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1KNOWIT SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 1998

Official Newsletter of the Library and Information Service of Western Australia September-October 1998 no.237

PEASLEY'S MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

L I S W A - Y o u r G u i d e t o K n o w l e d g e

A special document was donated to the J S Battye Library at ahandover ceremony on 28 August 1998. Known as The Letterin the Bottle, the document, donated by Dr William Peasley,marks an amazing modern day adventure which captured theimagination of many Western Australians, Australians andindeed the world back in 1977.

Some people may remember the story that made the frontpage of The West Australian over twenty years ago - when aprivately sponsored expedition discovered an elderly Aboriginalcouple who had been living for about forty years in the heart ofthe Gibson Desert near Wiluna.

Warri and Yatungka were the last of the Manjildjara people tolive the traditional nomadic existence in the Western Desertlands. They had lived separate from their people because theyhad fallen in love against tribal law, and fled to escaperecrimination. Warri and Yatungka lived for decades in thedesert area known as the Ngarrinarri Claypan, surviving byhunting and gathering and moving from waterhole to waterhole.A prolonged drought in central WA caused the Manjildjara

elders to fear for the couple who, without the help of youngerpeople, would find difficulty in locating sufficient food and waterfor survival.

Dr Peasley, a medical practitioner studying anthropology, fourfriends and tribal elder Mudjon began a search for the desertdwellers. The search party tracked them from one dried-upwaterhole to the next, despairing of finding them still alive,until a small smoke signal was sighted. The elderly couple,though weak and emaciated, were brought back to Wilunaand reunited with their people, forgiven of their transgressionso many years ago. In 1983, Dr Peasley wrote the book, TheLast of the Nomads, to commemorate the expedition and torecount the story of these remarkable people.

Dr Peasley left a letter in a bottle at the Ngarrinarri Claypanon the day Warri and Yatungka were found, and on his returnin 1996 added a further note. It is this letter which has beenadded to the Battye Library Private Archives Collection tobecome part of the documentary heritage of our State.

Dana Tonello, knowit editor

Bill Groves (facilitator of thehandover ceremony) pointsout to State Librarian Lynn

Allen and Karen Groveswhere the "letter in the

bottle" was found.INSET: The bottle itself.

2 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 1998 KNOWIT

This has been a busy time for LISWA in thearea of heritage collections and activities. Aparticular exciting event was the handover ofthe �Letter in the bottle�, details of which formthe focus of our cover story. On the nationalheritage front, staff of the Public Records Officewere actively involved in the nationalconference of the Australian Society ofArchivists held in Fremantle, opened by theFederal Attorney General. In addition to chairing some sessions andaddressing others, the PRO ran an information booth which was wellattended by participants.

Our children�s literary heritage was the subject of Put Yourself in the Picture,this year�s celebration of Children�s Book Week in WA. The event waslaunched in the theatre of the Alexander Library Building in the company ofmore than two hundred children, parents, teachers, librarians, authors andillustrators. We were delighted that the Director General of the Ministry forCulture and the Arts, Ms Ricky Burges, was able to deliver the openingaddress and also help us honour the young winners of the Children�s BookCouncil�s (WA) Make Your Own Story Book competition. Entries in thatcompetition were on display on the mezzanine floor of the ALB - anyoneviewing them would have been most impressed by the standard ofexpression and, in many cases, the talented graphics accompanying them.On that basis I would have to say that WA�s future literary scene will be amost fruitful one!

T h e M i s s i o n S t a t e m e n tTo provide and promote equitable

access to information resources andservices which support the intel lectual ,

economic, cul tural , social andrecreational needs of the people of

Western Austral ia.

Editorial published may only be reproducedwith the permission of Public Programs.

By subscribing to knowit individuals pay $20yearly and receive copies bi-monthly.

Subscription details are available fromPublic Programs � (08) 9427 3151.

Join The Western Australian Library Societyand you automatically receive knowit, everytwo months.

Editorial Enquiries:Dana TonelloPublic ProgramsPh: (08) 9427 3151 � Fax: (08) 9427 3152email:[email protected]

Public Libraries Editorial:George CowcherConsultant: Library Advisory ServicesPh: (08) 9427 3135 � Fax: (08) 9427 3169email:[email protected]

THE LIBRARY AND INFORMATIONSERVICE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIAAlexander Library Building,Perth Cultural Centre, Perth WA 6000

Chief Executive & State Librarian:

...................................................... Lynn Allen

DIRECTORS:

Public Library Services ............. Debrah LewisState Reference Library ......... Janine DouglasJ.S. Battye Library ................ Ronda JamiesonPublic Records Office ................ Chris Coggin

knowit reserves the right to edit all articles. Viewsexpressed do not necessarily reflect those of knowit or

The Library and Information Service of Western Australia.All articles must be supplied with a name and contact

details for verification.

