Overview
When Queenslanders turn on the light switch, the power coursing through the wires is brought to them by Energy Queensland. Energy Queensland’s companies provide electricity distribution (poles and wires) and retail services for the nearly 5.5 million people across the state. It was formed in 2016 with the merger of Ergon Energy and Energex. That created a single, 100% state-owned energy company that powers communities from Tweed Heads up to the Torres Strait and from Brisbane across to Birdsville.
As the country’s largest electricity business, it employs more electrical engineers than any other company in Australia. Those engineers build the infrastructure and the intelligence behind it so that when energy is needed, it’s available safely and reliably. However, with a vast state and distributed workforce, it has been challenging to provide the technical information they need to be innovative.
Challenges
For many years, Energy Queensland employees were using several disconnected information resources, including databases which were difficult to use, as well as some textbooks in the library. Nothing was centrally available. “We didn’t have any major dedicated resources for our engineers,” says Enterprise Content Management Officer Jodie Scarfe. “If staff couldn’t find what they were looking for they would have to ask us, we would then find it for them.”
Energy Queensland’s library team knew there was a need for a universal information platform covering a wide range of engineering needs. The IEEE Power and Energy Library was very appealing as it’s a dedicated resource perfect for engineering and able to be accessed online, from anywhere across Queensland. After a stakeholder consultation process, with overwhelming buy-in, IEEE was onboarded across the company’s diverse teams: research and design, standardization and interoperability, compliance, and risk management.
Solutions
Jumping forward to 2021, it was a very different story for Energy Queensland’s engineers – then with over a decade of IEEE experience. “Previously we experienced lots of roadblocks in getting information. With IEEE, we have a more streamlined process with a central access point that makes work far more efficient. It’s much easier to access up-to-date information. The key point is that information is always at a user’s fingertips,” Jodie says.
That same year, with ever-growing demand, Energy Queensland decided to upgrade to the IEEE Electronic Library (IEL). IEL contains almost one-third of the world's current literature in electrical engineering, communications, and computer science. An IEL subscription gives engineers a broader range of content, including IEEE Standards without download limits, as well as improved platform features such as streamlined searching.
Energy Queensland also chose to expand its subscription to include IEEE Draft Standards as a complement to IEL.
When our engineers found out about the IEL subscription, they were very happy. From the feedback we received, it’s become an essential resource.
When our engineers found out about the IEL subscription, they were very happy. From the feedback we received, it’s become an essential resource.
A company-wide marketing awareness campaign, driven by the library, helped ensure that employees knew about the upgraded service to IEL. “When our engineers found out about the IEL subscription, they were very happy. From the feedback we received, it’s become an essential resource. And the Draft Standards are great because they provide early access to standards before them being published,” Jodie says.
Benefits & Results
Today, the demand for IEL continues to be very high. “Our engineers are telling us that it makes their work 100% easier and faster. They are getting targeted information on point - very timely and efficient. It’s also really user-friendly so our engineers feel more confident when searching,” Jodie says. “The collective feedback from our users is that IEL is indispensable. They just couldn’t do without it.”
Ready to learn more?
Talk to an EBSCO representative about purchasing IEEE e-journals for your business.