Collection Development Policy

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3. AUSTRALIAN PRINTED MATERIALS

DEFINITION

3.1 Australian printed materials are defined as:

LANGUAGE

3.2 Australian printed materials in all languages and scripts are acquired.

COLLECTING

3.3 Several large formed collections relating to the early history of Australia and the Pacific provide the foundation of the Australian printed collections. These include general collections such as the Ferguson, Rex Nan Kivell and Petherick collections, and specialised collections such as the Mathews collection on Australian ornithology.

3.4 The Library has continued to build on these collections by the identification and purchase of out of print items and the acquisition of material on legal deposit. The first legal deposit provisions were contained in the Copyright Act 1912, although a lack of resources prevented the Library from fully exploiting the provisions of the Act until the 1950s. The Library’s broad collecting intention is to continue to collect most of the printed material covered by the legal deposit provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 or by the various arrangements applying to government publications.

3.5 The result is a comprehensive, though not exhaustive, collection of material capable of supporting in-depth research in Australian studies. The Library cooperates with other institutions to ensure material it does not collect is collected and preserved elsewhere in the country. It also takes into account the collecting intentions of the state and territory libraries as outlined in their collecting policies, and those of other collecting institutions with an interest in Australian printed materials (see paras 2.82.9).

3.6 The overriding consideration for the inclusion of an item in the Library’s collection is always the information content of a publication. This means that material which originates outside mainstream publishing, no matter how slight or ephemeral or where it is published, is collected if it is considered to have research value now or in the future. A significant proportion of the literature concerning issues of public debate and associated with groups and movements which characterise current trends in Australian society falls into this category.

3.7 The Library acquires at least one copy of Australian printed material published overseas. These publications are identified through library selection activities and by the Library’s overseas suppliers.

COLLECTING GUIDELINES FOR SPECIFIC CATEGORIES OF PRINTED MATERIAL

3.8 Australian commercial and government publications form the central part of the Australian print collections.

3.9 There are some categories of printed material for which there are specific collecting guidelines. These categories and guidelines are outlined in the remainder of chapter 3. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list and it does not represent the full range of Australian publishing; rather it represents the categories of published material which, in the opinion of Library selection staff, most need clarification in terms of the Library’s collecting intentions. It should be understood that a category not covered here is taken into the collections subject to meeting the Library’s collecting policy. While providing an indication of the Library’s general collecting intentions in the areas covered, the guidelines are subject to individual judgement which continues to play an important and desirable part in the selection process. These criteria are applied to the acquisition of material from all sources, whether commercial, private or government.

Advertising

3.10 Representative samples of advertising and promotional material are retained as ephemera, and the same selection guidelines as for ephemera are applied (see paras 3.193.21). Emphasis is given to material that provides illustrations of products, descriptive information and prices, and that is representative of various sales techniques and hyperbole. An attempt is made to cover a wide range of products and services representing, for instance, the domestic marketplace, and the retail, manufacturing, leisure and transportation industries.

Calendars and Diaries

3.11 Calendars and appointment diaries with a particular topic, such as political or social issues, artists, or hobbies (often illustrated through photographs), are collected selectively in order to reflect changing social preoccupations or interests as documented by this area of publishing. Diaries which contain no information other than that usually associated with a diary, such as significant calendar events, mathematical information and other facts and figures, are considered to be items of stationery and are not collected.

Educational Curriculum Materials

3.12 The Library comprehensively collects the publishing output of commercial publishers and university presses specialising in educational materials. The Library also comprehensively collects the publications of Commonwealth government bodies, and national organisations and associations active in educational matters. Research papers and items of general interest and applicability, published by tertiary institutions or specific departments within them, are collected comprehensively.

3.13 The Library does not collect primary and secondary educational curriculum material published by state and territory government bodies or by non-government educational authorities. It does not seek materials of a purely local interest and it does not collect commercially published teaching aid material such as blackline masters, activity sheets and ‘fill-in’ publications.

3.14 The Library does not collect TAFE, tertiary or other post-secondary educational materials where these are produced by individual teaching departments and relate to courses or units specific to that institution only. Such materials include school and post-secondary examination papers, study notes, teaching aids, resource material and course guides.

Embargoed and Confidential Publications

3.15 Restricted access publications are subject to legal deposit and the Library pursues acquisition of such material with the publisher. Access conditions are negotiated on a case-by-case basis, with the aim of minimising restrictions in the interest of facilitating use of the publications. However, publications which need to be held permanently on restricted access are not usually collected by the Library.

3.16 Where an embargo period is specified, arrangements are made to acquire the material after the embargo period has elapsed.

