Recording the Literature of Australia: Laurie Hergenhan in the Fryer Library
Channel: UQ Library
Date: 2020-06-16

When Emeritus Professor Laurence Thomas Hergenhan AO FAHA, passed away on 21st July 2019, aged 88 years it was noted by scholars in the field that he was, “the central figure in Australian literary studies since the war.”
 
In 1963 Laurie was the founding editor of Australian Literary Studies. He would continue in this role until 2002. Laurie began teaching at the University of Queensland in 1971.  Prior to moving to Brisbane he had been in contact with the UQ reference librarian Spencer Routh who suggested that the comprehensive card indexes maintained in the University’s Fryer Memorial Library of Australian Literature could be a useful source for the annual bibliographies which ALS had started publishing in each June issue.
 
Centering on an original recording made with Laurie in 2017 as part of our 90th anniversary celebrations, this video explores Laurie’s partnership with librarians in the Fryer Library in documenting Australian letters and his role as a mentor and friend to many of us engaged in Australian literary studies as students, collectors, publishers, academics, writers and bibliographers.

Includes a video recording made by Prof. Antonella Riem played at the memorial service held for Laurie Hergenhan in the Fryer Library Reading Room on 24 August 2019.

Prelude No. 2 by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/preludes/
Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/