ISSN 1443-0568
No. 22
July 1996
National Library of Australia Gateways was edited and designed by Leora Kirwan using desktop publishing software. Please address any comments or enquiries to:
The Editor, Gateways
Network Services Marketing
National
Library of Australia
Canberra ACT 2600
AUSTRALIA
All articles in this publication may be reproduced without written permission on the condition that their source is clearly acknowledged.
National Library of Australia Gateways is issued bimonthly and prepared by the Services to Libraries Division of the National Library of Australia. Subscriptions are available on application at the rate of $A40.00 p.a. from:
Sales and Distribution
National Library of Australia
Canberra
A.C.T. 2600
AUSTRALIA
Tel.: (02) 6262 1646
Fax: 61 6 273 1084
The National Library has launched the first stage of its online documentary image database on the World Wide Web.Diana Dack, Manager Systems Projects and Yves Turgeon, who was responsible for the scanning
The online database contains more than 13 000 digitised images
of Australian pictorial works-including watercolours, paintings, drawings,
prints and photographs-and constitutes a sample of the images available in the
National Library's Pictorial Collection. Additional images will be added as
conversion of new acquisitions and older materials proceeds.
The documentary image database, which has yet to be named, is the first product of the National Library's digitisation strategy, the objective of which is to provide enhanced access to the Library's collections and better preservation of original works.
The images found in the documentary image database originated from two projects: the APOLLO Videodisc Project and the Portraits Project.
In the APOLLO Videodisc Project, completed in 1992, approximately 12 000 images from the Pictorial Collection were reproduced onto a videodisc. The images are predominantly from the 19th century and include portraits, ships, landscapes, historic events, flora and fauna. These images have been digitised and constitute at present the core of the documentary image database.
The Portraits Project, initiated in July 1995, had as its objective the digitisation, at very high resolution, of all the original portraits in the Pictorial Collection. In addition to these portraits-which include a large number of caricatures-a selection of photographs of well-known Australians and portraits of all the Australian prime ministers were scanned. All the original works of Augustus Earle held at the National Library were also included. Altogether, more than 1,500 items were digitised under contract by Scott Four Colour Print of Perth, WA, using PhotoCD technology. The PhotoCD masters were used to create low resolution copies for inclusion in the documentary image database.
The development of the database was managed by the Systems Projects Branch, headed by Diana Dack, under the guidance of the Portraits Project Committee which included the Pictorial Librarian. Yves Turgeon oversaw the scanning process and Michael Ledwidge was responsible for the creation of the database and the programming of the search interface. Assistance was also provided by the Library's Photographic Section.
All original works have complete bibliographic entries, including subject headings. Most of the photographs have been catalogued as collections and are not indexed individually. Access is through the title (the name of the collection), the photographer, the accession number or a broad subject, usually the geographic subject eg. Gundagai.
The photographic collections which have been added to the documentary image database to date are as follows:
The database is accessed via the Internet using a World Wide Web browser. Two search forms are available: a simple form, where novice users type one or more keywords; and a more advanced form that allows experienced users to combine keywords from specific bibliographic fields. The easy search form is shown below.
Documentary image database home page
The images can be viewed online as thumbnails (small images for quick identification) or as medium resolution JPEG graphics, a format supported by all graphical Web browsers. In order to protect the rights of the copyright holders, the high resolution digital masters are not networked and copyright notices are displayed prominently.
High resolution digital or photographic copies of most images can be ordered directly from the National Library by paying a fee. For those images where the original is still in copyright, clearance must be obtained from the copyright holder before any use is made of the image. Originals can still be viewed at the National Library.
The documentary image database can be found at: http://www.nla.gov.au/images1/ . For more information, contact Diana Dack on (02) 6262 1425
The inaugural Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) Library Week Oration 'Reading the Future' was delivered at the State Library of New South Wales on 1 May 1996 by The Hon. Sir Anthony Mason AC, KBE, Chairman of the National Library of Australia Council; Chancellor, University of New South Wales; National Fellow, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University.
In his address, Sir Anthony Mason examines some of the constraints and challenges faced by libraries today. The new technologies available to libraries have the capacity to expand access to documents and information and to expedite document delivery. At the same time, introducing new technology is expensive and may force libraries into making difficult choices in terms of the reallocation of their resources. Sir Anthony also discusses the current reform of the copyright law and emphasises the importance to the public interest of ensuring that we continue to promote the free flow of knowledge, ideas and information.
The Australian Library Week Oration 1996 may be found on the National Library's information server at: http://www.nla.gov.au/nla/staffpaper/mason.html.