O P E N I N G H O U R S - A L B

Monday 9.00am - 9.45pm

Tuesday 9.00am - 9.45pm

Wednesday 9.00am - 9.45pm

Thursday 9.00am - 9.45pm

Friday 9.00am - 5.30pm

Saturday 10.00am - 5.30pm

Sunday 10.00am - 5.30pm

DEADLINE FOR ISSUE No.238(Nov / Dec '98) - 1 October 1998

I S S N N O . 1 3 2 8 - 7 1 7 6

LISWA�s web site:

http://www.liswa.wa.gov.au

A line from Lynn

KidsClick! is comprised of almost 1,800 records for Internet resources of interestto kids that have been selected, annotated and categorized by a team of librarians.KidsClick! aims to provide flexible and fast access to the best that the Internet hasto offer kids of all ages. Records can be browsed in major categories, sub-categories, or specific subjects. Searches can be limited by a controlled subjectvocabulary, reading level, and amount of illustrative material. Each record containsa descriptive (rather than evaluative) annotation; in many cases, these contentnotes were taken directly from the web sites themselves.

Inspired by the Librarians� Index to the Internet (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/InternetIndex/), and initiated by the Ramapo Catskill Library System under anLSTA grant, KidsClick! is managed by Jerry Kuntz and hosted by the BerkeleyDigital Library SunSITE as part of their Digital Librarians program (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Admin/librarians.html). The development of the databasestarted in late January 1998. Records will continue to be added to the existing1800. Currently all records are added by librarians of the Ramapo Catskill LibrarySystem, however, it is possible that the web-based entry procedures could beused by trained librarians elsewhere.

For more information, contact Jerry Kuntz at [email protected]

Bookmark it!KidsClick!: Web Guide and Search Toolfor Kids by Librarianshttp://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/


LISWA News

In May this year the Premier,the Hon Richard Court MLA,announced that Ms RickyBurges had been appointed asthe first Director General of theMinistry for Culture & the Arts.The Ministry was created in1997 by the amalgamation ofsix arts agencies includingLISWA, the WA Museum, theArt Gallery of WA and the PerthTheatre Trust.

Ricky was formerly chief executive and director of the PerthZoo, a position she held for four years. Prior to the Zoo sheworked at the WA Tourism Commission. Some of the zooexhibits she organised included Chester, the white Bengal tigerfrom Taronga Park Zoo, and the Zoorassic Park dinosaurexhibit. These events helped increase attendances and raisedmuch needed funds.

In 1997 Ricky Burges won the sixth Excellence in ManagementAward for Women from the Australian Institute of Management(WA). She also won the public sector category in the awards.At the time she is reported as saying �I think we have such alow number of women in the Senior Executive Service and Ithought this would be great for the public sector and forwomen�.

In 1997 Ms Burges was a keynote speaker at a breakfast forumentitled �The Challenges for the Future�, for outstanding femalestudents and professional women. She told the forum thatgood managers required courage and tenacity. �The skillsand attributes of a great manager are awesome when youstart to list them�, she said. They include financial, marketing,technology and manufacturing skills, integrity, vision, passion,sensitivity, commitment, intelligence, luck, ethical standardsand resource allocation skills.

Julie Ham

Consultant, Strategic Planning

Ricky Burges Appointed as Director-General

6 - 28 November 1998Alexander Library Building Theatre

Admission Free

Screenings at 7pm (doors open 6:30pm)For details phone (08) 9321 7816 or

(08) 9427 3159

t h eJAPANESE

FILMFESTIVAL

(with English subtitles)

C O M I N GS O O N ! ! !

Dymocks City Store has agreed to sponsor a young adultsaward for $5,000 in the 1998 Western Australian Premier�sBook Awards. For some time the judges have commented onthe difficulty in judging the Children�s and Young Adults section.Works range from children�s picture books to complex novelsfor teenagers exploring contemporary themes. LISWA isdelighted that the Dymocks City Store has sponsored thisaward allowing the judges to separate works into �Children�sBooks� and a �Young Adults� category.

Goundrey Wines is another sponsor supporting the Awardswith the sponsorship of wines for the presentation dinner inFebruary.

Entries for the 1998 Awards are now open with the closingdate for entries being Wednesday 30 September 1998. Detailsabout the Awards were published in the July/August issue ofknowit and the �Big Weekend� section of the West Australianon Saturday 25 July. If you would like more information aboutthe Awards you can contact LISWA on (08) 9427 3330 or fax(08) 9427 3336 for the official Guidelines and Entry Form. Ifyou would like more information regarding the Premier�s BookAwards, please contact Julie Ham on (08) 9427 3351.

Dymocks sponsorsYoung Adults Award for1998 Premier�s BookAwards


LISWA Collections

An Exhibition about the Aboriginal People of Victoriafrom Official Records

An Exhibition about the Aboriginal People of Victoriafrom Official Records

A Joint Exhibition by thePublic Record Office of Victoriaand the Koorie Heritage Trust

Ends 27 September 1998Mezzanine Level, Alexander Library Building

Perth Cultural Centre, Perth

The moving story of the Aboriginal people of Victoria,as recorded in the archival records of the Public RecordsOffice of Victoria. Based on the book, "My Heart isBreaking": a joint guide to records about Aboriginalpeople in the Public Records Office of Victoria and theAustralian Archives, Victorian Regional Office.

