Margaret Trask

AM BA MLib FLA

Conferred 1969

Margaret Trask is a graduate of the University of New England and holds the Diploma of Librarianship of the University of New South Wales. She has been a professional member of the Library Association of Australia since 1956.

The Board of Examiners is pleased to report to Council that, in the Board's view, Mrs Trask could very properly be invited to accept the distinction of Fellow of the Library Association of Australia.

Council will not need reminding of the very significant recent decision by the Commonwealth Government to subsidise heavily the development of libraries in secondary schools. Nor will Council have failed to feel gratified that the Association played some part in achieving this result.

The Board knows well that Mrs Trask will be the first to insist that many people, including other members of the Association, were involved in the very effective campaign which clearly influenced the government in this matter. The Board has little doubt, however, that it is the name of Margaret Trask that Australian librarians will associate permanently with this important development.

As president of the Children's Libraries section of the Association in 1966, Mrs Trask secured Association endorsement of a two year plan aimed at the promotion of improvement of school libraries and school library services.

The pages of the Association's Standing Committee and Council agenda papers for the next two years record the energy with which the section set about its task. What they do not adequately convey is the effectiveness with which a climate of public opinion was created, or the extent to which Mrs Trask's own travelling, speaking and writing contributed to this.

In September 1976, Mrs Trask joined Dr Andrew Fabinyi in ably presenting the Association's views on the needs of school libraries to the then Minister for Education and Science, Senator Gorton, in a personal inerview.

What followed in history.

Mrs Trask's appointment to the Commonwealth Secondary Schools Libraries committee is regarded by the Board as a proper recognition both of her part in persuading the Commonwealth Government to act and of her considerable expertise in the area of school librarianship.

The Board has some knowledge of the degree to which to committee has relied on Mrs Trask's experience and professional capacity. As but the most recent example of this reliance, in July 1969 the committee requested the Association to conduct a two-day seminar for architects involved in planning school libraries. This seminar, designed and directed by Mrs Trask, from the Board's observations reflected nothing but credit on our Association and our profession.

Apart from her unique contribution in the area of Commonwealth aid to libraries, Mrs Trask is distinguished also by a number of publications of quality.

Importantly for our profession her writing has not been restricted to library periodicals but has appeared also in book reviewing and education journals.

Given Mrs Trask's obvious capacity for hard work it comes as no surprise to find that she has been a member of Council since 1966 and general treasurer of the Association since 1968. In 1967 she was elected to the Board of Examiners, where both her general professional knowledge and her particular expertise in the area of school and children's libraries have been of considerable value to the Association.

The Board commends Margaret Trask, Bachelor of Arts, Diplomate in Librarianship, Associate of the Library Association of Australia, to Council as a librarians whose activities have been responsible for making possible considerable improvement in an important area of library services in this country and whose efforts in this and in other fields within our profession clearly constitute a distinguished contribution to the practice of librarianship.

The Board unanimously recommends that she be awarded the distinction of Fellow of the Library Association of Australia.