![[Wodetzki]](p04i01.jpg)
by Jamie Wodetzki, Copyright Research Officer, Australian Council of Library and Information ServicesSince early 1994, the Australian Council of Libraries and Information Services (ACLIS) has taken an active interest in copyright issues. To that end, ACLIS has represented the interests of libraries in licence negotiations with the Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) where it seems likely that the library exemptions of the Copyright Act 1968 do not apply. For example, ACLIS worked with CAL to develop a model Commercial Document Delivery Licence, the details of which are explained below in an article originally published in issue no 8 of the ACLIS Copyright Bulletin.
Background
Libraries offering document delivery services in circumstances where sections 49 and 50 of the Copyright Act do not apply now have the option of clearing copyright permission under the Copyright Agency Limited's Commercial Document Delivery Licence. This licence has been the subject of negotiations for many months now. Only recently has CAL settled upon a final draft.
It is unlikely that the licence will be taken up by all libraries. It is intended to be used by those libraries that are already providing, or that intend to provide, document supply services to commercial customers whose research or study purpose is in doubt. The licence also has the advantage of a simpler, faster request process-there is no need to collect and file written requests and signed declarations-and higher fees can be charged.
The main features of the licence are summarised below. A more detailed explanatory document is available, and any library intending to offer such a commercial service is encouraged to register its interest with ACLIS in order to receive further information.
The licence
The licence allows a library to copy and provide works to any customer of its document delivery service. The main advantage is that customers are not required to provide written and signed requests and declarations, nor is the service restricted to customers whose purpose for requesting a document is research or study (or certain other purposes provided for in the Copyright Act).
To whom is it available?
The provider of the document delivery service must be, or must conduct, a library to which Part III, Division 5 ('the library provisions') of the Copyright Act applies. The licence is not intended to be used by non-libraries.
What technology can be used?
The licence allows copying by photocopier or facsimile transmission only. It does not cover electronic or digital copying for the purpose of database storage or retrieval. Some digital copying licences are under development by CAL, but are not yet ready for widespread use.
What can be copied?
It is only possible to copy the works of copyright owners represented by CAL. Details of who CAL represents are available in CAL's directory of members. There are copying limits for some types of work: the greater of 10 per cent or one (1) chapter from a book; or two (2) articles per issue from a journal (cf one article per issue under the Act) unless they relate to the same subject matter. There is no limit to the number of articles that can be copied from non-journal periodicals (e.g. newspapers and magazines).
What are the copyright fees?
An annual fee will be calculated on the basis of statistics gathered during copying surveys (see below). This fee will be based on the following rates: $5 per journal article (provided it is more than one page long) and 20 cents per page in other cases. A 'journal' is defined as a periodical that typically contains articles of 2500 words or more, or has an issue price of $10 or more.
What paperwork is required?
A document delivery service will be required to keep copying records only when a survey is underway. No service can be surveyed for more than a total of 13 weeks in any one year. Any copies made under the service must have the following details on or attached to the first page: title of article, author, publication, publisher (if known), and a notice as follows 'Copied under licence by (name of library) and not to be recopied except under licence'.
Other details
After commencement, the licence remains in force until it is terminated. Termination may be effected by three months written notice, or upon the happening of certain other events such as persistent breach. CAL has a right to inspect records for assessment and substantiation purposes, but information gathered under the licence must be kept confidential. CAL provides an indemnity against actions for copyright infringement resulting from copying under the licence, and there is a one-off $200 administration fee.
For further information, contact ACLIS on Tel.: 06 262 1244, Fax 06 273 4493 or Email aclis@nla.gov.au. CAL can be contacted on Tel.: 02 394 7600, Fax 02 394 7601 or URL http://www.copyright.com.au/
![[Henty]](p05i01.jpg)
Margaret Henty
The CDNL (Conference of Directors of National Libraries) Working Group on Legal Deposit and Electronic Publishing was set up in 1994 to devise guidelines for countries seeking legal deposit of electronic materials, in the belief that governments should provide such rights in the interests of current and future generations of users to support scholarship, research and enterprise. The Group is to provide a report for CDNL which will define the role of a national library in respect of legal deposit of electronic publications, give advice to member libraries on the development of proposals for new legislation to bring about the legal deposit of electronic publications and to provide guidance on the selection, acquisition, recording, storage, provision of access to and preservation of electronic publications.
