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This paper aims to describe the national interlibrary loan and document delivery (ILL/DD) benchmarking study undertaken by Australian libraries in 2001 and evaluates its impact. It outlines the nature and scope of ILL/DD in Australia, including research into the significance of this library activity to researchers.

The evaluation was undertaken through a survey including detailed statistical information from libraries in all sectors. Additional analysis is done using statistics from university libraries and the national interlibrary lending system.

The paper finds that the benchmarking study and activities undertaken to implement the findings of the study have improved the turnaround time and the operation of ILL/DD in Australia both for libraries and users. All sectors reduced delivery time by up to 50 per cent, creating much more effective access for users to the Australian distributed collection.

This is the first formal evaluation of a national benchmarking project and demonstrates that by working on the performance of libraries from a national approach significant improvements can be made in effectiveness and efficiency. It provides a model that could be used to evaluate other benchmarking studies. As it is the first formal evaluation of a national benchmarking study it has high originality.

This paper aims to summarise the changing pattern of Australian interlibrary loans and document delivery, the achievements of the consultative mechanisms (National Resource Sharing Working Group and National Research Sharing Policy Committees) and issues identified for further action.

Looks at the different aspects of resource sharing.

The major themes identified for future action are the need for increased resource discovery (through the NBD), acquisition of collections (particularly with library closures), capability building (training and manuals), information on performance and an urgent need to review the ILRS Code to improve speed of delivery and intelligibility of service levels.

From the user perspective, the ILL/DD system in the early twenty‐first century is complex and fragmented. The challenge for the Australian library sector is to build on the good infrastructure and systems developed through the NRSWG and NRSPC over the past six years and to develop new models which provide easy transparent modes of access to library collections across the nation.

This paper seeks to report on the development of a new interface for “finding” and “getting” resources from Australian libraries.

The National Library of Australia has provided online access to the Australian National Bibliographic Database since 1981. Containing the National Union Catalogue for Australia, its major role initially was to support shared cataloguing. The Kinetica service supports access to the database through its search service. Kinetica is being redeveloped over the period 2004 and 2005 to provide a more modern, standards‐based service. The development is focused on increasing access by Australians to the nation's collections. The new interface for searching, Libraries Australia, was launched in December 2004 and incorporates a Google‐style search interface with a range of new “get” functionality, enabling requesting from libraries and ordering from bookshops. The paper reports on the redevelopment project, particularly Libraries Australia.

The new interface is found to more successfully meet the needs of searchers, particularly the general public.

Summarises research undertaken to assess the needs of Australians for access to library collections. Also describes the technical architecture of the new search service and future directions for this national infrastructure for resource sharing in Australia. Issues for the future including universal access are identified.

This paper sets out to describe developments in Australian libraries and the national interlibrary loan and document delivery systems, in particular the outcomes of the Local Interlending and Document Delivery Administration Systems (LIDDAS) project. Australian libraries have had a highly cooperative approach to resource sharing for many years. ILL (Inter Library Loan) has become increasingly automated since the introduction of the online union catalogue in 1981 and the national interlending system in 1989. In 2004 interoperability was introduced, with 2006 developments in directories completing the national connected system.

Analysis is undertaken of the factors leading to a national approach, use of the automated solution by libraries and trends in use by end users.

Rapid and easy access to interlibrary lending has increased significantly through automation of local and national systems. While the overall number of loans and copies has not increased, the speed of delivery and efficiency of ILL has increased significantly.

By understanding the environment that led to a coordinated approach to automation by libraries in a variety of sectors, and evaluating the outcomes of the technological developments, this paper gives a basis for considering opportunities for future cooperative arrangements.

LIDDAS has stood the test of time as a highly original approach to providing access to the resources of the nation's libraries. This paper provides a study of the outcomes of the project, the impact of interlibrary lending in Australia and a cooperative approach between university, state, national and public libraries.

To review skills needed by library and information science (LIS) professionals in the twenty‐first century and suggest a new approach to four key skills.

Considers the DNA skills approach of Hallam and Partridge and analyses the four skills using examples of innovative developments in library and information services.

LIS professionals need a range of skills that should be fostered by educators and in the workplace. By promoting these in the wider community, the next generation of LIS professionals can see LIS as an attractive profession.

