The largest collection was donated by the family of the late Professor Jack Golson, a pioneer of archaeology in the Pacific, and consisted of over 3500 books on Pacific archaeology and anthropology, with a particular concentration on PNG and New Zealand. The second was a further donation of books by Professor Spriggs of over 2500 books and many more copies of papers on Pacific archaeology, as well as general reference books.

Jeff Siegel’s collection is very strong on Pidgin and Creole linguistics and consists of about 1300 books. This was followed by the linguistics books of David Walsh, a former teacher at University of Sydney who worked extensively on the Raga language of North Pentecost. His collection of 725 books is very good on Pacific linguistics.

Smaller collections came from retired Australian Museum, Sydney, archaeologist Jim Specht, including rare magazines and other works from the time of PNG’s Independence in 1975, and from renowned archaeologist of Southeast Asia, Professor Peter Bellwood of the ANU.

The Friends of the Vanuatu National Museum had paid for further publications of relevance to Vanuatu to be acquired and sent, and other donors were the linguists and Pacific historians at ANU who donated publications from their monograph series, and collections donated by the families of late archaeologists Aubrey Parke of ANU, and Les Groube, once of ANU and later a celebrated teacher at UPNG.

Other recent donations to the library have come from linguist the late Professor John Lynch, given through the generosity of Robert Early, from members of the now disbanded British Friends of Vanuatu, and from other archaeological friends of Professor Spriggs.

The result has added about 25 per cent to the entire holdings of the National Library. It is now not just a national treasure with its coverage of almost everything ever published on Vanuatu but is of regional significance with very strong collections in the fields of Pacific archaeology, anthropology and linguistics. These are probably unmatched in any other Pacific libraries outside of Australia, Hawaii and New Zealand.

The exhibition showcases some of the Library’s comprehensive collections in the first three display cases, featuring books about Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Pacific languages, Pidgins and Creoles — like Bislama and Tok Pisin — from throughout the world, and general reference works on geography, history and philosophy. The three final cases in the exhibition feature works on Australia, particularly on Indigenous Australian topics, on New Zealand – concentrating on Indigenous Maori studies – and finally on the so-called “Polynesian Outliers”.

The Outliers are communities speaking Polynesian languages, but which are located geographically in Melanesia and up into Micronesia. There is one such community on Uvea in the Loyalty Islands, and in Vanuatu the islands of Futuna and Aniwa in TAFEA, and Ifira and Mele and a community on Emae in SHEFA. There are more Polynesian-speaking islands in the Solomons, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville and two in the Federated States of Micronesia on the islands of Kapingamarangi and Nukuoro. The National Library has books in its collection on the languages of almost every one of the Outliers.

The official opening of the Exhibition involved speeches from VKS Director Richard Shing, Honorary Librarian Mr. Spriggs who described the range of books received, and from former DG Justice, Cherol Ala, who has just moved over to Education. She officially opened the Exhibition, and the vote of thanks was given by National Librarian, Nelly Toufau Caleb. Kava, drinks and snacks were provided to about 70 invited guests. The exhibition will run until mid-June in the National Library and Archives’ foyer and is free to all visitors.

SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST