Australian Library History Forum 2016 Address at State Library of Queensland, Brisbane on the 7 July 2016

1. Collaborative
activities in
Australian
research
libraries
JANINE SCHMIDT FALIA AM
TOM COCHRANE FALIA AM
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4. Overview
Australian research libraries
Impetus for collaboration
Collaborative developments
 International
 Regional/national/similar institutional
Australia
 Regional/national/similar institutional
Collaborative mechanisms in
Australia
Case studies
Factors affecting success
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5. Australian research libraries
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6. Australian research libraries
 University Libraries
 National and State Libraries
 CSIRO
 Special Libraries
 GLAM sector – Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums
 New Zealand?
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7. Impetus for collaboration – everywhere,
but Australia in particular
 Scant resources, lack of funding, maximise what is available
 Long-accepted tradition that working together achieves more than working separately,
overcoming distances and late library development
 Collection sharing - effective interlibrary lending scheme dependent on easy location of items
(NLA’s NUCOM and CSIRO’s Scientific Serials in Australian Libraries 1959+). Notion of Distributed
National Collection (DNC)
 Automation – sharing of systems; internet growth and network sharing e.g. AARNET (1989+)
 Sharing of cataloguing
 Management of heritage collections
 Specific issues e.g. Copyright, open access
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8. International developments
 Roles of national libraries throughout the world
 Impact of LC and collaborative cataloguing
 Growth of professional associations e.g. CILIP (formerly LA 1877+ and IIS 1958+)
 Research library groups in the U.K. and North America
SCONUL – Society of College, National and University Libraries (1950+ Standing Conference
of National and University Libraries )
RLUK – 34 research libraries in UK and Ireland. (Research Libraries UK, established as CURL
1983+ ) We believe there is so much more that we can do together to shape collections and
services in support of academic excellence
 ARL – Association of Research Libraries. 124 libraries in U.S. and Canada. (1932+)
Statistics and assessment, Leadership, Diversity, Sponsorship of CNI, LCA (Copyright) SPARC
 ACRL (Association of College & Research Libraries) (1890+ College and Reference Library
Section, 1938+ ACRL)
 National and regional groupings
 Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL)
 Joint University Librarians Advisory Committee (JULAC) Discuss, coordinate, and collaborate on library
information resources and services among the libraries of the eight tertiary education institutions funded by the
University Grants Committee of the Hong Kong SAR Government
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9. International developments
 National and regional consortia for purchasing resources
 OhioNET (1977+ ) 300 members.
 Explore opportunities for pooling resources, sharing skills, and creating collaborations
to help all libraries become indispensable resources for their communities
 U.K. Janet (network) (1984+) Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)(1993+)
UK higher, further education and skills sectors’ not-for-profit organisation for digital
services and solutions. Shared digital infrastructure and services. Sector-wide deals.
Advice and practical assistance.
 JISC Collections library consortium. Purchase of licenses (NESLi)
 Copac Search c.90 UK and Irish academic, national & specialist library catalogues
 SHERPA
 Eduroam
 UKSG.(1988 +) Our mission is to connect the knowledge community and
encourage the exchange of ideas on scholarly communication. We are the only
organisation spanning the wide range of interests and activities across the
scholarly information community of librarians, publishers, intermediaries and
technology vendors.
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10. International developments
 OCLC 1967+ non-profit member-driven library community - 16,000+
100+ countries
 OCLC members make a collective impact, worldwide. OCLC is a global
library cooperative that provides shared technology services, original
research and community programs for its membership and the library
community at large. We are librarians, technologists, researchers,
pioneers, leaders and learners. With thousands of library members in
more than 100 countries, we come together as OCLC to make
information more accessible and more useful. When we come together
as a network, we can address shared challenges at scale. We have
greater impact when we work together to champion libraries and
increase their visibility.
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11. International developments
 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) (1927 + )
 Groups of like-institutions
 International Association of (Technological) University Libraries (IATUL) 1955 +
 international forum for the exchange of ideas relevant to librarianship in technological universities throughout the world.
 International Alliance of Research Library Associations (2016 +)
 ARL Association of Research Libraries (US and Canada); CARL Canadian Association of Research
Libraries/Association des Bibliothèques de Recherche du Canada; CAUL Council of Australian
University Librarians; LIBER Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche/Association of
European Research Libraries; RLUK Research Libraries UK. Strategic, collaborative approaches to the
rapidly changing landscape of research libraries and that of the publishing and scholarly
communications environment.
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12. Collaborative mechanisms in
Australia
National groups e.g. Australian Library Promotion Council, AACOBS/ALIC/ACLIS, CASL/NSLA, CAUL
Regional groups e.g. UNILINC (CLANN), VALA, QULOC, WAGUL, CAVAL
Forums for discussion (e.g. Australian Libraries Summit 1988, Towards Federation 2001)
Role of ALIA (Australian Institute of Librarians 1937+ Library Association of Australia 1949+
Australian Library and Information Association 1989+)
 Education and training of librarians
 Sharing of ideas – conferences etc.
 Institutional membership
 Role of large libraries
 State Library of New South Wales (Australian Subscription Library 1826+); State Library of Victoria (Melbourne
Public Library 1854+)
National Library of Australia
Growth of university libraries
ABN – Libraries Australia
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13. Council of Australian University Librarians
(CAUL)
 1928 First meeting of Australian university librarians
 1965 Formation of the Committee of Australian University Librarians
 ensure a common voice and representation for all university libraries, provide a forum for discussion, and promote
common interests
 CAUL's strategic directions emphasise collaborative activities which will contribute to the achievement of key
objectives including
Optimising student learning outcomes
Maximising the potential of libraries to contribute to graduate attributes;
Maximising the information resources available to researchers, and the facilitation of their access;
Promoting continuous improvement in university libraries, and
Advocating effective policies and an appropriate legal and regulatory environment.
 Reciprocal borrowing - ULANZ (University Libraries of Australia and New Zealand)(ULA 2001-2012, ULANZ
2013+) 42 million books available to 1.4m ANZ university students
 Consortial purchases. CEIRC (CAUL Electronic Information Resources Consortium) (1998+ replacing AVCC
SCIR 1994-7). Agreements for 239 database products with a range of 89 Australian and international
publishers and information providers
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14. National Library of Australia
 Commonwealth Parliamentary Library 1901+
 Commonwealth National Library 1923+
 Australian National Bibliography (ANB), National Union
Catalogue of Monographs (NUCOM)
 Libraries Australia
1981. Australian Bibliographic Network (ABN) Australian
National Bibliographic Database (ANBD)
The National Library of Australia, Canberra Public Library Services, University
of Adelaide, University of New South Wales, State Library of South Australia,
Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department
 Kinetica
 Libraries Australia
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The Library’s role…is to ensure that documentary
resources … are collected, preserved and made
accessible either through the Library or through
collaborative arrangements with other libraries
and information providers. By…cooperating with
others … we support learning and creative and
intellectual endeavour and contribute to the
vitality of Australian culture and heritage.