Suggests alternatives for communicating the skills required for future members of the LIS industry.

Provides a new analysis of selected generic and LIS skills which can be innovatively communicated to potential LIS staff and to employers and educators.

The purpose of the paper is to provide information and analysis of a national purchasing consortium for Australian libraries, Electronic Resources Australia (ERA).

The paper outlines the political and library community factors, which influenced the development of a national approach to purchasing. It outlines the needs of users as expressed to a parliamentary inquiry, the four‐year national consultation and results of the first two years of operation of the consortium.

ERA now provides access to quality online resources for approximately 8.5 million Australians. The work has led to careful consideration of issues including subscription periods, governance, funding models, “best price” and collaboration with vendors for marketing and promotion. Further work needs to continue on marketing and product range to ensure the long‐term success of the consortium.

While a comparison is made with the New Zealand model, EPIC, comparisons are not made with other consortia models.

Key issues in consultation could be applicable to library sector or national collaboration.

The paper provides insight into a model for which very detailed policy and practical development was required.

This paper aims to report on the redevelopment of the Kinetica service. The first phase of redevelopment is based on innovatively using new technology to enable searchers to find and get resources through a single resource discovery interface.

The new search service will be launched in late 2004. The structure of the project and deliverables are described, together with details of the “get” component of the search service.

The Kinetica service provides Australian libraries with access to the Australian National Bibliographic Database, and international resource discovery services. Kinetica is currently being redeveloped with a new architecture based on a combination of a bibliographic data management system and a resource discovery system. With around 6 million searches a year, it is at the heart of resource sharing and cooperation between Australian libraries.

Innovative use of a software toolkit is enabling the library to achieve its goals for a national online service to support the Australian library network and allowing Australians to access resources in the nation's collections.

The paper is significant in outlining issues in developing a seamless national resource discovery and resource access service.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of libraries and university presses and to present the Australian National University (ANU) Press and Library as a case study of successful structural integration.

The paper analyses current debates about libraries as structural centres for running university presses. Taking into consideration the major areas of debate, the methodology used is to analyse the operation of the press; compare the financial parameters to two traditional Australian university presses; analyse the policy and procedures of the press; review the benefits to the university, library and press of the current operation; and outline issues for the future.

Over the past 10 years, the ANU Press has developed into a major producer of open access scholarly outputs. The relationship with the Library has enabled a sharing of information, joint work on issues such as access and copyright and a platform from which integrated support for scholarly communication can occur.

The article is a detailed case study of the ANU Press. Further studies could compare the operations of other university presses that are located within universities and analyse the fit of different models.

The model used at ANU has been used to develop two other presses in Australia, with some modifications. It can be used by other universities.

Establishing libraries as the structural home for university presses is an area of hotly contested debate. This is a systematic review of a model of a press located within a library. It has resulted in both internal cooperation within the scholarly communication paradigm and a research impact of approximately one million downloads a year. It provides insights into the role of libraries in scholarly communication that have been the basis of assertions in current debate, providing information that will support further experimentation and more informed discussions.

Access to library collections in an era where users want to “get” rather than “find” offers particular challenges. This paper seeks to explore users' needs for bibliographic records in a primarily full text environment.

The paper describes the need for access to parliamentary and library information from the Australian Parliament and its use by Senators and Members. It then outlines the approach taken to develop and implement a new search system, ParlInfo, which applied a repository and search system that provides integrated access to bibliographic and full text information. Launched in September 2008, it offers facets, alerts, RSS feeds and other Web 2.0 functionality to both the Australian public and Parliamentary Network users accessing library collections and parliamentary collections.

The paper offers insights into solutions which meet the information needs of Senators and Members and the public; and the application of library/web 2.0 solutions. It is relevant to organisations seeking to offer a single gateway to their collections.

The paper offers an approach based on understanding the whole needs of users, rather than applying a traditional assumption that resource discovery should be based only on catalogue records through an OPAC.

The paper provides a model based on integrated access to resource through metadata, full text “crawled” from web sites and full text resources, such as Hansards, that can be applied in many organisations.

The paper's value is in thinking about how the catalogue can be “turned inside out” for the twenty‐first century users' needs.