Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

Image. Advertisement:

Chamberlin awarded 2014 Dromkeen Medal; Scholastic donates $12,000 to preserve Dromkeen archive

Children’s publisher Helen Chamberlin was awarded the 2014 Dromkeen Medal at the State Library of Victoria (SLV) on 12 October.

Chamberlin began her career as a secondary English and languages teacher before entering the educational publishing industry at Heinemann. She became children’s publisher at Lothian Books in 1993, and then at Hachette Australia following its acquisition of Lothian in 2006. In 2009 she began work on the Helen Chamberlin Books imprint at Windy Hollow Books. Chamberlin is also the recipient of the 2009 Pixie O’Harris Award for ‘distinguished and dedicated service to the development and reputation of Australian children’s books’.

‘Helen Chamberlin has worked as an editor and publisher of children’s books, picture books, graphic novels and young adult fiction for more than 40 years, including nearly two decades at Lothian Books,’ said the SLV said in a statement. ‘She has nurtured some of Australia’s most celebrated writers—such as award-winning author Shaun Tan, Anne Spudvilas and Gregory Rogers. She still develops lists for Windy Hollow Books, Ford Street Publishing and Hachette. Ms Chamberlin also volunteers with the Children’s Literature Australia Network to mentor emerging illustrators and authors, and bring children’s book festivals to schools.’

Pam Saunders, head of library at Melbourne High School, was awarded the 2014 Dromkeen Librarian’s Award. (See library news.)

The Dromkeen Medal is presented annually ‘to an Australian citizen for a significant contribution to the appreciation and development of children’s literature in Australia’.

As previously reported by Books+Publishing, the Dromkeen Medal is now presented by the SLV after the Dromkeen National Centre for Picture Book Art collection was transferred to the SLV by former trustee Scholastic Australia in 2012.

At this year’s Dromkeen Medal announcement Scholastic Australia presented a $12,000 donation to the SLV ‘to help preserve the Dromkeen archive’. ‘The donation is to be used for cataloguing the archival material that will tell the story of Dromkeen from the beginnings with Joyce and Court Oldmeadow and Kaye Keck (Oldmeadow), to the long standing service of Scholastic and the Board of Governors,’ said Scholastic Australia philanthropic manager Sharon Turner.

 

Tags:

Category: Local news