ABSTRACT The Store Oral History Project is a collection of 20 oral histories gathered from members of the Newcastle community in 2019, sharing their thoughts and memories of the Newcastle and Suburban Co-operative Society Ltd, known locally as ‘The Store’. The project builds on existing knowledge about ‘The Store’ that was the biggest and most successful co-operative society in Australia, established in 1898. In 1974, at its peak it operated 15 other retail branches and had 98,000 members and employed 1450 workers. 1 It provided grocery, retail goods, services including a health fund, funeral fund, travel agency. Eventually, increased shopper mobility and competition from suburban shopping centres saw ‘The Store’ close in 1981 after 83 years of service. Closure left a lasting impact upon the community and in the wake of the demolition and renewal of the former Hunter Street site, this project commemorates and celebrates The Store's legacy. This article discusses how the project provided a unique opportunity for a university Library to collaborate with industry partners, the community, employed students and provided Work Integrated learning students’ opportunities to build GLAM sector knowledge and skills. Twenty oral histories are publicly available on Livinghistories@UON. 2 These amplified voices of ‘The Store’ add meaning to existing narratives, as well as the University’s archival holdings of this old Newcastle icon. In 2019, the University of Newcastle (Australia) Auchmuty library embarked on a new project aimed to record stories associated with The Newcastle and Suburban Co-operative Society Ltd, known locally as ‘The Store’, established in Newcastle West, in 1898. The main store building opened in Hunter Street Newcastle, New South Wales, in 1906.
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