University Archives Volunteer Group

The University Archives Volunteer Group received an Award for Excellence 2004 for the most successful project at the Finance & Infrastructure Divisional Meeting on 26 November 2004.

The University of Adelaide Archives preserves the rich history of South Australia's foremost educational institution. Currently there are many items that require archival processing to maintain and increase the number of records in the collection available to staff and the public.

Volunteers contribute to the University Archives by helping to process and preserve documents, photographs, newspaper clippings and other archival records. Participants of the University Archives Volunteer Group will meet other people with an interest in archives while providing invaluable assistance in maintaining the collection.

One project being undertaken by the group is the Series 169 Digitisation project. Volunteers provide transcriptions of the correspondence from the earliest days of the University's establishment and operations. Once the transcription is complete it is entered into a database and scanned images of the original records are attached to the transcription, making the series more accessible for research. The first phase of this project is available for viewing.

One of our volunteers has kindly allowed us to share a poem written by an anonymous friend about their experience as a transcriber. Click here to view the poem The Transcriber (pdf 14kB).

Other work that has been undertaken by the Group is the indexing of the Newscutting books (Series 163). Series 163 consists of 57 volumes of newscuttings that relate to the operation and activities of The University of Adelaide from 1881 to 1977. The University Archives is creating indexes and digital copies of the series in order to facilitate access to the records and as a method of preserving the original volumes. Completed indexes are available online.

A subgroup of Roseworthy Old Collegians meet on Tuesday afternoon from 1.30pm-4.30pm to work exclusively on Roseworthy Archives. Work being undertaken includes the indentification, sorting and listing of photographs from a variety of decades, sorting and rehousing of newspaper cuttings and ROCA medalist fact sheets are being compiled. Staff lists from Roseworthy College until the merger with the University are being created. The Student magazine is being indexed.

The University Archives Volunteer Group meets every Tuesday morning (see Task Description (pdf 67kB)). For more details contact the Group Coordinator:

Ms Tupp Carmody

Phone:	8303 4194
Fax:	8303 4407
Email:	tupp.carmody@adelaide.edu.au

F.2003/397; F2004/3066; F.2006/11