Mrs Lu Rees with Dr D.F. Waterhouse, Chairman of Council, and Mr Victor Crittenden, College Librarian, at the presentation of the collection to the Canberra College of Advanced Education Library in 1980

Establishment

The Lu Rees Archives is an Australian children's literature research collection owned, financed, promoted and staffed by the Children's Book Council of Australia, ACT Branch (hereinafter CBC), with financial assistance from all Branches of the Children's Book Council and support in kind from the University Library. The personal collection of Lu Rees, the founding president of the ACT Branch, formed the nucleus of the collection in 1974.

Lu Rees

This wonderful lady is Lu Rees, who started the Archives. Her inspiration and dedication has helped develop the Lu Rees Archives into what it is today.

Lucy Frances Harvey Waugh was the daughter of James Harvey Waugh and Jeanette Waugh (nee Johnston). She married Wilfred Benjamin Rees in 1925, and they had three sons, John, Paul and Lauron.

Lu Rees was employed by Colonel J.L. Treloar from 1931, then by the War Memorial Board from 1938 until 1955. In that year she was appointed Manager of the Canberra Branch of  F.W. Cheshire, the bookseller and publisher, a position she kept until her retirement in 1968.

From 1950-1975 Lu Rees was the Secretary of the Canberra Fellowship of Australian Writers, and was a Life Member of the Fellowship. During her time as Secretary she initiated the publication of Australian Writers, Australian Signpost and Span, and later assisted with Australian Voices. In 1957 she became the first President of the ACT Branch of the Children's Book Council, and later a Life Member of the Council. She was the author of its history, The Children's Book Council of Canberra, and of various lists of Australian children's books.

Lu Rees was awarded the M.B.E in 1964 for her services to literature, and created a Member of the Order of Australia (A.M.) for services to Australian children's literature in January 1983. In February 1983 was posthumously awarded the Dromkeen Medal for services to children's literature. Mrs Rees died on January 23, 1983.

Purpose

The Lu Rees Archives 'aims to provide resources for the study and research of Australian authors and illustrators, including both the literature and the historical and cultural context in which it was created' (Lu Rees Archives Management Committee, 1987).

Management

After some years of being housed in Lu Rees' home and that of another CBC member, the collection was deposited in the then Canberra College of Advanced Education Library in 1980 and at that time named after its founder. Recognising the need to manage the collection, the Archives formed a Committee in 1983 which met regularly to discuss the Archives development. In 1990, the Committee formally published its terms of reference for the management of the Archives, as detailed in Lu Rees Archives Management Committee Terms of Reference. The Committee meets six times annually, with membership drawn from academic staff of the Education and Communication Faculties; individuals from the National Library of Australia, the ACT Library Service, the Children's Book Council, ACT Branch, the Canberra Institute of Technology, the National Archivist of the CBC, the University Library; and a community representative and archivist.

Although the Archives has been housed, organised and supported by the University of Canberra Library since its deposit in 1980, it was not until 1991 that a formal Agreement on the terms of this arrangement was signed after a long period of accepted ownership by the CBC and housing and servicing by the Library (Clayton 1991).

The Agreement sets out management responsibilities, access, security and aspects relating to termination and dissolution. In addition, there are detailed policy documents which guide collection development and management, conservation and preservation, inquiries and access, and future priorities and developments.

Over the years, expert advice has been available to the Archives from the National Library of Australia, the Library at the University of Canberra, and more recently from the National Centre for Cultural Heritage Science Studies, also at the University.

The Collection

The Lu Rees Archives houses over 15,000 books including rare items, a unique collection of some 1,200 foreign language editions, 500 manuscripts, school magazines (dating back to 1916), theses, prepublication materials, and artwork. The collection has been largely built by donations, in the first instance by publishers who, since 1981, have donated the majority of their children's books published; and in the second instance by private donations from authors, illustrators, individuals and organisations.

Most valuable and unique in Australia are the over 300 (in 2005) files of materials on authors, illustrators, publishers and critics which contain, depending on the individual file, published material such as reviews and articles, as well as a range of items such as background research documents, contracts, correspondence, audio recordings, and photographs plus the usual biographical, bibliographical material and finding aids.

A donation in 1992 by critic and publisher Walter McVitty enhanced the collection by some 1,500 titles, significantly strengthening holdings in the 1950s and 1960s, and filling gaps in the nearly complete holdings of works by major Australian authors and illustrators. Another 1,500 titles which were part of this donation were given to the University Library's Children's Literature collection as they were duplicated by items already held by the Archives.

The special strength of the Archives is that all this related material has been gathered together in one readily accessible place for students, the research and general community. This broad and in-depth collection provides a particularly rich and comprehensive overview of Australian children's literature, its creation and publishing endeavour.

