The community responsibilities of Government bodies producing publications have been reviewed following representations from library and research professionals and a report on NSW Government Special Libraries by the Office of Public Management. The procedures which follow were developed in response to advances in information technology and freedom of information principles and ongoing financial constraints.

1. Applicability The guidelines that follow are consistent with the Commonwealth Copyright Act 1968.

The directive issued by the Public Service Board as PSB 80/183S, headed Preservation of Government Publications, and the Memorandum to all Ministers 90-17 of 11 April 1990 headed Statutory Requirements for all New South Wales Government Publications are replaced by this Memorandum.

The New South Wales Copyright Act 1879 does not bind the Crown.

2. What is a publication? Several laws make reference to 'library material'. For the purpose of this memorandum, library material means books, reports, papers and other documents, periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets, leaflets, manuscripts, films, sound recordings, musical scores, maps, charts, plans, pictures, photographs, prints and other recorded material, whether in writing or in some other form, and whether stored on paper, tape, microfilm, microfiche, disc or any other method of information storage.

'Publish' does not have a unique legal meaning but in this Memorandum, publication occurs when a document is tabled in either House of Parliament or is placed on sale or made available to the public by any means including electronically. The originating agency need not have intended the document to be available to the public before it was produced.

3. National Library of Australia The Commonwealth Copyright Act 1968 binds the Crown in right of the State of
New South Wales. All departments and authorities must by law and within one month of publication deliver to the National Library of Australia one copy of any book, periodical (eg newsletter, annual report), newspaper, pamphlet, sheet of letterpress, sheet music, map plan, chart or table. This material is to be sent to the Legal Deposit Unit National Library of Australia CANBERRA ACT 2600.

Publications received by the National Library under the Act are listed in the Australian National Bibliography or
Australian Government Publications or both.

4. State Library of New South Wales Government organisations must at their own expense deliver to the State Library as soon as possible and within one month of publication, three copies of all library material as defined in section 1. Send this material to the Government Publications Librarian State Library of New South Wales Macquarie Street SYDNEY NSW 2000.

The State Library will set aside the first of these copies for permanent preservation. The second copy will become part
of the Distributed National Collection of materials available to scholars and the community at large through interlibrary
loan. The third copy will be held by the Library as an interim measure pending completion of the New South Wales
universities' proposed Cooperative Research Support Centre on the campus of Macquarie University.

5. New South Wales Parliamentary Library Government organisations must deliver to the NSW Parliamentary
Library at their own expense and within one month of publication one copy of any book, periodical, newspaper,
pamphlet, manuscript, musical score, map, chart, plan, picture, photograph or print unless the Parliamentary Librarian
has advised that the publication is not wanted. The materials the Library needs for the requirements of Parliament are
well defined, and the Parliamentary Librarian can advise organisations on the kinds of publications that need not be
delivered. In cases of doubt organisations may consult the Librarian. Items required by the Library are to be sent to

The Librarian
Parliament of New South Wales
Macquarie Street
SYDNEY NSW 2000.

6. Hardship In cases where the delivery of four or five copies of publications with a very high marginal cost of production would result in hardship to the issuing organisation, the chief executive of the organisation may place the facts before the State Librarian. The State Librarian, after consulting with the Parliamentary Librarian, may relax the requirement at her discretion. Deposit to the National Library of Australia however, is obligatory under Commonwealth law.

7. Tabling In Parliament When a book, paper, report or other document is tabled in either chamber of Parliament, it is published and copies should be promptly lodged with the State Library and the State Parliamentary Library, preferably on the same day, and with the National Library as quickly as possible. Materials which are tabled are often referred to in news media and become the subject of public enquiries directed to the libraries. It wastes time and is frustrating to enquirers if the originating agency cannot quickly be identified. When lodgment on the same day is impossible, the State and Parliamentary Libraries should be informed of the tabling and of the identity of the publisher and availability of the publication.

