Transcribes an interview with Australian geographer Fay Gale conducted in 1997 on the occasion of her retirement. Explores her professional and personal development as well as her views of research, teaching, geography, the problems and prospects for women in academia, and the state of higher education in Australia. (DSK)

Includes "Community Work in the U.K.: Reflections on the 1980s" (Miller, Bryant); "Multiplication and Divisions: Trends in Community Development in Ireland since the 1960s" (Cinneide, Walsh); "Reconstruction to Deconstruction: The Transformation of Community Work in Australia" (Meekosha; Mowbray): "Community…

Prepared for the 75th anniversary of the external studies program at the University of Queensland, this essay includes a brief introduction and an introductory account of the first four directors of the program. Background information provided in the introduction includes the establishment, educational philosophy, funding sources, and…

Explores the circumstances surrounding the creation of education schemes in the armies of the British Empire. Discusses attitudes toward war and toward the soldier's role in the early 1900s, attitudes of the soldiers toward war, the University of Vimy Ridge, the Canadian Khaki University, the Oatlands program, and education for the New Zealand…

The paper explores special education in Australia during the period 1970-80. Separate sections discuss the following aspects: (1) beginnings of special education in Australia, (2) early developments in public provision for the education of handicapped children, (3) progress in the provision for special education during 1970-80 (including such…

The basic theme of this yearbook, "The Role of the Schools in the Improvement of Community Life," is open to a variety of interpretations. Many factors determine what role the schools will play in a particular country or area, and consequently, what part they may have in community improvement programs. Among the factors are the history…

Traces the development of academic libraries in Australia, noting the important part that federal funding has played, and provides brief sections on library collections (with data tables), accommodation, staff and organization, reader services, automation, cooperation, networks, and the national role these libraries play. (JD)

A project that focused on how the field of adult numeracy education had been shaped in Australia over the last 20 years sought answers to these research questions: (1) What does the past tell about adult literacy and numeracy policy, provision, and research? (2) Are Australians numerate? (3) What sort of numeracy activities do Australians engage…

This paper provides a brief history of the Maryborough and District University Society of the University of Queensland, Australia. Highlights of the review include: (1) the establishment of the first distance education, or external studies, centers at Townsville, Rockhampton, and Ipswich in 1949; (2) a resolution taken in 1963 to form a University…

Reviews the formation of the Australian Institute of Librarians, which was forwarded in 1937 and dissolved in 1949, and the achievements of its founders. Particular attention is paid to the inaugural meeting, conferences, and the importance of branches of the institute. (19 notes with references) (Author/CLB)

Reviews John Wallace Metcalfe's writing on the nature and function of the public library in Australian society, the constitution and regulation of education for librarianship, and techniques for cataloging and indexing. (51 notes with references) (Author/CLB)

Describes the development of the Australian biological curriculum materials, "Biological Science: The Web of Life," as a result of linking efforts with the United States BSCS "color versions" in biology. (CS)

Oral histories of retired Australian librarians show the sexual division of libraries from pre-1950s to the 1980s. Discussion includes the appeal of on-the-job training; public and private roles of women; the marriage bar; discrimination; lack of skill recognition; wage inequities; feminist resistance; sexual harassment; unions; and electronic…

Describes current literacy practices in Australia and the history of influential approaches to literacy instruction. Discusses the unique contexts of professional development and practice that may make Australian approaches to literacy different from whole-language movements in American schools. (SR)

John Metcalfe was a leader of the Free Library Movement in Australia in the 1930s, becoming a well-known educator, writer, and state librarian. His involvement in national and international library cooperation from the 1940s to the 1960s widened his earlier New South Wales focus. There is a strong democratic focus in Metcalfe's writings on…