APLA 14th Biennial Conference
Thursday 15th July 1999

Speaker's Opening Speech

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to the 14th Biennial Conference of your Association, which I am informed has now been in existence for over 15 years, though I understand meetings of Parliamentary Librarians have been taking place for nearly twice as long as that.

Since Queensland last had the honour of hosting this Conference in 1984, there have been some rather dramatic changes to information access and communications. The advent of networked personal computers and the Internet are examples which come readily to mind. As a result, libraries have found themselves at the "leading edge" of the new technology, and heavily involved in change management.

These days the media frequently refer to "the digital library", "the virtual library", or "the electronic library", and members of the public aren't quite sure of what the difference if any, might be. Whatever the terminology, it is clear, even to those indirectly associated with libraries, that librarians are encountering continuing challenges to their capacity to harness the information explosion, which has had a profound impact on traditional library operations and existing services. The proliferation of information in electronic form whether on the Internet or elsewhere, has resulted in an increasing reliance by our society on this new medium, and a consequent need by librarians to adopt alternative strategies to locate, store and disseminate such data.

For many centuries information was recorded and retrieved from physical objects - clay tablets; papyrus; vellum and parchment; and latterly the printed page. The transition to microforms was not a radical departure from that setting, though for the first time it required the intercession of technology in the form of the reader/printer. What was common to all of these was their confinement to a physical location. This is no longer the norm. The modern library has evolved beyond books and journals; beyond walled rooms; even beyond national borders, to encompass digital archives and databases, and networked collections of images and sounds, anywhere in the world.

Librarians have become adept in the use of the Internet and Intranets. They are as familiar now with electronic newsletters, newsgroups, journals, discussion lists and web sites as they were formerly with printed abstracts and bibliographies - all are potentially useful sources for those seeking information. In recent years the role of the Librarian has swung away from one of its more traditional images - the custodian or curator of books - towards others: as providers of access to information, and the evaluators of the best information sources. For librarians to maintain these more demanding and skilled roles, they must have a clear understanding of the issues involved, and they need to develop effective strategies for delivering electronic information to users as simply and seamlessly as possible.

This is no easy task. In the midst of coping with the proliferation of electronic information, libraries are facing many other pressures. These include falling budgets coupled with increasing prices; increased cost of shelf-space; demands for increased accessibility over longer hours; and the increasing sophistication and demands of users. Managing the transition to what is termed "the electronic library" requires imagination and courage, as well as sensible strategic planning. However the Queensland philosophy is that far from posing additional problems, the advent of electronic information may be able to assist in countering some of the ongoing ones. Here for instance are a few areas of opportunity:

Falling Budgets/ Increased prices
easier, cheaper access to data in electronic form compared to print

Mounting shelf space costs
replacement of bulky printed material with digital alternatives

Increased accessibility over longer hours
24 hour dial-up access for clients without need to open premises

Increased user sophistication and demand
increased user training in structuring searches and accessing data

Over the next two days there will be some key discussions on these issues, and I am sure that input from all participants will contribute toward a better appreciation of the challenges facing all libraries, and possible solutions to them.

In particular, the final panel discussion winding up the conference, will address many of the issues fundamental to the existence of parliamentary libraries, and hopefully resolve them to the satisfaction of all, or at least most of us.

It is important to you as practicing professionals, as well as to the parliamentarians to whom you provide information, that you have the opportunity to meet, and discuss new sources and techniques which will improve client access to information. While each of the libraries represented here of necessity operates independently, there is the prospect of sharing not only common experiences, but also rationalising expensive resources to avoid needless and wasteful duplication. I am sure that you will all agree that the search for excellence continues to be a worthy goal to pursue.

In this regard Queenslanders remember the example set us last century by our world-renowned Parliamentary Librarian Denis O'Donovan, in the historic years leading up to Federation. He met the challenge of better access to information and evaluation of competing sources, by inventing a superb encyclopedic dictionary catalogue. One could be excused for wondering if history might not be repeating itself as we approach a new century and a possible new Republic.

Uncannily Queensland is again at the forefront of meeting the same challenge of providing Members of Parliament with meaningful and relevant information, and improved access to it. This parliament is once more fortunate to have a distinguished librarian providing innovative solutions to current demands in the person of Helga Alemson, who, like Denis O'Donovan 100 years ago, has recently had her contribution in this field officially recognised.

I am sure that the next two days will help you all to focus on the major issues involved in the transition by libraries from print to electronic information resources. I will be following with interest some of the discussions, and look forward to spending more time with you on Saturday, when I hope to show you some of the more colourful sights of my Redcliffe electorate.

I wish you well in your deliberations, and have much pleasure in declaring the Conference open.