Facebook icon Twitter icon Forward icon

Message from the CEO and State Librarian

This edition of the State Library’s Connect eNewsletter looks forward to Spring, and events and activities happening in the Library from September to November.

The Library's ongoing relationship with the AWESOME Festival means that there will be something to keep younger kids busy during the school holidays in September/October, and for school students sitting exams there is the dedicated WACE space available.

Make sure you catch one of the free monthly music performances and it's also the last few weeks to view the Dutch Journeys to the Western Edge exhibition, which closes on 25 September.

You might like to visit the combined new State Library and WA Museum Shop, where you can purchase some of the winning books in this year's Western Australian Premier's Book Awards, which will be announced in early October.

The State Library looks forward to welcoming you soon, either in person or online at www.slwa.wa.gov.au

Margaret Allen, CEO and State Librarian

New Bookcaffe Book Club at the State Library

The State Library is proud to host Westbook's new Bookcaffe book club.

The first guest is Western Australian author and blogger, Sarah Drummond.

Sarah will give a brief, free presentation about her first novel The Sound in the Discovery Lounge on the Ground Floor of the State Library at 5.30pm.

Sarah will then be interviewed by Westbook’s Adult Fiction Specialist Emily Paull at 6pm in the Geographe Room. Pre-purchased book and entry to the event at 6pm costs $27.99.

This inaugural event will be held on Thursday 15 September 2016, from 5.30-7.00pm.

Bookings: trybooking.com/mspq

Enquiries: 9361 4211.

Music Performances

Live @ the Library monthly lunchtime performances continue and the next to feature is the Kate Pass Kohesia Ensemble, who will merge jazz with eastern musical influences for an exceptional sonic hybrid not to be missed on Friday 23 September. On 21 October TRISK will marry instrumental grooves with high energy improvisation. The Kane Shaw Trio features three of the Western Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra’s finest emerging musicians on 18 November. All performances start at 1pm, and are presented at the State Library as part of the Western Australian New Music Archive (WANMA) project.

Exhibition: Dutch Journeys to the Western Edge

From Dirk Hartog’s landing at remote Cape Inscription in 1616 to our present migrant connections, Dutch Journeys to the Western Edge is an exhibition that draws stories from the collections in the State Library.

Items featured in the exhibition include coins from the Vergulde Draeck (Gilt Dragon), which was wrecked off Ledge Point in 1656, as well as a medal awarded to Laurence Bruce for his role in saving several wounded Dutchmen during the Japanese air raid on Broome in 1942. Mementoes from ‘The Coffee Pot’ café owned and operated in the 1950s and 60s by Dutch migrants Prada and Rob Van der Nagel are also on display.

This free exhibition is open during State Library opening hours, until 25 September 2016.

AWESOME partnership, AWESOME program

In June this year the partnership between AWESOME Arts and the State Library was shortlisted for an Institute of Public Administration Australia WA award for Best Practice in Collaboration Between Government and Non-Government Organisations. This ongoing partnership has gone from strength to strength.

In 2016 the State Library welcomes a new partner, Fremantle Press, with the exhibition "A Sausage Went for a Walk One Day" celebrating 40 years of this local publishing house. Original illustrations from the State Library collection, works on loan from illustrators and working sketches will be on display in the Ground Floor Gallery from 1 October to 31 December. There will also be a full program of story time sessions, workshops, theatre and films, all taking place at the State Library during the school holidays26 September to 7 October.

2016 Western Australian Premier's Book Awards

The Premier's Book Awards shortlist is out - find out if your favourite book from the last two years was on the list, or source your Spring reading here.

The nine category winners, the People's Choice Award sponsored by The West Australian and Premier’s Prize winner will be known by Tuesday 4 October. You can check the State Library's website for more information then, or to be kept up-to-date with the Premier's Book Awards, subscribe to receive information here.

