The Plan of Wellwood Estate was gifted to Orange City Council by Charles Sturt University in 2009 and is on show for the next three weeks in the foyer of Orange Regional Gallery (next door to the Library in Byng Street). Recently the map has undergone extensive conservation works from the generous support of the Orange Regional Arts Foundation.

The map is of immense importance to the history of settlement of Fredericks Valley (just east of Orange along the Mitchell Highway) and a vital artefact in the colonial history of our district.

Sydney Surveyor A W Meikle produced this detailed hand painted map for Andrew Kerr Esquire in 1842. Kerr built a homestead and leased the Southwest corner of his land for a small settlement which provided services both to travellers along the highway and to adjoining properties. He was onto something there!

Discover a fascinating piece of our local history, see the map up close (pictured) and portraits of Andrew and his wife Eliza (pictured)at the Gallery. And you can purchase your own A3 size colour copy of the Wellwood Plan from Orange City Library for $20. Makes a great gift!

With the recent flooding and heavy rains, we have received calls from panic stricken book lovers about how best to save water damaged books and documents.
Our friends at the State Library of New South Wales provided some first aid rescue tips. You will need a bit of space and lots of patience.

* assess your damage and decide what is irreplaceable to you

* if they are really muddy, rinse under gently running clean water

* remove any plastic covers

* if any items show signs of mould, isolate these  quarantine them or they will “infect” other books

* sort out books with glossy pages  these tend to stick together more easily so early intervention is best

* fan the books into an A or V shape for drying

* put them in a well aired area  you can use a fan set on “cool” to circulate the air

* put them on a hard, non-absorbent, colour-fast surface to prevent moisture from being retained under the books and prevent them from sticking to the supporting surface

* put sheets of plain paper towel (with no colours or designs) between the pages when the book is fanned out  insert between each page if possible if this doesn't increase the thickness by more than one third

* you can put one book per freezer bag into the freezer as a temporary step and deal with it later

* do not put any weights on the book  let it dry out first

* make sure the book is completely dry before you try to press out any bumps or wrinkles.

For more info check out the fact sheets from the State Library of New South Wales' Collection preservation Branch:

drying wet books http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/about/collections/preservation/drying_wet_book.html

dealing with mould http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/about/collections/preservation/dealing_with_mould.html

To mark the first anniversary of the Government's apology to the Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants on 16 November 2009, the first collection of many of their stories, recorded by the National Library of Australia, have been made public. This project features interviews with some of the adults, who as children were placed in care in Australia or were sent here from the United Kingdom and Malta under sponsored child migration schemes.
Listen to the oral histories online on the National Library Website go to digital collection, oral history. Here is the link to copy into your web browser:
http://www.nla.gov.au/digicoll/ListentotheForgottenAustralians.html

This long weekend, if you have some time on your hands try this – The National Library of Australia's Trove. A new discovery experience focused on Australia and Australians. It supplements what search engines provide. If you are researching in the fields of the social sciences, literature, local or family history, or need inspiration for your school assignment, then this is the tool for you.
For example if researching images relating to Edmund Barton, our first Prime Minister, results will include descriptions such as people, book, manuscript, map and newspaper articles. A researcher searching for information on Nellie Melba will be presented with a range of results including biographies, pictures, music, newspapers, books etc. Try family names, town names, people, places etc – it's fun.
Check it out at http://trove.nla.gov.au/

Extraordinary pieces from the Macquarie era will be revealed publicly for the first time at Cowra and Orange.

Come along to Cowra Library on Friday July 16 at 12 noon for a 12.30pm start or Orange City Libray at 6pm to meet Senior Curator, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW, Paul Brunton (pictured) when he talks about the legacy of Lachlan Macquarie. He will also bring with him the letters of John Septimus Roe, 1807-1829, recently purchased by the Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW, from Hordern House Rare Books, Sydney.
This collection of 201 letters written by Roe to his family is the most significant early colonial archival material to come on the market in over 50 years. John Septimus Roe (1797-1878) is one of the most important surveyors of the Australian coast.
He will also bring along examples of the holey dollar and dump (the currency instigated by Macquarie); portraits of Macquarie and his wife Elizabeth, and manuscripts by Macquarie.
Please RSVP to Cowra or Orange Libraries if you wish to attend. The visit is supported by Westpac Bank and the State Library of NSW.