KNOWITState Libraryof Western Australia

OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2003 NO.266

magazine

Hidden Treasuresof the State Reference Library

Acting CEO and State LibrarianClaire Forte.

Comment fromClaire

NEWS FROM THE CEO

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KNOWIT. OCT - DEC 2003

This issue of knowit features someof the many magnificent treasuresheld in the State Reference Library

which collectively chronicle the history ofthe printed word. There are examplesfrom across the centuries of fine printingand binding and exquisite illustrationsthat will tantalise all bibliophiles.

The origins of the State ReferenceLibrary date back to 1887 when theWestern Australian Legislative Councilvoted to provide 5000 pounds tocelebrate the Golden Jubilee of QueenVictoria's reign, allocating some of thefunds towards the foundation of theVictoria Public Library in Perth. TheLibrary opened its doors to the public forthe first time on 26 January 1889 with atotal of 1,796 volumes on its shelves.

More than a century later, many of thecollections acquired by the earlyfounders of the now State Library ofWestern Australia, remain as importanthistorical records and valuablereference works held in trust for theWestern Australian community.

As this is the final issue for 2003, Iwould like to wish all our readersgreetings for the festive season andevery good wish for the coming year.

Acting Chief Executive Officer,Claire Forte, was MC for theevent. Norman Jorgensen,

winner of this year's Children's BookCouncil of Australia, Picture Book ofthe Year Award, spoke to the youngwriters in the audience and read anextract from his new book beforeteaming with Craig Urquhart, fromNestlé Australia's Western Australianoffice, to present prizes to the zoneand State winners.

The presentation was the culminationof another successful year for NestléWrite Around Australia, which hasbeen running in Western Australiasince 1995. The program, fundedby Nestlé Australia and coordinatedby the State Library of New SouthWales is a national creative writingprogram for primary school studentsin years six and seven. State andpublic libraries throughout Australiasupport the program. In WesternAustralia, the State Library of WesternAustralia coordinates the programand in 2003 libraries in Nedlands,Melville, Victoria Park, Broome,Kalgoorlie and Harvey hosted thecompetition in their communities.

The Program encourages youngpeople to be involved in the creativewriting process by entering a writingcompetition and participating increative writing workshops conductedby published Australian children'sauthors. Five Western Australianauthors, Glyn Parry, Elaine Forrestal,

Dianne Wolfer, Geoff Havel and MarkGreenwood, as well as NorthernTerritory based author Kim Caraher,presented writing workshops forstudents as part of this year's program.Glowing reports about the writingworkshops came from children,parents, teachers and authors in thesix host zones. As well as inspiringcreative and effective writers, manyteachers and parents comment onthe Program's ability to improvechildren's self esteem, particularlyfor those who are not high achieversin sport and other more high profilepursuits.

In Western Australia, over 3000entries were received, 1890 fromthe metropolitan area and a recordnumber of 1109 country entries.The twelve zone winners from thesix Western Australian zones cameto Perth for the State presentation.Both of this year's State winnerswere from metropolitan zones. ZoeYusoff from Assumption CatholicPrimary School in Mandurah wasthe year six State winner with herchilling story Hidden Danger. Theyear seven State winner was MichaelHind from Helena Valley PrimarySchool with Kooka's Lunch, a veryfunny and clever story.

As we approach the tenth anniversaryof this excellent program in 2004 welook forward to another exciting yearof hearing from Western Australia'stalented young writers.

This year's Western Australian State presentationof Nestlé Write Around Australia awards was heldat the Alexander Library Building Theatre on Friday31 October.

NestléWrite Around Australia

COMMENT FROM CLAIRE <

NESTLÉ WRITE AROUND AUSTRALIA <

HIDDEN TREASURES OF THE STATE LIBRARY 2

MULTILANGUAGE RESOURCES 7

“GEMS OF TIME” 8

SAVE OUR FILM PROJECT 10

FREYCINET: OUR FRENCH COLLECTION 11

CREATING COMMUNITIES WORKSHOP 12

BATTYE ABOUT BOOKS 13

OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2003 NO. 266 KNOWIT

Design, Art Production Public Programs

Editorial Enquiries Patrick Mooreph: (08) 9427 3421 fax: (08) 9427 3336

email: pmoore@liswa.wa.gov.au

Layout / Graphics Adam Petersonph: (08) 9427 3153 fax: (08) 9427 3152

email: apeterson@liswa.wa.gov.au

' 2003 State Library of Western AustraliaEditorial published may only be reproduced with permission.