The fifth and final meeting of the Working Group was held at the Library of Congress in Washington DC on May 6, 1996. Those in attendance included the Chair, Brian Lang from the British Library, Peter Lor from South Africa, Bendik Rugaas from Norway, Clair Vayssade from France, Ingrid Parent from Canada and Ann Clarke from the British Library as minute secretary. Winston Tabb from the Library of Congress was unable to attend. Margaret Henty represented the National Library of Australia.
The meeting made a number of decisions which will be reflected in the final report. It was agreed that all electronic publications should be covered, whether networked, CD-ROM or some other physical format, whether text, sound or otherwise. Allied to this notion was the agreement that legal deposit libraries should be assisted with the task of preservation by legislation which permitted copying for the purpose of reformatting or otherwise preserving. National libraries were seen as the appropriate body to take the lead in seeking appropriate legislation in their own country and it was recognised that the working of new legislation would need to be compatible with existing legislation.
The final report will include some comment on the resource implications of legal deposit for these materials. Supplementary appendices will be provided by libraries which have already sought and received legal deposit status, the USA, Canada, France, Norway and, if available in time, Namibia.
A final report, now in preparation, will be presented to the next CDNL meeting which will be held in Beijing in August, in association with the 1996 IFLA Conference. UNESCO has expressed interest in publishing the report.
Australia has been represented on this Group since its inception in 1994. Those attending previous meetings of the Group have been David Toll and Jan Lyall.
![[Webb]](p06i01.jpg)
by Kerry Webb, former director, Digital Library Services Project, National Library of Australia
In March 1996, I attended three conferences in North America. The first was the ACM 'Digital Libraries '96' Conference, organised by the United States Association for Computing Machinery-the prime US professional association for computing professionals. There was a good mix of computing and library professionals in the audience, but not enough contribution from those at the 'user end' in the conference papers. However, there were a number of useful working sessions and tutorials, the most interesting being those on metadata and user evaluation.
In the metadata working session, the message was that while
most of the current approaches are ad hoc, we are now seeing a time when
metadata will form an important aspect of information management. It was
suggested that we should build systems to augment the native ability of the
user (although with such a variance in users' abilities, this will be
difficult), and that we should be seeking feedback from search engines in
developing our metadata standards, noting that single-word searches predominate
at present. There was also emphasis on collection-level metadata, because in
the early stages of digital libraries, users will need good information on what
is in the collections as they are being built.
The workshop on user needs assessment and evaluation was particularly stimulating, with plenty of interaction from the audience and a lot of good ideas on how to determine user needs. The speakers included an ethnographer who spoke about the benefits of using professionals from her discipline in user-needs assessment, and a person from the Alexandria Project, who showed how transaction logs can be employed to check the effectiveness of tutorials in teaching clients how to use the system.
The Spring Task Force Meeting, conducted by the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), was attended mostly by senior academic library administrators. In two days they presented a packed program of keynote speakers and project briefings.
One of the speakers reported on 'rights management systems', the technologies which are becoming available to protect copyright, ensure payment if applicable, collect usage information and ensure the value chains associated with electronic property. He said that he believed that information which is currently free, will continue to be so. Prices and permissions for other material will be set by authors, publishers or other people in the chain, but these could be conditional on membership of groups, such as all those in higher education, or all at one university, or perhaps all people taking one particular course. He illustrated some of the technology available to manage these rights and said that IBM will be offering such a system shortly. Others will be doing so by the end of the year.
The project briefings were held in parallel sessions, with a choice of up to eight in each session. I gave a summary of the WORLD 1 project which was very well received, and the National Library of Canada also spoke about their AMICUS system. In another session, the J-STOR Project was explained. This is converting the backfiles of 10 history and economics journals into digital form using scanning and OCR. It is initially funded by the Mellon Foundation, but there are plans to expand it into a commercial service.
The third conference was a meeting of the International MEDLARS Policy Advisory Group (IMPAG) which was organised by the National Library of Medicine at its headquarters. Meetings of the group provide the international Medlars centres with the opportunity to learn about the NLM's directions while, at the same time, giving a degree of feedback on what they expect of the system.
Speaking about document delivery, Lois Ann Colaianni from NLM explained that (apart from the British Library experience) it was generally uneconomic to collect material purely for the purpose of providing a document delivery service, and that wherever possible NLM will encourage users to go to publishers' full-text databases on the Web. She was followed by Margot Montgomery from CISTI, who described the CISTI IntelliDoc system in which documents are scanned and sent to the client in a number of formats-ARIEL files, faxes, print files, and North American document express services. This results in faster delivery, better quality documents, flexible delivery options, reliable billing and traceable orders.
