| Margaret Trask | |
| Occupation: | Librarian |
| Nationality: | Australian |
| Birth Place: | Australia |
| Birth Date: | 28 April 1928 |
| Known For: | Deputy Chancellor of UTS; founder of the "Australian Information Management Association" |
| Parents: | Mary Winifred Price and Henry Kinsella |
Margaret Trask (28 April 1928 – 19 November 2002) was an Australian librarian and educator, as well as Deputy Chancellor of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). She is considered to be a pioneer in the area of information sciences in Australasia.[1] [2]
Trask began her career working for the State Library of New South Wales. She also worked as a librarian for the Penrith City Counci and the University of New South Wales (UNSW).[2] In 1968, she began teaching library studies at the UNSW.
In 1974, Trask founded the School of Library and Information Studies at the Kuring-gai College of Advanced Education, which later became part of the campus at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).[1] [3] She was the head of the school until 1985, implementing new curriculums for undergraduate and graduate library studies.[2] She was also a member of the UTS council for eight years[1] and received a fellowship from the university in 1991.[4] From 1998 until 2002, Trask served as deputy chancellor of the UTS.[5]
Trask became a member of the Library Association of Australia"in 1956. The association awarded her a fellowship in 1969, for her work in helping subsidise public high school libraries.[3] [2] In 1977, she also served as president of the association's "Children's Libraries" section, advocating for better resources for schools.[1] [3] [2]
From 1968 until 1973, she sat on the Secondary Schools Libraries Committee, affecting government policy through her many written reports.[3] In 1985, she co-founded the Australian Information Management Association (AIMA) and became its executive director of Training & Consultancy Services.[1] The AIMA offered leadership development and consultancy services in the area of library sciences, impacting libraries across Australian, New Zealand and the South Pacific.[5]
Trask also wrote numerous articles for library periodicals, as well as for book reviewing and education journals.[2] [6] [7]
In 1979, Trask was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia.[8] Every year, the University of Technology Sydney hands out a medal in her honor to deserving graduates.[5] In 2003, a special issue on Trask's career was published by the "Australian Library Journal".[5] In 2018, a street was named after her in the Canberra suburb of Coombs.[3]
Trask was born on 28 April 1928 in Camden, New South Wales.[4] Her parents were Mary Winifred Price and Henry Kinsella, both immigrants from Ireland.[4] Trask graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of New England and obtained a Master of Librarianship from the University of New South Wales.[2] [4] She died on 19 November 2002.[4]