Phyllis Mander Jones

Phyllis Mander-Jones (2 January 1896 – 19 February 1984) was an Australian born librarian and archivist who helped establish the archival profession in Australia.

Early life Phyllis Mander-Jones was born in Homebush, Sydney, Australia, the eldest child of physician George Mander Jones and his wife Margaret Fleming (née Arnott).

On matriculation Phyllis entered the University of Sydney. Residing at Women's College she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in languages in 1917, awarded honours in German and French.

Career

Librarian

Mander-Jones was appointed to the staff of the Public Library of NSW (State Library of NSW) in 1925. She began as a library assistant and worked her way through the ranks of the organisation becoming a qualified librarian in 1933 and appointed to the position of Bibliographer in 1941.

1942 saw her appointment to the Mitchell Library. Coinciding with war service her energies were redirected, being employed by the Department of the Army in censorship. Her proficiency in languages was an asset and utilised between 1942 and 1945. She attended the first congress of the International Council on Archives in 1948 and the following year reported on the state of NSW archives to a conference of Commonwealth and State authorities.

Australian Joint Copying Project After her appointment in London as the State Library's Liaison Officer (1958–1960) based at the Office of the Agent-General for NSW she embarked on the major project of her career: the Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP).

Legacy In 1996, the Australian Society of Archivists introduced a suite of awards in her honour. The awards are presented annually at the Society's national conference.

Honours and awards

Later life In retirement, Mander-Jones returned to Australia and pursued her interest in bibliography, contributing most notably to J.C. Beaglehole's The Life of Captain Cook (1974) as well as researching the family history of her Arnott ancestors.

She spent the final years of her life in South Australia and died at Prospect, Adelaide on 19 February 1984.