Global warming!

"MY HEARTIS

BREAKING"

"MY HEARTIS

BREAKING"

With some 2.5 million Australian residents packing their bagsand heading off overseas (ABS Report 3401.0), Australians areamongst the greatest of world travellers. Pick virtually anyspot in the world and I�m sure you can find evidence of anAustralian presence whether it be in the form of backpacker,student, aid volunteer, soldier or just Foster's Lager!Australians always love a good yarn and often relate storiesof how they met other Aussies in obscure locales. One suchstory goes that, during 1892, George �Chinese� Morrison meta fellow Australian about 1000 kms up the Yangtze River who

just happened to be working with the Chinesecustoms service and also knew Morrison fromBallarat!

If you have a desire to explore or workoverseas, then let us assist you withinformation requests regarding the culturesand climates you are likely to encounter.Unsure of how you will be received by theSaamis of Norway or the Nagas peoples ofMyanmar? We can prepare you for the richexperiences of an intriguing and complexworld! We stock one of the mostcomprehensive collections of travel guides

and �workaway� books held in Western Australia. This includessuch titles as �Going solo - the essential guide for solo women�by M. White, and �Vacations Work - work your way aroundthe world� as well as the classic Fodor's, Lonely Planet, Roughand Blue Guides. The Social Sciences Library also holds abroad collection of travel writing and personal memoirs aswell as expert guides such as the �Encyclopedia of WorldCultures� and the �Culture Shock� series.

If you share a passion and natural curiosity with �what is justaround the corner� (like the visitors to LISWA who explore theReplogle Globe), then the resources contained within theSocial Sciences Library could help you take the first step intoa larger world!

You can find the Social Sciences Library on the

First Floor of the Alexander Library Building.

See the entire world from the one place! NickDuncan, a librarian in the Social Sciences Libraryat LISWA, presents us with an introduction to therich experiences of an intriguing and complexwor ld!

Not a day goes by without visitors to the SocialSciences Library gazing over one of LISWA�slargest cartographic wonders. At 81 cms (32inches) in diameter, the Replogle Globe ofthe World is a distinctive feature of the entryto the Social Sciences Library. With its carvedwooden base and notched brass ring, theglobe holds the attention of both young andold alike as they gently turn it on its axis topoint out distant places to travel or whererelatives and friends live. In many ways theglobe epitomises what the Social SciencesLibrary can offer visitors - fascinating insightsto the world and all its people.

With the advent of e-mail and the Internet, technology hascertainly made the world seem a smaller place in terms ofcommunication. With the Earth being 40,075 kms incircumference at the Equator and containing some 162countries (World Book Encyclopedia) there is a wide and excitingvariety of places to visit - either by actually being there or viathe comfort of armchair travel.

Travel has been central to the way Australians experiencewhat the world has to offer. For Aboriginal Australians, identitywas - and still is - enmeshed with travelling and nurturing theland. The Social Sciences Library offers students and thecurious alike many titles on Australian Aboriginal people andtheir rich anthropological history, as well as standard referenceworks such as The Aboriginal Encyclopedia and the renownedAustralian Encyclopedia.


LISWA News

LISWA�s Senior Conservator, Pamela Najar, is leading aseries of workshops for people who hold heritage recordsin their family or small institution. The workshops aredesigned to provide guidance on how to care for theserecords so that they will be available for futuregenerations. Pamela Najar has had more than 25 yearsprofessional experience working in conservation in theUnited States, New Zealand and Australia, and will bepleased to answer specific questions from thoseparticipating.

There are two separate sessions on Sunday 1 November.The morning workshop, starting at 9.00 and finishing at12.30 will cover all types of media: letters, scrapbooks,quilts, computer discs, audio cassettes. You�ll learn howto care for and store them properly, and what not to do.An afternoon workshop (2.00 pm - 5.30 pm) will

concentrate on identifying and caring for photographicimages of many types, videotape, graphic and digitalimages that are found in family history and historicalcollections. At both 12.30 and 5.30 there will be anoptional tour of LISWA�s conservation laboratory,bookbinding, photographic and micrographic units.

It is possible to join in both workshops for a cost of $50,or one only for $30. Enquiries should be directed toLISWA�s Preservation Services on (08) 9427 3314. Justask for a brochure to be sent. The workshops will beheld in the Alexander Library Building, in the 4th floortraining room. Bookings are essential.

The workshops will be repeated on Sunday, 14 Marchnext year.

Caring for your Heritage - howLISWA can helpShould we laminate Granddad�s letters from Gallipoli? Will our familyphotographs and videotapes be available for our grandchildren? Find outthe answers to these, and many other questions.

The Alexander Library Building is home to a contemporary artworks collection. Within each issue of knowit, we will feature a work and a "pottedbiography" on the artist. The artworks collection is shown mostly in the public areas of the Alexander Library Building (but some are hungbehind the scenes).

