A passion for books and people: creating public library services for the City of Stirling and the state of Western Australia, 1958-1987.

by Cecil Florey. Perth, City of Stirling WA 2002 105pp ISBN 0 9598819 4 8

Available from City of Stirling Libraries Civic Place Stirling WA 6021 tel[phone] [e-mail]

Cost $15.00 plus $3.75 postage within Australia, $9.90 overseas

In 1953 English librarian F A (Ali) Sharr was appointed to head the new public library service in Western Australia, when Fremantle was the only rate supported public library in the state. Over the next two decades he encouraged a number of younger British librarians with reformist leanings to join him `where a brave new world of public libraries could be realised in virgin territory'--Cecil Horey being one of these trail blazers.

This volume documents the history both of the founding of the City of Stirling's library service and its connection with the WA Library Board. Florey pays tribute to the thousands of `passionate people' (librarians, local government officers, councillors and concerned citizens) whose collective efforts over 30 years made the dream come true. Every local authority in the state, large and small, now provides a true public library with access to the total resources of the whole state system.

Approaching his subject from both an autobiographical and local history perspective, Florey gives a chronological account of the gradual expansion of library services in the Perth Road Board district (later called Shire of Perth, then City of Stirling). He was brought out from England in 1958 to manage the `already built, just about to be opened' Scarborough Library. This new service was descended upon by the library hungry populace like `a swarm of locusts' and long lines to join and borrow were constant. Residents of neighbouring wards had to be excluded from membership and began to lobby for similar facilities in their areas. By January 1963 two more equally well used branches were established in this rapidly growing area of Greater Perth and later a large central library and HQ with direct access from a major shopping centre was opened at Karrinyup. Apart from proving to other Perth councils that ratepayers needed and would support a good library service, the City of Stirling pioneered electronic circulation systems in the state and the idea of locating public libraries in shopping centres.

There are separate chapters devoted to the development of each branch--documenting the torturous path to each `grand opening'. Supporters and detractors, successes and setbacks are described in detail, with special mention of community crusaders, some of whom became councillors solely to get a library in their ward. The Library Board, main provider of public library book stocks in WA, looms large in these chapters, but becomes the main player when the author, after 20 years at the City of Stirling, takes a management role with `the other side'.

Sharr developed a unique system to suit Western Australia's challenge of huge areas with small and scattered population--local government provided library premises and staff and the state Library Board provided book stock and professional expertise. It was an innovative and successful solution to ensure an adequate service to both city and country, but in the short term was unable to cope with the rapidity of growth in suburban Perth. The conflicts documented here, about size and speedy availability of book stocks for Stirling's new libraries, present the problem from the public librarian's perspective. Readers might need to refer to other accounts to get both sides of the story.

There are some entertaining passages regarding problems that occurred with a clash of personality, priority or methods of working. I hope that this text was passed by the lawyers, because it includes hard hitting evaluations of the personalities and peccadillos of some leading WA library and local government figures. However it does present a graphic picture of the inevitable `swings and roundabouts' culture that anyone passionate enough to pursue a particular service or amenity (whether in public or private institutions and at all levels of government) will encounter. The underlying theme behind this local history is that those in power make the final decisions `at the time'. Vision and passion cannot work without the support of those with influence or holding purse strings. Long term visionaries must learn to ride the waves of serendipity and may be lucky enough to see their dreams become reality, as did Cecil Florey.

This reviewer worked for a short time at both the WA State Music Library and Stirling's Osborne Park branch in the early 70s, married one of `Mr Sharr's young men' and spent ten years in country WA. I mad this book with great interest as, being on the periphery, I was able at the time to pick up only vague intimations and rumours of the personality clashes and departmental politics described in this volume.

The style is very readable although the flow of narrative is very disjointed. It was confusing to mad interesting anecdotes concerning a character or situation irrespective of month or year they occurred, then be expected to readjust as the narrative jumped back to the local history chronology which had been abandoned pages earlier. An index should have been provided to compensate for the undisciplined style and would certainly have been useful for me trying to find remembered passages when writing this review. Also a map or two could have assisted interstate and overseas readers to better understand and empathise with the author and his difficulties. A short bibliography is included and the reader is directed to other texts with more comprehensive listings.

Florey's book is a very idiosyncratic, very biased anecdotal account of turbulent and transformative years in public library provision in Western Australia and a welcome addition to the shelves of Australian library history.

Although the rambling style makes it difficult to see the wood for the trees, young librarians aspiring to be managers, could do worse than read this short, intensely personal, entertaining and somewhat salacious account of a library manager's life--`warts and all'. Among the detailed descriptions, statistics, lists of names and anecdotes are hidden some nuggets of wisdom and fundamental truths that will stand them in good stead in their chosen profession.

Judith Field
National committee member
Friends of Libraries Australia
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