KNOWIT is a quarterly magazine published in April, July, October and January.

Deadline for issue no. 267 (Jan - Mar 03) 12 March 2004KNOWIT reserves the right to edit all articles. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those

of KNOWIT or the State Library of Western Australia.

ISSN 1328-7176

The State Library of Western AustraliaAlexander Library Building, Perth Cultural Centre, Perth WA 6000Tel: (08) 9427 3111 Fax: (08) 9427 3256Web: www.liswa.wa.gov.au

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Cover image:Hidden Treasures of the State Library.

Strix Castanops, Gould - Chestnut-faced owlsGould, John. The Birds of Australia in seven

volumes (limited ed [first published 1848],facsimile ed 1972)(from Vol. 1)

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FEATURE HIDDEN TREASURES STORY LAURIE ALLEN

The rare book collectionof the State Reference

Library of WesternAustralia contains over4000 hidden treasures,representing more than500 years of the printed

word.

There are general works on art,literature, philosophy, religion,natural history, science and

technology, as well as a respectablecollection of Australiana. For thepurposes of collection development’rare books’ are defined as thoseprinted before 1801, but theclassification can also include limited,signed or first editions, facsimileeditions where these are known to beunusual or valuable, and examplesof fine printing or binding. Althoughthese books are kept under lock andkey they do not have to be keptsecret, so here are a few of ourspecial treasures.

HiddenTreaof the State Reference Library

The Lord's Prayer. Mainz: Gutenberg Museum, 1959?

[5 x 6 mm]

KNOWIT. OCT - DEC 2003 3

sures

Platycercus Barnardi, Vig. and Horsf. - Barnard'sParakeet (from vol. 5) from the book:Gould, John. The Birds of Australia in sevenvolumes(limited ed [first published 1848],facsimile ed 1972)

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The oldest book in the collection isthe Nuremberg Chronicle, or LiberCronicarium, published in 1493 as apictorial history of the earth fromCreation. The thick wooden coverof this massive volume is crackedand worm-holed, reflecting thepassing of the centuries. Inside, thecontents are divided into Seven Agesillustrated with over 1800 prints takenfrom 645 woodcuts. There are

and King Lear was based onHolinshed’s description of the lovetest between Leir and his daughters.Although named after the editor,Holinshed’s Chronicles was in fact acollaboration between clergymen,members of parliament, poets andpublishers, and provides fascinatinginsights into how the Elizabethanmiddle class viewed their society.

twenty-six town views with landmarksstill well known today, and a curiousresemblance between many of thehistorical figures since one woodcutwas often used for more than oneimage. The Nuremberg Chronicle isstill recognised as one of the mostimportant works ever published andit is an important asset to the StateReference Library.

Another ancient gem is Holinshed’sChronicles, the greatest of theElizabethan chronicles, publishedfrom 1586 to 1587 in London. Thiscomprehensive history and descriptionof England, Scotland and Ireland wasvery popular in its day, widely consultedby the Elizabethan dramatists andextensively used by Shakespeare formaterial for his tragedies and historicalplays. The outline of Macbeth, forexample, was derived from Holinshed’saccount of Kings Duncan and Macbeth,

Other treasures large and smallinclude an impressive assortment ofhuge, heavy family bibles, the earliestbeing a Latin edition published in1520, and some pocket-sized prayerbooks. The tiniest treasure in thecollection is a 5mm by 6mm editionof The Lord's Prayer. Nestling in ahollow transparent plastic block withina jeweller’s case this fingernail-sized

text is unique enough to qualify asrare despite a relatively recentpublication date of 1958.

