aboriginal and torres strait islander material at the john oxley library: collection development and...

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander material at the john Oxley Library: collection development and access

The author briefly reviews policy initiatives aimed at clarifying questions of access to indigenous materials in the John Oxley Library at the State Library of Queensland.

Manuscript received November 1996

THE STATE LIBRARY OF QuEENSLAND's Queenslandiana Collection is housed within

the john Oxley Library. A significant component is material relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with a major role being to expand

these holdings and make them as widely available as possible. In the course of managing these collections, several issues emerge;

• Questions of access to material would seem to be best addressed by members of

the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander communities, ideally in consultation with library staff.

• In terms of collection development, judgements as to the suitability of material

selected for the collections should also be made by members of the appropriate Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community again in consultation with library

staff.

• Much of the material contained within these collections is of a sensitive nature. At times it may simply be inappropriate for a library manager, particularly one of non-indigenous background, to view or otherwise deal with such sensitive material.

From a management perspective these are difficult and complex issues. How can a

non-Indigenous librarian effectively assess requests to view, copy or otherwise deal with cultural material when it may be inappropriate for that librarian to even view the material in the first place?

NOVEMBER 1997 THE AUSTRALIAN LIBRARY JOURNAL

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander material at John Oxley Library

This paper will briefly describe actions taken by the State library of Queensland, as well as the policies and mechanisms put in place to address these questions to arrive at a more workable situation. The resultant structure and lines of communication should provide a valuable management tool which has so far proved effective in resolving some of these issues. The functions of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Resource Unit [AATSIRU] are attached as an appendix describing the Units activities in the context of the john Oxley Library

The State library has, for some time, been committed to providing wider access to library and information services including the information contained in these collections. There has been an expansion of representation and services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This includes the establishment of the AATSIRU within the john Oxley Library as well as a planned unit within a new Public libraries Division branch in Cairns. Although at the time of writing the Cairns expansion is delayed due to funding constraints, one of the existing conditions for public library grants to local authorities involved in the grants system, is that there be progress towards improving library services for all members of the community; including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other people with special needs.

The planning of these initiatives involved the communities which the library seeks to serve; it undenook lengthy and detailed discussion and consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups and individuals aimed at putting in place services both useful and appropriate to their needs; the john Oxley library'.s role in this process is to build relevant collections of historical material and to make them as widely available as possible, in panicular to the communities. The following factors bear on this process:

• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders [as opposed to non-indigenous people] are best-placed to judge what is culturally sensitive in regard to material or information concerning or illustrating themselves, their families, their communities or cultures. In the library context, this could be undenaken in consultation with library staff.

• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders are the appropriate individuals to deal with arrangement and description of material, in close consultation with the appropriate persons or communities, which concerns themselves, including indexing, transcribing or otherwise dealing with it and although this goal will take some little time to be achieved a stan should be made now.

These were complex issues to manage within the context of an historically oriented library and the State library in 1994 undenook a major research and consultation process identifying needs and recommending action in regard to factors affecting Indigenous peoples in using library services. As a consequence a number of initiatives were put in place:

• An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee to the Library Board of Queensland was set up. It was seen as imponant that representatives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities would be pan of this advisory committee and that it be chaired by a person with that background.

• The AATSIRU was established within john Oxley Library with the unit being staffed by people of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background. In order to expand what has been an effective initiative it is planned for a Far Nonh Queens-

THE AUSTRALIAN LIBRARY )OURNAL NOVEMBER 1997

'From a management perspective these are difficult and complex issues. How can a non· indigenous librarian effectively assess requests to view, copy or otherwise deal with cultural material when it may be inappropriate for that librarian to even view the material in the first place?'

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land representative to be located in Cairns, as part of an expanded Public Libraries Division, supported by the staff and resources of the John Oxley Library. This expansion, as mentioned previously, is delayed due to funding constraints.

• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples would be actively encouraged to seek employment, not only within the MTSIRU but throughout the State Library generally.

These initiatives have the aim of improving access to library resources as well as improving library services to Indigenous Queenslanders. They provide an effective tool for the management of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collections within the John Oxley Library especially in relation to the following questions:

• Who should appropriately view material?

•Who should decide how material can be used, copied or otherwise dealt with?

• Can a workable access policy be established?

• Who should decide on which material is relevant in terms of collection development?

How have these initiatives helped from a management perspective?

