is, (in common with the presentation it grew from), to assist beginning US practitioner researchers by providing introductory information and tips about how to write up research for dissemination and publication. Basic information is provided about the components of a research report, and the different approaches required for different audiences and types of publication. In addition, some personal observations about the practicalities of writing are provided. This paper provides practitioner researchers with a starting point for writing up their research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an overview of the process undertaken in the US during 2009/10 in developing a major report on the value of academic libraries. A summary of the key findings and recommendations from the report are also provided. While very much focused on the US situation, the author feels the findings may well have resonance elsewhere, including Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A graduate destination survey can provide a snap shot in time of a graduate's career progression and outcome. This paper will present the results of a Queensland University of Technology study exploring the employment outcomes of students who had completed a library and information science course from the Faculty of Information Technology between 2000 and 2008. Seventy-four graduates completed an online questionnaire administered in July 2009. The study found that 90% of the graduates surveyed were working and living in Queensland, with over three quarters living and working in Brisbane. Nearly 70% were working full-time, while only 1.4% indicating that they were unemployed and looking for work. Over 80% of the graduates identified themselves as working in "librarianship". This study is the first step in understanding the progression and destination of QUT's library and information science graduates. It is recommended that this survey becomes an ongoing initiative so that the results can be analysed and compared over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conducting a literature review is a vital part of any research. Library and information science (LIS) professionals often play a central role in supporting academics in their efforts to locate relevant publications and in teaching novice researchers skills associated with literature reviews. This paper examines literature review processes with the aim of contributing to a better understanding of their complexity and uncertainty and to propose a new approach to literature reviews: one capable of dealing with such complexity and uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reasons why students who already hold a tertiary qualification andwish to pursue a careerinlibrarianship/ information management choose to undertake a VET LIS para-professional qualification in preference to a postgraduate qualification in LIS have received little formal attention. This paper reports the results of research undertaken to investigate the underlying motivation of such students. The methodology included a survey of current students undertaking VET US paraprofessional qualifications at Australian educational institutions and an analysis of statistical data from the VET sector. Recommendations will be presented on how the profession should address the entry points into the profession in light of changes to government funding of VET programs and the current economic climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff at the National Library of Australia and four state libraries to gain a clearer understanding of their approach to handling digital collections. While digitisation activity was high in all of the libraries, acquisition of born-digital material was low. All libraries reported holding material on obsolete formats that would be difficult to access. Concerns were expressed about resourcing digital preservation activities and strategies to manage technical issues. There was strong support for PANDORA and faith in its longer-term effectiveness. A closer relationship is called for among all institutions involved with acquiring and preserving digital objects so that better use is made of limited resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technologies, combined with library expertise in information management and bibliographic control, access, dissemination and preservation, have provided new opportunities for academic libraries to play a more active role in the publication of scholarly information. Over the past decade a number of Australian academic libraries, drawing on early initiatives in North American libraries, have established electronic presses in their institutions. This article examines the motivations behind these initiatives and their similarities and differences, and identifies some of the ways in which library-led e-publishing may change the scholarly communication environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Islamic Republic of Iran's parliament. the Majlis, passed in 1990 a law setting out the functions of its national library, in 2005, the inauguration of the first stage of the new national library building was celebrated as a major national cultural and architectural achievement. This article looks at the origins and evolution of the National Library of Iran (NLI), considers its changing place within the Iranian library system, and also briefly considers what scope it has for developing, it also examines the nature of the new building, asking how well it is designed to implement the guidelines laid down by the Majlis and what scope and flexibility it allows for future developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the major roles adopted by libraries is the long-term preservation of selected material within their collections. Traditionally, this role comprised identifying individual physical objects or collections based upon the library's own view of its role and the significance of items in its collections. With the rapid growth of digital materials there has been a blurring of the divide between museum, archive and library collections, with a growing concern amongst all cultural heritage sectors about the identification and ongoing preservation of digital objects. Due to the size and complexity of the issues and, in particular, the volume of digital material and costs involved in its long-term preservation, there has been a resurgence in the debate on identifying significance in materials and thus their priority in preservation programs. This debate has sparked widespread discussion in the museum, archives and recordkeeping professions which can inform the more recent concerns now being voiced within librarianship. This paper looks at the concept of significance within all of the 'memory institutions' and considers how the theory is shaped, how it has been put into practice and the applicability of such a notion to digital preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the International Evidence-Based Librarianship conference held in Brisbane between October 16-19, 2005. Nearly 200 participants attended the conference, from many countries around the world. The Great Britain, Canada, U.S., Australia and New Zealand were all represented, with a very stimulating mix of practitioners and researchers/academics. The focus was on developments in evidence: linking research with practice. A range of workshops and presentations throughout the event elicited much greater interaction and questioning than generally occurs in U.S. conferences. At the conference a \vide range of research projects in library and information science were reported and discussed. During the conference the emphasis was led on the point that libraries have a very active interest in understanding what their users needs are, what services they should be delivering and how they should be developing their services to better meet these needs. Workshops included case studies of generalised library activities and services to develop research questions which were not limited to the health sectors.