The State Reference Library is alsofortunate to have a fine example ofa ’disappearing painting’. The Lettersof Junius (1820) is a small, handsome,gilt-edged volume, which shows notrace of anything unusual until theleaves are gently flexed and fanned.Miraculously, a view of Fleet Streetin the early nineteenth century

The oldest book in the collection is the Nuremberg Chronicle, or Liber Cronicarium, published in 1493 as a pictorial history of

the earth from Creation.

Junius, (18th cent.) The letters of Junius,complete in one volume. London, 1820.Fore-edge painting under gold, or view ofFleet Street in the early nineteenth century.

There are over 350 works on historicalgeography and travel, covering themost famous voyages of explorationand discovery around the world andincluding some fine old atlases, soheavy and large that they requiretwo staff members to lift them. Itemswith a specifically Australian focusinclude several key publications forany collection on Australia - thejournals and accounts from the timeof the First Fleet. Watkin Tench’s ANarrative of the Expedition to BotanyBay, published in London in 1789,was the earliest authentic accountof the colony. This proved such animmediate success that two furthereditions came out that same year -the State Reference Library owns asecond edition. Another importantasset is a first edition of Arthur Phillip’sThe Voyage of Governor Philip toBotany Bay, also published in Londonin 1789. This work records in greatdetail the early expeditions andcoastal voyages of discovery aroundBotany Bay and Port Jackson, withillustrations and charts, including the

KNOWIT. OCT - DEC 2003 5

in the rare book collection, just waitingto have their pages ruffled in aparticular light�.

The rare book collection also includesseveral noteworthy periodicals. TheGentleman's Magazine, variouslysub-titled Trader's Monthly Intelligencerand Historical Chronicler, was themost popular and influential journalof its time and our holdings from1731 to 1902 provide a uniquerecord of all aspects of eighteenthcentury life. Adjacent on the shelvessits the feminine equivalent, TheLady's Magazine (1738-39), boastinga wonderfully descriptive sub-title:the compleat library containing avery curious collection of histories,travels novels, poems, songs, letters&c. The first edition informs us that:"this miscellany was calculated forthe Benefit of Persons in all Ranksand Conditions; but in a ParticularManner, with a View to theImprovement of the Fair Sex (thatnoble Part of Creation) and as anAmusement for their vacant Hours".

appears. The curious art of fore-edgepainting under gold was practised byLondon binders from 1650 onwards.The technique involved fanning andclamping the leaves of the text beforepainting a scene in water-colours onthe outer edge of the text block.When dry the front edge would begilded or marbled, thus concealingthe existence of the painting. Whoknows, perhaps there are other books

The Botanical Magazine or Flower-garden displayed, held from 1787 tothe present day, is the longest continualrun of a journal in the Library. Itcontains exquisite drawings illustrating"the most ornamental Foreign Plants,cultivated in the Open Ground, theGreen-House, and the Stove,accurately represented in theirnatural colours", and many Australiannatives are described.

Platycercus splendidus, Gould - Splendid Parakeet (from vol. 5) from the book:Gould, John. The Birds of Australia in sevenvolumes(limited ed [first published 1848],facsimile ed 1972)

William Curtis. The Botanical magazine, or,Flower-garden displayed. London, 1790-1800

(periodical in 14 volumes).

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More recent treasures include aunique 21-volume set of the Precisof War Diary from 1915 to 1918,which provides dramatic insight intodaily life in the Australian ImperialForce. Some entries are succinct:"The day was fairly quiet though ourartillers and trench mortars gave theenemy a lively time", while othersare lengthy descriptions of theaction: "This minor but daring operationcompletely ’put the wind up’ theenemy. At zero hour the parties werein position about 20 yards from theenemy trenches, and at the word fromthe commanders, rushed forewardand jumped into the trench. Thesurprise was complete and theBosche made off without resistingthe entry. Moving with great rapiditythe parties were soon on their wayto their objective�. In this brilliantaction about 1200 yards of trench waswon by 2 officers and 40 other ranks,at the expense of 3 casualties" (9thJuly, 1918,29th Battalion, VilliersBretanneux).

carefully preserved for their historical,educational and social value. Manyof these works can be requestedand made available for supervisedviewing in the Battye Researcher’sRoom on the 4th floor of the AlexanderLibrary Building. Clients wishing toaccess the rare book collection arerequired to register as Researchers.Registration can be done at mostreference desks in the State ReferenceLibrary. Viewing hours are from9:00 am - 4:30 pm Monday to Friday.Please enjoy these treasures andhelp us to preserve them for futuregenerations�.

