Libraries and Literary Outcomes: A Crucial Intersection in the Cultural Field.

This paper examines the processes of interaction and exchange that are involved in the creation and circulation of literary and scholarly works, texts that contribute to the Australian information commons. For this purpose, the paper refers to specific aspects of the scholarly work cycle of the Australian historian, Henry Reynolds, and comments on the interaction between scholars and creative writers and the libraries and archives they explore. The first section provides an overview of Reynolds' work, including research in the Public Records office and the library of the Royal Commonwealth Society in England, the archives of North Queensland, the British House of Commons, the London Missionary Society, and Rhodes House Oxford. The second section discusses the value of historical resources and the intersection of public and academic spheres. The third section addresses issues related to libraries as critical institutions, including funding problems, the increasing volume of information in more formats, and ownership and access. (Contains 34 references.) (MES)