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Funding and governance of library and information services for visually impaired people: international case studies

Part2:Country studies

Australia

Models and responsibilities

Service provision - general

Library services are provided by state governments in Australia, and public libraries have some limited audio and large print collections.

A national public library for print disabled people is provided under the auspices of Vision Australia, which was formed in 2004 through the merger of separate agencies serving blind people: the Royal Blind Society (RBS), the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind (RVIB) and Vision Australia Foundation (VAF) and the National Information and Library Service (NILS). NILS had been formed previously through the merger of the constituent organisations’ library services, and was constituted as a jointly-owned subsidiary of the three agencies.

Just as this report was being finalized, Vision Australia announced a merger with the Royal Blind Foundation Queensland (RBFQ).

Vision Australia had a total revenue of AU$70.35 million. It is funded mainly by bequests and donations (38%) and government grants (36%). Sales of goods and service revenues account for 8% and 2% of income respectively [http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/docs/about_us/AR06_Final_lores.pdf. The large majority of its expenditure (77%: AU$47.8 million) is on providing services to clients and operating its information library, which supplies accessible materials direct to readers. The relative share of these activities is not stated.

However, agencies in Western Australia, Tasmania and South Australia remain outside the Vision Australia umbrella and their ability to buy outsourcing services from Vision Australia is subject to funding constraints at the state level.

Educational provision

Schools

Library services for visual and print-impaired school students are organised on a state basis under the relevant state ministry for education and training. For example, the Vision Education Service in Western Australia provides a range of services, including equipment loan and alternative format reading and other curricular materials, from pre-school to the end of secondary education. They make the point that others have also made that educational material is time-consuming to produce.

Universities

Library services to disabled students in tertiary institutions are the responsibility of the individual university, (in accordance with anti-discrimination laws) and depend on the funding and other organisational aspects of the individual university. However, universities do collaborate to share and make materials available and they also access materials from special libraries through interlibrary loan. Vision Australia Information Library Service provides student material on request only, not as part of the regular collection. The specialist organisations also help tertiary institutions to increase access to materials and support to individual students though their advice. CAUL noted that Vision Australia’s moves to full cost recovery in recent years have tended to lead to universities undertaking more in-house material provision, though Braille materials will mostly be provided by Vision Australia. Other universities also noted less reliance on specialist blindness agencies to provide materials and more c o-operation between universities to share materials.