Library Acqursctions: Pracfice & Theory, Vol. 17, pp 311-317, 1993 Prmted in the USA. All nghts reserved.

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PAPERS FROM CHINA

RESOURCE SHARING AMONG AUSTRALIAN LIBRARIES

A Distributed National Collection

MARGARET HENTY

National Library of Australia

Canberra ACT 2600

Australia

Abstract -Resource sharing among Australian libraries is longstanding and takes a number of forms including interlending, the sharing of bibliographic informa- tion through the Australian Bibliographic Network, shared storage facilities, and reciprocal borrowing schemes. Most recently, the Australian library community has elected to define and more formally develop the concept of a distributed national collection. Further development of the concept will involve five elements: bibliographic control, collections, access, preservation, and national coordination. Infrastructure needs include a national conspectus, national access to holdings information, an effective interlending system, and creation of a national preser- vation office.

Resource sharing is a popular topic in libraries around the world. The concept is frequently discussed and is generally regarded as desirable. The practical implications, however, are more difficult to define, and approaches to resource sharing tend to be piecemeal, involving only a few libraries, perhaps with differing levels of commitment and expectation.

Libraries in Australia have also sought to share resources, both as a means of improving services and of saving money. Australians enjoy the services of some 13,000 libraries which vary widely in size and quality [l]. The largest group of libraries, over 10,000 of them, are to be found in primary and secondary schools. There are some 1400 public libraries serving over six million registered users and over 1000 special libraries, which serve government depart- ments, large and small business enterprises and other specialist user groups. The largest librar- ies, however, are of two types; the libraries of higher education institutions on the one hand, and the National Library and six state libraries on the other. These last two groups are esti- mated to hold over 40 million volumes in total. The two largest collections in the country are held by the National Library of Australia, with over four million items, and the Library of the University of Sydney with about three million.

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312 M. HENTY

There are many examples of cooperation between libraries throughout Australia. Perhaps the most notable is the existence of an interlending scheme that enables libraries and infor- mation services to obtain books, films, and other items on loan, or to receive photocopies of journal articles (in accordance with copyright regulations). While there is an agreed scale of charges, there are some groups of libraries - usually those within a particular region or with a common interest-that do not charge each other. An interlending scheme can exist only where the location of wanted items is known. The most commonly used location tool in Aus- tralia is the National Bibliographic Database, accessible through the Australian Bibliographic Network, which was set up in 1981 by the National Library of Australia. This electronic net- work, originally developed as a means of sharing machine readable catalog records, now holds some eight million catalog records and 14 million holdings records from over 400 libraries throughout the nation.

Other ongoing cooperative ventures that have facilitated resource sharing have included the use of shared automated library management systems, such as that of the CLANN (now UNILINC) network in New South Wales. More recently there have been proposals to intro- duce common front-end packages to the online catalogs of groups of libraries to enable search- ing from one library of the holdings of another, with appropriate interlending facilities to ensure document delivery. The introduction of AARNet, The Australian Academic Research Network, has the potential to improve access to electronic bibliographic and other databases for Australian higher education libraries, but so far there is no mechanism for such a bene- fit to be shared by other library sectors.

A rather different approach to resource sharing has been the building of shared storage facilities for less used materials. One such store is already in use and houses materials from two universities in Adelaide. There are proposals to proceed with two more joint stores, one in Melbourne and one in Sydney. These will benefit higher education libraries primarily, but may see the participation of state libraries as well. Another form of resource sharing can be seen in the development of reciprocal borrowing schemes, which enable students of one uni- versity to borrow from the libraries of other institutions. Such schemes are becoming more common for postgraduate students and for academic staff of universities, but are not wide- spread for undergraduates or other user groups.

Cooperative collection develop has been tried in a number of instances, with varying results. In Sydney and Melbourne individual public libraries have specialized in collecting in agreed subjects, so that users with specific interests could be referred to the corresponding library. The major academic and research libraries have had for some years a system of consultation, whereby intention to purchase expensive items has been notified to other libraries with a view to minimizing duplication. More recently there has been a proposal to purchase major bibli- ographic databases to be held on a single computer in Australia and made accessible to sub- scribing libraries via AARNet .

