Alexander Turnbull Library

Turnbull Library Record, Volume 14, Issue 2, 1 October 1981, Page 124

Alexander Turnbull Library

J. E. TRAUE

Report by the Chief Librarian for the year 1980181

The Alexander Turnbull Library is responsible for developing, maintaining, and encouraging the most appropriate use of the National Library’s research collections of materials relating to New Zealand, the Pacific, early printed books, John Milton and his times, English literature, and the development of the art of printing. It is responsible for the long-term preservation of the national collection of library materials relating to New Zealand and for the bibliographic control of New Zealand publications.

THE USE OF THE COLLECTIONS Despite the emphasis being placed on the Turnbull’s primary function as a library for historical research, demand on the collections continues to increase and excessive use is still being made of the New Zealand collections. Further measures will have to be adopted to persuade potential general reference users to exhaust the resources of their local libraries first and to use the Turnbull’s New Zealand collections only as a last resort. Consideration is being given to making copies of heavily used materials (especially those in demand for family history) available in other libraries to reduce demand on the originals. The Library is continuing to encourage publication based on the collections as the most appropriate and effective means of making its rich resources available for the widest public use. Unlike some art galleries which measure success by the number of persons viewing the collections, or a lending library which measures volumes borrowed, a research library measures its success by the number of publications which draw on its resources to add to the public stock of knowledge. The Research Endowment Fund made several small grants to assist research for publication based substantially on the Library’s collections. The Fund acknowledges the continuing support of the Todd Foundation and the Ilott Trust, and is indebted to the Minister of Internal Affairs for a further grant of SIO,OOO. During the year the Fund also received income from sales of the Cooper prints, published by the Fund in association with the New Zealand Wool Board.

Two major scholarly works based on the Library’s collections were published during the year. In June the long-awaited first volume of the retrospective national bibliography, covering books and pamphlets relating to New Zealand published up to 1889, was issued by the Government Printer. The project, to provide bibliographic descriptions of monographs relating to New Zealand published before 1960, under the editorship of Dr A.G. Bagnall, obe, will be completed in 1983 with the issue of an index volume containing addenda and corrigenda. In November A Descriptive Catalogue of the Milton Collection in the Alexander Turnbull Library . . .Describing Works Printed Before 1801 . . . compiled by Miss K.A. Coleridge to document the importance of the Turnbull’s

Milton collection to the international scholarly community was published by Oxford University Press for the Library.

The papers presented at the 1978 Turnbull Conference on New Zealand Social History (sponsored by the Research Fund) first published in the New Zealand Journal of History were reissued during the year under the title New Zealand Social History edited by Professor D.A. Hamer. The second Turnbull national conference on early modern studies was held on 7-8 February. The Research Fund sponsored the conference and made a grant to enable Dr Christopher Hill the distinguished historian of the seventeenth century English revolution to travel from Canberra to participate and deliver a paper on ‘Milton in the Puritan Revolution’. The second instalment of 250 entries of the National Register of Archives and Manuscripts was published by the National Library during the year. The New Zealand National Bibliography and the Index to New Zealand Periodicals, produced by the Bibliographic Unit, continued publication. The Turnbull Library Endowment Trust issued a set of prints from original paintings by E. A. Williams and the Research Fund in association with the New Zealand Wool Board issued seven coloured prints from originals by A. J. Cooper to inaugurate a new annual print series. The Friends of the Turnbull Library published two issues of the Turnbull Library Record.

Four exhibitions were mounted in the Library; one to mark the publication of The Unauthorised Version, a history of New Zealand in cartoons which drew very heavily on the Library’s collections; ‘The Surveying and Mapping of Wellington Province 1840-76’; paintings and drawings by E. A. Williams and his contemporary J. O. Hamley for the launching of the Williams prints; and ‘Plague to Polio: New Zealand Health 1900-1950’.

