Indigenous Archives and Data Stewardship Projects

We are currently involved in the following projects:

  • iREAL: Inclusive Requirements Elicitation for AI in Libraries to Support Respectful Management of Indigenous Knowledges. iREAL will develop a model for responsible AI systems development in libraries seeking to include knowledge from Indigenous communities, specifically Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia. The AI libraries project is led by the University of Glasgow in collaboration with King’s College London, the University of Technology Sydney in partnership with Digital Preservation Coalition.
  • The Dhiiyaan Aboriginal Centre Moree Digitisation Project focuses on supporting staff to ensure the sustainability of the Centre and its collections into the future.  The project aims are to: support Dhiiyaan staff to organise and audit its collections; prioritise and plan for the digitisation of key Dhiiyaan collections; develop digitisation workflows to support Dhiiyaan digitisation increase staff knowledge in digital stewardship and preservation and identify pathways to provide community digital access to collections, respecting the appropriate cultural protocols and sensitivities.
  • Paul Ramsey Foundation Evaluation of the Aboriginal History Archive, Victoria University. 
  • Collaboration Agreement with the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA)
  • Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) djurali Impact Report funded project to research the impact of the djurali creative pathways program
  • Updated 2023 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Mukurtu project for - the NSW Australian Mukurtu Hub - to support Indigenous peoples and communities with digital stewardship and curation of cultural heritage.
  • Leading support for the Indigenous Archives Collective, whose aim is to connect projects, research and people working with Indigenous knowledge sources in Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums. See: The Indigenous Archives Collective position statement on the right of reply to Indigenous knowledges and information held in archives (2021). ARCHIVES AND MANUSCRIPTS, 49(3), 244-252. doi: 10.1080/01576895.2021.1997609
  • Partnering with the Coota Girls Aboriginal Corporation to develop a Coota Girls Survivor Stories Project & Digital Archive.
  • Contributing to the broad engagement with Indigenous archiving and data stewardship across the wider UTS community.                 

Past projects have also included:  

  • Collaborating with the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA) to develop an online toolkit. The Indigenous Recordkeeping and Archives learning module aims to support archivists and archival institutions in understanding the distinct requirements of Indigenous recordkeeping and archiving.
  • Working with the eScholarship Research Centre at the University of Melbourne to review the Find and Connect web resource to be inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Stolen Generations perspectives.
  • Working with the Healing Foundation and the University of Melbourne to develop research in support of Better Access to Stolen Generations Records. 
  • Creating a Significance Assessment - valuing Tranby's iconic Indigenous social and political history collections for the Tranby National Indigenous Adult Education & Training College.
  • Developing a Literature Review - The benefits of Aboriginal language use and revival for the NSW Aboriginal Languages Trust.

Engagement opportunities including workshops

  • The Hub engage with industry to develop and deliver workshops on Indigenous priorities and self-determination in libraries, archives and the broader GLAM sector.
     
  • The team also work with Aboriginal community organisations to provide advice and support on archives management including developing significance assessments, and working with other peak bodies such as the NSW Aboriginal Culture, Heritage & Arts Association Inc (ACHAA).

If you would like to enquire about research, engagement and learning activities, please contact:

Director of  Indigenous Archives and Data Stewardship Hub, Associate Professor Kirsten Thorpe: Kirsten.Thorpe@uts.edu.au

 

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.