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Friends’ bulletin board

  • Governor-General marks Library's 90th birthday
  • Public meeting critical of Library merger
  • Statement on Government plan to merge Library into DIA
  • The Future Turnbull - Chief Librarian's view
  • 2009 FoTL Research Grant
  • No Research Grant in 2010
  • National Library renovations
  • Membership renewals
  • Milton 400 Conference
  • Milton essay competition
  • Bequest to assist conservation work
  • Bequests and donations
  • Turnbull's classic yacht Rona purchased
  • Call for papers: Turnbull Library Record

Governor-General marks Library's 90th birthday

Libraries are fundamental pillars of a working democracy, as vital to its health and wellbeing as a free press, said the Governor-General, Sir Anand Satyanand, in his 2010 Founder Address to the Friends of the Turnbull at a special function marking the Turnbull Library's 90th anniversary. The birthday celebration was held in the Grand Hall of Parliament Buildings on Wednesday 16 June.

In a thoughtful and informed review of the Turnbull's role, Sir Annand noted that Alexander Turnbull did not quite know what lay ahead when he gifted his book collection as the nucleus of a New Zealand national collection, but he clearly had in mind that it should be a national institution available as a fundamental resource for research. The text of Sir Anand's address may be seen here on the Government House website.

Public meeting critical of Library merger plan

"This is a very bad idea". This comment by former Turnbull Library chief Librarian Margaret Calder pretty much summed up the views of speakers at a public meeting held at Turnbull House on 2 June to discuss the government plan to merge the National Library, of which the Turnbull is a part, along with Archives New Zealand, into the Department of Internal Affairs.

For further details of the meeting, (click here).

Statement on Government plan to merge Library into DIA

The Committee of the Friends of the Turnbull Library issued a public statement by its president, Rachel Underwood, in April 2010 expressing concerns regarding the government merger proposal.

Despite government assurances, there are concerns that this could detrimentally affect the future status and operation of the Library. To view the Committee's statement, as well as government statements and documents regarding the plan, (click here).

The Future Turnbull

The Alexander Turnbull Library's chief librarian, Chris Szekely, delivered the annual Friends of the Turnbull Library Founder Lecture to the Friends on 18 June 2009, discussing the challenges ahead for the Library and the giant steps already being taken to meet them. We have pleasure in presenting the full text of his lecture (click here) which poses and answers vital questions about how the Library will look in ten years time and beyond.

2009 FoTL Research Grant

A joint award of the Friends' research grant for 2010 has been made for two separate projects involving extensive research at the Alexander Turnbull Library.

Paul Meredith, of Wellington, is working on an account of the Maori King's visit to the United Kingdom in 1914, and Philip Simpson, of Takaka, is researching the history and uses of the iconic totara tree. The research grants are worth $10,000 each.

Paul Meredith, of Ngati Maniapoto lineage, is a speaker of te reo and has written extensively on Maori law and institutions. He has won a number of awards for his scholarship, including the Sir Peter Buck Memorial Prize and the Ngarimu VC Award.

Philip Simpson is the author of Pohutukawa and Ti Kouka, prizewinning books with comprehensive coverage of all aspects of these widely known native trees, from their growth and habitat to their significance in Maori lore and European settlement.

Previous recipients of the FOTL Research Grant have been:
Jennifer Shennan of Wellington (2008), for research towards a biography of Poul Gnatt;
Paul Diamond of Wellington (2007), for research towards his book, Makereti: Taking Maori to the World;
Dr Alex Bremner of Edinburgh (2006), for research towards a book on Anglican colonial architecture;
Emeritus Professor Tim Beaglehole of Wellington (2005), for a biography of his father, the historian J C Beaglehole;
Dr Philip Norman of Christchurch (2004), for a biography of Douglas Lilburn.

No Research Grant in 2010

No FoTL Research Grant will be offered in 2010, because access to the Turnbull's collections could be affected by the building renovation programme (see following item).

