Official name of the country: Commonwealth of Australia
Official language: English

Official name of Parliament:* The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia
-Bicameral -
Member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union

Official names of Chambers: The Senate (1)
Member of the ASGP

House of Representatives (2) ASGP
The Library serves both chambers of the Parliament

2. Address
Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia
Department of the Parliamentary Library
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Tel.: *(61)(6)2772500
Fax: *(61)(6)2775288
Telex: AA61640
E-mail: library@par18.aph.gov.au

3. Details on the Library
Year of foundation: 1901
Person in charge: Mr John W. TEMPLETON
Position or official title: Acting Parliamentary Librarian
Number of library staff: 218
Number of professional librarians: 47
Number of research and subject analyst staff in the Library: 53
Number of secretarial and support staff: 106
Number of other staff: 12 (senior management, information technologists)
Size of collection: 100.000

Annual acquisitions budget: 1.200.000 A$ (~ US$ 850.000)
Number of current periodicals: 9.000
Periodicals indexed for relevant articles: Yes, by the Library
Number of periodicals which are currently indexed for articles: 1.000
Number of periodical articles indexed per year: 3.000
Number of current newspapers: 105
Press cuttings: Yes, by the Library (12)
Indexing of Parliamentary Papers: Yes, by the two Houses
Library in charge of the archival materials of the Parliament: No
Library uses a thesaurus or a classification system for subject indexing: Thesaurus and classification system
Automation of cataloguing: Yes
Is the automated library catalogue accessible as an online catalogue to outside users?: No
Clientele: Members, parliamentarians'personal staff, parliamentary staff; limited access: the media, State parliamentarians (when in Canberra), former Senators and Members (when in Canberra)
Number of reading rooms: 10 carrel desks
Number of loans per year: 20.000
Reference services: 45.000
Current bibliographies: 1
Retrospective subject bibliographies: Very rarely
External database searches: Yes
Analysis and research: Yes, by the Library
Other special services: Current awareness services: SDI, weekly seminars with visiting speakers, monitoring and transcription of the broadcoast media
Right to deposit: No
Depository library: Partial depository library of United Nations publications
Other special collections of the Library: Parliamentary Authors' Collection: a collection of works authored by present and past Members of Parliament; press clipping collection including typed transcripts of radio and TV current affairs / news programmes and cassettes; political party materials including party platform statements; collection of press statements issued by Ministers, Opposition front bench, back-bench Members of Parliament; rare books
Any other information: The Library includes: Legislative Research Service: 40 research officers, 10 support staff; Press Documentation and Information Service: 10 Librarians, 17 support staff
IFLA membership: Yes

4. Publications published by the Library
Annual report
First published for the calendar year 1978. - In 1982/83 the report year changed from calendar year to financial year
Parliamentary handbook of the Commonwealth of Australia
Biographical and other relevant data about current Members of Parliament, statistical information. - Record of Members and ministries since 1901, elections since 1901, and a number of other matters relating to the Parliament. - New edition is produced for each newly elected Parliament

* Basic papers
Background papers on issues of interest to Members of Parliament. - Prepared by the Legislative Research Service
* Current issues briefs
Short topical papers designed to give a quick overview of matters of immediate significance to the Parliament. - Prepared by the Legislative Research Service
* Discussion papers
Substantial papers on topics of interest to the Parliament. - Prepared by external experts under the general oversight of the Legislative Research Service
* Bills digests
Each Digest is a short account and description of a Bill before the Parliament. - Prepared by the Legislative Research Service
* Monthly economic and social indicators
A monthly publication bringing together economic and social data from a range of both official and non-official sources. - Prepared by the Statistics Group of the Legislative Research Service
* Current topics reading lists
Topical bibliographies, each dealing with a separate topic. - Prepared by the Reader Services and Reference Section
* Index to current information
A fortnightly subject and author index to journal articles of interest culled from the current intake of some 8000 titles. - Each entry contains full bibliographic description and an abstract of the article it identifies. - Each issue also contains a list of the radio and television programs transcribed in the fortnight period. - Prepared by the Technical Services Section
* Select list of acquisitions
A fortnightly subject listing of a selection of new monograph acquisitions. - Each entry contains bibliographic description and a brief summary. - Prepared by the Technical Services Section

5. Publications concerning the Library
White, H.L.: The development of legislative research services in the Parliamentary Library // In: Report / 1st Conference of Presiding Officers and Clerks-At-The-Table of the Parliaments of Australia, Canberra, 1968. - p. 106 - 115
Fleming, A.P.: Parliamentary libraries : development of information and research services in Canberra // In: The Parliamentarian. - 50 (1969), p. 272 - 278
Thwaites, M.R.: Developments and trends in the provision of research and information services in parliamentary libraries with special reference to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library // In: Proceedings / Conference of Australia's Parliamentary Librarians, Canberra, 1972. - p. 33 - 43
Brudenall, M.J.: Current awareness services for Members of Parliament // In: Proceedings / 2nd Conference of Australia's Parliamentary Librarians, Sydney, 1973. - p. 11 - 18
Moore, A.L.: The Australian Parliamentary Library and its work // In: The Parliamentarian. - 57 (1976), p. 142 - 146
Moore, A.L.: Information for parliaments : the experience of the Australian Parliamentary Library // In: Australian library journal. - 24 (1975), p. 191 - 195
Weir, H.G.: Submission to the Senate Select Committee on Parliamentary Appropriations and Staffing. - Canberra : Department of the Parliamentary Library, 1981. - 28 p.
Brudenall, M.J.: The Commonwealth Parliamentary Library : some personal reflections // In: Proceedings / 5th Annual Workshop, Australasian Study of Parliament Group, Sydney, 1983
MacLean, H. de S.C.: The Australian Commonwealth Parliamentary Library // In: Parlament und Bibliothek. - München : Saur, 1986. - p. 291 - 298
MacLean, H. de S.C.: Australiens neues Parlamentsgebäude und die IFLA-Tagung 1988 // In: ABI-Technik. - Wiesbaden. - 7 (1987),4, S. 323 - 328
- Parr, E.: The information marriage : the Parliamentary Library and the personal staff of Senators and Members / by Ed. Parr and Alison Ransome. - Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service, 1991
Portfolio budget statement Annual
Guide to the services of the Parliamentary Library Biannual