15. Regional and specialist Australian
collaborative developments
 State schemes – varying directions and strengths
 QULOC (Queensland University Libraries Office of Cooperation) (1991+ )
 WAGUL (Western Australian Group of University Librarians) (1992+)
 CAVAL Ltd. (1978 +)
 BONUS+ 15 libraries using Innovative system in Australia and New Zealand

 LATN (Libraries of the Australian Technological University Network + Auckland University of
Technology); Group of 8 libraries
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16. Australian Advisory Council on
Bibliographical Services (AACOBS)
 1956+ Plan coordination of bibliographical services in Australia, working with
international agencies (from 1950 Conference on the Improvement of
Bibliographic services held by the National and State Libraries), and encourage
library cooperation
 National Library, State Libraries, CSIRO, and later university libraries and
further expansion
 Sponsored reports: Tauber. Resources of Australian libraries (1963)
 1981. Subscription model and independence from large libraries.
 Combined with Australian Libraries and Information Council (ALIC) in 1986 to
form Australian Council of Libraries and Information Services (ACLIS).
Discontinued 1998.
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17. Australian Council of
Libraries and Information
Services
 Established in 1986 from amalgamation of AACOBS and
ALIC
 Australian Libraries and Information Council formed in 1982
 Appointees of Federal and State governments
 Formulate and develop library services at federal, state and
local government levels
 Sponsored publications and meetings
 Australian Libraries Summit 1988
 National Interlending and Document Delivery Summit 1995
 Selected readings : quality assurance, benchmarking, best
practice, competitive tendering, outsourcing. 1997
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ACLIS is the national organisation
working to achieve effective
access to information for all
Australians through cooperative
action among libraries and
information services in all sectors

18. ACLIS née AACOBS – a case study
 From the perspective of Chair
 Australian conditions underpinned particular form of collaboration
 Relatively strong cross-sectoral
 Compensated for demographic, geographic and to some extent fiscal disadvantage
 Interlibrary loan system and framework provide prime example of Australian needs and solutions
 Australia strongly connected to trends and thinking about library development in the northern
hemisphere, with some sophisticated local thinking
 Industry association which both strengthened and weakened its approach to collaboration and
cross-sector operations
Demise
Legacy
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19. ABN and Libraries Australia – a case
study
 ABN 1981+ Australian Bibliographic Network (ABN), Australian
National Bibliographic Database, ABN Network Committee; 1999+
Kinetica; 2005+ Libraries Australia
Technology held much promise and Australian approaches
were precocious because the technology could transform so
much which was peculiarly Australian
 ABN was an example of a collaborative approach to resource
management, housed by the NLA
 Strengths
 Weaknesses (differences in speed of innovation, NZ
collaborative initiative).
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Monika Szunejko Building our Australian cloud
https://www.nla.gov.au/our-publications/staff-
papers/building-our-australian-cloud

20. The open access era – new
collaborations
 International perspective
 Collaboration has new and urgent meaning in context of national and global thinking
 Infrastructure and technology
 Much wider range of participants and expertise
 Australian opportunities in the age of the net
 Knowledge Unlatched
 Open institutional repositories - OpenDOAR
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21. Factors affecting success
Policy
Similar goals; make it easy
Philosophy
Shared values; goodwill; generosity; no silos; whole is
greater than sum of parts
Politics
Independent/group living
Planning
Sustainable; long-term
Power of personality
Solos? Choirs? Leadership
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