National Archives of Australia - Annual reports

The majority of the Archives’ business is conductedonline. The Archives’ websites are therefore subjectto ongoing development and improvement toensure that existing audience expectations are metand new audiences are engaged. During 2010–11,the Archives continued to explore ways in which itcan use Web 2.0 technologies to build audiencesand engage them with its records and services.Grant programsThe Archives operates three research grantprograms to promote archival research in Australiaand encourage scholarly use of the records itholds. Awards and fellowships are designed tohelp scholars complete an innovative and qualityresearch project that:• is significant for Australian audiences• makes substantial use of the records held bythe Archives• produces as its outcome a public lecture,article, book, website, exhibition, film or eventto promote the Archives.Further information about the grant programs isavailable on the Archives’ website.Ian Maclean AwardIn 2010 the Ian Maclean Award was jointlyawarded to Dr Shannon Faulkhead, ResearchFellow, Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies atMonash University and Kirsten Thorpe, Aboriginaland Torres Strait Islander Project Officer at theUniversity of Technology Sydney. Their project willestablish a network and web portal to connectpeople working with Indigenous knowledgeresources in archives, libraries, museums, galleries,keeping places and communities.Margaret George AwardDr Daniel Leach, Honorary Fellow, Department ofHistory at the University of Melbourne was awardedthe Margaret George Award in 2010. His project,‘The other allies’, will examine domestic securityattitudes towards nationals of occupied countriesresident in Australia during World War II.Under the Margaret George Award, Dr LyndonMegarrity received assistance towards copyingdocuments. Dr Megarrity’s project will look atAustralian overseas student policy at the end ofthe Colombo student era (1972–80).Frederick Watson FellowshipDr Peter Copeman, Assistant Professor, AcademicSkills Program at the University of Canberra andDr Susan Lever, Honorary Associate, Department ofEnglish at the University of Sydney were awardedFrederick Watson Fellowships in 2010. Dr Copemanwill write a biographical play about Walter Burleyand Marion Mahony Griffin, intended for productionin 2013 during Canberra’s centenary celebrations.Dr Lever will work on the creative role of Australianwriters in early ABC television drama to 1981.Community Heritage GrantsIn 2010–11, the Archives again joined with theNational Library of Australia, the National Museumof Australia, the National Film and Sound Archive,and the Department of the Prime Minister andCabinet Office for the Arts to fund the eighteenthround of the Community Heritage Grants program.This program provides small organisations withfunds to help identify and preserve communityowned,but nationally significant, heritagecollections. Applicants include museums, libraries,archives, historical societies, art galleries, andmigrant, Indigenous and religious organisations.In 2010–11, the Archives contributed $20,000towards the grant pool and participated in thegrants steering committee, assessment paneland workshops for first-time grant recipients.Grants were awarded to 70 different communityorganisations, at a value of $418,000.Australian Research Council grantsThe Archives also participates in collaborativeresearch with universities and other culturalinstitutions through the Australian Research Councilgrants scheme. During 2010–11, the Archivessupported Australian Research Council grantsprojects on ‘Anzac Day at home and abroad:a centenary history of Australia’s national day’,‘Women and leadership in a century of Australiandemocracy’, ‘Gough Whitlam: a living democracy’and ‘An approach to preserving accounting andbusiness archival materials: enhancing accessibilityto inform research and practice’.34 Annual Reports 2010–11