The Australian Women's Register

7 sound tape reels (ca. 417 min.) Pauline Fanning, former Director of Australian National Humanities Library, talks about her family background; childhood in Tasmania; education at Collegiate School from 1923-31 and the impact of the Depression on the family; her part-time University studies; leaving Hobart in 1936 and coming to the Parliamentary Library on a cadetship; her memories of working at Parliament House; coming to the Commonwealth National Library in 1937 and working at Kings Ave and the state of the Australian collections in 1936-37; the hostel and social life in Canberra during 1930s; marriage in 1941 and retirement from Library; her views on Kenneth Binns; Nan Kivell Collection and the administration of Harold White; returning to full-time work in 1950; her involvement with 1958 ed. Of “Australian Encyclopedia”; working at the Parkes Annexe; collection building and cooperation with other states and the origins of AACOBS. Fanning then shares her memories of Canberra life in 1950s; Keyes Metcalf’s visit and report on the Library; Maurice Tauber’s survey in 1961 of Australian library resources; involvement with acquisition of Palmer and Higgins collections and Hazel de Berg material; the impact of moving to the new building; her views on Harold White and C. A. Burmester; the role of Grenfell Price as 1st chairman of National Library Council; appointment of Allan Fleming as succesor to Sir Harold White; Library’s collecting of music and sound recordings; the administration of Dr Chandler from 1974 and the situation of the Film Collection; her 1978 visit to Teheran on an UNESCO sponsored meeting; her views on staff development and training; highlights of her career; the system established for aquiring personal papers for the Library and people who have made outstanding contributions to the development of the National Library.