As can be seen from the above, library cooperation is alive and well in Australia. The inter- dependence of libraries is widely recognized, and the combined collections of Australian librar- ies are seen as being for the benefit of all. There is no single library with a responsibility for document supply, such as that of the British Library Document Supply Centre, and this nat- urally increases the level of interdependence. Other factors which are encouraging libraries to think more in cooperative terms include:

l in the of material in of formats, so that no library to

l in the of library

Resource Sharing among Australian Libraries 313

l increased demand on library services as a result of changing educational patterns in a greater emphasis on

l to library to improved to the of information

l of Australian is deteriorating, to the of acid-based

At the in funding to the

in which

of the of the in stating

of a national collectton be accepted: a. aggregation of all m Australia whether in or private b. comprehensive in relation to Australia c. selective in relation to the of the as present d. adequately

of the to if the is be developed

1. Collections: while there is considerable scope for collaborative collection development, this can occur only if existing strengths and collecting intentions are known. The key to such knowledge is seen as being the development of a national Conspectus database- discussed below in more detail-which will indicate the strengths and weaknesses of the national collection, at which point it may be possible to develop further the notion of national collecting responsibilities to be undertaken by appropriate libraries. Even with- out the assignment of collecting responsibilities, a knowledge of what other libraries are doing should, in itself, lead to less duplication of collecting and a maximizing of indi- vidual titles available in the country.

2. Bibliographic control: the linking of libraries through the Australian Bibliographic Net- work (ABN) has enabled the development of a National Bibliographic Database (NBD) of holdings of individual titles, to which libraries can refer when seeking to borrow mate- rials for users. At present the database is incomplete but nevertheless growing. The national collection would be strengthened if items of national or regional significance were recorded on the database as soon as possible after ordering.

3. Preservation: there is a need for a nationally coordinated approach to the preservation of the Australian documentary record and to those non-Australian materials to which future access should be assured. The Conspectus database will, to some extent, indicate intent to retain collections, and this should lead to less duplication of retention and pre- servation effort. The formation of a National Preservation Office within the National Library in July 1992 provided a coordinating mechanism for preservation policy through- out Australia.

314 M. HENTY

4. Access: the key to the Distributed National Collection is access. Library lending poli- cies need therefore to be known and to be as liberal as local needs will permit. Delivery systems of both original items and copies need to be prompt and efficient.

5. National coordination: it is desirable that some libraries undertake to develop parts of their collections in the national interest, and not simply in response to the needs of the primary clientele. There is no immediately apparent mechanism for the coordination of such a program, to take responsibility for such issues as funding, document delivery, retention, and preservation.

THE WAY FORWARD

While an increasing number of libraries can see the benefit in a more formal development of the national collection, progress towards this ideal may be slow and there are several issues still to be resolved.

Responsibility for national coordination There is no clear contender for the role of national coordinator of the Distributed National

Collection. Australian libraries do not all receive their funding from the same source because of the nation’s federated political system. Some libraries are funded through the federal gov- ernment, some by state governments, and some by local government. The absence of a com- mon source of funding means that there is no single source of authority over library and information matters. Libraries themselves have acted to create a body to promote and coor- dinate cooperative activities. The Australian Council of Libraries and Information Services, better known by its abbreviation ACLIS, came into being in 1988 and was given responsibil- ity for the development of the Distributed National Collection at the Australian Libraries Sum- mit later that year. Participation in ACLIS is, however, voluntary, so that some libraries may choose not to be included.

At present ACLIS is taking a leading role in development. In the longer term, particularly if there is to be funding provided by governments for particular libraries to undertake national collecting responsibilities, the role of ACLIS may change. ACLIS has not as yet attempted to go beyond the development of an infrastructure upon which the Distributed National Col- lection can proceed: it has not tackled the question of how national responsibilities could or should be allocated or whether special funding will be required and, if so, how and from where it could be obtained.

