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October 1995, vol. 27, no. 10
by Iris Winston, Staff Writer
Claude Le Moine and Joyce Banks.
The Curator of the National Library of Canada's Rare Book Collection retired on June 16, after 28 years at the Library. However, she had one more project to finish before going home. During the summer she completed work on the third edition of Books in Native Languages in the Rare Book Collections of the National Library of Canada.
Native studies and literature were among Banks' particular interests from the time she left the Stratford Public Library and began her career at the National Library as a trainee, through a library science degree from the University of Toronto. She obtained a master's degree as a National Library scholar and a doctorate, both from the University of London. For her doctorate she wrote a dissertation on books in syllabic characters printed for the use of the Church Missionary Society whose members were working among the aboriginal peoples of the diocese of Rupert's Land between 1852 and 1872. Originally a selection librarian, she joined the Rare Book Division when it was established in 1973, "because I really wanted to work with Liana [Van der Bellen, Chief of the Rare Book Division]".
"I have had a good career here," said Banks, who was Rare Books and Conservation Librarian for 17 years. "I've done a lot of exciting things and been all over the place. The National Library sent me to school twice. I have always enjoyed the people I've worked with and the people I've met through being in this work."
The best part of her career was the last part, she said. When the responsibilities for rare books and conservation were divided in 1991, she became Curator of the Rare Book Collection. "And I've loved every minute of it," she said. "I'm a collection builder. I love to acquire books and I find the antiquarian book trade very exciting and interesting."
She cited the National Library's acquisition of the Georges Alphonse Daviault Collection and the landmark work, Theodor de Bry's Grands Voyages (parts I-XIV, published in Germany between 1590 and 1630) as among the most exciting acquisitions in a long list of highlights. Looking back, she feels pride and satisfaction in knowing that she helped to build the Rare Book Collection to a point where its excellence and importance make it an invaluable part of Canada's published heritage.
Copyright. The National Library of Canada. (Revised: 1995-12-01).