Confessions of a library user part 2

People who come to work in research libraries are involved in exchanges of information and ideas. In this presentation I address how authors and academics move between research libraries to compile and assess the original material that forms the basis of major works of scholarship, particularly in the humanities. I look at how researchers disseminate their findings to the wider community, not just in the form of books but in articles, lectures and documentaries. By referring to my own work on the Packer media dynasty, I consider how libraries such as the State Library of New South Wales can help compensate for yawning gaps in corporate archives; the role played by experienced, specialist librarians in the successful completion of projects; and the ways in which researchers themselves can contribute to research libraries.