University of Western Australia Library

The University of Western Australia Library is the oldest and largest university library in Western Australia, with a budget of more than A$16 million and a collection of about 1.5 million volumes and 55,000 current serial titles. Its public services include nine different subject libraries, the Scholars' Centre, and two specialist collections. It also provides an extensive range of digital services and electronic resources.

History

When the University of Western Australia was founded in 1913, the University Library was allocated £2000. A few hundred volumes were bought, but the Library was only nominally supervised and organised until the appointment of Malvina Evalyn Wood to the position of University Librarian in 1927. The library system was revitalised at this point - the collection doubled in only a few years and a central library building was built. But it was not until Leonard Jolley became the University Librarian in 1959 that the Library began to expand its collections significantly, to experiment with new forms of information technology, to erect new library buildings, and to bring departmental libraries under central control. Technological improvements became even more significant in the 1980s as Arthur Ellis, Jolley's successor as University Librarian, worked to expand the collections of audio-visual and electronic materials and began the process of computerizing the Library's catalogues. [ [http://www.library.uwa.edu.au/about_the_uwa_library/about_our_collections/history_of_the_collections_of_the_uwa_library,_1913-1999 "History of the Collections of the UWA Library, 1913-1999" by Emma Hawkes] ]

Main Building

Colloquially known as "Reid Library" the main building was developed and built in the Jolley era.

Branches

At various stages in the history of the University library - branches have been amalgamated and absorbed into larger management units. The Geology Library was independent from the main library within the department well into the 1990's. It is now amalgamated into the main collection in Reid Library.

Collections

The Library has extensive print and electronic collections across the full range of disciplines supported by the University of Western Australia. The print collections are housed in the various subject libraries, while the electronic collections are available across the campus network and by remote access.

The Library's Special Collections are housed in the Scholars' Centre. They focus on Australian literature and the history of the Indian Ocean Region and include the following discrete collections:
* Australian Literature Collection;
* Peter Cowan Collection of Australian Literature;
* Frank Broeze Memorial Library (maritime history);
* Erulkar Collection (Indian Ocean shipping and trade).The Manuscript Collection includes the archives of Australian writers like Robert Drewe, Albert Facey and John Kinsella as well as manuscript material relating to the history of the University of Western Australia.

Services

The Library offers a range of services for students and staff, including loans, document delivery and interlibrary loans, and reference and information services. Its digital services include Course Materials Online and SuperSearch (a federated search of numerous databases). It also provides extensive information skills training, including the IRIS (Introductory Research and Information Skills) online unit for undergraduates.

The Library has developed or contributed to the following significant Australian digital services:
* AustLit: the resource for information about Australian literature, for which the UWA Library is the Western Australian node;
* Guide to Australian Literary Manuscripts: a collection of more than eighty finding aids for literary manuscript collections in major Australian research libraries (using Encoded Archival Description);
* Western Australian Cultural Heritage Portal: a single search across the catalogues and databases of a range of Western Australian libraries, archives, museums and galleries.

References

External links

* [http://www.library.uwa.edu.au University of Western Australia Library]
* [http://austlit.edu.au AustLit]
* [http://findaid.library.uwa.edu.au Guide to Australian Literary Manuscripts]
* [http://chp.library.uwa.edu.au Western Australian Cultural Heritage Portal]