The Friends brochure here Below is the text only.
Donations to the Dorothy Neal White Colleccton:
The Dorothy Neal White Collection has been built up almost en rely through dona ons, from both individuals and libraries. Offers of donations are welcomed, but as space does not allow for all donations to be accepted books will be assessed based on our collection policy. Offers of books to the National Children’s Collection will also be considered. Please Ask a Librarian through the National Library website with brief details about potential donations so that their suitability can be assessed.
Access to the Collections: Those wishing to look at books from the Dorothy Neal White and National Children’s Collections can request titles for use in the Reading Rooms on Level 1 of the Library 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday. Holdings are described in the National Library catalogue and can be requested online.
Groups wishing to arrange a tour of the collec ons can request this through the National Library website.
Go to the Visit page and select Tours.
For any general inquiries about the collection, please contact:
Research Librarian Children’s Literature
Mary Skarot
Telephone: 64-4- 470 4488
e-mail: Mary.Skaro@@dia.govt.nz
www.natlib.govt.nz
The Society of the Friends of the Dorothy Neal White Collection
This society was formed in 1983 to support the National Library of New Zealand’s Dorothy Neal White Collection. In 2005 the Society extended its support to the National Children’s and Susan Price Collections. Through its lectures, meetings and publications the Society helps to foster interest in the general development of children’s literature. Membership is by annual subscription.
Research Grant
A research grant is offered biennially to applicants who intend to undertake research that will make use of the Dorothy Neal White Collection and / or the National Children’s Collection, and fits other applicant criteria listed on the website.
Dorothy Neal White (Mrs Ballantyne) 1915-1995
The Dorothy Neal White Collection, opened in 1980, is named in honour of Dorothy Neal White, an outstanding contributor to the development of children’s librarianship in New Zealand. Dorothy Neal White spent most of her long career at the Dunedin Public Library, after studying at the Carnegie Library School in Pittsburgh in 1937. Under her leadership the provision of children’s services in Dunedin became a model for libraries in other parts of New Zealand. She reached an even wider public through her two acclaimed books, About books for children published in 1946 and Books before five published in 1954.
The Dorothy Neal White Collection, National Library of New Zealand, is a research collection of children’s books that were enjoyed by young New Zealanders during the century before 1940. Most of the 9,000 books in the collection are fiction, but non-fiction of a recreational nature is also included, and there is a good selection of children’s annuals and serials (such as the Girl’s Own Annual and Chums). Many of the books in the collection were received as prizes from school or Sunday school and many others bear gift inscriptions.
The National Children’s Collection contains 115,000 books for children aged from birth to the end of their secondary school years, published from 1940 to the present day. The collection contains copies of all New Zealand children’s books published in English, Māori and Pacific Island languages, and a selection of books from overseas.
The Susan Price Collection contains books published from 1930 to the present day – mainly fiction published since World War II – for children aged between 9 and 18. Books for life: the story of a collection of children’s books donated to the National Library of New Zealand by Susan Price (Wellington, NZ: Gondwanaland Press, 1991) provides information about the collection’s contents. To visit the Susan Price Collection, housed in Susan’s Kelburn (Wellington) home, please contact Susan by telephone 64-4-475 8092
These three collections contain books predominantly from Britain, the United States, Australia and New Zealand and together they illustrate the development of children’s literature from the 19th century onwards.
The International Children’s Digital Library contains digital copies of selected New Zealand books from these collections that can be read online. http://www.childrenslibrary.org