There were discussions on the NLM's on-line services which demonstrated search facilities and links to other services such as the experimental online Journal of Biological Chemistry operated by Stanford University Library, and a detailed description of NLM's Visible Human Project, which is available on the Internet as a large data set for organisations wishing to use it for developing information and educational products.
The Director-General of the National Library of Australia, Warren Horton, is pleased to announce that the National Library's Assistant Director-General (Corporate Services Division), David Toll, has been appointed to lead the newly established WORLD 1 Office.
The appointment of Mr Toll is the first step in implementing the strategy to manage WORLD 1 that the Director-General outlined to audiences during the WORLD 1 roadshows earlier this year. The strategy included the appointment of an Executive Director and the separation of WORLD 1 from the National Library's Services to Libraries Division. While recruitment for the position of Executive Director has been deferred to a later stage, the appointment of Mr Toll will assist in the transition to a new business model.
The WORLD 1 Office has been established to support the future introduction of WORLD 1 services. It is responsible for the preparation and implementation of all training and marketing material for WORLD 1, and assisting customers in their migration to the new service.
In addition to his new role, Mr Toll will continue to manage the National Library's Corporate Services Division, including the information technology client support area which has been heavily involved in the development of WORLD 1.
Bryony De La Motte, formerly of the ABN Office, will also move to the WORLD 1 Office as its director. Initially the office will consist of marketing, training and information technology client support staff.
The Director-General emphasised that these administrative changes were designed to ensure that WORLD 1 remained responsive to customers' needs through both the development and implementation stages.
The development project will continue to be led by Jan Rosi, the NDIS Joint Project Director.
The Services to Libraries Division will manage the existing ABN and Ozline services and take on the additional responsibility for digital library projects. Digital library projects play an important leadership role in the application of technology within the library industry.
In welcoming the new WORLD 1 Office, the Director-General also recorded the National Library's appreciation for the work Dr Warwick Cathro and his staff had done in formulating the WORLD 1 redevelopment proposals, preparing the RFT and other major documents, and working with the NDIS team and the National Library of New Zealand in the development phase.
The Director-General also announced that the establishment of the WORLD 1 Board had been postponed. Accordingly, all ABN Network Committee members have agreed to continue as the National Library's chief source of advice on behalf of the Australian library community. This strong consultation with stakeholders will continue to be reflected in the flexible and responsive service that is offered to customers.
All customer enquiries should continue to be directed to the Help Desk on 1800 026 155.
Left to right: George Miller, Australian National University, Amelia McKenzie, NLA Regional Officer ,Asia and Asma Ahmat, Director, Malaysiana Reference Division, Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia attended CONSAL X in Kuala Lumpur
CONSAL X (Tenth Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians), was
held in Kuala Lumpur from 21 to 25 May. With the theme of 'Libraries in
national development' it was organised by the Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
(National Library of Malaysia) together with Persatuan Perpustakaan Malaysia
(Library Association Malaysia). CONSAL membership comprises Malaysia,
Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Brunei and the congresses are
held every three years in the capital cities various of the member countries.
CONSAL countries put particular effort into the organisation of the events. The
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, attended the
opening ceremony, and the farewell dinner featured dance and song from the
region.
Over 600 attended from the South and East Asian region, Europe, United States and New Zealand. The National Library of Australia staff attending were : Jan Fullerton, Warwick Cathro, Amelia McKenzie Adrian Cunningham and Marie Sexton.
1996 marked the 25th anniversary of the founding of CONSAL. This was commemorated by the publication of Memorable Journey, edited by Khoo Siew Mun. It will prove an invaluable guide to the history of South-East Asian librarianship as it includes lists and indexes of CONSAL documentation and obituaries of notable librarians of the region. A number of chapters are included providing an overview of developments. Two are by Australians. George Miller of the Australian National University, one of the few at CONSAL X who attended CONSAL 1 in Singapore, is the author of a chapter 'CONSAL from down under' and Edward Lim from Monash University was prepared to forecast the future with 'CONSAL into the 21st century'.
It was agreed that the major theme of CONSAL X, as it appeared in paper after paper, was the 'paradigm shift', that is the impact of information technology and management techniques, including re-engineering, upon libraries and librarians and their relationship with their customers. Many papers showed how librarians in the region are successfully implementing major advances in automation. This is particularly so in the special and academic libraries in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.
At the final session, one particularly important resolution passed was that each CONSAL country should develop their own databases which could, in the future, be integrated into a South-East Asian Network. This resolution has been passed to Singapore to convene a working committee. It is hoped that this will lead to a fresh approach.
For Australian librarians, CONSAL continues to offer the chance to hear about the latest developments in the region and to meet colleagues from within the region and also from western countries. CONSAL XI will be held in Singapore in the year 2000.
