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Date: 14 April 1989 - 14 Apr 1989

From: NZOHA Country Library Service Oral History Project

By: McArtney, Thelma, 1912-2002

Reference: OHInt-0058/10

Description: Thelma McArtney gives details about her family background, her father's employment history, including his time in charge of Larnach's Castle while it was a psychiatric institution, her mother's musical abilities, family health, her parents' religious and political beliefs, their attitudes to smoking and alcohol and their ideas on discipline. Recalls the importance of both reading and music in her early life, giving details of books read and of her piano lessons. Details her educational history, commenting on teachers, subjects, participation in sport and sex education. Comments on the effect of the Depression on her family. Gives details of her nursing training and employment and gives reasons why she chose to work in mental health area. Describes her marriage to Kenneth McArtney and gives details of his family background, attitude to reading, his health and death from cancer in 1950, his war years as a pianist in the camps in Alexandria (Egypt) and his career in the Education Board, in Napier, Wanganui and Wellington. Describes living with various members of her family in the South Island after her husband's death and how she became involved with the Patearoa Country Library Service library while she was there. Describes settling in Palmerston and taking over the local Country Library Service library. Details pay, collections, visit of first book van with Field Librarian Owen Simmance, living at the library, introducing children's books and loan system and comments on the run down state of the Palmerston library. Details becoming Librarian at the Ashburton Public Library in 1958, pay rates, working with the local Town Clerk, the state of the library when she arrived, getting a loan of Country Library Service books and two staff being sent by Jean Wright from Christchurch to assist in re-establishing the library. Describes her work to build up the library, the special loan collections from the National Library, new staff, raising the image of the library in the community, attending conferences, writing reports on the need for a new building and the visits from overseas libraries. Describes the building of the new library. Recalls doing the Library Certificate training, 1956-1959, talks about G T Alley and Jean Wright, the difference between National Library and other libraries and the importance of going to conferences. Details her move to Waimairi County Library in 1967, being responsible for setting up library service, staff appointments, building up the book stock, planning the new building, problems with associated libraries, readers and staff and the relationship with Country Library Service and National Library. Recalls withdrawal of Enid Blyton books and being responsible for book selection. Notes that she established the Redwood and the Fendalton library during this time. Describes working at the Canterbury University Engineering Library, 1971-1973. Talks about Courtney Shearer who was in charge of this library and discusses difficulties working in a library where she was not in charge and did not know the stock and subject matter. Describes her retirement and move back to Ashburton and reflects on her library career. Venue - Ashburton Interviewer(s) - Hugo Manson Venue - Mrs McArtney's home at Ashburton Accompanying material - Printed abstract contains photocopy of a New Zealand Woman's Weekly interview with Thelma McArtney about the Ashburton Public Library, dated 8 February 1965. Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-002040, OHC-002041, OHC-002042 Tape numbers - OHA CLS 2602, 2603, 2604, 2605, 2606, 2607 Quantity: 3 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 3 Hours Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete AB 305. Printed abstract contains a portrait photograph of Thelma McArtney dated July 1945; a photograph of Thelma McArtney and Russell Sutherland at the launching of book `Land of the Bog Cotton' at Ashburton Public Library in 1960; a photograph of the Ashburton Public Library staff including Thelma McArtney in 1966 and a photograph including Thelma McArtney dated 5 March 1988 taken at the marriage of Monica McKone to Roger McArtney. Search dates: 1912 - 1989

