North Queensland Author makes a difference: Jean Dartnall visits JCU Library Special Collections

Many thanks to Jean Dartnall, local author and retired professional Librarian for recently visiting the JCU Library Special Collections.  We took the opportunity to get a snapshot of Jean with her diverse range of publications.


 Almost all of Jean’s works pertain to our region and are therefore held in the North Queensland Collection.  Items in this collection can’t be borrowed and must be used in the Helen May’s Reading Room in the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library.  Like all the materials in our special collections, these items are being preserved for use by current and future researchers.  However, very often there is a second copy of Jean’s publications held in the main borrowing collection of the University Library.

First trained in the biological sciences, Jean later became a Librarian and Indexer spending a significant part of her career working in special libraries or with special collections.  Jean began writing and producing publications in 1982 with her “Bibliography of the Great Barrier Reef” released at a time when she was the Librarian at GBRMPA (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority).  She also edited “Maps of the Great Barrier Reef: an indexed list of maps and charts of the Great Barrier Reef region” in 1984.

As an active member of the ALIA (Australian Library & Information Association) she edited the publication title “North Queensland libraries: a directory” in 1988.  Cementing her outstanding contribution to Librarianship in Australia she wrote “A most delicate monster: the one professional special library” which was published in 1998 by the Centre for Information Studies at Charles Sturt University.

Her more recent publications have made an important contribution to the documenting of North Queensland history with the following titles credited to her name: “The Townsville Community Music Centre: some memories of the first 25 years” (2008), “The Barrier Reef Orchestra 10 years: commemorative history” (2010), “Reel time: celebrating 50 years of the Townsville Cinema Group” (2011), and “Sounds like paradise: 25 years of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music” (2015).   Most recently she has co-authored with Barbara Pearson a history of our local CIC entitled “Connects, assist, informs: Community Information Centre” (2016).

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