AustLit

'This paper reports on part one of a multi-part research project investigating Australian public library responses to the requirement to close their physical sites due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The aim was to examine how Australian public libraries responded to the crisis during their periods of closure in terms of services and resources, the challenges they faced, and the role locality played in their response. In total, 212 public library authority managers completed an online questionnaire survey in August 2020 representing 695 public library branch locations. The results showed that during their periods of closure of their physical sites, libraries established new services (e.g. wellbeing phone calls, delivery of craft kits to users) and expanded several existing ones, especially those related to e-resources. The biggest challenge reported was managing staff working arrangements. While most libraries kept permanent staff and fixed-term staff on full hours, most completely cut volunteers and casual staff hours. There were some geographic differences in the response of libraries to the crisis. Overall, however, whilst metropolitan, regional and remote public libraries faced immense challenges, especially regarding staffing and human resources, they were also able to respond rapidly and with agility to the challenges brought about by COVID-19.' (Introduction)

'University student newspapers have a long history across Australian university campuses of engaging with contemporary social and political issues, often reflecting a sentiment not represented in mainstream media publications. Student newspapers have a demonstrated engagement with radical thinking, dissent and political activism and are an important published record of historical discourses, contributing to a critically informed understanding of the society that produced them. This paper reports on a pilot survey of Australian university holdings of their student newspapers. Findings inform current and future student newspaper collection practices by university libraries and archives, including building ongoing relationships with editorial teams, and recommended improvements for access to this primary source material for future researchers.' (Publication abstract)

'The material remains of subcultural communities – in this case, fanzines – often present challenges in definition, classification and materiality, and this makes them valuable primary texts and source material for new knowledges and teaching. In this article, I present an argument for the sustained collection of science fiction fanzines within a university Special Collection, drawing on examples from the Murdoch University Library’s significant twentieth-century science fiction fanzine collection. Highlights include consideration of the records of everyday life that feature in the fanzines and the networked communities science fiction fanzines created through postal systems and other exchanges. The article argues that it is the form, content and networks of fanzines – what I call their ‘practices’ – that make them a unique site of research and of national historical significance, and an important part of a university’s special collection.' (Publication abstract)