Elizabeth Little

Summary: Being Seen: The Joy of Recognition. As a national collecting institution, the National Gallery of Australia has a remit to represent the whole of Australia within its collections. This extends to the collections of the Research Library & Archives. One of the joys of showing people our collection has been their reactions at seeing themselves unexpectedly represented – or not. This short presentation will provide an overview of Gallery’s Research Library & Archives artist and art organization ephemera files, small exhibition catalogues and pamphlets and other materials such as the collected archives.  Also discussed will be the ways the Research Library & Archives has leveraged public programs and other opportunities to expand the representation of regional galleries and individual artists in our collection, with reference to programs such as Wesfarmers Indigenous Leadership Program, ANKA Arts Workers Extension Program and the Regional Galleries Art Forum.

BIO: Elizabeth Little is an experienced reference librarian and library manager who has worked in the GLAM sector for over 30 years. She joined the NGA in 2020 as Manager, Research Library & Archives, following 15 years at the National Art School (Sydney) as Librarian and Library & Learning Centre Manager. She has also worked at the State Library of NSW as education officer and librarian, and as a museum guide with the NSW Historic Houses Trust. Elizabeth is Chair, ARLIS/ANZ National Executive and an associate member of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Elizabeth holds degrees in Library and Information Science, Art History and Theory, and Arts Administration.

Celia Brown

Workshop summary: What collection? Object-based learning as a site/sight for information literacy instruction in studio art practice. Art Librarians working in higher education are usually associated with offering information literacy skills for art theory and research. They are visible in computer labs and classrooms. But is there a place for the art librarian in the studio, where students are learning to articulate and develop their practice? Information as Inspiration has been developed for National Art School 2nd Year students who are enrolled in a Studio Theory Seminar within their chosen department. Embedded into this studio curriculum, the 60 min workshop utilises Object Based Learning principles to deliver information literacy skills in an engaging and hands-on way. Art students are familiar with visual observation, but description and development of a vocabulary with which to describe and contextualise their practice can be a challenge. Keyword generation can be difficult for artists who are often trying to describe abstract ideas. Everyday objects such as Barbie dolls serve to inspire new ideas and connections which may be material, aesthetic, cultural or political. From this point, participants are primed to generate keywords and hit the search tools. Come and experience information literacy in a new way and see how art librarians can be visible in studio practice. BYO device and prepare to participate!

BIO: Originally coming from a performance background, Celia has been a librarian/ educator for 20 years and an art librarian for almost 10. She has predominantly worked with creative practitioners across art, music and the humanities, and is currently deeply ensconced in her role as Librarian at the National Art School where she specialises in Information Literacy for artists. She also coordinates the Library Stairwell Gallery and the NAS Library’s Artists’ Book Award, as well as taking adventures into studio curriculum, collection development and lots of student engagement. Celia holds a Graduate Diploma of Information Management (UTS Sydney) and a BA in Anthropology and Performance Studies (University of Sydney). This is her third time presenting at an ARLIS conference.

Dr Megan R. Fizell + Dr Emily Morandini

Summary: UNSW Library’s Exhibitions Program establishes the Library as a cultural centre point on campus where students, researchers, and the broader community intersect. It is also an opportunity for students to encounter leading research and ideas outside their nominated disciplines. 

 This presentation will cover three recent exhibitions at UNSW Library, namely Sonus Maris (2023), Care is a relationship (2023) and Living Water (2024). These exhibitions draw on collaborative exhibition development and design methods to produce engaging multidisciplinary projects. UNSW’s key research outcomes address global challenges in fields like biomedical sciences, environmental sustainability, advanced materials, and social policy. We demonstrate how the Library’s Exhibitions Program gives visibility to this work by showcasing research that fuses art, science, and engineering through multisensory displays and related public programs such as talks, workshops, and object-based learning sessions. These collaborative exhibitions reconceptualise research by partnering with academics, creatives, and communities, making content accessible to a broader audience and creating connections between people, disciplines, and faculties across campus.

BIO: Dr Megan R. Fizell is the Curator, Special Collections & Exhibitions at UNSW Library. Megan has worked in the GLAMR sector in London and Sydney as a curator, writer, and art historian. Megan centres her current curatorial practice on reconceptualising interdisciplinary research, using inclusive and collaborative methods to create engaging, multisensory exhibitions and experiences.

BIO: Dr Emily Morandini is the Exhibitions Coordinator at UNSW Library. Emily is an arts facilitator, artist, and curator and has worked in the GLAMR and education sectors for several years. Emily is interested in the ability of art and exhibition-making to communicate knowledge and ideas beyond traditional disciplines, to connect with broad audiences.

Mia Turner

Summary: From Tradition to Inclusion: Rethinking Residency Programs. In this session, I’ll share the wild ride of reimagining the UTS Library Creative In-Residence Program. We decided to trade in the old-school solitary artist model in favour of a playful, community-first approach that invites both emerging and established artists to collaborate with our spaces, collections, and vibrant community. After a risky rebrand in 2022, applications soared by bringing in diverse, high-quality proposals—and it’s still growing. One standout project, BOOK WITCH by Katy B Plummer, turned our library into a magical space where art met everyday campus life. Through creative public programming, we’ve redefined what our residency brings to our community, inviting everyone to come play, create, and connect.

BIO: Mia Turner is the Exhibitions and Engagements Curator at UTS Library, where she has led the Creative In-Residence program for 3 years, building meaningful community connections through public programming. Her experience in leading a tier-one student program ignited her passion for accessible, hands-on engagement and co-creating authentic experiences. Mia thrives on blending fresh ideas with a strong understanding of people and spaces. Her values in user experience, empathy, and community engagement drive her work, with a focus on human-centred design, sustainability, and making art accessible to all.

