University funding for Australian teaching hospital libraries, 1993 to 2001

9th Specials, Health and Law Libraries Conference, 26–29 August 2001 Melbourne: Rivers of Knowledge
 
Abstract:
 
The funding relationship between universities and their teaching hospitals is fundamental to the developmentof the larger teaching hospital libraries. Such funding therefore affects the quality of library service touniversity staff and students in teaching hospitals and flows on to influence hospital library development generally throughout Australia. Very little is known nationally about this relationship, and so an extensive study of CAUL libraries was undertaken across Australia in 1993, 1995 (follow-up only) and 2000 byMonash University Library and Southern Health Library Service, Melbourne with additional comments tobring the study current to June 2001. The questions posed in the survey included: the nature of funding provided; whether such funding was provided by university faculty, library or both; any formal agreements between universities and their teaching hospital libraries; the nature of what was purchased with the funds provided; the details of any on-site access by teaching hospitals to university databases. The results of these surveys are given in detail, indicating that: funding is provided by universities around Australia; both university libraries and faculties provide funding; curiously, most universities do not have formal agreementswith their teaching hospitals; funding is spent on a variety of resources and staff; access is generally provided to University electronic resources for teaching hospital libraries. A brief comparison is offered between the results of the 1993 and 2000 surveys. It is hoped that this study will provide the background of information needed for rational planning and decision-making by university and hospital library staff and administrators in developing teaching hospital libraries in Australia.