Complementing the Lu Rees Archives and previously located at the University Library is the National Archives of the Children's Book Council of Australia, an organisation begun in 1945 with an estimated current membership of some 3,500 individuals and corporate bodies. This Archives contains a valuable historical record of the development of Australian children's literature over 50 years. Together, the two related Archives offer a unique, in-depth resource. This Archives is separately supervised by the National Children's Book Council's National Archivist, and is housed in the National Library of Australia. The remainder of this document refers only to the Lu Rees Archives.

Access and Users

Personal access to the Lu Rees Archives is restricted to CBC members, internal and external researchers who work under supervision, appropriate University of Canberra Library staff and other authorised individuals, a list of whom is kept at the Library Information and Loans Desk.

Material is generally not for loan due to its unique, rare or research nature and the aim of the Archives to preserve the material. The use of some material is restricted due to donor stipulation. File material which is not copyright may be photocopied and provided on a cost recovery basis by the Administrative Assistant, through the Library's interlibrary loan procedures or through other arrangements made with the CBC.

The main users of the Archives are university students, CBC members and external researchers. Sample research queries external to the University reveal a wide variety of research needs.

Authors and illustrators use it as a safe repository for their body of work, unique and rare items; and publishers use it for archival, promotional, and research purposes. Overseas visitors with a special interest in children's literature come to see it and undertake research there. A Visitor's Book records responses to the Archives. Some of the material is used for exhibitions which are held under secure conditions, usually in association with the CBC's annual children's literature seminar but also local, interstate and international exhibitions have included the Archives' resources.

The entire book collection has been added to Kinetica, the National Bibliographic Database. The files on authors, illustrators, publishers and critics were originally mounted in an abbreviated form in 1989 on the national online database, Australian Schools Catalogue Information Service (ASCIS) available to the 6,000 school across Australia. As a by-product of this database, a hard copy publication, Lu Rees Archives of Australian Children's Literature: A Guide to the Collections, has served as a valuable source of information and finding aid to the collection for libraries around the world. This Guide and the database provide a strong foundation for literary, artistic and subject access to the authors' and illustrators' work, awards received and foreign language editions.

When ASCIS, renamed SCIS, announced its intention in 1992 to discontinue all databases except for the cataloguing database, the Lu Rees Archives researched other suitable hosts for the files. In 1993, the Lu Rees Archives was invited to join the national OZLINE bibliographic network of databases established by the National Library of Australia in 1987. OZLINE has a wide range of Australian bibliographical and directory data in the disciplines of the Social Sciences and Humanities.

In 1999 the collection of manuscripts and papers housed in the Archives were added to RAAM (Register of Australian Archives and Manuscripts), and this is updated annually.

The same year the Archives became part of the Australian Literature Electronic Gateway, or as it is currently known, AustLit. AustLit is a huge database of Australian literature, and it indexes books, journals, poetry, awards, and collections information on authors, illustrators, publishers, editors and literary critics. Approximately 15,000 records from our author and illustrator files were loaded on to AustLit, as well as the catalogue records of our books. We are still a partner in this collaboration, and continue to index books and journals.

Promotion and Publicity

The Lu Rees Archives Management Committee has instituted several initiatives to promote the Archives' strengths and services. An annual journal, The Lu Rees Archives Notes, Books and Authors, has been produced since 1981, and an Editorial Policy guides its direction. Through the journal, authors, illustrators, publishers and others in the children's literature field provide valuable insight into literary and artistic style, technique and media, document various research studies and highlight the Archives' development.

The Archives has given support to a number of national and international exhibitions in such countries as Italy, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Several seminal publications such as Australian Children's Books: A Bibliography (1992) in two volumes covering the years 1774-1988, A Guide to Australian Children's Literature (1992), and Australian Children's Fiction: The Subject Guide (1993) have all acknowledged their significant assistance from the Lu Rees Archives.

The Archives is featured at the CBC's annual writing and illustrating for children conferences. These usually attract 200 people from within several hours' drive from Canberra. The conferences acquaint authors, illustrators, publishers and individuals with the Archives' value and significance and invariably encourage donations and additional support of various kinds.

In addition to these annual conferences, the Archives has supported exhibitions, under secure conditions, of its unique foreign language editions, awards winners, and illustrators' artwork. The first major national exhibition of artwork from the Archives was in planning for more than a year.

The National Gallery of Australia exhibited 17 pieces of 'artwork in process', that is prepublication artwork, from the Archives along with artwork held in their own collection. (See National Gallery News September /October 1993). The exhibition entitled, Windows: Art for Children's Books , opened on 15 October, the eve of the 29th annual writing and illustrating for children conference held at the University of Canberra. The exhibition had the full support of the National Gallery's resources, and featured as part of their highly successful series of exhibitions for younger children and family groups. The exhibition ran through April 1994, and attracted thousands of visitors.

