Recent Acquisition Highlights
October 1995
This listing gives brief descriptions of some of the more significant items recently added to the National Library's collections. Included this month are items from the Manuscript, Oral History, Pictorial, Map and Asian collections. Collecting activity in the fields of electronic media, Commonwealth Government publications, and retrospective acquisition is also highlighted.
Australian Collections
Printed and Electronic Materials
- Recognising the increasing importance of the use of electronic forms of publishing in Australia, the National Library has recently invested additional resources to enhance the overall effectiveness of its Australian acquisition program and to ensure that it secures access to that body of material which is published only in electronic form. The Australian Collection Development Unit now has a position dedicated half time to the monitoring and selection of electronic journals (e-journals) appearing on the Internet. Records of selected documents are being retained pending the development of formal selection criteria which are to be evaluated shortly by the Library's Collection Development and Management Committee. Further progress in this area will be reported as developments occur.
Commonwealth Government Publications
- The remaining time of the position referred to above is being
invested in an evaluation of the Library's success in acquiring Commonwealth
Government publications, recognising that a greater proportion of these
materials is now published and issued outside the traditionally highly
centralised and controlled publishing environment previously offered by the
Australian Government Publishing Service (AGPS). With increasing capabilities
in desk-top publishing and a trend towards decentralisation of publishing
activities, AGPS is controlling a decreasing proportion of the Commonwealth
Government's publishing output. This situation has obvious implications for the
deposit of government publications in libraries and for the long-term
preservation of these publications.
- The Library has recently completed a survey of the publishing activities of Commonwealth Government departments and agencies, not only in Canberra but in centres all round Australia including Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Brisbane, Townsville, Darwin, Perth and Adelaide. The survey was conducted by face-to-face interview. The Library's initiative in establishing personal contact was warmly welcomed, especially in the more far-flung regions, and it was apparent that many agencies were not aware of their obligation to deposit their published materials with the National Library. It is of interest that in the course of this survey alone, some ten kilos of material was collected and has since been formally taken into the Library's collection. It is expected that publications will continue to arrive as a result of the contacts established during this project. Further follow-up and monitoring will continue.
Retrospective Monographs and Serials
- A continuing responsibility of the National Library is the
acquisition of older and retrospective materials that have previously eluded
its net. During the period under review, the Library acquired an interesting
and diverse range of material, some highlights of which follow:
- A collection of 72 items of Australian maritime ephemera from
the 1920s and 1930s, including passenger lists, 'on-board' newsletters, price
lists, menus, entertainment programs and itineraries from passenger liners
sailing into Australian ports
- A collection of foreign language translations of works by
Australian romance fiction writer Emma Darcy, acquired from the author
- A run (1950s-1960s) of the popular Australian magazine Pix
- A collection of performing arts materials relating to a number of Australian performers, acquired from the dealer Karl Levett in New York. These include programs of stage performances by the actor Erroll Flynn from provincial theatres in the United Kingdom prior to the establishment of his film career in the United States.
- A collection of 72 items of Australian maritime ephemera from
the 1920s and 1930s, including passenger lists, 'on-board' newsletters, price
lists, menus, entertainment programs and itineraries from passenger liners
sailing into Australian ports
Manuscripts
- After two years of protracted and at times difficult negotiations,
the acquisition of the papers of Lindy Chamberlain has been completed. The
collection includes a great many personal and family documents of Ms
Chamberlain, including letters, legal documents, cutting books, photographs,
memorabilia and the drafts of her book Through my eyes. By far the
largest component is the thousands of letters from members of the public,
commenting on the Chamberlain case and expressing support or opposition. They
cover a ten-year period and constitute an extraordinary record of public
opinion, not only on the case itself but on the views of ordinary Australians
on such diverse subjects as the Australian judicial system, the police, the
media, religion (especially the Seventh Day Adventist Church), family
relationships, death and grief.
- Another Australian who achieved both fame and notoriety was Dr
William McBride, who for over 20 years was the Director of Foundation 41, which
carried out research into the causes of mental and physical handicap. Dr
McBride has placed in the Library all the files of Foundation 41 together with
his personal papers, including correspondence, research papers, records of
legal proceedings, patients' records, photographs, press cuttings, notes,
certificates and awards and the drafts of his autobiography Killing the
messenger.
- One of the finest personal collections on the Australian
administration of Papua New Guinea has been received from the family of
E.W.P. Chinnery. Chinnery, who died in
1972, first went to Papua in 1909 and served as a patrol officer. In 1923 he
became the Government Anthropologist in the Mandated Territory and later the
first Director of District Services and Native Affairs. He left in 1939 to head
the Department of Native Affairs in the Northern Territory, where he remained
until 1946. The papers cover his entire career and include diaries, reports,
correspondence with anthropologists, officials and politicians, photographs,
maps and publications.
