The University of Melbourne Archives

Abstract

The Archives Department of the University of Melbourne was established in July 1960. Apart from the preservation of records con cerning the University, its initial bias was towards business and pro fessional records, an emphasis that still shapes the overall collection. However, the last decade has seen the character of the Archives modified by records of political parties and community groups as well as social welfare and cultural organisations, and through the development of a significant collection of material relating to Australia's labour movement. While links with labour historians had already been established as a result of industrial relations material held within business collections at the Archives?notably mining collections based upon Broken Hill? active collection of trade union records did not begin until the early 1970s. This occurred in response to the growing awareness that, in Vic toria at least, many unions were hesitant to allow their historical records to move too far from their own hands; a laissez-faire situation that ultimately led to the destruction of many valuable historical sources. The Archives has now accessioned well in excess of 100 collections: material from trade unions' federal offices and state branches, shop com mittees, provincial trades and labour councils and union sub-branches, ALP branches and socialist organisations, together with personal papers of a number of labour and socialist activists. The scope is wide but at this point of time the emphasis of the collection is Victorian, and although substantial interstate collections are now held, the importance of consolidating Victorian collections remains the Archives' over-riding concern.