Based upon the 211 usable responses received to a survey of the libraries of 68 colleges of advanced education, 19 universities, and 226 technical and further education (TAFE) colleges in Australia, this report considers the establishment of a system that would permit distance education students to borrow materials from a local academic library.…

Examines the place of fiction in the library collection, the attitudes and practices of Australian librarians with respect to fiction, and the factors, including historical ones, which have shaped these attitudes. A proposal for a new approach to fiction in public libraries is presented. (Author/CLB)

The 23 papers presented at this conference deal with the information needs of institutionally-based part-time students in United Kingdom universities, polytechnics, and further education colleges, and with library and information services for the adult learner. Keith Percy and John Simpson provide overviews on the number and types of part-time…

A secondary school librarian uses her experience to compare Canadian and Australian secondary school libraries in terms of educational philosophy, library role, staffing, budgets, resources, and library organization. (CLB)

Summarizes the arguments for and against fees in public libraries, and discusses whether the fee controversy is one of alternative technical means of securing funding, or of competing visions of the role of the public library. (Author/CLB)

Describes the selection of a library computer system for the University College of the Northern Territory in Australia. The criteria used in developing a cost-effective system, advantages and disadvantages of the resulting system, and possible applications to libraries in developing nations are discussed. (CLB)

Discusses the effects of information technology on the environment within which the typical academic library must operate and the effects of the resulting environmental turbulence on the general social context of the university and on the relationship between the university and its libraries. (Author/CLB)

Discusses the responsibility of local libraries to provide information services to local government and act as a contact point between the government and its community. The distinction between internal and external information sources is examined, and problems of information delivery resulting from a lack of inter-council cooperation are…

This report summarizes a 1985 study during which 85 special library/information center managers from Melbourne, Australia, were interviewed to ascertain their continuing professional development activities, needs, and aspirations. Major areas of investigation included the extent and nature of organizational support for continuing professional…

Examines a number of issues facing the Australian library and information services community in the area of continuing education, including recommendations of the Library Association of Australia, the cost of continuing education activities, the role and responsibility of schools of library and information studies, and notions of coordination.…

Discusses the public library's role as an information provider for local government, and presents the results of a survey of specific information needs of local government planners in Victoria. The extent to which their needs are being met is evaluated, and suggestions for improved information services and future research are made. (CLB)

Reviews several issues facing public libraries, including the impact of information technology and its effect on traditional library services, the need to select library administrators who are comfortable with the technology, and the need for lay bodies that oversee library services to be aware of the complexity of the situation. (Author/CLB)

This two-phase study of the use of networks and information retrieval systems by schools in Australia was designed to inquire as to the extent that schools are using all available networks; how appropriate and effective these sources of information are for schools; how costly such services might be; and what developments can be reasonably expected…

This paper reviews the principal sources and methods used by the Manpower Research and Information Branches of the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations (DEIR) to forecast the over or undersupply of librarians in Australia. After differentiating between manpower policy, planning, and forecasting, the role of the commonwealth government…

Outlines the processes undertaken at Kuring-gai College of Advanced Education to identify an appropriate basis for a course to educate information professionals to work in a range of positions inside and outside the library setting. The philosophies, assumptions, and beliefs of the course design team are presented. (Author/CLB)