Staff Papers

Publishing in Papua New Guinea: The National Library of Australia Acquisitions Trip, 1994

Written by Erica Ryan (then Senior Librarian, Gift and Exchange Unit, March 1995 for Australian & Academic Research Libraries (appearing in vol. 26, no. 3 - September 1995) as a follow-up to the National Library's 1994 PNG Acquisitions Trip.


CONTENTS


The National Library of Australia's Papua New Guinea Acquisitions Trip (10-18 November 1994) was intended as a means of familiarisation with the current state of publishing and establishing contacts within academic and government institutions [1]. Concerns about PNG acquisitions have been long-standing within the National Library and a trip was proposed as long ago as May 1983 - " ... to encourage co-operation and development with local libraries, so that acquisition of PNG materials would be improved" [2].

After 20 years of Independence, there are still undeniably strong links between Papua New Guinea and Australia and our historical associations have fostered, to some degree, a sense of shared culture. The current popular focus on Asia should not overshadow Pacific research and librarianship. If Australia is to benefit from and be involved in the development of our closest neighour, our associations with PNG must extend beyond financial aid.

Background to the Trip

The trip came about largely through the efforts of Colin Baker [3], a consultant for the International Subscription Agency (ISA) Australia, who has had many years association with New Guinea. Mr Baker previously offered to accompany a member of NLA staff on a tour through the country and during my visit, played host, chaperone, driver and adviser. Not having worked closely with Pacific acquisitions before, the trip was an unexpected adventure into the unknown but one which I am pleased to have been involved in. Six days of business took us through four provinces (Morobe, Madang, Southern Highlands and the National Capital District) to a wide range of publishers and libraries. More than twenty agencies were visited in Lae, Madang, Kainantu, Ukarumpa, Goroka and Port Moresby.

Despite news of increased violence during the week before my departure, once I arrived and for the duration of my stay, I did not feel the least bit uncomfortable. The current PNG economic crisis (ie the devaluation and floating of the Kina, impending taxes on general goods and services, and civil unrest), however, makes for difficult conditions for publishers and libraries to operate under. Despite the high level of Australian involvement (government and private enterprise) in PNG, it was clear from my discussions with librarians there, that many institutions look more to the United Kingdom and United States of America when it comes to matters of publishing and librarianship. For example, supply is often sought through UK/US-based agencies which have made the effort to visit and some library staff training is taken through Aberwystwth. There is an obvious need for Australian library PR.

The National Library's PNG Collection & Involvement with PNG

Prior to Independence in 1975, the National Library of Australia received legal deposit copies of PNG publications under the provisions of Australian legal deposit legislation and so has solid holdings for that period. It is regrettable that this is not necessarily the case with the post-1975 collection. The collection has not continued to develop as it might have otherwise and the Library has relied on contacts made through the Gift & Exchange Unit, supplemented by purchases through commercial library suppliers. Our contact has diminished and PNG acquisitions have proven difficult - as, it seems, has been the experience of many other Australian libraries.

The 1992 review of NLA gift and exchange relations with PNG examined the Library's post-Independence exchange collection and the reviewing librarian, Fiona Bright, reported that it fell well short of the requirements for a level 4 [4] country - "Papua New Guinea is one of our closest neighbours with whom we have strong strategic and economic links. It is important [that we] make efforts to re-establish contacts ... to ensure the collection continually grows" [5]. At the time of Ms Bright's review, only 31% (81 of 258) of the listed PNG exchange titles on record were still being received with any regularity by the Library.

It would appear that the NLA has not had much physical representation in PNG since Independence although there has been at least one visit (in 1981). The National Library's International Branch has involved itself in the Pacific through the Regional Co-operation Program since 1980 with the aim of assisting libraries and promoting resources among libraries in the region [6]. Although the focus of the Program appears to have been on in the South Pacific and Asian regions, PNG has benefited from the Book Placement Program; services to libraries (eg ACLIS ILL forms, ALIA photocopy vouchers, computer search services); and financial assistance for staff work placements, training and conference participation. Specific initiatives have been the library automation consultancy for National Library Service of PNG in 1984 and a number of AIDAB-sponsored professional attachments.

Risks to the Preservation of a PNG Collection

The realities of life in PNG prohibit the likelihood of there being a permanent preservation collection of all national imprints maintained within the country. Factors such as the current political and economic situation; PNG culture, attitudes and oral traditions; criminal law and order problems; the nature of PNG publishing; corporate attitudes; the low levels of communication between libraries and publishers; the lack of consistent infrastructure throughout the country; as well as physical climate and geographic vulnerability to natural disasters (eg tidal change, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes) all contribute. The risk of fire is real with irregular and makeshift plumbing and electricity supplies (suspect wiring, regular black-outs and surges, burst drains, condensation etc.) and many library collections are under-insured or not insured at all. Collections are at constant risk.