6. Parliamentary documents
Parliament
- Joint Publication of the two Chambers
Under this title are bound and published the papers which have been presented to either House during the Session and ordered to be printed. - Each such paper is initially published individually under its own title and subsequently all are bound and published together under the title shown above. - The publication in bound form is many years delayed. - The papers include annual reports of Government agencies, special reports of enquiries, reports of Royal Commissions and other studies. - The volumes are numbered sequentially within each year. - An index is published separately even though the bound volumes to which they refer may not be in existence
Senate
Parliamentary debates : daily Hansard
Contains the full text of speeches made in the Senate and the full text of other material such as questions asked and answered, Ministerial statements, etc. - Appears the morning after the debate which it records has taken place. - It is styled Proof, i.e. minor corrections may subsequently be made. - Each daily issue is dated, and numbered according to the number of the sitting day, the number of the session and the number of the parliament. - Also carries a list of Ministers, a list of Senators, the States they represent and their party affiliations, and a
Contents list. - In the first issue of the daily Hansard following a break of at least a week in the parliamentary sittings, an index to speeches is provided to all the prior issues for that particular session
Parliamentary debates : weekly Hansard
A fully proof-read cumulation of the daily Hansard. - The issues are numbered sequentially through a calendar year. - They do not contain an index but a day-by-day Contents list is provided, as well as the list of Ministers and the list of Senators, the States they represent and their party affiliations
* Parliamentary debates : Hansard
Hard-bound edition of Hansard, issued in several volumes per Parliamentary Session. - Each volume contains two indexes to its contents: an Index to Speeches and an Index to Subjects. - The former is an index not only to speeches but also to questions, ministerial statements, personal explanations, etc. - Under each Senator's name the index indicates the topic of the Senator's constribution, its category (i.e. question, ministerial statement etc.) and where it is located in the volume. - The volume numbering is continuous and is currently in its second series. - The first series (containing both House of Representatives and Senate) began with vol. 1 in 1901 and ended with vol. 221 in 1953. - That same year the second series (with separate volumes for the House of Representatives and the Senate) began with vol. 1
* Journals
Record of the business transacted by the Senate. - In two editions: a Proof edition which is published daily following the meeting of the Senate to which it refers and a final bound edition is published for each Session. - The bound edition contains two indexes: an index to the Journals of the Senate themselves and an index to the Papers presented to the Senate during the Session. - The latter indicates in every case whether or not the paper was printed and, if so, its location in the bound volumes of Parliamentary Papers. - This index is also published separately. - The daily editions of the Journals of the Senate are numbered sequentially through an entire Parliament and retain this numbering when bound together
* Standing orders as in force on 28 April 1981. - Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service, 1981. - 88 p.
Most frequently used procedures. - Canberra, 1981. - 11 p.
Odgers, J.R.: Australian Senate practice. - 5th ed. - Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service, 1976. - 707 p.
House of Representatives
Parliamentary debates : daily Hansard
Contains the full text of speeches made in the House and the full text of other material such as questions asked and answered, Ministerial statements, etc. - Appears the morning after the debate which it records has taken place. - It is styled Proof, i.e. minor corrections may subsequently be made. - Each daily issue is dated, and numbered according to the number of sitting day, the number of the session and the number of the parliament. - Also carries a list of Ministers, a list of members and their electorates and parties, and a Contents list. - In the first issue of the daily Hansard following a break of at least a week in the parliamentary sittings, an index to speeches is provided to all the prior issues for that particular session. - It is, thus, a cumulative index
- Parliamentary debates : weekly Hansard
A fully proof-read cumulation of the daily Hansard. - The issues are numbered sequentially through a calendar year. - They do not contain an index but a day-by-day Contents list is provided, as well as the list of Ministers and the list of Members and their electorates and parties
* Parliamentary debates : Hansard
Hard-bound edition of Hansard, issued in several volumes per Parliamentary Session. - Each volume contains two indexes to its contents: an Index to Speeches and an Index to Subjects. - The former is an index not only to speeches but also to questions, ministerial statements, personal explanations, etc. - Under each members name the index indicates the topic of the Member's contributions, its category (i.e. questions, ministerial statement, etc.) and where it is located in the volume. The volume numbering is continuous and is currently in its second series. - The first series (containing both Senate and House of Representatives) began with vol. 1 in 1901 and ended with vol. 221 in 1953. The same year the second series (with separate volumes for the Senate and the House of Representatives) began with vol. 1
* Votes and proceedings
Record of the business transacted by the House. - In two editions: a Proof edition which is published daily following the meeting of the House to which it refers and a final bound edition is published for each Session. - The bound edition contains two indexes : an index to the Votes and proceedings themselves and an index to the Papers presented to the House during the Session. - The latter indicates in every case whether or not the paper was printed and, if so, its location in the bound volumes of Parliamentary Papers. - This index is also published separately. - The daily editions of the Votes and proceedings are numbered sequentially through an entire Parliament and retain this numbering when bound together
* Standing orders as last revised 22 February. - Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service, 1980. - 68 p.
A short description of business and procedures. - 8th ed. - Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service, 1983. - 76 p.
House of Representatives practice / ed. by J.A. Pettifer. - Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service, 1981. - 966 p.

(updated in July 1998)