The Society’s Library

The Royal Society of NSW Library is an important part of Australia’s heritage.  It contains journals and monographs acquired, bequeathed or donated during the course of the scientific and intellectual development of the country and it reflects this in its contents.The Library is currently in the process of reappraisal with a view to strengthening its role as an historical record of scientific achievement, as well as a unique source of information for researchers.  It includes an extensive collection of international scientific journals and important monographs on loan to the University of New England and managed at its Dixson Library in Armidale.  This part of the collection is fully catalogued as an identified component of the UNE collection and available to researchers through the University’s online catalogue.  It is derived primarily from a now much reduced exchange program with international organizations which receive the Society’s Journal in exchange for their own.The remainder of the collection comprises significant 19th- and 20th-century material from both Australia and overseas which is currently receiving attention with a view to its reappraisal as part of the foundation of our scientific heritage and which will ultimately become available to researchers.

History

When the Philosophical Society of Australasia was founded in 1821, each member furnished the secretary with an alphabetical catalogue of the books in his (they were all male) private library, and these were available on loan to other members.  At that stage the Society had no journal, but some of the papers read were included in a book edited by Barron Field, one of its members, and published in London 1825.

In 1875, nine years after the Society first published its own journal, it began to exchange publications with other scientific organizations on a world-wide basis and a small library and reading-room was established at 5 Elizabeth Street, Sydney.  But the space available was inadequate, and it was only after the Society moved to Science House in Gloucester Street in 1931 that the books and periodicals could be arranged systematically on shelves in a large specially designed room.

By 1960, the library consisted of some 40,000 volumes and the exchange list contained about 400 names.  In 1980, the library had grown further still and the exchange list comprised more than 600 names.  During this period it withstood its wholesale move from Science House to a dedicated space in the new Science Centre at 35 Clarence Street.  The collection included a number of rare volumes and some of the periodicals were unobtainable in any other Australian library.  By 1983 it was no longer possible to house the collection in Sydney and the bulk of it, including all the exchange journals, was loaned to the Dixson Library at the University of New England as one of its Special Collections, with monographs housed in a dedicated “Royal Society room”.

 

Privacy policy

This document sets out the privacy policy of the Royal Society of New South Wales (ABN 76 470 896 415) ("the Society") relating to the protection of the privacy of personal information collected by the Society.

The Society is an organisation that relies on the use of personal information to add value to its services to members. We rely on comprehensive and accurate personal information about our members and other people with whom we deal. We collect information from members and non-members so that we can provide services, manage our professional relationships, manage our business, comply with our legal obligations, communicate effectively, and enhance the level of service being offered. We have systems and procedures in place to protect your privacy whenever we collect, store, use, or disclose your personal information.

The main purposes for which we collect, hold, use, and disclose personal information are to provide services and benefits for our members and to maintain and extend our membership. Our working relationships extend to non-members and overseas affiliated organisations in addition to local and international bodies, governments, regulators, academia, and other associated industries and interest groups.

What kind of personal information do we collect and hold?

'Personal information' means any information by which an individual could be identified. The personal information collected and stored by the Society includes, but is not limited to:

• Members' official and preferred names, titles, post-nominals, personal awards, address, telephone, e-mail, and facsimile contact details (private and business), date of birth, and gender;
• Members' qualifications, education and academic history, work experience and skills, occupation, employer information, areas of practice, areas of interest, details of complaints and consequent action;
• Financial details including credit card numbers, bank account information, the financial status of membership, and subscriptions to Society publications;
• Assessment records created when a member applies for a certain membership grade. This can include resumés, nomination forms, and other information used for this purpose;
• Information required to nominate members, non-members, and projects for honours and awards;
• Information from persons who participate in seminars, conferences, or other events and programs Sponsored by the Society.

How do we collect personal information?

Most of the personal information is obtained directly from members when they complete an application for admission, readmission, concession, or direct debit. Personal information may also be collected directly via communication including over the telephone, written correspondence (either in paper or electronic form), or communication via our main website (royalsoc.org.au) or our membership website (members.royalsoc.org.au).

