Skip to Main Content

Family history sources in the University Archives

When did they arrive at ANU? Which area did they work in?

From 1954 to 1970 the dates of appointment and promotion of ANU academic staff were included in the annual Calendar. Names of full-time academic staff and senior general staff (administrative, library and technical) were also published there. The CUC calendars (1932 - 1960) have similar information.

Information about research and teaching was published in Annual Reports for both the CUC and the ANU. From 1962 onwards, more detailed information on the work of each department appears in unpublished reports to the ANU Council.

The ANU Archives retrains personnel files for staff at Professorial level.

What did they do at ANU - apart from their research or teaching?

Some staff also served on committees such as the University Council, the Board of the Faculties and the Board of the Institute of Advanced Studies and their predecessors. Committee records such as minutes and agenda papers cover the work of the many committees and similar bodies in the university.

The Calendar lists members of some committees, as do the early (pre-1962) published annual reports.

Other contributions to the ANU community, reports of research breakthroughs and cultural events are covered in the ANU Reporter and other earlier publications such as the News.

In the late 1990s, 45 people were interviewed for the University's history project. The interviews, which are transcribed and indexed, reflect on the personalities of leading ANU figures, as well as their contributions to the development of the University. The index includes references to many other staff members.

What other sources contain information about former ANU staff?

The Archives holds many photographs of individuals, groups, events and places which were taken for publicity purposes. Many of these have been digitised.

The Archives holds the personal papers of many research and administrative staff, for example:

Please search the Archives database for other holdings.

The papers of other staff have been placed in institutions such as the National Library of Australia or the Basser Library in the Academy of Science.

The making of the Australian National University 1946 - 1996 by S. G. Foster and M. M. Varghese (ANU Press) is the main published source. It is the 50th anniversary history of the ANU and contains many illustrations and endnotes to source material.