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Dr Francis Aubie“Ali” Sharr OBE1914-2002

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Claire Forte (Acting CEO andState Librarian)

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Editorial Enquiries: Dana Tonello (Public Programs)ph:(08) 9427 3449 fax: (08) 9427 3152

email: dtonello@liswa.wa.gov.au

knowit reserves the right to edit all articles. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of knowit or\The State Library of Western Australia. All articles must be supplied with a name and contact details forverification.

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ISSN 1328-7176

Editorial published may only be reproduced with the permission of Public Programs.Join The Western Australian Library Society and you automatically receive knowit every two months.

Membership enquiries (08) 9427 3150.

COVER: Dr Francis Aubie Sharr OBE, first State Librarian of Western Australia’s library service, diedrecently in Perth. His untiring efforts in his 23 year career as State Librarian are celebrated in an

obituary on page 3 of this issue.

State Library staff were delighted that Mollie Lukis could personallypresent the Mollie Lukis Award to well-deserved winner, DavidJones. Because David had been doing work on wool industryrecords, after presenting the Award Miss Lukis reminisced aboutsome of the station records she was associated with as the StateArchivist. Her entertaining and informative recollections wereenjoyed by all. She served as Archives Officer and State Archivistfor 26 years, retiring in 1972.

The citation for the Award was:

As coordinator of the Wool Project, David Jones has been anenergetic and skilful proponent of those aspects of archival workwhich are the subject of the Mollie Lukis Award. His enthusiasmand hard work has resulted in a better arrangement of existingcollections, the appraisal of and significant additions to collectionsand an increased profile for the Battye Library’s services in thebroader community.

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����������������� ����������Seven items fromthe Freycinetc o l l e c t i o n ,purchased for theState at auction inSeptember, arrivedat the State Libraryon 10 December.

The Hon SheilaMcHale, Minister forCulture and the Arts,WA State LibraryCustodians andother dignitariesincluding representatives from some of the major donorcompanies, previewed the items as they were unpacked byState Library conservation staff.

“Their significance to our history will make them a valuableand treasured asset for the State”, Ms McHale said. “Theitems will be exhibited to the public in the State Libraryearly in the New Year, and I encourage everyone to takethe opportunity to view these historic works”.

The Minister thanked the WA State Library Custodiansfor co-ordinating the fundraising effort, and the known andanonymous donors who made the purchase possible.

The Hon Sheila McHale, Minister for Culture andthe Arts (left), helps State Library staff StephanieBaily and Patrick Moore unpack Heirisson’s 1801map of the Swan River.

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

As we reach the endof 2002 we can reflecton some greatachievements duringthe year. We are veryexcited that the itemspurchased from theFreycinet collection atChristie’s auctionhave arrived at theState Library andplans can now

proceed to showcase the collection to thecommunity early in 2003.

We are also pleased to offer a new onlinereference service to the community.AskNow!, a nation wide interactive chatreference service accessible to WesternAustralians through the State Library’s website, has been piloted over several monthsby Australia’s national, state and territorylibraries. The collaborative service takesadvantage of the time zones across thecountry to enable all Australians to receiveonline assistance from a reference librarianin real time. This new initiative of the Councilof Australian State Libraries (CASL) will beofficially launched in Sydney in January.Judging by the success of the service todate, it will continue to be a popular way forthe community to be assisted through theonline information maze.

Amidst all the excitement and celebrationover the last few months, we have also beensaddened by the deaths of Ali Sharr, the firstState Librarian and his wife Flo, also a longserving employee of the Library Board. Aliand Flo will be greatly missed by their manyfriends and colleagues.

We wish all our readers a peaceful festiveseason and a wonderful year ahead in 2003.

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The project’s primary aims weretwofold: appraising and improvingaccess to existing collections about thewool industry in the Battye LibraryPrivate Archives, and seeking newmaterial. David’s work was excellent inboth areas.

