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Submission to the 2007 Discussion Paper on the Extension of Legal Deposit18 January 2008
Attention: The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) welcomes the review of the extension of legal deposit and the opportunity to present this submission. ALIA is the professional organisation for the Australian library and information services sector. It seeks to empower the profession in the development, promotion and delivery of quality library and information services to the nation, through leadership, advocacy and mutual support. http://www.alia.org.au ALIA has among its key objectives, 'Promotion of the free flow of information and ideas through open access to recorded knowledge, information, and creative works' and 'Preservation of the human record'. It supports partnerships to advance these objectives. The outcomes of this review are therefore of particular significance to ALIA and the organisations it supports. If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me at Sue.Hutley@alia.org.au.nospam (please remove '.nospam' from address) or by telephone 02 6215 8215 Sue HutleyALIA Executive Director Australian Library and Information Association Introduction ALIA welcomes the review of the extension of legal deposit and the opportunity to present this submission. ALIA has among its key objectives, 'Promotion of the free flow of information and ideas through open access to recorded knowledge, information, and creative works' and 'Preservation of the human record'. It supports partnerships to advance these objectives. The outcomes of this review are therefore of particular significance to ALIA and the organisations it supports. The incredibly rapid growth in the delivery of information in electronic formats has left organisations responsible for the preservation of, and access to this information unable to adequately meet their obligations, in part because of the complexity of technological, economic and organisational requirements, but also because the existing deposit legislation is not designed for, or adequate to deal with this new digital environment. Significant information that is on the web today may not be there tomorrow. Government publications that were made available in print through Library deposit programs appear and disappear on the web on a daily basis. The National Library is attempting to archive 'culturally significant' websites with its 'PANDORA' project, but its ability to do this is hampered by existing legislation. The requirement to obtain permission from publishers before harvesting websites severely limits the amount of material that is preserved. There is no requirement that producers of films or musical recordings deposit copies with the National Film and Sound Archive and despite the dedicated work of those in the Archive much material is probably lost. The issues are complex, but there is an urgent need for Legislation to support the work being done by various agencies including the National Library and the National Film and Sound Archive to archive, preserve and provide access to our cultural heritage for future generations. Click here to view the Submission [ pdf 136KB ]
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