Date: 3 May 1989 - 03 May 1989

From: NZOHA Country Library Service Oral History Project

By: Miller, Jean Yvonne, 1930-2017

Reference: OHInt-0058/08

Description: Jean Yvonne Miller gives details of her family background, her parents' personalities and talks about being the only child of her father's second marriage. Discusses living through the Depression and moving to a State House. Describes her parents' positive attitude to education and reading. Notes her father's musical talents, becoming a compulsive reader, books she reads and joining the Canterbury Public Library at an early age. Recalls how the family read at the meal table. Discusses her parents' views on religion and politics, her own religious and political beliefs and her experiences of being punished as a child. Comments on her father's smoking. Details her educational history and her dislike of school and university. Describes her enjoyment of Library School in Wellington in 1952. Gives details of subjects, salary, board, the teachers, friends, fellow students and their subsequent career development and lives. Discusses how the library students were on a 3 year bond during which time they were discouraged from engagement and marriage. Recalls getting engaged and being summoned to talk to G T Alley. Describes her work at the Country Library Service in Christchurch. Gives details of her work with school exchanges and adult requests. Describes the daily routine and fellow staff members including the book van drivers. Talks about Jean Wright. Details her marriage to Bruce Herbert Miller, his work as a farm adviser, their children, their move to Woodhill, the organisations she joined, being secretary of the local Woodhill `B' country library and involvement in school. Comments on the local population. Details how the library worked, its being housed at the forestry camp and then the school, who used the library and the visits of the book van. Mentions driver Joe O'Neill and the work of the committee. Talks about the family's move back to Christchurch and her work at the Christchurch Public Library. Describes biking around to collect overdue books and the reactions of borrowers. Talks about subsequent jobs at Kaipara College Library and the Helensville Public Library, problems retrieving books and methods of following up overdues. Describes how the holiday activities programme brought more people into the Helensville Public `A' Library, her hours and pay, the racial mix of library users, how few Maori use`B'libraries because they are not invited into people's homes, the visits of the book van, the problems of working with volunteers, her membership of the Library Association and Clerical Workers' Union and the book van drivers' pay rates, routines and boarding arrangements. Mentions driver Jim Sutherland. Discusses in depth problems with the town clerk and the relationship of the library with Rodney County Council. Talks about the demise of the book van service and her feelings of regret. Discusses the general shortcomings of the service. Compares it with the present system with the National Library. Talks about her additional job at Kaipara College Library. Venue - Helensville Interviewer(s) - Judith Fyfe Venue - Mrs Miller's home at Helensville Accompanying material - printed abstract contains family tree for Miller Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-002062, OHC-002063 Tape numbers - OHA CLS 2742, 2743, 2748, 2749, 2750, 2751 Quantity: 3 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 3 Hours Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete AB 313. Printed abstract contains two portrait photographs of Yvonne Miller, dated 1952 and ca 1978 Search dates: 1930 - 1989

Date: 16 Apr 1989

From: NZOHA Country Library Service Oral History Project

By: Meares, Lynette Fay, 1924-

Reference: OHInt-0058/04

Description: Lyn Meares details her family background. Describes her childhood and some ill health. Comments on family methods of discipline, her parents' attitudes to smoking and alcohol, religion, politics in her family, music and reading. Notes that her family was not affected by the Depression. Details her education and teaching at Rangiruru mentioning several teachers and the strong influence Rangiruru had on her life. Describes why she went to library school in Wellington and talks about the interview with G T Alley and Mary Parsons. Describes the other Library School students in 1946, the staff, syllabus, assignments, lectures, social life, allowance paid to the students and the houses where the school was situated. Refers to fellow student Patricia Deans. Talks about her first years in the Country Library Service in Christchurch, detailing the book exchange work and different parts of the Service. Lists other staff members and talks about Jean Wright. Notes that the library school graduates were not well received initially and comments on how difficult it was to do the certificate course while working. Describes a secondment to West Coast libraries to work with school exchange. Explains the relationship between School Library Service and the Country Library Service. Discusses the transition from subscription to free libraries in the late 1940s, the librarians' attitudes to this, the work involved weeding stock, loans of `free' lending books from National Library and the differences between libraries in terms of their stock and local body funding. Refers to Carnegie library. Notes that she worked at the Country Library Service in Christchurch from 1947-1949. Comments on the Labour government of the time's favourable treatment of libraries, the good economic post-war years and how the National government did away with the free postal service (the D service) in 1949. Details meeting and marrying Wyndham Maurice Meares, who was ex Air Force, his family, farm jobs and managing, leasing and then buying the family farm Vulcan Downs. Talks about their children. Describes setting up the B Library for Scargill in the living room, the fee for library use, the users, visits from the library van and the conditions the field librarians drove and worked in. Describes field librarians over the years, including Owen Simmance, Elizabeth MacLean and Hugh Lorimer. Talks about how the quality of books dropped over the years and the request service became more important. Notes the different reading habits of the men and women in the community. Describes the changes in the Country Library Service as the book van service wound down and the decision was made to close the other `B' libraries and make one district library at the Greta Valley School. Explains how the library at the school was set up, administered, serviced first from the van and then directly from National Library in Christchurch, how grants and funding were sought and the role of the local council and Education Department in the success of this library. Comments on good community support for the library. Venue - Greta Valley, North Canterbury Interviewer(s) - Hugo Manson Venue - Mrs Meares home at Greta Valley, Scargill, North Canterbury Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-002049, OHC-002050, OHC-002051 Tape numbers - OHA CLS/2634, 2635, 2636, 2637, 2638, 2639 Quantity: 3 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 3 Hours Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-0308. Printed abstract contains portrait photograph of Lyn Meares, a photograph of Lyn Meares with one of the field librarians and Irene Harrison in a library and a photograph of the book van with Wyn and Lyn Mears, John and Irene Harrison, Di Loughman and the field librarian standing in front of it. Search dates: 1924 - 1989