Visit the new Discovery Zone on the Ground Floor

Visit the Western Australian Museum’s new Discovery Zone at the State Library to explore a fun space created especially for the young and curious. Touch and see objects from WA and around the world as you learn about dinosaur trackways, meteorites and our night sky. Reconstruct replica shipwreck artefacts and compare your body to an elephant’s – inside and out! Inspired by the WA Museum's popular Discovery Centre, the Discovery Zone is a unique space for families to enjoy a Western Australian Museum experience in the State Library.

Opens from Spring,10am-4pm daily, and entry is free (special program fees may apply).

State Library and WA Museum Shop

The new State Library and WA Museum Shop promotes excellence in Western Australian literature and publishing. Books available include award winning fiction, non-fiction and children’s books. Also available are unique gifts, greeting cards, postcards, calendars, stationery items and a variety of library and museum related merchandise. Visit the shop on the Ground Floor of the State Library.

Visit the new café at the State Library

Heyder & Shears will be the new operators of the café at the State Library. The new service will commence from Monday 12 September 2016. A coffee cart will operate for a short period in early September, when the café will be closed temporarily. The State Library welcomes Heyder & Shears and encourages visitors to enjoy breakfast, coffees, lunch or afternoon tea at the café.

In our Collection: The Piggott Brothers' Letters

Benjamin and James Piggott, two brothers from Buckinghamshire, arrived on the ship Trusty as pioneer settlers to Australind in 1844. The land was for the most part arid and barren. By the time the brothers arrived, the settlement was already doomed to failure. There are two letters written home to family in England, one from each of the brothers.

The letters give interesting and valuable insights into the day-to-day experiences of the settlers. Benjamin wrote, ’Sometimes there is not a pound of flour to be got here for love or money, but all are anxious by looking out to sea, awaiting the arrival of some Vessel’. James commented, ‘The Emu is a large thing, they scarcely know weather (sic) to call it a Bird or Animal’. It’s not all gloomy but they warn others not to join them because of the hardships.

The third letter, also written to family in England, is from their brother Joseph  in Canada. Joseph writes of hunting for furs, his determination to quit drinking whiskey, and he also enquires about his brothers in Western Australia.

The three letters are a window into challenging colonial immigrant experiences in the mid-nineteenth century and how these far-flung hardy pioneers maintained their connection with loved ones. Digital copies of the letters are available via the State Library’s catalogue.

Education Program Flourishes

The State Library’s Education Program has seen a 40% increase in participants in the 2015/16 financial year and a 91% increase since 2013/14. This includes school students taking part in one of its many interactive and highly engaging workshops, as well as significant upturn in the number of educators requesting professional development by the State Library's Education Program staff. The growth in numbers is a reflection of the relevance of the program to the Western Australian curriculum and the value teachers place on accessing authentic historical resources to support classroom learning.

Rio Tinto dig deep in their archives

Premier Colin Barnett recently accepted a donation of fifty significant, historic materials from Rio Tinto Iron Ore on behalf of the State Library of Western Australia. The donation of archival materials includes historic photographs, films, corporate reports, newsletters, oral histories, ephemera and books. It conveys a range of historic and scientific themes of local, state and national significance, including the history of the development of iron ore resources and communities in the Pilbara. The donation was gifted by Chris Salisbury, Chief Executive of Rio Tinto’s Iron Ore Group, at an event held on 26 August.

The donated materials will form part of the Mining and Energy WA archive. This is an initiative of the State Library of Western Australia which will build on existing collections; manage and digitise important records; and create opportunities to access the materials in a variety of formats. The Mining and Energy WA archive presents a unique and exciting opportunity for businesses and individuals to become involved. To make a contribution of materials, or for enquiries relating to sponsorships and donations, please contact the State Library on 9427 3111.

Public Holidays

The State Library will be closed on the following public holiday:

Monday 26 September 2016 for the Queen's Birthday.

Looking for somewhere quiet, convenient and packed full of past papers and study guides? Visit the 1st floor of the State Library, where resources and a group study area are available for you to use.