Minister for the Arts, the Hon Peter Garrett MP, has announced the appointment of the Hon James Spigelman AC, Chief Justice of NSW, as Chair of the National Library of Australia Council. Chief Justice Spigelman is one of Australia’s eminent jurists with a strong interest in Australian arts and culture.

The Minister also announced the appointment of Ms Jane Hemstritch as a member of the Council. Ms Hemstritch is currently a non-executive director of the Commonwealth Bank, Tabcorp Holdings Ltd, Santos Ltd and the Global Foundation.

Chief Justice Spigelman will replace Sir James Gobbo AC CVO QC, who served for nine years as Chair of the National Library Council.

The Library has acquired a seminal atlas from Europe’s Golden Age of celestial cartography. The Atlas Coelestis, or Atlas of the Heavens, was drawn by the first British Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed, and produced in 1729.

James Cook is known to have had a copy of the atlas on board the Endeavour for use in the Transit of Venus and Southern Hemisphere explorations.

The new acquisition will complement the Library’s edition of the Uranometria by Johann Bayer, published in 1603 and the first star atlas to show Southern Hemisphere observations.

View images of The Atlas Coelestis.

Listen to the Library's Curator of Maps,
Dr Martin Woods, on ABC Radio.

The Library recently implemented a Trove User Forum to help users make contact with other Trove users and discuss
relevant issues. To post a message you will need to register as a Trove user.

Other new features recently added to Trove include:

• Lists - create your own list of items you find in Trove or on the web.
• Alerts - be alerted to newly digitised newspaper content.

Join the discussion on the Trove User Forum.

Men Who Make Their Own History: The Legacies of Bernard Smith and Rex Nan Kivell

Dr Sheridan Palmer discusses the contributions of and interconnections between cultural historian Bernard Smith and art collector Rex Nan Kivell.

Dr Palmer is currently writing the authorised biography of Bernard Smith.

Tuesday 27 July, 5.30 pm
Conference Room, free

If you missed award-winning writer Kate Jennings give the annual Ray Mathew lecture, you can listen to a full recording on our podcasts page.

The Library's podcasts feature highlights from our events program, including talks by Geraldine Brooks, Robert Dessaix, David Malouf and Professor Tim Flannery.

Listen to our podcasts.

Director-General Jan Fullerton last week opened the new Friends Lounge, which has been relocated to a larger and more spacious area on Level 4.

Featuring panoramic views of Lake Burley Griffin, 'quiet areas' and a dedicated eating space, the new Lounge is one of the many benefits Friends of the National Library enjoy.

Become a Friend of the Library.

This afternoon information session is for teachers who want to learn about the Library's new search engine, Trove.

Discover how this research tool can help both you and your students.

Tuesday 20 August, 4.15 - 5.30 pm
Training Rooms, free
Bookings: 02 6262 1271 or bookings@nla.gov.au

Join art historian Helen Ennis as she discusses her latest publication, Frank Hurley's Antarctica, about acclaimed Australian photographer Frank Hurley and his remarkable images of Antarctica.

Book signing and refreshments to follow.

Thursday 11 August, 4 pm
Conference Room, free
Bookings: 02 6262 1271 or bookings@nla.gov.au

Frank Hurley's Antarctica
By Helen Ennis

Frank Hurley is best known for his stunning Antarctic photographs. In this book, Helen Ennis discusses some of his most famous images and the conditions in which they were taken. Sprinkled throughout are images of typescripts from Hurley’s diaries written during both the Mawson and Shackleton expeditions.

RRP: $24.95

Available for purchase at our Online Bookshop.
 

Factiva

Factiva provides full text access to more than 25 000 of the world's leading news and business sources from 159 countries and in 22 languages. Content includes newspapers, magazines, newswires and company reports.

Registered readers can access Factiva via the eResources portal.

Register as a reader at the Library website.

Relief model of Snowy Mountains
hydro-electric development, 1949

This relief model celebrates the birth of Australia’s Snowy Mountains hydro-electric Scheme, one of the 20th century’s most complex civil engineering projects. The Scheme diverts and harvests water, generating electricity and irrigation water for southern Australia.

Work began with a bang on 17 October 1949 when the Governor-General William McKell set off the first dynamite blast at Adaminaby, New South Wales. In acknowledgement of his long support, he was presented with this silver-plated model, complete with internal lighting. Over the next 25 years, 16 dams, 7 power stations, a pumping station, 145 km of tunnels and 80 km of aqueducts were built by more than 100 000 workers from 30 countries.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the Treasures Gallery, please contact the Development Office on 02 6262 1770 or development@nla.gov.au.