For these reasons, international researchers and library users with an interest in PNG affairs, as well as PNG students themselves, are reliant on the continued development of and access to solid collections elsewhere. To this end, the NLA has undertaken a co-operative agreement with the Australian National University (ANU) Menzies Library and I was glad of the opportunity to talk with staff there proir to my departure. ANU collections are built with the assistance of Pan Pacifica [7] and the activities of academics in the region. The University also has direct contact with some PNG agencies which are predominantly non-commercial institutes and research centres. While the ANU has the advantage of having staff engaged in work in the region, their PNG acquisitions are also somewhat 'retrospective' as they receive material from academics after they have finished working on an area of interest.

Problems/Limiting Factors for PNG Acquisitions

In his article 'Acquiring official publications from developing countries: a South Pacific perspective', Stephen Innes [8] listed five barriers to acquisitions and all are clearly relevant factors for consideration for PNG acquisitions: a lack of legal deposit requirements and or ineffectual legal deposit legislation [9]; a lack of systematic bibliographic control; economic factors (e.g. small print runs, lack of funds and stability); a lack of distribution and communication networks (including the unreliabiltiy or vulnerability of the communications links), and; cultural and political factors. The distances between regional centres and the terrain which must be covered in New Guinea adds to the sense of isolation - in only six days, we travelled over 880 km by road and considerable distances by air.

As suggested by Mr Innes, the value of personal visits followed up with formal correspondence cannot be overestimated.

"... While some success can be achieved through standing order arrangements with centralised distributors ... these cannot be relied on entirely, and eventually a personal visit is necessary to fill gaps which have appeared over the years, to obtain new material, to establish contacts with individuals and departments from whom publications may be obtained directly, and to clarify bibliographic and administrative details"

.

In the early 1980's it was proposed that the National Library Service of PNG might assist with acquisitions but, unfortunately, no such mechanism was established. Persistance and co-operation seem our only solution.

We should, however, bear in mind the fact that PNG librarians have even greater problems building their collections of bother overseas and PNG imprints: the NLA's Gift & Exchange Unit receives letters from librarians in PNG who are trying to build up their collections; there are a range of well subscribed aid projects (including the recent PNG New Island Book Placement Programme run by Alison Aphrys); librarians and publishers I met were eager to widen their circle of contacts. The difficulties faced by those of us trying to acquire material from PNG must be so much more frustrating for professionals in situ to endure when they must operate without so much of what we take for granted.

PNG Government Publishers

Unfortunately for libraries, and anyone else looking to acquire PNG Government publications, there is no apparent centralised distribution. When trying to set up appointments with government agencies, it soon became obvious that it was sometimes best not to announce your visit - PNG time was to be reckoned with, as was the fact that people did not always appear, nor was information necessarily forthcoming. A tour of the Provinces would probably be the only way to get any real idea of what is being published in each region - doubtless, an extremely interesting (not to mention scenic) trip, but expensive and unlikely to yield a great result, especially given the rate with which the Provincial Governments change. None of the PNG Provincial Governments operate on the same cycle and publishing output is presumably linked with the success of the administration - six of the nineteen Provincial Governments were on suspension at the time of my visit and the war in Bougainville continues.

Government agencies visited included the Forest Reseach Institute (Lae), Coffee Research Institute (Kainantu), Coffee Industry Corporation (Goroka), National Research Institute (Port Moresby), National Museum and Art Gallery (Port Moresby), the PNG Government Printing Office and the National Library and Archive Service (Port Moresby). Of these, the visit to the GPO was one of the most productive. Mr Ken Kaiah is the current Government Printer and appeared to be a manager with enthusiasm and a commitment to the reorganisation of PNG government publishing. Formerly a government auditor, he has worked since November 1993 to resolve problems faced by the Office in the past. In theory, the PNGGPO is contracted to publish all Government and Departmental reports but the reality has been that business has moved to other commercial and departmental operations. The shift away was apparently in response to a suspension of GPO services, inefficiencies, rising costs and problems with security etc. The PNGGPO is now in the process of bringing business back and has taken work from the Provincial Governments. Material acquired from the Office included the Deputy Prime Minister's controversial 1995 Supply bill and revenue reforms speech, as well as 1990 PNG population and housing census data (1994 imprints). Fortunately, Mr Kaiah has the electricity to run his presses but the fact that he must lock supplies of ink, chemicals and paper in his office to ensure that he can cope with printing requests is a telling indication of the circumstances under which he must operate.

