Role Statement
The Director, Scholarly Information Services, and University Librarian,
carries Universitywide responsibility for:
- Enabling ready access to the world's stock of scholarly information; and
- Ensuring that information resources, whether held locally or accessed
remotely, are curated, preserved, discoverable and accessible.
This responsibility extends to the management of libraries and archives
repositories, the development and maintenance of collections, the provision of
services deriving from those collections in support of research and teaching,
and the operation of an electronic press.
At an operational level, these various functions are performed through five
service programs: Scholarly Information Resource Management, Library User
Services, ANU Archives, ANU E Press, and Space Services. Although services are
provided through these programs and accountability for their delivery rests
squarely with them, in practice there are strong day-today dependencies on other
programs within the highly integrated structure of the Division of Information.
The following summary details the strategic directions Scholarly Information
Services will pursue in 2009, through a range of planned actions, in fulfilling
its primary responsibilities and functions. The directions and actions have been
formulated within the context of the five governance objectives outlined in the
University’s Information Infrastructure and Services Governance & Management
Framework (strategic alignment, value delivery, resource management, risk
management, and performance management) and are firmly centred in the
Services-in-Common domain. They constitute the developmental focus for Scholarly
Information Services in 2009 and are designed to infuse and strengthen existing
operational activities and services.
Planning Objectives for 2009
Resource Discovery and Delivery Services
To enhance access to available information resources in all formats through
the provision of effective resource discovery and delivery services:
- The introduction of unmediated document delivery to all staff and students
through ArticleReach, a service provided via an international consortium with
partners in the US, UK and Australia. (To be launched in January 2009.)
- The provision of easy and direct access from citations or references in
databases to electronic full text or holdings data through the extension of the
Open URL link resolution service, WebBridge. (First offered on a limited basis
in late 2008, to be extended in 2009.)
- The implementation of walk-in user access to licensed digital resources for
visiting scholars and researchers and the general public. (A planned service
scheduled for introduction in 2009.)
- The building of a national framework for business archives exposing and
facilitating access to the holdings of major repositories. (The first
development phase of the framework, planned largely as a partnership between ANU
and the University of Melbourne, will start in 2009.)
Information Resources
To curate and preserve materials appropriately in all formats to ensure the
development of a trusted, stable and sustainable information resource
environment:
- Participation as a governing library within
CLOCKSS, a global partnership between
leading scholarly publishers and research libraries formed to build a
sustainable, geographically distributed dark archive in order to ensure the
long-term survival of Web-based scholarly publications. (A CLOCKSS archive node
to be established at ANU in early 2009.)
- Participation as a core partner in the Australian National Data Service
(ANDS), a project within the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure
Strategy (NCRIS), established to build improved data availability and enable
researchers to create, store, manage and make data accessible more widely within
a national research data commons. (From 2009, ANU to lead two ANDS programs,
Providing Utilities and Building Capabilities.)
- Implementation of a last copy collection retention strategy for infrequently
used materials across seven Group of Eight libraries to ensure continued access
to vulnerable resources on a cost effective basis. (An initiative led by ANU
that will move from a pilot to an operational mode in 2009.)
- Assessment of the physical condition of 'at risk' archival audiovisual
materials, duplication in other collections, and requirements for treatment and
copying. (Survey to be commissioned in 2009 to inform future action.)
Physical Facilities
To build and maintain physical environments and facilities that exploit
rapidly developing technologies and meet changing user behaviours:
- Enhancement of learning commons facilities including the expansion of
learning spaces within libraries. (Provision of additional learning spaces in
Chifley, Menzies, Law and Art Libraries to be completed by February 2009.)
- Redesign and refurbishment of teaching venues and introduction of digital
technologies in support of flexible teaching and learning. (High-use lecture
theatre facilities to be upgraded in four phases during 2009/2010 with funding
from the Better Universities Renewal Fund; continuing liaison with ANU College
of Science to assist in the design and provision of new teaching and learning
spaces within their 2009-2012 capital works program.)
Research Outcomes
To support the academic community by facilitating the dissemination of
research outcomes through the development of a campus-wide publishing framework:
- Strengthening of the distributed editorial framework within Colleges
underpinning ANU E Press and enhancement of the central set of services provided
by the E Press. (Continuing liaison with Editorial Committees and further
development of technical platform in 2009 to improve presentation and layout and
provide capability to exploit multimedia opportunities.)
- Development of policy framework designed to encourage the provision of open
access to the University's research and strengthening of supporting repository
infrastructure and services. (Open access policy developed and presented for
consideration and approval during 2009 and key support provided within Library
from the beginning of 2009 for newly introduced Scholars Keep service.)
Value Framework
To begin the development of a value framework capable of measuring and
demonstrating in both quantitative and qualitative terms the benefits derived
from centrally provided information services:
- Assessment of the value, expressed in both financial and qualitative terms,
that the information resources provided by the library represent for the
research and teaching communities it serves. (Led by ANU, seven Group of Eight
libraries to commission a US consulting firm to undertake in 2009 a cost-benefit
(RoI) study of the information resources provided by the library to their
academic communities using a contingent valuation methodology.)
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