National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA) Inc. is an incorporated association and the peak body representing the national, state and territory libraries of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, with the mission statement to share knowledge, resources and expertise to advance its member libraries and to drive positive, respectful change for the benefit of Australians and New Zealanders. NSLA's member libraries are some of the largest libraries in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, and include the national libraries of Australia and New Zealand, the state libraries of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, Libraries Tasmania, Libraries ACT (Australian Capital Territory) and Library & Archives NT (Northern Territory). NSLA's Board of Directors comprises the national, state and territory librarians of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, and its current patron is Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia.
NSLA's vision is for collective action that creates long-term benefits for its member libraries. With some 300 contributors across its member libraries, NSLA coordinates projects, networks and working groups addressing issues sector issues, including: copyright issues, archival collections, collection development, digital preservation, and oral history, with a focus on strengthening respectful and responsive relationships between First Nations library professionals, and tangata whenua.[1]
In partnership with the Australian Library and Information Association, NSLA also compiles annual statistics on public library activities and usage throughout Australia, in addition to the published statistics on the services of its own collaborating libraries. NLSA also collaborates with partner organisations such as the Australian Research Council on research and development projects.
Precursors to the organisation include the State Librarians Council, the State Libraries Council and Council of Australian State Libraries (CASL). Two major pieces of work in recent years have been the design and implementation of the world-leading National edeposit service (NED),[2] an online service for the deposit, archiving, management, discovery and delivery of published electronic material across Australia, which was formally launched in August 2019, and the Culturally-safe Libraries Program, which is overseen by a First Nations Advisory Group.[3]
From 1992, the organisation became the Council of Australian State Libraries (CASL). During this time, many projects were developed, such as the Distributed National Collection agreement and the AskNow online virtual reference service. With the National Library of New Zealand attending first as an observer and then a member, in 2005, it decided on a change of name to reflect this, becoming National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA). The first NSLA meeting was held at the State Library of Western Australia in September 2006.[4]
In 2023, NSLA celebrated fifty years of continuous collaboration for the benefit of the library sector with the release of a video, 'What's special about NSLA Libraries?'
Legal deposit is an important function of national and state libraries. The federal Copyright Act 1968 and legal deposit legislation pertaining to each state[5] mandates that publishers of any kind must deposit copies of their publications in the National Library of Australia as well as in the state or territory library in their jurisdiction. Until the 21st century, this has applied to all types of printed materials (and in some states, to audio-visual formats as well),[6] and on 17 February 2016, Australian federal legal deposit provisions were extended to cover electronic publications of all types.[5] Most states and territories are as of 2020[update] reviewing or amending existing legislation to extend to digital publications as well.[6]
The NLSA consortium has developed and delivered the National edeposit (NED) service for electronic publications, with the project led by the NED Steering Group, consisting of representatives from each member library. NED was formally launched in August 2019, and is now running in all NSLA libraries. Work continues on the system, with further enhancements are in the pipeline.[7] The NED service celebrated its fifth birthday in 2024 with an event held at the Friends' Room of the State Library of New South Wales. The keynote speaker was Lucy Hayward, CEO of the Australian Society of Authors.[8]
Indigenous heritage position statement
In May 2021, NSLA published a position statement on Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP), which recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional owners and custodians of Australia and acknowledges the gaps in Australian legislation in protecting their cultural heritage. NSLA member libraries "acknowledge their collective, individual and moral responsibilities to ensure that management and access to these collection materials is culturally informed and respectful [which] includes recognition and protection of the ongoing, communal nature of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) rights".[9]
Each member library is represented on NSLA's Board of Directors by their Chief Executive, State Librarian, or Director-General. The NSLA collaboration is run by an Executive Director, and facilitated by a program coordinator.
References
↑ "Our work". National and State Libraries Australasia. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
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