Victorian Government Library Service

What we do

We ensure that eligible Victorian Government clients and staff have easy access to the information resources needed to do the work for the government:

through the collections of licensed electronic resources
the Whole of Victorian Government library collection
a team of information professionals
research assistance and extensive information skills program
access to a global network of libraries and suppliers.

We have resources covering the following subject areas:

Law
Economics and Finance
Health and Human Services
Transport, Roads and Infrastructure
Governance and Risk
Public Administration and Business
Science and Technology
Management
Climate Action
Energy and Resources
Water, Environment and Agriculture

Access to information

Our clients have access to:
- print and online resources, including books, ebooks, journals and reports not available elsewhere
- specialised databases containing subject-specific journals, media, legal resources, standards and conference papers.
- resources from other libraries across Australia and world-wide
Please note: Your access to the library services and resources depends on the subscription scope that your department has chosen
If you have questions about online services, you can:
- Email: vgls@dgs.vic.gov.au
- Phone: ACLS Help Desk on 1800 SHARED (1800 742 733) and press Option 2 for the library.
- Chat: Go to library website and click on the Chat now link
- Login to the Library website and search the available options
- Use the ‘Request item button’ or ‘Place on Hold’, if the item is currently on loan
- Your requested items will be sent directly to your office location. You can check the progress of your request in the ‘My Account tab’
- You can also request an item via the Ask a librarian form on Library gateway
Borrowing terms:
- you can borrow unlimited items
- loan period is 28 days
- you can renew loans via your library website
- you can return items during business hours or via Australia Post
- you can reserve items via your library website, or by calling 1800 SHARED (1800 742 733)
- you can request items not available from our collections by using the Request form on your library website at no charge
- you will receive overdue reminder notices via email

Research support

We offer:
- Research support. Advice on using any of the VGLS services or resources or a referral to another source or person (< 10 minutes).
- Complex research support (up to 10 hours per query).
  - A comprehensive targeted literature search at the start of a major project
  - Advice on key players in a subject area
  - Advice on locating specialist information.
  - Current awareness service: automated alerts on topics of interest
  - Document delivery: digital copies of documents from the Victorian Government Collection and other Library collections Australia-wide.
- Complex legal research which can include:
  - Legislation searching – including current and retrospective
  - Case law searching – Australia and most common law countries
  - Commentary searching – mining of secondary sources to help better understand legislation and case law
  - Government Gazette searches, and
  - Other general legal enquiries.
  - Library resources
VGLS librarians can help find the resources for clients’ research. Complete the ‘Ask a librarian’ form located on your library website. You will receive a confirmation of your request within 48 hours.
If your request is urgent, please contact library services directly:
- Email: vgls@dgs.vic.gov.au
- Phone SSP Help Desk on 1800 742 733 and press Option 2

Library resources

Library resources consist of collections of authoritative information resources to support the work of government, including:
- a 'core suite' of premium electronic resources for basic research and professional development. Includes multidisciplinary journals, databases, and information resources. Products that form part of the 'core suite' may change from year to year.
- a central collection of hard copy resources, including books, journals and published reports drawn from former departmental library collections. For loan, delivered to staff at their workplace via Australia Post..
- electronic publications are purchased for clients' use via the annual client funded subscription project. Costs for these subscriptions are an addition to the funded services.
- International Standard Book Number (ISBN) service – assign published documents with an ISBN to ensure compliance with legal deposit requirements.
ISBNs and ISSNs are unique identifiers that are allocated to all Victorian Government publications intended for public distribution.
To request an ISBN or ISSN for your publication before publishing, please complete the ISBN or ISSN request form on your library gateway.
ISBN numbers are usually supplied within 24 hours. ISSN numbers for serial publications can take up to 72 hours to supply.
For urgent requests, you need to complete the ISBN request form and contact us on 1800 742 733.

Alerts

Information skills development

Training program to build capability in searching for, locating, and appropriately using information resources. This training is targeted to the needs of VPS and features a range of information services.

Training programs include:
- an information literacy training program
- individual or workgroup training as requested – targeted sessions requested for a specific work area or group to upskill in a specific field, for example, policy teams, legal teams, etc.
- legal training (Case Law, Legislation, Commentary and Government Gazettes)
- bespoke training upon request.

How to contact library services

There are several ways you can contact library services
- Email: vgls@dgs.vic.gov.au
- ACLS Help Desk on 1800 SHARED (1800 742 733) and press Option 2 for the library
- Live Chat available on library website.
To return items to the library, please send via Australia Post using the address below:
Victorian Government Library Service
Knowledge Resource Centre
607 Sneydes Road
Werribee VIC 3030