Better, more accessible, libraries for all in Australia: Progress and potential

• Published in: Australasian public libraries and information services 2012-09, Vol.25 (3), p.138-144
• Main Author: Bundy, Alan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic libraries; Collaboration; Colleges & universities; Forecasts and trends; Funding; Information literacy; Learning; Librarians; Libraries; Library associations; Lobbying; Management; Services; Social aspects; Student-centered learning; Technical education
• ISSN: 1030-5033; 1839-2466

Australia has four major library sectors, public, academic, school and special. All of those sectors have major strengths and rate well by world standards. Many new and redeveloped buildings have been constructed in them. The academic libraries have been strongly focused on the information/learning commons concept, electronic resources and information literacy education. Public libraries are now available to everyone in Australia, and are receiving increasing attention and new buildings as multidimensional centres for community learning capacity growing. School libraries have many new buildings and a strong focus on information literary education but they often now have inadequate teacher librarian and library technician staff and resources. School library needs were reviewed during 2011 by a committee of inquiry of the Australian federal parliament. Special libraries have experienced cutbacks and institutional changes and mergers but the sector continues to innovate and grow in areas such as law libraries. Australia has the benefit of a strong multisectoral professional library association based in the national capital Canberra, and which is helping all sectors to address areas such as the ageing and education of the profession, library education, professional development, and advocacy. Australia also unusually has a national association for Friends of Australian Libraries to focus citizen advocacy for stronger investment in public libraries in particular. A challenge for the Australian library sectors is to become better informed about the issues and many users they have in common, and to collaborate in practice and in advocacy for better, more accessible, libraries for all. Revised version of a paper commissioned by the French 'Bulletin des Biblioteques de France' and published in its number 6, 2011 pp59-63.