The J S Battye Library (more properly known as the J. S. Battye Library of West Australian History) is an arm of the State Library of Western Australia. It stores much of the state's historical records and original publications including books, newspapers, periodicals, maps, and ephemera, as well as oral history tapes, photographs and artworks, films and video, and non-government records which are kept in the library's Private Archives collection. The library provides a range of services, including reference, copying, and genealogical services, as well as consultancy and reader education. [1]
The library is named after Dr. James Sykes Battye, the first State Librarian, who began the collection in the early 1900s. It was established in December 1956. [2]
Mollie Lukis and Margaret Medcalf were successors to Battye as Battye librarians, and their long service to the library was an important part of the library's development. [3]
The Battye Library is housed on the upper floor of the Alexander Library Building, and public access to the collection is made at that level. There is a reading room for special materials, as well as a microfilm reading room.
The separate State Records Office of Western Australia houses the State and local government archives.
The current administrative structure of the State Library has removed mention of the name of the library from the library catalogue and now refers to it as 3rd Floor of the Alexander building, however it still has a web page. [4]
The Friends of Battye Library has been a significant support to the library during an era where staffing and funding have been reduced by government restrictions on funding. [5] The organisation has been instrumental in attracting external funding for a range of projects including publishing. [6]
At different stages in the library history, publications have been an important indicator of the library collection and its holdings. [7] [8] [9]
The State Library of Western Australia is a research, reference and public lending library located in the Perth Cultural Centre in Perth, Western Australia. It is a portfolio agency of the Western Australia Department of Culture and the Arts, and controlled by the Library Board of Western Australia.
The Midland Railway of Western Australia (MRWA) was a railway company that built and operated the Midland line in Western Australia. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange. Although having its headquarters in London, it had no association with the English Midland Railway.
The Canning River is a major tributary of the Swan River in the South West Land Division of Western Australia.
James Sykes Battye (1871–1954) was an Australian librarian who was the first chief librarian of the Victoria Public Library in Perth, Western Australia. He was a leading historian, librarian and public figure in Western Australian and also served as a Chancellor of the University of Western Australia.
The Dictionary of Western Australians and the related Bicentennial Dictionary of Western Australians are two multi-volume biographical dictionaries containing details of European and non-European settlement in Western Australia from the foundation of the Swan River Colony in 1829 until 1888.
The State Records Office of Western Australia (SRO) is the Western Australian government authority with responsibility for identifying, managing, preserving and providing access to the state's archives. The SRO also delivers best-practice records management services to state and local government agencies.
The Alexander Library Building, is located in the Cultural Centre of Perth, Western Australia.
The Western Australia Post Office Directory, also known as Wise Directories or Wise Street Directories, was published in Perth in 1893-1949.
Hampton Road is the main road entering the City of Fremantle from the south. It is named after John Stephen Hampton, the Governor of Western Australia from 1862 to 1868. It continues into Ord Street at the north east corner of Fremantle Prison at Knutsford Street.
The Cyclopedia of Western Australia, edited by James Battye, was the pre-eminent written summary of Western Australia's development and context prior to World War I.
Colin John Jamieson, AO JP, was a politician in Western Australia. A member of the Labor Party, he served as a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1953 until 1986, as the Minister for Works and Water Supplies in the Tonkin Ministry (1971–1974) and as Leader of the Opposition (1976–1978). Ron Davies succeeded him in the latter role. He was defeated by incumbent Liberal Premier Sir Charles Court at the state election of 1977.
Robbs Jetty railway station was a railway station on the Transperth network. It was located on the Fremantle line, 24.0 kilometres from Perth station in North Coogee.
The 1987 America's Cup was the twenty-sixth challenge for the America's Cup.
The North West Shelf of Western Australia is an extensive oil and gas region off the North West Australia coast in the Pilbara region.
Bill Bunbury is a former radio broadcaster and producer for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and an accomplished historian and writer.
Meroula Frances Fellowes (Mollie) Lukis was a prominent Western Australian archivist and promoter of women's rights.
Donnybrook stone is a fine to medium-grained feldspathic and kaolinitic sandstone found near the town of Donnybrook, Western Australia. It originates from the early Cretaceous and features shale partings and colour variations which range from white to beige and pink.
Izzy Orloff (1891–1983), also known as Abraham Orloff, was a photographer in Fremantle, Western Australia. His photographs make up one of the larger collections of images of early Perth in Battye Library photographic collection.
The State Shipping Service of Western Australia was a state government transport entity formed in 1912, in Western Australia, primarily to service the ports of North West Australia.
Norfolk Street runs between Marine Terrace and South Terrace in Fremantle, Western Australia.
Coordinates: 31°56′56″S115°51′38″E / 31.94889°S 115.86056°E