He appraised and arranged a numberof important collections, including theRubin collection, being the combinedrecords of De Grey, Mulyie and Ettrickstations, administered as a single entityby the De Grey Pastoral Company.Overall, 276 boxes of records wereclassified, dated, sorted, housed anddescribed.

To develop the collection further,potential donors needed to be identifiedand contacted. David, in consultationwith historians and industry contacts,researched and developed a list of

Mollie Lukis with 2002 award recipient, DavidJones.

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������������� �� �������������The library community has lost oneof its leading visionaries, Dr FrancisAubie “Ali” Sharr OBE and his wifeFlorence. Dr Sharr passed away aftera short illness on November 16,following his wife’s death a week prior.

Ali Sharr was the Library Board’s firstState Librarian and executive officer,from 1953 until his retirement in 1976.In his 23 years in office, Ali Sharrcreated library services to rural andremote areas of Western Australia,with the number of public librariesassociated with the Library Boardgrowing from zero to 152. Hetransformed the State Library to aworld class repository of information,and created the first publiclyaccessible Music Library in Australia.During 1962-63, Dr Sharr served asan advisor to the government ofNigeria for UNESCO’s librarydevelopment program, and from1969-70, he was President of theLibrary Association of Australia .

In the Library Board’s annual reportof 1975-76, the Board recorded thefollowing resolution in appreciation ofAli Sharr’s services to libraries:

“Resolved that the Board place onrecord its deep appreciation of theinvaluable service rendered by Mr

F.A. Sharr as the first Executive Officerof the Board and the first StateLibrarian over his continuous periodof 23 years.

“Distinctive features of the libraryservice of Western Australia overthose years were in very largemeasure due to the imagination andefficient administration of Mr Sharr. Hewas also able to attract and associatewith him in what was largely pioneeringwork throughout the state of WesternAustralia a group of professionallibrarians from outside and insideAustralia. The high reputation whichthe library service of Western Australianow enjoys throughout the world is atribute to the achievement of the firstState Librarian and his seniorcolleagues.

“Members of the Library Board arealso aware of the respect in which itsState Librarian has been held by hisprofessional colleagues in other partsof the Australian Commonwealth andof their appreciation of the contributionhe has made to the standing of theprofession throughout theCommonwealth. The Boardrecognises the consequential benefitswhich have resulted from this forlibrary services in Western Australia.”

After his retirement, Ali Sharr wasawarded several honours for his work,including an OBE in 1977, the LAA’sH.C.L. Anderson Award for outstandingcontribution to library services in 1980,and an honorary Doctor of Letters fromCurtin University in 1991.

Ali and Flo Sharr will be missed by theirmany friends and colleagues in theState Library.

Dana TonelloPublic Programs

State Library of Western Australia

Dr Francis Aubie “Ali” Sharr in 1990.

names, then contacted them by letter,phone, and in person. Informationsheets were produced: “Donating to theWool Story Archive” and “Guidelines forDonors”. These contacts resulted indonations of material from, amongothers, Elders, Australian WoolHandlers, and the West Australian WoolBuyers Association. The collectionsreceived were appraised andprocessed, often including preservationwork, and placed in proper storage.

An important part of the Wool Projectwas publicity. David organised mediacontacts and provided information whichwas subsequently used in ruralnewspaper stories in wool growingareas.

David Jones’ work on the Wool Projecthas added considerably to collectionsof information held on this industry which

has been so important in WesternAustralia’s development. David’senthusiasm, skill and hard work on theproject has ensured its success andpromoted the services of the BattyeLibrary. The range and depth of primarymaterials in the State Library would bevery much the poorer without the deeplycommitted work that David has done.

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On a cold Monday 6 July 1981, theFriends of Battye Library was formallyestablished with a prime objective toassist and promote the interests of theBattye Library with an emphasis on theacquisition, preservation and use ofarchival and documentary materials.When the Public Records Office (nowthe State Records Office) which isresponsible for State Governmentrecords, became a separate branch,the Friends’ aims broadened toinclude the new office as well.

