June 2004

In this aliaPUBNEWS broadcast:

Policy and advocacy
Government response to the 'Libraries in the online environment' report; 2004 Library and Information Week Forum; Internet child sex offences bill; Broadband services to regional Australia; Microsoft Unlimited Potential program; AskNow to be maintained as a permanent service

States and territories
Kinetica cataloguing workflows workshops

Policy and advocacy

Government response to the 'Libraries in the online environment' report
The federal government released its response to the report of the Senate inquiry into the role of libraries in the online environment on 2 July 2004. Predictably, the response maintains the status quo of federal government policies and programs. ALIA will continue to further key issues for the sector as outlined in ALIA's response to the report and recommendations of the Senate inquiry.
http://alia.org.au/advocacy/inquiries/detail.php?ID=19

2004 Library and Information Week Forum
The report of the 2004 LIW Forum 'Down and loaded: the right information at the right time' is now available. The forum, hosted by ALIA, brought together representatives from the library and information services sector, Australian government, Telstra, local government, and community networking research to develop a collaborative framework to advance electronic networking initiatives and to enhance public access to electronic resources and services through libraries. As an outcome of the forum, a framework is to be developed recommending that the National Broadband Strategy should expand its focus to include sectors such as library and information services which have infrastructures in place and a strong role in service delivery.
http://alia.org.au/advocacy/alw/2004/liw.forum.2004.html

Internet child sex offences bill
The federal government has introduced legislation in the Senate targeting sex crimes against children perpetrated via the internet. The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Telecommunications Offences and Other Measures) Bill 2004 will make use of the internet to access, transmit or make available child pornography punishable by ten years jail. The new offences targeting child sex abuse are part of a package of new and revised telecommunications-related offences that address a range of issues that have arisen in today's telecommunications environment. ALIA is currently studying the Bill for any implications for library and information services.

Broadband services to regional Australia
The federal government has announced the first two internet service providers approved under the government's Higher Bandwidth Incentive Scheme (HiBIS). Broadcast Engineering Services, trading as e-wire, offers cable broadband services to greenfield land developments in regions around Perth. Regional Broadband Services (RBBS), with HiBIS assistance will supply high speed, two-way broadband internet services through a Direct to Home Satellite Service to people living in regional, rural and remote Australia.
http://www.telinfo.gov.au

Microsoft Unlimited Potential program
On 28 June, the prime minister and Bill Gates launched a program that will see five Australian charities share in $40million over five years. Microsoft will work with five partners - the Smith Family, Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association, WorkVentures, Inspire Foundation and Yarnteen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Corporation - to build a network of community technology learning centres around Australia. For a transcript of the Prime Minister's address:
http://www.pm.gov.au/news/speeches/speech949.html

AskNow to be maintained as a permanent service
The collaborative virtual reference service, AskNow: Online Answers Australia-Wide, which began as a pilot in August 2002, is to be maintained as a permanent service. AskNow is managed by the CASL Reference Issues Working Group and operated by the nine national, state and territory libraries. Selected public libraries, the National Library of New Zealand and the National Library Board of Singapore have also participated. By December 2003, AskNow had received over 45 000 enquiries. The AskNow pilot demonstrated that people are very willing to use virtual reference services. For a summary of the evaluation of the AskNow pilot, see the article by Bet Drakoulis, 'AskNow - from pilot to permanent service', Gateways No. 69, June 2004.
http://www.nla.gov.au/ntwkpubs/gw/69/html/07AskNow.html

States and territories

Kinetica cataloguing workflows workshops
Kinetica have scheduled a program of Cataloguing Workflows Workshops in all states and territories over May to August 2004. The workshops will be a forum for cataloguing managers and practitioners to engage in discussion about establishing and maintaining efficient cataloguing workflows, and to share with others in the group the benefits of their expertise and experience.
http://www.nla.gov.au/kinetica/cataloguing/kcww.html

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