Who uses CLIB96 and for what purposes?

This case study was provided by Marianna Malot, Information Access Librarian , Social Sciences and Humanities, at the Australian National University.

It was with considerable satisfaction that the Australian National University Library took delivery of the first release of CLIB96, on 10 November 1997.

We had anticipated that CLIB91, the first CLIB product, would be used by mainly undergraduates and that researchers would concentrate on CDATA. We have found that both products are used by the ANU community and that even researchers consult CLIB96 for that single data item which is needed in a hurry.

While CDATA96 provides sophisticated analysis and mapping functionality, CLIB96 attracts many ANU clients who simply need tabulated data, either as complete tables for small areas or as a number of data item comparisons for a set of areas.

Two new features - a more refined interface for geographic boundaries selection and a spreadsheet format for the data - will appeal to users of CLIB. Given the absence of an exporting function, printing becomes very important. CLIB96 developers have delivered a greatly improved print function which offers the user full control over the settings.

The comprehensive "help" screens will be especially useful for the undergraduate novice user who is approaching census material for the first time. They cover all the functions and also offer a wealth of essential information of the census profiles, classification counts and the geographic classification structures. The ANU Library is delivering CLIB96 to its users through the Library's network.

Final Release now available

CLIB96 forms an important part of the ABS' ongoing commitment to widely disseminate ABS data free of charge to the Australian community through the ABS Library Extension Program.

CLIB96 Final Release is now available and has been distributed to over 500 libraries throughout Australia. CLIB96 contains a broad range of data collected from the 1996 Census of Population and Housing.

This CD-ROM product is accompanied by on-line help and an on-line version of the 1996 Census Dictionary to assist clients to use the product to its full potential.

Whether you want census information for the whole of Australia, a state or part of a suburb, or if you want to compare one area with another, CLIB96 with its inbuilt help facility is a quick and simple vehicle for retrieving this information.

CLIB96 Final Release contains: Basic Community Profile Time Series Profile Usual Residents Profile Expanded Community Profile Working Population Profile Indigenous Profile Classification Counts

A full listing of libraries in the ABS' Library Extension Program can be found at https://www.abs.gov.au

Check out CLIB96 the next time you visit your local library and experience the "Census in your library".