Informal Session: Pacific Pasts: Agency, Archive, and Artifact
Organizers: Kathy Creely and Deborah Waite

The aim of this informal session was to frame a discussion on the history, representation, and uses of Pacific Islands research materials. Six participants gave informal presentations. Crispin Howarth spoke on the history and collections of the National Gallery of Australia. Karina Taylor gave an update on the Pacific Archives Reading Room at the Australian National University. Ewan Maidment addressed the history of the Pacific Manuscripts Bureau, and gave information about the kinds of anthropological materials that the bureau has microfilmed. Deveni Temu gave a presentation on the Pacific Collection in the library of the Australian National University. Adrian Cunningham gave an overview of Pacific collections at several institutions, including the Mitchell Library, the National Library of Australia, and the National Archives of Australia. Deborah Waite spoke about her experiences researching the history of shell valuables from Solomon Islands, both in the field and in the Turnbull Library. These presentations were followed by a lively discussion among all nineteen people who attended the session.

Themes of continuity and connection emerged, which will be followed up in another informal session next year, possibly with different co-organizers. The first theme contrasts/compares the points of view between those who collect/organize/preserve materials/collections (curators, librarians, archivists, etc.) and those who make use of the materials/collections (anthropologists, historians, community members, etc.). A second theme explores the differing types of institutions which house collections (e.g. local island community centers, metropolitan organizations), and the differing purposes of collections (research, repatriation, expatriation, preservation). A third theme is delineation of particular collections in cultural institutions (libraries, archives, museums, etc.) and narratives of present-day uses of those materials in arenas such as politics, religion, heritage, and education.