Australian Library History Forum 2016 Address at State Library of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia on the 8 July 2016

1. Opening the doorway to ancient
knowledge: Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander cultural knowledge and
the AIATSIS archive
Lyndall Ley Osborne

2. AIATSIS acknowledges the traditional owners of
country throughout Australia and their
continuing connection to land, culture and
community. We pay our respects to elders past
and present.
Today I in particular acknowledge the traditional
owners of the country on which we meet and
recognise their continual custodianship of the
land – past present and future.

3. Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples should be
aware that this presentation may
contain images or names of
deceased persons in
photographs or printed material.

4. http://www.50yearjourney.aiatsis.gov.au/

5. ‘As an intergenerational
keeping place for
Indigenous Australians
the AIATSIS collection is
significant across all four
categories – historic,
artistic/aesthetic,
research/scientific, and
social/spiritual – and
remains the most
extensive and best
contextualised collection
of Indigenous Australia in
the world. It is a site of
pilgrimage.’
Veronica Bullock – Significance
International August 2014
This unique diptych is a symbolic public rendition of the Warlpiri Fire Ceremony
(initiation) and is of great artistic and aesthetic merit, but it is also of the highest
historic significance: these two canvases were the first large paintings intended to
be sold on the art market and herald the entry of the Warlpiri into the modern world
of art. The works, known formally as “Toyota Dreamings”, were painted in 1984.

6.  approx. 675,000 images
 40,000 hours of sound
 more than 5,000 video titles
 850 film titles or 6.25 million
feet of film
 3,000 artworks or material
culture objects
 more than 176,000
published items
 around 13,700 manuscripts
and record series

7. First known published image of a corroboree (near Newcastle) from
Corrobborree : or dance of the natives of New South Wales, New Holland [picture] Preston, W. (Walter)

8. A group photo taken during the filming of 'The Spear in the Stone', Ngilipitji, Arnhem Land, N.T., 1981.
Photographer Rhys Jones. AIATSIS Ref. JONES.R19.CS-000148411

9. Luise Hercus recording Mick McLean at a camp site near Lake Eyre, SA, 1966. Photographer: Isobel White. AIATSIS Ref. WHITE.I09.CS-000117538

10. Boats, fish; native fauna and flora, 1880s. Artist Mickey of Ulladulla

11. Songline from Forget about Flinders: a Yanyuwa atlas of the South West Gulf of Carpentaria
Yanuwa people, John Bradley and Nona Cameron.

12. Men of the Fourth Contingent, Queensland Imperial Bushmen, who returned from the Boer War August 1901
One of the few known Aboriginal soldiers, name unknown

13. Tintype photographic portrait of young Aboriginal woman
c1860-1880

14. Sorry Books 1988

15. Francis Birtles in foreground and two Aboriginal men alongside Birtles’ Oldsmobile, c1910.
AIATSIS Ref. BIRTLES.F24.BW-F00005263

16. “In many instances this is the only
location of an endangered language
recording, an ancestor’s
photograph, or stories on how life
was. It is a storehouse of unique
and incalculable value to the
Indigenous communities which are
described and to which the
knowledge belongs. It requires
the most respectful, ethical and
careful handling, and preservation
forever.”
 40% video titles
 37% film titles (32% film reels)
 34% photo collections (22% of images)
 55% audio collections (75% sound hours)
 82% priority manuscripts (38% of pages)
 1.4% of manuscripts
 10% rare serials
 <0.1% of serials
 12% rare books
 <1 % books
 0% microforms
 <6% kits
 14% of rare pamphlets, maps, posters

17. http://atsilirn.aiatsis.gov.au/protocols.php

18. Using the
archive
Our collection mostly
holds items that
are permitted to be
shared by communities to
help educate and build
awareness about
Australia's Indigenous
cultures. However, it also
includes restricted
knowledge and sacred
items that are not
available to be viewed
except by the appropriate
Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people.
Photo caption: Mulluk Mulluk boy with pelican captured
on the river. Daly River region, NT, c1935.
AIATSIS Ref. STANNER.W10.BW-N01008_05

19. Left: Mervyn Japanangka Rubuntja looking through AILC
material at the AIATSIS Library. (photo: Andrew
Babington/AIATSIS)
Below: Gloria Napurrurla Pannka looking through AILC
material at the AIATSIS Library
(photo: Andrew Babington/AIATSIS)

20. To use the
collection you
can…
 search the
collection online
 see digitised collection
items and online
exhibitions
 ask us a question about
items in the collection
 request copies of items to
be sent to you
 request collection items
be returned to
community, or
 visit the Reading Room to
view original collection
items and conduct further
research.
Recording session undertaken by Alice Moyle of the 'Blue Tongue Corroboree', Oenpelli, NT,
1960s AIATSIS Ref. MOYLE.A01.DF-D00003039. Photographer, Alice Moyle.

21. Categories of access and use
 Access
• Onsite research and study (reading, viewing or listening only)
• Copying for research and study (onsite or remotely)
 Use
• Any form of public dissemination, including print publication,
broadcast, telecast, web publication (including social media),
conference presentations, performing a work, quotation, etc.
• Making an adaptation of an item, e.g. translating, arranging or
transcribing, creative reuse

22. Access and use of sensitive material
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES
STRAIT ISLANDER STUDIES ACT 1989 - SECTION 41
1. Where information or other matter has been deposited with the
Institute under conditions of restricted access, the Institute or the
Council shall not disclose that information or other matter except
in accordance with those conditions.
2. The Institute or the Council shall not disclose information or other
matter held by it (including information or other matter covered by
subsection (1)) if that disclosure would be inconsistent with the
views or sensitivities of relevant Aboriginal persons or Torres
Strait Islanders.

23. This section of the website showcases online
exhibitions using contextualised collection materials

24. photographs, audio or moving image, lists of additional resources
Online exhibitions showcase topics and issues using contextualised collection materials:

25. Digitised collections showcase around
120,000 pages of primary content

26. Active social media presence draws attention to and shares
resources, publications, seminars, research and events

27. Rights
management
Crowd sourcing
community
metadata
Born digital
preservation
Failing analog
formats
Reuse &
repurpose
Repository
management
Overwhelming
digital
opportunity
Community
archives
Providing
access

30. Images courtesy of AIATSIS

31. Peace Dodd being interviewed by Jason Thomas. Image courtesy of Indigenous Community Stories

32. Visiting the collection
http://aiatsis.gov.au/collections/using-collection/visiting-collection
Using the collection
http://aiatsis.gov.au/collections/using-collection
http://aiatsis.gov.au/sites/default/files/docs/collections-and-library/access-
and-use-policy-aiatsis-collection.pdf
http://aiatsis.gov.au/collections/using-collection/search-collection
Searching the collection

33. http://aiatsis.gov.au