ALIA submission in response to the Australian Government Review of the Higher Education Provider Category Standards, March 2019

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the review of the Higher Education Provider Category Standards and to express our view that:
 

• Providing a fit-for-purpose library and information service is a key characteristic for a quality higher education provider.
• An excellent student experience can only be achieved if students have access to the latest information resources relating to their field of study.
• Australian universities’ ability to compete with the best in terms of research requires a research infrastructure supported by libraries and library and information professionals.

 
As the Association representing library and information professionals, we seek to ensure that the Higher Education Standards Provider Category Standards reflect the need for students, researchers and educators to have ready access to quality library and information services, and to highlight the role of libraries as one of the differentiating factors between universities and other higher education providers.