Friends’ bulletin board
- Research Grant awarded
- Friends of the Turnbull make submission onmerger proposal
- 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
- 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
Research Grant for 2012 awarded
Wellington researcher Charlotte Williams has been awarded the 2012 Friends
of the Turnbull Library Research Grant of $10,000 to assist in completing
her current project, A History of Relations between Maori and the National
Party 1936-1996.
"We are extremely pleased to contribute to this major aspect of New
Zealand's political history, which will be of considerable interest," said
Rachel Underwood, president of the Friends of the Turnbull Library.
"Charlotte will have access to some wonderful material in the rich and
diverse collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library."
The Friends of the Turnbull Library Research Grant is intended to emphasise
the distinctive contribution that a research and heritage library makes to public
knowledge. It celebrates the significant role of ongoing research and
publication based on the Alexander Turnbull Library collections and the
knowledge of the staff. It is funded from income derived from two generous
bequests, by David Bilbrough and Wesley (Bill) Secker.
Charlotte Williams is an independent researcher and public policy analyst
with degrees from Oxford University and Princeton. A former member of the
council of Lincoln University (1987-2005), she is the eighth recipient of
the FOTL Research Grant.
Previous grants have been awarded to Philip Norman for his biography of
Douglas Lilburn; Tim Beaglehole for a biography of the historian J C Beaglehole;
Alex Bremner to complete a study of colonial Anglican architecture; Paul
Diamond for his photo-biography of Makareti (Maggie Papakura); Jennifer Shennan
for her biography of dancer Poul Gnatt; Paul Meredith for a book based on
the journey to England of the Maori King Te Rata in 1914; and Philip Simpson
for his book Totara: Te Mahi a Rauru.
Friends' submission to Parliament on merger plan
Members of the committee of the Friends of the Turnbull Library
appeared before the Education and Science select committee of Parliament
recently to make a submission opposing the legislation aimed at merging
the National Library (including the Turnbull) into the Department of
Internal Affairs. The text of that submission may be viewed
here
on our page dealing with the merger proposal.
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.
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
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