National Library renovations

As was announced during 2008, a major redevelopment of the National Library is scheduled to start shortly, which would affect the Turnbull Library and also the activities of the Friends of the Turnbull. The government has announced that this redevelopment is among projects now under review in order to trim expenditure, but in the meantime, the big move of collections out of the Molesworth St building is on track, with relocation plans to be announced soon. National Librarian Penny Carnaby advises that because of the size of the collections, several different locations are required, and access to the collections will change.

For more details of the planned redevelopment as shown on the National Library's site, click here.

Membership renewals

We invite members to be in early with membership renewal for 2009-10. Your membership is greatly valued and we thank you for your support. You can help us by paying in advance of the new financial year, which commences on 1 April 2009.

Please use the form mailed to you to supply an email address (if you have one). This will enable us to advise you of important news and developments such as changes of dates in our public programme. There were two such last-minute date changes last year, to our great regret.

As advised at the 2008 AGM of the Friends, there has recently been a small increase in membership fees. This chiefly reflects rising costs - particularly postage - that can no longer be absorbed. We seek your understanding and support for this decision, which was not taken lightly. It has been 10 years since the last increase.

Milton 400 Conference

A conference to mark the quatercentenary of John Milton's birth was held at the National Library on 5-6 December 2008, supported by the Turnbull Library. The conference had the title and theme Miltonic Origins/Miltonic Innovations: Milton's poetry and thought in New World societies and cultures.

The Turnbull Library has a special association with John Milton, as it contains one of the world's most notable collections of his works and of reference materials relevant to him.

Milton Essay Competition winner

An essay competition open to New Zealand secondary school students, organised by the Friends of the Turnbull Library to mark the 400th anniversary in 2008 of the birth of John Milton, was won by Alexander Simmonds of Devonport, Auckland, a student at Auckland International College. He was awarded the $1,500 prize for his essay entitled "John Milton: Why does he matter to teenagers today?", which may be viewed here.

Bequest to assist conservation work

The Friends have been successful in obtaining a grant of $10,000 from the National Library's Macklin Bequest to be used towards the restoration of several oil paintings in the Turnbull Library's collections.

The first painting to be restored is a portrait of Walter Turnbull - father of Alexander Turnbull - which was part of Alexander's own collection. Some 40 years after Alexander's death, the painting suffered water damage while stored in the attic of the old Turnbull House.

Bequests and Donations

Bequests and donations are very effective ways of supporting the Alexander Turnbull Library. The Library always welcomes bequests that may be of historical value, including books, documents, paintings, drawings, family papers and photographs. Financial bequests - made direct to the Alexander Turnbull Library Endowment Trust or to the Friends of the Turnbull Library - are used to support the Library's work of collecting, preserving, and improving the dissemination of knowledge of New Zealand's heritage.

The Friends of the Turnbull Library also seeks donations to assist in special projects. In 2006, members made generous contributions towards the cost of commissioning a bronze portrait of the late historian, Michael King, which was then presented to the Library. In 2007, donations were received to assist in the conservation of one of the oil paintings in the Drawings and Prints Collection.

In 2008 the Friends of the Turnbull Library was registered by the Charities Commission (registration number CC22660), confirming our eligibility to issue tax-deductible receipts for charitable donations.

Turnbull's classic yacht Rona purchased

The yacht Rona, built for Alexander Turnbull by Robert Logan in Auckland in 1892, has recently been purchased by a charitable trust set up by members of the sailing fraternity to ensure her continued maintenance and preservation in sailing condition as the centrepiece of a classic yacht fleet in Wellington. She was offered for sale in meticulously restored condition by her Nelson owner. Rona is still in top sailing condition and participated in an Auckland regatta in 2003.

Call for papers: Turnbull Library Record

The Turnbull Library Record is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal in the humanities, published annually by the Alexander Turnbull Library in association with the Friends of the Turnbull Library. Contributions that have not been previously published are welcomed and, before acceptance, will be evaluated by independent referees. For details of forthcoming issues and submission requirements, contact: The Editorial Board, Turnbull Library Record, PO Box 12 349, Wellington, New Zealand.

Friends of the Turnbull Library 2010