To survive in today’s global environment, Tasmania needs to become an information society, its citizens at home in a world where the volume of information is growing at an accelerating pace, and the skills and technology required to deal with it are constantly changing.
This year, the State Library developed Informing Tasmanians, a policy framework to support Tasmania in becoming an information society.
Informing Tasmanians addresses the needs of all Tasmanians in accessing, managing and using information. An Australian first, the framework was developed in consideration of the key characteristics intrinsic to an information society. Its key principles reflect these characteristics, highlighting equitable access to quality information as essential to a democratic society and to an environment that fosters innovation and initiative.
The objectives of Informing Tasmanians are focused on three areas-access to information, use of information and information content.
Target areas for the enhancement of Tasmanians’ access to information are public locations that ensure information availability throughout the state. Key access points for this are our 48 State Library branches, 64 Online Access Centres (OACs), Service Tasmania shops and cultural and heritage institutions.
Targeting the use of information involves promoting the value of information skills and improving opportunities for skill development through education and training programs. Market research ensures that promotion reaches all Tasmanians.
Addressing information content involves creating information resources about our collections and managing relevant public information to ensure ongoing availability and accessibility. Online collections and indexes have been developed to organise the information, and provide gateways to access it.
The launch of Informing Tasmanians marked the beginning of a multi-pronged advertising campaign. This ran from September to April, promoting information literacy skills and the breadth of information accessible through libraries and OACs with a focus on online resources and databases. Six information areas were highlighted, ranging from business to health and travel.
Initiatives of the framework include increasing the capacity for access to technology in the state’s libraries and OACs and developing regional community learning centres. The State Library is also involved in a number of activities related to building of information content. These include the ongoing improvement of access to electronic resources through its own website, and participation in whole-of-government initiatives to improve delivery of information services, for instance the continuing development of access to government information at all levels through Service Tasmania Online.
Informing Tasmanians