The J S Battye Library (more properly known as the J. S. Battye Library of West Australian History) is an arm of the State Library of Western Australia. It stores much of the state's historical records and original publications including books, newspapers, periodicals, maps, and ephemera, as well as oral history tapes, photographs and artworks, films and video, and non-government records which are kept in the library's Private Archives collection. The Library provides a range of services, including reference, copying, and genealogical services, as well as consultancy and reader education.[1]

Founder

James Battye bust found in Alexander Library Building, Perth, Western Australia

The Library is named after Dr. James Sykes Battye, the first State Librarian, who began the collection in the early 1900s. It was established in December 1956.[2]

Librarians

Mollie Lukis and Margaret Medcalf were successors to Battye as Battye librarians, and their long service to the Library was an important part of the library's development.[3]

Location

The Battye Library is housed on the Level 3 of the State Library of Western Australia (formerly known as the Alexander Library Building). The public access can access rare and precious material from the Leah Jane Chen Reading Room. There is a help desk, microfiche readers, reference materials and computers.

The separate State Records Office of Western Australia houses the State and local government archives.

The current administrative structure of the State Library has removed mention of the name of the library from the library catalogue and now refers to it as 3rd Floor of the Alexander building, however it still has a web page.[4]

Friends

The Friends of Battye Library has been a significant support to the library during an era where staffing and funding have been reduced by government restrictions on funding.[5] The organisation has been instrumental in attracting external funding for a range of projects including publishing.[6]

Publications

At different stages in the library history, publications have been an important indicator of the library collection and its holdings.[7][8][9]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "The J S Battye Library of West Australian History". State Library of Western Australia: Dead Reckoning. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  2. ^ Medcalf, Margaret; J.S. Battye Library of West Australian History (1967), The Battye Library : two decades of development, retrieved 19 November 2012
  3. ^ Ives, Alan (1978), Archives in Western Australia : the Battye Library: M.F.F. Lukis and M. Medcalf: a bibliography, Pearce Press Processed Publications, ISBN 978-0-908410-28-6
  4. ^ "J.S. Battye Library of West Australian History". State Library of Western Australia. 23 February 2011. Archived from the original on 30 April 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  5. ^ Friends of Battye Library - history and description of the organisation in Newsletter: Friends of the Battye Library, No.49 (July 1991), p. 7-9.
  6. ^ Campbell, Heather; Friends of the Battye Library; State Library of Western Australia; Campbell, Heather; Friends of the Battye Library (2004), Katitjin : a guide to indigenous records in the Battye Library, Friends of Battye Library Inc, ISBN 978-0-9580986-1-8
  7. ^ Library Board of Western Australia; J. S. Battye Library of West Australian History (1981), Select bibliography of the natural history of the Kimberley Region of Western Australia, Library Board of Western Australia, ISBN 978-0-7244-6923-9
  8. ^ Hays, Leigh; Library Board of Western Australia; State Library of Western Australia (2002), Worth telling, worth keeping : a guide to the collections of the J. S. Battye Library of West Australian History, Library Board of Western Australia, ISBN 978-0-9581167-0-1
  9. ^ Howell, Steve (Stephen Edward); Library Board of Western Australia (1997), Dead reckoning : how to find your way through the genealogical jungle of Western Australia, Library Board of Western Australia, ISBN 978-0-7244-6979-6

References

Publications

External links

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