Awards

VALA AWARD 2008

The VALA Award, made biennially, is presented to the Australian library or information centre judged to have made the most innovative use of information technology during the previous two years.

This year we had an even larger field of applicants than ever before. The Evaluation Subcommittee narrowed it down to a short list of 4 and then began the difficult task of nominating just one to receive that award. We all felt that the short listed projects were worthy of the recognition. All have made innovative use of technology, all have made a significant contribution to service delivery for their organisations, all have had a significant impact upon their clients. All have that wow factor that impressed us.

We wish to acknowledge the runners-up:
  • The Business Intelligence Database, an environmental scanning solution provided by library staff at the ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics). Automated information feeds, from a wide range of sources, are collated in a single database and sorted into subject specific categories. ABS staff are then alerted to new content through an email subscription service.
  • ATO eLibrary – a dynamic desktop information toolkit built and delivered by the ATO eLibrary team. eLibrary is an integrated suite of products that provides a "one stop shop" – an information tool kit tailored to the needs of the key client groups in the Tax Office.
  • Monash University's Federated repositories of X-ray diffraction images, a cooperative project between the Library, the faculty of Medicine and the ARROW and ARCHER projects.

But the winner is Informit TVNews, from RMIT Publishing. Informit TVNews is an online media database that has provided a synopsis and access to most news, current affairs and selected documentaries on ABC, ABC 2, SBS, 7, 9 and 10 since September 2007. This comprehensive index enables Screeenrights members (including all universities, TAFEs and most schools) to search, browse and be alerted to news stories and programmes, with the option to download, save or email the videos immediately to desktop. The archive grows 24/7; stories are continuously updated to create the most comprehensive record of Australian TV news.