Derek Fielding: a biographical sketch

Earle Gow

On his retirement from the University of Queensland in 1994, where he was the James Forsyth librarian (1965-1992) and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Academic Services (1992-1994), the University bestowed on Derek Fielding the distinction of University Librarian Emeritus of the university he had served for 30 years. In June 1996 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to the nation in higher education, libraries, the University of Queensland, and to the Australian Advisory Council on Bibliographical Services (AACOBS). In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Library Association of Australia, he was elected to the Fellowship of the Association in 1970, and in 1992 the Australian Library and Information Association awarded him the highest honour in the gift of his profession, the HCL Anderson Award. The editorial board of Australian Academic and Research Libraries (AARL) believes that it would be appropriate to recognise Derek Fielding's achievements by devoting a special issue of AARL to a collection of writings in honour of this eminent Australian librarian.

This Festschrift picks up some of the issues that received Fielding's unremitting commitment and attention, and which remain relevant today. Among these were his interest in university governance and the direction of higher education, intellectual property and copyright, library co-operation, civil liberties and freedom of information, and industrial relations in universities. A more rigorous examination and assessment of Fielding's contribution to these areas awaits a future biographer.

The early years
Fred Derek Osmond Fielding was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 14 August 1929, of English parents who had emigrated to Ireland after World War 1. The quest for a better life suffered a severe blow with the death of his mother when he was four and his father before he was eight. Fortunately, the Irish Freemasons took full responsibility for his welfare and provided for his education, first at the Masonic Boys School in Dublin and then at Trinity College, Dublin, from which he graduated in 1951. His childhood was hardly idyllic, but school holidays spent with his maternal grandmother in Sheffield maintained the link, even though it meant trips across the Irish Sea and through Britain experiencing the blitzkrieg.

Glimpses of those early years emerge from the Biskup interview for the Oral History Project[1] conducted by the National Library of Australia. His years at Trinity College Dublin had, understandably, a great influence on his development. The strict censorship laws of Ireland and the puritanical society which legislated against divorce and birth control collided with the strong influence and values Edmund Burke had passed on to Trinity College and its residents. Fielding attributes his resentment of censorship and the development of his ideas on civil liberties to those days at Trinity. His active involvement in the Trinity College Historical Society, which was a debating society founded by Burke, taught him a great deal about due process and civil liberties, and perhaps prepared him for the tribulations he would encounter in later years in Australia.

Discovering the library profession
Post-war Britain offered little by way of employment opportunities for a young graduate with aspirations to be a university lecturer in politics. A return to Sheffield in England and employment with the Sheffield City libraries marked the commencement of what was to become a distinguished career in librarianship.

Fielding believes that the grounding received from seven years in the frontline of a public library gave him a better appreciation of what some in the library profession regard as a genetic imprint for service, well in advance of the experience that would have been available in academic libraries in the UK at that time. But even so, an ambitious young man keen to advance his career, and disillusioned and frustrated by the impediments to advancement in a class-ridden society, he ventured to the University of Auckland in 1958 as deputy librarian with additional responsibilities for reference and lending services. His active role in Staff Association affairs and his enthusiasm for university life ensured that in a brief stay of three years he gained valuable experience, while leaving a lasting impression on those with whom he worked. His contributions to the local rugby union team, as a robust front row forward, must have altered local perceptions of the stereotype of the librarian.

But it was in Australia that the early promise, shown in Sheffield and Auckland, was realised fully. Appointed deputy university librarian at the University of Western Australia by the brilliant and irreverent Leonard Jolley in 1961, he found himself cast in the role of having, on occasion, to interpret the ideas of the gifted Jolley to both the university and the library and translate them into plans for action. Possibly unbeknown to him he rapidly assumed the mantle of mentor to a new generation of younger librarians who marvelled at his professionalism, energy, political astuteness and, above all, his loyalty. The University of Western Australia library had, in the two or three years prior to his arrival, virtually isolated itself from the professional community in Perth. Against the odds, and with a degree of risk, he was able to develop a measure of library co-operation that was to characterise his professional work in Australia. It might be argued that nowhere was his commitment to the observance of due process more needed and more obviously applied than in those five years in which he was the deputy librarian at the University of Western Australia. Leonard Jolley's bouts of ill-health required Fielding to represent the university library at the major professional forums and meetings, invariably held on the eastern edge of the continent. It was an opportunity not often available to deputy librarians. He rapidly made an impression and this, one would have to suspect, prompted him to look to the east for his future. With characteristic honesty and openness he catalogues the early disappointments of not being appointed to three Australian university librarian positions for which he had indicated an interest, before being invited to apply for and being appointed to the position of James Forsyth librarian at the University of Queensland, at the age of 35. His contribution to the development of the University of Queensland library is addressed separately by Janine Schmidt, the current university librarian.

