Jane La Scala

Jane La Scala (September 12, 1935 - March 23, 2006) was an Australian librarian who served as the State Librarian at State Library Victoria from 1986 to 1989. She was the first woman ever to be appointed to this role.

Career Jane La Scala worked as a librarian and library administrator in a career that spanned over 30 years. Much of this time was spent in public libraries.

Her work with the Library Council of Victoria provided opportunities to be involved with the planning and development of public and government library services at both a state and national level. Her roles included policy development, providing consultancy services, building planning, developing standards and evaluation methods, membership of multiple committees, and promoting the value of libraries and information services to the community.

In 1980, La Scala was funded by the State Government of Victoria to visit libraries in Scandinavia, Italy and England, so that she could study local government restructures and their effect on libraries and library services. This was a significant achievement given that the first librarian, Augustus Tulk, had been appointed in 1856, some 130 years earlier. Her appointment was officially announced in February 1986 by Race Matthews, who was then the Victorian Minister for the Arts.

An article published in 1987 included La Scala's description of her career and perceptions of librarianship as a profession.

The National Library of Australia holds a biographical cuttings file on Jane La Scala that includes articles and obituaries from Australian newspapers and journals.

Personal life La Scala was married to Peter and they had two daughters. She died in 2016 at the age of 80 and is buried at Fawkner Memorial Park.

Select publications

La Scala, Jane, ‘Glorious ornament or Victoria's shame: the State Library of Victoria facing the 21st century', Australian academic and research libraries, vol 23, no 2 (June 1992): pp 78-91. La Scala, Jane, et al. Don’t Shoot Darling : An Exhibition of Popular Female Culture of the 1950s. Library Council of Victoria, 1985. https://search.worldcat.org/title/1356305689 Ls Scala, Jane, et al. Review of Library Services to Print Handicapped Readers in Victoria : Report of a Working Group to the Minister for the Arts. [Library Council of Victoria?], 1985. https://search.worldcat.org/title/220729430 La Scala, Jane. An evaluation of telephone reference services of public libraries in metropolitan Melbourne, 1972. https://search.worldcat.org/title/220048209