Gender imbalance addressed with new Women Writers Fund

State Library Victoria has announced the launch of a new Women Writers Fund which seeks to redress the historical bias in the state collection, in which women writers in the 19^th and 20^th century were under-represented.

The fund has been created with the support of two Founding Donors: Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM, a passionate collector of literature and historical texts; and Helen Sykes who is keenly interested in fostering access to historical texts by women to inspire young women of today.

Their generosity has already enabled the Library to make a number of significant purchases such as the first illustrated edition of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1831); and first editions of the following works: Letters of Gertrude Bell of Arabia, edited by Lady Bell (1927); A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf (1929); The Mandarins by Simone de Beauvoir (1956); To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960) and Ariel by Sylvia Plath (1965).

State Library Victoria Senior Librarian History of the Book and Arts Dr Anna Welch said the fund will enable the Library to fill a gap in its collection.

“The Library’s rare books collection is a national treasure – but until now it has been skewed towards male writers,” Dr Welch said.

“It is so exciting to now be able to even out the gender imbalance and represent female writers more fully. We are incredibly grateful to Krystyna and Helen for their generous donations that have made this fund possible.”

“We’ve been working hard to make sure that we acquire works that represent a really diverse array of women’s voices from different times and places, different cultures and in different disciplines including some iconic authors like Harper Lee (To Kill A Mockingbird, 1960) through to lesser-known authors like Gertrude Bell, the archeologist and traveller whose collected letters we now hold in a 1927 first edition.”

Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM said she is delighted to be able to contribute to such an important collection.

“Women have theoretically had equal rights for a very long time now, but they haven’t always been recognised retrospectively,” Ms Campbell-Pretty AM said.

“I have long been passionate about gender equality, particularly when it comes to the political plight of women and the suffragettes. I am thrilled that this fund has made it possible for State Library Victoria to acquire two volumes of Votes for Women which was a penny newsletter of the suffragette movement in England, as well as Sylvia Pankhurst’s Germinal which was an extremely socialist newspaper.

“This fund enables us to honour women who’ve gone before us, and who in many ways have enabled us to enjoy the freedoms we have today, and I am sure there’ll be many more Victorians who will want to contribute.”

Helen Sykes said her lifelong appreciation of female authors was born during her studies at Oxford University.

“I think it’s so important for young women to see examples of what’s possible. I don’t thoroughly believe ‘I cannot be what I cannot see’ but I think it’s much more difficult to be what you cannot see,” Ms Sykes said.

“One of the things I love most about libraries is the sense that you’re part of a continuum of knowledge and of learning, and I just think how wonderful it would be for young women to be able to come in and see the work of other extraordinary women and to understand that they can be part of that continuum of achievement.

“My vision is that it becomes a fund that every woman who loves and uses and has grown up with State Library Victoria can feel part of, whether that’s through donation, or through suggestion for acquisition. This is an initiative where people can make a difference at whatever level suits them.”

For more information go to slv.vic.gov.au

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About State Library Victoria
Established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, State Library Victoria is Australia’s oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the world. As the custodian of Victoria’s history, each year the library adds more than 70,000 physical and digital items to its rich collection of articles, artworks, photographs, manuscripts, books, journals, artefacts and much more. In 2021, the Library launched a new membership program offering tailored benefits to families, students and culture lovers alongside its flagship free Access membership.