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The "Victorian Free Library Service Board Act" of 1946 was the culmination of a long campaign to replace the mechanics' institute model of library provision with free libraries funded by state and local government. Given that library reform required legislation by the state government, this paper is mainly concerned with the political campaign that led to the enactment of that legislation. The key players in the free library reform movement are identified as are the sorts of reforms they advocated. The paper also discusses impediments to reform, particularly the response of the Victorian government. (Contains 79 notes.)

Libraries across Australia are becoming increasingly involved in the development and implementation of family literacy programs, placing librarians at the centre of this initiative. "Better Beginnings" is a family literacy program developed by the State Library of Western Australian and delivered throughout the state. The program involves a partnership between public libraries, health professionals and local governments that has developed to support the delivery of early literacy resources and strategies to parents of young babies. Librarians play a major role in the delivery, implementation and sustainability of the program. This paper reports the findings from the longitudinal evaluation of "Better Beginnings" in four communities, across four years, in relation to the perspectives of librarians responsible for the program in their library. Librarians were interviewed about their role in the program and its effectiveness, the training they had received and the collaboration between the professionals involved in the program. The data revealed that over a period of four years librarians had developed an understanding of the purpose and importance of the program, which had led to a sense of ownership and commitment. This was supported by central coordination of the program and collaboration with child-health nurses. Over the four years, they had developed and increased library activities and created "family spaces" linked to "Better Beginnings." They felt the program was effective in promoting literacy in families with young children, but sought more strategies for engaging families that did not traditionally visit libraries or have access to libraries.

Discusses the public library's role as an information provider for local government, and presents the results of a survey of specific information needs of local government planners in Victoria. The extent to which their needs are being met is evaluated, and suggestions for improved information services and future research are made. (CLB)

Discusses the responsibility of local libraries to provide information services to local government and act as a contact point between the government and its community. The distinction between internal and external information sources is examined, and problems of information delivery resulting from a lack of inter-council cooperation are described. (CLB)

Preserving and providing access to local archives is one of the roles performed by public libraries in New South Wales. This role is not mandated, nor is it a stated priority for public libraries. Local government records are regulated by legislation, but what of the other records documenting the lives of rural and city communities? In many cases the library’s local studies collection becomes the default home of the archives of local community organisations and of individuals whose personal papers are acquired by libraries. In some cases, the library shares the role of maintaining local archives with historical societies, museums and universities. The result is a functioning example of distributed custody, where public libraries and other local institutions take responsibility for local archives. This paper is a case study that draws on two major surveys of local studies collections undertaken by the State Library of NSW, the first in 1984 and the second in 2013–2014. It concludes that public libraries have been critical for over 50 years in ensuring that local archives have been acquired and managed, despite there being no explicit regulatory or policy frameworks for doing so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a story that can at last be told – a local issue that became a national one. It is a story of a principle that became a civic right, one man's relentless opposition to the North Sydney library service (known as Stanton Library), political manoeuvres, a local government election and referendum and the efforts, sometimes open, sometimes covert, of a group of committed citizens and librarians to ensure that public libraries remained free. The committee formed to achieve this was set up in 1983, but the story begins long before that in 1935 with the Munn-Pitt report. This paper is based on a presentation given at the 11th Library History Forum held at the State Library of New South Wales on 18 and 19 November, 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public libraries do not fit Peter Senge's model of a learning organisation. They are not stand-alone organisations, but operate within the much larger local government system which can constrain their development as learning organisations. On a day-to-day basis, public libraries engage with their customers and respond to their needs by providing access to resources, programmes and services. But they do this within the bounds of local government systems and processes which set corporate goals, determine policies and procedures and provide budget allocations to support operations, and they are guided by public library standards which set out strategic directions and operational requirements for public libraries throughout the state. However, public libraries can be learning organisations if there is strategic alignment between library and local and state governments in a shared vision. CityLibraries Townsville has been fortunate, as Townsville City fosters learning and recognises and values creativity, innovation and collaboration as essential qualities of a successful organisation. Within CityLibraries Townsville, a learning organisation has developed that perceives change as an opportunity to learn and grow the library. This paper examines the extent to which Townsville City Council and CityLibraries Townsville have utilised the learning organisation framework as outlined by Peter Senge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]