- Other acquisitions in the area of public life have included the
papers of Frederick Osborne, Gavan
Schneider and Barry Maddern. Frederick
Osborne, who held a number of portfolios in the Menzies Government and was
later president of the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party, has added
an important group of files to a collection originally presented to the Library
twenty years ago. They contain extensive correspondence relating to the affairs
of the Liberal Party from the 1960s to the 1980s, as well as papers relating to
its business and legal activities. Gavan Schneider was active in the Australian
Democrats Party in the 1980s and has presented the first substantial collection
of records of the Australian Democrats so far received by the Library. Barry
Maddern was a leading industrial advocate and president of the Industrial
Relations Commission. His widow has donated a small but useful collection of
speeches, letters, cuttings, photographs and other documents.
- The Library has considerable strength in records of Australian
theatre and this part of the collection has been growing rapidly in recent
years. An interesting manuscript, recently purchased, was written by Humphrey
Hall and Alfred John Cripps in about 1911 and is entitled 'The Romance of the
Sydney Stage'. It chronicles in great detail theatrical performances in Sydney
and the activities and rivalry of theatre managers from the 1790s to about
1860. Currency Press, the leading publisher of Australian plays, has made a
substantial addition to the collection of its archive already in the Library,
including correspondence and drafts of many playwrights and papers of its
co-founder Katharine Brisbane. It complements another acquisition, the
extensive archives of the Australian National Playwrights' Centre. The Centre
is responsible for the annual National Playwrights' Conference, which started
in 1973 and has become well established as an important venue for the
workshopping and refinement of unpublished Australian plays, many of which have
gone on to achieve professional presentation and, in some cases, national
success.
- Also in the sphere of organisational archives, the Australian
Council for Overseas Aid transferred to the Library records dating back to its
foundation in 1965. Included are correspondence, minutes, reports, files on
particular countries and member agencies and material on the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development.
- Other acquisitions can only be mentioned briefly. The Library has purchased a letter of the novelist Joseph Conrad, written in 1924, that refers to his visits to Australia while serving in the merchant navy. Brenda Niall has donated papers relating to her biography of the writer Martin Boyd (complementing the large collection of his personal and literary papers already held), while the papers of his nephew, the sculptor Guy Boyd, have been presented by Mrs Phyllis Boyd. Useful collections of papers have been received of the broadcaster Muriel Howlett, the poet John Tranter, the writer Gillian Bouras and the mathematician Peter O'Halloran. A valuable series of albums documenting the life and work of the Aboriginal tenor Harold Blair have been placed in the Library by his widow. The Canberra writer Anne Edgeworth has passed to the Library a collection of family letters covering three generations of her family, including some papers of the eminent geologist Sir Edgeworth David.
Oral History
- Major interviews were recorded with eminent Australians in the
fields of law, science, religion, the performing arts, publishing and book
selling, diplomacy, librarianship, education, journalism, public administration
and architecture. Interviewees included Professor Geoffrey Sawer, Justice
Michael Kirby, Sir John Cornforth (UK), Lady Cornforth, Bishop John A. Morgan,
Maggie Fink, John Iremonger, Richard Walsh, Frank Thompson, Sir Peter Lawler,
Alison Crook, Dr Jean Blackburn, Archbishop James Gleeson, Brian Toohey and
Glenn Murcutt.
- Development of the social history segment of the collection saw a
number of interesting and valuable additions of material. Interviews were
received in the fields of whaling (through collaboration between the Battye
Library in Perth and the National Library), jazz in Australia (a series of
interviews collected by the Australian poet Geoff Page pursuing a deep private
interest), environmental history (being further material received from Gregg
Borschmann), feminism (interviews collected by the historian Ann Turner) and
radical politics (interviews collected by Wendy Lowenstein, one of Australia's
leading oral historians). Projects proceeding but to date not yet transferred
to the Library, include Ros Bowden's interviews with rural women in Australia
and Peter Parkhill's interviews with residents of the Illawarra district (NSW).
- Collection development of the Library's folklore holdings resumed their customary high level of activity following the brief lull reported last time. Ann Turner recorded a very detailed interview in England with Martin Wyndham-Reid, one of the best known performers of traditional Australian songs. Peter Ellis completed two field recording trips in the Bendigo district, focussing on traditional dance music. Jennifer Gall completed the first phase of a project to document the folklore and musical heritage of the Richmond River district (NSW). Dave de Hugard, a well-known performer and collector, deposited 32 hours of field recordings from the Glen Innes district (NSW). Dr Barry York and Dr Edgar Waters deposited the first 14 hours of field recordings made with members of the Maltese-Australian community in the Blacktown district (NSW).
