J S Battye Library
The J S Battye Library is an arm of the State Library of Western Australia. It stores much of the state's historical records and original publications including books, newspapers, periodicals, maps, and ephemera, as well as oral history tapes, photographs and artworks, films and video, and non-government records which are kept in the library's Private Archives collection. The Library provides a range of services, including reference, copying, and genealogical services, as well as consultancy and reader education.
Founder
The library is named after James Battye, the first State Librarian, who began the collection in the early 1900s. It was established in December 1956.Librarians
Mollie Lukis and Margaret Medcalf were successors to Battye as Battye librarians, and their long service to the Library was an important part of the library's development.Location
The Battye Library is housed on the Level 3 of the State Library of Western Australia. The public access can access rare and precious material from the Leah Jane Chen Reading Room. There is a help desk, microfiche readers, reference materials and computers.The separate State Records Office of Western Australia houses the State and local government archives.
The current administrative structure of the State Library has removed mention of the name of the library from the library catalogue and now refers to it as 3rd Floor of the Alexander building, however it still has a web page.