The Australian Library Journal
volume 51 issue 1
John Levett
Returning to Ithaca to get on with the mission: defining value in terms of our contribution to our customers and our profession
Ian McCallum
Keynote speech delivered at An information odyssey ... a long and eventful journey. 11th ALIA National Library Technicians Conference Hobart 21-24 August 2001.
The author explores the conference theme An information odyssey ... a long and eventful journey within the context of Odysseus' wanderings, using them as a metaphor for the library profession returning to fundamental customer-centric issues. He presents recent information on library use, technology in libraries, the quantifiable value of library services, and participation in professional activities.
The key points are: the justification for professional behaviour is the value provided to customers, and the mark of professionalism is the support professionals provide for each other.
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Digital continuity: the role of the National Library of Australia
Pam Gatenby
My focus is the role of the National Library of Australia in ensuring significant Australian resources in online form are collected, archived and available for use in the long-term. I will also raise some issues that are of particular relevance to today's audience. The first stage in ensuring sustainable access to digital resources is to protect the resources from sudden loss by placing them in a safe place - a digital archive - where they can be stored, accessed and managed. It is this first stage that I will concentrate on. An equally important stage in ensuring on-going access is, of course, carrying out preservation.
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The future role of librarians in the virtual library environment
Liz Burke
The library environment at the beginning of the twenty-first century is unimaginably different to that of a century ago. The advent of computers and automation irrevocably changed the practice of librarianship. The arrival of the Internet and increasing developments in the World Wide Web have heralded further change. Patrons today are encouraged to be independent researchers, with open access collections and self-access services at their disposal. Some administrators view the emerging electronic environment as an opportunity to cut costs. Librarians could be excused for wondering if there is a role for them in the virtual library environment.
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Essential connections: school and public libraries for lifelong learning
Dr Alan Bundy
Stimulated by the 1996 UNESCO Delors report Learning: the treasure within, lifelong learning has become the educational policy icon of developed countries in the first part of the 21st century. Recognition is now needed that information literacy, not information technology, is the main requirement for an informed citizenry, lifelong learning and an information-enabled knowledge nation. Worldwide a renaissance of public libraries in response to these issues is occurring, of which teacher librarians need to be aware, and support locally and nationally. Public librarians also need to become more familiar with the pedagogical, information literacy and technological issues being addressed by teacher librarians, and support them similarly. Neither can achieve their full contribution to learning and society in isolation from each other. The individual and co-operative performance of school and public libraries during the formative childhood years of decision makers is critical to future investment in all Australian libraries.
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