Role
To provide high quality, impartial, timely and confidential information, analysis
and advice to senators and members of the House of Representatives in support of
their parliamentary and representational roles.
Clients
- senators, members, and their staff
- parliamentary committees
- the Governor-General
- staff of parliamentary departments.
Governance
- Presiding Officers—jointly vested with responsibility for the administration
of the Department of Parliamentary Services, including the Parliamentary Library.
- Joint Standing Committee on the Parliamentary Library—provides advice to the
Presiding Officers on matters relating to the Library.
- Parliamentary Librarian—statutory officer responsible for the control and
management of the Library, reporting directly to the Presiding Officers and
the Joint Standing Committee on the Parliamentary Library.
Structure
- Parliamentary Librarian
- Office of the Parliamentary Librarian
- Research Branch
- Library Collections and Databases Branch.
Resource Agreement: 2017–18
- operational funding: $15.491 million
- capital funding: $3.593 million
- average staffing level: 137.5 FTE.
Services
- comprehensive library collection for reference and loan
- media monitoring—press, broadcast and social media
- confidential and tailored research and analysis
- mapping (electoral, social-economic and
demographic data)
- assistance with parliamentary delegation briefings
- research publications to help inform parliamentary debate, scrutiny and
policy development
- 24/7 access to online databases and services
- training, lectures and seminars.
The Library in numbers: 2017–18
- 100 per cent of parliamentarians used the Library’s services
- 11,656 individual client requests completed
- 295 research publications released, including 133 Bills Digests
- 803 clients attended training and seminars
- 37 electorate offices visited
- 6,378 new books and serial titles added to the catalogue
- 45.5 per cent of titles available online in full text
- 175,249 items