Viewing times for State ReferenceLibrary rare books are Monday toFriday, 9.00am to 4.30pm, exceptPublic Holidays. For furtherinformation consult the Conditionsfor the Use of Materials document,available at the Library’s referencedesks or online at the State Libraryof Western Australia’s websitewww.liswa.wa.gov.au/srlrare.html

earliest plan of the settlement ofSydney Cove. Other First Fleet booksinclude Surgeon General John White’sJournal of a Voyage to New SouthWales with Sixty-five plates ofNondescript Animals, Birds, Lizards,Serpents, curious Cones of Treesand other Natural Productions (1790)and John Hunter’s An HistoricalJournal of the Transactions at PortJackson and Norfolk Island� (1793).There are also later but limited editionsof other significant accounts fromthis time, forming a nucleus of rareand valuable works about Europeansettlement and exploration of Australia.

One of the most spectacular treasuresin the Australiana collection wouldhave to be John Gould’s Birds ofAustralia, published in London in1848. This set of seven folio volumesis the result of the years Gould spenttravelling around Australia from 1838to 1840, meticulously recording all681 varieties of bird known at thetime, in their natural habitats. It wasto take a further eight years of

painstaking labour to complete thelavish illustrations, since each sketchhad to be transferred to a limestoneblock with special pencils, printedby hand in a single colour, and thenhand-coloured. The accuracy andartistry of Gould’s prints make Birdsof Australia one of the finest worksof bird illustrations, and needless tosay, the high cost of producing thecolour-plates meant that only 250 setswere printed for the very wealthy,hence their rarity today.

The State Reference Library of WestAustralia is the only State Library tohave these diaries, a valuable recordof Australia’s military history.This has been just a random dabblethrough the contents of the two rarebook rooms of the State Library ofWestern Australia. Some of thesetreasures are exquisite works of art,some are famous, well-lovedpublications, others so plain andobscure-looking as to belie theirsignificance, but all deserve to be

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Strix Castanops, Gould - Chestnut-facedowls (from Vol. 1) from the book:Gould, John. The Birds of Australia in sevenvolumes(limited ed [first published 1848],facsimile ed 1972

Schedel, Hartmann. Liber cronicarum.Commonly called The Nuremberg chronicle.

1493, Nuremberg.

MULTILANGUAGE RESOURCES NEWS

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Lately there has been a lot ofwork going on quietly behindthe scenes at the State Library.

A dedicated team of people ably ledby Oliver Gatty have finally managedto automate our MultilanguageCollection. With over 70,000 items inforty four languages this was no smallfeat. Before we started on this projectless than 10,000 items in ourMultilanguage Collection were locatedto public libraries on Innopac, ourcomputerised catalogue. We kepttrack of the remaining thousands ofMultilanguage items through a tediousmanual card catalogue. Automationhas made life so much easier forboth the State Library’s Multilanguageteam and for the many public librariesthat borrow items in various languagesfor their clients. So much so that thethousands of Multilanguage cataloguecards necessary for the manual systemare now obsolete. To celebrate thismilestone, Public Library Servicesstaff were asked to suggest noveltyuses for these catalogue cards.George Cowcher’s dashing outfit, thatrivalled the credit card dress at theAcademy Awards, was the mostmemorable response. See foryourself!

Congratulations to all involved andthank you to public libraries whoforwarded 500 files of records forMultilanguage items that they wishedto keep in their libraries. In just overa month, Public Library Servicesdelivered over 20,000 items from theState Library’s collection out to publiclibraries as our aim was to have thecollection out in public libraries. As aresult, our collection is more accessibleas every public library and the clientsthemselves can readily see which libraryholds any particular Multilanguage title.

Ruth BaldingPublic Library Services

MultilanguageResources- a quiet revolution

Sue McDonald selecting resourcesfrom the shelves. In just under a

month 20,000 Multi LanguageResouce Collection items were

delivered to public libraries across WA

Teresa Epps at the Catalogue.Public Library Services celebrated thedemise of the use of the manual cardcatalogue for the Multi LanguageResource Collection

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a remarkable contribution to therecording, collection and preservationof Western Australia’s history.

Mollie LukisMollie Lukis has earned a place inthe history of Western Australia forher work as the State’s first Archivist.She was appointed to the newlycreated position of Archives Officer inJanuary 1945, after the establishmentof an Archives Branch in the PerthPublic Library (renamed the StateLibrary of Western Australia in 1956).This position later became that ofState Archivist.

When the J S Battye Library of WestAustralian History was formed in 1956as a branch of the State Library,Mollie Lukis was the first librarian incharge. In this capacity she made amajor contribution to the people ofWestern Australia until her retirementin 1971. She studied archival practicesaround the world, and applied themto the records in her care. She soughtto provide resources reflecting thehistory of the whole State, and travelledinto country areas to collect materials

to lodge in the Battye Library and theState Archives, as well as promotinglocal history collections. Mollie wasa pioneer in the field of oral history,starting collecting and recordinginterviews in 1961. Mollie Lukis has published manypapers on topics ranging over historyand archival practice, and served oncountless committees. Her personalpapers have been deposited in theBattye Library. She has also beena member of the Friends of BattyeLibrary since its inception.

Leslie MarchantLeslie Ronald Marchant, has earneda place in the history of WesternAustralia for his seminal work onFrench maritime exploration inAustralia. His book, Fran�e Australe,

NEWS GEMS OF TIME STORY JENNIE CARTER

The Friends of Battye BattyeLibrary held their final meetingfor the year on Proclamation

Day, 21 October. The speaker for thenight was Sir William Heseltine whocaptivated Friends and guests with alively address exploring some of hisresearch regarding a forebear whowas a warden in Fremantle at thetime of the escape of Fenianconvicts on the Catalpa.

Another highlight of the evening,presided over by Emeritus ProfessorGeoffrey Bolton, was the conferringof the award of ’Gem of Time’ toacknowledge Western Australia’sliving treasures who have had along-term and significant commitmentto the aims and objectives of theBattye Library and/or the State Recordsoffice.

Last year the Friends inaugural’Gem of Time’ was Rica Ericksonand this year three outstandingWestern Australians were honoured;Miss Mollie Lukis, Professor LeslieMarchant, and Sir Charles Court.As the following citations show, the’Gems of Time’ for 2003 have made

has been widely acclaimed both hereand in France where it has beenrecognised by conferment of the titleChevalier, Ordre National du MØrite.He has also been made a memberof their distinguished AcadØmie DesSciences d’Outre-mer. ProfessorMarchant is noted for his research,writing and teaching on Chinesehistory and on the history of AboriginalAffairs administration in WesternAustralia. His impressive body ofwork reflects his wide ranginginterests and passion for history.

Professor Marchant has used theresources of the Battye Library andState Records Office extensively inthe past and has generously donatedhis papers and other collections tothe library for the benefit of futureresearchers. In recognition of hisdistinguished career he was invitedto be a visiting scholar to the LibraryBoard of Western Australia.

Professor Marchant is currently workingon four more books extending hiswork on exploration and its links toWestern Australia’s natural history.He is Scholar/Adviser to the Nyoongar

The Friends of Battye Librar y honour

"GemsofTime"

Mollie Lukis the first State Archivist

KNOWIT. OCT - DEC 2003 9

people, and one aim is to retrievetheir language and culture.

Sir Charles Court Sir Charles has earned his place inWestern Australia’s history through hislong career as politician and Premier,and his enormous commitment toeconomic development and thecommunity. A true assessment of hiscontribution to the history of the Statehas yet to be written but it will beconsiderable.

It was under the Charles CourtGovernment that the need for a newState Library building was recognisedand funds provided for its completion.Sir Charles unveiled a plaque on 30November 1979, in the State’s 150thanniversary year, to commemoratethe commencement of constructionof the Alexander Library Building,completed in 1985.

Among his lesser known attributeshas been his long time support for theBattye Library. His personal supporthas included seeking sponsorshipfor the Save our Film campaign andlobbying his friends and associatesto donate their records to the BattyeLibrary. When all his State paperswere lodged automatically in the StateRecord Office, he saw to it that hispersonal papers were deposited inthe Battye Library and he paid for anarchivist to organise and list them in1994. Since then he has continuedto regularly deposit personal andother materials in the Battye Libraryand devoted many hours to recordingan oral history for the Battye Library’soral history collection.

Miss Lukis and Professor Marchantwere present to receive their awards.Sir Charles Court was not able toattend the function due to a priorcommitment.

At the conclusion of the meeting SirWilliam Heseltine, Miss Lukis andProfessor Marchant joined 35members and guests for a buffetsupper to celebrate another successfulyear for the Friends of Battye Libraryand the conferring of "Gem" statuson three special Friends. K

Sir William Heseltine addressing the meeting

Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Boltonspeaks to Professor Leslie Marchant

Professor Leslie Marchant enjoying thecompany of the evening

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The project

Through the generous support ofLotterywest, the State Libraryof Western Australia has been

able to save 60 historic WesternAustralian films. These films were fastreaching the end of their life and thegrant from Lotterywest has enabledthem to be preserved for posterity.Staff in Preservation Services at theBattye Library, estimate that we willnot have to worry about the conditionof the preserved films at least 200years.

The saved films were originally madeon acetate film, a type of film that wasconsidered a very safe alternative tonitrate. Nitrate film is reputed to bedangerous (it will spontaneouslycombust in the right conditions) andcaused very bad cinema fires untilit was phased out in the 1940s.Acetate film was more commonlycalled ’Safety Film’ and although itis far from dangerous, it has beenknown for some time now that,unfortunately, it holds within itschemical makeup the seeds of itsown destruction. Acetate films aresubject to a kind of degradationcalled ’’vinegar syndrome’’. When

The preservation process has involvedarranging for the transfer of the filmsfrom old and deteriorating film stockto new stable film prints. From theseprints digital masters have beencreated. The beauty of this project isthat for the first time, films documentingthe history, lifestyle and culture ofWestern Australia will be able to beviewed on DVD.

The Saved FilmsThe films that have been saved byLotterywest are those that documentWestern Australia’s history andlifestyle from 1929 to the 1970s.Many of the films were in very badcondition and tough decisions havehad to be made about which filmswere saved in this project. All areWestern Australian but the filmscover a variety of subjects.

They include promotional films suchas Floral Harmony made in 1953,Sunsplash Trail made in 1962,Hamersley Range National Park madein the 1960s and And the Nativesare Friendly in Perth made in 1970,all encouraging tourism in Western

acetate films begin to degrade aceticacid is released. This is exactly thekind of acid that makes vinegar smelland taste like vinegar. The releaseof the acid into the air in the film’scanister begins a rapidly acceleratingprocess of film degradation that canonly be stopped by copying ontomodern polyester film.

Under proper storage conditionspolyester film has estimated to havea life expectancy over 200 years.Acetate films older than about 30years, are displaying severe vinegarsyndrome degradation and thereforeit is imperative to save our WesternAustralian film heritage before it istoo late.

A lot of work has gone into this projectby the staff of the Battye Library andPreservation Services. It has involvedidentifying uniquely Western Australianfilms and physically examining themto see which ones are most in danger.Examining the condition of films is ahighly technical process and the filmsidentified for this project have beenscrutinised in ways that have neverbeen done by the State Library before.

NEWS SAVE OUR FILM PROJECT STORY

Save Our Film Project

Australia’s Mining Boom in the 1960s.Without funding from Lotterywestfilms such as Ore for the Asking,Ord River Project, Mount Newmanand The Capricorn Contract, filmsthat depict the development of theNorth West and the excitement ofthe miming boom, would not havebeen saved.

