JUBILEE YEAR

Turnbull Library Record, Volume 3, Issue 2, 1 August 1970, Page 120

JUBILEE YEAR

The Library bequeathed to New Zealand by Alexander Horsburgh Turnbull (1868-1918) was opened to the public on Tuesday, 28 June 1920. It was decided that the Jubilee of the Library should be observed in 1970, rather than in 1968, the jubilee of the bequest and the centenary of the founder's birth. This followed the precedent set in 1945, when the twenty-fifth anniversary of the opening of the Library was celebrated. As the second world war was then scill in progress, the occasion was marked only by a meeting at the Library on the afternoon of 5 July 1945. In the unavoidable absence of the Minister of Internal Affairs (Honourable W. E. Parry), a statement from him was read by Mr J. W. Heenan, the Under-Secretary. The Government was represented by the Ministers of Education (Mr Mason), Defence (Mr Jones) and Agriculture (Mr Roberts). Among others present were Mr J. C. Andersen the first Chief Librarian and Professor I. A. Gordon, President of the Friends.

The Honourable H. G. R. Mason, qc, praised 'the pre-vision' of Alexander Turnbull and spoke in commendation of the Friends of the Turnbull Library. He also mentioned that 'a scheme to co-ordinate a national library service had not been lost sight of, and was again making progress'. Afternoon tea was served and the guests inspected a special exhibition. The Evening Post ran a special article on the Library that day, and next day reported the function. The official Fiftieth Jubilee celebrations commenced on the evening of Tuesday, 30 June 1970, with an address entitled The Library and the Cosmos by Professor J. C. Beaglehole, om. The recognised world authority on Captain James Cook, rn, Professor Beaglehole has for many years been the Library's most distinguished reader. Alexander Turnbull had paid particular attention to building up a remarkably comprehensive collection of books and manuscripts relating to the exploration of the Pacific. The strength of the holdings on Cook has been immeasurably increased by the photo-copy material presented by John Beaglehole, accumulated in the course of his editing of Cook's Journals over quarter of a century.

The Beaglehole address, given under the aegis of the Trustees of the National Library, is published in this issue of the Record and off-prints will also be available. 111-health prevented the attendance of Sir John Ilott, kt, Chairman of Trustees, 1966-70. In his stead the chair was taken by the Honourable D.J. Riddiford, mp, mc, Minister Justice, and a member of the Trustees' Special Committee for the Turnbull Library. An audience of about one hundred, invited from all parts of New Zealand, packed the limited space of the Exhibition Room which had been cleared of the display cases. For the first time in fifty years the

Library had been closed that afternoon while staff prepared for the evening function. The Reading and Reference Rooms on the first floor were also cleared and guests assembled there for drinks before the address was given on the second floor, and returned downstairs for coffee and conversation afterwards.

Mr Riddiford, as Chairman, congratulated the Library on the achievements of its first fifty years and spoke of the need for a National Library building which would house the Turnbull collection appropriately. When introducing the Speaker he spoke not merely of his distinguished editorial achievement but of his contribution to the work of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Although the occasion was intentionally informal, and no vote of thanks was given, the Minister paid a graceful tribute to Professor Beaglehole at the conclusion of the address.

The second official function was a preview of the Jubilee Exhibition, when over one hundred and fifty guests attended the opening on Thursday, 9 July, by the Honourable B. E. Talboys, mp, Minister of Education. This reception, at 5.30 pm was also given by the Trustees of the National Library. When introducing Mr Talboys, the Chief Librarian (Mr A. G. Bagnall) urged the Minister to do his best to inspire Government with a sense of urgency in the construction of the National Library building, sketch plans for which had been authorised. He good-humouredly reminded the Minister that Professor Beaglehole earlier in the year had enjoined librarians to rise, march on Parliament, and, if necessary, chain themselves to the steps of Parliament Buildings in support of a building. He also paid a tribute to the work of the staff in preparing for the Jubilee, and to Mr Murray-Oliver and others in particular for their work in mounting the exhibition and preparing its catalogue.

