Spencer Routh
Spencer Routh O.A.M (1935-) is an Australian librarian and author of biographical pieces for the Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB). He was the first Reference Librarian to be hired at the University of Queensland in the early days of library science.
| Spencer Routh | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 25, 1935 Tambo, Queensland, Australia |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Australian |
| 🎓 Alma mater | Townsville Grammar School, University of Queensland, Columbia University |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 🏅 Awards | Lilley Medal, Ryan Memorial Medal, Byrnes Medal, Order of Australia |
Early Life[edit]
Spencer James Routh was born in Tambo, Queensland on July 25, 1935, the son of an accountant with the National Australia Bank and a home science teacher.[1] He attended six different primary schools in his childhood, including Ithaca Creek State School, a school in the Glasshouse Mountains, Dalby State and Townsville Central State School. Routh's mother was a prolific letter writer and he grew up surrounded by literature. He took first place in the Queensland junior scholarship exam of 1949, winning the Lilley Medal[2] and Ryan Memorial Medal[3] and a scholarship to attend Townsville Grammar School. He came first in the state in his junior exams of 1951, winning the Byrnes Medal[2]. Routh's father died in 1952[4], and the school community and his father's former employer, rallied in aid of the Routh family[5]. In 1953, Routh was an army cadet[6] and came first in the state again in his senior public exams, winning an open scholarship to the University of Queensland in 1954[7]. He was only one of four students in Queensland to win the Lilley, Byrnes and Ryan medals, before this awards system was phased out.[8]
Career[edit]
Routh moved to Brisbane and attended the University of Queensland, taking his B.A. with Second Class Honours in 1958. He joined the staff of the University of Queensland, first as a junior lecturer in the English Department and then joined the University of Queensland Library, as its first reference librarian in 1959[9]. At this stage in time, the University of Queensland Library had suffered from many decades of neglect[9]. Harrison Bryan, the second University Librarian had been employed in 1956 and was struggling to gain both funding and staff to make the library an organisation, that could support the growing student population and needs of the academics. [10] [11] Routh was to play a major role over the next thirty-eight years in developing the Library’s reference services and research collections, and advise researchers in Humanities. After Bryan left for the University of Sydney, Derek Fielding was appointed to the position of University Librarian. Fielding and Routh worked together to increase the collection from about 400,000 volumes in 1964 to about 1.5 million bound volumes in 1991,[12] with Routh being heavily involved in Conspectus, the collection development model for ranking the quality of research library collections[13]. His background in the arts and humanities earnt him high esteem from academics, and Routh was often acknowledged in the publications of academics and researchers who had gone through the University.[14][15]
During 1965-1966, Routh was a Fulbright travelling scholar at Columbia University in New York, where he completed a M.Sc. in the School of Library Science, completing his professional qualifications. He acted as Deputy University Librarian for the University on a number of occasions over the next two decades. He wrote for professional publications in librarianship and regional history.
Routh was a regular contributor to the Australian Dictionary of Biography from 1975-2005. He wrote over 20 biographical entries for this series.
He retired from the University of Queensland library in 1997. The University Senate recorded a notice of appreciation for his 38 years of service to the library, and his "significant scholarly assistance to many staff and students".[16]
Awards[edit]
In 2003, Routh received the Australian Dictionary of Biography medal for thirty years contribution to this series.[14] In 2005 he was awarded an Honorary D.Litt by the University of Queensland.
Routh received an Order of Australia Medal in 2011, for his services to librarianship and the University of Queensland.[17]
Writings[edit]
Routh, S. J. (1964). "The Australian career of John Lang, novelist." Australian Literary Studies 1(3):206-207.
Routh, S.J. and and McPherson, Madeleine.(1967). "On the indexing of anthropological journals". College and research libraries. 29(4): 313-314.
McGinity, Maria and S. J. Routh. (1968). "Annual Bibliography of Studies in Australian Literature: 1967". Australian Literary Studies 3(3): 214-227.
Routh, S. J. (1969). ‘Annual Bibliography of Studies in Australian Literature: 1968.’ Australian Literary Studies 4(1): 49-67
Routh, Spencer and Burns, L.M. (1969). "Annual bibliography of studies in Australian literature: 1969". Australian literary studies 4: 258-278.
Routh, Spencer. (1970). "Annual bibliography of studies in Australian literature: 1970". Australian literary studies 5: 65-86.
