Since its inception in 1981, the Friends of the Battye Library has made an invaluable contribution to the people of Western Australia through their support of the State Library of Western Australia and the State Records Office of Western Australia.

The Friends of Battye Library aims to assist the State Library’s JS Battye Library of West Australian History and the State Records Office with the acquisition, preservation and making accessible Western Australian archival and documentary heritage materials and raising funds for these purposes. Friends of Battye members have also volunteered significant amounts of their time to assist the work of these agencies.

In supporting the Battye Library, the Friends of the Battye Library have repeatedly proven themselves to hold true to their laudable aims, especially in their efforts to raise funds for work that would not have been possible otherwise.

In 2005, the Friends of Battye successfully led a bid for Lotterywest funding for the Historical Records Rescue Consortium. The $3 million received enabled a project to preserve and ensure the ongoing accessibility for high demand Western Australian heritage collections such as historic newspapers, photographs, and motion pictures held in the Battye Library that were at risk of loss due to the effects of time and use on their original formats.

In 2009, the Friends were again successful receiving $849,000 Lotterywest funding for the Oral History Records Rescue Group project that supported the Library’s efforts to physically and digitally preserve 11,500 hours of oral history recordings of thousands of voices from Western Australia’s past, ensuring their ongoing accessibility for future generations. The project also saw 200 oral histories digitised and made available online via the State Library’s catalogue.

The Friends of Battye continue to make funding available for the digitisation of Western Australian heritage materials and the publication of finding aids for heritage publications.

The distinction of Fellow of the Library Board of Western Australia is conferred upon the Friends of the Battye Library for being an outstanding long-term benefactor, and partner in the State Library’s endeavours to preserve, and make available for the future, Western Australia’s documentary heritage and for being a champion of Western Australian history.

Hon. John Day

Chairman

14 July 2020