National Archives of Australia - Annual reports

Angus KendonVisitors dressed in vintage fashion swing dance in thefoyer of the Archives’ National Office at The Big Sleepfilm screening, held in conjunction with the Femme Fatalevisiting exhibition, August 2010.The Archives awards prizes to entrants in theNational History Challenge, and sponsors itsown category – Using Archival Records fromthe National Archives. The competition is opento students from Year 9 to Year 12. In 2010–11Alice Han, a Year 11 student from Pymble Ladies’College, won the Archives’ category with heressay, ‘Celebrating and remembering: the specialrelationship’, which discussed the significance ofGough Whitlam’s visit to China in 1971.ExhibitionsExhibitions are an effective way for the Archivesto provide access to its records. While touringexhibitions enable the Archives to reach morepeople across regional Australia, the permanentexhibition at the National Office allows visitors toview some of the real treasures from the Archives’holdings. Further information about the Archives’exhibitions program can be found at Appendix E.The Archives’ permanent exhibition, Memoryof a Nation, displays stories of ordinary andextraordinary Australians. During 2010–11,it continued to be the focus of public interest,particularly for school groups. Its regularpreservation changeover program wasimplemented during the reporting period, andnew graphic panels were produced to improvelegibility of text for visitors.An interactive display, ‘Touch and Connect’,was developed and installed. Using multi-celltouch screens, visitors are able to access recordsin a digital format and to connect differentaspects of the records, such as dates, locations,events and people, in a manner not available in aphysical exhibition.Touring exhibitions provide opportunities for peoplein regional areas to engage with the Archives’records. In 2010–11, 119,679 people visited oneor more of the Archives’ four touring exhibitions30 Annual Reports 2010–11