Over the weekend prior to CONSAL X, a meeting was held of International South-East Asian resources specialists. Organised by CORMOSEA (Committee on Research Materials for South-East Asia), it was an important milestone for overseas researchers as they are turning increasingly to the region for access to materials. With the development of the Internet and electronic means of access through on-line systems and CD-ROM, the emphasis is starting to move away from acquisition of printed materials. The meeting from 18 to 20 May was attended by librarians interested in the South-East Asian region from Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Malaysia and the United States.
A special plus was the attendance of two of the acquisition officers for overseas libraries in Jakarta. Will Tuchrello from Library of Congress and Amelia McKenzie of the National Library of Australia were able to help the discussion with their detailed knowledge.
Issues discussed included: periodical indexing, acquisitions, preservation and co-operation. A number of resolutions on these topics were passed and will appear in the CORMOSEA bulletin together with the papers presented at the meeting. The meeting was chaired by Kent Mulliner of Ohio University and organised by Susan Fe Go of the University of Michigan.
For further information contact : Marie Sexton, Asian Collections, NLA tel. 61-6-2621 519 fax 61-6-273 4327 email msexton@nla.gov.au
Lek McFadden, Senior Librarian in the Thai unit of the National Library of Australia's Asian Collections, visited Cambodia and Laos in April 1996 to review the operation of the acquisition and book placement programs which are managed through the Australian embassies in these countries. The Lao program was established in 1990; the Cambodian acquisition program in 1993 during Lek's last official visit to Asia.
On 17 April Lek made a visit, arranged by Margaret Bywater, the Library Resources Adviser with the Asia Foundation in Cambodia, to two non-government organisations: the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC) and the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI). Both these organisations are valuable resources for the collection of materials on Cambodia, in English, French and Khmer.
Lek also met Michelle Chan at the Australian Embassy to discuss improved procedures for managing the acquisition and book placement programs.
Assistance to the National Library of Cambodia
Recent developments at the NLC include :
Laos 18-20 April
In Vientiane, Lek was welcomed by Mrs Kongdeuan Nettavongse, Director of the National Library of Laos. The Library has progressed since Lek's last visit, with increased book stocks and improved organisation. It has received assistance from various institutions and reports the following developments:
The National Library of Laos has made a submission for assistance from the National Library of Australia under the Regional Cooperation Program (RCP). There is an urgent need for staff to receive funding for English training at the Australia English Centre in Vientiane. The National Library of Laos is also seeking funds to send two staff to Australia for computing and cataloguing courses.
At the Australian Embassy Lek discussed the funding and operation of the Lao acquisition program with Ms T. Phonsena, and Ms Mandy Lawrence, both from the Information Section.
Lek also visited the University of Dong Dok library, where she met the Director, Mr Chansy Phuangsouketh and Mr Padith Ariya who accompanied her on a tour of the library building.
The library has received some assistance from the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme and is also being provided with material under the National Library of Australia's Book Placement Program.
A more detailed description of Lek McFadden's visit to Cambodia and Laos is available on the NLA Server at http://www.nla.gov.au/staffpaper/vmcfad.html.
Early this year the Information Services Section commenced a project to identify and list Internet resources in various Australian subject areas. It is intended that after compilation these lists will be mounted on the National Library Home Page for the use of both Australian and overseas researchers.
The initial subject areas selected for this project were law, literature, cartography and newspapers. Each listing is broad in scope and focuses on Australian sites or sites about the identified Australian topic.
Each list is compiled by a subject specialist within Information Services. When searching the Internet to identify relevant sites staff consider the following criteria: content (currency, range, organisation), authority (corporate or personal authorship and degree of subject knowledge demonstrated), technical aspects and user demand for the information. Although the aim is to provide a selective listing of quality sites, where there is not a large amount of subject information staff will provide whatever is available.
The process does not end once a subject listing has been created. Staff will continue to monitor the sites listed for quality and relevance, and where necessary add new sites or delete older ones which no longer meet the various criteria.
Although the initial list is small, future proposals for subject listings include: history, environment, genealogy, the environment, the Pacific. Initially all will have an Australian focus, however future lists will include overseas subjects which are related to the Information Services Section subject specialisation program.
'Two westerns by next Thursday'
The world of an Australian pulp fiction writer is revealed in a unique collection acquired recently by the National Library.Gordon Clive Bleeck was a railway signalman; a devoted family man, active in the Masonic Lodge, a union representative, musician, dedicated traveller, public speaker-and a prolific short story and pulp fiction author. He lived all his life in Sydney.
