Description
On February 11, 1980 Laurie Dillon was appointed as the first University Archivist. This meant that papers and documents stored throughout the university could now be brought together in a suitable environment. Initially located within the Vice-Chancellor's Unit and on the lower ground floor of the Chancellery, the Archives moved to its current location on level 1 of the UNSW Library in May 1987 where it now has 24-hour climate controlled storage conditions. At the time of his appointment Mr Dillon commented that establishing an archive means a sense of maturity in an organisation. You get a feeling of looking back at history. The archival resources of the university however did not simply materialise overnight. Since its foundation in 1949 several officers had been responsible for the care, custody and control of the university's inactive records including the historian, Dr Isadore Brodsky. In 1959 Allan Horton - later University Librarian - had written a report that called for the appointment of an archivist and the establishment of an archival program. In his report Mr Horton also recommended that an oral history program should be created that threw light on the history of the establishment of the university, of the various schools, and of the courses provided. He revisited the issue of a university archives and the need to employ a professional archivist again after Dr Brodsky retirement in June 1969 and this report sowed the seeds for later developments. In 2005 the University of New South Wales Archives proudly celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary. It took a few more years before most of Allan Horton's vision could be realised but today the UNSW Archives is one of the premier university archives in the country. Its oral history program has thrived since the first interview was conducted with Mr Tay Cunningham, Warden of the University Union, in April 1980. Today this program continues to prosper with the generous assistance of the U Committee. The total number of interviews now stands at over 200 and, as Allan Horton had predicted many years ago, they throw a great deal of light on the history of the university as well as other important aspects of its rich heritage. In May 2006 the Records Administration Section and the University Archives were merged into a new Records and Archives Office. Paul Macpherson was appointed as Manager of the unit and reported to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic). (Origins 2006: 6) Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 11/02/1980-c.. 31/05/2006
