Open Borders 

The Open Borders project is now closed. Project documentation is available below, under 'Publications'.

Open Borders project work commenced in 2009, the same year that the Trove discovery service was launched by the National Library of Australia. The aim of the project was to provide seamless access to electronic resources across NSLA libraries, primarily through the enhancement of Trove.

Achievements

The Open Borders project group's achievements include a major project report providing a set of recommendations for further work, most of which have been achieved.

NSLA libraries now:

• encourage their readers to use Trove for discovery of collection holdings, excluding eresources, beyond their own
• regularly update holdings data through the Australian Libraries Gateway and encourage public libraries to do the same
• seek opportunities to use the Trove API (released April 2012) and to make content available through social media channels.

Today, Trove receives an average of 50,000 unique visits per day. Usage data shows a close correlation with population data, demonstrating true national reach.

Prior to its closure, Open Borders established a $5000 prize for use of the Trove API in the 2013 GovHack competition. The prize will be administered by the National Library of Australia.