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ISSN 1443-0568 | no. 40 | August 1999


NLA and the library community

Performing arts resources: access and ashes

The annual meeting of PASIG ( the Performing Arts Special Interest Group of Museums Australia) held in Adelaide in May coincided with the twentieth anniversary of the Performing Arts Collection of South Australia.

To mark the occasion, the Performing Arts Collection received a distinctive donation in a little golden box—the ashes of the renowned Australian-born actress Dame Judith Anderson who died in California, aged 95, in 1992. Dame Judith’s family thought it appropriate that the ashes should join the photographs, costumes and other Anderson memorabilia already in the collection. In honour of the presentation, theatre director Rodney Fisher wrote a highly entertaining anecdotal history of Dame Judith’s illustrious career—a history which was ‘performed’ at the presentation ceremony.

The PASIG meeting was dominated by considerations of improved access to collections and a drive to reach performing arts researchers. A wide diversity of formats and the predominance of ephemeral items in performing arts collections has meant that control and accessibility can be problematic. This is particularly so for large institutions in which performing arts materials are a small (but vital) component

Judging by the reports at the PASIG meeting, progress in indexing and providing electronic access to performing arts resources augur well for the performing arts researcher.

The State Library of Tasmania is imaging and cataloguing the J.W.B. Murphy Collection of approximately 350 theatre posters covering attractions at the famous Theatre Royal in Hobart for the years 1896 to 1920. The first 100 posters, each with a full bibliographical record, are available on the library’s ‘Images from the Heritage Collections’ Web site at http://www.tased.edu.au/tasimg/home.htm

The State Library of South Australia is now adding records to its online catalogue for files of theatre programs in the Mortlock Library collection (see the State Library’s home page at http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/.

The National Library is adding further PROMPT finding aids (detailed listings of holdings in its PROMPT Collection), for significant individuals or performing arts companies. These PROMPT finding aids are available through the Library’s home page at http://www.nla.gov.au/collect/prompt.html

The Australian Dance Directory points towards online access to unique resources across a number of heritage institutions. Compiled and developed by Dr Michelle Potter as a result of the Keep Dancing Project, the online directory lists film, video, manuscript, oral history, photographic and printed materials relating to key Australian choreographers and dance companies. These materials are located in a number of Canberra-based institutions. It is hoped to extend the range and include the holdings of other libraries, galleries, and museums in the future. The Australian Dance Directory can be accessed through http://www.nla.gov.au/ausdance/

The excitement generated by these developments was tempered a little by presentations from an invited panel of theatre researchers working on various aspects of Australian performing arts history. It is clear that difficulties still exist in tracking down holdings of theatre programs in various institutions across several States and in gaining access to them once located. Large institutions, in particular, still have a distance to go in providing adequate access to performing arts materials in their collections.

The PASIG meeting endorsed the development of the group’s home page as part of Australian Museums On Line (AMOL). A new version, mounted in July 1999, includes statements on the nature and aims of the group, the latest news of developments in performing arts resources, and details of performing arts exhibitions around Australia.

Queries concerning PASIG should be directed to the Chairman, Richard Stone, at the National Library of Australia.
Tel. (02) 6262 1306, or email rstone@nla.gov.au

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Please address any comments and enquiries to The Editor, Gateways: lkirwan@nla.gov.au

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