Reference Collection Development Guideline

2.3 State reference collection areas and subject strengths

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Tasmania

The main focus of the State Reference Collection is on material that is about Tasmania, written by Tasmanians and published in Tasmania. Items are also acquired relating to Tasmania’s relevance to the British Empire and within the regions of the Indian, Pacific, and Southern Oceans. Other areas of focus are the historiography of indigenous rights, penal policy, imperial humanitarianism, white settler colonialism, and environmental histories. The general nature of this collection is primarily non-fiction. The collection also duplicates items that have a Tasmanian focus and are held in the Heritage Collection to make them accessible for browsing in the Reading Room and for document delivery.

The State Reference Collection also offers a collection of resources containing local, national and international perspectives that are current, authoritative, well-written and of enduring value focusing on Australian, regional and international content.

Macquarie Island and Antarctica

Macquarie Island and the Australian Antarctic Territory make up part of the collection scope of the Heritage Collection. Items relating to Australians in Antarctica, and to polar expeditions departing from or transiting through Tasmania, are collected. Other Antarctic and sub-Antarctic material is collected more selectively, with the aim of maintaining authoritative general information about the activities of all countries in Antarctica.

Family history

The Reading Room has a dedicated family history collection for clients wanting to trace their ancestry in Tasmania as well as nationally and internationally. Content ranges from beginner genealogy guides through to resources such as convict, immigration, births, deaths and marriages records.

Newspapers and serials

Local, national and international titles covering topics of cultural, practical, political, recreational and intellectual interest. Access to many historic newspapers is available via microfilm and electronic databases. Foreign language newspapers and serials are available via electronic databases.

Service manuals

Service manuals for cars, motorcycles, trucks, outboard motors and more are held in the Reading Room, covering early and late model vehicles. The Reading Room holds the most comprehensive service manual collection in Libraries Tasmania, including pre1970 models not included in online electronic resources.  Service manuals are also available online and via the lending collection holds system.

Street directories, atlases and travel guides

The latest street directories from all Australian states and territories are held, as well as international road maps and directories from Europe, Asia and America. The latest editions of Lonely Planet travel guides that are in high demand in the lending collection can always be found on shelf in the Reading Room.

Maps

Folded and flat maps and charts are held in the Reading Room. These include Tasmanian walking maps, topographical, bathymetric and hydrologic maps, historic maps, aerial photographs of Tasmania and maps of Antarctica.

The collection focuses on subject areas of particular interest to the Tasmanian community including, but not limited to: