KNOWIT - State Library of Western Australia

State Library
KNOWIT
of Western Australia
magazine
JANUARY - MARCH 2004 NO.267

NEWS
FROM THE CEO
Comment from
Claire
VALA 2004
12th Biennial
Conference and
Exhibition, Melbourne,
February 3 - 5
Acting CEO and State Librarian
Claire Forte.
This first issue of KNOWIT for 2004
has a special focus on 2004 @ your
library - a state wide marketing
campaign for libraries, launched in
February by the Hon Sheila McHale,
Minister for Culture and the Arts. We are
excited to be working with colleagues
across the library sector on programs to
raise awareness of the valuable role of
libraries. Throughout the year there will
be a range of activities and promotional
events at a library near you.
The new year has certainly kicked off in
an exciting way with some significant
donations added to the State Library's
collections, a focus on strategies to
support priority preservation work in the
State's documentary heritage collections,
and the celebration of 25 years of providing
community information services.
With so much to celebrate in terms of
the role libraries play in providing access
to information and enhancing knowledge
in the community, staff and members of
the Library Board were saddened to
learn of the passing of Professor Leslie
Marchant, historian and scholar. His
published works and donated collections
held in the State Library will long remain
important sources for new research and
the expansion of knowledge.
The VALA (Victorian Association for Library
Automation) Conference is the Australian forum
where the use of technology in libraries is
discussed.
This year's conference theme of
BREAKING BOUNDARIES:
INTEGRATION & INTEROPERABILITY
was chosen as it reflected both the
enormous successes and the key
challenges in the field of library and
information technology.
The keynote speakers, drawn from
the USA, France and China, were
selected for their expertise and work
with major projects of significant
interest and their understanding of
current key issues.
Professor Hal Abelson, Mackenzie
Smith, Lorcan Dempsey and Herbert
Van De Sompel, keynote speakers
from the USA, spoke of their recent
work and involvement in digital projects
and the importance of standards,
quality and cooperation in that work.
Catherine Lupovici of France's
Bibliotheque Nationale spoke of the
impact of the web on the National
Bibliography and Dr Wu Jianzhong
Director of the Shanghai Library
delighted delegates with an overview
of services offered by the Shanghai
Library.
themes of: digital object management;
cooperatives and consortia; ebooks;
virtual reference; electronic publishing;
portals; software issues; information
literacy; extending the ILMs; user
behaviour and access to information;
user authentication and strategic
information planning. The only
difficulty was selecting which of the
concurrent sessions to attend ! The
conference organisers assisted by
providing miniature printed
programmes which were sized to fit
at the back of delegates’ name
badges which were worn by all on
lanyards around the neck during the
conference. It was a common sight
to see delegates checking the back
of their own name badge !
Over 700 attendees from all Australian
states as well as some international
guests participated enthusiastically
in this well organised conference. It
was a credit to the VALA committee
that this popular conference continues
to attract high calibre speakers and
exhibitors of note.
The next VALA conference is
scheduled for 2006.
Each of the keynote speakers was
filmed and their presentations will
be available on the VALA website
at http://www.vala.org.au
Conference details and full text of
most of the papers can be accessed
on the VALA website at
http://www.vala.org.au
An interesting range of concurrent
sessions during the day covered the
Pam Phelan
K
KNOWIT. JAN - MAR 2004

JANUARY - MARCH 2004 NO. 267
KNOWIT
Cover image:
2004 @ Your Library Campaign
The State Library of Western Australia
Alexander Library Building, Perth Cultural Centre, Perth WA 6000
Tel: (08) 9427 3111 Fax: (08) 9427 3256
Web: www.liswa.wa.gov.au
COMMENT FROM CLAIRE <
VALA 2004 <
FROM SHOEBOX TO ONLINE SERVICE 2
DIANELLA LIBRARY MOSIAC 5
2004 @ YOUR LIBRARY 6
JUST ASK @ YOUR LIBRARY 8
RARE BESTSELLERS 9
RESCUING OUR HISTORICAL RECORDS 10
DEREK KEENE 11
CONGRATULATIONS CLAIRE 11
PROFESSOR LESLIE MARCHANT 12
PAT COOK 12
BATTYE ABOUT BOOKS 13
2
6
8
Design, Art Production Public Programs
Editorial Enquiries Patrick Moore
ph: (08) 9427 3421 fax: (08) 9427 3336
email: pmoore@liswa.wa.gov.au
Layout / Graphics Adam Peterson
ph: (08) 9427 3153 fax: (08) 9427 3152
email: apeterson@liswa.wa.gov.au
10
' 2004 State Library of Western Australia
Editorial published may only be reproduced with permission.
KNOWIT is a quarterly magazine published in April, July, October and January.
Deadline for issue no. 268 (Apr - Jun 04) 12 Jun 2004
KNOWIT 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
KNOWIT. JAN - MAR 2004 1
12

2 KNOWIT. JAN - MAR 2004

@ YOUR LIBRARY
NEWS
From Shoebox to
On-line Service:
Community Information @ the Library
Susie Busoni on duty, 1988
A Tale of Two Cities
During 1977, State Librarian
Robert Sharman, in close
consultation with the City
Librarians of Stirling and Fremantle,
launched a pilot community information
project offered from a library setting.
This was in response to their own
observations and the timely release of a
report known as the Macbeth/Hitchens
report into community information needs
undertaken by Murdoch University.
In early 1978 two Project Officers,
Caroline Power and Anne Keehan,
were appointed by the Library
Board of Western Australia to
establish a service in each of the
two municipalities. Anne, seconded
to Fremantle and now working in
the State Reference Library, recalls
being shown to a very large and
empty desk in the Fremantle Council
Offices. The service at Stirling began
in the Karrinyup Library. The first
stage of both projects involved
information gathering and liaising
with existing community groups and
services. Information was collected
and recorded manually on cards and
stored, at Fremantle, in a shoebox.
The Fremantle service also produced
a printed directory that was
distributed free to all households, and
financed by soliciting advertising
from the community.
The pilot Fremantle service, named
Fre-info, went ’live’ as part of the
library service in early 1979 and its
use rose exponentially. Betty
McGeever, City Librarian, had
involved Council in the development
of the pilot, and at the end of the
Project in 1980, Fremantle Library
appointed its own Community
Information Officer.
The Stirling service, known as
STIRLINK, also commenced in 1979,
and in 1981, was transferred to the
City of Stirling Administration Offices
as part of the Stirling Volunteer
Service. It was transferred back to
the library in 1985, when a position
was created for a permanent
Community Information Officer.
KNOWIT. JAN - MAR 2004 3

Consolidation and Consultancy
As the Pilot Project was concluding,
the two Community Information
Officers recommended that a
centralised databank of
metropolitan-wide community
information be established at the
State Library. On return to the State
Library, the two officers organised
information with a metropolitan
scope, and produced a community
information thesaurus to provide
appropriate topic access to this type
of information. (Published as Info
Link's manual and thesaurus for
community information in 1987).
This was partially based on eastern
states models to which the officers
had been introduced at a national
conference in Sydney in 1979. The
thesaurus has subsequently been
used by Western Australian public
libraries to establish their local services.
The State Library’s service which
was named Infolink, had not only a
consultancy role, it also hosted the
interagency Community Information
Sharing Service (CISS). By 1985
Infolink staff had moved into the new
Alexander Library Building, and for
the first time a public service was
offered from a desk located on the
ground floor. Two years later the
State Government Information
Centre, run by the Premier’s
Department on St Georges Terrace,
was merged with Infolink, which
then began to supply government
as well as community information to
the public.
Out of the shoebox…..
With Infolink’s move into the Ground
Floor of the Alexander Library Building,
a custom-designed computer
database software called Infotext
replaced the card system. In 1991
Infolink moved to a higher profile
position on the mezzanine floor.
Four years later it became part of
the Battye Library. The database
was transferred to the INNOPAC
software system in 1996 and
became available directly to the
clients visiting the State Library and
over the Internet.
In 1994 the Fre-info files were
4 KNOWIT. JAN - MAR 2004
converted to a database using the
thesaurus from the State Library
and Inmagic DB/Textworks software.
In 1999 the four databases:
Community Information, Events,
Cafes/restaurants and Tourist
Accommodation, were made
available 24 hours a day on the City
of Fremantle website.
The STIRLINK information was
computerised in 1984 with the
development of the COMIN system.
This was upgraded in 2003 to the
Stirling Public Library’s system AMLIB
and the service is now available from
the Stirling Community Information
Office, all City of Stirling libraries, the
City of Stirling Customer Contact
Centre, and online via the Internet
from the City of Stirling website.
In 1989/90 the City of Swan joined
the community information world
with the introduction of their first
library automation system (Collier
Knyn). A decade later, Swan Library
Services updated their library system
to Geac/Plus and 1, which included
a community information module
and enabled this information to be
accessed via the Internet 24 hours a
day. Then in 2001, the service was
renamed as DiscoverSwan.
In the years since the Pilot Project,
a number of other public libraries
have established vibrant community
information services. Among them
are the public libraries at Joondalup,
Melville and Cockburn.
….and into the community
From their humble beginnings,
twenty five years ago, community
information services have always
been very much in demand by the
Western Australian community.
Fre-info has recently celebrated the
anniversary of 25 years of service,
during which time it has answered
200,000 queries about services,
facilities, groups, clubs, activities,
places to hire, where to dine and
what’s on in the area. It has
developed into an extensive source
of information available by phone,
on-line or by visiting the library.
Currently there are about 2000 hits
a month on the databases via the
Internet. Queries range from the
seemingly obvious such as, ’Where
are the local primary schools’ to
more obscure enquiries. One man
called from Tasmania wondering
where he could purchase craypot
cane as his supplier had gone into
receivership. Throughout the year,
Fre-info answers many calls about
particular events including what,
when, how much and how long
entertainment performances are
and what activities can be
recommended for children during
the school holidays or after school.
Swan residents are encouraged to
’discover your local area with your
mouse’ via the DiscoverSwan
database which contains about
1200 entries relating to the City of
Swan and surrounding areas. The
database provides answers to
queries such as ’how do I find
someone to remove a snake from
my backyard’ or ’can you please
provide a list of JPs living in the
local area’.
The State Library’s Infolink database
has over 11000 entries providing
information on State government
and community organisations
throughout the State of Western
Australia. Also available is the
Infolink Calendar of Special Dates,
which lists dates of Western
Australian or international
significance. There have been over
7000 queries on the Infolink
database just over the last two
weeks.
The STIRLINK service is also now
into its 25th year of providing wide
and varied information to the
citizens of the City of Stirling. Not
only answering questions on local
events, clubs, organisations and
services, the service has even
assisted a lost Santa on his way to
a children’s function, and a lady
who emailed from the United States
requesting information on a hotel to
meet her husband for a few
romantic days when he arrived
onboard a US submarine at HMAS
Stirling.
Indeed, ’dynamic’ and ’diverse’ have
proved to be hallmark traits of the

expanding community information
scene in Western Australia.
Web Sites:
Infolink: www.liswa.wa.gov.au:81
Fre-info: www.freofocus.com.au
STIRLINK: www.stirling.wa.gov.au
DiscoverSwan:
www.cityofswan.com/library
Comminfo (City of Joondalup):
www.joondalup.wa.gov.au
Co'Info (City of Cockburn):
www.cockburn.wa.gov.au
K
Dianella Library Mosaic
- January 2004
A grant of $2,000 from
Community Arts
Network WA has
allowed Dianella
Library and local
primary school
students to create a
stunning community
mosaic art installation
for the entrance
walkway to the Library.
The artwork was designed by
local artist and Dianella Library
Technician, Annie Q Medley,
and features local flora and fauna in
the Dianella region.
Library staff enlisted the aid of
professional mosaic artists Chris James
and Renee Martin, from MosaicArt
to work with students from a local
primary school, to complete the project.
The project was completed in
November 2003, having involved Year
6 students and parents from Our
Lady’s Assumption Primary School,
adjacent to the Dianella Library.
’The support from parents and the
local business community has been
amazing’ said Clare Duxbury, one of
the librarians coordinating the project.
’Nearly all of our materials have been
donated, thanks to the generosity of
local businesses including BGC
Construction, Dianella Plaza Shopping
Centre Management, Bunnings
Inglewood, Federation Tile Factory,
and Tiles Expo.’
The artwork was launched in
December with sponsors, students
and proud parents admiring their
mosaic which has improved the visual
appearance of the library and attracted
more people into the library.
For further information about the
project or City of Stirling library
services please contact Viv Barton,
Manager Libraries, Arts and Culture
at the City of Stirling on 9202-3677.
KNOWIT. JAN - MAR 2004 5

CAMPAIGN
2004 @ YOUR LIBRARY
The 2004 @ your library campaign
has seen the joining together of
libraries from various sectors across
WA. In an alliance that has been
made to promote the role of libraries
today, the campaign brings together
the State Library of Western Australia,
all university libraries, TAFE and
school libraries, special libraries and
almost all public libraries across the
State.
The 2004 @ your library campaign’s
main objectives are:
to increase awareness about the
vibrancy, vitality and real value of
today’s libraries;
2004 @ your library
A state wide marketing
campaign was launched
on 3 February 2004 at
the Perth Concert Hall
by the Hon. Sheila
McHale, MLA Minister
for Culture and the Arts.
Ms McHale opened the launch
by acknowledging the
importance of libraries, ’I have
always believed that libraries and
librarians provide an invaluable
service to the people of Western
Australia’.
to galvanize public support; and
to encourage all to see libraries
and the information they contain
as providing the essential building
blocks to a better future.
With the aim of involving the whole
community in accessing libraries
and to make use of the expertise of
library staff, the 2004 @ your library
campaign involves a series of mini
campaigns including Just ask @ your
library, Treasures @ your library, and
Doing business @ your library that
will target specific markets including
local business, children, families,
seniors and young people.
Campaign activities will include
holiday workshops, performances
and special readings for children,
6 KNOWIT. JAN - MAR 2004

Internet classes for seniors and
seminars for business people on how
libraries provide low cost and time
efficient research facilities.
The results of the campaign will bring
a renewed energy to the promotion
of libraries and librarians and in turn
positively impact on library useage,
funding and recruitment.
Watch the 2004 @ your library
campaign across WA.
For further information you can contact
one of the following 2004 @ your
library Steering Committee members -
John Cloake : TAFE Libraries
Central TAFE (Perth Campus)
Locked Bag 6, NORTHBRIDGE WA 6865
Phone: 9427 1261
Email: CloakJ@perth.training.wa.gov.au
Maureen Cooper : Special Libraries
Office of the Auditor General Library
2 Havelock Street
WEST PERTH WA 6005
Phone: 9222 7500
Email: mcooper@audit.wa.gov.au
Susan Feeney : State Library of WA
Perth Cultural Centre
Perth WA 6000
Phone: 9427 3339
Rebecca Moore : Public Libraries
Joondalup Public Library
102 Boas Ave, Joondalup WA 6027
Phone: 9400 4735
Email:
Rebecca.Moore@joondalup.wa.gov.au
K
Anette Ainsworth : School Libraries
Western Australian School Library
Association
PO Box 1272
WEST PERTH WA 6872
Phone: 9378 8509
Email: aainsworth@jsracs.wa.edu.au
Carolyn Betts : Western Australian Local
Government Association
PO BOX 1544, WEST PERTH WA 6872
Phone: 9213 2044
Email: cbetts@walga.asn.au
Margaret Butcher : Department of Culture
and the Arts
PO Box 8349
PERTH BUSINESS CENTRE
WA 6849
Phone: 9224 7390
Email: margaretb@dca.wa.gov.au
Mobile: 04257775789
Email: sfeeney@liswa.wa.gov.au
John Frylinck : University Libraries
Curtin University of Technology
Perth, Western Australia, 6845
Phone: 9266 7629
Mobile: 0419 912 112
Email: J.Frylinck@curtin.edu.au
Julia Gross : University Libraries
Edith Cowan University
Phone: 9370 6247
Email: j.gross@ecu.edu.au
Michelle Ledger: Public Libraries
Cambridge Public Library
99 The Boulevard, Floreat WA 6014
Phone: 9383 8999
Email: mledger@cambridge.wa.gov.au
KNOWIT. JAN - MAR 2004 7

CAMPAIGN
JUST ASK @ YOUR LIBRARY
Battye Library staff on preservation
and research issues, but this session
was designed to encourage
researchers to ask specific questions
about something to do with Western
Australia that they had always wanted
to know, or just to see if they could
’stump’ the librarian. Should there
be no immediate guidance to offer,
staff would contact the questioner
within 24 hours following further
research.
A panel of five, Gerard Foley, Russell
Hamilton, Alison Hocken, Glenda
Oakley and David Whiteford, all with
considerable experience in the Battye
and State Reference Libraries, faced
the audience. Brian Stewart and
Jennie Carter, (with a magic wand
to bewitch anyone who would dare
to actually ’stump’ us), hosted the
session. The only ammunition the
panel had, apart from Jennie’s wand,
was a link to State Library’s web
catalogue, and what was in their heads.
Stump a
librarian!!
As part of the Just ask
@ your library campaign,
the Battye Library held a
45 minute ’Stump a
Librarian’ session in the
Alexander Library
Building on 16 March.
Most of those who attended
also attended workshops
hosted on the same day by
In the allocated time, seven questions
were asked and I can honestly say
that we were not stumped! We
were able either to direct the
questioner to a source that would
answer the question or to guide
them to likely sources. With Battye
Library Director, Dr Ronda Jamieson,
taking the role as ’gopher’ we actually
got some people started on their
research. The questions varied
greatly in their themes - from ’how
best to identify individual Perth skyline
buildings as viewed from the South
Perth foreshore’, to ’the closure of
the Belmont railway station’.
Information was sought on W Hynes,
aerated waters manufacturer circa
1900. Probably the hardest question
to answer was that about the original
boundary between the New South
Wales colony and the rest of
unclaimed Australia.
This was the first time that the
Battye Library had ever opened
itself to such questioning - although
staff do answer such questions daily
- and it was an interesting and
effective forum for displaying
research strategies and resources.
And to the credit of staff, the 24
hour clause was not called upon!
Well done to all involved.
K
8 KNOWIT. JAN - MAR 2004

RARE BESTSELLERS STORY RUSSELL HAMILTON RARE BOOKS
Rare Bestsellers
Donation of rare and
significant items to the
State Library
When the official account of Captain
Cook’s last voyage was published in
1784, it sold out in three days. The
three volume edition was reprinted 5
times in that year alone, and was soon
translated into French, German,
Russian, Dutch, Swedish and Italian!
When the official account of
Captain Cook’s last voyage
was published in 1784, it
sold out in three days. The three
volume edition was reprinted 5 times
in that year alone, and was soon
translated into French, German,
Russian, Dutch, Swedish and Italian!
Art historian Bernard Smith wrote
that right up until the invention of
photography it was the engravings
in those three volumes that formed
the basis of the European view of
the South Pacific.
Fortunately, due to the generosity of
the Gibson family, the State Library
of Western Australia can now make
this rare 1784 edition available to all
Western Australians. Dr. Peter Gibson
and Mr. And Mrs. David Gibson
recently presented this and several
other rare and interesting items to
the State Library. The items had been
acquired by Dr. Arthur Gibson in
England in the 1930s.
Amongst the gems is another
interesting Cook volume. A new,
authentic, and complete collection of
Voyages round the World……. was
originally published in 80 weekly parts
for the ’many thousands of Persons
who would wish to peruse the
Discoveries.and view the astonishing
fine copper-plates’. Now Western
Australian readers can follow those
accounts and study the accompanying
150 fascinating engravings.
Another of the Gibsons’ donations
has an Australian connection. William
Dampier provided the earliest
description of Australian Aborigines
by an Englishman. During his voyage
around the world from 1679 -1691
he cruised along the W.A. coast from
Shark Bay to Roebuck Bay and
stopped in the Buccaneer Archipelago
from January to March 1688. (The
Archipelago was named in
commemoration of Dampier’s visit).
This four volume edition of his much
reprinted A New Voyage round the
World, was published in French in
1711.
Two other volumes donated by the
Gibson family will be of interest to
scholars. The rare 1587 edition of
Holinshed's Chronicles was the
source Shakespeare used for his
history plays Macbeth, King Lear
and Cymbeline. Sir Walter Raleigh
considered Shakespeare fortunate
in that the ’Chronicles of Holinshed,
unlike more modern histories, are
dramatic in essence; they leave
constitutional problems on one side
and make the most of striking events
and characters’. Upon publication
this work enjoyed immediate success
and popularity. Readers today will
as likely delve into the Chronicles
for genealogical data as for the
geographical descriptions and
character studies.
Finally, amongst these donations
there is a personal favorite of Dr.
Arthur Gibson - Dryden’s translation
of the works of Virgil. Dr. Gibson
would surely have concurred with
T.S. Eliot that ’We cannot fully enjoy
or rightly estimate a hundred years
of English poetry unless we fully
enjoy Dryden’. Samuel Johnson
wrote of this translation that it ’satisfied
Dryden’s friends and silenced Dryden’s
enemies’.
This very handsome folio edition - a
complete one-man translation of
The Works of Virgil - was published
in 1697. Dryden, having lost his
positions as Poet Laureate and
Historiographer Royal, was relying
on his writing to support himself.
Therefore the work was published
by a subscription method: intending
purchasers paid a deposit in advance,
and then paid the balance upon
publication. (One hundred and one
notable subscribers paid extra to have
their names and coats of arms
inscribed at the foot of the engraved
plates accompanying the text).
Dryden’s Virgil sold well and served
as an example of how to publish
without the support of a single patron.
In these times when libraries are
struggling to provide clients with
access to expensive online databases
it is extremely fortunate that through
the public spirited generosity of donors
such as the Gibsons, the State
Library’s collections of rare and
interesting items are still increasing.
These bestsellers of the past will
now be preserved and available to
Western Australians in perpetuity.
Russell Hamilton, Librarian, Social
Sciences
K
KNOWIT. JAN - MAR 2004 9

NEWS
HISTORICAL RECORDS
'This is a worldwide problem because collections are
deteriorating faster than staff can do the preservation work'.
industries, ethnic and indigenous
peoples, family historians and those
with a general interest in Western
Australian history. The aim of the
HRRC is to seek the funding to
rescue precious material held in the
JS Battye Library in the interests of
current and future generations.
’The consortium came together in
2003 because we knew that if we
didn’t get support and act quickly it
all might be too late’ said Dr Pamela
Rescuing our historical records
The Challenge
The JS Battye Library of West
Australian History collects,
preserves and makes available
to the community material on Western
Australia’s heritage. These priceless
historical records include books,
newspapers, photographs, private
papers, films and oral histories, some
dating from before white settlement.
Despite the dedicated effort of expert
staff, some parts of the collection
will be lost because of the materials
used in creating the items. Dr Ronda
Jamieson, Director of the Battye
Library, has noted that we are not
alone, ’This is a worldwide problem
because collections are deteriorating
faster than staff can do the preservation
work’. In other countries private
sources are being used to supplement
government funds to accelerate
preservation programmes and in
WA special funding is also required
to help save the most endangered
materials. Ronda added ’The good
news is that if immediate action is
taken much of the material can be
saved and made available on line
through the internet’.
Action so far
In response to this need the Historical
Records Rescue Consortium (HRRC)
has been set up consisting of
representatives of community groups
that use and value Battye Library
resources. The Consortium, includes
academic and professional historians,
teachers, mining and business
Statham Drew, President of HRRC.
Discussions are already underway
with Lotterywest, (which has previously
supported smaller preservation
projects), and they have already
provided funds for a consultant to help
the HRRC determine community
priorities in this important project,
find other project partners and apply
for a further grant.
Why help is needed
So much needs preserving and
traditional fund raising efforts will
only go so far in meeting urgent and
on-going needs. The Consortium
needs community help to prioritise
and support the need to restore the
most at-risk material. In other words
the first of the at-risk material to be
saved must be the most in-demand.
The community needs to say what
this is.
How you can help
Comments and support from as many
people as possible are needed before
the end of April as the Consortium
intends submitting a proposal for
special funding to Lotterywest for
consideration. All interested are
invited to answer the questionaire
set out on the HRRC website
To contact the HRRC
Tel: 1800 675 421 between 8am
and 3pm or A/H 0409 290895.
Check out the website link at
http://www.success-works.com.au
Write to us c/f Friends of Battye, PO
Box 216 Northbridge WA 6865 K
10 KNOWIT. JAN - MAR 2004

DEREK KEENE CONGRATULATIONS CLAIRE NEWS
Congratulations
Claire!!
Derek Keene
A pictorial record of a
Kimberley town.
The Premier, the Hon. Dr Geoff Gallop, attended a
meeting of the Friends of Battye Library on Tuesday 9
March to receive a collection of photograph albums of
Halls Creek from photographer Derek Keene.
The collection is an amazing
chronological record of a
special place and its people.
’In the future these images will be a
wonderful source for research,
particularly for the Indigenous
community of Halls Creek and their
family histories’, Dr Gallop said.
It all began in August 1986 when
Derek decided to capture ’today’s
history’ and started to photograph
people, places and events in his
home town of Halls Creek at yearly
intervals. Over the 16 years devoted
to his project, Derek took over 25,000
photographs of the district and its
people. Images include portraits of
mothers and children photographed
over several years, showing how
families have grown and changed.
Other photographs capture sporting
events and important town
celebrations to create a marvellous
pictorial and historic record of the
town and the East Kimberley region.
Derek Keene’s passion to create a
visual document of Halls Creek
involved him in much personal
expense in producing the photographs
and presenting them in magnificent
leather bound albums. He has used
archival materials and glues which
will ensure the collection’s longevity.
In 2002 Derek completed his last
annual album and is now concentrating
on rehousing and describing earlier
historic photographs that he has
collected over the years.
All Derek’s albums will be preserved
in the Battye Library and eventually
be made available for the public to
enjoy. A selection of images will be
digitised and placed on the library’s
website.
The Premier returned to Parliament
after the function as it was a
parliamentary sitting day. According
to Hansard, he told members of the
Legislative Assembly that he was
’privileged to accept’ the collection and
spoke of the ’wonderful generosity’
of Derek Keene. Dr Gallop concluded
by saying: ’On behalf of the Government
and the people of Western Australia,
I thank Derek for his generous
donation, which will be preserved in
the Battye Library to be enjoyed and
used by future generations’.
Jennie Carter
Manager, Battye Archival Collections
K
On 24 March 2004 Acting
CEO and State Librarian,
Claire Forte, graduated
with the Executive Master
of Business Administration
(EMBA) degree from
UWA , Graduate School of
Business.
This brought to an end two years of
very hard work by Claire. The
EMBA degree is done by
coursework, and is targeted at senior
managers with at least 5 years senior
work experience. Entry to the program
is highly competitive and the course
involves completion of 12 units covering
a broad range of management fields
including accounting and financial
management, strategy, negotiation,
workforce planning, organisational
behaviour, change management and
corporate governance.
The program cohort comprised 18 senior
managers from across the private and
public sectors. Claire was one of two
women graduating from the first cohort.
The course was conducted over a number
of weekends with a requirement for
completion of individual and group
assignments, plus a major research
project, all based around workplace
situations.
Of Claire Forte’s performance, Professor
Gary Stockport, Director of the EMBA
program, said: ’Claire has consistently
produced work of a very high standard.
She has worked diligently throughout
the 2 year period and all assignments
have been submitted on time. She has
demonstrated that she is a team player
within the Program and she has continually
added value to her syndicate group as
well as the cohort more generally. Claire
has proved that she is a committed person
and will finish something that she starts.
Claire has always adopted a positive
approach to her study. She has also
provided praise both to me, personally,
as well as to the Program more generally
and this has been well received.’
Well done Claire - we are proud of you!
KNOWIT. JAN - MAR 2004 11

OBITUARIES PROFESSOR LESLIE MARCHANT PAT COOK
We were saddened to hear of the death of Professor
Leslie Marchant on 8 March 2004.
Vale Professor Leslie Marchant
Leslie Ronald Marchant, earned
a place in the history of Western
Australia for his seminal work
on French maritime exploration in
Australia, France Australe. In France
he was recognised by conferment
of the title Chevalier, Ordre National
du MØrite. He was also made a
member of the Academie Des Sciences
d’Outre-mer. The State Library of
Western Australia’s successful
Freycinet exhibition held early last
year owed much to Marchant’s work
relating to early French exploration
of Australia.
Professor Marchant was also noted
for his research, writing and teaching
on Australian maritime history, Chinese
history and on the history of Aboriginal
Affairs administration in Western
Australia. His impressive body of
work reflected his wide ranging
interests and passion for history.
Professor Marchant used the resources
of the Battye Library and State Records
Office extensively and generously
donated his papers and other
collections to the library for the benefit
of future researchers.
In recognition of his work and his
support, he was appointed State
Library Visiting Scholar. In October
2003 he was acknowledged as one
of Western Australia’s living treasures
by the Friends of Battye Library who
honoured him with the society’s
’Gem of Time’ award. His family
report how much this very overdue
honour meant to Leslie Marchant
and to his wife and children.
Staff of the State Library of Western
Australia and members of the Friends
of Battye Library offer sincere
condolences to Professor Marchant’s
wife Gunhild, his children and
grandchildren.
Vale Pat Cook
- enthusiast, collector and benefactor
Pat Cook was Principal Lecturer
in Library Studies at the old WA
Secondary Teachers’ College
in Nedlands. Her specialty, and
passion, was children’s literature. Not
only did Pat inspire her students and
enthusiasm she also built her own
substantial collection of children’s books.
a start’. From nothing in 1980 RCCL
now holds over 10,000 Australian
titles and is one of the largest and
best organised collections in the nation.
Pat Cook played a very important role
in the early years of this development.
Her advice on titles and sources was
very much appreciated.
Pat in the UK shortly after retirement in 1976
Pat continued her interest long after
her retirement to Augusta and in 1978,
on behalf of the Children’s Book Council
(WA Branch), she made a submission
to the Library Board proposing the
foundation of a central collection of
children’s literature for use by
researchers, student teachers and
librarians. With advice from Robert
Sharman, State Librarian, the Board
agreed to the proposal and the Research
Collection of Children’s Literature
(RCCL) was born in 1980.
Robert Sharman instructed ’the need
for such a collection is urgent, because
it daily becomes more difficult to make
12 KNOWIT. JAN - MAR 2004
In 1981 Pat made her first donation
of books from her own collection - a
number of early Australian titles. Pat
had determined that State Library was
to be the recipient of her collection
but she found it very hard to part with
books that had been her delight and
companions for many years. There
were several donations of one or two
titles but Pat finally found the courage
to part with her ’treasures’ in 1986.
The collection, chiefly of 19th and
early 20th century English books
included a remarkable collection of
variant editions of Alice in Wonderland
and books about Alice.
Pat passed away peacefully in
September 2003 and will be
remembered by several of us at State
Library with gratitude and affection.
Pat’s idea of heaven would be sitting
with a group of enthralled children, her
eyes sparkling, as she reads one of
her favourite stories. I’m sure she is
there!
Patrick Moore
K

BATTYE BATTYE ABOUT BOOKS ABOUT BOOKS
BOOKS BOOKS
Battye about Books
The Mighty Mount Eden: the
story of a legend
Peter Sweeney
Mount Eden was to trotting as Phar Lap
was to racing. More popular in his home
state than any human, this is the story of an
amazing horse that shared an amazing
relationship with his master, Jack Miles.
Campbell Sweeney, West Leederville WA,
[2002]
Romantic Retreats: ninety-two of
the best-kept secrets in the
South-West of Western Australia.
Christine Forbes Smith & Geoffrey
Thomas
Romantic Retreats is the ideal guide for
romantic couples travelling to the South-West
of Western Australia. The book details 92
retreats catering for a wide variety of
preferences and budgets, with a ‘Things to
Do’ section listing places of interest and
activities
St George Books, Osborne Park WA, 2003
Paddy's Road: life stories of
Patrick Dodson
Kevin Keeffe
While Patrick Dodson's bearded image is
well known, the remarkable history of this
outstanding Aboriginal leader has never
before been told. In Paddy's Road, Kevin
Keeffe brings us stories of Dodson's life
woven from interviews, government archives
and family stories.
Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra ACT,
2003
Ghost of the Alkimos
Jack Wong Sue and Barry Sue
The collection of anecdotes, yarns and
memories accumulated here concerning the
ship Alkimos, wrecked off the WA coast in
the 1960s, will fascinate readers of maritime
lore and the legends and myths that develop
around what appear to be ‘doomed vessels’.
Jack Sue WA Skindivers Publications,
Midland WA, 2001
The Kimberley (new revised
edition)
David McGonigal
This is the third edition of this most
comprehensive guide to the Kimberley's history,
geography, Aboriginal people, early settlers,
communications, primary industries, national
parks and wildlife. Contains 160 exceptional
photographs and detailed maps.
Australian Geographic Pty Ltd, Terrey
Hills NSW, (3rd. ed.) 2003
James Stirling: Admiral and
founding Governor of Western
Australia
Pamela Statham Drew
This ambitious biography, seven years in the
making, breaks new ground in documenting
fully Stirling's path from birth into one of
Scotland's oldest families, through to founder
and Governor of the Swan River Colony
and, ultimately, to Admiral and British naval
chief in east Asia.
University of Western Australia Press,
Nedlands WA, 2003
The Barque Eglinton: wrecked
Western Australia 1852
Myra Stanbury
This report presents the background history
of the barque Eglinton, wrecked off the coast
near Wanneroo in 1852, as well as the
archaeological work undertaken on the site,
including a description and evaluation of the
artefact collection.
Australian Institute for Marine Archaelogy
Inc, Fremantle WA, 2003
Plants of the Kimberley Region of
Western Australia (revised edition)
R. J. Petheram and B. Kok.
Photography by E. Bartlett-Torr
An important resource for pastoral managers
and rangeland advisors in managing vegetation
and land-use issues, this revised edition will
also be a valuable reference for students of
ecology and range sciences, as well as
appealing to nature lovers, conservationists and
travellers in the Kimberley region.
University of WA Press, Nedlands WA,
(rev. ed.) 2003
Piercing the Ground
Christine Watson
Piercing the Ground stands as a highly
original and groundbreaking elucidation of
Kutjungka painting and a significant addition
to what is known as the ‘anthropology of art’.
A fitting tribute to her indigenous mentors,
this book should change the way people
regard contemporary acrylic painting.
Fremantle Arts Centre Press, Fremantle
WA, 2003
KNOWIT. JAN - MAR 2004 13

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