ARCoM SA Parliamentary Library Tour

A tour of the South Australian Parliamentary Library was ARCoM's first event for 2007. Held on Tuesday 17 April and attended by approximately seventeen people, the group enjoyed a look through a South Australian library rarely opened to the public.

Housed over four levels, the tour was conducted by Sally Dawson, the Parliament's Library Services Co-ordinator, and commenced in the members reading room. This quiet space accommodates the current newspapers and journals, as well as Hansard volumes and Parliamentary Papers. Next it was through to the main section of the library, with tall wooden book shelves, highly polished reading tables and large leather seats, this area encompasses the library's central resources and acts as an enquiry point for Parliamentary members and staff. From here the group was also able to view the library from the upper mezzanine level before moving down stairs.

The lower mezzanine level consisted of shelves and compactuses, providing storage for back dated newspapers and some of the library's rarer books. Whilst, the library does not have a huge amount of space, the number of compactuses indicates the large size of the Parliament's collection. Last of all, it was on to the ground floor level - a combination of shelving for newspapers and journals, and office space for the library and research staff. With plenty of opportunities taken to ask questions along the way, the tour concluded with Sally detailing the staffing structure and the need for both qualified library and research team members. Overall, this was an insightful and interesting tour which was appreciated by all who attended.

Karen Wilkins
ARCoM Committee

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