Archive for August, 2010

Blowing our own trumpet : collecting contemporary music

Hello from the Music Unit! Our unit was created in 2008 after it was decided that the Library’s music collection would benefit from the creation of a dedicated cataloguing and acquisitions team. Until then maps and music had been acquired and catalogued by the same team. However, because of the particular challenges posed in developing, [...]

Confirming UFO “sightings”

A rather quirky reference enquiry received from far away Canada.    Q: Does your library have any record of a strange UFO incident which (reputedly) occurred on June 13, 1961 at Bethungra, N.S.W. in which a 25m-diameter disc became entangled in telephone wires at a railroad station? A: I have done some searching for information about [...]

SA newspapers filmed

The National Library and the State Library of South Australia have recently preserved two major South Australian newspapers – the Sunday Mail (1956-1977) and the Chronicle (1955-1975). Both of these newspapers have been microfilmed through the National Library’s cooperative newspaper microfilming program. The rich newspaper heritage of SA provides a unique window into Australian life. [...]

Koalas (Native bears) selling Australia – posters

Examines how posters are selected and acquired for the Library using a rare James Northfield poster of a koala on a travel poster to Australia.