State Library of Tasmania

Riding a Tide of Local History

LauncestonLaunceston

Library’sLibrary’s

PublishingPublishing

ProgramProgram

1999-20081999-2008Presented by Peter Richardson

State Library of Tasmania

Riding a Tide of Local History

• Launceston – a small city at the junction of three Launceston – a small city at the junction of three rivers, a meeting place for the Palawa people for over rivers, a meeting place for the Palawa people for over 40,000 years, and the site of the third European 40,000 years, and the site of the third European settlement in Australia.settlement in Australia.

• It has had a library since 1842. It has had a library since 1842. • The present Library is part of the State Library of The present Library is part of the State Library of

Tasmania network of 46 libraries and 64 online access Tasmania network of 46 libraries and 64 online access centres.centres.

• It is also the custodian of an important collection of It is also the custodian of an important collection of the City’s documentary heritage.the City’s documentary heritage.

State Library of Tasmania

A Modest BeginningIn 1999 the library began to make that heritage more widely available, and understood, by starting a publishing program.Initially with limited funds - a $2000 loan - we focussed on prints, posters and calendars. Items with low production costs and good margins, drawing from rare and interesting items in the collection.

State Library of Tasmania

A Modest Beginning

Detail from Stephen Spurling’s

Panorama of Launceston (1881)

Detail from the Tamar Almanac of 1911

State Library of Tasmania

A Modest BeginningAt the same time we began to collect stories from the community – and publish them in a weekly newspaper series. The articles were written usually by local historians or members of the public with a story to tell of their memories of life on or by the water.

Over three hundred of these stories appeared, and were collected into three volumes and published, initially using the income from our publishing fund.

Each volume has topped the best-seller lists in Launceston’s bookshops. The first volume, continuously in print since October 2001, has sold over 3300 copies. The 87 contributing authors, whose ages ranged from 14 to 90, came from all parts of the Tamar region, from other Australian states and from as far afield as Italy, but all were united by their love of the region and a desire to share their memories and their knowledge of the Tamar’s past. For many it was the first time their work had appeared in print.

State Library of Tasmania

Outselling Harry Potter

State Library of Tasmania

Another kind of voyage

State Library of Tasmania

Voyages in a Caravan: the illustrated logs of Frank Styant Browne.In 2002 we edited and published a manuscript from our collection which was the “log” of voyages around northern Tasmania in a caravan – by an artist and a photographer in the 1890s – a sort of Tasmanian version of ‘Three men in a Boat’.

State Library of Tasmania

We all need FriendsFriends of the Library, Launceston,

Inc.

• Launceston Library and Friends of the Library, Launceston, have been working together since 1999 to increase our community’s knowledge, appreciation and enjoyment of the rich history and heritage of Launceston and the Tamar region through our publishing program that has involved the community in creating a permanent record of that rich history in words and images.

• Friends of the Library, Launceston, is an entirely voluntary organisation with 103 financial members. The Friends are members of the community working together to support and promote Launceston Library.

• They have helped with the editing, promotion and distribution of all of our publications, published a series of calendars, and – inspired by the community interest – they have also started their own series of small monographs on local history themes.

State Library of Tasmania

Moving on to the Web

www.launcestonfamilyalbum.org.au

State Library of Tasmania

• ‘It’s About Us 2006’ celebrated the city of Launceston’s past, present and future. One of the greatest of the city’s achievements that was highlighted in the year-long festival was the Tasmanian International Exhibition of 1891-92.

• The Library had an album of over 1100 portrait photographs of men, women and children who attended the Exhibition. These portraits had been taken by an official photographer, for use in season tickets – in effect ‘passports’ to the Exhibition.

• The project was conceived in 2004 with the aim of discovering information on as many of the people appearing in the album as possible by inviting members of the public, many of whom would be descendants of the passport holders, to search through family records and send in what they had found.

• A website was created into which this information could be entered, and all 1183 portraits were digitised to appear on web pages where members of the community could find photographs to help identify forebears. Up to January 2008, there have been 1,287,737 hits on this website, including 465169 hits in 2007. Over 70% of the portraits have been identified and have had information contributed about the subjects by users of the website.

• On the basis of this enquiry, weekly illustrated articles appeared in the Examiner from September 2005 to August 2007 giving 101 of the “stories behind the faces at the great expo of 1891.”

• These stories and their accompanying portraits have now been published in a archival volume, in a limited edition of forty copies as a lasting record of this cooperative endeavour and a tribute to the achievements of those who helped to develop the city of Launceston.

The Launceston Family Album Project

State Library of Tasmania

Chronology of Publications

• 1999 the Spurling Panorama of 1881 print. 2000 copies printed. Over 1500 sold.• 2000 the Tamar Almanac. 1000 printed. All sold• 2001: On The Tide; stories of the Tamar, ed. Peter Richardson. 3300 copies sold.• 2001: Tamar Reflections a set of six notelet cards. All sold.• 2001: 101 Important Tasmanian Books list, a Centenary of Federation project.• 2001: Our Visual Heritage a collection of mural photographs of Launceston,

produced for lease and public display.• 2002: Frank Styant Browne’s Voyages in a Caravan 100 Leather bound and 1200

paperback copies printed. 900 copies sold.• 2003: On the Tide 2; more stories of the Tamar, ed. Peter Richardson. 1900 copies

sold.• 2004: Tamar Calendar 2005. Featuring historical photographs of the region. All sold• 2005: ‘It’s About Us’ Calendar 2006. Featuring historical photographs of

Launceston. All sold• 2006: The Journals of Charlotte Cleveland, ed. Gill Morris, (Local History Series, No.

1). 400 copies printed 210 copies sold.• 2007: On the Tide 3; more stories of the Tamar, ed. Peter Richardson. 800

copies sold.• 2007: A Fortune may be made…, Launceston’s 19th Century Breweries, by

Jai Paterson (Local History Series, No. 2) 400 copies printed. 250 copies sold

• 2007: Launceston Family Album, a limited edition of 40 copies. All sold.

State Library of Tasmania

Being entrepreneurial is about making money…

The total revenue from the publishing program to date is in excess of $212,000.

Aggregate profit of the enterprise is above 36%.

The key to profitability for the library has been its ability to build capacity – through volunteers, contributors (authors) and partners.

State Library of Tasmania

But the real benefits have been…• Raised awareness of the library

and its collections• Stimulating interest in local

history and heritage• Building knowledge – a better

understanding of our region’s past

• Using the revenue to benefit users – equipment, furniture, plasma screens, data projectors, colour printers, refurbishment of the children’s library, conservation and storage of heritage collections.

• Development of partnerships – e, with the local newspaper, printer, photographer, council.

• Growing the collection – through donations from people – especially photographs.

• Expertise – our knowledge of publishing, printing and distribution – has become a community resource in itself.

State Library of Tasmania

Being EntrepreneurialHow to apply the model in your

library• Risk (Judgment) – is about

picking winning projects and building enthusiasm.

• Innovation – also means looking for opportunities.

• Adding Value – always capitalise on your assets – your collections and people.

• Growth – be willing to keep going and keep growing.

• Sustainability – knowing when to reinvest and when to take a dividend.