3.17 In cases where the publisher considers the material confidential, for whatever reason, the Library has the facilities to observe any restricted access provisions desired by the depositor, including preventing photocopying or reader access.

3.18 Confidential material restricted to a small group should not be confused with material that is essentially not published at all, e.g. internal security documents. Such material is not liable for deposit. The Library pursues only published confidential material.

Ephemera

3.19 Publications of fewer than five pages are generally treated as ephemera (subject to the considerations outlined) and may include booklets, leaflets, handbills, posters, invitations, brochures, programs and cards. Such material forms a documentary record of aspects of Australian social life and culture that falls outside traditional sources collected by libraries and used by researchers, but which can nevertheless significantly enrich a view of the past. The Library maintains a selective collection of ephemeral material in the categories described. In common with the broad approach already described, the focus in acquiring ephemeral material is generally national, while material relating specifically to local matters is not collected, but is forwarded to the appropriate state or territory library for consideration.

3.20 An item that is accepted for acquisition should include a significant amount of factual or descriptive information, significant visual elements such as design, logos, portraiture, etc. or be an outstanding example of its type.

3.21 Items of more than five pages that fall into the categories described are assessed on a case-by-case basis for retention and treatment as either serials or monographs, but, for reasons of consistency and convenience, it is sometimes considered more appropriate to treat these as ephemera also.

3.22 The major categories and subject areas of ephemera acquired are:

Family History and Genealogy

3.23 Australia has witnessed a dramatic growth in the research and writing of family history and genealogy. A large amount of published material containing substantial information of wider research value and documentary interest is being produced by Australian family history and genealogical societies, groups and individuals. The Library collects this material but does not collect newsletters that are mainly of an administrative or social nature and primarily of interest to the society or group producing them. Other material collected to support genealogical research includes official records reproduced in microform and usually published by government agencies, and other records such as cemetery indexes.

3.24 The Library does not collect family histories on video, or charts, tables and other graphic representations of family trees, unless accompanied by substantial published text. Family histories that are not published are not acquired for the Australian printed collections but may be accepted for the manuscript collection in manuscript form if the family or individual members concerned have some national significance or importance or if they are included in a collection of papers of a notable Australian.

Government Publications

3.25 The Library collects Commonwealth government publications comprehensively. State and territory government publications are generally collected comprehensively except for items of purely local interest.

3.26 Publications produced by local government authorities are selectively acquired. These authorities include shires, councils, municipalities, cities, boroughs, townships, etc. Publications not collected include by-laws, regulations, financial statements, minutes of meetings, reports to rate payers, etc. Responsibility for collecting and preserving these publications or for arranging for them to be collected by a local collecting institution such as the local public library is considered to belong more appropriately with the relevant state or territory library.

Limited Editions and Artists’ Books

3.27 Limited editions of published works are subject to legal deposit and the Library pursues acquisition of these with the publisher.

3.28 Artists’ books are acquired selectively as examples of the art and craft of book production. The Library aims to collect artists’ books from as wide a range of artists as is possible.

Local Studies

3.29 The Library acquires published works about the history and development of local communities and regions, as well as those about institutions and organisations within these communities.

3.30 The responsibility for ensuring material that is primarily of local interest is collected and preserved rests more appropriately with state or territory libraries or, by agreement with the state or territory libraries, with local libraries and local studies collections. The material involved is essentially of local significance and, because of the proximity of these bodies to the regions and localities concerned, it is more practicable and efficient for them to monitor and systematically collect the material.

3.31 The Library has developed a comprehensive collection of local Australian Capital Territory printed material. The collection of these publications will follow the general collecting guidelines that apply to the different types of publications concerned, e.g. newsletters, ephemera and local government publications. Generally the Library concentrates on collecting material which documents Canberra’s role as the national capital and seat of federal government while the ACT Heritage Library collects material relating to the people who live and work in the Territory.

Materials for People with Disabilities

3.32 Printed materials for people with disabilities are acquired under the Commonwealth legal deposit provisions. This material currently falls into two categories — large print books and mixed media kits — which contain both print and non-print material and which are designed for people with disabilities. Material which falls outside the current legal deposit provisions, such as braille books or audio books, is not actively acquired.

3.33 The Library maintains the National Braille Reserve Collection which comprises last known copies of little-used braille books of a scholarly or reference nature. Titles may be of either overseas or Australian origin.

Microforms

3.34 Microform publications are not currently covered by Commonwealth legal deposit provisions. Material in this format (i.e. microfilm or microfiche) is usually purchased and is acquired according to the same criteria that guide the selection of material in hard copy. Where there is a choice of print or microform, a decision on which format to acquire is guided by the additional considerations of the condition of the original, if one format can be regarded as the original, and the Library’s preservation responsibilities.

