by Marie Robineau
You have probably heard of Helen Garner, the Australian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist. You may also be familiar with The Children’s Bach, her third published book and second novel. But did you know that this book is currently enjoying a new life on the shelves of bookshops in France, under the title Accords Suspendus? It has recently been translated into French by Jacqueline Odin and is about to reach the shelves of several public libraries in Australia—eventually making its way into the homes of French-speaking library users who enjoy borrowing books in languages other than English.
Book cover of Accords Suspendus, French version of The Children’s Bach by Helen Garner
But before it gets there, the copies of this book will pass through many hands, embarking on quite a journey!
The journey of Accords Suspendus begins when a Collection Development Specialist comes across a newsletter from a favourite bookstore, a blog or newspaper article, or perhaps even a curated list from a trusted overseas supplier. The book is added to a basket or order list. When enough other French-language books are selected to make postage costs sustainable, the order is shipped to Australia—only after being cleared at customs in the country of origin and after all the necessary export paperwork is completed, checked off, and sent to the relevant parties. Thankfully, most shipping companies are quite helpful in this process, but a good logistics department can also prevent a lot of back-and-forth with the supplier.
Once the books arrive in Australia, the boxes are unpacked and the books are thoroughly checked to ensure they have survived the thirty-hour plane trip without a bumped corner—or worse, water damage, which is not uncommon and often irreparable. After being entered into an inventory system, the books are sent to a Cataloguer, who applies cataloguing standards to create accurate bibliographic records. But our copies of Accords Suspendus aren’t quite ready for library shelves just yet. Adding local data and processing the books is the final touch, making each copy unique and discoverable.
As exciting as it is to have Helen Garner’s books available in Australian libraries in multiple languages, the real goal of this complex logistical workflow is to place these books in the hands of happy and satisfied library users. And to help achieve this, we are fortunate to have many enthusiastic, passionate book lovers who advocate for literacy and promote access to resources for multicultural audiences.
If you’re reading this blog, you’ve probably heard of the Trove lists, where you can search for Australian authors translated into various languages—an initiative supported by ALIA Multicultural. These lists are one way to improve access to resources and make multicultural collections more visible. If you’ve ever wondered how much thought and effort your library staff put into managing collections, just ask them! I can personally attest to their relentless efforts to ensure their collections are relevant, visible, and discoverable—both physically and online. They organise signage, create bookmarks, host story-time sessions in community languages, plan events, and run marketing campaigns to promote multiculturalism in Australia.
And that’s how Accords Suspendus will be read by many Francophone Australians in the coming months. I, for one, am looking forward to borrowing my copy!
Marie’s journey in the book industry spans over 20 years across three different countries – France, Ireland, and Australia. She first worked as a cataloguer, then in customer service at Ireland’s most famous bookshop. She worked on some exciting literary events, including the Melbourne Writers Festival and managed a quaint little bookshop on Reunion Island. She now puts all that experience to good use at CAVAL as the Language Resources Team Leader.
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