50th Birthday Celebrations
‘when we started and where we are now’….
Lu Rees started the collection in 1974. It was then part of the CBCA ACT Branch and was recognised by the other CBCA branches across Australia as a national collection of Australian children’s books and files about the authors and illustrators.
Lu Rees in 1980
The collection moved to the University of Canberra (then Canberra College of Advanced Education) in 1980 to make it more accessible. It had outgrown the homes of Lu Rees and Jill Gamble where the 1,000 books and 60 research files were then stored.
In 1988 we registered with the Australian Government for eligibility to receive tax deductible donations. We are now registered with the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission (ACNC). Being so registered enables us to receive donations as a not-for-profit tax-exempt charity. Since 1992 when we received our first donation under this scheme, we have received over 80 collections of cultural gifts.
We changed our name from the Lu Rees Archives to the National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature in 2015 to highlight our vision and to promote our collection more clearly.
We now hold over 57,546 books, 5,577 of these in 79 different languages. We have accepted 80 Cultural Gifts of artworks, papers and manuscripts and other items from authors, illustrators and others.* In July 2022 our collection was valued for insurance purposes at $12,824,100.
Celebrate with NCACL online and in person on 11 – 15 March 2024.
Shaun Tan Digital Exhibition (c) landing page images by Tyler Cherry
- As at 30 June 2023
See also:
The Significance of the collection
Forthcoming Events – NCACL
Congratulate us!
50th Birthday Messages
50th Birthday Gallery & Exhibitions – NCACL
Make a donation
Posted by: NCACL | Published: 11 Aug 2023
