NATIONAL LIBRARY SETS DIRECTION FOR THE FUTURE

  • Wyatt Creech
Education

``The Government has clarified what it expects from the National Library.

``The specific business of the National Library will be to collect and preserve New Zealand's documentary heritage, and to help libraries make the most of their contribution to New Zealand's social, educational and economic development.''

Mr Creech said a fresh look at the National Library was needed in the wake of the decision made late last year to seek withdrawal from the National Document and Information Service (NDIS) project (a joint-venture Information Technology project with the National Library of Australia).

Negotiations to terminate the NDIS project are still continuing.

``The Library has taken stock of where its future lies following the decision by the joint-venture partners to terminate the NDIS contract. The lessons learned from the NDIS project have enabled the Library to re-examine its core purpose and to work to develop an alternative information technology strategy.

``A key lesson learned is that the Library is in the business of providing information rather than in the business of developing technology.''

Mr Creech said the National Library's core functions were contained in a brochure entitled ``Moving Forward'' released today.

The core business centres on:

collecting and preserving New Zealand's documentary heritage;
providing advice and services to the library community and facilitating co-operative access and resource sharing within that community; and
providing policy advice to Government on information literacy in New Zealand, and the management of, and access to, information collection in libraries.
``Information technology will continue to play a key role in meeting the National Library's responsibilities for storing, preserving and making heritage material available as well as facilitating access to other information of national significance wherever it is held. ``

The National Library will report back to Ministers on its future information technology business plan by the end of June.