National & State Libraries Australasia (NSLA)

What National & State Libraries Australasia (NSLA) does

National & State Libraries Australasia (NSLA) is an incorporated non-profit alliance of the ten national, state, and territory libraries of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, headquartered in Canberra and operating with a small staff of approximately 5 (Executive Director, Program Coordinator, NED Program Manager) distributed across Sydney, Darwin, and Wellington. Originally established in 1973 as the State Librarians' Council, NSLA was renamed in 2006 and formally incorporated as an association in 2022/2023 after over fifty years of continuous collaboration. The alliance is governed by a board comprising the chief executive, state librarian, or director-general from each member library, with a Chair nominated by vote for a two-year term; current Chair is Te Pouhuaki National Librarian Rachel Esson, with Catherine Clark (State Library of Western Australia) as Chair Elect. Her Excellency Ms Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, has served as NSLA's patron since 2024.

NSLA's portfolio of programs includes the National edeposit (NED) service (a world-first platform launched in 2019 for collecting and preserving Australia's digital publications), the Emulation as a Service Infrastructure (EaaSI) for digital preservation, the Australia-wide Official RDA Project (2025-2026) preparing the library sector for the May 2027 preferred-standard date, the Culturally Safe Libraries Program, the AI4LAM Regional Chapter for AI capability building, Rights Management Working Groups, and the Professional Engagement Fund. Rather than operating commercial technology, NSLA coordinates shared digital infrastructure and standards-setting — Trove (the national discovery platform, led by the National Library of Australia), NED, and EaaSI are delivered collaboratively across member libraries.

NSLA is funded by contributions from its ten member libraries and does not sell products or services commercially. Its go-to-market is alliance- and community-led: growth is achieved by deepening member participation, expanding sectoral influence (notably onto the wider Australian library sector via projects like Official RDA), and convening professional networks. The organization positions itself as a trusted leadership body advancing library collaboration, digital preservation, and equitable access to knowledge across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Name

National & State Libraries Australasia (NSLA)

Legal name

National and State Libraries Australasia

Website

https://nsla.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

National & State Libraries Australasia (NSLA) is an incorporated non-profit alliance of the ten national, state, and territory libraries of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand that coordinates shared digital infrastructure, sector standards, and collaborative programs such as National edeposit, EaaSI, and Official RDA for the Australasian library sector.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Library Alliance Coordination and Shared Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) & Resource Sharing Operations (EDAEAGAK), Data Standards & Interoperability (CEDS, Ed-Fi, IMS) (EDADAIAK)

Keywords

• Library alliance coordination
• Digital preservation services
• National edeposit
• Library standards advocacy
• Member library programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Canberra

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Member Library Contributions: NSLA is funded through contributions from its ten member libraries (national, state and territory libraries of Australia and New Zealand). The alliance was incorporated as an association in 2023, with member library chief executives represented on the board.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NSLA coordinates collaborative programs, shared digital infrastructure, advocacy, and professional development for the ten national, state and territory libraries of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Its portfolio includes the National edeposit (NED) digital preservation platform, EaaSI emulation infrastructure, the Official RDA cataloguing standards transition project, the Culturally Safe Libraries Program, AI4LAM Regional Chapter, rights management working groups, and professional development funds. Services are delivered through the NSLA office working with member library professional networks.

Product overview

National & State Libraries Australasia (NSLA) is an alliance of ten national, state and territory libraries of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Rather than a single unified product, NSLA delivers a portfolio of collaborative programs and initiatives including the National edeposit (NED) service for collecting and preserving digital publications, the Emulation as a Service Infrastructure (EaaSI) for digital preservation, the Official RDA Project for cataloguing standards, the Culturally Safe Libraries Program, AI4LAM Regional Chapter for AI capability building, Rights Management Working Groups, and the Professional Engagement Fund. These initiatives are managed by the NSLA office with professional networks from member libraries, serving both member institutions and the broader Australasian library sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National edeposit (NED) service A world-first shared national platform launched in 2019 for collecting and preserving Australia's digital publications, operated collaboratively by NSLA member libraries.
• Emulation as a Service Infrastructure (EaaSI) A pioneering digital preservation initiative that enables long-term access to software-dependent digital materials by emulating original computing environments, supporting member libraries' digital preservation objectives.
• Official RDA Project A sector-wide project (2025-26) led by NSLA to transition the Australian library and information sector to the Official RDA cataloguing standard, with documentation to contextualise the standard for Australian libraries.
• Culturally Safe Libraries Program A program supporting culturally safe and respectful approaches to First Nations collections, knowledge and cultural heritage across member libraries, with associated resources and guidelines.
• AI4LAM Regional Chapter A regional membership initiative of AI4LAM connecting library colleagues across Australasia and supporting collaboration, capability building and responsible innovation in artificial intelligence for the library sector.
• Rights Management Working Groups Working groups of experts from across NSLA member libraries that develop practical guidance on copyright, rights management and orphan works to help libraries navigate a changing legislative landscape.
• NSLA Professional Engagement Fund A funding and bursaries program supporting NSLA colleagues to attend conferences, events and study visits aligned with NSLA strategy, building professional capability and sharing new ideas across the alliance.

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and major.

• Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of AustraliaflagshipOthers · 1 January 2024Her Excellency Ms Sam Mostyn AC has served as NSLA's patron since 2024, providing official patronage and support for the alliance's mission to advance collaboration among national, state and territory libraries of Australia and New Zealand.
• Trove (National Library of Australia collaboration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrove is a collaboration between the National Library of Australia and hundreds of partner organisations around Australia. NSLA's member libraries contribute to and benefit from Trove as the national discovery platform. The Official RDA project will ensure library data remains functional in Trove.
• AIATSIS (Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIATSIS partnered with NSLA, ALIA ACORD, CAUL and CAVAL in 2024 for an Australia-wide consultation to understand the use, challenges, and resources of transitioning to Official RDA within the Australian library sector.
• ALIA ACORD (Australian Library and Information Association)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerALIA ACORD collaborated with NSLA, AIATSIS, CAUL and CAVAL on the 2024 Australia-wide consultation for the Official RDA transition project.
• CAUL (Council of Australian University Librarians)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAUL collaborated with NSLA, AIATSIS, ALIA ACORD and CAVAL on the 2024 Australia-wide consultation for the Official RDA transition project.
• CAVAL (Cooperative Association for Telescopic and Video Astronomy)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAVAL collaborated with NSLA, AIATSIS, ALIA ACORD and CAUL on the 2024 Australia-wide consultation for the Official RDA transition project.
• National Library of AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member represented by Director-General Alison Dellit. National Library of Australia joined NSLA in 1986 and leads the Trove collaboration. NSLA's Official RDA project will author documentation contextualising the standard for the Australian information environment.
• National Library of New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member represented by Te Pouhuaki National Librarian Rachel Esson (current NSLA Chair). National Library of New Zealand joined NSLA in 2003, providing cross-Tasman collaboration in knowledge, memory and discovery.
• State Library of VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member represented by Interim CEO Alistair Mytton. One of Australia's oldest public libraries, contributing to NSLA's collective expertise and shared digital infrastructure initiatives.
• State Library of New South WalescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member represented by State Librarian Caroline Butler-Bowdon. Contributes to NSLA's Big Bang and Re-imagining Libraries strategies and leads research initiatives like Balancing the Books on public library value.
• State Library of QueenslandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member represented by CEO and State Librarian Vicki McDonald. Contributes to NSLA's collaborative programs and sector leadership initiatives.
• State Library of South AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member represented by Director Megan Berghuis. Part of NSLA's ten-member alliance providing shared expertise and economies of scale.
• State Library of Western AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member represented by CEO and State Librarian Catherine Clark (current NSLA Chair Elect). Contributes to NSLA governance and strategic direction.
• Libraries TasmaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member represented by Executive Director Patrick Gregory. Part of the NSLA alliance contributing to collaborative initiatives across the library sector.
• Library & Archives NTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember library of NSLA alliance. Northern Territory Library joined NSLA in 1980 and contributes to the collaborative network.
• ACT Records Office and Heritage LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member represented by Director of Territory Records Dani Wickman. ACT Heritage Library joined NSLA in 1987, contributing to the alliance's territorial coverage.
• Culturally Safe Libraries Program PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSLA leads sector-wide initiatives supporting culturally safe and respectful approaches to First Nations collections, knowledge and cultural heritage. Includes the Culturally Safe Libraries Program (2019-21) and Guidelines for First Nations Collection Description (2023) produced with sector partners.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• OCLC: Global library cooperative that operates shared cataloguing, discovery, and resource-sharing infrastructure for member libraries worldwide. Comparable to NSLA in delivering cooperative digital infrastructure across a network of member libraries, though at dramatically larger scale and global scope.
• HathiTrust: Shared digital preservation and access repository for academic and research libraries. Comparable to NSLA's NED and EaaSI activities in providing cooperative digital preservation infrastructure for member libraries.
• Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA): Australia's national library professional association. NSLA collaborates with ALIA's ACORD on the Official RDA transition and shares overlapping membership in the Australian library sector.
• Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL): Consortium of Australian university libraries. CAUL is a direct collaborative partner with NSLA on the Official RDA transition and shares member libraries in the academic sector.
• Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC): International alliance advocating for digital preservation. Comparable to NSLA's digital preservation work (NED, EaaSI) and its role coordinating member institutions on preservation standards and best practice.

Broad incumbents

• LYRASIS: US-based nonprofit technology and content consortium serving libraries, archives, and museums. Comparable to NSLA in delivering shared digital infrastructure and services across a member network, though at much larger scale.
• Internet Archive: Large-scale digital preservation and access nonprofit. Comparable to NSLA's NED/EaaSI in its digital preservation mission, though operating globally as a single organisation rather than a member-driven alliance.
• International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA): Global peak body for library associations. Comparable to NSLA in its role as a coordinating and advocacy body for libraries, though operating at international level rather than the Australasian regional scope.

Others

• National Library of Australia: Founder/operator of the Trove national discovery platform and a core NSLA member. While not a true peer (it is a member institution), it operates shared digital infrastructure that NSLA helps coordinate and benefits from.

Regional players

• National Digital Forum (New Zealand): New Zealand organisation advancing digital practice in the cultural heritage sector. Comparable to NSLA in coordinating digital initiatives across libraries, archives, and cultural institutions, though focused more narrowly on digital capability and content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=EIL0KpTD9X0
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-state-libraries-australasia-nsla

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National & State Libraries Australasia (NSLA)