PNG Non-Government Publishers and Enterprises

There is a considerable volume of commercial publishing done in PNG - much more than I had anticipated. With such limited time available, I could not possibly visit or make contact with all of the publishing outlets in the country but was able to get an appreciation for what is produced. Interestingly, a recent book trade directory stated that "in the last two decades one can see that not much local materials, including creative literature, educational, religious and cultural materials, were produced. In place of locally written and published work, all one can see is a quantity of materials written by expatriates, published and printed overseas" [10].

Non-government agencies visited included the the PNG University of Technology [Unitech] (Lae); Lutheran Mission (Lae); Martin Luther Seminary (Lae); Kristen Press (Madang); Divine Word Institute (Madang); the Summer Institute of Linguistics (Ukarumpa); the Melanesian Institute (Goroka); the Medical Research Institute (Goroka); the University of PNG (Port Moresby and Goroka); Independent Books (Port Moresby); IMPS Research Ltd. (Port Moresby); and the United Nations Development Programme (Port Moresby).

Religious institutions appear to be the mainstay of much of PNG's commercial and social organisation. The 1994 PNG telephone book lists no fewer than 57 religious bodies and we can be sure many, if not all, are involved in some kind of publishing - religious or other. "Books and general works written by Papua New Guineans are more likely to be published by mission controlled publishers and printers, than by private publishers and printers" [11]. The Kristen Pres, which has operated since 1969 and encourages national authors to publish locally rather than abroad, and Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) were particularly impressive enterprises - both of which have religious backing.

A discussion with the SIL Director's Assistant for Technical Studies, Russ Cooper highlighted their progress with "shell publications" and COMMNET [12] - an interesting programme which has risen out of a national literacy awareness programme and SIL's efforts to document and sustain PNG languages. "Shell publications" are essentially masters of publications for reproducution into the various languages so that education is possible in local languages and dialects. Ultimately it seems that this form of publishing is intended to do away with works of limited readership in the printed format - the economies in production and storage costs are obvious but this does not address the preservation of print as well as electronic editions where both are available. Legal deposit copies of this material are to be retained and be made available to a wider information community in an electronic format via COMMNET. Mr Cooper indicated in our brief discussion, that SIL has plans to take further advantage of electronic publication storage formats but that ethical issues regarding PNG communities and the accessibility of their cultural heritage to outsiders needed resolution first.

Outcomes

As a result of the trip:

  • the National Library has been able to purchase a range of new titles - through direct contacts as well as through ISA.
  • three microfiche readers have been supplied by the NLA to the National Library of PNG and there are continuing negotiations for the acquisition of PNG duplicate titles for our collection.
  • a member of staff from the Medical Research Institute Library who was due to go on an AusAID-sponsored [13] workplacement at Woden Valley Hospital, will also spend time at the NLA.
  • efforts on behalf of colleagues may result in the resuscitation of a newspaper microfilming project which the Matheson Library (Unitech, Lae) has not been able to sustain [14].

The anticipated Independence celebrations in 1995 are an ideal opportunity for the Australian library community to reinforce Australia's interests in Papua New Guinea's creative and intellectual work. Under the current strategic directives [15], the National Library is committed to a more dedicated approach to Pacific acquisitions. The difficulties associated with acquisitions from the region make it all the more important that time be spent working at maintaining relations and the current refocussing of NLA collections will ultimately result in more staff time being available for this activity. The National Library will continue to work in co-operation with others with Pacific interests - sharing collecting responsibilities, pooling information and resources.

Bibliography:

CAMERON, Jamine. 'New Paths for Pacific Collecting at the National Library of Australia' in Australian Research Libraries, Vol. 11(4), 1994, p.448-449.

INNES, Stephen. 'Acquiring official publications from developing countries: a South Pacific perspective' in Australian Academic & Research Libraries, Vol. 25(2), June 1994, p. 89-94.

NATIONAL LIBRARY of AUSTRALIA. Services to the nation, access to the globe: National Library of Australia strategic plan 1993-98 (Canberra: The Library, 1994)

WINDUO, Stephen Edmund. Book trade in Papua New Guinea: a directory 1993 (Port Moresby, PNG: University of PNG, 1993)

Last updated 12 January 1996

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