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ISSN 1443-0568 | no. 39 | June 1999


The collections

PROMPT finding aids

the stage

The National Library is developing a large and comprehensive collection of printed ephemeral material documenting Australia’s performing arts.

Programs, flyers and brochures complement the other collections of books, magazines, posters, manuscripts, and pictorial materials which record Australia’s performing arts heritage.

The printed ephemera collection is known as the PROMPT collection. It comprises approximately 100 000 items. The coverage includes all periods from colonial to contemporary, all types and genres of performing arts, companies and individuals visiting Australia, and Australian performing artists touring overseas or those expatriates settling abroad.

The collection is arranged by company names, individual names of solo performers, names of key entrepreneurs, and titles of touring productions.

Minimal level bibliographical records for individual files in the PROMPT collection are regularly being added to the Library’s online public access catalogue (OPAC). There are now over 1500 such entries. The Library’s OPAC is accessible at http://www.nla.gov.au/webpac/

In order to further enhance access to the collection, PROMPT finding aids are being compiled by staff in the Australian Collection Development Unit. These finding aids are descriptive lists covering individuals or companies for which the National Library has developed significant holdings of printed ephemeral material.

Existing PROMPT finding aids lists and their URLs are :

Sir Robert Helpmann (1909–86) nla.gov.au/collect/prompt/helpmann.html

Ballet Rambert in Australia (1947–49) nla.gov.au/collect/prompt/rambert.html

Kirsova Ballet (1941–44) nla.gov.au/collect/prompt/kirsova.html

J. C. Williamson Opera Companies (1901–69) nla.gov.au/collect/prompt/jcwill.html

Barry Humphries in Australia and Overseas (1955– )http://www.nla.gov.au/collect/prompt/barry.html

The Sharp Collection –Sydney Theatre (1890–1910) http://www.nla.gov.au/collect/prompt/sharp.html

Marie Lohr (1890–1975) http://www.nla.gov.au/collect/prompt/lohr.html

Garnet H. Carroll Management (1949–66) http://www.nla.gov.au/collect/prompt/carroll.html

Dame Judith Anderson (1898–1992) http://www.nla.gov.au/collect/prompt/andersn.html

Australian TV Soap Stars in British Pantomime (1991–) http://www.nla.gov.au/collect/prompt/pantomim.html

Annie Get Your Gun Australasian Seasons (1947–63) http://www.nla.gov.au/collect/prompt/annie.html

Enquiries to Richard Stone, Australian Collection Development Unit; email: rstone@nla.gov.au tel: (03) 62621306

| Contents list for this issue of Gateways |

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

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