3 December 2003

UQ Campus Cybrary wins prestigious national award

The University of Queensland Ipswich Campus Cybrary is the inaugural winner of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Excellence Award.

The award recognises excellence in any area, field or aspect of practice in the library and information services sector. The Cybrary is a centre of excellence in the field of library building design and service delivery thanks to the drive, enthusiasm, determination and imagination of Cybrary manager Janine Schmidt - a former recipient of the ALIA Manager of the Year award - and her dedicated team.

Traditionally libraries have been seen as buildings filled with books. Now, with the availability of electronic forms of information, stored locally and accessed remotely, a new type of library - or 'cybrary' - is developing. The University of Queensland Cybrary is a gateway for clients located anywhere to access electronic resources any place, and any time. The 'cybrarian' is a navigator and guide, and the 'cybrary' is the window on the world of knowledge. Opened in 2003, the Ipswich Campus library reflects this contemporary view of libraries.

Teaching and learning facilities at the University of Queensland reflect the move to more student-centred learning and the new forms of educational interaction supported by information and communication technologies. A high-quality learning environment that provides real and virtual opportunities for students and staff to meet, exchange ideas and engage in the learning process is essential. A social environment that supports interactions beyond the classroom is of great benefit. All this has been achieved in the Ipswich Campus Cybrary, designed by Wilson Architects.

This dynamic building provides a range of study spaces to users, which provide a variety of ways to interact with information and people: group and individual study areas, casual seating, and seminar rooms all contribute to this dynamism. The Ipswich Campus Cybrary contains more than 180 computers, and 40 wireless laptops are also available for loan.

The Cybrary boasts one of the largest research collections in the country. The collection includes both print and virtual collections: books and journals, e-books and e-journals, CD-ROMs and networked databases, newspapers, feature films and documentaries. The Cybrary also supports multimedia production through a fully-equipped multimedia production facility for all students.

The University of Queensland Ipswich Campus Cybrary is a place which attracts and retains people: it welcomes rather than intimidates. The building has all the hallmarks of a place that has been designed as a result of research into best practice, not just in libraries but in service delivery, too.

The University of Queensland Ipswich Campus Cybrary, and the team responsible for the design and development of the facility, are worthy winners of the ALIA Excellence Award 2003.

ALIA is the professional association for the library and information sector. ALIA represents over 5500 personal members, 1000 institutional members and 10 million library users.

The Excellence Award presentation will take place at Brisbane City Hall (Brisbane room) from 5:00pm-7:00pm Thursday 4 December 2003.