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REPORT ON OPERATIONS |
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OUTPUT 1.4—AUSTRALIAN LIBRARY NETWORK SERVICESOutput DescriptionsCollaborative projects and services, leading to improved national access to documentary resources, are delivered to the Australian library community. Performance—Outputs
* June 2002 figures. Surveys are now conducted biennially. Effectiveness
* No comparative data is available; 2002–03 is the first year of data collection for this category. Comments on Performance—EffectivenessThe targets for use of resource-sharing services by research libraries continues to be met. QualityComments on Performance—QualityResource-sharing services exceeded the performance quality measure with 99 per cent of services being delivered within set standards and specific timeframes.
QuantityComments on Performance—QuantityThe number of searches and/or user sessions this year was 7 420 675. This figure is 474 675 searches (5 per cent) above that achieved in 2001–02 even though the target for this year was less than that of the previous year because of a change in the method for measuring Web services use. The increase in search activity was recorded on all resource-sharing databases offered by the Library, with particularly strong growth in use of PictureAustralia, the Australian Libraries Gateway and the Australian Interlibrary Resource Sharing Directory. Public libraries increased their use of Kinetica by 20 per cent.
Price
Key Issues and DevelopmentsFuture commitment to support of resource sharing among Australian librariesThe Library has traditionally provided a range of services, such as the National Bibliographic Database (NBD) offered through the Kinetica service, that underpin the sharing of resources among libraries in Australia. This year, in consultation with the library community, the Library reviewed the future need for the NBD. Australian libraries reaffirmed the essential need for the NBD as the major tool to facilitate library resource sharing. Accepting the need to continue to offer a cost-effective NBD service, the Library commenced a review of technology options for supporting future NBD services. Interlibrary lending and document supplyThe Library hosted a National Resource-Sharing Forum and Field Day in November. The forum canvassed a wide range of issues relating to interlibrary lending services and new models of resource sharing. The outcomes of the forum included recognition among Australian libraries of the need to improve the efficiency of interlending operations; the growing awareness of the benefits of sharing library resources among libraries; and the need to test new ways in which the Australian public can more easily obtain information resources through libraries. KineticaThe Library negotiated an extension of its contract with IBM GSA for provision of hardware and software to support the operation of Kinetica until December 2005. Collaborating with Australian public librariesAustralian public libraries increased their participation in resource sharing through the Kinetica service to find records and material for their customers. All public libraries in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria are now Kinetica customers. Public libraries increased their use of Kinetica by 20 per cent. A pilot Public Library Portal Project was commenced which aims to provide integrated access to a range of Australian information resources, including many of the National Library’s resource sharing services. The portal development is targeted at public library users and the Brisbane City Council Library, Yarra Plenty Regional Library Service, Thuringowa Library Service (QLD), Southern Tablelands Regional Library Service and the Northern Regional Library Service (Moree) are partners in this initiative. The pilot program will be undertaken for a period of 12 months. PictureAustraliaThe PictureAustralia service continues to grow, now providing online access to over 640 000 images relating to Australia. PictureAustralia users can now search the collections of 27 organisations simultaneously on one website. This year, the following organisations joined PictureAustralia: Brisbane City Council, James Cook University, State Library of Queensland, Thuringowa Public Library, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, University of Melbourne, Australian National Maritime Museum, Deakin University and the Powerhouse Museum. An average of 46 000 user sessions are being undertaken on PictureAustralia each month and use has grown by 48 per cent since last year. PictureAustralia has implemented a new search interface enabling more customers to use the service simultaneously with a faster response time. In addition the adoption of the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) protocol has improved efficiency in the way the Library now retrieves information for the PictureAustralia database.
His Excellency, the Governor of Western Australia, Lieutenant-General John Sanderson and Mrs Sanderson with the Deputy-Chairman of the National Library of Australia Council, Professor Alan Robson (left), at a National Library cocktail party held at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, University of Western Australia, on 4 March 2003. Photograph by Am Pix Photography
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