Personal information is also collected when members are nominated for an award, nominated to the grade of Fellow, Distinguished Fellow, Honorary Membership or Fellowship, or stand for election for a position on Council. Personal information also may be collected when members participate in a Society survey.

There may be occasions when personal information is received from a third party such as a nomination for an honour or award, or when a complaint is made against a member. We also collect personal information about members and non-members who register for meetings, events, and seminars conducted by The Society.

How do we use personal information?

We will use personal information to provide a particular product or service and to contact members about matters pertaining to membership of the Society. This includes (but is not limited to) the following:

• Assessing Membership and Fellowship proposals;
• Processing payments for applications and assessments;
• Making decisions relating to nomination or election to a position on Council or other groups formally constituted by the Society;
• Providing membership services such as The Journal and Proceedings, The Bulletin, electronic newsletters, and other member benefits;
• Invitations to take part in Society events, meetings, seminars, and other activities;
• Contacting Council members to distribute business papers.

We may use personal information for purposes related or ancillary to the main reason we collect it, such as:

• Internal accounting and administration;
• Regulatory reporting and compliance;
• Providing benefits to members through affiliation with other like-minded organisations; and
• Identifying other services that may be of benefit to members.

Direct Marketing

The Society does not release personal information for direct marketing.

For the purposes of improving membership services, we may collect and store data about the traffic on our website to gain information on, for example, the most visited web pages. This information may be used to determine what information, services, and benefits are likely to be of most interest to members. This information is not considered personal information because there are no unique identifiers collected, stored, or used in the process.

Disclosure of personal information

The Society may disclose personal information and sensitive information held about you to:

• Members authorised to vote on candidates elected to office bearing positions and judging committees for awards and honours;
• Members on the same committee or group;
• A person or agency when you are nominated for an honour or award;
• A membership committee or third-party panel approved by the Council to assess applications and investigate complaints.

The Society may disclose personal information when we contract out specialised functions and activities. These may include the email circulation of renewal invoices, membership and publication subscriptions, arrears notices, and conference information. We may also provide names and addresses to a mailing house to mail information to members. In these situations, we prohibit third parties from using personal information about members except for the specific purpose for which we supply it to be used on our behalf.

Accuracy of personal information

The Society takes reasonable steps to ensure that all personal information is accurate, complete, and up to date.

Access to personal information

Members have a right to access their own personal information stored by the Society and to request that the information be updated or corrected as and when necessary. The request for access to personal information will be dealt with within a reasonable time.

Security of personal information

The Society protects personal information from misuse and loss. The steps we take to ensure protection include the use of firewalls, encryption, anti-virus software, and login and password protection. Access is restricted to authorised personnel. Hard-copy documents are physically secured through the use of restricted access facilities.

The Society will keep personal information for as long as it is needed to provide members with products and services, to preserve the historical records of the Society, or to comply with any legal requirement or anticipated legal matter for which the Society may need to preserve records. We will take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently remove personal information no longer needed.

Complaints

If there is a complaint about the way the Society has collected, stored, or used personal information, a complaint should be made to the Secretary of the Society.

The Secretary will endeavour to deal with the complaint and take any steps to resolve the complaint within two weeks of receiving the complaint. If the complaint cannot be resolved within that period we will write to the complainant setting out the status of the complaint, any further steps needed to be taken, and an estimated length of time required to resolve the complaint.

Complaints should be forwarded to:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Royal Society of New South Wales
PO Box 576
Crows Nest   NSW   1585
Australia

A written complaint must include a return address and identify the issue that is the basis for the complaint.

Presidents of the Society

The Society was called the “Philosophical Society of Australasia” from 1821–2, “The Australian Philosophical Society” from 1850–5 and “The Philosophical Society of New South Wales” from 1855–1865 and, upon receiving Royal Assent, “The Royal Society of New South Wales” in 1866.

 

List compiled by Peter Tyler and Marian Haire. Sources used were The Royal Society of NSW, Journal and Proceedings and W.R. Browne, "Scientific Societies in Australia (6)", Proceedings of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, March 1961.  Recent updates and rearrangement by Brynn Hibbert.