THE ARCHIVE OF NEW ZEALAND MUSIC In 1975 the Library created the Archive of New Zealand Music as a major research collection covering all aspects of musical composition and performance in New Zealand. In 1980 the first full-time member of staff was approved for the Archive and Miss J. Palmer appointed Subject Specialist and Librarian of the Archive of New Zealand Music. During the year a separate music room was established, the Library’s policies on the acquisition of sound recordings were refined, filing and indexing systems established, and guidelines prepared for the integration of music manuscripts into the Manuscripts Collection. Major acquisitions during the year were manuscript scores and recordings from Douglas Lilburn, the early archives of the Wellington Chamber Music Society, and the papers of the late Hamilton Dickson.

CONSERVING THE COLLECTIONS The staffing establishment of the Conservation Unit was increased by one conservation technician during the year. The staffing available for conservation is still insufficient to enable the Library to guarantee the long-term preservation of all the research materials in its care. Further

measures are being taken to improve short-term preservation by increasing the rate of duplication and reducing the use made of the collections. The Library’s collections are now housed in seven buildings between Courtenay Place and Thorndon. The movement of items between the outlying buildings and the main library on The Terrace, which cannot but continue until the collections are housed under one roof, is increasing and constitutes a physical and security risk. All buildings now used to house the Library are below a standard appropriate to the value of the collections. A substantial increase in demand for advice and assistance from outside has led to the Conservation Unit accepting a growing national role. Conservation staff are involved in the work of the Wellington Cultural Conservators and they organised a successful workshop on the salvage of cultural materials on 6-8 March 1981. The Conservation Officer acted as a consultant to the Historic Places Trust after flooding affected the contents of Trust properties at Kerikeri in March 1981, and has acted as an adviser to a number of museums, galleries and libraries. Mr Baillie also attended a conference of the International Institute for the Conservation of Historical and Artistic Works in Vienna and the international conference on paper conservation in Cambridge, England, both in September 1980, and visited conservation laboratories in England, Britain and Canada. The Photograph Librarian attended a seminar on photographic conservation at the Rochester Institute of Technology in the United States.

BUILDING THE RESEARCH COLLECTIONS Donations during the year rose slightly to 436. Greater selectivity in the acceptance of donations, especially of manuscripts and archives, has been exercised and donors are being asked to do more sorting and organising under the Library’s supervision. A more precise collecting policy for manuscripts and archives is under discussion. The Library continues to receive for the national collection, under the compulsory deposit provisions of the Copyright Act administered by the General Assembly Library, a comprehensive range of materials published in New Zealand. Important manuscript donations include the records of the Bible Society in New Zealand, the Presbyterian Bible Class movement, the New Zealand Theatre Players’ Trust Board and Bethune and Hunter. The Library also received papers of the late Dr Reo Fortune, the New Zealand-born social anthropologist. With the assistance of the Endowment Trust the fine printing collection was strengthened by recent examples of American and English private presses, and items from the Gregynog Press and Gwas Gregynog, and the Officina Bodoni. Several volumes on the art of Japanese hand-made paper were purchased for the collection on paper making. A significant addition to the history of printing collection was An Exact Narrative of the Tryal and Condemnation of fohn Twyn (1664), and the Miltoniana collection benefited by the purchase of Haquin Spegel’s Swedish language work Guds Werck och Hwila (1725) and The Life and Reign of King Charles, or the Pseudo-Martyr Discovered (1651).

We are indebted to those who have contributed by donation to the growth of the collections and acknowledge their generosity. A full list of donors is published annually in the Turnbull Library Record. The Alexander Turnbull Library Endowment Trust has continued to make funds available for the purchase of highly priced books, manuscripts, maps and pictures, and for related activities.

Publications, Lectures, etc by the Staff, 1980181 Baillie, W. J. H. ‘Archival and Restoration Material from Process Materials Corporation, Rutherford, N. J., U.S.A AGMANZNews 10 (August 1979) 3—4. ‘Jerry McWilliams. The Preservation and Restoration of Sound Recordings’ (review), New Zealand Libraries 43 (December 1980) 69. BARTON, P. L. ‘Atlas of the South Pacific’ (review), Cartographic Journal 16 (December 1979) 119-20; New Zealand Geographer 36 (October 1980) 94—5. ‘The Concept of a National Map Collection: Is it Possible? Is it Obsolete?’, Globe 12 (1980) 24—9; Special Libraries Association. Geography and Map Division. Bulletin 120 (June 1980) 57-60; New Zealand Cartographic Journal 10 (September 1980) 17-20.