In recognition of the vital role theFriends play and the importance ofthe work done by members andvolunteers, a 21st birthdaycelebration was arranged for 22October as the last meeting of theyear. Guest speaker for the eveningwas Western Australia’s eminentnatural and social historian andbotanical artist, Rica Erickson, AMHon Dlitt. FRWAHS. Rica gave alively and interesting talk on her life’swork and her many years ofassociation with the Battye Library. Atthe conclusion of the address, DrRonda Jamieson, Director of theBattye Library, presented a briefdemonstration of the website whichhas been created to honour Ricawhich can be found atwww.l iswa.wa.gov.au/erickson/index.html.

Chris Coggin, retiring Director of theState Records Office was thanked forhis contribution to the Battye Library andfor his unfailing support of the Friends.He has been a key player in thecollection and preservation of WesternAustralian archival records since hisappointment as State Archivist in 1978through to his prime role in establishingthe State Records Office.

The evening also contained somedelightful surprises. The first was anannouncement by Emeritus ProfessorGeoffrey Bolton, President of theFriends, that Rica is the first recipientof the Friends of Battye Library’s ‘Gemof Time’ award which has been set upto honour Western Australia’s livingtreasures. This recognition is for those

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who have made a long-term andsignificant commitment to the aimsand objectives of the Battye Libraryand/or the State Records Office. Thesecond was the conferring ofhonorary life membership of theFriends of Battye Library on ProfessorBolton and Dr Pamela Statham-Drewas a tribute to the work they haveaccomplished on behalf of theFriends over the years.

At the conclusion of the meeting, theState Library’s acting CEO, ClaireForte, invited members and guests tosit down to a 21st birthday dinner toround out the celebrations for theFriends’ coming of age andcongratulate Rica Erickson for beingthe first ‘Gem of Time’.

Jennie Carter,Team Leader, Battye Archival Collections

State Library of Western Australia

ABOVE: Prof. Geoffrey Bolton(President, Friends of BattyeLibrary and honorary lifemember) and Rica Erickson(Gem of Time) at the celebrationfor Friends of Battye Library’s21st anniversary.

RIGHT: Battye Library’sDirector, Dr Ronda Jamieson,and Gillian O’Mara (Vice-President, Friends of BattyeLibrary) light the candles on theFriends of Battye Library’s 21stbirthday cake.

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A new Australian interactive chatreference service went live on 26August 2002 and is available from thewebsites of Australia’s national, stateand territory libraries. The serviceenables members of the public,wherever they may be, to ask aquestion online, in real time, andreceive an answer from a referencelibrarian while they wait.

AskNow! is a collaborative 12-monthpilot, staffed on a time-share basis bylibrarians from the National Library ofAustralia, the State Libraries ofVictoria, New South Wales,Queensland, Tasmania, SouthAustralia, Western Australia, theNorthern Territory and the ACT Libraryand Information Service.

A key feature of the live reference/chatsoftware, which distinguishes it fromemail transactions is that the onlinetransaction occurs in real time. Itallows the librarian to search forinformation on the World Wide Weband immediately share the foundpages with the client while they wait.Clients can be guided through theirsearch, as inquirer and librarian viewthe same web pages. Help insearching library catalogues, theInternet, and eventually onlinedatabases, becomes more useful andefficient.

A by-product of such a service is thepotential for the development of anational knowledge base. This couldbe used to save repeated staff effortin responding to frequently askedquestions and perhaps offered as asearchable database to end users inthe future.

In the last two years, interactivechat software applications haveincreasingly been used in the libraryenvironment to service existing clientsin a more timely manner, to buildrelationships with new clients anddemonstrate that the skills of librarystaff are transferable to the onlineenvironment. It is important that

leading Australian libraries enter thisnew realm of reference servicedelivery.

