3.4.3 Bibliographic information

Background

The development of the collection of botanical works in the library has followed the thematic focus of the Gardens' collections. The library is now managed as part of the Australian Nature Conservation Agency library and is available to all sections of Agency and, by appointment, to other organisations and bona fide members of the public. In addition to published material such as scientific books and journals, the library maintains collections of reprints, copies of botanical articles, and an extensive map collection used for planning field work and for localising specimens. Because it is a relatively young library, the representation of historical literature, most important for taxonomic and nomenclatural studies, is patchy. A long-term purchasing program aims to fill in some of the major gaps in the collection. Standard services, such as the sourcing and purchase of literature, interlibrary loans, on-line catalogues, and public awareness programs are provided by the library.

Management prescriptions

Objective

The objective is to maintain a botanical library service relevant to the general thematic focus of the Gardens.

Implementation

The botanical library will provide timely and reliable library services to facilitate the study of Australian plants. The acquisitions program will conform with the thematic focus of the Gardens. Purchases will include technical and popular botanical books, monographs and journals. Sets of working and reference maps will be maintained, as will historical field books and other material of a historical nature. As a long-term project, the acquisitions program will endeavour to fill historical gaps in the collection.