Henry Charles Lennox (H.C.L.) Anderson (10 May 1853 – 17 March 1924) was instrumental in the establishment of the Mitchell Library (now The

State Library of New South Wales The State Library of New South Wales, part of which is known as the Mitchell Library, is a large heritage-listed special collections, reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia. Establis ...

) and held the position of Principal Librarian of the New South Wales Free Public Library as it was then known, from 1893 - 1906. The

Australian Library and Information Association The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), formerly the Australian Institute of Librarians and Library Association of Australia, is the peak professional organisation for the Australian library and information services sector. ...

’s H.C.L. Anderson award, named in his memory, is given for outstanding service to the Library profession.

Early life and education

Henry Charles Lennox Anderson was born at sea on the ''Empire'' on 10 May 1853. His father, Robert Anderson, later became a police inspector, and his mother was Margaret, née Hewson. H.C.L. Anderson attended

Sydney Grammar School Sydney Grammar School (SGS, colloquially known as Grammar) is an independent, non-denominational day school for boys, located in Sydney, Australia. Incorporated in 1854 by an Act of Parliament and opened in 1857, the school claims to offer "c ...

before attaining a scholarship to attend the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

.King, C. J.
'Anderson, Henry Charles Lennox (1853–1924)'
Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.

Agricultural career

Anderson was appointed New South Wales's first Director of Agriculture in February 1890, a department that was established as a branch of the Department of Mines. In 1891, he established the

Hawkesbury Agricultural College Hawkesbury Agricultural College was the first agricultural college in New South Wales, Australia, based in Richmond. It operated from 1891 to 1989. History It was established on 10 March 1891, and formally opened by Minister for Mines and Agric ...

and the following year, established th
Wagga Wagga Experiment Farm

Contribution to the library industry

Anderson did not seek a career in libraries, he found himself in the role of Principal Librarian when in 1893 his Agriculture department was closed down and on September 1, 1893 he was appointed Principal Librarian of the Free Public Library at a reduced salary, a position for which it is reported he had 'no desire'. Despite an inauspicious beginning, Anderson became internationally known for developing 101 rules of cataloguing with the use of subject headings. In 1896 he published ''Guide to the Catalogues of the Reference Library''. An active member of the Library Association of Australasia, he trained staff and was first to employ women – partly due to their willingness to accept lower salaries. Under Anderson’s leadership, the Free Public Library underwent considerable changes with revitalised services and collections developed. He became Registrar of Copyright in 1901, the same year that he introduced the

Dewey Decimal Classification system The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) (pronounced ) colloquially known as the Dewey Decimal System, is a proprietary library classification system which allows new books to be added to a library in their appropriate location based on subject. ...

to the Library. Anderson first met

David Scott Mitchell David Scott Mitchell (19 March 1836 – 24 July 1907) was a collector of Australian books, founder and benefactor of the Mitchell Library (Australia), Mitchell Library, at the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney.G. D. Richardson,Mitchell, ...

in 1895 and played a major role in encouraging the collector to bequeath and finance his collections to the Library. Anderson provided space for Mitchell’s collection of 10,000 volumes by moving out of his house in 1898. It took a public inquiry and five years before planning began for the Mitchell Wing of the Free Public Library. His time as Principal Librarian was not without controversy being accused of fraud and misappropriation of library materials. A Legislative Assembly Select Committee investigated complaints that he used postal concessions, sold donations, and gave preference to some booksellers, and included ‘blue’ books in the collections. After five years of investigation, he was exonerated with recommendations made for proper housing of the Mitchell Collection. In 1905 Anderson became director of the State Intelligence Department and in 1907 Government Statistician. In 1908 he returned to the re-established Department of Agriculture – accepting the position because it paid better than the Library.

H.C.L. Anderson Award

Named in memory of H.C.L. Anderson, the HCL Anderson Award is the highest honour that can be bestowed on an Associate member of the

. "It is awarded in recognition of outstanding service to the library and information profession in Australia, to ALIA, or to the theory of library and information science or to the practice of library and information services." In 2024,

State Library of South Australia The State Library of South Australia, or SLSA, formerly known as the Public Library of South Australia, located on North Terrace, Adelaide, is the official library of the Australian state of South Australia. It is the largest public research li ...

director Geoff Strempel won the award.

References

External links