Enquiries regarding the collection can be made to the Artworks Curator, PENNY McKAY, on (08) 9427 3153

A r t l o o k Discover the treasures of LISWA's artwork collection

Dr. Charles Blackman (Sydney 1928 -

Charles Blackman is currently celebrating his 70th birthday with majorexhibitions in both Sydney and Melbourne featuring three decadesof his best works.

Universally acknowledged, Blackman's Alice series is an example ofhis absorption and knowledge of literature which has provided directstimulus for his imagery.

For services to Art, Charles Blackman has already earned the OBEand the Queen's Jubilee Medal. Sydney University awarded him anhonorary Doctorate of Letters - a fitting tribute to a remarkable manwhose light continues to wink in the world's abyss. (Jo Ulrick)

TITLE: Alice Magic

Etching (1981-83) 89cm x 71cm

Currently sited in the Alexander Library Building in Sascha's CoffeeShop on the Ground floor.


LISWA News

This article was originally printed in �The Institute� thenewspaper of the IEEE, and has been reprinted in knowitwith the permission of �The Institute�.

time and used by merely opening it. The �browse�feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet,and move forward or backward as you wish. Mostcome with an �index� feature, which pinpoints theexact location of any selected information for instantretrieval.

An optional �BOOKmark� accessory allows you toopen the BOOK to the exact place you left it in aprevious session � even if the BOOK has beenclosed. BOOKmarks fit universal design standards;thus a single BOOKmark can be used in BOOKs by

various manufacturers.

Portable, durable and affordable, the BOOK is theentertainment wave of the future, and many new titles areexpected soon, due to the surge in popularity of itsprogramming tool, the Portable Erasable-Nib CrypticIntercommunication Language Stylus.

EUREKA! A technological breakthrough!

Digitising the Passey Collection

PISCATAWAY, N.J., USA�Announcing the newBuilt-in Orderly Organised Knowledge device(BOOK). It�s a revolutionary breakthrough intechnology: no wires, no electric circuits, nobatteries, nothing to be connected or switched on.It�s so easy to use even a child can operate it.

Just lift its cover. Compact and portable, it can beused anywhere � even sitting in an armchair bythe fire � yet it is powerful enough to hold as muchinformation as a CD-ROM disk.

Here�s how it works: Each BOOK is constructed ofsequentially-numbered sheets of paper (recyclable), eachcapable of holding thousands of bits of information. Thesepages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a�binder� which keeps sheets in their correct sequence. Byusing both sides of each sheet, manufacturers are able tocut costs in half.

Each sheet of paper is scanned optically and registersinformation directly into your brain. A flick of the finger takesyou to the next sheet. The BOOK may be taken up at any

Patrick Moore

Project Leader : Western Stories

After a short period of correspondence, the collection waspurchased from Mr R.W. Passey by the Library Board in August1970. It is not known how or when Passey acquired thecollection, but it is believed that many of the images were theproduct of the Rome Studio in Fremantle.

All the images are on glass negatives which, of course, mustbe handled with great care. Public access to the collectionhas been restricted to browsing through several volumes ofphotocopies of copy prints taken from the glass negatives.Despite this restriction, the collection has been very popularwith researchers, and prints from the negatives are frequentlyrequested. Now, access to the collection has beendramatically improved by selection of the most interesting 500images for digitisation.

Full index entries for each of the images have been added tothe Innopac catalogue. Clients using the Webpac interfacewill be able to �click� from the index record to the digital copyof the photograph. Once there, they may then choose tobrowse through the entire collection of 500 images or can�click� back to the catalogue search screen.

The digital images were created by first of all making polyesterfilm copies of the originals. These copies were then scannedand processed by Scott Four Colour Print, on LISWA�s behalf,to produce compressed digital files for deployment on ourInternet server. The collection will be available for browsingfrom 1 September 1998.

locations in and around Perth and Fremantle, as well as manycountry centres in the south west of the State and some imagesfrom Kalgoorlie, Coolgardie and a few from Geraldton.Subjects of the images vary from portraits of adults andchildren to bush scenes of farm activities and landscapes.There are many photographs of buildings and of ships visitingFremantle Harbour. Overall, the collection serves to conveya very rich image of life in Western Australia after the turn ofthe century.

The collection first came to the attention of the librarian incharge of the Battye Library, Ms Mollie Lukis, in 1963 whenone of the images was reproduced in The West Australiannewspaper. Ms Lukis corresponded with the owner, Mr Passey,but he was reluctant to part with the collection at that time. In1970, the collection was again brought to the attention of MsLukis by Mr G. Shaw of the Western Australian Museum. Thewhole collection had been borrowed by the Museum to assistin the presentation of an exhibition on the history of Fremantle.

The Passey Collection ofphotographs is one of themost popular collectionsof images held in theBattye Library. Thecollection comprises2,048 images of scenesin Western Australiacirca 1900 - 1910. Thereare many views of

Battye Pictorial Collection, 6686P


LISWA News

parentheses at the end of the title e.g. [Seven wonders of theancient world] [fact].

Viewing different parts of the databaseClients wishing to access records for Oral History alone, orfor Maps, or Australian Poetry may elect to search just thatpart of the database. From the first menu in Search clientsmay choose to Change Library Catalogue. The following menuappears:

1 Entire Collection

2 Alexander Library Building

3 Public Library Stock

4 Private Archives Collection

5 Map Collections

6 Pictorial Collection

7 Oral History Collection

8 Song/Instrumental Index

9 Australian Poetry Index

10 Ship Index

This menu enables clients to choose to search any one ofthese special collections or indexes, or they may decide tolook for index entries in the Entire Collection and AlexanderLibrary Building.

More about each of these special indexes will appear in futureissues of knowit.

New inclusions in LISWA�s DatabaseSince 4 May 1998, clients searching Innopac will have noticedthat retrieved sets of records include the normal records forbibliographical items (books, serials, sound recordings etc)as well as index records for things like periodical articles, bookreviews, poems, songs, maps and illustrations that arecontained within other publications.

This is an exciting development for clients who previouslyneeded to visit the Alexander Library Building to find indexrecords in one of the many different card indexes round thebuilding. Now all the indexes will be available on line and inone sequence - interspersed with the other bibliographicalrecords.

These Index records are very easily distinguished from normalrecords for items. Each displays with a highlighted messagelabelled �Found In� where the details are cited for thepublication that contains the indexed information. Clientswishing to see the indexed information can apply for an interlibrary loan if the source cited is a monograph, or may requesta photocopy if the source publication is a periodical ornewspaper.

Types of Index RecordThe database now includes index entries for newspaperarticles on a wide range of topics - but chiefly of WesternAustralian interest. General index entries may also containfacts which are very frequently asked for in libraries. Factssuch as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, or the latestwinner of the Nobel Prize for Literature are provided. Theserecords can easily be distinguished from normal entries formonographs or serials by the word �fact� which appears in

Finding and Identifying Index Records in Innopac

Patrick Moore

Project Leader: Western Stories

On Friday 3 July, the Centre for the Book hosted the book launchof "Our State of Mind: Racial Planning and The Stolen Generation"by Quentin Beresford and Paul Omaji, published by the FremantleArts Centre Press. The book was launched by Gatjil Djerrkura,OAM, Chairman of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait IslanderCommission.

At the launch, State Librarian Dr Lynn Allen welcomed guestsand presented Mr Djerrkura with our latest publication "Servicesto Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander People available from theJ.S. Battye Library of West Australian History and The StateReference Library".

see page 11's "Battye about Books" column for areview of the book

Launching Our State of Mind

L-R, State Librarian Dr Lynn Allen with Gatjil DjerrkuraOAM (Chairman of the Aboriginal & Torres Strait IslanderCommission) and Ray Coffey (publisher, Fremantle Arts

Centre Press) at the book launch


Library Technology News

Electronic Inter-Library Loan System for LISWALISWA has signalled its intention to purchase the LocalInterlending & Document Delivery Administration(LIDDA) system as its electronic inter-library loansystem.

The LIDDA system is being developed for the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee (AVCC) and the National Library ofAustralia (NLA) by Fretwell-Downing, based on its OLIB VDXILL software. OLIB (Open Library Systems) is Fretwell-Downing Informatics� library management system and itconsists of a family of products of which VDX (Virtual DocumenteXchange) is the product supporting ILL management. Thissoftware (launched in 1996) complies with the majorinternational standard in document delivery, the ISO ILLProtocol (ISO 10160/10161) and uses the Z39.50 standardfor searching databases.

LIDDA will support the creation of requests, selection ofsuppliers, tracking and management of requests, financialmanagement, copyright requirements, and incorporate WorldWide Web access.

LISWA will be part of Phase 2 of the implementation of LIDDAin Australia, with the system being installed in 1999. Initially,the LIDDA software will be installed in seven libraries: theAustralian Catholic University, Griffith University, MacquarieUniversity, the University of Southern Queensland, the

University of Technology Sydney, the National Library ofAustralia and the State Library of New South Wales.

The LIDDA system has grown out of the CoordinatedInterLibrary Loan Administration (CILLA) project. This project(funded by the AVCC and the Australian Council of Librariesand Information Services [ACLIS]), sought to establish, fromboth a technical and a business perspective, the feasibility ofdeveloping a product which would conform to a list of identified,essential requirements for local interlending and documentdelivery administration functions.

When LISWA went to tender in 1993 to undertake a majorupgrade of its computer systems, requirements for anautomated inter-library loan system were included as part ofthe tender. However, at that time, no system was able toadequately meet the requirements. LISWA has updated thoserequirements in the light of recent technological developmentsand the LIDDA system meets the majority of LISWA�srequirements.

LISWA is looking forward to the automation of the inter-libraryloan system and the better service we can offer to all ourclients, as well as efficiencies which can be made as we phaseout manual processing.

