PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES
PURPOSE
To collect economic data about public libraries.
DESCRIPTION
The Public Libraries Survey was conducted by mail-out questionnaire as part of the Service Industries Surveys in respect of the financial year 2003-04. The collection was a census of all National and State libraries and archival service organisations, and a partial census of local government libraries (that is, all were included in Vic, Tas, NT and ACT; but only a sample in the other states). Excluded from the scope were libraries with restricted access (such as those operated by educational institutions) and libraries operated by organisations for internal reference purposes. There are a number of joint use libraries (e.g. local government libraries which double as school libraries) in SA, WA and the ACT. These have been included in the scope of the collection.
GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE
Australia
FREQUENCY OF COLLECTION
Irregular
DATA ITEMS
Number of organisations
The number of organisations operating public libraries or archives as at the end of the reference period.
Type of library operation
The type of public library or archive being operated. The types are:
Local government libraries
National and State libraries
National and State archives
Number of locations
The number of locations at which public libraries or archives were being operated as at the end of the reference period. For local government libraries this is classified by whether the location is a branch or mobile service.
Number of persons working
The number of employees and volunteers working at the end of the reference period.
Worker status
Indicates whether persons working are employees or volunteers.
Employment function
Records the main work function of employees. These functions are:
Librarians
Library technicians
Archivists
Other library employees
Other employment characteristics
Employment may also be categorised by:
Sex of employees
Whether permanent or casual
Whether full-time or part-time (permanent employees only)
Number of volunteer hours
The number of hours worked by volunteers during the last month of the reference period.
Income for local government libraries
The items which make up the income of local government libraries are:
Government funding
Income from services to clients
Fundraising income
Other income
Income for National and State libraries and archives
The items which make up the income of National and State libraries and archives are:
Government funding
Sales of goods
Income from services to clients
Fundraising income
Interest
Other income
Government funding
The survey classifies income from government funding into a number of categories. These are each in turn divided into sub-categories indicating whether the funding is for operational or capital purposes. The categories are:
Federal government
State/Territory government
Local government
Fundraising income
The items which make up fundraising income are:
Financial sponsorships
Donations
Bequests
Other fundraising
Expenses
The items which make up the expenses of public libraries and archives include:
Wages and salaries
Employer contributions to superannuation funds
Workers' compensation costs
Fringe benefits tax
Purchases of library materials (current expenditure)
On-line subscription payments
Telecommunications services
Repair and maintenance expenses
Paper, printing and stationery expenses
Other expense items
Capital expenditure on library materials
The expenditure on purchasing library materials which was capitalised. This can be added to the current expenditure on purchasing library materials to obtain the total expenditure on library acquisitions for the reference period.
Library holdings
The number of items held by libraries at the end of the reference period. For local government libraries this is divided into categories as follows:
Stock of books for lending
Other lending stock
Non-lending stock
For National and State libraries the library holdings data are for non-lending stock only.
Archival holdings
The number of metres of archival material held by National and State archives.
Memberships/registered borrowers
The number of memberships and borrower registrations at local government libraries at the end of the reference period. Persons with multiple memberships or registrations are counted at each of those libraries.
Number of loans
The number of loans, by local government libraries, of items of lending stock.
Library visits
The total number of visits to public libraries during the reference period.
Archive visits
The total number of visits to archive search rooms during the reference period.
Number of personal computers
The number of personal computers an organisation has available for use at the end of the reference period, distinguishing those for use by the public from those which are for staff use only.
Technology facilities for public use
The number of technology facilities an organisation has available for use by the public as at the end of the reference period, classified into several categories. A workstation which provides more than one category of facility is counted once for each category. The categories are:
OPAC (On-line Public Access Catalogue) workstations
Internet workstations
CD-ROM workstations
Other software package workstations
Photocopiers
Other technology facilities
Web presence
Indicates whether, as at the end of the reference period, an organisation had a web site, home page or other web presence (including a presence on a related entity's web site).
Availability of catalogue on web-site
Indicates whether, as at the end of the reference period, a local government library's catalogue was available on its web site or other web presence.
On-line transactions
The total number of transactions of library or archive material conducted on-line via the Internet during the reference period.
Geographic area
Data are available for Australia and States and Territories. However, it should be noted that there are three broad models for the operation of local government libraries in Australia, each of which is used by at least two of the States and Territories. Hence, care should be taken in comparing State and Territory data because the allocation of income, expenses and employment may be treated differently depending on the model being used.
HISTORICAL DATA
The collection was previously conducted in respect of 1996-97 and 1999-2000. The scope of the 1999-2000 collection was different from that of the 1996-97 collection. Hence, care should be taken in comparing data from the two periods. Historical statistics shown in the 1999-2000 publication have been produced on the same basis as for 1999-2000 in order to allow for accurate comparisons. Data from the 2003-04 collection are largely comparable with data from 1999-2000.
DISSEMINATION
Publications
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005, Public Libraries, Australia, 2003-04, Cat. no. 8561.0, ABS, Canberra. Price $23.00. Also available for 1999-2000.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 1998, Libraries and Museums, Australia, 1996-97, Cat. no. 8649.0, ABS, Canberra. Price $17.50.
CONTACT
In the first instance, refer to To obtain data or further information in the Introduction to this directory.
Manager
Service Industries Surveys
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Locked Bag 10
BELCONNEN ACT 2616
Telephone: Canberra 02 6252 5633
Facsimile: Canberra 02 6252 7004
Email: client.services@abs.gov.au
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