Alice Springs Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Alice Springs Public Library is a free public library
service in Australia
. While the library provides traditional library services to the community of Alice Springs, it also supplies a unique distance service to the remote people of Central Australia
. While officially named the Nevil Shute Memorial Library, the name is little used.
.
Items are delivered by mail planes which service central Australia and returned using a freepost address in order to ensure equity of access to information for those who live in one of the most scarcely populated areas on earth.
More information on the Country Borrower service, including selection preference forms can be found on the library website.
Alice Springs also has a branch of the Northern Territory Archives Office. The main office however is based almost 1500 km away in Darwin
. This distance is a significant problem for researchers in Central Australia and is compounded as many records are held in the South Australian Archives in Adelaide
.
people of Central Australia is an exciting part of the Alice Springs Collection.
Meaning 'giving knowledge' in Arrernte, Akaltye-Antheme is also referred to as the Local Knowledge Collection, offering visitors to the Library an insight into contemporary indigenous issues and culture.
This collection was recently awarded first prize in the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Library Stars competition. This acknowledged the unique nature of this collection, which contains material not held by any other library or archive service.
Whereas other Australian library services are attempting to provide library services to the Indigenous people of Australia, this collection is part of an effort by past librarians which has been so successful that up to 80% of those using the library at any given moment may be Aboriginal.
The library service has been described as the one place in Alice Springs which breaks down the divides between the Aboriginal and the Anglo Australian cultures.
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
service in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. While the library provides traditional library services to the community of Alice Springs, it also supplies a unique distance service to the remote people of Central Australia
Central Australia
Central Australia/Alice Springs Region is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory. The term Central Australia is used to describe an area centred on Alice Springs in Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Centralia; likewise the people of the area are sometimes called Centralians...
. While officially named the Nevil Shute Memorial Library, the name is little used.
Location
The physical library is on the corner of Leichhardt and Gregory Terraces, Alice Springs. However, remote users can also access the library collection via the Online Catalogue. This catalogue provides access to not only the Alice Springs library service, but also the collections of all public libraries in the Northern TerritoryNorthern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
.
Country Borrowers
Whereas the services of most public library services is tailored for those within a local government area, people living outside of the Alice Springs Town Council boundaries may also become Borrowers. This is a service for residents of out-lying areas who are not able to make regular visits to Alice Springs. These members live more than 100 km from Alice Springs but south of Barrow Creek although the service is also available for those who have their mail delivered via Alice Springs Post Office.Items are delivered by mail planes which service central Australia and returned using a freepost address in order to ensure equity of access to information for those who live in one of the most scarcely populated areas on earth.
More information on the Country Borrower service, including selection preference forms can be found on the library website.
Alice Springs Collection
The Alice Springs Collection is a collection of materials which relate to the historical, scientific and cultural heritage of Central Australia. This is a reference collection and items are not available for loan. They can be viewed in the Library during regular opening hours.Alice Springs also has a branch of the Northern Territory Archives Office. The main office however is based almost 1500 km away in Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
. This distance is a significant problem for researchers in Central Australia and is compounded as many records are held in the South Australian Archives in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
.
Akaltye Antheme - Local Knowledge Collection
The Akaltye-Antheme collection, is a collection of materials produced for and by the AboriginalIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
people of Central Australia is an exciting part of the Alice Springs Collection.
Meaning 'giving knowledge' in Arrernte, Akaltye-Antheme is also referred to as the Local Knowledge Collection, offering visitors to the Library an insight into contemporary indigenous issues and culture.
This collection was recently awarded first prize in the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Library Stars competition. This acknowledged the unique nature of this collection, which contains material not held by any other library or archive service.
Whereas other Australian library services are attempting to provide library services to the Indigenous people of Australia, this collection is part of an effort by past librarians which has been so successful that up to 80% of those using the library at any given moment may be Aboriginal.
The library service has been described as the one place in Alice Springs which breaks down the divides between the Aboriginal and the Anglo Australian cultures.