Support for the Archives 

Publishers, Creators and Commercial Support

Publishers, authors and illustrators have routinely donated materials to the Archives since 1981. With the Lu Rees Archives designated as a qualifying collection under the Cultural Gifts Scheme, it is anticipated that major donations, such as that by Walter McVitty, will continue. Presently, some 500-600 titles are added to the Archives annually; in addition, private donations of various materials are added each year.

For some years, a press clipping service provided at no charge Australia-wide newspaper coverage of published reviews and articles on Australian children's literature. While the amount of material varied each year, it is estimated that several hundred items were added annually. As it is an established practice that several books may be reviewed or discussed in a single article, the number of items added to individual files amounts to far more.

Student support

Students undertaking the course in Cultural Heritage Management at the University have completed conservation tasks relating to artwork in the Archives. In mid-1993 a student produced a useful Conservation Report which was considered by the Lu Rees Archives Management Committee, and where possible, action taken. Students in Librarianship have researched particular authors and illustrators and added material to files to assist research. Students in the units Resources for Young People and Management of Archives have also assisted in a voluntary capacity on a variety of projects, such as enhancing Author/Illustrator Files and creating finding aids for manuscript collections.

Financial Support of the Archives

The Children's Book Council, ACT Branch annually allocates approximately $1,500 towards the cost of updating the database, purchase of archival materials and books, and other items. However, to suggest that this small amount is the only financial support provided by the CBC would be misleading. Many hours of volunteer labour are provided by members of the CBC annually. The sorts of tasks performed are recorded in the Record of Volunteers. Examples of large commitments of volunteer expertise include the production of the Lu Rees Archives journal, and the approximately 350 items of correspondence relating to acknowledgment and solicitation of donations undertaken annually.

The Library at the University provides many resources in kind. The type of resources provided by the library include printing of stationery and brochures, purchase of conservation materials, storage materials, and, most importantly, the cataloguing of the resources, provision of space and storage for Archival materials.

In 1988, the Archives received a grant from the University of Canberra to research the parameters and produce the online database, and in 1992, the CBC was successful in its application for a grant from the 1993 Australian Government Arts and Special Events Grants Program towards the purchase of a computer for the Archives. The Library contributed $1,500 towards the purchase of this computer where matching funds were required.

Since 1995, all eight branches of the Children's Book Council of Australia have contributed a small percentage of their profit from the CBC Childrens Book Week merchandise towards part time staffing for the Archives. This has enabled staffing of the Archives for 14 hours per week for 10 months of the year.

Value of the Collection

Although no formal assessment of the monetary value of the Archives has been undertaken, the Lu Rees Archives Management Committee Subcommittee Report estimated the value of the collection in 1987 to be approximately $172,000. Since that time, the collection of books has almost doubled, other valuable materials such as artwork and manuscripts have been added, and the unique files have grown from 171 in 1989 to just over 300 in 2005. Many of the existing files have also grown dramatically.

The Walter McVitty donation of some 3,000 books was valued by two independent assessors at between $32,000 and $37,000 in 1992. The McVitty collection did not contain rare editions or foreign language editions. Given the present size of the Archives at some 14,000 titles including rare and foreign language titles, plus the wide range of manuscripts, artwork and other unpublished material, the collection could be modestly described as 'quite valuable'.

Recently, a letter written by A B Paterson claiming his authorship and explaining the origin of Waltzing Matilda was auctioned for $27,500. The Archives' holdings of this type of material are contemporary, but as time passes, the value of such material will increase.

The Lu Rees Archives: Recognition and Support

The Archives has established a record of support and achievement. There have been continuing donations over some 20 years by publishers, authors and illustrators. National databases have included the resources of the Lu Rees Archives thus recognising its national significance. Increasing requests from researchers indicate the Archives is serving a need obviously not otherwise being met. A number of researchers have acknowledged, in a number of seminal publications, the valuable resources of the Archives.

Organisations such as the National Library of Australia and the National Gallery of Australia have contributed to and made use of the resources, thus recognising its national value.

Several individuals have received national and international recognition for their efforts in relation to the Lu Rees Archives. The honours so received include an M.B.E., two Orders of Australia, two Dromkeen Medals and the Nan Chauncy Award.

The Library of the University of Canberra has for the last 25 years provided invaluable resource support in recognition of the value of the collection to the University staff and students. Grants from the University and external bodies have been received to create the online database of the files, and to purchase a computer.

The Lu Rees Archives has a growing national and international profile. Numerous visits from overseas dignitaries and researchers over the years have resulted in valuable international networks which have assisted in building the collection. The more widely known that the Archives becomes, the better it will be able to satisfy its aim that resources are accessible for all those interested in Australian children's literature and the historical and cultural context in which it was created. Most importantly, the Lu Rees Archives seeks to preserve a record of Australian children's literature for posterity.