The Online Inter-Library Loans (OILLS) trial officially ended on June 30 1998 after operating for six months,but will continue for at least another six months to meet demand for this service.

Online Inter-Library Loans System (OILLS)

Developed by the City of Wanneroo, the Online Inter-LibraryLoans project (OILLS) provides a fully web integratedapplication suite for the request and tracking of inter-libraryloans between participating public libraries within WesternAustralia. Beginning with 24 participants, the projectexpanded to 43 active participants and 8 in trial stages. Ofthe active libraries 29 are metropolitan and 14 country based.It is expected that within the next six months perhaps another10-15 libraries will become OILLS users.

Over 16,000 requests were sent during the trial, of which14,153 were supplied by online libraries, or a 88% successrate from within the OILLS participants. The majority of itemsrequested were adult non-fiction and adult fiction, with 6%junior requests.

The system is a web-based, database-driven applicationwritten within the City of Joondalup Libraries and allowslibraries to fill-in an online request form and choose up tothree supplying locations for an item. The request is then

automatically routed from one to the next until either the itemis supplied, or no library can supply. During the first fourmonths a number of features were pared off, leaving thecurrent basic, yet fast system.

Usage patterns tended to vary for a variety of reasons. Initiallya region system was not used because of the small numberof participants. This was changed as more libraries joineddue to the fact that the alphabetical listing of libraries wasresponsible for some libraries supplying a bulk of requests.Now that larger systems are represented in the OILLS projectit has been useful to revert to full regional requesting.

The OILLS project has proved a success, and after somemodifications, has provided a system which meets most ofthe participants needs, automating the Inter-Library Loanprocess, including statistics, collation, automatic forwardingto the next location, and denotation of form type and on-order status.


Nerida CliffordManager: Library Services

Public Library News

Inaugural writing festival a hit!Claremont Library's"Celebrity Staffer",LISWA's CE Lynn Allen,checks a book outto"celebrity borrower",Library Board ChairmanBrian de Garis during theTown of Claremont'sInaugural Festival ofWriting.

1998 acknowledges 100 years of local government within theTown of Claremont, and to mark the centenary ClaremontPublic Library manager, Suzanne McLeod, organised a seriesof workshops, lectures and readings which became theinaugural Festival of Writing. Unlike many writing festivals,this one spanned the whole of May, and incorporatedAustralian Library Week.

Due to an intensive marketing effort, approximately 700 peopleattended the events throughout the month. "Celebratingwriting as the cornerstone of libraries" was the original objectivewhich became the central theme of this successful festival.

One of the unusual offerings in the Festival of Writing was asession called "Writers Behaving Badly", in which the childrenof award-winning WA authors Glyn Parry and Nigel Gray wereinterviewed about life with "eccentric" authors as fathers.Nicholas Hasluck also talked about his life as the child offamous writers at the closing ceremony.

The Claremont Public Library had "Celebrity Staffers" - onany given day, library patrons found themselves having their

✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐

Split City!On 1 July, the City of Wanneroo "ceased to exist". It hasbeen replaced by two new local governments, the City ofJoondalup and the Shire of Wanneroo.

The City will provide all services to the Shire for the first twelvemonths with all Central Library Services and administrationstill functioning at the Joondalup Library. The division of thelibraries is as follows:

CITY OF JOONDALUPJoondalup Centre Library Duncraig Public LibraryWhitford Public Library Woodvale Public Library

SHIRE OF WANNEROOGirrawheen Public Library Wanneroo Public LibraryYanchep/Two Rocks Library Wanneroo Mobile LibraryTamala Park Public Library (currently under development)

✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐ ✐

26 grants were awarded in the first year, 40 in the secondand 38 in the third. Second and third year grants were usedeither to consolidate established Centres or to establish newones. Contact Pearl Tan, LISWA�s Consultant: MulticulturalServices on (08) 9427 3128 for more information, or [email protected]

Mirrabooka Library received $18,700 over two years for itsLanguage Learning Resource Centre.

Language Learning Resource Centres cater for people fromnon-English speaking backgrounds who wish to improve theirEnglish language skill, and for people who are keen to learna language other than English.

Local governments were invited to apply for funding toestablish Language Learning Resource Centres in theirlibraries in 1995. A $400,000 fund was set up in 1995/96with the Lotteries Commission contributing $250,000 and theOffice of Multicultural Interests $150,000. An additional$250,000 was made available by the Lotteries Commissionfor each of the 1996/97 and 1997/98 financial years. Fundsare for the purchase of language learning equipment andresources.

City of Stirling Mayor,Cr Tony Vallelonga JP

launches the LanguageLearning Centre at the

Mirrabooka Public Libraryon 25 June 1998. Looking

on are Diane Hamilton,while the Hon. John

Kobelke (Member forNollamara) chats with Ken

Hamilton (LotteriesCommission).

