NEWS: State Library celebrates Wolfer donation

Lighthouse Girl author Dianne Wolfer will officially donate manuscripts of her earlier novels and picture books to the State Library of Western Australia on 12 July 2010.

Draft manuscripts, notes, correspondence, research and the scraps of paper where Wolfer first noted ideas for books such as Choices and Photographs in the Mud will be among the materials donated to the State Library’s collection.

Wolfer said she was honoured by the fact that the State Library valued the material and that it was genuinely excited about having it.

‘This way kids can see how many drafts are involved and that writing books is a lot of hard work – it’s not just about being clever,’ said Wolfer.

‘Plus it will be much safer in the State Library than stored in my garage,’ she joked.

Children’s librarian Joanna Andrews said the materials donated were important because they encouraged literacy in all its forms.

‘Telling students that books and stories require lots of drafts and research is one thing: being able to show them by displaying the material like this has such an impact on their understanding of how a book came to be, and encourages them to believe that they could write their own one day,’ said Andrews.

Wolfer is the author of twelve books for teenagers and young readers. Lighthouse Girl was shortlisted for the 2009 NSW Premier’s History Awards and its illustrator, Brian Simmonds, is in the running for a Children’s Book Council Crichton Award for Best New Illustrator.

A paperback edition of Lighthouse Girl is available now.