AskNow! will increase serviceprovision to clients and is beingoffered as an additional service to theon-site, email, letter/fax and telephonereference services already providedby the participating libraries.

Clients of the service can expect aconsistent, high quality andprofessional service with anappropriate response. AskNow! staffwill attempt to answer ready-referencequestions within 10 minutes. Complexquestions, or ones requiring moretime or resources, may be referred toan email service for further assistanceand a fuller response.

Enquiries are treated confidentiallyand service providers ensure theclient’s right to privacy.

A formal evaluation will be conductedof AskNow! mid-way through the pilotand again in August 2003. It willinclude assessment of servicesustainability; issues of standards andbest practice; assessment of staffing

levels, skills and training; participantand end-user feedback; analysis ofservice use and potentialpartnerships. Opportunities for otherlibraries to join the service will beconsidered after the mid-termevaluation.

AskNow! is available 6am to 5pmWestern Standard Time, Monday toFriday, and can be accessed bylogging on to the State Library ofWestern Australia’s website atwww.liswa.wa.gov.au selecting the“Ask a Librarian” link and then clickingon the AskNow! icon. Alternatively youcan go to www.asknow.gov.au and login.

Gabrielle ReynoldsAskNow! Project Leader

State Library of Western Australia

Telephone: (08) 94273224email: greynolds@liswa.wa.gov.au

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ABOVE: The AskNow home page.

6����������� Open it online and see!The Battye Library is responsible forpreserving the State’s documentaryheritage. A vital part of this heritagecomprises published works, whichincreasingly are being made availableelectronically over the Internet.Immediate action is needed if thesignificant portion of WesternAustralia’s documentary heritage thatis being produced online is to bearchived and preserved. The Statecollection should also form part of anationally accessible collection.

In June 2001, Ronda Jamieson, theDirector of the Battye Library, met withrepresentatives from all StateLibraries and staff of the NationalLibrary of Australia in Canberra todiscuss participation in the PANDORAArchive. The Archive preserves andprovides networked access to theonline documentary heritage ofAustralia. The State Library formallybecame a PANDORA partner inAugust 2001. While Brian Stewart, theTeam Leader for Battye Published

Brian StewartTeam Leader, Battye Published Collections

State Library of Western Australia

Collections, was the project leader forthe development of a discussionpaper on the collecting of electronicpublications in early 2000, the newpartnership was the catalyst for thedevelopment of a formal selectionpolicy for the development of acollection of online electronicpublications. The Library Boardapproved the selection policy inOctober 2002.

While work on developing policy wasunderway, staff in the Battye Librarywere busy training and beginning thetime-consuming process to obtainpermissions and archive electronicpublications and websites through thePANDORA Archive maintained by theNational Library of Australia. GlendaOakley has been the PANDORA co-ordinator and she has taken on thechallenge of building the WA electroniccollections with enthusiasm. This hasinvolved a great deal of consultationwith our National Library partners,particularly over technical issues. The

support of the National Library staff hasbeen very much appreciated. And theresponse of Western Australianauthors and website administrators toGlenda’s requests to archive theirpublications or sites have been veryenthusiastic. Here are some of thecomments received:

• Wow!! That’s fantastic!

• I went in expecting links to mynovels and found all those otherreferences. Amazing how theyhave been cross-referenced.

• Thank you very much forproviding such a professionalresource. I feel very special!

• Best wishes to you and yourlibrary team. Please pass on mythanks to all involved.

• My comment is “I’m totallychuffed. Looks great on bothsites.” I commenced the site toprovide primary source materialfor art students and maybe, justmaybe, write a form of arthistory. Thanks to you, SLWAand NLA and PANDORA, I’vedone just that!

