Human Knowledge in the Age of Information, page 5

Though much of Australia’s history has emphasised tax-payer funded support for public institutions, it is the case that major philanthropists elsewhere focussed on the building and funding of open-access libraries. Between 1881 and 1917 the Scots-born steel tycoon, Andrew Carnegie gave over $US56 million dollars to start more than 2500 libraries, including four in Australia.

Carnegie’s commitment to general literacy and 'improvement' can be thought to reflect the emphasis on public good that began with the Scottish Education Act of 1696. This led to the northern enlightenment of the 18th century, when the philosophers David Hume and Adam Smith proposed economic theories that resonate today. By the 19th century, Scotland boasted the best-educated society in Europe. It was also resource poor and suffered from lack of opportunity.

As Dr Johnson would have it: 'the noblest prospect which a Scotsman ever sees is the high road that leads him to England.' How do we ensure that the contemporary equivalent for bright young Australians isn’t a one-way ticket on a Boeing 747 flying to London or Los Angeles! There are now almost one million Australians living outside this country, and the number is increasing. Unlike 18th century Scotland, our country is rich in natural resources. What is our excuse if we fail to use this wealth to boost education, innovation and opportunity?

Like Carnegie, many 19th century Scots went much further a-field than England. The Scottish diaspora included Keith Murdoch’s parents, the Rev Patrick John and his wife Annie Brown who emigrated from Aberdeenshire to Melbourne. The dour, grey, granite city of Aberdeen has traditionally supplied many of Scotland’s toughest leaders. Sir Keith’s gritty integrity as a young journalist in 'telling truth to power' about the Gallipoli campaign could be considered to reflect an essentially Aberdonian character!

Bill Gates might be considered the contemporary equivalent of Andrew Carnegie. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated more than $US250 million to put computers in every library in the United States. The program started with the poorest areas in the American south, operating from the perception that many would never have the resources to purchase a home computer.

As we consider the role of the large, institutional library in the contemporary world, two ideas come to the fore. The first is the thought that the library is a portal, a gateway, to the world of information and knowledge. At the moment, any of us can walk through the front door of this Library, sign-up for a password, and login to a spectrum of diverse databases via one of the library computers. Some of these resources can already be accessed from a home computer, or from a terminal in a branch library anywhere in the state, and many more will soon be available. Other databases are being generated within the Library itself as it proceeds to digitise key elements of the collection.

The second idea is that the Library will assume even greater significance as a key resource for the life-long acquisition of insight and knowledge. Structured learning that requires a formal qualification is still likely to remain the province of educational institutions like Colleges and Universities, some of which are operating increasingly via web-based mechanisms and distance learning.

Public libraries will both support this type of pedagogy, and open greater access to information for self-directed learning. As a great deal of the information on the web is both protagonist and unedited, the role of the librarian as a guide, advisor and information specialist will become even more important than it is now. Librarians are both the guardians of the record, and key figures among the keepers of the gates to knowledge.

Accessing information via a computer can be incredibly immediate and effective, but it is also the case that unexpected connections and novel ideas often come from the simple process of leafing through a book or research journal. The printed word continues to be enormously important. How many of us really operate paper-less offices?

Could any gentle pleasure top the gratification of reading a finely bound book in the great, glass-domed reading room of this Library, or equal the subtle sensuality of strolling by a collection of prints and paintings in the Keith Murdoch Gallery?

If you come to this Library any day of the year you are likely to see masses of young people, in the reading rooms after school or participating in organized, school-based programs. Can a thoughtful and curious child have any better experience than the discovery that there are such places? Each of us can help to ensure that this opportunity is a continuing legacy for young Australians, of all backgrounds and economic circumstances.

Transcript of the Keith Murdoch Oration, State Library of Victoria, Thursday 4 November, 2004