OUR WORK

Our work advances shared priorities for our alliance and the sector, driving collaboration and innovation across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Our strategy focuses our collective efforts on the opportunities and challenges ahead, delivering initiatives that strengthen our institutions and expand our impact.

Empowering Citizens & Readers
Priority
Empowering citizens & readers
Activating library collections as civic infrastructure to spark curiosity and informed participation.

> OUR VISION:

National and state libraries are vital and resilient memory institutions and the pillars of cohesive democracies. Our economic and social contribution, and our role in building reading cultures, empowers informed participation in society and ensures equitable access to knowledge.

> HOW WE WILL GET THERE:

  • Activate library collections as civic infrastructure to spark curiosity, foster critical thinking, and encourage informed and respectful dialogue and discourse
  • Synthesise strategies and align efforts and resources across our alliance and with key partners to enhance the visibility and benefits of reading, amplifying the role and reach of all libraries

Projects and initiatives

Transforming Discovery & Access
Priority
Transforming discovery & access
Leading in innovation to keep libraries and trusted knowledge central to intellectual inquiry.

> OUR VISION:

We lead in innovation and user experience by actively exploring and experimenting to ensure that libraries and trusted knowledge remain central to intellectual inquiry amid an increasingly complex information ecosystem.

> HOW WE WILL GET THERE:

  • Test, learn and experiment with AI and other technologies to unlock new value from our memory collections for current and new library users
  • Mature our approach to rights management, balancing new opportunities for access, innovation and knowledge creation and upholding the rights of creators

Projects and initiatives

AI4LAM Regional Chapter membership
We're connecting colleagues and supporting collaboration, capability building and responsible innovation in artificial intelligence.
Rights Management working groups
We're bringing together experts from across NSLA to develop practical guidance on copyright, rights management and orphan works, helping libraries navigate a changing legislative landscape.
Strengthening the Alliance & Ecosystem
Priority
Strengthening the alliance & ecosystem
Collective expertise, influence and scale driving equitable outcomes for members and communities.

> OUR VISION:

Our collective expertise, influence, and scale drives equitable outcomes for our members and their communities. We champion our libraries' unique value, advocate on behalf of our sector, and foster a new generation of diverse, confident leaders who reflect the communities we serve.

> HOW WE WILL GET THERE:

  • Advocate with improved data, research and impact case studies
  • Continued exploration of opportunities for shared resources, tenancy, storage, and other vendor agreements
  • Build relationships with partners and stakeholders aligned with a strong knowledge ecosystem
  • Grow capability, recognise contribution and develop leaders across our sector

Projects and initiatives

NSLA Professional Engagement Fund
We're providing funding and bursaries to support colleagues to attend conferences, events and study visits aligned with our strategy, building capability and sharing new ideas across the NSLA alliance.
Our Foundation
Our Foundation
Values, respect and acknowledgement
The values and commitments that underpin everything we do as an alliance.

Our constitutional purpose is to bring together the knowledge and expertise of the national, state and territory libraries of Australia and New Zealand in order to build, manage and provide access to library collections and services that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.

> Our decision-making is guided by our shared commitment to:

  • Rights and responsibilities — We are active champions of the rights and responsibilities that underpin an open and democratic society.
  • Momentum — We are future-focused and willing to experiment, test and learn, sharing risk and reward.
  • Collaboration — We promote equity of participation, contribution and opportunity.
  • Inclusivity — We embrace the diversity of our institutions, our people, and the communities we serve as the defining strength of our alliance.
  • Technology for good — We use technology thoughtfully, ethically and as an enabler of positive impact.
Acknowledgement

Members of National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA) acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and Kaitiaki of the lands on which our libraries do their daily work, preserving and sharing our collective cultural heritage.