8. Departmental libraries Copies of all library materials should be deposited with the organisation's own library. It is good practice for branches preparing publications first to consult their organisation's library professionals. They can provide advice and assistance to ensure that the publication meets all legal and administrative requirements.

Organisations that do not have professional library staff may seek advice on publication requirements from the State Library's Government Publications Librarian on 02 230 1629.

9. Government Information Service Organisations publishing material likely to be of interest to the general public should send reference copies to the Government Information Service and discuss with the Bookshop Manager the public sale of the material through the Government's Sydney (02 228 8922) and Parramatta (02 689 5610) bookshops.

10. International Standard Numbers Every edition of every book, pamphlet, microform, sound recording of a book and published computer software program should be allocated an International Standard Book Number (ISBN). Similarly, every serial publication (newsletter, annual report, journal, series of papers or notes) should be allocated an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN). [A monograph series may have both ISBN and ISSN.] These numbers should be assigned before printing so that they can be printed in a prominent position on the publication. Departmental librarians will be able to arrange the allocation of ISBN and ISSN by the National Library of Australia.

11. Cataloguing Departments and authorities can ensure the accessibility of the materials they publish to Government, to researchers, to the community and to future generations through proper cataloguing procedures. This will normally be undertaken by the departmental library, and Government libraries are encouraged to join the Australian Bibliographic Network (ABN), a shared cataloguing facility maintained in Canberra.

Library materials should whenever possible be catalogued before publication (cataloguing-in-publication) and catalogue details included on the reverse title in the case of printed works.

Small organisations without professional library staff may seek assistance from the State Library of New South Wales by contacting the Manager, Materials Processing on 02 230 1452.

The State Library gives priority to cataloguing State Government publications and enters details on to the Australian
Bibliographic Network.

12. Publication strategy Organisations planning publications should have a strategy for each publication that accords
with the principles and guidelines drawn up by the Premier's Publications Review Committee in 1989. This strategy
should:

Define the objective(s) to be achieved by publication.

Provide a cost estimate for each element of the preparation, production and distribution processes including all in-house
materials, labour and overheads.

Analyse the cost effectiveness of the publication and of alternative means of achieving the objectives.

Define the target population for the publication, assess the likely demand for it and state the basis for this assessment.

State the number of copies to be printed and analyse the costs of alternative numbers.

Estimate the likely level of appeal to advertisers or sponsors and the basis for the estimate.

Propose a sale price for the publication and the rationale for it.

Set down a marketing strategy (which should include involvement of the Government Information Service bookshop)
including distribution and promotional plans.

Define the procedures which will be used to review and assess the effectiveness of the publication in meeting its
objectives.

13. Review and revision Publications intended to have ongoing currency need procedures to ensure that the information they contain remains accurate and current. Such procedures should include checks for errors in details of addresses, branch locations, telephone and facsimile numbers, hours of access and availability of products and services.

14. State identity Publications should have a recognisable New South Wales identity. The front cover should be identified with the State crest and the legend: The New South Wales Government, Putting people first by managing better.

15. Annual reports The Premier's Publications Review Committee advised in 1989 that annual reports should be international B5 sized (250 x 176 mm) and printed in black ink on white paper. Pictures are not essential. The cover should clearly show the name of the reporting body. Print runs should be limited to the number required by Parliament, the media, the deposit libraries, the Government Information Service and people with a specific interest.

Additional brief summary reports are a cost effective way of disseminating key information to staff, universities, schools, job applicants and similar groups. Where available, computer discs of the reports should be offered to the Parliamentary Library. Copies of annual reports should be available through the Government Information Service bookshop on the day of tabling.

16. Freedom of Information The FOI Act requires that all publications be listed in the organisation's annual report.
It would be appreciated if you could arrange to bring these procedures to the notice of all appropriate sections of your
administration. Since many relevant decisions on small publications are made at branch level, chief executives may wish to draw the Memorandum to the attention of all branches within their organisations including those that have not previously produced publications.

RG Humphry
Director-General