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Australian buddhist library collection
The Australian Buddhist Library which was formerly situated in central Sydney in 1987 donated its entire 3000 volume collection to the National Library of Australia. At the request of the donor the books have been kept together as a formed collection and retain the name Australian Buddhist Library.
In Sydney the library was built up between 1984 and 1987 through the generosity of the Liao family and other benefactors. The collection consists mainly of Chinese and English language works on Buddhism as well as items in other Asian languages. There are reference works, monographs, periodicals, audio- cassettes, and a Tripitaka section including editions in Chinese, English, Pali, Burmese, Sinhalese and Thai.
According to its founder and director, Mr Eric Liao, the library was established in 1984 to meet a growing public need for readily available reference materials on Buddhism. Later it was decided to transfer the library to a large, established institution with the resources necessary to maintain the collection over the longer term, and with an active policy of acquiring Buddhist materials. Hence the National Library was chosen. The donation constitutes a major addition to the National Library's already substantial collections on Buddhism.
Access to the materials is good, as the Australian Buddhist Library compiled and published a book catalogue listing its collections by language, then for each language by subject according to the Library of Congress Classification Scheme. Copies are available in the Asian collections Reading Room. The materials are housed in the Asian collections Section of the National Library where they are available for use in the Asian collections Reading Room. They may also be borrowed on inter- library loan, subject to the usual requirements.
In addition to the books, the collection includes a bronze Buddha image. This weighs 184 kg and is approximately 115 cm high. It is a replica of a 12th century Thai work, with an inscription stating that it was donated to the Australian Buddhist Library.
An article by Tina Faulk and Andrew Gosling on the National Library's Buddhist holdings appears in the April 1999 issue of National Library of Australia News.
Any enquiries concerning the collection should be addressed to:
Asian Collections
National Library of Australia
Canberra ACT 2600
Telephone: (02) 6262 1519
Facsimile: (02) 6273 4327
E-mail: asiancol@nla.gov.au
