 |
Mollie Thomson (Mary Alice Falconer) [1923-1980] Deputy Librarian (1971-1980) Macquarie University Library |
Mollie Thomson graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts and Diploma of Education. She worked firstly as a high school teacher, then as a teacher librarian, before becoming a librarian at the State Library of New South Wales in 1951. She trained primarily as a cataloguer to the highest standards of that library under the mentorship of Jean Arnot, before becoming a cataloguer and reference librarian at Vancouver Public Library in 1954-58. She also worked as an indexer with the Canadian Library Association in Ottawa before returning to Australia in 1958 to join the staff of the National Library of Australia. Mollie returned to North America in 1960 as New York Liaison Officer of the National Library of Australia (1960-63) and while in New York she gained the degree of Master of Science in Librarianship at Columbia University (in 1963).
Mollie Thomson became Head Cataloguer at the National Library of Australia in 1964. After a brief period of service at Monash University, she was appointed to the newly established Macquarie University where she was successively Head Cataloguer (1966), Technical Services Librarian (1967), and following the sudden death of the University Librarian, Mr. Barry Scott, in January, 1970, was Acting Librarian. Following the appointment of Eoin Wilkinson as University Librarian she served was Deputy Librarian from 1971 until her death in 1980.
Mollie Thomson is remembered with affection and admiration by all who knew her as a consummate cataloguer and as the epitome of the complete librarian. In the course of her career she had excelled in school, university, state and national libraries in Australia and in various professional capacities in North America. Throughout her career she was able to inspire library staff and administrators alike to believe that institutional, professional and national goals were achievable. She was a librarian with technical skills and standards of the highest order in almost all aspects of librarianship. She was most generous in sharing her experience with others, but was modest and self-effacing about her own very great abilities. Those who were privileged to work with her treasured her wisdom, common-sense, and steadfastness, and her helpfulness and care for the individual. These qualities were combined with vivacity, a zest for living, a sense of elegance, and an appreciation of beauty and good design which exemplified her sense of proportion and excellence. In particular, Mollie played a vital role in the design of the Library building, and in bringing works of art into Macquarie University Library on a scale not previously seen in any Australian academic library.
Mollie Thomson died from cancer on 21 October 1980 after a long illness. Shortly after her death she was posthumously awarded the distinction of Fellowship of the Library Association of Australia in recognition of her outstanding contributions to librarianship. The award was presented to her husband, Mr. Jim Falconer.