Community Access to Audiovisual materials

The Archive’s Community Access program is designed to establish relationships with Indigenous communities across Australia. The central aim of the program is to return photographs, audio recordings and film/video to Indigenous individuals, families and communities.

The aims of the project are to visit each community several times over a period of three years and establish a relationship of trust between community members and AIATSIS.

visitor

Viewing the pictorial collection. Photo: AIATSIS

The project, called ‘Giving it Back’, has so far returned materials to Brewarrina, Cherbourg and Fitzroy Crossing. All these communities are well represented in our audiovisual collections. In preparation for such visits we digitise photographs and audio recordings and bring digital copies to the community. This approach allows clients to receive material sooner and in digital form.

Materials held at AIATSIS from the four communities have been digitised so that copies of all materials can be returned to individuals and community centres while the originals continue to be stored in AIATSIS archives. Supplying the photographs in digital form has enabled staff to print them in an efficient and cost-effective manner upon request.

A three-day workshop ‘Keeping Your History Alive’ can also be delivered in conjunction with community access visits. The workshop can be tailored to the communities needs and delivered either in community or in Canberra. In-house workshops are also available to the general public throughout the year.

If you are interested in receiving a copy of the manual or attending a workshop please contact us.

Come and visit us

Onsite visits are one of the best ways to explore and access the AIATSIS collections. While some of the collection is digitised, most of it is not, so by visiting us clients are able to access large volumes of materials on their family/ country.

For more information about visiting AIATSIS click here