Christina Priest

Initially a classroom teacher and school librarian, Chris Priest entered the public library service in 1980 as Children's Librarian at Bassendean Public Library. Chris went on to join the State Library Service, serving as Children's Specialist (later Young People's Consultant) from 1981 until her retirement in 1989. During this time Chris greatly strengthened the State Library's Children's Collections by streamlining the selection process to bolster the quality and variety of books available. A passionate advocate for children's literacy and specialised children's collections, Chris organised a number of conferences and events, including the 1984 seminar 'Does it matter what children read?', to raise the status of children's librarians and to help set standards relevant to the needs of young people. Chris was an avid supporter of the Research Collection of Children's Literature, and made an enduring contribution to the State Reference Library through her work in this area.

Chris encouraged new concepts in children's library services, and was closely associated with the development of the State Reference Library's holiday reading program, KRABS (Kids Raving about Books) and QUEST, a game to encourage reading. A dedicated supporter of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), Chris attended conferences in London, Sydney, Japan and Norway, and served as convenor/host for the joint IBBY-Loughborough conference on youth literature held in Perth in 1985. 

An inaugural member of the Western Australian Young Readers Book Committee, Chris also served as Vice President of the Children's Book Council of Australia from 1986-87, and as National President of the Children's and Youth Services Section of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) from 1989-90. In addition, Chris was actively involved in the Children's Literature newsletter Orana, a Library Association of Australia circular. Chris contributed a wealth of material to the journal and took on a number of roles over time including Business Manager, Production Manager and Treasurer. Chris was awarded a Fellowship of the Library Board in 1991 for her services to children's literature.