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The purpose of this paper is to consider how libraries support the development of community networks both physically and digitally. To do this, a case-study methodology was employed, including a combination of data about the library and qualitative interviews with library users considering their experience of the library. This paper proposes that libraries act as 'third places' spatially connecting people; libraries also build links with online media and play a critical role in inclusively connecting non-technology users with the information on the Internet and digital technology more generally. The paper establishes the value of libraries in the digital age and recommends that libraries actively seek ways to develop links between non-technology users and activity on the Internet. It addresses the need to reach these types of non-technology users in different ways. Further, it suggests that libraries utilise their positioning as third places to create broader community networks, to support local communities beyond existing users and beyond the library precinct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has established international standards for website accessibility which attempt to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities to use materials published on the World Wide Web (Web). This article provides a summation of the research conducted into the accessibility of public library websites in Western Australia. A discussion is provided of the website audit methods used and results obtained. The research demonstrates the level of compliance with Australian and International standards as well as results of surveys used to determine the perceived willingness to comply with those standards, barriers to compliance and benefits of an accessible website. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of learning in a public library is relevant to what place e-learning and social networking technologies might have there. That a public library aims to provide something for everyone is also important. Alice Springs Public Library (ASPL) is a place of learning; it is also a crowded and composite space. The use ASPL could make of the opportunities offered by e-learning and social networking technologies is affected or determined by the organisation's mission, available space, funding, staffing levels and expertise, and any congruence between the way ASPL is already used for learning and the way these technologies can also be used in that space. These technologies will be facets of a composite service, accessible to everyone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews a selection of literature pertaining to the subject of censorship in modern libraries. It interrogates the literature in terms of the ethical debates informing much of the contemporary academic writing on this subject. A multi-pronged approach to the subject is adopted. The review includes evaluations of the relevant aspects of particular professional codes and statements. It also evaluates opinions that have been proffered with regard to the use of Internet filters in public libraries. In public libraries, librarians must also decide whether to enable an entirely free flow of information from other mediums or to take it upon themselves to protect readers from material that might be considered harmful. These issues are complicated further in school libraries where the question of a particular duty of care to young minds arises. This paper also investigates recent representations of libricide, the most extreme form of censorship which manifests in the destruction of libraries and the burning of books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public library services, particularly in the USA, have successfully and imaginatively implemented Web 2.0 tools in a variety of ways. These include improving access to content for library users, opening up dialogue with them, and showing them more about what their library can do for them. This article describes how some of these libraries have used the tools for their virtual services, a discovery made during a study tour in 2007, and how they have progressed into 2008 with the same services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that the classification of adult fiction according to 'genre' in public libraries causes more confusion than clarification. Whilst the system purports to model itself on bookstore design the reality is that the actual arrangement is quite different. In the bookstore model, genre is a marketing category and not a literary category as it is currently used in many Western Australian public libraries. The use of a genre system also alienates many readers, with good reason, as the nature of the system is ambiguous. The adoption of a 'reader-centred' method for adult fiction classification would mean that the library collection was more accessible because the underlying principles are easier to understand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes the introduction of Web 2.0 techniques and tools at the Yarra Plenty public library in Victoria, beginning with library staff. The author argues that as libraries move from Web 1.0 type delivery systems to the social networking world of Library 2.0 librarians need to deploy and make accessible these radically different systems, social interactions and library places. Whilst formats have changed, and will continue to change, delivery systems have changed and will continue to change, skill sets and competencies have changed and will continue to change, the users, the citizens who fund and value library services, still need to have their social, cultural and recreational needs met in both the virtual and physical domains in which libraries operate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

User involvement in information services is a contentious issue. This article explores the participation of patrons in libraries, archives and records centres. It reviews the causes of this change, and discusses the consequences for the information profession. The article notes the constants in information environments, and concludes by suggesting that the opposing sides reach a compromise in order for industry survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public and employer perceptions of staff abilities and qualifications deployed in local studies collections may affect their status and influence and not least the funding the local studies facility may receive. The need to promote the service is also prompted by the growing use of local studies collections and the increasing importance of such holdings to the preservation of national heritage. No reflection on the acknowledged abilities and capabilities of library technicians is implied, but the placement of library technicians in local studies roles may have implications for the image and position of this sector, which in terms of educational curricula, clientele and the staff-customer interface, is professional rather than para-professional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baby boomers are epitomised by the phrase ‘wanting it now’. This large group of the population is better educated, more technologically literate, generally wealthier than any previous generation and has high expectations of quality services and products. Just as they have led other social revolutions, baby boomers are expected to revolutionise the meaning of ageing and retirement. They are also renowned for their voracious consumption of information in all media, which means that libraries have good reason to be involved in planning and policy development if their services are to be considered relevant and timely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author examines the evolution of the current Australian demographic and its implications for the delivery of public library services. The ‘baby boomers’, the generation born between 1946 and 1961, are the next cohort to be seriously in need of housebound services, and the characteristics and likely needs of this group are considered with particular reference to the public libraries of Adelaide. This case study report presents the findings of interviews conducted with 14 public libraries in metropolitan and regional Adelaide who currently provide a library service to their housebound patrons, including both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to gather data. The chief method used was open-ended interviews conducted with the librarians responsible for the provision of this service at each of the participating libraries. The interviews were conducted between April and September 2004. Other methods used included observation in the field and document analysis of strategic planning reports, volunteer information pamphlets, client information pamphlets and census data generated by the participating libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the great challenges for the National Library of Australia is to enable individuals, whatever their institutional affiliation, and wherever they are, to access copies of material from the collections. Copies direct was developed to enable online ordering and payment for copies of material, regardless of format, and has already increased use of the collections. This is consistent with the Commonwealth GovernmentOnline strategy, based on developing more and better services online to overcome barriers of distance and access and to meet more effectively the real needs of individuals, organisations and enterprises. Through online access Australians are better able to obtain services from agencies, in this case access to their national documentary heritage. This paper describes the development of the service, its technical infrastructure, issues considered in its development and includes a report on an evaluation undertaken in 2004. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalisation provides the contextual framework for cultural changes in the library user group. In order to be more effective, and realistically, more client-focused, the reference librarian is challenged to ask again 'Who is my client?' in this changing context. This paper presents a practical response to cultural change and suggests ways of moving towards understanding this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reviews the literature on unmediated document delivery in the light of pressures on journal subscriptions and fully-mediated interlibrary loans services. Examines the question: do users and libraries benefit from unmediated document delivery? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a response from the author to her own article "A Personal View of Public Librarianship" from the May 1988 volume 37, number two issue of "The Australian Library Journal" in which she discussed the role of public librarians. In this article, she looks at the use of technology such as the Internet and computer software application as a resource rather than librarians. She states that the public trusts information they find on their own more than what is available at libraries, thus decreasing the perceived value of librarians.

The article presents a response from the author to her own article "Library Research: Luxury or Necessity?" from the 1973 volume 22, number four issue of "The Australian Library Journal" in which she discussed the value of library research. In this article, she discusses the difficulties in securing research funding and influence from those providing funding. She reflects on her time as a librarian professional in Australia and how her work compares to those that followed her. Also included is a discussion of the value of data on information use and users.