On Library and Information Week (May 17 – 25, 2020) it’s a good time to find out about NERAM’s own library. What is it; where is it; how does it grow; and what are its strengths?
The library consists of more than 4,000 items primarily relating to art in Australia. There are books, journals, and exhibition catalogues. The original core is approximately 800 volumes that Howard Hinton donated to the Armidale Teachers’ College library at the same time as he donated the art works that hung on the walls of the college. These works consist of some titles that are now rare and valuable, but they also showcase the type of books that were available to students of art in the 1930s and and 1940s.
The Library’s collection is located in a library on the main floor of NERAM, and a smaller separate collection relating to the Museum of Printing on the lower floor. All our holdings are listed in Trove, and you can also search our catalogue by heading to the NERAM website ( https://www.neram.com.au/visit/research-library/ ) From the main NERAM home page you can click on ‘Collections’ and choose ‘Research library’ from the drop down menu. Then click on the link to the library catalogue.
Most of the collection is made up from donations. In addition to Howard Hinton, other benefactors have included Robert Heather, former director of NERAM, Lou Klepac, director of Beagle Press, and we also acquire titles as part of our lending agreement with other galleries. In exchange for lending NERAM works, we ask that a copy of any publication produced to support an exhibition be provided to us.
Many of the titles listed have a cover image in the catalogue, as well as the usual publication information (date of publication, publisher, author, title and information about the subject discussed. Explore the catalogue directly, or via Trove, and discover some of our printed treasures.
The NERAM librarian is happy to answer your questions if you want assistance, and once social distancing has been loosened, she will put material aside to answer any queries you might have. You can contact the librarian, Sylvia Ransom at NERAM on Wednesdays, or by email any time: sylvialransom@gmail.com
Oh, and ‘research’ in the title means that you use the material within NERAM. You’ll find information that you won’t using Google. Have a go!
