BETTER ONLINE ACCESS TO LIBRARY RESOURCES
2 July 2004
98/04
Australians will have better access to library resources online under the Howard Government's response to a Senate committee inquiry, tabled today.
The inquiry into libraries in the online environment was undertaken by the Senate Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Reference Committee.
It covered a wide range of matters relating to libraries and online services. The main focus of the report was on the needs of public libraries and their users, the role of the National Library of Australia in online information and service delivery to Australians and the potential for the Australian Government to support that role.
The Government recognises the importance of libraries in the online environment and is committed to the delivery of online services.
The Government has already put in place a number of the inquiry's key recommendations, including:
- a major redevelopment of the National Library of Australia's Kinetica service - an Internet-based system that promotes greater cooperation between libraries and allows users to search for any item and locate which library in Australia holds it;
- funding of $540,000 to the University of New South Wales to redevelop the existing central metadata repository of the Australian Digital Theses Program, which improves the ability of researchers to search for digitised research papers; and
- the continuation of the Community Heritage Grants program.
While the Australian Government does not have direct responsibility for public libraries, it collaborates with relevant State and Territory and peak library groups on issues affecting the sector and encourages cooperative solutions.
The Government also directly supports the sector through the National Library of Australia, and programs administered by the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) and the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO).
The Government's response to the inquiry is available from the `Publication' link at www.dcita.gov.au.