Between 1933 and 1971 Bleeck's literary output numbered over
350 short stories and novelettes. His first short story was published in an
English magazine following a series of rejections by Australian publishers. In
the next few years Bleeck honed his craft and by 1936 a series of stories began
appearing in the Bulletin featuring the character Raggles. Raggles was
based on an actual person, a rat catcher at the Eveleigh Railway Workshops
where Bleeck worked. Two novels featuring were subsequently published by the
mainstream Currawong Press. In addition, Bleeck produced a stream of short
stories for various newspapers and magazines such as New Idea, and
Woman's Mirror.
In 1949 Bleeck changed direction slightly and his first pulp fiction novelette was published-Cosmic Calamity. It also marked the appearance of the first of many pseudonyms, Belli Luigi. Bleeck wrote in various genres-romances , sports stories, crime thrillers, war stories and science fiction. However, the largest part of his output was in the western genre. At the peak of his writing career in the early 1950s he was producing up to four novelettes of an average size of 22 000 words every two months.
A complete collection of Bleeck's stories and novels, plus diaries, photographs, art work for covers and detailed records of his literary output have been acquired from the Bleeck family in Sydney.
Gordon Bleeck flourished as part of the boom in paperback publishing in Australia which occurred during and after World War 2. This period of unprecedented activity in popular fiction publishing came as a result of import licensing restrictions imposed in 1939 by the Australian Government. It resulted in an effective ban on the importation of American books and magazines and meant that there was an opportunity for the local Australian product to emerge.
Australian writers and paperback publishers found that they could satisfy an eager market wanting to read racy and action-packed fiction reflecting American models. The magazines and novelettes were cheap (starting at sixpence for a scientific thriller) and sold at newsagents and other busy outlets like street newsstands near railway stations and ferry stops. This pattern lasted through the 1950s until the restrictions were lifted and once again the local product succumbed to imported competition. Publishing houses such as Cleveland, which flourished with the pulp fiction boom, still produce a small western output.
Collecting of this genre of publishing by libraries has been neglected. The acquisition of this material through legal deposit by the State and National libraries at the time of publishing was haphazard and incomplete. Paperback fiction was mass produced for a mass market. The production was constant and rapid and the publications were not meant for preservation. A library attempting to collect retrospectively nowadays finds it almost impossible to come by this type of material in good condition. In this sense the Bleeck collection, a private collection from an author of the time, is a major acquisition.
Bleeck assiduously documented his own work. He kept a master copy of everything he had published, whether it was a complete novelette or a short story. Sometimes he kept duplicate copies. He maintained this collecting until his death in 1971. His family kept the collection and, mindful of its significance, offered it to the National Library.
A major bonus with the collection is the documentation by Bleeck of his writing and publishing patterns. He kept chronological ledgers recording each story or novelette completed and published, with the details of the publisher, the series in which it was included, the date of public-ation , the payment he received and the pseudonym under which it appeared.
This latter element offers a rare opportunity to unravel the mysteries of authorship of a small portion of Australian pulp fiction. According to Bleeck's own records he was published under 19 different pseudonyms as well as variations of his own name.
Canberra-based bibliographer and paperback collector Graeme Flanagan gives an indication of the use of pseudonyms in his pioneering work Australian Vintage Paperback Guide ( New York: Gryphon Books, 1994). However, in spite of Flanagan's researches a majority of the real authors will remain masked by nom-de-plumes. The real identities will never be found unless more collections such as the Bleeck archive are found. As this seems most unlikely, the importance of
G C Bleeck's meticulous collecting and recording of his short story and paperback output provide a rare opportunity to examine the workings of Australian pulp fiction in its heyday.
The Bleeck collection is currently being processed and there are plans to produce a full listing of the novelettes.
There have been many additions to the National Library's site over the May-June period. Highlights include:
National Library Activities and Initiatives
Hosted Information
Complete listings for the current six months are available on-line from http://www.nla.gov.au/new/
Completion of the Parliamentary Library Oral History Project
Since Federation there have been 38 Commonwealth Parliaments-a congregation of about 4,000 elected members if we count each term as a 'fresh start'. In one sense each Parliament represents a who's who of Australian public life. Whatever the fortunes of individual parliamentary reputations, the procession of politicians continues, and the experiences accumulate. Or do they? Perhaps the laconic stereotype has come into play, but whatever the reason, it is interesting to note that a relatively few of these have written memoirs to fuel the Australian understanding of our political experience. And yet this experience, both within the houses of Parliament and outside, has been central to the nation's history and development.
