Analysing the challenges for large public libraries in the twenty-first century: a case study of the State Library of Victoria in Australia

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Title: Analysing the challenges for large public libraries in the twenty-first century: a case study of the State Library of Victoria in Australia
Author(s): Waller, Vivienne; McShane, Ian
Abstract: For large public libraries, the development of digital technologies poses challenges that have yet to be fully explored. While library sector rhetoric rightly imagines that digital technologies bring change to all aspects of library operations, it is not enough to focus on the technologies. Using the State Library of Victoria (SLV) in Australia as a case example, this paper identifies two key challenges for large public libraries in the new millennium. The first is to obtain a thorough understanding of the nature of the environment in which they operate; in particular, an understanding of the ways in which both the ecology and economy of information are changing. The second challenge is for libraries to develop a policy framework that clarifies institutional goals and brings coherence to diverse and sometimes conflicting policy demands in rapidly changing technological and service settings.
Publication type: Journal article
Research centre: Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Life and Social Sciences. Institute for Social Research
Source: First Monday, Vol. 13, no. 12 (Dec 2008), pp. 37-55
Publication year: 2008
Keyword(s): Australia; Policy; Public libraries; State and national libraries; State Library of Victoria
Publisher: First Monday
ISSN: 1396-0466
Publisher URL: http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2155/2060
Research Projects: The Searchers Project, Australian Research Council grant number LP0775215
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