Volume 36 Nº 1 - March 2000
Editorial
Editor: Margaret Steinberger
Welcome to the first issue of Orana, with a fresh new format to usher in the new year, decade, century...whatever. It is a particular delight for me to be speaking to you as the newly appointed editor; I look forward to the coming two years with eagerness. Like you, I expect to be challenged, excited, angered, extended and entertained. I hope to see some debate developing through the pages of Orana-it can and should be the forum for some useful two-way communication.
One of the joys of working on such a project is the teamwork that evolves. It has been good talking to those writers and potential writers that I have already contacted. My special thanks however go to the advisory committee, from whom I have had a very warm welcome, great assistance and kindly tolerance of my period of initiation, all of which is much appreciated.
In thinking about the incomparable value of one's early experiences with books and libraries over the months since my appointment to this position, I have had cause to remember my own childhood and adolescence. On Boxing Day 1999 my sister's family and I took my aged father to a very familiar park in suburban Sydney for a picnic. As neither my sister nor myself have lived in Sydney since we started teaching, it is a place we have not caught up with very often in the intervening years.
Within this park is a small cottage, now used as some form of neighbourhood centre. In our childhood this cottage was the local library, not long after replaced by a big new one, itself since replaced twice. There we spent time on Friday evenings - in fact I would be prepared to say almost every Friday evening for the entire time I was a child and teenager. One of my parents would take time out each week to take us there to borrow books and magazines. There were many, many books at home, for my parents were avid readers, but still they saw it as important that we make this visit every week.
This library initially seemed enormous to me, but grew smaller as I grew older. It seemed to have thousands upon thousands of books and I embarked on a course of reading my way through the shelves that lined the walls. One of my greatest moments was when I gained special dispensation to read adult books, because it was recognised that I had read everything in the junior section. As a defining moment of life, that was right up there with being given special permission to play in the weekly tennis competition in the seniors as well as in the junior competition.
There I read The Norwegian Twins, Cheaper by the Dozen, Sense and Sensibility and How to Win Friends and Influence People. I explored with The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Lone Piners and Toad and Ratty. I devoured Popular Mechanics magazines and New Yorkers. I learned how to be a scout, to perfect my backhand smash, to ride a horse (still to this day unachieved), the etiquette of eating quail or addressing an earl or a baron, and how to dig myself out of an avalanche.
Mostly, I learned an obsession for books and libraries, which will endure for a lifetime. It is the gift from my parents that I most value, although it has made a poor woman of me.
In reading the articles and reviews in this current issue, I have had cause to identify a common thread. It is so simple that it sounds trite, but I know it is something that I lose sight of occasionally. It is passion, and that passion for books, for information and exploration of ideas and characters, and for sharing that with young people shines through these pages. The books and the libraries are bigger, brighter, shinier and broader in their range than in my childhood, but the passion of those sharing them will change children's lives just as permanently. I find it comforting that there are still some permanencies in life.
Margaret Hamilton gives us a glimpse of her life with books so far. You will find this an inspiring speech, although you will probably agree with me that it merely scratches the surface of a remarkable career - one knows there are a thousand stories and titbits just waiting to be told. Perhaps we can persuade Margaret to share even more in future issues.
Children's librarians and their libraries are the focus of Heather Fisher's revealing survey. The range of duties and activities undertaken by children's librarians may well surprise some readers, but the commitment that is so evident in the responses will be no surprise to anyone who has witnessed a storytime session, a workshop or an author visit, or scanned the range of titles on the shelves of their local library. Heather's article stresses the value of and need for close co-operation between the children's librarian in the public library and the school librarian. This is reflected in the necessity of knowledge of school curricula and assignment work, the continuing need for resource sharing, and also in the invigoration and renewal that can come from the camaraderie gained from working together in professional groups.
A timely inclusion is the article on SOCOG and Olympic resources for young people. The three writers introduce us to the range of material produced in the years leading up to the great event, and provide some interesting insights into how material on the Olympics will be preserved for future generations to use.
With John Foster's article, we are returned to the world of fiction. Science fiction is a genre that inspires lifelong devotees (or in some people, passionate indifference). John's survey of the field of Australian science fiction within years of great significance in the history of children's book publishing will trigger some memories, fill in some gaps, and, I hope, spark some debate.
The article section is rounded out by a transcription of a speech given in March to Sydney's Metropolitan Public Libraries Association by Patrick Jones, youth service co-ordinator at Houston Public Library. Since receiving this article, I have noticed that listservs have carried many references to the inspiring nature of his address. I am delighted that we have managed to share the inspiration with you so promptly.
For this issue Gary Gorman has provided a bumper crop of reviews. As ever, the writers represent a wide range of involvements with young people's reading and deal with a diverse collection of topics and approaches.
I trust that within these pages you will find much to engage your interest. If you feel strongly about an issue addressed here, or any other issue, let us know about it. Write an article or e-mail a comment. We want to hear from you.
