‘Only a Librarian’: WH Ifould and the Sydney Establishment

Abstract

From the moment he set foot in Sydney, WH Ifould, Principal Librarian of the Public Library of New South Wales from 1912 to 1942, began to cultivate a network of contacts in politics, business, industry, the arts, the press and the professions. This article illustrates the merging of Ifould's private and public life, describing how he used extramural activities to make and maintain contact with the Sydney establishment, and tracing links between many of his associates. The author is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Sydney on WH Ifould and the development of library services in New South Wales.