1.0 Introduction

This manual brings together a number of policy documents central to the management and care of the AIATSIS Audiovisual Archive's collections. It incorporates policies guiding the acquisition, registration and preservation of new materials; the preservation, documentation and deselection of materials; access to the collections; and staff conduct. It supersedes the documents Collection Development Policy for Audio-visual Materials, Works of Art and Artefacts 2000-2003, Policy for the Use of AIATSIS Audio-Visual Materials in Electronic Format on CD-ROM Products or Web Sites and Access Conditions for A/V Materials.

The policies set out in this manual came into effect on the 1st July 2005. Content is revised annually by the Collections Manager and the Director of the Audiovisual Archive. All updates should be forwarded to the Collections Manager for initial appraisal.

This manual is publicly available. It is posted on the AIATSIS Web site and intranet. Printed copies can be obtained directly from the AIATSIS Audiovisual Archive. It was last updated on 8 May 2006.

1.1 An overview of the collections

The AIATSIS Audiovisual Archive houses the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of audiovisual material documenting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies and histories. Its vaults contain approximately 45,000 hours of recorded sound, 650,000 photographic images, 6000 video titles, 1000 artefacts and approximately 6 ½ million feet of motion picture film. The material is unique and irreplaceable. Australian Indigenous societies, the oldest surviving cultures on earth, have traditionally transmitted knowledge through oral and visual means, and AIATSIS is the only Commonwealth institution charged with the custodianship of collections which attempt to document those traditions. Importantly, AIATSIS is also the only Commonwealth cultural institution governed by Indigenous people. The AIATSIS Audiovisual Archive collections and their management are significant on an international level.

The majority of the items held in the Audiovisual Archive represent the primary results of field research, or unique items which have been deposited by individuals, families or organisations for preservation and access. Although maintaining a representative sample of artworks, material culture items and published audiovisual materials, the Audiovisual Archive does not seek to duplicate the collections of other institutions such as libraries, galleries, museums or other archives. The Archive's strength lies in the unique and irreplaceable nature of its collections, and the immediate and emotional link they provide between past, present and future generations.

1.1.1 The Recorded Sound Collection

The Recorded Sound Collection comprises, in order of prevalence:

field recordings, both analogue and digital, documenting all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies including languages, ceremonies, music, oral history, cultural narratives, site descriptions, research seminars and important events;
a representative sample of published recordings, including master copies of all AIATSIS published recordings;
copies of significant historical recordings held in overseas or interstate institutions with predominantly Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander content; and
selected broadcast materials, including transcription discs.

1.1.2 The Film and Video Collection

The Film and Video Collection comprises, in order of prevalence:

published film and video titles, including prints of historical ethnographic films and other documentaries;
amateur films documenting all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies including languages, ceremonies, music, oral history, cultural narratives, site descriptions, research seminars and important events;
deposits from Aboriginal media organisations;
film production materials lodged for preservation;
original films made by the AIAS Film Unit; and
archival material from television sources.

1.1.3 The Photographic Collection

The Photographic Collection comprises, in order of prevalence:

original black and white negatives and colour transparencies taken by grantees, staff photographers, research fellows and other individuals or organisations documenting all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies;
copy negatives and duplicate transparencies from original material donated or lent to AIATSIS;
original prints and other fragile material such as glass plates and lantern slides; and
images that were either “born digital” or are copies of collection material digitised for preservation and access purposes.

1.1.4 The Works of Art and Artefact Collection

The Works of Art and Artefact Collection comprises, in order of prevalence:

original artwork, artefacts and limited edition prints purchased by AIATSIS;
material culture items, bark paintings and ceremonial objects transferred to AIATSIS from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in 1989;
art and artefacts deposited by grantees, staff members, research fellows and other individuals or organisations, many of which relate directly to audiovisual materials held in the AIATSIS Audiovisual Archive; and
materials which might otherwise be described as craftworks.

1.2 A history of the collections

The acquisition of photographic and recorded sound materials began with the inception of the AIAS in 1964. The Film and Video collection was initiated later by the AIATSIS Film Unit. The Photographic, Recorded Sound and Film and Video collections were maintained separately until the formation of the Resource Centre in 1977. It was at this time that cataloguing and the systematic organisation of the materials commenced.

The Resource Centre later became known as the AIAS Library, in which audiovisual materials were referred to as ‘non-print’. In the late 1990s, the audiovisual materials were removed from the Library and managed as a discrete collection by the AIATSIS Digital Archive Production Team (ADAPT), which later became known as Archives and Production and subsequently, the Audiovisual Archive.

Artworks and artefacts were not actively collected by AIATSIS until 1999. Prior to this, artworks and material culture items were acquired on an ad hoc basis, usually as the result of field research undertaken by grantees and research fellows. The collection was only partly catalogued and remained largely inaccessible until it was transferred into the Archives and Production Program, now the Audiovisual Archive, in 1999. Recently, artwork has been purchased from a variety of sources to ensure the collection is representative of the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies and experiences. Representative examples of craftwork are now being collected.

1.3 The collections and the community

The AIATSIS Audiovisual Archive serves a wide community, the majority of whom are Indigenous. Its clients include:

researchers, including family history and native title researchers;
publishers, including broadcasters;
other cultural institutions; and
the general public, locally and internationally.

When AIATSIS was first established (as the AIAS) in 1964, the majority of its clients were non-Indigenous academic researchers. The number of Indigenous clients rose steadily throughout the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s. In 2004, approximately 70% of client requests received by the Audiovisual Archive were from Indigenous people. The number of deposits received from Indigenous individuals, families or organisations has also increased.

The collections continue to represent a valuable resource for research and public knowledge. The Archive recognises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are its key stakeholders, and owners of much of the intellectual property contained in the collections.

TOP OF PAGE