The Commitment to Public Life
Fielding's contribution to the library profession in Australia has been considerable, much of which was accomplished through the work of library and related organisations with which he was actively associated. His resentment of censorship inevitably led him actively to pursue this through the Library Association of Australia's Freedom to Read Committee, which he chaired from 1969-74. Committee representation was drawn from all states and territories in Australia, with members undertaking a 'watchdog' role and responding promptly to incidents in their locale. The Association's Freedom to Read statement was put to good use, especially in Queensland in the 60s and 70s, where public and school libraries were frequently under threat.

There were times when he could not conceal his amazement at how passionately he and his colleagues could react to perceived acts of censorship and how much at odds this was with the public perception of a mild mannered profession.

Copyright and intellectual property rights issues consumed a great deal of Fielding's thinking. The issue is central to the profession of librarianship and to a civilised and informed society. There were occasions when Fielding wistfully expressed disappointment in not having read law at university but, if his grasp of the legal implications of copyright is any indication, he need have no regrets. Furthermore, his membership of the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Copyright Law Review Committee from 1983 to 1994 bears testimony to his expertise and fairmindedness which was widely recognised. Dennis Pearce addresses the issue of copyright law and libraries in his contribution to the Festschrift. Spencer Routh's bibliographical contribution to this Festschrift lists a selection of Fielding's writings on these issues.

It was during Fielding's term as president of the Queensland Council of Civil Liberties, from 1975-79, that basic civil rights and liberties were flagrantly breached by the Queensland Government of Bjelke-Petersen. Fielding's total commitment to due process would have been seriously challenged, even by those he was attempting to support and assist, in the hostility of the confrontations that took place on the streets of Brisbane when police excesses against citizens were committed under the guise of upholding law and order. His reputation for integrity remained intact throughout the periods of turmoil. Even prior to involvement with the Queensland Council of Civil Liberties, which he had help resuscitate from a moribund state in the early 1970s, Fielding was called upon to perform the role of mediator during the period when student unrest swept universities world-wide and when the protests against Australia's involvement in the Vietnam war saw students from the University of Queensland protest on campus and take to the streets. His role on campus was crucial in heading off the increasing animosity between staff and students of the university and the university administration. Alex Byrne deals with the issues of civil liberties, access to information and freedom of expression in his contribution to the Festschrift.

University governance and higher education
Fielding brought more to the university than his professional expertise and experience. His considerable political, interpersonal and management skills soon won him the confidence and respect of successive Vice-Chancellors, academic colleagues and senior administrators. He was elected president of the Academic Staff Association, served on the Senate of the University and, in 1981, chaired the Senate Committee's 'Review of Academic Organisation of the University' and steered the report and recommendations through the various fora of the university.

It is rare for librarians in universities to be entrusted with the carriage of matters of major university significance, beyond the fields of librarianship and information technology. He maintained a keen interest in the issues of university governance and the changes in higher education, particularly in the period of the Dawkins reforms. Don Aitken looks at some of these issues in his contribution to the Festschrift.

Fostering library co-operation
From the standpoint of the library profession in Australia, library co-operation and collaborative effort needed ongoing nurturing. The Library Association of Australia, the Australian Advisory Council on Bibliographical Services (AACOBS), the Committee of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) and the Australian Council of Library and Information Services (which subsumed both AACOBS and ALIC, and was established in 1988) had key roles to play. Derek Fielding was a significant player in all of these organisations, particularly AACOBS of which he was Chair of its National Standing Committee from 1984-1988, its successor ACLIS of which he was the interim president in 1988, and CAUL, which he chaired on several occasions.

Two groupings of libraries have played significant but differing roles in fostering library co-operation in Australia - the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL - previously named the Committee of Australian University Librarians) and the Australian Advisory Council on Bibliographical Services (AACOBS). CAUL is generally credited with being 'the oldest voluntary meeting of libraries in Australia with a continuing history',[2] with its first meeting taking place in Melbourne in 1928. Despite its initial sponsorship by the then Vice-Chancellors' Committee (now the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee), over the years the relationship between CAUL and the AVCC has been characterised by mutual suspicion and misunderstanding.