Estee Sarsfield

Workshop summary: Zine making with Estee. Zines (“zeens" - from magazine), are independently produced DIY publications, usually made for love rather than profit, and filled with any combination of art, poetry, activism, literature - the limits are endless and the results are always magical. This is a fun and hands-on zine-making workshop where you will collage, draw, write and scribble to produce your own zine. You'll be guided through the process and introduced to different zine formats and folding/binding techniques. This workshop will ask you to bring together themes from the conference and consider the possible futures of art libraries. How might we use zines to guide us towards better futures? To explore alternative futures or dream up utopias? Your zine might be a speculative guide to libraries after humans, a manifesto for a better future, or a catalogue of rare books from the year 2100. 

BIO: Estee Sarsfield is an illustrator, designer, educator and zine maker, living and working in the Blue Mountains. She is a co-director of creative printing co-op, the Rizzeria, a founding member of the Mtns Zine Club and organises the annual Blue Mountains Zine Fair.

Lucy Hawthorne

Summary: A hoarder, an art librarian, and a bit of cash: on the creation of the Plimsoll Gallery Archive. This lightning talk will provide a critical overview of a 2023 project archiving job, for which an archive was created for the University of Tasmania’s Plimsoll Gallery. The archive was created from the office materials of the retired gallery coordinator of over three decades. A loading bay of packing boxes was reduced to fifteen archive boxes and a finding aid. What gets kept for future generations requires both individuals and institutions to care about resources of all sizes and subjects over the long-term, but art archives so often fall through the gaps. The creation of the archive will be discussed in the context of archiver bias, arguing that bias can be a positive thing.

BIO: Lucy Hawthorne is a librarian, arts writer and artist. She currently manages the Mineral Resources Tasmania Geoscience Library in Hobart. She worked at the Mona museum library for twelve years until 2023, has taught art theory and worked in special collections at the University of Tasmania. She’s also taught in the Master of Information Studies program at CSU. Hawthorne holds a PhD in art theory, 'The Museum as Art: site-specific art in Australia's public museums', from the University of Tasmania (UTAS), and a Master of Information Studies (Librarianship) from Charles Sturt University (CSU). https://www.lucyhawthorne.com.au/

Ellen Newton

Summary: A Tale of Two Potters: Gwyn Hanssen Pigott and Anne Dangar. Two eminent Australian potters Gwyn Hanssen Pigott OAM (1935–2013) and Anne Dangar (1885-1951) are included in the extensive archive collections held  at the National Gallery of Australia’s Research Library & Archives.  During 2023-34 Ellen Newton rehoused and described these collections in finding aids for which have been published online via the Research Library’s catalogue. In this presentation Ellen will discuss these two Australian women potters who travelled  to Europe for inspiration but followed very different life paths and art styles, and highlight select items of interest in their archives. In MS 112 The Papers of  Gwyn Hanssen Pigott diaries, sketches and glaze technical notes have shared insight into how Hanssen Pigott developed her pale palette oeuvre.  MS 159 The Papers of  Anne Dangar includes a series of letters from and to the artist while she lived and worked at the artist commune in Moly-Sabata, Salons, Isere, France. These letters reflect Dangar’s involvement in the Cubist movement and life in rural France during pre- and post-World War II. Ellen will discuss behind the scenes tasks of rehousing and describing artist archives in finding aids for, recounting the challenges and rewards of working on archives and enhancing their discoverability for exhibition and research.

BIO: Ellen Newton works as the Library & Archives Assistant at the National Gallery of Australia Research Library & Archives in Canberra. She has worked at the National Gallery of Australia and Parliament House, Canberra across visitor experience, library, archives, and art collection roles. In her current role, she assists with the Research Library & Archives books and serials collection, archives and special collections, which include audio-visual, posters and the Art and Artist ephemera files. Ellen has presented talks on art, culture, and language both nationally and internationally, including at the Selasar Sunaryo Art Space in Cimenyan, Indonesia and Nara University, Japan. Ellen is fluent in Japanese, which she has used to translate works for publication including Art from Milingimbi: Taking Memories Back (2016) by Cara Pinchbeck. She has a double degree in  Art History & Curatorship and Printmaking & Drawings from the Australian National University

Lauren Turton

Summary: Why Collect Artists’ Books? Artspace Mackay is a regional art gallery that has been collecting and advocating for the artists’ book medium for over 20 years. This presentation will talk about Artspace Mackay’s ongoing interest in this medium, providing an overview of the 2025 Libris Awards (Artspace Mackay’s biennial artists’ book prize) and the collection's history, from its beginning as a local library collection to present—where artists' books are integrated into all aspects of the gallery’s programming, through commissions and curatorial projects that affirm their place within a contemporary art context. 

 BIO: Lauren Turton is an Australian curator specialising in contemporary art from Queensland. Since 2017 she has been lead curator at Artspace Mackay (Yuwi Country) managing care of the gallery’s art collection including the largest public collection of artists’ books held outside of a capital city. Lauren draws on a range of artforms through her curatorial projects including contemporary Australian painting, artists’ book practice, printmaking,  wood-fired pottery, and site-specific installation-based practice. Her recent curatorial projects include Jemima Wyman: Crisis Patterns (2024), Fire and Ash: The Woodfire Pottery of Arthur and Carol Rosser (2023), In Bloom (2023) and Davida Allen: Colourful Expressions (2023). Lauren is currently a Propel Fellow (2024-25 cohort, Association of Art Museum Curators, New York).