Members come and go with triennial certainty, though it is in the nature of things that few of us can recall the faces, names or voices of those whose terms have ended. This photograph identifying members of the 1990 Hawke cabinet after the swearing in ceremony at Government House would test the memories of all but the avid political buffs. Still fewer could expound the political achievements of each. And less again, presuming they possess an understanding of the motivations and unique pressures that applied to these individuals, could communicate this experience to others. As mentioned, politicians themselves appear to have some difficulty in doing so.
Hawke Ministry, March 1990. Back row: Peter Baldwin, Allan Griffiths, Bob Collins, Robert Tickner. Front row: David Beddall, Wendy Fatin, the Governor-General, Bill Hayden, Prime Minister Robert (Bob) Hawke, Gordon Bilney and Simon Crean. Photo: DFAT
It has been argued that every historical source is subjective,
but the oral source allows us to challenge that subjectivity. Face to face we
may begin to understand that which is not written, but hidden between the
lines. Perhaps more importantly, the achievement of oral history collections
have been to provide an environment in which the barriers that prevent or limit
publication are absent. For over a decade the Parliamentary Library has
conducted interviews with Australian politicians. The Oral History Project of
the Commonwealth Parliament began as part of its Bicentenary Publications
Program in 1982. The need to gather the reminiscences of former members and
senators of Federal Parliament arose from the Hon. Gordon Bryant's observation
that relatively few were publishing their memoirs.
The Library was well placed to perform this undertaking, and recruited 15 interviewers, some of them journalists whose close proximity to government made them aware of the activities and contributions of individual members. Though the intention was to complete the project in the bicentenary year, the project's value extended beyond 1988. It was indeed a popular undertaking on all sides. In the intervening years there have been over 160 interviews with politicians-comprising a sizeable research collection.
The indexing of these interviews is particularly detailed, with many indexes containing over 100 entries. Many of the completed transcripts have been copied and stored at the National Library Oral History section. A little under half of these are freely available to scholars at present, while others require the written permission of the interviewee before the interview can be accessed. Some have been converted into book form, performing the valuable task of encouraging politicians to put their impressions of Australian political life squarely into the public domain.
The librarian responsible for the project, Janet Wilson, reports that some of the more recent interviews remain to be completed, and some still require transcription. However, with funding now limited to this purpose, the completion of the project is imminent, and the process of recording first hand the experiences of those closest to politics will end. This research collection, as it exists, will continue to be of value to researchers and those interested in the political arena-a unique archive documenting the Australian political process. For those who follow, will we remember them ?
For more information, please contact Martin Woods, tel. (02) 6262 1323, or email mwoods@nla.gov.au
![[Bruck Mills, rayon spinner]](p14i01.jpg)
Photographs by Wolfgang SieversWolfgang Sievers, 1913-
Bruck Mills, rayon spinner, Wangaratta, Victoria 1950. Pictorial Collection, NLA.The Pictorial Section has recently purchased from the photographer Wolfgang Sievers a collection of 500 photographs which document Australian industry between the years 1938 and 1990.
Wolfgang Sievers is one of Australia's most significant and
influential photographers. Born in Germany in 1913, he trained at the
Contemporay School for Applied Arts in Berlin (an offshoot of the famous
Bauhaus School) and took architectural photographs for his father's books on
Berlin's historical buildings, before emigrating to Australia in 1938.
In Australia he was befriended by Sydney Ure Smith, Max Dupain, Richard and Maie Casey and Athol Shmith. He opened his own studio in Melbourne in 1938, and carried on a normal commercial business for some years, gradually coming to specialise in industry and architecture. His most outstanding impact on Australian photography was to bring Bauhaus ideas to Australia, giving emphasis to the dignity of the worker and his craft.
Sievers promoted Australian industry by helping to change the traditional image of Australia overseas from that of a country of wheat and sheep to a producer of high quality products and of technical expertise. He also specialised in mining, geological exploration and the oil industry.
Gael Newton included the work of Wolfgang Sievers in her bicentennial photographic exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia, entitled 'Shades of Light'. Newton says of this photographer:
'His approach to industrial assignments reflected the hopes of the Bauhaus for a union between workers and industrial production which would retain the dignity of traditional craftsmen. Sievers's photographs often show workers calmly pursuing their tasks with satisfaction, unawed by the monstrous scale of their environment. In industrial coverage Sievers pioneered imagery that became the basic patterns adopted by later generations.'
The photographs are mainly black and white, and have been divided into 44 major subject areas, including: heavy industry, textile industry, Vickers Ruwolt, clothing manufacture, women in laboratories, craftsmanship, timber felling, bauxite mining, and the wine industry in the Barossa Valley.
