Search

This paper describes the journey of one library to ensure its service continues to present online information in an innovative mode that provides a competitive option for successful searching. Based on information about user search behavior and the concept of information clustering, a new online product was developed. Designed and presented as a "smorgasbord" of focused topic clusters or subject guides, the product enables users to draw on the high-quality, curated content of the library's large research database without doing the work of searching and selecting. Topics were selected based on the sectoral expertise of the library team and the user interface built within the current content management system. A review of usage three years after release resulted in a refresh of the topic structure and significant reduction in maintenance effort. The overall journey has resulted in a new collection and a new approach, evolving both the skillset and the mindset of the professionals involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing availability and prominence of e-books has led to a perception in some quarters that the requirement for physical books is decreasing, as most, or all scholarly material is openly available in digital form. Some academic administrators and librarians have suggested that it may be possible or desirable to have a solely, or predominantly electronic academic library. This study tests that assumption by randomly selecting a sample of titles from a mid-size Australian academic library and searching for suitable electronic copies. The conclusion of the paper is that a maximum of 33% of titles held by the case study library are available as e-books, and on a practical basis about 26% of titles held by the case study library could be readily obtained as e-books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In September 2011, Flinders university library launched Findit@Flinders, the Primo discovery layer search to provide simultaneous results from the library's collections and subscription databases. This research project was an exploratory case study which aimed to show whether students were finding relevant information for their course learning and research. The library staff ran usability sessions and an online survey with students. These two methods identified the Primo elements participants were finding useful or not useful, and any problems they encountered. The results of the study provided mostly positive feedback and informed the library about aspects of Primo that could be modified to create a better user experience. The feedback has also been incorporated into student training plans to ensure the most useful approaches to Findit@Flinders are communicated to students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most Australian libraries with important collections of rare books, or special collections, have many of their treasures derived from 'legacy' collections, the accumulation of decades of collection building. This paper describes the collection development approach of a relatively young institution with a special interest in the history of house and garden design and interior furnishing. In doing so it outlines some of the ways in which the lens of special interest illuminates areas for collecting that have traditionally fallen outside the scope of larger general institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article undertakes a review of the literature related to shared print storage and national repositories from 1980-2013. There is a separate overview of the relevant Australian literature. The coverage includes both relevant journal literature and major reports. In the process the article traces the developments in the theory and practice of shared print storage as the rapid emergence of digital content and services became apparent. This includes the increasingly broad-scale that has emerged in the planning for future print storage. Note is also taken of the paucity of research based evidence, and the discrepancies between the literature representing the interests of professional bodies with supra-regional responsibilities and the (sometimes) lack of activity or engagement by managers of individual collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a pressing need for public libraries to create indexes and resources relating to their local area. They can no longer rely on historical societies or genealogy groups to produce pamphlets or local histories to be catalogued and put into their collections. They need to be proactive and instigate these projects, whether they do the work themselves or use volunteers. The resources produced then need to be accessible online via library websites, thus creating a virtual sense of place. Edited version of a paper presented at A sense of place: local studies in Australia and New Zealand conference Sydney 5-6 May 2011. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An initial investigation into the early dissemination of Scottish music in Australia considers Scottish immigration into Australia, the different paths of Scottish music dissemination in the early period and its effect on the Australian folklore scene. Manuscript music books and published music are examined for evidence of dissemination predominantly among the middle and upper classes while biographical and genealogical sources like passenger lists, diaries, letters, common-place books and field recordings will allow to build a picture of the oral tradition among 'ordinary folk'. Much of the material studied has only survived in libraries and archives though a few sources can also be found in historic houses. A general introduction will outline the types of schemes under which Scots emigrated to Australia, the different occupations of immigrants, and their influence on Australian political and public life. Furthermore the musical background of immigrants and their musical activities in Australia will be examined. This paper is intended to provide a first introduction into this hitherto little investigated subject and to identify areas for further research including case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a bibliographic review and current state of libraries for native people around the world. The compilation information resources focuses on Australia and New Zealand where library services are said to be best developed. It is stated that the materials included are books, periodical publications, working papers, Web sites, and electronic journals published between 1995 and the present. The article also provides an initial approach to the subject and presents the possibility of broadening the information through the literature provided. It also makes a comparison with Latin American situations and proposals and the replication of concrete examples.

Library collections are, increasingly, hybrids of print and digital materials. This paper considers whether library collection development policies, whose `golden age' in Australia was in the 1980s and 1990s, are still required for today's hybrid collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role that public library collection development policies play in guiding selectors and informing users has been promoted as a pillar of good professional practice. While these policies purport to open up the methods and the criteria used in selection so as to promote transparency and a sense of professional objectivity, how they actually are developed and put into practice has remained largely implicit in the research literature. This analysis revealed that policies tended to focus on local issues and remained heavily materials focused. How collections are developed to support user’s information needs and substantive issues associated with topicality are largely unarticulated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The accounting practices adopted by Australia's 36 public universities in accounting for their library collections -- including heritage and special collections -- are identified and analysed. The data is collected from a survey of these institutions' annual reports over the period 2007 to 2011 and the analysis is guided by theoretical perspectives drawn from new institutional sociology (NIS). Consistent with prior research by West and Carnegie (2010), accounting for university library collections is depicted as a chaotic field of practice. Inconsistent and idiosyncratic policies that compromise the overall reliability, comparability and usefulness of university financial reports are observed, along with instances of dramatic valuation adjustments. However, the beginnings of some amelioration of the chaos are also detected, as regulatory activity and a voluntary homogenisation of accounting policies begin to take effect. In particular, a general trend towards more conservative accounting practices is evident as universities perhaps seek to guard against accounting debacles -- most notably massive valuation write-downs -- of the kind that have been suffered by several institutions over the last decade. Assigning financial values to the library collections and other non-financial resources of not-for-profit public institutions remains a problematic issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers suggestions for libraries seeking to develop a foreign language fiction collection with limited funds. Particular focus is given to the efforts of the Tasmanian Polytechnic Launceston Campus Library developed such a collection through grants and donations. Reasons for developing foreign language fiction collections, the population of Tasmanian Polytechnic for whom English is not their first language, and the process of requesting donations are examined. Benefits of the project are also discussed.