30-31 January, 1 February 1980’, Globe 12 (1980) 35-6; Special Libraries Association. Geography and Map Division. Bulletin 120 (June 1980) 56—7; New Zealand Cartographic Journal 10 (September 1980) 15—16. ‘The History of the Mapping of New Zealand’, Map Collector 11 (June 1980) 28-35. ‘Maori Geographical Knowledge and Mapping: a Synopsis’, Turnbull Library Record 13 (May 1980) 5-25. ‘Map Collections and Map Librarianship in New Zealand: a Synopsis’, Library Trends 29 (Winter 1981) 537-46.

‘The Map Librarian in the Modern World; Essays in Honour of Walter W. Ristow, edited by Helen Wallis and Lothar Zogner’ (review), New Zealand Mapkeepers’ Circle Newsletter 9 (December 1980) 19—20. ‘Map Sources Directory, Compiled by Janet Ailin’ (review), New Zealand Mapkeepers’ Circle Newsletter 9 (December 1980) 20—1. ‘Maps and New Zealand Archaeologists’, New Zealand Archaeological Association Newsletter 23 (September 1980) 178-83.

‘A National Union Catalogue of Maps (New Zealand): NUCM(NZ)’, Globe 12 (1980) 17-23; Special Libraries Association. Geography and Map Division. Bulletin 120 (June 1980) 61-5; New Zealand Cartographic Journal 10 (September 1980) 21-5. ‘New Zealand Mapkeepers Circle’ (Seminar 1980), Western Association of Map Libraries Information Bulletin 11 (June 1980) 196.

‘New Zealand Metric Topographical Maps: 1:50 000 & 1:250000’, Globe 12 (1980) 78-80. The Surveying & Mapping of Wellington Province 1840-76; an Exhibition of Manuscript Maps, Field Books, Sketches and Water Colours, Photographs, a Textbook and Survey Instruments on Loan from the Dept of Lands and Survey and the National Museum, Wellington and from the Collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library. Wellington, Alexander Turnbull Library, 1981. 19p.

BEVAN, R. ‘Early Women Photographers of New Zealand’, Photoforum Supplement 5 (Spring 1980) 5. BROOKS, C. M. Serials and AACR2; paper presented to meeting on serials and AACR2, Victoria University of Wellington, 11 September 1980. EMPSON, M. F. Art research and copyright depository libraries in New Zealand (with Michael Hitchings); paper delivered at the LAA—NZLA Conference, Christchurch, 23 January 1981.

Hoare, M. E. (ed.) Beyond 100. A Development Plan. Wellington, The Boys’ Brigade in New Zealand (Inc), 1981. 125 p. Royal Australasian College of Physicians for the Combined Meeting of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and by invitation the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Sydney (24-28 February 1980), p. 7—ll. ‘ “Rambler with a Pen”: The World of John Boultbee, by A. Charles and Neil C. Begg’ (review), New Zealand Listener 96: 2107 (31 May 1980) 69.

‘Report on Curators’ Training Course, 19-23 November 1979’, Archifacts 13 (March 1980), 288-9. The history of medicine in Australasia: sources and solutions; lecture delivered at Annual Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Epidemiology and Research in Community Health (ANZSERCH), Wellington, 21-23 August 1980. Millen, J. E. ‘Composer of the Week’, occasional broadcasts on the Concert Programme, Radio New Zealand, April 1980-March 1981.

‘Nellie Melba: Queen of Song in New Zealand’, 3-part series broadcast on the Concert Programme, Radio New Zealand, 23-25 February 1981. ‘Royal Visits’ (Melba’s New Zealand tours), New Zealand Listener 97:2144 (21 February 1981) 32. (ed.) Serpent on the Rocks. Wellington, Serpent Publications, 1980. 36p. ‘Star Spangled Years’, 6-part series on celebrity artists who visited New Zealand between the Wars, broadcast on the Concert Programme, Radio New Zealand, April/May 1980.

