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Ida Leeson

First female Mitchell Librarian (1885–1964)

Note from Ida Leeson from Indigenous Australian to English.
Image Credit: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy copyright holder [MLMSS 5677/1r]. If you are the copyright holder of this work, or know who is, please contact the Blue Plaques team so we can organise relevant permissions.
 

Location

Mitchell Building - State Library of NSW, 1 Shakespeare Place, Sydney 2000

Sydney is on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.

Accessibility

Wheelchair accessible

About Ida Leeson

Ida Leeson was a multifaceted and interesting figure. In 1932, she was appointed Mitchell Librarian at the State Library of New South Wales – at a time when men dominated prestigious management positions in Australia.

In 1944, Ida enlisted in the Australian Military Forces, eventually being promoted to major. She was also active in the union and women’s rights movements and connected to the literary and artistic communities of the day.

Sepia-toned portrait of Ida Leeson from 1933. She has short, neatly styled hair and is looking to the left with a composed expression. She is dressed in a formal black blazer over a white shirt, accented with a light-colored ribbon at the collar. The portrait captures her dignified and professional appearance, reflecting the era’s style.
Portrait of Ida Leeson, 1933.
Image Credit: Photographer unknown/Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, [P1 917].

Portrait of Ida Leeson, 1933

Academic beginnings

Ida Leeson was born in 1885 in Leichhardt. She attended Kegworth Public School and Sydney Girls High School, where she excelled and won a scholarship to the University of Sydney. After a short stint of teaching, in 1906 she began work at the Public Library of New South Wales (now the State Library of New South Wales) as a library assistant.

A controversial promotion

Ida's personal and work life flourished. She met her partner Florence Birch in 1909, and her career progressed until her final promotion to the role of the Mitchell Librarian in 1932, a position chiefly held by men and reporting only to the Principal Librarian. The appointment attracted controversy as doubts were raised whether a woman could fulfil a position of leadership.

A 'compromise' was made – the introduction of the role of 'Deputy Principal Librarian', filled by John Wallace Metcalfe, who would be successor to the Principal Librarian. John stated many years after:

Now undoubtedly I was made Deputy Principal Librarian because I was a male.

The Mitchell Librarian’s status and salary were then reduced, despite Ida’s appeals. Both Ida and influential feminists of the time criticised and campaigned against the changes, raising questions about women being passed over for professional roles. Although considered common knowledge, the library’s determination to exclude women from their 2 highest-ranking positions was never publicly acknowledged.

Building a collection

Ida oversaw the acquisition and expansion of the library’s collections and archives, particularly its Australian and Pacific documents. She did extensive research overseas and laid the foundation for what was to become the Australian Joint Copying Project, a unique collection of historical material relating to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. This included convict records, captains’ logs, surgeons’ journals, military records and information about the early days of life in the colony.

  • Ida Leeson's handwriting on catalogue cards, with 3 columns of 8 cards each.
    Ida Leeson’s handwriting on catalogue cards
    Ida Leeson's handwriting on catalogue cards, Index to the Sydney Gazette compiled by G. Hendy Pooley.
    Image Credit: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and copyright holder. If you are the copyright holder of this work, or know who is, please contact the Blue Plaques team so we can organise relevant permissions.
  • Black and white portrait of Ida Leeson wearing a white shirt with a light-colored ribbon at the collar, black jacket and glasses.
    Portrait of Ida Leeson, 1933
    Portrait of Ida Leeson, 1933.
    Image Credit: Photographer unknown/Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, [P1 917].

Recruitment into the war effort for WWII

Ida’s career took a sharp turn with the outbreak of World War II. She accepted a secondment into Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Austin Conlan’s ‘think tank,’ a group of distinctive and exceptionally talented people within the mysterious Directorate of Research and Civil Affairs under the Australian Military Force. She was appointed research officer and successfully promoted to major, working extensively on matters of national importance such as the study of terrain, trends in international relations and army nutrition and health.

Following this, Ida did not return to the library and officially resigned in 1946.

No ordinary librarian

Ida’s appointment as Mitchell Librarian was groundbreaking. As the first woman to hold a senior management position in an Australian library, the controversial appointment stimulated discussion around women in leadership roles within libraries. Despite this obstacle, she succeeded in solidifying the library’s status as the state’s central archival agency and leading repository for Australian and Pacific documents.

Her research contribution to the wartime effort is a testament to her interesting and vibrant character. Ida remained with Florence until her death and passed on 22 January 1963.

Sepia book cover with image of Ida Leeson, and title that reads 'Ida Leeson: A Life - Not a blue-stocking lady. Sylvia Martin.'

’Ida Leeson: a life‘ by Sylvia Martin, published in 2006

References

  • Berzins B (1986) 'Ida Emily Leeson (1885–1964)', Australian Dictionary Biography, Australian National University website, accessed 26 June 2025.
  • Jones D J (1992) 'A dormant commission: Ifould and the rise of John Metcalfe at the Public Library of New South Wales', SSRN Electronic Journal, November.
  • Martin S (2006) Ida Leeson: a life, Allen and Unwin, Sydney.
  • Patton M and Billington L (n.d.) Women of the library, State Library of NSW website, accessed 26 June 2025.
  • State Library of New South Wales (2018) Ida Leeson 1933, SLNSW website, accessed 26 June 2025.