AACOBS was a more recent invention. Initially established in 1950, its membership was clearly prescribed by a Conference of the Commonwealth National Library and the State Libraries in 1965. AACOBS was often referred to 'as a parliament of libraries, taking a national view of libraries and library needs of the population and attempting to represent all kinds of libraries and information services'.[3] Fielding took a particular interest in the workings of these two bodies and critically examined their aims and objectives against their realistic capacity for success. The Vice-Chancellors are alleged to have been concerned that CAUL tended 'to act as a trade union type pressure group',4 and indeed there were occasions when comparative statistics of staffing and funding were used to support specific agendas run within individual universities. Generally these cut both ways. More recently there has been a considerable effort on the part of CAUL to develop a closer relationship with the AVCC hoping, it would appear, for a more sympathetic understanding of the issues confronting university libraries as a group and thereby improving their lot. Fielding had been sceptical of such strategies and was alarmed when a recommendation in a report on Library Provision in Higher Education Institutions [Ross Report] 'that the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee (AVCC) establish a Standing Committee on Libraries',[5] dominated in its composition by Vice-Chancellors and senior administrators nominated by the AVCC, was welcomed by the majority of CAUL members. Fielding was a strong believer that CAUL should be a confident and assertive body of university librarians working strenuously to improve university libraries. He saw in the 'Ross Report' recommendation the potential for uninformed interference which would ultimately hinder university librarians from carrying out their responsibilities.

In 1981 AACOBS, which for years had been regarded as the organisation best placed to provide Government with advice on libraries found itself sharing this role with the Australian Library and Information Council (ALIC). ALIC, established in 1981 with the aim of providing more formal links with government than AACOBS had, proved to be ineffective. The National Library of Australia, which had generously supported AACOBS in the past now also took over responsibility for supporting ALIC, thereby supporting two bodies with overlapping membership. It was almost inevitable that the situation needed reviewing and this was done in 1986/87. The two key figures in this were Warren Horton, then recently appointed as director-general of the National Library of Australia, and Derek Fielding, chair of the National Standing Committee of AACOBS.[6] As a result of the review AACOBS and ALIC were subsumed into a new peak organisation to represent all Australian libraries - the Australian Council of Libraries and Information Services (ACLIS). It was a fitting tribute to Fielding that he was invited to take on the position of interim president of ACLIS until the newly created ACLIS National Council could meet to elect its foundation president.

Library co-operation in the 21^st century
There have been significant changes in library co-operation and collaboration in Australia in recent years. State-based groupings have expanded their roles and activities considerably. CAUL has undergone a transformation over the past decade and has taken co-operative action to new levels. Its five year strategic plan is farsighted and is being implemented systematically. A more coherent national university library view is emerging. At a recent meeting, agreement was reached on the introduction of a national library borrowing scheme covering staff and students in all Australian universities; a national library store for lesser-used materials; and the development of an Australian Research Library Network, based on the use of portal technologies, in which 19 university libraries and the National Library of Australia are participating.

The achievements of CAUL, university libraries and university librarians in harnessing technological innovation, coping with the pressures of declining currency exchange rates and increasing costs, and responding to the ever changing needs of higher education, have been impressive. The positive actions by CAUL members in drawing attention to the need to secure the information infrastructure to support research in universities have placed libraries and the broad issue of scholarly communication on the national agenda. This has provided common ground for CAUL and the AVCC to work together to improve the information infrastructure crucial for university teaching and research needs.

On the broader library co-operation front, the demise of ACLIS and the subsuming of its role into the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) has yet to be fully assessed. ACLIS, and AACOBS before it, provided both a framework and a forum for cross-sectorial library co-operation and collaboration. The need for a 'parliament of libraries' is even more important now than it was before. Some argue that stronger and more active representative groupings, such as CAUL, CASL (the Council of Australian State Libraries) and other such organisations are more focussed and therefore likely to achieve more. Others believe that ALIA, if given the opportunity, encouragement and support, could fill this apparent void. This may be so, but it is incumbent upon ALIA to move swiftly to develop in this direction if it is to serve the nations libraries well.

The contributions that follow in this Festschrift indicate clearly that the issues that concerned Derek Fielding are of continuing importance today.

Notes
[1] P Biskup (interviewer) Recorded Interview with Derek Fielding Date of Interview 29 & 30 June 1996 Oral History Section National Library of Australia [2] D Fielding CAUL and AACOBS Australian Academic and Research Libraries Vol 10 no 1 1979 p 15 [3] Ibid [4] Ibid [5] National Board of Employment, Education and Training Library Provision in Higher Education Institutions Canberra AGPS 1990 [6] D Fielding & W Horton 'Proposal for establishment of a new consultative body, replacing both AACOBS and ALIC' AACOBS Newsletter Vol 7 no 3 1987 pp 11-20