This collection is a valuable addition to the library's Pictorial Collection, which aims to document in pictures all aspects of Australian life and achievement. In many cases the photographs show procedures and types of equipment that are now redundant.
In the course of time all these images will be scanned and made available through the Internet, as part of the Library's long-term strategy to improve access to its collections. It is also possible that the Library may exhibit a selection of the photographs in the near future.
Volunteer policy
The National Library of Australia has had a volunteer program since 1989. The program is currently being developed to expand the range of volunteer contributions to the Library's activities. The Volunteer Program is offering the community an opportunity to share an active role in supporting and promoting the cultural and information services of the National Library. Volunteers are currently working in the National Library in areas such as Pictorial, Manuscripts, Preservation, Photographics, Publications, Public Affairs, Education, and the Friends of the National Library. The program assists the National Library to provide services that would not otherwise be possible. To this end, a policy document concerning the program has been distributed to senior staff for comment and a working group for further action.
Curl up with a good author
The National Library of Australia is having a series of winter readings with four leading Australian authors reading from their work. Starting from the 30 June 1996 authors will be appearing in Chapters Restaurant on selected Sunday afternoons throughout the season. They include: Marion Halligan, Kate Grenville, Peter Corris and John Marsden. These winter readings are supported by Reader's Digest Australia.
Seminars online
The National Library Online Seminar Projectinvolves mounting National Library of Australia seminars at a World Wide Web site that provides links to the Library's online collections, exhibitions, images, and publication information. Examples of materials proposed for the site are: the Women Writing: Views and Prospects 1975-1995 seminar papers which will be linked to the Beyond the Picket Fence exhibition, the Women of Note collection of photographs of Australian women composers, and a list of women's manuscript materials held by the Library. The papers will be enhanced by extracts from sound recordings.
Link-up online
Link-up is the National Library's quarterly newsletter providing a national forum for the discussion of issues relating to the services of Australian libraries in the areas of cultural diversity, literacy and disability. Link-up is available in print, audio and disk formats, and the June issue of Link-up is also located through the National Library's home page at the URL http://www.nla.gov.au/dis/linkup/. Link-up is a free publication; for subscription queries contact Education Services on (02) 6262 1300.
Visitor Centre displays
Displays introducing some fascinating aspects of the National Library's collections, and the world of publishing, will be shown in the Visitor Centre during the coming months. These will include:
Attributed to Jo Steele (b.1939) - Barbara Hanrahan (1939-1991), Adelaide c.1978. Gelatin silver photograph, Collection of Jo Steele.
The Reflecting Eye: Portraits of Australian Visual
Artists is the first travelling exhibition from Australia's National
Portrait Gallery. Focussing on painters, print makers and photographers in
their various environments-the studio, the bush, the beach-it spans more than
70 years from the turn of the century, with a photograph of Aboriginal artist
Barak using the outside of a shed as an easel, to Bea Maddock sketching in the
Antarctic. The content ranges from snap shots to the work of professional
photographers including Cazneaux, Athol Shmith, Olive Cotton, Max Dupain,
Helmut Newton, Mark Strizic and Carrol Jerrems. The exhibition has been
designed to be shown in regional galleries, libraries and community venues. For
more information contact the travelling Exhibitions Coordinator at the National
Library of Australia on (02) 6262 1371 or by facsimile on (02) 6237 4493 or
email: awillsfo@nla.gov.au.
If you think no one ever painted an interesting portrait of a
scientist, you obviously haven't seen the latest exhibition at the National
Portrait Gallery.
The Clever Country: Scientists in Australia brings together more than seventy-five portraits of the men and women who have shaped science in Australia. The exhibition features paintings, sculptures, photographs, caricatures, banknotes, stamps and medals. From areas as diverse as botany, brain research and astronomy, scientists have inspired some of Australia's best known portrait painters including George Lambert, Ivor Hele and Judy Cassab. The earliest work, John Hamilton Mortimer's 'conversation piece' of Cook, Banks and three other gentlemen in a classical landscape (c.1777) provides an interesting contrast to Rob Perkins portrayal of plant geneticist and CSIRO Chair, Professor Adrienne Clarke (1987), whose image emerges from a background of plant specimens and coastal landscape.
The Clever Country offers a unique opportunity to see many works from scientific associations, universities and private collections which are not normally accessible. The exhibition is showing in Old Parliament House, Canberra until 3 November 1996. Enquires (02) 6273 4723.
Return to NLA Gateways Home Page