Barbara Collie – bringing style to the library

Barbara Collie was a long serving and dedicated librarian at Canterbury Public Library renowned for her superior sense of style. She began working for the library on 1 March 1946 and retired in October 1992 at which time she was the longest serving member of staff.

Barbara Collie often appears in photographs as a stylish dresser with her own particular look. People’s memories of her often refer to her sense of style and glamour. She mixed in local art circles and during her years in Canterbury Public Library she led a very sociable team who sometimes went out to lunch – hiring a punt and heading along the river towing bottles of wine in the water to keep them cool, one of her fellow librarians, Brian Gilberthorpe remembers.

Bindy Barclay remembered her time as a new, young member of the library staff and the impression Barbara made.
“I was… in awe of Barbara Collie. She would sail out of the smoked glass doors, cardigan elegantly draped around her shoulders (cigarette in hand?) … somehow I have partially morphed her in my memory with Bette Davis! Later, when I had graduated to being allowed to cancel in the accessions register, I would work quietly while this quirky team joked and parried each other. I remember Barbara modelling a red strapless bra that she was to wear out for an evening event and Brian making dry comments and observations… It was a very different world from the more business-like Circulation department.”

Margaret Moran, another longstanding librarian and colleague remembers
“I was based in the cataloguing room with the “quirky team” and fairly terrified of Head Cataloguer Barbara at first, though we became close friends eventually. I remember the smart trouser suits, polo neck jerseys and scarves, in autumn colours. Her domain, the cataloguing room, was quite a noisy place with lots of conversation across the room between cataloguers on one side and processors on the other, quite unlike other libraries I’d worked in. There was also music playing, very often, in Brian Gilberthorpe’s corner and I developed my knowledge and love of classical music, particularly opera, during my four years in that room. We were not aware of the effects of passive smoking then and there was always a haze of smoke in the room.”

Barbara features in the photograph of six young women who worked at the library were contenders for the “Queen of the Air Race” competition. Borrowers could vote for the contender of their choice by putting money in a coin collection box.

In 1955 she completed the Library School Professional Course and worked as a Senior Library Assistant. In March 1958 she was appointed Chief Cataloguer at the library – a role she continued for the rest of her career. She was also, from 1969 to 1981, responsible for purchasing for the library’s collection of art originals and prints. In 1968 and 1970 she was the compiler of New Zealand Books in Print.

When noted author and former Canterbury Public Library librarian Margaret Mahy resigned from the library in 1980 she composed a Farewell Ode which included this mention of Barbara:

“Collie and Gilberthorpe – what an alliance!
The great virtuosos of library science
How often they’ve told me (and similar fools)
Just where I should put it and under what rules”