Interview with Jean Yvonne Miller

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

Alternative form available: Once permission is given a digital copy of the recording is available in the Library's Reading Room. Listening copies are available at OHLC-002710 to OHLC-002712