savings may be made via online transactions. The purpose of offering this kind of online

service is to encourage the public to access council information, to reduce the need for

individuals and businesses to visit, collect information from, or offer information to the

council. Further aims are to enable access to council services, to lodge applications

online and to support the integration of council online service delivery with other 

governments and industries.

Transactions require systems to communicate with each other. One library service

offers payment of fees online using credit cards, although the payment receiving end is

not integrated with the library management system. Staff who process the payment have

to e mail library staff to remove the charge from the borrower's record. This is clumsy

and also not done in real time, which means customers could pay a charge on Friday

evening only to find the charge still showing against their card when they check the

transactions online, or when they visit the library the next day. 

Fairfax County s kiosks provide for the payment of services by credit card for three

agencies. Online services include dog licence applications. Fairfax County s goal is to

relate all services to an individual's personal page.

Brisbane City Council is fairly typical in providing the following transactions online:

  e tendering

  dog registration

  payment of fines

  water bills

  transport information

Libraries already offer many transactions online, which helps the community become

familiar with doing business this way. Libraries featured in the case studies offer most of

the following:

  account review

  change PIN

  renew materials

  place holds

  access catalogue

  access database subscriptions

  online reference questions

  online Book Club / summer reading club registration and activities

  make donations

  board agendas and minutes

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