Findings from informetric research represent an important background resource to add to the mix of information useful for resolving difficult and ongoing problems in specific library environments or information service settings. This paper provides examples of informetric research that can be useful input to decision-making in the field of library management and information service provision. This overview takes four of the challenges that Michael Buckland outlined for library research as a way of guiding the discussion of ways that informetric work can be used to inform library decision-making.' References are made to relevant informetric work undertaken or conducted in Australia, by Australian researchers, or with Australian data. Informetrics includes both quantitative and qualitative methods, which when used in combination can provide a rounded set of findings that has great validity for management, policy and service applications. Quantitative methodologies are generally based on bibliometric techniques, such as mining and analysis of data from various bibliographic and textual databases. Qualitative methods include survey, case study and historical approaches. Used in combination, each set of findings adds richness and other perspectives to an analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the 2004 Council of Australian and New Zealand Academic Library (CAUL) statistics. The 2004 statistics include 48 entries, which cover 39 Australian and 8 New Zealand academic library systems and co-operative store. The data for the 2004 CAUL statistics was collected using the Input Module of the GAUL Statistics Online website. The collection procedures and publication details for the 2004 data are as recommended by the CAUL Statistics Focus Group and endorsed by CAUL. The entries in the main statistical tables for the Australian libraries have been arranged alphabetically within states, followed by the data for the New Zealand libraries. CAUL has engaged CAVAL Collaborative Solutions to collect and compile the statistics. Population data was supplied by the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training for all Commonwealth government funded higher education institutions in Australia. Eight rows of statistical information for both the Australian and New Zealand libraries have been added to the main tables. These rows show the total for all the Australian libraries and the total for all New Zealand libraries.

Australian librarians have participated in and contributed to international librarianship for over 125 years. Individual and collective practice is well regarded internationally since it is in dialogue with international concerns, is based on shared values and reaches high standards. Many are willing contributors to international initiatives, contributing on a broad front and sometimes leading discourse in new areas. The profession in Australia is characteristically open to models of practice, ideas and colleagues from elsewhere. It has been enlivened by practitioners from other countries and Australian professionals have contributed elsewhere, especially in Southeast and East Asia. The principal challenge is to maintain and build on these characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The former National Librarian of New Zealand reflects upon his 11 year collaboration with Warren Horton and the National Library of Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the issue of developing protocols strategy for the library and information sector for indigenous Australians. The 1995 Protocols were a key outcome of both indigenous and professional concern about the state of indigenous relationships with libraries, archives and information services. In Australia, these relationships became a point of professional focus throughout the 1990s. The concerns of indigenous people had been on the record for some time and they were amplified in the 1990s as the profession accelerated its activity in response. In brief, indigenous concerns included issues such as: historical exclusion from libraries; the offensive nature of much of the material about indigenous people in library collections and archives; subject headings that described indigenous peoples and cultures in ways that had little to do with how indigenous peoples described themselves, and which demeaned indigenous peoples and cultures; access issues for indigenous peoples and materials; and general indigenous service issues.

The article presents information on the Northern territory Library and Information Service (NTLIS) model for library services in indigenous communities in Australia, and explores some of the challenges in providing Indigenous Iibrary services in remote locations. It also discusses the database that is being made available to communities to enable them to organise, store and make accessible, digitised material related to their cultural heritage. The NTLIS is responsible for developing communities by providing access to appropriate library services for all Territorians. The NTLIS has four main goals to: develop communities through libraries, connect people to information, preserve Northern Territory documentary, cultural heritage, and help people learn. The Libraries and Knowledge Centres (LKC) unit within NTLIS provides support and training to public libraries, community libraries and school libraries across the Territory. In addition, the LKC Unit is directly responsible for providing library services at two joint-use (school and community) libraries at Taminmin and Nhulunbuy.

The article discusses some of the State library of Queensland's initiatives in relation to the development of library resources and services for Queensland's indigenous peoples. The indigenous knowledge centres represent, in a very real example, the two-way learning process between the State Library and Indigenous communities throughout Queensland. Recognising that indigenous peoples in Australia maintain a strong oral tradition, and working with the most remote communities in Queensland's Cape York and Torres Strait regions, the State Library has over the last two years established nine indigenous knowledge centres at different places. Two major challenges in ongoing sustainability of the indigenous knowledge centres are retention of trained staff, and access to and support for quality technology and communications. The State Library has also developed the Librarians in Communities pilot program which involves professional librarians working with local staff in the established indigenous knowledge centres.

