The Pacific Manuscripts Bureau: Impact at the intersections of collaboration

Abstract

The Pacific Manuscripts Bureau (PMB, or PAMBU) was established at the Australian National University in 1968 to make preservation copies of archives and documentary heritage about the Pacific Islands and to make the copies discoverable and accessible to researchers. PMB travels with portable reformatting equipment (first microfilm, now digital) to make copies in-situ in partnership with collection custodians in the islands. We also work with private collections that wouldn’t otherwise be accessible to researchers. We prioritise collections at risk of destruction due to the extreme tropical climate and other risks. These challenges are exacerbated in a changing climate and a persistent digital divide.

This poster illustrates the network of collaborations in copying projects for preservation and access; in funding and governance; in advocacy and community relationships; in research and education. This poster shows the impacts that a small organisation (only one full-time member of staff) is able to have through these extensive collaborations: impact on academic and community researchers; impact on communities who’ve been disconnected from culture, history and language due to colonisation and other external impacts; and impact on preservation, with some materials in the PMB collection now the only extant or accessible copies.