The University of Melbourne - Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre (original) (raw)

About Us

On 3 May 1999 the Council of the University of Melbourne declared the formation of the Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre (Austehc) in the Faculty of Arts.

Austehc will continue the academic, research and heritage activities of the Australian Science Archives Project (ASAP) which was established by Professor R.W. Home in 1985. The Centre will encompass ASAP's original objectives and continue to develop new programs that foster the preservation, promotion and development of the heritage of Australian science, technology and medicine. ASAP's popular online information resources, notably Bright Sparcs, will form the key focus of the Centre's activities.

ASAP's 14 years experience at the local, national and international levels provides a solid foundation for the Centre's success. The important network of associations with academic, government and private organisations and individuals will be maintained and developed to further enhance the Centre's crucial role. Austehc will:

• Establish the infrastructure, through research, development and implementation, to undertake collaborative projects and activities relating to the history and heritage of science, technology and medicine, within the University of Melbourne and with external organisations and individuals;
• Create and provide access to authoritative information resources dealing with the history and heritage of science, technology and medicine, primarily with an Australian focus, to support academic scholarship, secondary and primary education, and general community awareness;
• Advance the pursuit of knowledge in the history, archival, museum, heritage studies and information management disciplines through teaching, research and development.

The significant corporate archival and records management projects undertaken by ASAP over the past few years has led to the formation of a separate company, ASAP Information Services Pty Ltd. The separation of this commercial work from the academic, research and heritage activities will enable the Centre to maintain a strong focus on its fundamental goals.

Along with ASAP's Director and founding staff member, Gavan McCarthy, Austehc has retained an essential core of ASAP's staff with distinctive expertise and knowledge as archivists, researchers, teachers, historians, and WWW-developers. Austehc will continue the self-funded tradition established by ASAP and work to enhance its position within the University of Melbourne and augment its strong links with the Department of History and Philosophy of Science.