National Library of Australia - Gateways

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


Getting to Know You: The Petherick Readers Research Register

The Petherick Reading Room is a special reading room at the National Library which provides facilities and support to those engaged in advanced research including authors, scholars, academics and independent researchers. The research and scholarship of these dedicated individuals contribute to the continuing vitality of Australia’s culture and heritage.

In the early days researchers worked independently, one might even say cloistered, unaware of what the person at the desk next to them was researching and sometimes, for that matter, even the name of their neighbour. A ‘Getting to Know You’ list of research interests for staff and other readers has expanded to a public web-based directory. The register started in a letter-tabbed notebook with readers entering their fields of interest. It didn’t take long before like-minded scholars were sharing ideas and resources.

The logical progression was to have an electronic list, especially with the ease of preparing web pages using html. The Petherick Readers readily accepted the idea. In fact, some suggested including their email contact details and listing their published works. The Petherick Research Register and Publication list, <www.nla.gov.au/infoserv/prrregister.html> was born.

The register gives researchers and their work worldwide exposure. This has resulted in several contacts from overseas scholars to Petherick researchers. The benefit to the Library is the unveiling to the wider research community the breath and depth of the Library’s Collection.

Getting to know them is getting everyone to know us.
—Paul Livingston, Senior Reference Librarian

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