Hello, and welcome to all the news from the National Library for February! Exciting new digitised materials, preservation stories and great online content abound in this issue. We’ve also got a bumper month of events—we’re sure there’ll be something to take your fancy.
The newspaper that marked a country’s independence
A historic period in South-East Asian history is now preserved for all time, thanks to a joint venture between the National Library of Australia and the Embassy of Indonesia. The Embassy of Indonesia in Canberra has funded the digitisation of the Berita Repoeblik Indonesia newspaper, which marked the formation of the newly independent Indonesia in 1945.
Read more
The little red book that could
A tight-back book with some wobbly cover boards, containing the papers and speeches of Colonel Hutton between 1894 and 1898, recently caught our attention. Off it went to our expert Preservation team for some repairs. On inspection, it became apparent that previous repairs had failed. Could this little red book be restored? Follow the fascinating process of bringing it back to, almost, as good as new.
Read more
Vale Leonard French, master of light, shade and colour
He was the master of light, shade and, famously, colour. Melbourne artist Leonard French, the creator of our stunning stained-glass windows, has died at age 88.
Acclaimed around the world for his large-scale mosaic installations, French began his working life as a signwriter and went on to receive an OBE in 1968 for his services to painting.
Our 16 French windows, made of Belgian and French chunk glass, were commissioned in 1965 and installed two years later. They are as treasured to visitors and staff as the national collection itself. French’s palette of more than 50 colours created the stunning kaleidoscope effect that has become synonymous with the National Library of Australia.
In other news
Art in Australia: fully available, free, in Trove
For the first time, the impressive early twentieth century art magazine Art in Australia has been made permanently available online in high resolution through Trove. Rebecca Daly of the University of Wollongong Library writes about this exciting project.
Read the blog
Reminisce with your favourite Aussie TV ads
‘I still call Australia home’. ‘Make those bodies sing’. ‘Sic ’em, Rex!’ In conjunction with our exhibition The Sell: Australian Advertising, 1790s to 1990s, curator Dr Susannah Helman has put together a playlist of some of Australia’s most iconic and memorable television ads.
Watch now
It’s time to start thinking about 2018 Fellowships
Get ready! Applications for the 2018 National Library Fellowships are due to open on 20 February. Available to Australian and international researchers, the Fellowships offer established and emerging researchers the opportunity for a period of intensive research using the Library’s rich and varied collections. Could you be one of our next Fellows?
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Cook appeal: we’re halfway there!
Thank you to the many supporters who have given to our Cook appeal so far. We have passed the halfway point in our fundraising goal to preserve and digitise selected Cook material. If you haven’t already, we’d love you to donate now to help us reach our target.National LIbrary eNews
Regular features
Book of the month
This Is Banjo Paterson
by Tania McCartney, illustrated by Christina Booth
This charming picture book for children celebrates the life of Andrew Barton ‘Banjo’ Paterson, a great poet, journalist, bushman and world traveller.
Join author Tania McCartney on Sunday 12 February for an interactive book reading and crafts.
Book now
Buy the book ($24.99)
Unbound: Sir Edmund Backhouse’s wild tales
On the blog
Editor Amelia Hartney recently explored some of our favourite Aussie slang, featured in NLA Publishing’s Fair Dinkum!: Aussie Slang. Get ready for some corkers!
Other top blog picks this month include:
The Power and Passion of Protest
Louis Jules Matras and His Lost Dog
Opportunity Knocks: A Year with the Friends of the National Library
Research
New digitised newspapers
Find out about our colonial past in Tasmanian Punch (1866), Colonial Advocate and Tasmanian Monthly Review and Register (1828) and the Cornwall Advertiser (1870-1877).
These titles have been digitised with support from LINC Tasmania.
Partner with us to digitise a newspaper or journal on Trove: andp@nla.gov.au or
(02) 6262 1005
Research guides
Delve into our research guides for expert search tips and resources to help you navigate hard to find material such as statistics, standards and government publications. Working on your family tree? Try our excellent family history guides to help you find Australian birth, death and marriage records, maps and shipping records.
Explore now
Don’t have a Library card?
Register online
Event highlights
Author talk:
Geoffrey Blainey
The Story of Australia’s People:
The Rise and Rise of a New Australia
Historian Geoffrey Blainey traces the nation’s story from the gold rush to now.
Wednesday 8 February, 6pm, $15
Book now
A conversation with Kate Grenville
The Case against Fragrance
Award-winning writer Kate Grenville discusses her latest book with Gia Metherell, former Literary Editor for The Canberra Times.
Monday 20 February, 6pm, $15
Book now
Conversation
Shooting the Picture: Press Photography in Australia
Will changes in technology spell the end of traditional press photography?
Thursday 2 February, 5.30pm, $15
Book now
Presentation
Pinafores, Prodigies & Precocities
Dr Gillian Arrighi explores the era of the Australian child performer during the British Empire.
Tuesday 7 February, 5.30pm, free
Book now
Friends event
Révolution Française!
Join the Friends of the Library for a unique viewing of our substantial collection of original French Revolutionary pamphlets.
Thursday 9 February, 6pm
Book now
Conversation
State of Hope:
Griffith Review
Dennis Atkins, Angela Woollacott, Peter Stanley and Chris Wallace explore the economic, social, environmental and cultural challenges facing South Australia.
Tuesday 21 February, 6pm, free
Book now
Book launch
Captain James Cook: Claiming the Great Southern Land
Join author John Molony and Professor Iain McCalman AO, University of Sydney, for the launch of this original interpretation of Cook’s voyage of ‘discovery’.
Wednesday 22 February, 6pm, free
Book now
Author talk
Do Not Say We Have Nothing
Madeleine Thien explores her epic and resonant novel about the far-reaching effects of China’s revolutionary history.
Tuesday 28 February, 6pm, $18
Book now
Learning in February
Getting Started at the Library
Wednesday 8 February, 11am
The Manuscripts Collection
Tuesday 14 February, 3pm
Study Smart
Thursday 23 February, 4pm
Free tours
Behind the Scenes
Thursdays, 2pm
Discover Your National Library
Saturdays, 2pm
Treasures Gallery
Daily, 11.30am
The Sell: Australian Advertising, 1790s to 1990s
Daily throughout summer, 10.30am
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Collection item of the month
Summer fun at Manly Beach, c.1940
Beach-going has long been a popular and iconic part of Australia’s history. Vibrant Manly Beach has had its current name since 1788, when it is reported that Captain Arthur Phillip was impressed with the ‘manly behaviour’ of Indigenous men in the area.
The creator of this care-free surfing image is Ray Leighton, a lively social photographer in Sydney. From the 1940s, he was one of Australia’s top swimsuit photographers. He also had a passion for waterskiing and surfing, and at just 15 years of age became a devoted and lifelong member of the Manly Life Saving Club. This is one of many images in which Leighton captures his beloved Manly beach. It evokes the boundless energy of the ocean and the ways in which Australians have connected to beach culture.
Ray Leighton (1917–2002), It Takes Two, Manly Beach, New South Wales, c.1940, nla.obj-143539529