ACLIS has, however, developed an action plan for development which covers the need for collection development policies and for Conspectus as means of sharing information about collecting strengths and intentions, the continued development of national and regional net- works for the sharing of bibliographic information, the assurance that materials will be avail- able through interlending, preservation activities and publicity.

Conspectus Central to the development of an effectively coordinated and functioning Distributed

National Collection is the idea that each library must know what other libraries hold, at an item level and at a subject level. The tool chosen to assess and describe library collections at the subject level is Conspectus. This technique was developed by members of the Research

Resource Sharing among Australian Libraries 315

Libraries Group in the United States for the purpose of sharing information about collections with a view to collaborating in collection development and is now in use in a number of coun- tries throughout the world.

The word ‘conspectus’ refers to a general view of a topic or a scene, or a tabulation of details regarding a specific subject. In the library sense the word refers to a means whereby we can gain an overview of library collections, enabling them to be described in a standard- ized way that can be readily understood by others. Collections are assessed by subject. Work- sheets are provided in 24 different subject areas: chemistry, performing arts, psychology, sociology, and so on. These divisions are not based on any particular classification scheme, but are intended to represent an up-to-date breakdown of human knowledge. Each division is divided up into categories-about 600 in the Australian version-and these are further bro- ken down into more precisely defined subject areas-some 4000 in the Australian version. All categories and subjects are named, but because libraries use different classification schemes, worksheets are provided in different versions, for the Dewey and Library of Congress clas- sification schemes.

Collection levels are assigned using a range from 0 to 5. The levels used are those defined in the Australian Conspectus Manual [2]. These definitions are expressed differently from, but are compatible with, those of the Research Libraries Group definitions.

Level 0 Out of Scope The library does not collect in this area.

Level 1 Minimal A collection for which few selections are made beyond introductory/very basic material.

Level 2 Basic Information A collection of up-to-date materials which serves to introduce and define a subject and to indicate the varieties of information available elsewhere. It may include dictionaries, encyclopedias, access to appro- priate bibliographic databases, standard and significant works, handbooks, manuals, films, sound recordings and a few popular or major serials. A basic information collection can support general enqui- ries, school and some undergraduate instruction, and information at a popular level, but is not suffi- ciently intensive to support advanced undergraduate courses.

Level 3 Intermediate A collection containing a broad range of resources adequate to support undergraduate and most grad- uate instruction, sustained independent study, work based interests or specialized inquiries; that is, ade- quate to impart and maintain a knowledge of a subject in a systematic way at less than research intensity. It includes a wide range of basic works in appropriate formats, the fundamental reference sources and bibliographical works, a significant number of classic retrospective materials, complete collections of the works of more important authors, selections from the works of secondary writers, a selection of representative journals and access to appropriate databases.

Level 4 Research A collection containing both current and retrospective resources, with historical material retained. Such a collection supports postgraduate and independent research and includes the major published source materials required. It includes ah important reference works, a wide selection of specialized monographs, a very extenstve collection of journals and immediate access to bibliographies, abstracting and index- ing services in the field, materials containing research findings and non-bibliographic databases. The collection will provide materials in all appropriate formats and languages, including original matert- als and ephemera.

Level 5 Comprehensive A collection which mcludes, as far as is reasonably possible, all significant works of recorded knowl- edge (publications, manuscripts, other forms) in all applicable languages, for a necessarily defined and limited field. This level of collecting intensity is one that maintains a special collection; the aim, if not the achievement is exhaustiveness.

316 M. HENTY

The development of a national Conspectus database is already well under way, as is the training of library staff in techniques of collection assessment. A Conspectus Officer was appointed to the staff of National Library in August 1990, a position funded jointly by ACLIS and the National Library. By mid-1992 training had been provided for over 350 library staff from more than 100 libraries in all sectors. The Conspectus database is in place and receiv- ing entries, and documentation has been provided for Conspectus implementation.

There has been debate as to whether Conspectus is a good enough tool to provide the nec- essary information on which to base the Distributed National Collection [3]. Until the data- base is more fully developed, it will not be possible to see precisely what contribution it can make. At best it will provide the desired information. At worst there will still be the benefits of increased awareness of the need to assess and evaluate collections, and to develop collec- tion development policies. [4].

