Guide to the Papers of Dan Sprod, 1938-2018

Summary

Collection number:

MS 8429; MS Acc07.077;.MS Acc10.033; MS Acc22.018

Creator:

Sprod, Dan, OAM (Thomas Daniel)

Extent:

(45 MS boxes) + 4 large folio-boxes + 1 folder

Language:

English and English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Dan Sprod, National Library of Australia, [class/series/file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

MS 8429 contains material on Blubber Head Press and Dan Sprod's career as a librarian at both the National Library of Australia and the Morris Miller Library at the University of Tasmania, and author and editor of numerous books. There are also papers relating to his professional and research interests, including Tasmanian Art Advisory Board, Tasmanian Historical Research Association, Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts and the Taxation Incentives for the Arts Scheme. The papers, arranged into 14 series, include correspondence, research material, notes, handwritten drafts, typescripts, financial papers, minutes of meetings and reports.MS Acc07.077 comprises a letter from Ira Raymond, of the Australian Consulate, New York, to Dan Sprod dated 31 October, 1956.MS Acc10.033 comprises papers reflecting Sprod's roles as publisher and writer. They include: correspondence relating to books published by Blubber Head Press and books written by Sprod, together with Sprod's research, grant applications and speaking engagements; draft proofs of various publications; and business records. Publication titles represented in the papers include: Major Mitchell's map 1834: the saga of the survey of the nineteen counties, by Alan E.J. Andrews (1992); A salute to watercolour, by Max Angus (1996); Sprod's The usurper: Jorgen Jorgenson and his turbulent life in Iceland and Van Diemen's Land 1780-1841 (2001); and his Leichhardt's expeditioners: in the Australian wilderness 1844-1845 (2006). In addition there are papers relating to the Ludwig Leichhardt Expedition Exposition in Queensland in 2004.MS Acc22.018 includes research notebooks for Dan Sprod's various publications, appointment diaries covering the period 1960 to 2018, and correspondence. Correspondents include other National Library of Australia staff members Mollie Thomson, Charles Dornbusch and Ira Raymond. The collection also includes one small notebook related to Sprod's move with his wife and three young sons to take up the position in the Australian Consulate General office in New York.

Biographical Note:

Dan Sprod was born in South Australia in 1924. He served in the Royal Australian Navy (1942-46), attended Adelaide University and graduated Bachelor of Arts (1948-50), before joining the National Library in 1951. He held a number of senior positions, including Liaison Officer, New York (1957-60), Chief Cataloguer (1964-65) and Principal Librarian, User Services (1966). Upon leaving the National Library, he was appointed University Librarian, Morris Miller Library, University of Tasmania in 1966 and held this position until his resignation on 31 July 1976.

Sprod founded the Blubber Head Press in 1978 and became its manager. He was also the owner of the bookshop Astrolabe Books in Hobart, specialising in antiquarian books relating to Australia.

Dan Sprod has been active on committees in a range of areas associated with his professional and research interests. The many organisations with which he was associated include the Library Association of Australia, the Australian Advisory Council on Bibliographical Services, the Tasmanian Historical Research Association, the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts and the Tasmanian Arts Advisory Board.

Provenance:

Dan Sprod presented the bulk of his papers to the National Library in 1990 under the Taxation Incentives for the Arts Scheme. Further papers were added in March 1999. Additions were also received in 2007 and 2010.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Professions
History

Conditions Governing Access:

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2946476).

Conditions Governing Use:

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Dan Sprod, National Library of Australia, [class/series/file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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