Stack stories: Retired rare books curators reflect

Join the Bibliographical Society of Australia and New Zealand (BSANZ) for their conference keynote talk with retired Australian and New Zealand rare books curators as they reflect on their careers. 

Behind the scenes, at libraries across Australia and New Zealand, are dedicated curators who research, develop and promote the collections of which they have custody. This panel brings together 4 eminent, retired rare books curators, who together have well over a century’s experience working with rare book collections. The focus of this discussion will be the stories that rare books can tell. Panellists will reflect on their experiences, share memories of books and collectors they met during their careers, and reveal their thoughts on the future of rare books. Don’t miss this opportunity – a must for book lovers. 

This is a free, public event. If you are interested in attending other BSANZ Conference sessions (options starting at $10), please visit https://bibliomaniabsanz.com/ 

This session will be introduced by the National Library of Australia’s Rare Books and Music Curator Dr. Susannah Helman. The panel will be facilitated by BSANZ President Simon Farley. 

The event is held in partnership with the annual Conference of the Bibliographical Society of Australia and New Zealand, which is being held at the National Library of Australia 4-5 December. For more information about the conference and to register, please visit: https://bibliomaniabsanz.com/ 

About the Panellists 

Des Cowley 

Des Cowley is former Principal Librarian at State Library Victoria, where he had more than 25-years' experience working with rare books. He is currently series editor of the Red Letter poetry chapbooks and publishes regularly on books and music for a range of journals. From 2005 until 2021, he co-curated State Library Victoria’s permanent exhibition World of the Book, and is co-author of The World of the Book, published by Melbourne University Press in 2007, and co-editor of Creating and Collecting: Artists' Books in Australia (2015). 

Margaret Dent 

Margaret Dent became Rare Books Librarian in the National Library of Australia in 1975. After her transfer to the position of Manager of the Humanities Unit in Information Services in 1992, she maintained her subject specialisation in overseas rare books. From 1999 until her retirement in 2008 she was one of the Library’s exhibition curators, and worked on a number of exhibitions, including Treasures from the World’s Great Libraries and its successor National Treasures from Australia’s Great Libraries. She was also involved in the early selection of material for display in the Library’s Treasures Gallery.   

Donald Kerr

Donald Kerr is currently Heritage Collection Librarian at Dunedin Public Library, Dunedin. Previous to this position, he was Special Collections Librarian at the University of Otago. Since 2003, he has edited Enduring Legacy: Charles Brasch, Patron, Poet & Collector (2003), written on Sir George Grey (Amassing Treasures for All Times: Sir George Grey, Colonial Bookman and Collector (2006), Esmond de Beer (The Book Collector (2007), Dr T.M. Hocken in Hocken Prince of Collectors (2015), and more recently on W.A. Shoults in Awakening a Curate’s Library: The Rev. William Arderne Shoults (1839–1887): His Life, His Book Collection, and His Legacy (2022). To break the collecting mould, he has also written The Smell of Powder: A History of Duelling in New Zealand (Random House, 2006). His current project is focussed on book collector Robert McNab (1864-1917). 

Ian Morrison

Ian Morrison retired after 19 years at Libraries Tasmania, where he was Heritage Librarian and, more recently, head of Acquisitions and Collection Management. He also worked with rare book collections at the State Library of Victoria and the University of Melbourne. He is a member of the Tasmanian working group for the Australian Dictionary of Biography. His publications include Australian Almanacs 1806-1930: A Bibliography (with Maureen Perkins and Tracey Caulfield) and contributions to the Oxford Companion to the Book and the History of the Book in Australia. 

Simon Farley

Simon Farley is the Fryer Librarian at the University of Queensland’s Fryer Library. After completing an honours degree in English Literature in 1995 at the University of Queensland he taught overseas before returning to Australia. His previous appointments have included archival and curatorial roles at the Queensland State Archives and the State Library of Queensland’s John Oxley Library where he was Curator of Military Collections. Simon is the President of the Bibliographical Society of Australia and New Zealand and editor of the Fryer Library’s journal Fryer Folios.

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