In Aeternum, July 2009 Download PDF - Queen's College ...

News from the Library
Gone are the days when college
libraries were dry old places with
dusty archaic books. Nowadays
the ability to fi nd up-to-date relevant
information is an essential requirement of
all tertiary courses. Our own library has
evolved to become the hub for fi nding
information in many varied formats. The
place is alive with activity, and students
fi nd it an indispensible tool for their
studies, on a daily basis.
It is used to search for resources and
information to take back to their room;
to fi nd a place for personal study away
from the distractions of their room;
to print lecture notes prior to going to
lectures; and/or to meet for group study
in the discussion room. It is also used
to remotely access their university’s
The Library at Queen’s College
is the privileged custodian of an
internationally signifi cant collection
of over 1200 rare and unique books dating
from 1495 to the 19th century. Thanks to
the generosity of past and present donors,
an ongoing conservation programme is
in place to provide specialist treatment
and repair of items assessed as being
chemically and physically unstable.
Due to the very high cost of specialist
conservation, only a small number of
items, selected according to their rarity
and value, are treated each year. The
books to be conserved in 2009 include:
Meditations and vowes divine and morall
by Joseph Hall 1624, CVIII lectures upon
the fourth of John : preached at Ashby-
delazouch in Leicester-shire e by Arthur
Hildersam 1647, and An essay towards a
real character and a philosophical language
by John Wilkins 1668.
Dr Jenny Bars, Archivist
electronic resources for current journal
articles; to ask reference questions, or
simply to pick up a fi ction book or DVD for
relaxation. After dinner the atmosphere in
the library changes as students sit down
for lengthier periods of study, and the
existing spirit of camaraderie is permeated
with respect for each other’s study.
Our library purchases required texts and
gives a semester loan period so that all
students have access to coursework
books for the duration of their course,
and do not have to engage in the fi erce
competition for resources at the university
libraries. We hear so many grateful
comments on the positive contribution it
makes to both their education and their
fi nances. Students share these books
with other Queeners in their class. These
Sugden Heritage Collections Conservation Update
A selection of books showing common damage:
abraded and decomposing leather, detached
and damaged boards, detached and damaged
spines, damaged sewing structures and dirt.
A new acquisition to the
Wyvern Collection
Dr Greg de Moore. Tom Wills: his spectacular
rise and tragic fall. Allen & Unwin, 2008.
This is an immensely readable biography of an
early Australian sporting star. Tom Wills, cricketer
extraordinaire and co-founding father of Aussie
Rules football, deserves the rank of ‘national
treasure’ even though the colonial cultural values and
circumstances of his untimely death denied him the
sharing relationships build opportunities
for coursework discussion, as well as
enhance relationships and foster a spirit
of cooperation. The library also supplies
auxiliary books that complement their
essay topics, and we regularly hear
statements such as: “This is exactly what
I need!”, and “I have looked everywhere
for this book and was even prepared to
travel to Clayton (Monash library) to fi nd
it, and now I fi nd it right here in my home
library! I am going to check the Queen’s
library fi rst, from now on”.
Our staff are committed to the academic
success of our students and we
endeavour to convey that commitment in
all our interactions with them.
Robin McComiskey, Librarian
Title page of Mysterium magnum,or An
exposition of the first book of Moses called
Genesis by Jacob Behm, 1654, showing
tears, dirt staining, foxing and acid burn.
title in his day. The very honest portrayal of his secret
personal life and disposition is juxtaposed against his
outward display of hard and insubordinate living. All
at once, it is both tragic and yet makes sense. This
excellently-researched biography is top value in its
refl ection of an early sportsman’s contribution to the
Australian sports culture of today.
Greg de Moore studied medicine at Melbourne
University and was at Queen’s in 1976.
Robyn McComiskey, Librarian
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