Australian subject gateways, the successes and the challenges

The paper provides an overview of subject gateway development in Australia and takes a closer look at three subject gateways coordinated by the University of Queensland: AustLit: Australian Literature Gateway; AVEL Sustainability Knowledge Network, an engineering and sustainable development gateway; and WebLaw, a gateway for legal professionals. The challenges facing subject gateways are examined, including interoperability, coordination and most significantly, sustainability. The paper concludes with the overarching questions being considered by gateway coordinators such as the place of subject gateways and their future given trends in the evolution of the web.