Screen Network Information Providers (SNIP)

Connecting collections through partnerships

The Screen Network Information Providers (SNIP) is a network of Australian collectors and providers of specialist information on the screen and broadcasting industries. It provides an open forum for organisations to engage with professional peers, share information, and identify resource sharing opportunities.

SNIP is a premier network for information professionals of specialist collections relating to film and television. Its mission is to share knowledge and to increase accessibility to information and resources that support research and learning. SNIP draws its strength from its member organisations that are energetically committed to the promotion of screen culture in a global society.

The objective of SNIP is to provide an open forum for organisations, a premier network for information professionals of specialist collections relating to research and reference, production and preservation of film and television. SNIP enables its members to engage with professional peers, share information, and identify resource sharing opportunities.

Composition of SNIP is:

Australian Broadcasting Corporation – Library Sales
Australian Communications and Media Authority – Library
Australian Film, Television and Radio School – Jerzy Toeplitz Library
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia – Library
RMIT Australian Film Institute – Research Collection
Screen Australia – Publishing Unit, Strategy & Research Unit

New SNIP members are added by invitation, where the organisation meets the group’s objectives. Individual representatives participate in SNIP at the discretion of their organisation.

Roles and responsibilities

Its mission is to share knowledge and to increase accessibility to information and resources that support research and learning. SNIP draws its strength from its member organisations that are energetically committed to the promotion of screen culture in a global society.

Members of SNIP will work in partnership to increase effectiveness, accessibility and management of reference and research information through resource sharing. SNIP will share the strengths and uniqueness of their collections, identifying the points of difference and similarities and investigate the opportunities that will lead to strengthening research collections in specialist areas.

SNIP members will receive first choice of duplicate or excess materials from member organisations and share specialised listings of holdings and services provided.

SNIP will encourage reciprocal free-of-charge interlibrary loan and journal article copying service where possible.

SNIP acknowledges its responsibility to support professional development and engagement amongst peers through open discussion and active debate. As SNIP grows and develops, an increasing role in our geographic region will emerge.

SNIP members will be encouraged to share resources and maximise the use of their collection through projects that will enhance and expand research and resource services. SNIP will investigate the feasibility and sustainability to create unique resources that will actively engage and be to the mutual benefit of members.

Meetings

SNIP meetings will be held on a bi-annual basis: in April and November of each year. Member organisations are invited to host meetings as it provides an opportunity to showcase their libraries and collections. SNIP meetings will be chaired by a representative from the host organisation. Call for agenda items will be sent prior to each meeting with a final agenda issued one week prior to the meeting date.

Goals

Increasing access

Members of SNIP will work in partnership to increase accessibility to reference and research information through resource sharing. Whilst most members provide public access to their collections through an online catalogue, SNIP will profile the strengths and uniqueness of collections, identifying the points of difference and similarities and investigate the opportunities that will lead to strengthening research collections in specialist areas.

SNIP members will receive first choice of duplicate or excess materials from member organisations and share specialised listings of holdings and services provided.

With the rising costs of library books, journal and electronic resources, SNIP will actively seek a formal arrangement among member organisations that will provide reciprocal free-of-charge interlibrary loan and journal article copying services where possible.

Sharing knowledge

SNIP members are specialist in their fields and lessons learnt through experience are a valuable source of information for others to learn from. Handy hints, tips and tricks, and alerts to new services also serve to actively support member organisations in undertaking their work. Through the SNIP website, members will be able to participate and discuss a range of topics and issues of common interest. SNIP acknowledges its responsibility to support professional development and engagement amongst peers through open discussion and active debate. As SNIP grows and develops, an increasing role in our geographic region will emerge.

Project partnership

SNIP will seek to identify vital projects that will enhance and expand research and resource services. Journals are a prime source of information and whilst the FIAF – Periodical Indexing Project aims to produce an international index of the most important film journals, an equivalent for historic and contemporary Australian film and television journals is a project that warrants further attention. SNIP will investigate the feasibility and sustainability of creating unique resources that will actively engage and be to the mutual benefit of members.

Strength in numbers

It is the aim of SNIP to expand its membership on a global scale. Letters of invitation will be addressed to key national organisations in the first instance with a view to attracting a wide range of representatives. Community groups and societies will also be invited to join and, through the website, international representation will become increasingly possible.

As membership grows, so will SNIP’s potential to rouse organisational support and become an influential association.

Join

SNIP membership is open to government, industry and commercial, educational and research organisations, community groups and societies that are dedicated to the promotion of screen culture. SNIP seeks members that will benefit from its participation and commit to actively contributing. SNIP members meet bi-annually, with meetings hosted by member organisations in rotation. New membership applications are reviewed by all members.

Benefits of SNIP include:

Professional engagement with peers
Forum for discussion and active debate
Leveraging the experience of others
Opportunity to expand access through resource sharing
Collective engagement in projects and new initiatives
Potential strength and influence of an organisational consortium
Promotion of screen culture
Free membership

The National Secretary will maintain a list of member organisations that will include the contact details of each representative. The list will be for the sole purpose of SNIP communication and prior permission will be needed for publication or distribution of contact details.