Library and information infrastructureLibrary and information infrastructure

Library and information infrastructure

Applications for library and information infrastructure must address the matters raised here in addition to the requirements specified in the body of these Funding Rules.

One of the aims of the LIEF Program is to fund the development of library and information infrastructure that enhances high-quality research projects. Applications in this category must demonstrate that they will enhance specific high-quality research projects, and that they will benefit researchers and scholars nationally. Applications must be collaborative in nature.

All applications for library and information infrastructure should demonstrate:

• how the infrastructure enhances/ will enhance the ability of Australian researchers to access or use information resources effectively and efficiently;
• that the project will not duplicate existing library and information infrastructure, but will link to existing infrastructure in Australia and overseas;
• that the project has the capacity for future development and enhancements;
• that the outcomes are sustainable; and
• that current developments in the information sciences, including international standards and protocols, systems and software to further library and information network inter-operability, are understood and applied.

All applications for library and information infrastructure should address one or more of the following elements of the national library and information infrastructure:

• The development of improvements in access to information resources that can be made available nationally. This may include
  • developing services that provide access to integrated print and electronic information resources, and/or
  • improving the level and quality of access through developing significant new directory, cataloguing or indexing services;
• The testing, development and implementation of innovative and sustainable models that will lead to improved access to distributed information and research library resources;
• The purchase or development of information resources of national significance, whether in electronic form or otherwise, that can be made available nationally. This will include
  • the development of information resources to meet Australian research priorities, and/or
  • proposals to meet or provide resources that will fill significant gaps in the research resources available to the nation.

Applications for library and information infrastructure must outline:

• how access to the resources will be managed (eg through subscription to a database); and