Allocation of commitment There would be benefit in the clear definition of the roles and responsibilities of particu-

lar players within the system. There is general agreement that libraries that take responsibil- ity for defined areas of collecting would agree not only to acquire materials but also to make their whereabouts known through a nationally available bibliographic utility such as the National Bibliographic Database and to provide access to the collection for bona fide research- ers. The nature of any such commitment has still to be defined, as does the question of how that commitment is to be assumed. The provision of materials for undergraduate teaching would presumably remain the responsibility of the teaching institution, so that national col- lecting responsibilities would be most likely restricted to more broadly ranging research mate- rials. Collecting responsibilities would be allocated on the basis of existing strong collections.

Funding There is an assumption that some degree of funding would be forthcoming in return for any

national commitment, although what this would cover is uncertain. Possible factors to be cov- ered would include materials acquisition, control, and supply either directly or through inter- lending, and also retrospective conversion of existing collection records in the designated subject area.

At a time of contracting funds for libraries, it is clear that most libraries would be unwill- ing to undertake national responsibilities without inducement. As mentioned earlier, the ques- tion remains where such funding would come from. It may be possible to arrange funding through a voluntary levy on libraries for redistribution, or alternately it may be possible to arrange for subsidies to be made available through governments. In either event it will be nec- essary to define the extent of reimbursement for participation, whether there is to be full cost recovery or not.

Technological developments and changes in scholarly communication patterns There has been criticism of both the Distributed National Collection and of Conspectus on

the grounds that neither takes into account current technological developments and consequent changes in patterns of scholarly communication. This criticism has been applied particularly in the fields of science and technology, where the need for current information depends as much on national and international computing networks and electronic publishing as on library collections [5].

Resource Sharing among Australian Libraries 317

The collecting of Australiana The definition quoted above of the Distributed National Collection refers to its being “com-

prehensive in relation to Australiana.” While this is relatively easy to envisage in terms of pub- lished materials, it is less clear what comprehensive means in terms of other materials such as ephemera, manuscripts, oral history records, and pictorial items [6]. There is no institu- tion that has overall responsibility for collecting unpublished records (other than national and state archives for government records), and the scope for such collecting is open-ended. At the federal level there are institutions that collect systematically, such as the National Library, National Film and Sound Archive, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Gallery, and the National Maritime Museum, to name but a few. At the state/territory level there are more, including state libraries, higher education institutions and public and special libraries. In March 1992 the National Library sponsored Towards Federation 2001, a national confer- ence designed to explore the many issues surrounding Australia’s recorded documentary her- itage, its wide range of formats, and how best to ensure access. Participants came from archives, libraries, and other collecting institutions.

CONCLUSION

Australia’s network of collections is at present loosely coordinated, with satisfactory doc- ument supply rates but only partial knowledge of collections at either a title or collection level. The opportunity exists to make the nation’s collections work together more productively through collaborative collection development, national preservation programs, and improved access. The means to achieve these ends are all in existence, in terms of facilities for the shar- ing of information about collections and preservation programs. Support for the idea of greater coordination is there, but needs to be accepted further throughout library and infor- mation services so that the concept of a functional and effective Distributed National Collec- tion can become a reality.

NOTES

1. Cultural Ministers’ Council, Statistical Advisory Group, The Australian Cultural Industry: AvaiIable Data and Sources, Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1990.

2. Henty, Margaret, (ed.), Australian Conspectus Manual. Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1991. 3. Thawley, John, “Science and Technology and the ‘Distributed National Collection,’ “Australian Academic and

Research Libraries, 22, 1 (1991), 1-18; Allen, Geoffrey G., “A Case against Conspectus,“Austraiian Library Jour- nal, 38, 3 (1989). 211-216.

4. See Australian Library Review 8, 2 (1991), a special issue devoted to the successful implementation of Conspec-

tus in a number of Australian libraries. 5. Thawley, op. cit. 6. Wainwright, Eric, “The Distributed National Collection: A View from the Centre,” Australran Ltbrary Journal,

40, 3 (1991), 210-221.