Date: 15 April 1989 - 15 Apr 1989

From: NZOHA Country Library Service Oral History Project

By: Wright, Jean Struthers, 1912-1999

Reference: OHInt-0058/11

Description: Jean Struthers Wright describes her family background, her parent's appearance and personalities and their attitudes to discipline, politics and religion. Notes her father's involvement in the Presbyterian Church. Recalls having no contact with Maori and discusses the lack of Maori in the library profession and possible reasons for this. Talks about being encouraged to read by her parents, joining the Canterbury Public Library, a private library called the Children's Library, the lack of good children's books at the time and mentions the books Dorothy Neal White brought back from America. Details her educational history and her teachers. Talks about early employment aspirations and living through the Depression. Describes her first library jobs at Canterbury Public Library, her fellow staff members, the hierarchy of authority at the library at that time and achieving a library qualification along with Graham Bagnall and Stuart Perry through the English Library Association. Details joining the Country Library Service in Wellington as a Library Assistant in 1938, the role of G T Alley in the Service, his background and personality, selection process, wages, the building where the service was situated, fellow library and office staff and the van. Describes the first van being taken down to Christchurch by Hugh Lorimer and the official opening. Describes her duties, the range of books available initially at the Service and the building up of the collections. Gives background information on the development of library services in New Zealand. Details the formation of the Country Library Service and the development of the National Library. Mentions Cliff Collins, John Harris and Archie Dunningham. Details the way books were imported, the interloan system and the development of Index of New Zealand Periodicals. Describes the state of the main public libraries with reference to the librarians instrumental in their development. Discusses the conflict in the New Zealand Library Association during the late 1940s and the opposition to the Country Library Service from Dunedin Public Library and the National Librarian. Explains the relationship between the Country Library Service and Public libraries, how the `A', `B' and `C' libraries were defined, what services they and the city libraries received from the Country Library Service and the advice and guidance given by the Service. Gives background details about Hugh Lorimer, the first South Island Field Librarian. Gives information about the staff at the Country Library Service and subsequent library careers. Describes her own work in book selection and order work, the impact of World War II on the Country Library Service and the establishment of the War Library Service to military camps and troop ships. Details in depth the development of the Service in Christchurch with reference to staffing, book selection, relationship with Wellington office, the role of the book van drivers, relationship with local councils, budget matters, service given, her own career within the Service and various staff members, librarians and van drivers over the years. Comments on the `B' libraries in the South Island, the development of new libraries, the development of the Service centres throughout the North Island and the development of the National Library of New Zealand, Library School and the Library Association. Talks about librarians and politicians, involved in the development of these library services and about some of the future National Librarians. Reflects back over her career, recalls her library training and association memberships and details her retirement interests. Venue - Christchurch Interviewer(s) - Hugo Manson Venue - Miss Wright's home in Christchurch Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-00, OHC-00, OHC-00, OHC-00 Tape numbers - OHA CLS 2600, 2601, 2608, 2609, 2610, 2611, 2612 Quantity: 4 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 3.30 Hours and minutes Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete AB 304. Printed abstract contains portrait photograph of Jean Wright, a photograph of Jean Wright with G T Alley and Helen Sullivan and a group photograph of early Country Library Service staff outside Parliament Buildings dated ca 1938. Search dates: 1912 - 1989