Full report - State Library of Victoria - Victoria Online

Building Commercial
and Philanthropic
Relationships
There are many areas in which the Library works
creatively to extend its resource base by the
strategic development of commercial and
philanthropic relationships. The operation of the
Library’s café, Mr Tulk, and the management of
lockers and photocopiers are just some of the
ways in which the Library provides an improved
service to customers, while generating revenue
through commercial partnerships. The commercial
hire of selected Library spaces and the
project-management services offered by Vicnet
to other government agencies are both sources
of additional revenue.
In signifi cant areas of the Library’s slv21 program,
and particularly in relation to our commitment
to digitise 75 per cent of our unique Victorian
holdings by 2010, philanthropic partners are
critical contributors. The Library’s commitment
to attracting external contributions of $500,000
a year to this program is enabling many
important collections to be digitised and made
available online.
In the area of learning, the Library’s
investment from its recurrent budget is almost
tripled in delivery value by collaborative
partnerships and support from many philanthropic
trusts for extensions to the core program.
The same pattern can be seen in the program
of exhibitions and supporting events. In the
case of The Medieval Imagination, n the investment
of the Library and its Foundation was able to be
extended into a multi-million-dollar exhibition
package by the skilful deployment of commercial
partnerships and in-kind and cash sponsorship,
and particularly through the generous support
for advertising and promotion of many sponsors.
A relatively modest cash investment,
combined with some hard and clever work by
Marketing and Public Affairs, has also seen –
partly, but not solely, as a result of the intense
interest in our first international exhibition – the
editorial value of the Library’s media coverage
this year soar to $11,712,440.79.
In our publishing program, the Library relies
on collaborative arrangements with a number
of commercial publishers to produce several
attractive and affordable publications each year
which illustrate our collections and make them
even more accessible to the public.
The Library will continue to pursue the
whole range of these partnerships in future,
not only for the additional capacity they give
us to deliver our objectives, but also for the
invaluable insights they give us in aligning
our activities with commercial and community
expectations.
State Library
of Victoria
Foundation
About the Foundation
The State Library of Victoria Foundation supports
the strategic objectives of the State Library
of Victoria.
The Foundation’s principal aims are to:
attract, manage and retain for the State
Library the continuing interest, goodwill
and fi nancial support of the Victorian
community
engage and build mutually benefi cial
relationships with the corporate and
philanthropic sectors, with a view to
procure funds necessary to promote
the State Library’s critical role in the
information age as well as its
core activities
continue to build its capital fund and raise
additional monies to assist the Library
with both specifi c and general projects
and activities, including:
— to obtain, maintain, develop, improve
and exhibit, both physically and online,
its collection of literary and historical
artifacts and materials
— to provide educational services,
training programs and public
programs, research and publication of
material from the Library’s collection
and the exhibition and display of
materials from the Library’s collection
both physically and online.
Foundation Membership
The Foundation continued its commitment to
members and special members’ events as part
of its program for 2007–08. These events are
marketed primarily to Foundation members –
individuals who assist the Foundation in
its ongoing support of the State Library and its
activities – as well as to current and potential
sponsors and benefactors.
Redmond Barry Society
The Redmond Barry Society is the Foundation’s
bequest society. Bequests can be left as a
monetary amount or in kind, and those who
commit to leave a bequest become members of
the Society, creating an opportunity for a lasting
legacy of support for the Library. Membership
is growing every year. During 2007–08, several
events were held exclusively for members,
including a talk by Danielle Clode, author of
Voyages to the South Seas: In Search of Terres
Australes, and the annual anniversary celebration
of the Society held in July each year.