Erhardt, Marianne and Routh, Spencer. (1971). "Annual bibliography of studies in Australian literature: 1971". Australian literary studies 5: 285-305.
Erhardt, Marianne and Routh, Spencer. (1972) "Annual bibliography of studies in Australian literature: 1972". Australian literary studies 6: 56-76.
Erhardt, Marianne, Hetherington, Carol and Routh, Spencer. (1973) "Annual bibliography of studies in Australian literature: 1973". Australian literary studies 6: 288-309.
Routh, Spencer. (1979). Walter Blacklock (1862-1935). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 7. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (1986). Charles Edward McDougall (1865-1923). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 10. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (1988). Lancelot Albert Skuthorp (1870-1958). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 11. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (1988). William Ball Slade (1843-1938). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 11. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (1988). James Scobie (1860-1940). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 11. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (1993). Claude Bowhay (1907-1970). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 13. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (2000). Stanley Thomas Phillips (1912-1976). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 15. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (2001). Derek Fielding: a select bibliography 1956-1996. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 31(3): 83-96.
Routh, Spencer. (2002). Thomas Plunkett (1840-1913). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 16. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (2002). Thomas Flood Plunkett (1877-1957). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 16. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (2002). James Tindal Steuart Scrymgeour (1885-1965). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 16. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (2005). James William Cole (1852-1919). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Supplement. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (2005). John Thomas Cole (1854-1927). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Supplement. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (2005). Ann Drew (1822-1907). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Supplement. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (2005). Richard Langler Drew (1823-1869). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Supplement. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (2005). Robert Gray (1839-1931). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Supplement. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (2005). Robert Percy Lord (1878-1938). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Supplement. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (2007). Harold Edward Corbould (1909-1989). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 17. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (2007). Charles Augustus Edwards (1905-1990). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 17. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (2007). Edward Norman Kruger (1897-1987). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 17. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (2012). Gerda Pinter (1915-2003). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 18. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
Routh, Spencer. (2012). Joseph Pinter (1912-1981). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Volume 18. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
References[edit]
- ↑ MacKenzie, Marion Elizabeth (2006). Promising lives: First placegetters in the Queensland Scholarship examination 1873-1962. https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:158460/Mackenzie_Full_thesis.pdf: University of Queensland. Search this book on
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Lilley Medal". education.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
- ↑ "BRILLIANT N.Q. STUDENTS SPENCER SOUTH". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 1950-01-14. p. 1. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
- ↑ "Died at game". The Courier-Mail. 1952-07-28. p. 3. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
- ↑ https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:158460/Mackenzie_Full_thesis.pdf
- ↑ "N.Q. Cadets Attend at Greenbank". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 1953-01-07. p. 2. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
- ↑ "BRILLIANT SCHOLASTIC CAREER OF SPENCES ROUTH HAS WON BOTH BYRNES AND LILLEY MEDALS". Cairns Post. 1952-01-24. p. 1. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
- ↑ "Notable award recipients" (PDF). Townsville Grammarian, 17: 13. 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 East, John (2010). "The University of Queensland Library: a centenary history 1910-2010" (PDF). The University of Queensland Library: a centenary history 1910-2010. The University of Queensland. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ↑ "Emeritus Professor Dorothy Hill (1907-1997), geologist - Australian Academy of Science". www.science.org.au. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
- ↑ East, John (27 December 2006). "A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND LIBRARY" (PDF). e-Prints in Library and Information Science. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
- ↑ Schmidt, Janine (2000). "Derek Fielding and the University of Queensland". Australian Academic & Research Libraries. 31 (3): 11–30. doi:10.1080/00048623.2000.10755125.
- ↑ University of Queensland Library Annual Report. https://www.library.uq.edu.au/_/sites/default/files/storage/webfile_read/files/about/annualReports/ar1995.pdf: University of Queensland Library. 1995. pp. 50–51. Search this book on
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Arts in Queensland celebrated at UQ graduation ceremonies". UQ News. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
- ↑ Crook, David Paul (1984). Benjamin Kidd: portrait of a social Darwinist. University of Queensland: Cambridge University Press. pp. vi. ISBN 9780521258043. Search this book on
- ↑ "206. Appreciation". University of Queensland Senate Papers, P.215. 26 November 1997.
- ↑ "Academics in the Australia Day 2011 honours list". The Australian. January 26, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
External links[edit]
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