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Technology, new demands from consumers and changing social needs – all the uncontrollable, incredibly fast forces of modern Australia – mean that public libraries need to keep up to avoid going the way of the movie rental store, travel agents, catalogues or even the computer. Can ‘The Library’ be saved or do we need a reinvention that truly reflects their full value in 2015? This paper discusses how Australia's public libraries can continue their tradition of education and community development, retaining their relevance by embracing change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper is a selective review of recent publications, focused on the economic value of public and special libraries which are treated separately, since context and organisational objectives differ widely for different types of libraries. Those who wish to further explore this topic will find many studies into the social value of libraries which establish their general 'worth.' A good place to start is Roswitha Poll's examination of ways of assessing economic value, social value, and outcomes for literacy, information retrieval, and academic and professional success (Poll 2003). An extensive bibliography of earlier work is given in Fitch and Warner (1997). Promising methods of evaluating the economic benefits of libraries and expressing them in financial terms are at last emerging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From ‘the university for the common man’ to today's connected libraries, public libraries provide a wealth of information in a variety of forms. But the concept of the free public library offers much more than a conduit for the delivery of books and ebooks, journals and databases. It represents a bold statement in favour of opportunity for all, a statement famously taken up by Andrew Carnegie whose influence was worldwide. That boldness, not a hesitant ambivalence, must direct our planning for libraries. The 2014 celebration of the 75th anniversary of the passing of the New South Wales Library Act in 1939 reminded the sector of the importance of that landmark library legislation for Australia and of the strong network of public libraries enjoyed today. Those libraries are rapidly adapting to both the challengesandthe opportunities of the digital age as they create new public libraries for their communities. The new libraries embrace digital technologies and differ considerably in collections, services and use of space from earlier models, but they maintain the tradition of the free public library as a resource open to all. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has established international standards for website accessibility which attempt to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities to use materials published on the World Wide Web (Web). This article provides a summation of the research conducted into the accessibility of public library websites in Western Australia. A discussion is provided of the website audit methods used and results obtained. The research demonstrates the level of compliance with Australian and International standards as well as results of surveys used to determine the perceived willingness to comply with those standards, barriers to compliance and benefits of an accessible website. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to investigate current issues faced by public library staff in rural South Australia and to examine some of the reasons why people choose to work in rural libraries. The study took a mixed methods approach, combining interviews and questionnaires to gain a fuller understanding of the issues and experiences of rural librarians. The findings show that rural library staff in South Australia are a dedicated group of individuals who are motivated by personal interactions with their communities. Constraints imposed by distance, travelling times and geographic isolation concerned many staff - especially the difficulty of finding professional development opportunities, with travel to Adelaide for workshops the most commonly stated barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the effectiveness of public libraries in pursuing their mission, library executives and library champions must ensure that they keep libraries on the agenda of their communities and funding bodies. This calls for a multi-faceted approach involving professional education and training, the right mix of services, well-structured advocacy, cultivating partnerships with government and private sector bodies, and innovative and forward-looking programs. The right image and appropriate environments for users - the right 'platforms' - are also critical to delivering outcomes of substance, value and relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a reprint of the article "From the Record, For the Record" by John Metcalfe which originally appeared in the July 1951 volume one, number one issue of "The Australian Library Journal." The article discusses the history and development of a national library association in Australia, first formed in 1901 and originally entitled the Library Association of Australasia. According to the article, it received little support and was disbanded the following year until it was revived in 1928 as the Australian Library Association.

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses some articles published within the issue including "Who are Australia's information educators," "CityLibraries Townsville as a learning organisation within a local government framework" and "Tomorrow's green public library."