Mixed Media Kits

3.35 The National Library collects mixed media kits containing a print component. However, the non-print components of these kits are not covered by Commonwealth legal deposit provisions. If the printed component alone is deposited, this is retained and the non-print component obtained if available and if it is necessary in order to use the printed part (see also para. 4.9).

Multicultural Publications

3.36 An objective of collecting Australian printed materials is to reflect the total cultural diversity of Australia in the Library’s collection. To this end, the Library collects current and older published material associated with all groups in Australian society, past and present, regardless of their linguistic, ethnic, religious or cultural background. The Library also endeavours to collect material published in the places of origin of different groups that relates to the experiences of those groups in Australia.

3.37 In recognition of the fact that material issued by some specifically defined groups is not always received on legal deposit and can be difficult to locate, the Library liaises closely with community associations and other collecting institutions to ensure the material is identified and acquired and that Australia’s ethnic diversity is documented and its multicultural heritage is preserved.

National Library of Australia Publications

3.38 National Library of Australia publications are collected comprehensively, including printed works, CD-ROMS, microforms and online publications.

Newspapers

3.39 The Library collects all Australian newspapers except those that fall into the following categories:

3.40 These categories are considered the responsibility of the relevant state or territory library and any titles received by the National Library that fall into these categories are referred to that library.

3.41 In deciding whether to collect a specific title, emphasis is placed on content. Newspapers that are a primary source of current news connected with public affairs either regional, national and/or international in scope, including titles published by ethnic groups and political organisations, and those representing special interests, are collected. If intended for a general audience, they should contain a broad range of news on all subjects and activities, but if intended for a special interest group they should include features and topical news of particular interest to that group.

3.42 The Library actively acquires microfilm copies of newspapers to aid in the preservation of the original printed copy.

3.43 Generally back issues and retrospective runs of newspapers are only acquired if they are available in microform. In general, the retrospective acquisition of newspapers in microform follows the policy for the acquisition of current titles except that additional factors such as length of coverage, cost, historic and geographical significance, and research value are also taken into consideration. Often the last two factors only become apparent in retrospect. The increasing availability of runs of newspapers in microform or in fulltext online services makes the wider selection of retrospective titles more feasible.

3.44 The Library is committed to the preservation within Australia of the total output of Australian newspapers and will cooperate with other institutions through the mechanism of the Australian Newspaper Plan (ANPlan) www.nla.gov.au/nplan/index.html to achieve this. It accepts that it is responsible for preserving national and Australian Capital Territory newspapers in paper and microform formats, and that preservation of local, regional, state and territory newspapers is the responsibility of the appropriate state or territory library.

3.45 The Library will enter into selected cooperative microfilming with the state libraries to preserve unique/rare and other newspaper titles considered of importance. It has also commenced a four year project to digitise one capital city newspaper from each state and territory, for the period 1803 to 1954.

Patents

3.46 The Library does not collect Australian patent specifications. These are available through IP Australia which actively assists access to the specifications.

Posters

3.47 Posters are a form of printed material collected selectively by the Library. Acquisition is based on deposit (both legal and government), donation and limited purchasing. The Library aims for representation of the subject areas outlined for the collection of ephemera (see para. 3.19), with posters, as a graphic representation of information and opinion (rather than reflecting artistic merit), complementing the printed materials. By agreement, posters documenting the moving image and recorded sound industries are not collected, but are referred to the National Film and Sound Archive.

Retrospective (Out of Print) Material

3.48 The selection and acquisition of retrospective, or out of print, Australian printed material is essential to the enhancement and enrichment of the Library’s collections. The Library aims to acquire a comprehensive collection of nineteenth and twentieth century imprints. However, the purchase of very expensive items is subject to certain conditions including the number of copies already held by other libraries, condition of the item, and the bibliographic relationship to the Library’s other holdings, e.g. whether it is a variant edition or reissue. Under certain conditions the Library will initiate microfilming of significant imprints which are not held in the collection.

3.49 Priority consideration for acquisition is given to the following categories of material:

Serials

3.50 Serials are publications consisting of a number of parts issued in sequence and linked by a common title. Usually each part bears an issue number and/or date. Serials are intended to continue indefinitely, and include magazines, newsletters, annual reports, yearbooks, directories, and journals. The Library collects most Australian serials except those that fall into the following categories:

Theses

3.51 The Library acquires, on a very selective basis, higher degree theses that have Australian subjects as their main focus. These theses are usually in the humanities and social sciences. An increasing number of higher degree theses can be found via the Australian Digital Theses Program database adt.caul.edu.au .

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