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Response by the Australian Library and information Association ALIA response to federal government changes to access to government publications announced in the 2003 Federal Budget17 June 2003
Senator the Hon Richard Alston Dear Senator Alston I am writing on behalf of our members to follow up on the announcement in the 2003 Federal Budget that a new business model for the distribution of Commonwealth publications will be introduced. Your media release states that this will provide improvements for customers in accessing government publications and will build on existing distribution methods used by individual agencies. Welcome initiatives are the establishment through the National Office for the Information Economy (NOIE) of a panel of contractors for the printing and distribution of agency publications; the development of a central, searchable register that identifies how to access each government publication; and NOIE to continue to provide guidelines to agencies on their electronic publishing obligations and to support the Library Deposit and Free Issues Schemes. The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) is the national professional association for the library and information sector. It represents 6 000 personal and institutional members and over 10 million library and information services users. I would like to raise for your consideration some issues associated with the new business model that will impact on access to government publications by the general public and through library and information services. These issues have been identified by our expert group on government publications, and include input from members managing library and information services in both major cities and regional locations. Online deliveryYour media release acknowledges that tracking down a particular current government publication can be difficult without some understanding of government structures. Even for those who have access to the Internet, finding government publications within agency websites can be a hit or miss affair. The development of the electronic register of Government publications by NOIE as a response to this problem is welcome. This new strategy clearly heralds the Commonwealth Government's low priority for hard copy publications with its focus on online delivery mechanisms. PDF is a usable format but it shifts inappropriate and excessive printing costs to readers. Who would want the inconvenience of printing all the Budget Papers, the Customs Act or the Final Report of the Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry (22 volumes)! The option to purchase hard copy publications at reasonable costs to the purchaser should be retained. NOIE may well be evaluating how new printing and delivery methods such as those explored through the C-2-C project could be applied to government publications and the Association would encourage this so that print copies remain a viable option. Public librarians in particular work with many library users who do not have ready access to information in electronic form, or an understanding of how to access government publications without their professional assistance. It should not be assumed in this new business model that electronic paths to government information are widely available within the community or that those seeking this information are sufficiently information and computer literate to utilize these electronic paths. Library DepositALIA welcome's the advice that NOIE will continue to support the Library Deposit and Free Issues Schemes, through which copies of government publications are distributed to the National Library of Australia, State and Territory libraries and most university libraries. This distribution of government information through selected libraries contributes to making government information accessible. However as the Library Deposit and Free Issues Schemes do not extend to public or community libraries some citizens will still have difficulty in accessing government information if the government bookshops are closed and so the business model needs to address public interest concerns in its delivery and distribution methods. The provision of guidelines and support of the Library Deposit and Free Issues Schemes through NOIE provides an opportunity for the government to clearly state to deposit libraries the principles of the Commonwealth Library Deposit Scheme. An opportunity is also provided for a deposit library representative to participate in the process of preparing a Ministerial directive to Commonwealth agencies which identifies the agencies that will deposit publications, clarifies what is to be deposited with which libraries and sets out the role of Commonwealth agencies in archiving electronic publications. There is also an opportunity for deposit library representation on any advisory body to inform the process for using independent contractors for publishing and distribution. Government bookshopsYour media release advises that the government bookshop network will close in October 2003 because of declining sales due to preferred means of distribution and increased Internet access to government publications. Hard copy agency publications now available from government bookshops will be made available in the future through other delivery mechanisms ie. online, mail order, telephone sales or through other retail/specialist bookshops. The Government bookshops have provided a central point for the purchase of these publications by libraries and the public. The publications include agency or departmental reports and serials, Parliamentary Papers, bills, legislation sets and single copies of legislation, explanatory memoranda and Budget papers. Some examples of agency publications that have been usefully distributed through the bookshops are the publications of the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) and CSIRO. Government bookshops have provided a useful, timely and efficient service to libraries, businesses and the general public for the supply of hard copy government publications and for locating government publications. It is anticipated that following closure of the bookshops the identification and purchase of government publications by some libraries and the general public will be less efficient without this central point and by the use of the other specified delivery mechanisms. Government bookshops provide opportunities for browsing and current awareness about new government publications. To compensate for the loss of this opportunity for customers the Association suggests that the electronic register of government publications to be developed by NOIE include a current listing eg. weekly or monthly, of new items added to the database. This current listing should be distributed on a regular basis to subscribers and available through government information and service points. The use of other retail/specialist bookshops is not necessarily an alternative to government bookshops in providing access to hard copy government publications, especially in regional or remote areas of Australia where there is a small range of bookshops. Other retail bookshops that mainly stock a range of popular material could not be expected to provide specialist advice on government material. ConclusionOur aim is to ensure the best possible access to government publications by all and maximize the role the library and information services sector can play in assisting the Government to achieve this. The following suggestions discussed above are offered for consideration:
I would be happy to provide any further information and discuss these issues. Yours sincerely
Jennefer Nicholson
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