This report provides outcomes of the research project National Survey on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment in Australian Libraries conducted in the period of 2020 to 2021.
The research aimed to find out more about the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people employed in Australian libraries and identify the current employment types across a range of library settings. It also sought to find out more about the location of libraries with Indigenous staff across states, territories, and public, academic, and school, or other specialist libraries. By conducting the study, we have been able to identify the trends in current employment roles, identify gaps, and understand more about the experiences of Indigenous people working in these libraries.
The report provides an outline of the demographic information provided by participants to the online survey and a summary of the major themes identified from data collected in the semi-structured interviews.
The research has shown there are unique opportunities for the library sector to support the work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australian libraries and develop new pathways for current staff to access leadership roles and others to enter the profession. It has also identified significant gaps in support in this area and provided recommendations for future action and research.