• Decisions regarding access to or use of material in the collections and which can not be dealt with in terms of the Library's usual policy guidelines can be referred to the MTSIRU staff for guidance or decision (the issue of drafting workable terms and conditions of access is briefly examined later in this paper).

• Issues unable to be dealt with in this way can be referred on by the staff of the MTSIRU to the actual community/s or family/s involved.

• Longer term issues or planning matters are able to be referred to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee for discussion and guidance.

• This framework enables links with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities to be established and strengthened.

• The question of access to culturally sensitive material by inappropriate persons is resolved. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff effectively assume this role and provide guidance to other staff on which material is appropriate to be viewed or otherwise dealt with by non-Indigenous staff.

Terms and conditions of access This is an important area in the management of any culturally sensitive collection; terms and conditions of access can vary from collection to collection and, as a general rule, can be drafted to suit specific circumstances or requirements. For instance, the access conditions applying for access to the Norman Tindale material, copies of which are held at the John Oxley Library are as follows:

• Persons wishing to obtain information relating to their own family are granted access provided they can demonstrate their relationship to those listed in the genealogies eg that they are a son or daughter, grandchild, and/or uncle or cousin.

• Persons making enquiries on behalf of another individual or family require a signed letter of authority from that individual or family outlining details of the research they wish that person to undertake.



• Persons wishing to undertake any other type of research are required to have letters of authority from the individual and/or families to which their research pertains.

Where the right to access is in doubt, the manager of the john Oxley Library reserves the right to seek further consultation with the individuals or families to which the genealogical information pertains or to refer the question to the South Australian Museum, a leading source of guidance in such matters.

However this policy was not considered entirely suitable for another significant collection within the library, the Margaret Lawrie Collection ofTorres Strait Islander material. Specific guidelines were needed to ensure that material from this collection would be used for the benefit of the Torres Strait Islander communities or people. This requirement was set by the donor of the collection and the access conditions were carefully drafted both in consultation with the donor as well as with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee. The conditions are as follow:

Access for purposes of private family research 1. A person of Torres Strait Islander descent or ancestry wishing to obtain informa

tion relating to their own family will be granted access to the collection provided they can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the library a blood relationship to a person or persons referred to in any material forming part of the collection.

2. A person making enquiries on behalf of another person or family of Torres Strait Islander descent or ancestry will be granted access to the collection provided they have a signed letter of authority from that other person or family outlining details of the research that they wish the person to undertake, which research must be for the benefit of that other person or family or Torres Strait Islander peoples generally.

Access for purposes other than private family research. 3. A person wishing to undertake any other type of research will only be granted

access to the collection if they have letters of authority from the person or family of Torres Strait Islander descent or ancestry to which their research relates, which research must for the benefit of that person or family, or Torres Strait Islander peoples generally.

Although referring to different collections, these two sets of terms and conditions of access have basic similarities of aim:

• to allow for access by Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples directly;

• to allow for access to specific information to be approved by the appropriate parties such as the family or tribal group to which or about which particular information refers;

• to allow for access to be granted by Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people or groups to third parties for specific purposes such as consultants employed by Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people or groups

Requests which fall outside these terms and conditions of access can then be dealt with in accordance with the library's usual access policies or by reference to the AATSIRU or the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee.

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Conclusion The State Library's aim has been to provide greater access to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collections within the john Oxley Library: The policies and mechanisms put in place have proved thus far to be effective and usage of the collections has doubled over the past eighteen months. In addition these initiatives have enabled the management of these collections to be undertaken more effectively than otherwise might have been the case.

References State Library of Queensland (1996), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employ

ment and career development: five-year plan.

State Library of Queensland (1996), Equal employment opportunity management plan, incorporating EEO annual report for period 1March1995 to 29 February 1996 and EEO forward plan for period 1March1995 to 28 February 1997.

State Library of Queensland (1994), Working party on library services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Report to the Library Board of Queensland on the provision of public library services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Queensland.

APPENDIX

john Oxley Library Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Resource Unit

Existing functions • indexing the NB Tindale genealogies

• providing assistance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to access and understand the unit's resource material

• undertaking awareness training for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the use of the unit's resources

• undertaking cultural awareness training

• indexing newspapers

Brian Randall previously worked in the private sector for many years, coming to the John Oxley Library as manuscripts librarian in early 1994. He is presently manager of the John Oxley Library.


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