Our Work
Topics
CAUL’s work is structured into services, programs and projects reflected across these topics.
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Analytics
Meeting Members’ needs for robust data to support benchmarking and decision-making is a key priority for CAUL. CAUL delivers data and analysis through the Analytics Service and supports capability building in Member institutions through communities of practice. Analytics involve data collection and analysis from Australasian university libraries including for collection evaluation strategies.
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Awards
Awards from CAUL recognise achievements and foster connections across university libraries in Australasia and Oceania.
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Content Procurement
Content procurement for the university library sector is a key focus for CAUL. The Content Procurement Service’s primary activity is operating the CAUL Consortium, which negotiates pricing and licensing for digital content products for Consortium participants. Content procurement services optimise collective library resources for strategic content acquisition across institutions.
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Copyright
Copyright laws affect university libraries’ core business and their mission to provide unimpeded access to information. Fair and affordable access to content depends on Australia having up-to-date copyright law. Copyright guidance, especially for OER, and advocacy for reform are key areas of CAUL’s work.
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Equity, diversity and inclusion
University libraries have a diverse workforce, and across Member institution libraries, many diversity facets, including neurodivergence and disability, are more represented in our staff profile than in the general population. In other areas, such as the representation of Indigenous populations, significant work remains to ensure our staff profile represents the general population.
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Indigenisation
Indigenising university libraries is a key strategic focus for CAUL. Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand university libraries have a vital role to play in advancing Indigenous perspectives, knowledge systems and ways of knowing. CAUL is committed to supporting university libraries to create meaningful change through embedding Indigenous knowledge practices, building respectful partnerships with First Nations…
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Open Access
Open access to research is fundamental to advancing knowledge and accelerating discovery for society’s benefit. CAUL leads strategic initiatives to increase open access to research outputs through content procurement, policy development, advocacy, and strategic activities that support libraries in advancing open access at their institutions. University libraries play a crucial role in enabling open access…
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Open Educational Resources
Open educational resources play a vital role in making higher education more accessible, equitable and affordable for students. These freely available teaching and learning materials, which can be used, adapted and shared without cost, help reduce financial barriers to education while enabling educators to customise content for their teaching needs. CAUL supports university libraries in…
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ULANZ Borrowing Scheme
The ULANZ Borrowing Scheme allows most Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand university staff and students to borrow in person from any other participating university library. Participation in the Scheme is open to all CAUL Member institutions.
Services
CAUL delivers three ongoing core services for Members. These are the
Analytics Service, the Content Procurement Service, which operates the CAUL Consortium and the Professional Learning Service.
CAUL also currently operates the Open Educational Resources Collective. Member institution participation in this service is optional and attracts a participation levy.
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Analytics Service
The CAUL Analytics Service delivers sector-level aggregate data, analysis and related services to support Members in benchmarking, decision-making, evaluation, demonstration of value and impact, and advocacy within and across institutions.
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Content Procurement Service
Content procurement for the university library sector is a key focus for CAUL. The Content Procurement Service’s primary activity is operating the CAUL Consortium, which negotiates pricing and licensing for digital content products for Consortium participants.
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Open Educational Resources Collective
The Open Educational Resources Collective (OER Collective) is a capacity- and capability-building service designed to enable university libraries in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand to start or scale up open textbook publishing. The service model is built around community and collaboration, with the intention of harnessing the collective experience across CAUL Member institutions to accelerate…
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Professional Learning Service
CAUL’s Professional Learning Service supports staff development across university libraries in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Building on a longstanding commitment to professional development, the service provides targeted, contextualised learning opportunities in areas of strategic need identified by CAUL Members. These opportunities are designed to equip staff with the skills and knowledge needed to ensure…
Programs
CAUL undertakes programs of work in defined areas of practice that are of strategic importance to Members. These programs are sometimes referred to as ‘strategic enabling programs’ because they focus on enabling Member institutions’ work in key areas. They are undertaken over a three-year period and are defined in CAUL’s strategy. CAUL’s programs for 2023 to 2025 are the Open Access Program, the Open Educational Resources Program and the From Decolonisation to Indigenisation Program. Within the programs, CAUL undertakes projects, engages in advocacy, and delivers events and learning opportunities.
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From Decolonisation to Indigenisation
University libraries recognise the importance Indigenous knowledge plays in the cultural landscape and are striving to counteract the legacy of colonialism. This program builds on the work undertaken under the Respecting Indigenous Knowledges Program from 2020 to 2022.
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Open Access Program
The Open Access Program continues CAUL’s contribution to discouurse about transformaing scholarly communication practice and infrastructure for scholarly communications. It complements and extends the open access procurement work undertaken by the CAUL Procurement Service, with a broader focus on policy and practice to enable sustainable approaches to open access.
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Open Educational Resources Program
The program’s primary focus is the Open Educational Resources Collective, a service designed to enable open educational resource publishing in university libraries. This program builds on the work undertaken under the Enabling a Modern Curriculum Program from 2020 to 2022.
Projects
Projects are defined activities undertaken to advance the strategic objectives for CAUL’s key services or as part of a program. They may be undertaken by the CAUL Office or progressed by project teams drawn from CAUL Member institution staff .
Find out about [current] and [past] projects.