National Library of Australia - Gateways

ISSN ISSN 1443-0568 | no. 66 | December 2003


Preserving Daisy: Refilming the National Library’s Daisy Bates Manuscript Collection

Centre: Patricia Crampin (Preservation Reformatting Unit) checks the microfilm of Daisy Bates manuscript collection  (MS 365) filmed in 2003: photograph by Greg Power. Right and left: Photographs of  Daisy May Bates (1863–1951) from the Elizabeth Salter manuscript collection (MS 6481)
Centre: Patricia Crampin (Preservation Reformatting Unit) checks the microfilm of Daisy Bates manuscript collection  (MS 365) filmed in 2003: photograph by Greg Power.
Right and left: Photographs of  Daisy May Bates (1863–1951) from the Elizabeth Salter manuscript collection (MS 6481)

The Daisy Bates manuscript collection (MS 365) was one of the earliest preservation microfilming projects undertaken by the National Library’s Preservation Section. Filmed in 1987, the quality of the original filming reflected the best that could be achieved at the time, given the challenges of filming such a diverse collection of papers and the available expertise. However, the Library has long been conscious that the film produced in 1987 was a poor copy of this rich material.

Daisy May Bates (1863–1951) was a social worker and anthropologist who lived and worked with the Aboriginal people of Western Australia and South Australia for more than 30 years and who studied and wrote about their language and customs. The bulk of the collection comprises her notes and research material for her book, The Native Tribes of Western Australia, written during her period of service with the Western Australian Government from 1904 to 1912. Yet, the collection is diverse, reflecting both the hardship of Daisy’s life in the outback and her resourcefulness.

Showing obvious signs of wear, the collection is fragile, having been put together and stored in less than ideal environmental conditions during Daisy Bates’ life. It comprises 51 manuscript boxes plus maps and includes handwritten notes on a variety of papers in pencil and ink—Daisy Bates used whatever paper was to hand, including the backs of envelopes and brown paper packaging. The collection also includes letters, photographs, newspaper clippings, typescripts, printed books, and maps of various sizes and even some plant samples. Many of the manuscript notes are written in black lead, green pencil and red or black ink on a variety of coloured papers. The pencil in many cases is very faded and much of the paper is fragile, yellowed and brittle.

The collection was originally filmed in order to reduce handling of the original materials and to allow additional access. In recent years the collection has been of particular interest for native title land claims especially in Western Australia and the original film has been made available for interlibrary loan. Because of the poor quality of the original microfilming the Library has received requests for re-filming of the collection.

Before proceeding with the refilming a number of factors, including access issues and cost, were carefully considered in choosing to use preservation microfilm rather than digitise the material. The collection has now been refilmed by W& F Pascoe on archival quality 35mm microfilm. The filming has been done to a very high standard and in such a way as to aid digitisation if that were considered desirable at some time in the future. Every care has been taken to obtain the best possible images considering the poor condition and variations in paper and ink types of some of the original material. Some of the maps are being digitised by the National Library’s digitisation section and will be used by W & F Pascoe to produce microfilm from the digitised scans.

The finding aid for the Daisy Bates Collection is available on the National Library’s website <www.nla.gov.au/ms/findaids/0365.html>. Any enquiries for further information can be sent to Graeme Powell, the Manuscript Librarian, National Library of Australia, email: gpowell@nla.gov.au.
—Maxine Davis, Preservation Reformatting Unit

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