Marjorie Cotton Award

Biography

Marjorie Cotton Isherwood, whose pioneering work as a children's librarian was recognised by the creation of the Marjorie Cotton Award, passed away on 2 February 2003. Marjorie was delighted to have this award honouring her, and in years past has personally corresponded with those children's librarians who received the award, presenting each winner with a book from her own library.

Marjorie Cotton was NSW's first professionally qualified children's librarian. She initiated programs that are the basis of services to children in public libraries today:

• Weekly story sessions
• Contacts with schools
• Providing material for children in languages other than English
• Appointing qualified children's librarians

Marjorie Cotton's influence reached far beyond the Ku-ring-gai, Newcastle, Randwick and Woollahra libraries in which she worked. She was the first president of the LAA Children's Libraries Section in 1953, and her expertise was recognized by overseas organizations such as UNESCO who sought her advice on children's library services.

The Children's and Youth Services Groups of today, strive to continue the work that Marjorie pioneered, we provide continuing professional development opportunities for our members and colleagues and champion the provision of library services for children, we encourage our colleagues to network and celebrate their achievements.

Our aims in awarding the Marjorie Cotton Award at each ALIA conference are to:

• Promote the role and image of librarians providing library services for young people.
• Recognise individual achievement and co-operative networking in providing services for young people in public libraries and school libraries.
• Encourage children's and youth services librarians and teacher librarians to actively support the profession and the Association.

When the Orana journal - ALIA's journal of school and children's librarianship ceased publication in 2005 there were some residual funds which the ALIA board and the Orana committee have agreed should be attributed towards this award.

References:

M. Cotton, 'A Good-kids-book-knower: autobiographical notes on the career of Marjorie Cotton in Children's Libraries of NSW', April 1989. This book was printed for private circulation and consists of her experiences at Ku-ring-gai, Randwick and Woollahra Libraries.

M. Cotton, 'Imaginative literature and the development of the individual' in Children's Libraries Newsletter Vol.7 No. 1 Feb 1971 p.28

M. Cotton, 'Margaret Cotton: the story of an Australian Children's Librarian' Orana, Aug 1988 p.129

H. M. Saxby, 'A history of Australian Children's Literature 1941-1970' (with supplementary chapters by Marjorie Cotton), Sydney 1971.

Images:

These images are reproduced with permission from the Woollahra Library Local History Centre collection. http://www.woollahra.nsw.gov.au/

Marjorie Cotton reading to children in Blackburn Gardens (outside Woollahra children's library), 1960s.

Marjorie Cotton and L. Fernandez, from the Philippines (at the steps of the Woollahra Library), 1964.