Grant for Mirrabooka's Language Learning Resource Centre

books checked out by such luminaries as Elizabeth Jolley,the Town of Claremont Mayor Peter Olson and LISWA ChiefExecutive Lynn Allen. Footy fans would have been thrilled tobe served by Haron Bokhara of the Claremont Football Club!

In the pipeline since November last year, the Festival had thepatronage of novelists Elizabeth Jolley and Nicholas Hasluck(both Claremont residents), and most of the speakers werefrom the Claremont area, giving the festival a strong localfocus. Claremont businesses offered support and financialinput to make this a community-wide effort.


LISWA News

A Good Weekend for Western Australian Booklovers

A strong list of 15 prominent authors attractednearly 1,000 people to Perth's inauguralBooklovers Weekend on August 21 -23.

The three-day event was held at the Perth Parmelia Hilton,and audiences took advantage of the variety in the programwhich included author readings, informative talks and debates(the majority of events in tandem with breakfasts, brunches,teas and lunches!)

The Booklovers Weekend was hosted by DymocksBooksellers, and attracted 15 of Australia's award-winning andmost influential authors. Colleen McCullough flew in especiallyfrom Norfolk Island to attend, and among the biggest localdrawcards were Elizabeth Jolley, and Mrs Ethnée Holmes àCourt (mother of late businessman Robert Holmes à Court)whose autobiography, Undaunted, is selling strongly. Otherauthors included Morris Gleitzman, Robert Drewe, JohnNicholson, Peter Burke, Peter Goldsworthy, Bernard Cohen,Jack Dann, Marele Day, Veronica Brady, Gabrielle Lord, PatJacobs and Margot Cairnes.

The event proved so successful that Dymocks principal, AnnPoublon, said that a similar event is being planned for nextyear.

Leading Australian authors (l-r) Peter Goldsworthy, Jack Dann,Gabrielle Lord and Bernard Cohen at the official opening of the

1998 Booklovers Weekend.

Debrah Lewis

Director: Public Library Services

The Level 6 and all Level 5s will have metropolitan and non-metropolitan libraries assigned to them for whom they will bethe key LISWA contact. The visit and training programs willcontinue.

STOCK MANAGEMENT SERVICES TEAM (formerlyResources)Level 5 Team Leader: Resources ((vacant from 1/9/98- beingadvertised)*

Level 2: Incoming Exchanges & Discards Supervisor (DavidHodgson)

Level 2: Outgoing Exchanges Supervisor (Roger Ford)

Level 2: Stock Maintenance Supervisor (Kathy Wilkinson)

*Effective 1 October 1998, Ian Stone has accepted a newposition - Consultant: Bibliographical Service - in the Executive& Strategic Management cost centre. This position has beencreated as a result of the Bibliographical Services Review.One of Ian�s key tasks will be to develop a tender documentfor an online selection system.

PLS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SERVICES TEAMEffective 1 September 1998, this team will become part ofPLS. The acquisitions and cataloguing functions for publiclibraries will now be managed under the one key service areaby the Director: PLS. There will be a Level 5 Team Leader(currently advertised).

Public Library Services restructuredThe Chief Executive, Lynn Allen, has approved the restructureof the Public Library Services key service area, effective 1July 1998. This restructure will enable improved managementof both PLS operational and advisory functions and a LISWAwide consultancy focus, vastly improving service delivery topublic libraries and other key client groups. Importantly, therestructure has been designed to improve PLS work flowsand to achieve the PLS operational plan and three yearbusiness plan. The restructure follows consultation with PLSteam leaders and all other staff, and has been acceptedpositively and enthusiastically by the majority.

The new senior structure is as follows:

ADMINISTRATIONDirector: Public Library Services (Debrah Lewis)

PLS Administrative Assistant (Karen Nardini - acting)

LIBRARY ADVISORY SERVICES TEAMLevel 6 Team Leader: Library Advisory Services (vacant -being advertised)

Level 5 Consultant: Young Peoples� Services (MichelleGherghinis)

Level 5 Consultant: Seniors� Services (George Cowcher)

Level 5 Consultant: Special Needs (Yvonne Morant)

Level 5 Consultant: Multicultural Services (Pearl Tan)

Level 5 Consultant: Aboriginal and Torres Strait IslanderServices (vacant)


LISWA Book News

All of these books can be found in the J S Battye Library

View from a Low BoughBarrie Crowley

Between 1941 and 1945, Wynne Brooks waitedfor her young soldier husband Mickey to return toher. In all the time he was away she wrote to him,first daily, then weekly, never knowing hiswhereabouts. In 1945, at the end of the war, herletters were returned, their messages of comfortand love unread, bearing the War Office stamp�No Trace�.

Wynne�s letters, discovered by her niece Jenny Davis in1988, offer a valuable glimpse into the hearts and minds ofthe women waiting at home, facing each day without news,and dreading - but also hoping for - the knock on the doorfrom the telegraph boy. Dear Heart is an exquisite, true-life account of an exceptional love that knows no boundariesof time and place.

