Service Charter

The National Library of Australia aims to provide Australians with high levels of customer service. With your assistance and feedback, we seek to continuously improve our service to the Australian community by responding to the changing needs of our users; by providing access to the nation’s library collections and services; and by safeguarding our heritage building for future generations.

Dr Marie-Louise Ayres

Director-General

This Charter sets out the standard of service you can expect from us. The Library will:

• treat you with courtesy and professionalism and address any issues efficiently
• communicate with you in clear, straightforward language
• provide physical and online environments that are conducive to research and study, and are accessible for all Australians
• welcome your suggestions and comments
• deal promptly and appropriately with feedback.

Our purpose

The Library ensures that documentary resources of national significance relating to Australia and the Australian people, together with significant non-Australian library materials, are collected, preserved and made accessible through the Library and through collaborative arrangements with other libraries and information providers.

By offering a strong national focus in all that we do, and cooperating with others who share our goals, we support learning and creative and intellectual endeavours, and contribute to the continuing vitality of Australia’s diverse culture and heritage.

Our services

We are dedicated to meeting your information needs and facilitating access to our collections and services promptly and efficiently. Our services include:

• access to digital collections, including eResources, ebooks, archived websites, and a specially curated—and growing—number of items digitised from the Library’s own collections
• Trove, where you can explore Australia’s cultural collections and a wealth of digitised and online content
• online discovery tools, including our catalogue, finding aids, and research guides, which will assist you in locating, discovering, requesting and exploring our collections
• reading rooms, where you can use and access the Library’s collections
• informed and helpful staff, available to assist you in your research on our collections both onsite and online
• Copies Direct, for obtaining copies of all formats of collection material for personal or public use
• exhibitions, publications, events, education offerings and outreach activities, which present and interpret our collections
• compliance with accessibility standards and requirements.

Our targets

We aim to:

• deliver 90% of items stored onsite within the designated collection delivery times
• deliver 90% of items from our rare or secure collections within the designated collection delivery times
• deliver 90% of items stored offsite within the designated collection delivery times
• respond to 90% of information and research enquiries within one week
• dispatch 90% of Copies Direct orders, where rights allow, within the designated delivery times
• ensure 99.5% availability of the Library’s website and Trove
• ensure our website and Trove are user-friendly and accessible to a broad range of users.

How you can help

To assist us in serving you more effectively, you can:

• treat our staff courteously, be respectful of the rights of others and adhere to the Library’s Code of Conduct for Readers and Visitors and Code of Acceptable Use of Information and Communications Technology
• be honest and fair in your expectations
• plan your visit in advance, noting our opening hours and collection delivery times
• join the Library and request items in advance of your visit via our catalogue
• handle all collections items with care and respect
• acknowledge the Library and cite sources accurately
• let us know how we can improve our services.

Providing feedback

We welcome feedback, both positive and negative, so that we are able to improve our services. All comments will be acknowledged, and the majority responded to within one week. For more complex issues, a resolution or explanation will be provided as soon as possible. There are no fees associated with making a complaint. The Library will handle complaints confidentially in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Feedback can be provided in person to Library staff; via a User Feedback form (available in the Library’s Reading Rooms and at Information Desks) deposited onsite in the User Feedback box; and online.

If you believe the issue has not been resolved via these means, you may contact the Library’s Director-General:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600

Phone +61 (0)2 6262 1390

Web: User Feedback Form

If you are dissatisfied at any time with our handling of your feedback, you may write to the Commonwealth Ombudsman at the following address:

GPO Box 442

Canberra ACT 2601

Telephone: 1300 362 072

Website: www.ombudsman.gov.au

If you have a hearing or speech impairment, please contact us via the National Relay Service:

TTY: 133 677

Speak and Listen: 1300 555 727

Website: www.relayservice.gov.au/making-a-call/internet-relay

Reporting and review

To ensure this charter continues to reflect community needs and expectations, it will be reviewed regularly for currency and a major review will be undertaken every three years.

April 2018

Contact

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600

Phone +61 (0)2 6262 1111

Fax +61 (0)2 6257 1703

Website: Contact us