PALMER, J. M. ‘Cantations of a Choral Music Collector’, New Zealand Music Libraries Newsletter, 1 (May 1980) 6; Canzona 2 (October 1980) 27. ‘Preserving our Musical Heritage’, New Zealand Libraries 43 (June 1981) 95-7.

The Archive of New Zealand Music at the Alexander Turnbull Library: preserving New Zealand’s musical heritage; paper delivered to lAMLANZ Seminar at LAA—NZLA Conference, Christchurch, 24 January 1981.

Parkinson, P. G. Grateloupia the Nomenclators’ Wrackage; an Account of the Chronic Confusion Attending the Application of the Name Grateloupia in the Phycological Literature, an Explanation of the Problems and their Causes with Reflections on a Deficiency in the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and a Simple Solution to the Difficulties. Auckland, Pettifogging Press, 1980. (Phycologiae Historiae Analecta Autodidactica, Fasciculus Secundus) 24p.

‘Proposals to Amend the Code’, Taxon 30 (February 1981) 274-285. ‘Remarks on Some Algal Generic Names Recently Proposed for Nomenclatural Conservation: Halymenia, Grateloupia, Nemastoma and Schizymenia’, Taxon 30 (February 1981) 314—318. ‘Grateloupia ornata C. Agardh 1822, nom. rectotyp. prop.,’ Taxon 30 (February 1981) 312-314. ‘Early Music on Record; a Guide to Anyone Starting a collection’ [Part I], Early Music Journal, 3 (April/May 1980) [2p.]; Part 11, 3 (June/July 1980) 15-16. Doing Wonders’ (review), Early Music Journal 3 (August/September 1980) 15-16.

‘Rough Ride with Omnibus’ (review), Early Music Journal 3 (October/ November 1980) 5-6. ‘One Charming Night,’ (review) Early Music Journal 3 (October/ November 1980) 17-18. ‘Wellington Cathedral Autumn Festival’ (review) Early Music Journal 4 (March/April 1981) 3-4. ‘A Choice Selection’ (review), Early Music Journal 4 (March/April 1981) 15.

SULLIVAN, J. P. ‘Photographs’, in Non-book Materials in Libraries; Guidelines for Library Practice, (ed. Sally Edridge). Wellington, New Zealand Library Association, 1980, p. 42-49. ‘Aspects of Early New Zealand Photography—l: Daniel Manders Beere’, Photoforum Supplement 4 (Winter 1980) 9. The Alexander Turnbull Library’s Photograph Section; lecture given to the Friends of the Turnbull Library, 10 March, 1981. Traue, J. E. ‘Map of Our Printed Past: New Zealand National Bibliography to the Year 1960, Volume 1, to 1889’ (review), New Zealand Listener 96:2131 (15 November 1980) 84-5.

Methodism in New Zealand: Resources for Historical Research in the Alexander Turnbull Library. Auckland, Wesley Historical Society, 1980. (Wesley Historical Society, Proceedings, 32) 15p. ‘Sharing: Two Themes and a Coda. Presidential Address to the New Zealand Library Association, January 198 T, New Zealand Libraries, 43 (March 1981) 73-77; LAA—NZLA Conference (Ist: 1981: Christchurch, N.Z.) Sharing: Proceedings of the First Combined Conference . . . Sydney, LAA, 1981, p. 13-21.

Research libraries overseas; address to the Wellington Branch, New Zealand Library Association, 23 October 1980. Some impressions from overseas; lecture to the Friends of the Turnbull Library, 18 November 1980. WILLIAMS, K. S. ‘The National Library Contribution to Regional Resource Sharing’, LAA—NZLA Conference (Ist: 1981: Christchurch, N.Z.) Sharing: Proceedings of the First Combined Conference . . . Sydney, LAA, 1981, p. 324-330. AACR2 for non-cataloguers; lecture to Wellington Branch, New Zealand Library Association, 30 April 1980. New Zealand Bibliographic Unit; paper delivered at Cataloguing Seminar, LAA—NZLA Conference, Christchurch, January 1981.