The Children’s Book Council of Australia act branch

5. Preservation and Conservation

5.1 Ongoing Activity

During 2006, Belinda Gamlen and Shelley Blakely, who created the finding aid on Bob Graham’s artwork and papers in 2005, completed rehousing the collection and subsequent adjustment of the finding aid. The Bob Graham finding aid was mounted on the Lu Rees Archives web site in October 2006.

When smaller donations of papers and manuscripts are received in the Archives, wherever possible, we remove staples, self-stick notes, rubber bands and other damaging material. Belle Alderman is presently creating a guide for authors and illustrators to assist them in the care of their papers and manuscripts while these are in the creation phase. This will help ensure materials can be more easily preserved. We recognise creators do not have archives in mind while they are working. Still, simple measures may ensure the longevity of their creative efforts.

5.2 Omnibus Books Publishing Archive

Omnibus Books, well-known Australian children’s publisher established in 1982, donated its records to the Lu Rees Archives late in 2004 – over 80 boxes! We are very grateful that Omnibus Books and Scholastic Australia have donated this collection to the Lu Rees Archives as it provides an enormous insight into Australian publishing for children. Three workshops have been held so far to arrange, describe, and rehouse these materials.

In January 2006, the third workshop was held. There were 19 individuals attending including Jo Goodman and Graham Davey from Melbourne; Judith Russell and Lyn Linning from Brisbane; Kay Allport and Helen Thomas from Hobart; and from Canberra, Julie Long, Judy Harders, Belinda Gamlen, Gaynor Evans, Angela Wall, Dawn Shield, Sarah Cox, Pat Smith, Fleur Horan, Rosalie Richards, Jan Sismey, Val Irwin and Shelley Blakely.

When this project is finished and a finding aid to Omnibus Books publishing records put on the Lu Rees Archives web site, it will be a boon to anyone interested in Australian children’s literature. It is extraordinarily rare to experience the inside story of the creative process and it is a privilege to house and make this collection available for the future.

6 Marketing and promotion

6.1 May Gibbs Fellow

The May Gibbs Fellow for 2006 was Nadia Wheatley, who spent three weeks at the University between 6-24 March 2006. Prior to arriving, Nadia received a list of her books held in the Archives, so that she might assist with books missing from her works in the Archives. During her 15 hours at the University, she worked with creative writing and graphic design students who were creating picture books together. She also ‘chatted’ online with Masters students studying writing for children, plus talked with a range of other students in design, education and creative writing. Nadia also had a busy schedule in Canberra schools. She worked with young people at Canberra Church of England Girls Grammar, Ainslie Primary, St Thomas More Primary, Mackillop Catholic Secondary and St Clare’s Catholic Secondary. She also presented a workshop for the ACT Writers’ Centre for young people, dined with the local CBCA, and the local artists’ group, One Drawing a Month (ODAM).
The May Gibbs Fellowship at the University provides an ideal opportunity for the Lu Rees Archives to support teaching and learning and to demonstrate the value of the collection to both the University and the general community.

6.2 News items about the Archives

The Lu Rees Archives featured in this year’s first issue of Monitor, the journal of the University of Canberra. Belle Alderman was interviewed about the collection, its history and scope.
The Lu Rees Open Afternoon was also featured in The Canberra Times on Friday, 18^th August, and again on Tuesday, 22^nd August.

6.3 Web site review

As mentioned in last year’s report, the Lu Rees web site was changed to a Content Management System and launched at the 25^th Anniversary celebration in October 2005.
The web site underwent a further change this year, due to the University of Canberra’s new ‘branding’. All of the web sites which are accessed under the UC banner have been streamlined and made to look consistent with each other, and the new look of the University as a whole. The content and navigation remained the same.
Another big change is the methodology by which ‘hits’ on the web site are calculated. Under the older system, prior to October 2005, there was a counter on the bottom of the page to indicate the number of visits. The web site used to average 2,700 visits per year. Under the CMS, the number of visits appears to have increased dramatically, but it is because every single time the LRA pops up in answer to a search engine enquiry (and it could be in a list of dozens) and a user clicks onto a Lu Rees page, it counts as a visit, even though it might only be a second long.
So, even though it may look quite unbelievable, the Lu Rees web site has been accessed 30,431 times since it went live at the end of October 2005. This is a daily average of 87.94 ‘clicks’ on the site. The average length of the session is 3.4 seconds. We are investigating other information which might be available.

6.4 Open house 25 August 2006

The Archives held an open day on Friday 25 August 2006 to coincide with the ACT Writers’ Centre Literary Festival. For young people’s day, several children’s writers were speakers including: Maureen McCarthy, Scot Gardner, Prue Mason, Katie Taylor, and Hazel Edwards. These authors and local writer Anne Bell attended the opening where their work was displayed. Victor Crittenden welcomed guests and offered special insights into the Archives’ beginning as the foundation Librarian.
The Library provided two large display boards and several tables which facilitated an excellent display of material including the manuscript of Dog In, Cat Out by Gillian Rubinstein, correspondence between Doug MacLeod and the Omnibus publishers about Sister Madge’s Book of Nuns, original artwork by Steven Woolman, materials from the Walter McVitty Publishing Archive regarding his work with Margaret Early, artwork and manuscript material relating to The Hottest Boy in the World by Anna Fienberg and Kim Gamble, artwork from the Bob Graham collection, and foreign language editions for So Much to Tell You by John Marsden. We are grateful to Belinda Gamlen and Shelley Blakely, who created the display of Bob Graham’s material, and especially to the Library for offering the space and display materials, and to members of the Lu Rees Archives Management Committee and The Children’s Book Council, ACT Branch who assisted with setting up afternoon tea.
A Media Release was issued by the University’s Publicity Unit and news of the opening was published in The Canberra Times in the ‘Fridge Door’ and ‘LitBits’.