The future of the Trove online database is in doubt due to funding cuts to the National Library of Australia.
In February it was revealed a number of national cultural institutions were looking at reducing staff numbers as they face $20 million in cuts from the Federal Government's efficiency dividend.
Later that month, a leaked email from the National Library's director-general projected 22 jobs would be axed next financial year, with more in the future, as a result of the funding cuts.
Although Trove, which was launched in late 2009, is funded by the library's budget, without government funding the library will not be able to update the material in the database.
Currently the database hosts more than 4 million digitised items, including books, images, music, historic newspapers and maps.
In 2014, the database's fifth year, an estimated 70,000 people were using the website each day.
Australia Library and Information Association chief executive Sue McKarracher said Trove was a visionary move by the library and had turned into a world-class resource.
"It was a real sign of leadership that they made that decision," she said.
"If you look at things like the digital public libraries in the United States, really a lot of that came from looking at our Trove and seeing what a nation could do investing in a platform that would hold museum, gallery and library archives collections and make them accessible to the world."
As well as providing a service to people overseas, Trove has been an important educational resource for academics and rural communities in Australia.
Ms McKarracher said despite its widespread use, the database was undervalued.
"Trove isn't just a nice thing to have, it's not just about digital access to museum pieces or library documents, this is a fundamental piece of our national research infrastructure," she said.
"We've [the Australia Library and Information Association] actually written to the Minister for Infrastructure Darren Chester asking him to expand the definition of infrastructure.
"We're hopeful that the Minister will take a look at the idea of [Trove] as a piece of national infrastructure [and see it] as important as roads and transport."
Ms McKarracher said without funding from the library, institutions or organisations that want to submit collections to the Trove database would have to find the money to fund it themselves.
Meredith Hinchliffe from arts advocate organisation Childers Group said privatising or charging for items to be added to the online database could result in less institutions contributing material.
"Public institutions like the library and in particular Trove, they connect us to our past and enable us to critique our present and prepare for the future," she said.
"It might not deter universities and it might not deter the major museums... but for small museums - of which there are 2,500 in Australia - many of which are volunteer run and funded through councils, they may not be able to afford it.
"So the information they hold won't go into Trove and won't be available for the rest of the community and the rest of the world."
In February it was revealed a number of national cultural institutions were looking at reducing staff numbers as they face $20 million in cuts from the Federal Government's efficiency dividend.
Later that month, a leaked email from the National Library's director-general projected 22 jobs would be axed next financial year, with more in the future, as a result of the funding cuts.
Although Trove, which was launched in late 2009, is funded by the library's budget, without government funding the library will not be able to update the material in the database.
Currently the database hosts more than 4 million digitised items, including books, images, music, historic newspapers and maps.
In 2014, the database's fifth year, an estimated 70,000 people were using the website each day.
Australia Library and Information Association chief executive Sue McKarracher said Trove was a visionary move by the library and had turned into a world-class resource.
"It was a real sign of leadership that they made that decision," she said.
"If you look at things like the digital public libraries in the United States, really a lot of that came from looking at our Trove and seeing what a nation could do investing in a platform that would hold museum, gallery and library archives collections and make them accessible to the world."
As well as providing a service to people overseas, Trove has been an important educational resource for academics and rural communities in Australia.
Ms McKarracher said despite its widespread use, the database was undervalued.
"Trove isn't just a nice thing to have, it's not just about digital access to museum pieces or library documents, this is a fundamental piece of our national research infrastructure," she said.
"We've [the Australia Library and Information Association] actually written to the Minister for Infrastructure Darren Chester asking him to expand the definition of infrastructure.
"We're hopeful that the Minister will take a look at the idea of [Trove] as a piece of national infrastructure [and see it] as important as roads and transport."
Ms McKarracher said without funding from the library, institutions or organisations that want to submit collections to the Trove database would have to find the money to fund it themselves.
Meredith Hinchliffe from arts advocate organisation Childers Group said privatising or charging for items to be added to the online database could result in less institutions contributing material.
"Public institutions like the library and in particular Trove, they connect us to our past and enable us to critique our present and prepare for the future," she said.
"It might not deter universities and it might not deter the major museums... but for small museums - of which there are 2,500 in Australia - many of which are volunteer run and funded through councils, they may not be able to afford it.
"So the information they hold won't go into Trove and won't be available for the rest of the community and the rest of the world."
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