The Minister said how fitting it was that the Jubilee should be celebrated in the present Library, the home of Alexander Turnbull, before the regrettable but necessary transfer of the Library to temporary premises next year. He discouraged the Chief Librarian from leading a protest movement to Parliament Buildings, but, not surprisingly, made no commitment about the timetable on the erection of the National Library building. He spoke of the priceless heritage which New Zealanders had in the Turnbull Library, perhaps more widely known overseas than in New Zealand itself. He hoped that the exhibition would induce more New Zealanders to visit and use the Library. The Jubilee Exhibition has been designed to show not only a small selection of the more important and interesting items acquired by Mr Turnbull, but also some of the innumerable gifts and purchases added to the Library in the past fifty years, maintaining the tradition and interests of the founder. Not least among these are a few of the

major purchases made in recent years by the Alexander Turnbull Library Endowment Trust Board. Because of limited display space, pictures predominate in the exhibition, but examples are also included of manuscripts, rare books and maps. A catalogue of the exhibition distributed gratis to Friends is available at the price of 25 cents per copy. Throughout the two weeks following 30 June, Messrs Kirkcaldie and Stains kindly presented a window display of material from the Library on the Lambton Quay frontage of their department store in the heart of the city. This attracted much attention and brought many more visitors to the Library, especially as it coincided with Trentham Race Week when people from other parts of the country were in Wellington. Apart from a small display at the Library of photographs and other items relating to Mr Turnbull, photographs were not used at this time, as in August Kirkcaldie and Stains Limited will present a further window display, together with a major exhibition in the store, devoted entirely to photographs from the Library's extensive collection, which constitutes the National Photograph Collection.

For many years the Library was open to the public, for inspection only, on Sunday afternoons, until staffing difficulties made this impossible. For the Jubilee, however, the Library was open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, 11-12 July. Two conducted tours were offered on each afternoon. Thanks to a feature article in The Evening Post in advance, the occasion was almost embarrassingly successful, with some 300 visitors taking advantage of this opportunity to visit an institution of which many, on their own admission, had been somewhat in awe. The press, radio and television all gave publicity which added to the success of the Jubilee. Even more pleasing, new acquisitions have been promised from people who had not previously realized the scope and functions of the Librarv.

The final official Jubilee function was presented by the Friends of the Turnbull Library on the evening of Thursday, 16 July. Dr McCormick addressed an invited audience of over one hundred on Alexander Turnbull - Some Biographical Reflections (published also in this issue of the Record.) The most lasting product of the Jubilee will be the publication by the Library of a biography of Alexander Turnbull, which has been commissioned from Dr E. H. McCormick, ma (diphons) of Auckland. Eric McCormick is noted for his Letters and Art in New Zealand, one of the outstanding volumes in the Government's 1940 Centennial series; New Zealand Literature: a survey (1959) and his definitive works on Frances Hodgkins, The Expatriate (1953) and The Works of Frances Hodgkins in New Zealand. Dr McCormick, sometime Hocken Librarian, made a preliminary study of Turnbull for his three lectures given to commemorate the jubilee of that library in i 960, which covered also

Dr Hocken and Sir George Grey. They were published by the University of Otago Press as The Fascinating Folly: Dr Hocken and his Fellow Collectors (1961). The first of the Turnbull Monograph series, New Zealand or Recollections of It (1963) was edited by E. H. McCormick from the unpublished 1834 manuscript purchased by Mr Turnbull in 1904. He also prepared a small brochure on Sir William Fox, the man and the artist, to accompany the Library’s publication, The Fox Portfolio. As well as Friends, many former members of the Library staff attended. After the address, sherry and coffee were served in the Reading and Reference Rooms.

As the President of the Friends of the Turnbull Library (Canon Nigel Williams) is abroad, the chair was taken by Professor D. F. McKenzie of the committee of the Friends. He mentioned that Dr McCormick 'had already been introduced to us by Professor Beaglehole - his only peer in scholarship. Alpha and Omega are one and the same'. He also quoted Aldus Manutius as saying chat 'Printers create libraries without walls'. Professor McKenzie added that 'good libraries create scholarship without walls'. He remarked how appropriate it was that the formal functions of the Jubilee should have commenced and concluded with addresses by New Zealand's two most eminent scholars, Professor Beaglehole and -Dr McCormick, both of whom had been so closely associated for so long with the Alexander Turnbull Library. It was pleasing to note that among those present at one or other of the functions was a foundation member of the Library staff, Miss Q. B. Cowles, Miss A. Woodhouse whose reminiscences are also included in this issue, and Mrs Iris Winchester, some sixteen years with the Library and Acting-Librarian from January to April 1966. The former Chief Librarians C. R. H. Taylor and J. R. Cole also were present.