Other films saved cover diversesubjects and include Fairbridge inits heyday, a film depicting life atFairbridge Farm in Pinjarra from1929-1937; Salute to Citizenship madein 1948 by the WA Government FilmUnit and describing the civic life ofWestern Australia; This Day is Oursshowing the May day procession inFremantle in 1954; Fremantle the

Western Gateway a record of eventsand exhibitions of the Festival of theWestern Gateway in October 1958;Modern traffic interchange at theapproaches to the Narrows Bridgean early version of a communityservice announcement describingthe intricacies of crossing the newlycompleted Narrows Bridge; Gold Town,Ghost Town - Coolgardie depictingthe discovery, boom and decline ofthe Coolgardie and containing footageof Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie andKambalda in the late 1960s; andPearl of the Kimberleys a film aboutlife at Broome in the 1960s.

A selection of saved films were shownat special screenings in November.

FREYCINET: OUR FRENCH COLLECTION EXHIBITION

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Australia as well as depicting thelifestyle at the time.

Some very important personal filmcollections have been saved. Theseinclude 24 short films made by SirFrederick Samson, onetime Mayorof Fremantle, that document eventsin Fremantle from just before WorldWar Two until the late 1960s. Filmsmade by Dr Leslie Le Souef havealso been saved and these filmsdepict station life in the North Westin the 1940s and 1950s as well ashaving very rare non-official footageof the Atomic Bomb blast on theMonte Bello Islands in the 1950s.

Some of the films in the worst conditionincluded films documenting Western

shown by the local community whichresponded enthusiastically to thisopportunity.

In August the exhibition went to SharkBay and was displayed in the TownHall at Denham for two weeks. Forthe people here the exhibition hadspecial significance since one of themajor drawings exhibited was thatof the observatory set up by Freycineton the Peron Peninsular in 1818.

The City of Albany hosted the exhibitionin October, with Ron Sheen, Presidentof the WA State Library Custodians,(who had raised the money to

purchase the Freycinet collection),present for the opening ceremony.In November the exhibition went ondisplay at the City of Busselton PublicLibrary. and again was warmlyreceived by the public and the localmedia.

In 2004 "Travelling Freycinet" willcontinue at Margaret River in February,Karratha in March and Narrogin inApril. Details of the itinerary afterthat are not yet fixed but we can besure the exhibition will be on theroad for a long time to come.

The exhibition comprises twelveframed facsimiles of maps anddrawings, acquired at a Christies’auction in September 2002, as wellas 23 beautifully designed panelstelling the story of the voyages ofNicolas Baudin in 1801-1804 andLouis de Freycinet in 1817-1820.

The first port of call was Geraldtonwhere the exhibition was on show atthe Geraldton Museum in July.Chairman of the Library Board, KayePoustie and Acting CEO and StateLibrarian, Claire Forte travelled northfor the opening and were thrilled bythe obvious interest and support

Following the spectacular success of the exhibition in the Alexander LibraryBuilding in February and March a travelling version has been put together totour the State.

Freycinet: Our French Collection exhibition on the move

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Ron Sheen addresses the audience at Albany.

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Allan Tranter, the Director ofthe "Creating Communities"organisation led the workshop.

Allan’s energy, insights and funnyanecdotes made this a stimulating andentertaining day for all participants.The feedback we received wasexcellent; Allan certainly got everyonethinking and talking.

Some of the points that Allan coveredwere how and why community isformed, its importance in the modernworld, people’s need for communityand the role public libraries can play.

Community used to occur naturallywhen we all went to the same shops,the same schools. This constrainedgeographical space led to interactionswith others as we naturally bumpedinto the same people.

People want to be engaged andconnected at a local level but due toour fragmentation have lost the skills,the art of being community. Hencethere is enormous potential for locallydriven projects within the community.The opportunity exists for partnershipsto form between commercial andcommunity enterprises as there ismutual self-benefit in creating agood community.

Public libraries need to know theircommunity and who makes up theircommunity; the different generationsand their characteristics; the ethnic mixand their values; what is happeningin the economy and with developingtechnologies. If your library is to besuccessful in the community it mustoffer what people are looking for i.e.entertainment, information, interactionand transaction.

The library must also be able tooffer the community a vision for thefuture and be able to involve thecommunity in the vision and keeppersisting until the vision is achieved.If a library can be part of the interestsand aspirations of the community itwill become part of the community.