The article discusses the importance and significance of indigenous knowledge and its intersection with the library information services (LIS) sector in Australia. Indigenous knowledge is commonly understood as traditional knowledge, although there is debate about whether the term indigenous knowledge should be used interchangeably with the term traditional knowledge or whether it is more accurately a subset of the traditional knowledge category. In Australia, a common misunderstanding is that this equates indigenous knowledge to past knowledge, when in fact indigenous people view their knowledge as continuing. Recent interest in indigenous knowledge across the globe, although linked to indigenous peoples' political and cultural reassertion, has primarily emerged from humanitarian and scientific activity. Documented indigenous knowledge forms part of the documentary heritage of the nation and in this capacity intersects with the library and information sector. It concludes by emphasizing the need for Indigenous involvement in the LIS sector and the importance of protocols to guide practice in this most complex of intersections.

In creating Australia's first prime ministerial library, a new cultural institution was developed which blends professional practice from the fields of librarianship, education, archives, journalism and museums. The John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library honours the contribution of wartime prime minister John Curtin, works towards the advancement of knowledge and the enrichment of culture, and provides a gateway for the community to learn about its past in order to build a better future. It aims to fulfil this purpose by developing a unique research collection and a varied outreach program for the educational sector and general community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on Warren Michael Horton, director general of the National Library of Australia commitment to help young librarians and his contribution to the Aurora Library Leadership Program. The contribution to the Festschrift is a lightly edited transcript of a short speech made at the celebration of Warren Horton's distinguished career held at and hosted by the National Library of Australia on 26 March 2004. Aurora is a Library Leadership Program modelled on the Library Leadership Institute at Snowbird and supported by the Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Horton demonstrated the value of working together and the camaraderie and fun involved in supporting each other. He proved that librarianship is a deeply personal as well as a professional commitment. Through Aurora, Horton made a major contribution in identifying and developing young librarianship in both Australia and New Zealand. Aurora was the last professional concern, Horton relinquished, just days before he died.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the contribution of the periodical in library information and research development, importance of professionalism among library personnels and changes in library science.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including resource library, information literacy, and cultural competence in information services.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including outsourcing across the library and information science (LIS) profession, cataloguing in Australian libraries, and digital storytelling.

The article reviews the periodical "Bibliotheks Magazin: Mitteilungen aus den Staatsbibliotheken in Berlin und München."

The article discusses the contribution of professor Warren Horton to Australian librarianship. The issue of "Australian Academic & Research Libraries" celebrates Warren Horton's long and exceptional contribution to Australian librarianship. Horton made an enduring contribution to three major Australian libraries, to the professional association, to Australia's place in the profession internationally, and to the lives of many of its members. Throughout his life Warren made many firm friends and a few just as resolute enemies, often challenging, frequently charming, sometimes difficult, Horton was impossible to ignore. Students were important to him, and he would do what he could to ensure their education was as complete and as relevant as possible. He was a big man, in every sense. Through the Aurora Leadership Foundation Horton commit to assist younger librarians. He accepted an invitation from the University of Canberra to become an adjunct professor. The University conferred upon him the honorary degree of doctor of the University on 28 July 2000.

A foreword to the "Australian Indigenous Knowledge and Library" is presented.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses issue article topics including the government initiative Excellence in Research for Australia's (ERA's) journal ranking process, the library and information science (LIS) job market, and changes at the University of New South Wales library.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue including one on the use of student library assistants as employees in some branches of Victoria University Library, one on foreign students' experiences of the university library and a student destination survey focusing on Library and Information Science (LIS) graduates.

A bibliography on the subject of academic and research libraries is presented which includes books "Digital Scholarship," edited by Marta Mestrovic Deyrup, "Googlization of LIbraries," edited by William Miller and Rita M. Pellen, and "Information Science in Transition," edited by Simon Eliot and Jonathan Rose.

The article discusses various published reports within the issue, including one by Michael Olsson that examines information seeking, one by Kerry Smith and Mike Middleton that explores the rankings used in a journal citation system and one by Sue Reynolds that examines the career of Australian Supreme Court Justice Redmond Barry.

A list of books received by the publication is presented which includes "Building Your Profile: The CILIP Guide," by Margaret Watson, "Emerging Technologies for Knowledge Resource Management," by M. Paul Pandian and C.R. Karisiddappa, and "The Teaching Library: Approaches to Assessing Information Literacy Instruction," edited by Scott Walker.

A list of books related to library science is presented including "The Academic Research Library in a Decade of Change," by Reg Carr, "Archives and the Digital Library," edited by W. E. Landis and R. L. Chandler, "Assessing Reference and User Services in a Digital Age," edited by E. Novotny and "Teaching with Technology: An Academic Librarian's Guide," edited by J. M. Williams and P. Goodwin.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one which investigates aspects of how the national and state libraries handle their digital collections and another which examines cataloging practices at the Sandhurst Mechanics Institute in the late nineteenth century.

The article presents information about the publications received by the journal "Australian Academic and Research Libraries." They include "Essential Dewey," by J.H. Bowman, "John Curtin: Guide to Archives of Australia's Prime Ministers," by D. Black and L. Wallace, "Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery and Information Supply," vol. 14, "Pioneers in Library and Information Science," edited by W.B. Rayward, and "Qualitative Research for the Information Professional: A Practical Handbook," 2nd ed., by G.E. Gorman and P. Clayton.