Australian National University Library

Australian National University Library

J. B. Chifley Building
Country Australia
Established 1948
Location Canberra
Website http://anulib.anu.edu.au

The Australian National University Library is part of the Australian National University, one of the world's major research universities.

Mission

“To achieve excellence in the provision and promotion of information services to meet the research, teaching and learning needs of the University”.

History

The Australian National University (ANU) Library has its foundations in the appointment of the first University Librarian, Arthur Leopold Gladstone McDonald (1898-1981) in early 1948 . The importance of the establishment of the ANU Library in the development of the University was such that McDonald was appointed by the Interim Council before any of the professors .

Initially McDonald and several assistants were housed in Ormond College at the University of Melbourne , where they began to form the collection. At the end of 1950 the collection, which had grown to approximately 40, 000 volumes, was transferred to Canberra, to be located in the Canberra Community Hospital and nearby huts . Over the course of the 1950s the collection grew steadily, and by the time of McDonalds retirement 1960 the collection had grown to 150, 000 volumes (excluding pamphlets) .

University Librarians

Libraries

Bookshelves on the top floor of the Chifley Library

The ANU Library collection is housed in 4 main locations - the R.G. Menzies Building (Asia Pacific material), the J.B. Chifley Building (Social Sciences & Humanities material), the W.K. Hancock Building (Science material) and the Law Library in the Law School Building. Additional services are provided by 5 science branch libraries.

Art and Music Library

The Art and Music Library, located in the School of Art, services both the School of Art and School of Music. It is the principal fine arts library at the ANU, and holds material on visual arts in many formats including: books, exhibition catalogues, videos, CD Roms, DVDs, slides (more than 70,000 35mm slides), journals and magazines. The ANU’s music collections are also held in this library; material is held in many formats, including: performance scores, CDs, LPs, books, collected works, journals and electronic databases.

Chemistry Branch Library

The Chemistry Branch Library, Arthur Birch Building, Building 35, Research School of Chemistry, holds over 400 current serials and over 22,000 monographs relating to Organic, inorganic, physical and theoretical chemistry with strengths in theoretical organic chemistry, coordination chemistry, solid state chemistry, chemical physics, and surface and colloid chemistry.

Earth Sciences Branch Library

The Earth Sciences Branch Library, Jaeger Building, Building 61, Research School of Earth Sciences, holds over 500 current serials and over 26,000 monographs relating to geochemistry, geophysics, lunar and planetary studies.

Eccles Medical Sciences Library

Located at the John Curtin School of Medical Research, the Eccles Medical Sciences Library contains material relating to biomedical sciences, especially biochemistry, immunology, microbiology, pharmacology, physiology and virology, with strengths in medical molecular biology, cellular biology, molecular immunology, molecular genetics, developmental neurobiology and visual neurosciences, ageing, visual cognition, neuropsychology of language and perceptual development.

J. B. Chifley Building

Located South of the Union and Concession Buildings J. B. Chifley Building, Building 15, contains the main ANU social sciences and humanities collections relating to Australia, Europe and the Americas, as well as the Reserve Area for the social sciences and humanities. Principal subject areas covered include: Economics, Education, Fine Art, History, Languages, Linguistics, Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, Sociology, Women's Studies and Official Documents.

Law Library

The Law Library, located in the Law School, Fellows Road, Building 5, is the main location of the law collection on campus. The law collection houses statutes and case law from every Australian jurisdiction and several commonwealth countries. Special emphasis has been given to public and international law in the collection.

R. G. Menzies Building

R. G. Menzies Building

The collections in the R. G. Menzies Building support Asia Pacific Studies, in particular in the fields of history, anthropology, political science, literature and non-Judeo/Christian religions. General social science subjects held in Menzies are: anthropology, international relations, military and naval science, and library science. Material unique to the building includes:

Rare Books / Special Collections

ANU rare books and special collections are housed in a closed access collection held in the Rare Book Room in the R. G. Menzies Building. Notable special collections include:

W. K. Hancock Building

The entrance to the W. K. Hancock Building

The W. K. Hancock Building, located on Biology Road, in Buildings 43 and 122, houses the principal ANU science collections, in over 900 current serials and over 200,000 monographs. The main subject areas covered include: General science, history and philosophy of science, science policy; the mathematical and computing sciences; psychology; biological sciences; environmental science; forestry; geography; geology; and engineering and technology.

Caldwell Library

The Caldwell Library holds a small collection of approximately 1,700 demographic publications. It is located in the Coombs Building, and originated as the reading room for the ANU's demography program.[1]

ANU Archives

The ANU Archives[2] preserves the university's own archives and collects archives of business, trade unions, professional associations and industry bodies, to support research by the University community and the general public.

It collects in two areas, the University Archives and the Noel Butlin Archives Centre.

University Archives

The University Archives[3] hold a range of material dating from the late 1920s relating to the history of The Australian National University. This material is available under a 30-year rule (progressing to a 20-year rule by 2021) which means that records up to the mid-1980s can be generally used for research. The collection includes minutes of the ANU Council and other University committees, correspondence files, photographs, plans, and publications such as annual reports and the ANU Reporter. The papers of academic and senior staff of the University and University organisations are also part of the University Archives. The acquisition of material is governed by a collecting policy.

Noel Butlin Archives Centre

The entrance to the Acton Underhill facility which houses the Noel Butlin Archives. The archives' reading room is located in the Menzies Library.

The Noel Butlin Archives Centre (NBAC) [4] collects business and labour records from Australian companies, trade unions, industry bodies and professional organisations. We are a national organisation interested in material from all states and territories. The NBAC holds the records of large companies such as the Australian Agricultural Company, Burns Philip, CSR Ltd, Dalgety's,Tooth and Company and the Adelaide Steamship Company as well as those of smaller businesses such as pastoral stations. We hold records of federally registered trade unions and their predecessors, and of peak councils such as the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the National Farmers Federation. The records date from the 1820s to the early 21st century and include files, photographs, minutes of meetings, some staff and membership records, maps and plans, and publications such as trade journals and union newsletters. Some material may be closed because it is very recent or the owners' permission may be required before it can be used.

The collection supports research on topics such as industrial relations, immigration, working women, indigenous employment, architecture, economic history, family history, social history in Australia and the Pacific, and on particular industries such as agriculture, timber, shipping, mining, brewing, advertising and finance. In addition, the Archives contain the National AIDS Archive Collection, which documents the history of HIV/AIDS education and prevention throughout Australia.

The Noel Butlin Archives collection is divided into the following categories:

Companies, Organisations including trade unions and professional associations, Personal Papers, National AIDS Archive Collection, Maps, Photographs.

The acquisition of material is governed by a collecting policy.

The site, and the collection, received considerable public attention after it was featured by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's station, ABC Local Radio 666AM, in early January 2014, including an online story.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "History of the Caldwell Library". Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  2. ↑ http://archives.anu.edu.au/home
  3. ↑ http://archives.anu.edu.au/anu-archives
  4. ↑ http://archives.anu.edu.au/collections
  5. ↑ Hidden Canberra archives reveals its historic treasures, Clarissa Thorpe, ABC News Online, 6 January 2014

External links

Coordinates: 35°16′41″S 149°07′12″E / 35.278°S 149.12°E / -35.278; 149.12

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