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Housing the Collections

Birth of a Library
Bush Capital Pioneers
A Great Public Library
Our Heritage Revealed
From the Bush to Beyond
Housing the Collection


Parliament House, Canberra

Kenneth Binns succeeded Arthur Wadsworth as Parliamentary Librarian when the Library moved to Canberra. In 1928, on the eve of the Great Depression, he had a staff of 12 and two typewriters with which to serve the needs of Commonwealth parliamentarians, 7000 Canberra citizens and the occasional interstate visitor.

Parliament House under construction 1920 Steps of Parliament House, books in packing cases behind 1927
enlarge imageWilliam J. Mildenhall
Parliament House under construction 1920
photograph
Pictorial Collection

enlarge imageSteps of Parliament House, books in packing cases behind 1927
photograph
Pictorial Collection
(Kenneth Binns far right, Harold White centre)

enlarge imageWilliam James Mildenhall (1891-)
Arrival of National Library Books at Parliament House on a White Truck
Series A3560
Item Number 2644
National Archives of Australia

With the move to Canberra the need to support politicians and staff increased. At the same time the National Library's collection had been steadily growing and problems of collection storage space continued to afflict the Library.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Library was positioned in a central location off Kings Hall.

 

 



enlarge imageWilliam James Mildenhall (1891-)
Parliamentary Library
Series A3560
Item number 3178
National Archives of Australia
enlarge imageWilliam James Mildenhall (1891-)
Parliamentary Library, Parliament House
Series A3560
Item number 7166
National Archives of Australia
Parliament House, Canberra 1940s Parliament House c.1945
enlarge imageR.C. Strangman
Parliament House, Canberra 1940s
photograph
Pictorial Collection
enlarge imageAlbert R. Peters (d.1969)
Parliament House c.1945
hand-coloured photograph
Commonwealth Parliamentary Library Collection
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