True Biographies of Nations? Exploring the Cultural Journeys of Dictionaries of National Biography Canberra

In 2004, the chairman of the supervisory committee of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Keith Thomas, concluded the Leslie Stephen Special Lecture by expressing his hope that the genre of the biographical dictionary would develop into a “database so vast as to be a true national biography”. Given that 2016 is the 50th anniversary of the publication of the first volume of the Australian Dictionary of Biography, it is timely to consider the cultural journey that dictionaries of biography have taken and assess the extent to which they are developing into “true” national biographies. The conference will be held over three days, beginning with a reception on Thursday, 30 June, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of volume one of the Australian Dictionary of Biography. The following two days will consist of papers and panels relating to national dictionary projects. Venues: Australian National University, Acton, and National Library of Australia, Parkes Place, Canberra Dates: 30 June-2 July 2016 Reception: 30 June, FREE Conference: 1-2 July, Cost $120 ($70 concession: students and pensioners); Daily rate $60 ($35 concession: students and pensioners) * Please note you must register for the reception and conference separately. Enquiries: ncb@anu.edu.au or (02) 6125 2676