Already a variety of Western Australianpublications, ranging from websites forthe 2001 State election through avariety of government publications toart sites, are available on thePANDORA site. To see these, connectto the State Library of WesternAustralia’s catalogue at http://www.liswa.wa.gov.au/ and do akeyword search on ‘Pandora ElectronicCollection Western Australia’. To seeall the catalogued titles do a title searchon ‘Pandora Electronic Collection’.

The full PANDORA archive is availableon the PANDORA archive site at http://pandora.nla.gov.au/index.html. Andwhile you are there take a look at someof the wonderful resources which areavailable, such as the Sydney 2000Olympic Games, Centenary ofFederation and many others.

LEFT: The PANDORA homepage.

BELOW: Librarian GlendaOakley, Battye Library’sPANDORA co-ordinator, iscurrently building theWestern Australiancontribution to the website.

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a b o u t b o o k sb a t t y e

��� �������������Christine HalseErnest Gribble’s l i fe teemed with tr ials andcontradictions. Once described as the first ‘successful’missionary to the Aboriginals, Gribble would die inobscurity, mourned only by those he had spent his lifetrying to protect. Christine Halse’s biography revealsthe humanity of this complex, tragic figure - a man whoselife echoes the tensions that haunt Australia’s past.�������������������������������� �

���������������Cyril AyrisThis is the story of Flying Officer Stan Watt and some ofhis fellow brave WWII pilots who pressed attack afterattack through the heaviest anti-aircraft fire the Germanscould muster. It is also the story of their remarkableaeroplane, the Kittyhawk, which made the transition fromfighter to dive bomber with outstanding success.���������������������������������� �

���������������������� ���� ��� � � ��������!���compiled by Marolyn HamiltonTwenty gold sovereigns were stolen from Charlie Harrisduring his voyage from England and he arrived with littlemoney at Fremantle in 1891, aged 23. Unable to findwork at his trade of baker and confectioner, he walkedfrom Perth to Albany, almost dying of thirst on the way. �����!"����#��$��������������� �

����"���"!������# �!��$Julie TuckeyThe story of two children growing up on a cattle stationin the Hamersley Range of Western Australia and whoare of mixed blood. The boy, Toby, has problems comingto terms with his Aboriginality, and as they seek onejourney after another into the Aboriginal dreamtimestories, Toby is able to find and accept who he is.%�&����'����(��)�������� �

�� ������%��$������$��$� �&���������!�����'�����Suellen MurrayWomen’s refuges in the 1970s did more than just providecrisis accommodation; they worked to politicise domesticviolence. Politicians and bureaucrats began to takenotice from the 1980s and, over time, service responsesimproved. The author uses Nardine Women’s Refuge inWestern Australia as a case study.������������*����!��������&���&������� �

���$� �������������������Margaret E. PuseyThis book is the first release of memories collected fromthe people who were Niagara and Kookynie, WesternAustralia. It is a journey into the home life, school days,tragedies, plagues and mining accidents. A compilationof photographs, mining details, humorous and sad talesensure it will become a treasure for Goldfields families.���*�+"����#�&��,��)���������� �

���� ���������� �Rod DicksonIn 22 individual stories, mostly unpublished, RodDickson has attempted to portray the hardshipsencountered by the thousands of men who wereengaged in the pearling industry during the early partof the 1900s in the north-west of Western Australia.-��+������!�������������������� �

��!&�� �������� ������ ����Bindy DatsonSamphires are an easily overlooked and much malignedsucculent plant, often found growing in inhospitableplaces such as saline wetlands and tidal estuaries. Thisnew field guide to Chenopodiaceae tribe salicornieaedescribes each species in simple terms and with theaid of simple keys.�+�� ������ �* � ������������� ��&� .��&����$������������ �

��%���������'����Harry AtkinsonBorn legally blind, Harry Atkinson was first licensed asa radio amateur in 1937 and was an active ham untilhis death in 2001. He began as a roving reporter for theWireless News before embarking on a career in countrybroadcasting. This is his story.���"&�������(�) ���������(�*++*

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