Art Emerson has discovered that being a professional information specialist in a foreign country is quite a remarkable feat, even when you have worked at the largest library in the world.
Mr. Emerson is the American counterpart to Martin Hargous, the Australian librarian who worked in the Main Reading Room last year (see LC Information Bulletin, March 21, 1995). He worked at the State Library of New South Wales on an exchange with Mr. Hargous from September 1993 until September 1994. Mr. Emerson, who traded jobs, apartments and schedules with Mr. Hargous, learned many new reference sources, and much about the area's people and culture.
The State Library of New South Wales is the oldest public library in Australia, founded in 1826. Within its massive walls are three separate library facilities with specific purposes. The Mitchell Library contains the Australian research collection with both books and realia: oil paintings, pamphlets and ephemera. It is based on a collection begun by David Scott Mitchell, one of Australia's first great collectors. The General Reference Library, where Mr. Emerson spent most of his time, is one of two public service components in a general-interest multiformat collection. The Dixson Library, based on the private collection of Sir William Dixson, contains books, manuscripts, maps, pictures, coins, medals and stamps.
The State Library of New South Wales offers the services of a state library and a large public library. Because there are no age restrictions, school-age children enjoy the same degree of access as adults. Much of the reference librarian's workday is spent at duty stations, divided between the reference desk, telephone assistance and family history.
At times, the reference librarian's work is hectic. "There's no sitting at that reference desk," Mr. Emerson commented. Other duties include CD-ROM maintenance, editing a General Reference Library newsletter, and planning seminars for family history researchers.
First-line supervisors work at the desk with staff in sessions of 1 1/2 hours each: 9-10:30 or 10:30-12 a.m. Mid- morning, librarians take a "tea" break. Two persons staff the desk in the evenings.
Coming to the Library of Congress in 1989, Mr. Emerson could be considered a relatively new employee. By Australian standards, however, he would be an old-timer. Most of his Sydney colleagues were recent certificate earners, often working at their first professional library positions.
Mr. Emerson said he was surprised to learn that most of the reference tools used in Australia originate in the United States. While the State Library invests heavily in electronic databases, the Australian librarians also use CD-ROMs produced in America. There is, however, a special Australian database called Austrom, which includes Australia-related databases on a wide range of topics.
Although most of his time was spent in the General Reference Library, Mr. Emerson noted, he received a thorough orientation to a few other Australian libraries. He spent a week working at the New South Wales Parliamentary Library, a library that is adjacent to the State Library, but administratively separate. In May and July 1994, he traveled to the capital, Canberra, to visit its three major libraries: the National Library of Australia, the Federal Parliamentary Library and the Australian National University Library. Librarians at the Federal Parliamentary Library were so interested in LC and its databases, that he made a second trip and trained staff to search the Library's online catalog, LOCIS, as a reference and cataloging tool.
Other activities included visiting the James Bennett Library Services and the Polynesian Bookshop, which serve as blanket order dealers for LC's Australasian collections. He also visited the National Library of New Zealand (twice) and the Wellington and Auckland City libraries.
Mr. Emerson was assigned a number of Australian inquiries to familiarize him with the culture. He remained busy throughout his tenure, completing almost 200 information requests while there. He was asked, for example, about "witchetty grubs," (an insect delicacy among Aborigines); he compiled a bibliography of books about Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith, one of Australia's famous aviators; he researched miners' strikes and responded to numerous statistical inquiries.
In addition to traditional library services, the State Library has instituted several fee-for-service businesses, including Conservation Access, which advises on preservation, holds workshops and demonstrates proper treatment of paper; Information Edge, an information business; a Room and Facility leasing service for meetings, conferences and functions; Technology Access, which provides computer and database training; and Document Delivery, a loan and photocopying service.
Mr. Emerson believes he benefited in several ways from his experience. It expanded his knowledge of Australian culture and gave him an opportunity to exchange ideas with Australian librarians. In addition, it assisted him greatly in his role as the Library of Congress's recommending officer for materials from Australia and New Zealand.
Said Mr. Emerson: "I basically decide which materials the Library of Congress will acquire from that part of the world." Now, he says, he's in a much better position to do that. "I think it was a terrific program."
