Every day, AustLit researchers and indexers work on making the database the richest, most accurate, and most comprehensive source of information on Australian narrative, story-telling, and print culture.
As a brief sampling of what we do, 2015 has brought to the database
- 1131 novels
- 496 autobiographies and biographies
- 982 young-adult novels and children's books, and
- 383 picture books
Those are only some of the works first published or first performed in 2015.
And we already have over 300 works from 2016 in the database.
But we also work to create additional resources around these core biographical and bibliographical records, from information resources and guides to research projects and exhibitions.
In case you missed them, here are some of the additional resources that AustLit has launched this year.
- Joseph Furphy Digital Archive: the work of bibliographer and Australian literature scholar Dr Roger Osborne, the Joseph Furphy Digital Archive is an ongoing collection of critical editions of Furphy's work, including manuscript material. As far as we are aware, this is the first time in which a critical edition has been plugged directly into the national bibliography–a fascinating new development in scholarly editions.
- Trauma Texts: an AustLit research project. Launched at the International Auto-Biography Association conference at Flinders University in late 2015, Trauma Texts is a rich research project, exploring the functioning of trauma in Australian writing. Keep and eye out for the forthcoming catalogue essay, but explore the exhibitions and main content now.
- The BlackWords Essays by Dr Anita Heiss. A series of essays that showcase recent trends in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writing and highlight the diversity of voices, the range of themes, the genres authors are publishing in, and the ongoing importance of storytelling in contemporary Indigenous society. Important for teachers and fascinating for everyone, the essays are accompanied by research trails, which you can explore here.
- 'The Stolen Generations': A BlackWords Information Trail: a richly detailed bibliography of works about the long period of the forcible removal of Indigenous children from their families. (Please be aware that some of these works and agent records may contain images, artwork, perspectives and stories from people who are now deceased. It also contains words, terms or descriptions which may be culturally sensitive and are considered inappropriate today, but which reflect the period in which it was written.)
- Australians and Adaptations: supported by the ARC-funded Discovery Project 'Media Transformation in its Australian and International Contexts: Analysis and Theory-building' by Prof. Tom O'Regan, this large-scale exhibition explores some aspects of the role that adaptation has played in Australian film and television since the earliest days of silent film to the modern proliferation of international adaptations of Australian works.
- Follow an Author or Organisation: launched only this week, the 'Follow' function allows you to add your email address to an author's or organisation's AustLit record, and receive updates when a new work is added or substantial changes are made to a biography. To follow an author or organisation, go to their AustLit page and add your email address to the 'Follow' box on the right-hand side of the record.
- How-to Videos (link to YouTube). Sure, it was a bit short on car chases and caped superheroes. And it didn't contain many jokes. But if you need an overview of AustLit, this video is for you. And in 2016, we will bring more videos, walking users through our incredibly powerful and malleable Advanced Search functions.
AustLit will be back in 2016: wait until you see what we have planned for next year!