Pictorial Collection
- Following the establishment of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG)
in 1994 under the management of the National Library, a greater and more
systematic emphasis has been placed on the acquisition of portraits both to
meet the needs of the NPG's exhibition program and to contribute to the
documentation of the work and contribution of distinguished Australians in a
range of disciplines. Portraits are acquired in a range of media, but with the
major emphasis being placed on paintings and photographs. Recent acquisitions
include a further selection of portrait photographs by the Sydney photographer
Greg Weight, who has made a specialisation of recording leading Australian
artists (a substantial collection of Greg Weight's portraits of artists was
purchased in 1993). The latest consignment includes portraits of Charles
Blackman, Arthur and Yvonne Boyd at Bundanon, Cressida Campbell, Rosalie
Gascoigne, Louis James, Reg Mombassa, William Robinson, Martin Sharp, Joshua
Smith, Imants Tillers and leading Aboriginal artists Emily Kngwarreye, Billy
Morton and Angelina Knarle. Eight portrait photographs by the late Max Dupain
were purchased from the son of this great Australian photographer. This
collection comprises portraits of Peter Finch, Jean Bellette, Emeritus
Professor Charles Blackburn, Sir William Dobell, John Dease, the sculptor Tom
Bass, Sir Lorimer Dods and the curator and historian Ian North. Fifteen
exhibition prints of eminent Australians were purchased from the photographer
Henry Talbot. They include portraits of artists Judy Cassab, Louis Kahan and
Mirka Mora, the medical scientist Professor Ron Penny and the Melbourne
photographer Athol Shmith. A portrait of Henry Talbot by Athol Shmith is
included with this acquisition.
- A number of oil portraits were also acquired. These include two
portraits by the Sydney painter George Gittoes, the dancer Ronaldo Cameron and
the photographer William Yang. A bronze bust of the forensic scientist Dr John
Birrell was presented to the Library by its sculptor Ethel Reynolds. A portrait
of the Queensland art critic, the late Dr Gertrude Langer, by Nan Paterson was
purchased. An outstanding portrait of the Australian composer George Dreyfus by
Brian Dunlop was acquired. Apart from its high visual appeal, this portrait
complements the National Library holding of the papers of George Dreyfus. Also
of interest is the portrait by Aileen Dent of the politician and diplomat Sir
Frederick Eggleston, whose substantial collection of papers is held in the
National Library. A portrait in pastel of Surgeon William Brougham Monkhouse
who accompanied Captain James Cook on the voyage of H.M.S.
Endeavour (1768-1771) was purchased in Sydney. This portrait adds to
the rich body of Cook-related materials already held in the National Library.
- Although the acquisition of portraits has assumed considerable importance, the Library has taken care to maintain an overall balance in its collecting program. A wide range of acquisitions has been made which document various aspects of Australian life from a national perspective. Further photographs of Australian towns were acquired as part of the Regional Cities and Major Towns Project, which has been reported on previously. Latest acquisitions include materials that document Benalla and Bendigo in Victoria, Armidale in New South Wales, and Albany, Bunbury, Broome, Carnarvon, Geraldton and Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. This project is continuing. Other acquisitions include the copying of a large collection of photographs of the late Professor Manning Clark and his family lent by Mrs Dymphna Clark. These photographs complement the extensive collection of Manning Clark's papers held in the Manuscript Section. Another collection lent for copying was that of the ballerina Peggy Sager who danced with the Kirsova Ballet and later the Borovansky Ballet in Australia. This collection of 72 photographs adds further strength to the Library's outstanding collections relating to ballet in Australia. A large signed photograph of Sir Donald Bradman in action at the Adelaide Oval circa 1934 was purchased from an Adelaide dealer. An album of 89 colour photographs documenting the lives of Maltese immigrants in Sydney was donated by Dr Barry York. This material complements a collection of oral history interviews with members of the Maltese community recently completed by Dr York and Dr Edgar Waters.
Map Collection
- A number of interesting Australian map acquisitions were made
during the period under review. These include the following:
- Sketch map on butter paper of section of the barracks adjacent to Cockle Bay, Sydney, dated 22 October 1858.
- Map of Sydney and suburbs showing tramway lines and stopping
places. Sydney: McCarron, Stewart and Co. [1920-1929].
Later edition of a series of maps issued by this company since the 1890s showing the development of Sydney's transport services. - Polynesien (Insewelt) oder der Funfte weltheil. [Vienna]: Daniel Djurberg, 1789.
- First Viennese edition of Djurberg's map of Australasia and the Pacific, which was originally published in Stockholm in 1780. The 1780 edition saw the first use of the word 'Ulimaroa', understood to be a Maori description of Australia.
- Crisp Estate, Cooma, 1882.
- Photographic facsimile size copy of a rare original sales plan of the former Crisp estate, Cooma, NSW.
Asian Collections
- Following consultation with the Australian National University Library as part of a coordinated approach to collection development, the National Library is acquiring from Archive International in Neufchatel, Switzerland the publication Japan and dependencies: political and economic reports 1906-1960. This 20 volume work comprises British political and economic reports on Japan and its former colonies, including Korea, Taiwan and mainland territories in the then province of Manchuria. The original documents upon which this publication is based are located in the Public Record Office in London and in the Cambridge University Library.