The workshop ended with thefollowing challenge. Public librariesmust create the future they arelooking for. Lead the way and havea role in a thriving community.People want thriving communities.Be in charge of your change.

WORKSHOP CREATING COMMUNITIES STORY RUTH BALDING

Creating CommunitiesWorkshop

Or how public libraries can be vital in their communityOn 29 October, Public Library Services hosted a workshop at the State Libraryaround the theme of how public libraries can connect with the people in the area toplay a vital role in the community. This turned out to be a very popular workshopwith sixty library staff there on the day.

Now communities don’t occurnaturally. We live fragmented liveswhere we may never meet ourneighbours accidentally. Communityis a social construct, not spatial. Itis about people, an expectation offriendship and support. However, ourcommunity has been planned anddesigned as a spatial concept. Forcommunities to form they must belocally or commercially driven, theycannot be driven by government orby external large organisations.

Community has become moreimportant because many of the eventshappening in the world are outsideour control so we look locally to seewhat is important to us, what doesmatter and how we can influencelocal events and make a difference.

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Allan Tranter

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BATTYE ABOUT BOOKS BOOKS

Battye about Books

BATTYE ABOUT BOOKS BOOKS

Bread and Jam and Hidings: acountry childhood in WesternAustralia before WWIIJoyce Reid ShinerA fascinating story of childhood in the bushby Albany author Joyce Reid Shiner.Western Australian Museum, Albany WA,2003

Piercing the GroundChristine WatsonPiercing the Ground stands as a highlyoriginal and groundbreaking elucidation ofKutjungka painting and a significant additionto what is known as the "anthropology of art".A fitting tribute to her indigenous mentors,this book should change the way peopleregard contemporary acrylic painting.Fremantle Arts Centre Press, FremantleWA, 2003

James Stirling: Admiral andfounding Governor of WesternAustraliaPamela Statham DrewThis ambitious biography, seven years in themaking, breaks new ground in documentingfully Stirling's path from birth into one ofScotland's oldest families, through to founderand Governor of the Swan River Colonyand, ultimately, to Admiral and British navalchief in east Asia.University of Western Australia Press,Nedlands WA, 2003

Fremantle to France: 11th Battalion AIF, 1914-1918Ian GillA large, reference style publication relating tothe men of the 11th Battalion, AustralianImperial Force, the first of all WesternAustralian infantry battalion raised for serviceoverseas during World War 1.Self-published, Perth WA, 2003

Straightshooter:autobiographical storiesT A G HungerfordFor the first time, this volume brings together TA G Hungerford's three collections of highly-acclaimed, best-selling autobiographical shortstories. With his extraordinary memory, hiswriting reveals as much about the Australiancharacter and language as it does about himself.Fremantle Arts Centre Press, FremantleWA, 2003

Explore the Holland Track andCave Hill woodlines (Explorerseries: Western Australia no. 1)Ian Denys PeekJohn Holland's short cut to the gold rushes wasa major route for eager diggers in the 1890s. Acentury on, the route was rediscovered by four-wheel drivers and the popularity of this historictrack has never waned with adventurousmodern-day travellers. Westate Publishers, Perth WA, 2002 (2nd ed.)

Last of the PackhorseStockmen - Warwick Edwards:the man emergesNeville W. TicknerPart two of a trilogy, this book captures theessence of ordinary Australia - not just astory, it's an experience.Self-published, Rockhampton QLD, 2003

Castaway: remarkable truestories of survivalDouglas R G SellickThe stories told here actually happened;none is imaginary, none is embellished, allare more fantastic than fiction and are littleknown. These true tales of 19th centurysurvival reveal the terror, the dark truthsabout human nature, the limits of courageand the fragility of life.Fremantle Arts Centre Press, FremantleWA, 2003

Channelling HenryBruce L RussellIn the tradition of literary noir, with a dash ofNew Age metaphysics and more action than aticker tape parade, Channelling Henry breaksnew ground in Australian fiction. A millenniumnovel with a difference.Fremantle Arts Centre Press, FremantleWA, 2003

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