Lance Corporal Jim Jeans of the 28th Battalion wrote theseletters to his wife Evelyn while he was in the Australian Army.He was killed at the Battle for Ruin Ridge near El Alamein,Egypt on 27 July 1942, whenhis battalion lost 554 men whowere killed, wounded orcaptured.

His letters give some idea ofhis character and intereststogether with aspects of his lifein the army. The names offriends and family in Australiaand the UK have been researched, and provide a backgroundto a man unknown by his children.

�The night is February 4th. I smellburning flesh. It sticks in mythroat. I can almost taste it. I hearmoaning. I see flashing blue andred lights and I hear the sirens.And the screaming. But notSteven, his eyes are open butlifeless like the rest of him. Thenall I can hear are my ownscreams..�

Debbie and Rocket have been in trouble before. But not likethis. A stolen car, two people dead, and now they�re doingtime. Do it hard, or do it easy. That�s the only choice they�vegot left.

Battye about books

In 1937, the CommonwealthGovernment and the States resolvedto adopt as official policy the removalof Aboriginal children from theirfamilies. That policy envisaged theultimate disappearance of theAboriginal race. Although this policywas replaced after the Second WorldWar with assimilation, much of theunderlying purpose remained.

Our State of Mind examines the racialthinking behind these developments.It challenges Australians to focus on

critical issues on the nation�s path to reconciliation.

View from a Low Bough is a story of poignancy, of horrorand of devastatingly funny happenings amongst a groupof Australian soldiers inVietnam. Dave is one ofthem; so is Pete the medic.Lenny, the superb forwardscout, is another. There�sPeaches and Fuzz. There�sWoofer, who got hisnickname from the habit ofcalling �woof woof� to theenemy before shootingthem. And there�s quite afew more. All real people.Barrie Crowley knows them well - he was one of theirnumber.

�...The war is gone. The vets are not. That�s why thisbook is so important. It is long overdue.� AustralianBook Review.

Our State of Mind: racial planning and the stolen generationsQuentin Beresford and Paul Omaji

Fremantle Arts Centre Press. Fremantle WA, 1998Allen & Unwin, St Leonards NSW, 1997

Dear Heart Jenny Davis

A Sue Hines Book, Allen & Unwin. St Leonards NSW, 1998

Jim Jeans� Letters 1940-1942compiled by Ivor Davies

Hard TimeElspeth Cook and Anna Donald

Fremantle Arts Centre Press, Fremantle WA, 1998 Ivor Davies, Subiaco WA, 1997


Exhibitions & Events @ LISWA

RELATED ACTIVITESSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

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V i s i t L I S W A ' s w e b s i t e h t t p : / / w w w . l i s w a .w a . g o v . au

DISPLAYS

Shortlisted entries in the Children's Book Council AustralianChildren's Book of the Year Awards22 August - 27 September 1998Ground Floor, Alexander Library Building

Reminiscences 1910s - 1950sChildren's books, toys, house and garden, shopping and commerce,wartime, automobiles and flying machines!19 October - 15 November 1998All floors, Alexander Library Building

ADMISSION FREE

22 August 1998 - 17 January 1999Centre for the Book

Ground floor, Alexander Library BuildingPerth Cultural Centre

- an exhibition celebrating WesternAustralia's young people 1880s - 1990s West Coast Kids Competition for kids 3 to 16 years old

View the exhibition, fill in an entry form, win fabulous book prizes.Competition runs until 11 October - winners announced 14 October1998.Centre for the Book, Ground Floor, Alexander Library Building

Artrage Festival 19 - 25 September 1998Perth Cultural Centre. Enquiries: (08) 9227 6288

WA Children's Week Parents Expo 23 - 25 October 1998Perth Cultural Centre. Enquiries to: Meerlinga (08) 9424 5210

Wednesday Matinee Free AdmissionEvery Wednesday at 12:30pm in the Theatre, Ground Floor,Alexander Library Building. Enquiries: (08) 9427 3159.

OTHER EVENTS

The Western Australian Library Society

app l i c a t i o n f o r membe r s h i pI would like to become a member of The Western Australian Library Society in the following category:

Membership categories and subscription rates:

Individual member at $30.00 per yearFamily membership at $50.00 per yearConcession/Student (full time) $20.00 per yearSchool Membership $50.00 per yearCorporate Member at $500.00 per yearStudent Number ...................................

Name/s of individuals or organisations: ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Address: .................................................................................................................................................. P�code: ..............................................Phone: ........................................... Fax: ..............................................I enclose $..........payable to The Library Board of Western Australia

The membership year is from 1 July to 30 June. Members joiningafter 1 January remain current until July of the following year.

Please note: Some events/exhibitions may attract an entrancefee. A discount will apply to members should this occur.

Mail this application with your membership fee to:

The Western Australian Library SocietyLISWA Executive ServicesAlexander Library Building, Perth Cultural Centre, Perth WA 6000

Enquiries: (08) 9427 3337 � Facsimile: (08) 9427 3336

Allow 14 working days for your membership application tobe processed and your membership card returned to you.

Donations over $2.00 are tax deductible.

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