Collecting Policy

The collecting policy of the Noel Butlin Archives Centre relates to

• industrial organisations
• labour movement
• business
• professional associations and industry bodies
• general criteria
• thematic/subject strands

On 12 November 1998 the NBAC Advisory Committee endorsed the following statement:

The NBAC holds important collections of Australian business and labour records which have been built since the early 1950s. This collecting policy defines how the NBAC’s mission will be put into practice in its collecting activities. The policy describes the four main types of records which the NBAC acquires. It outlines the criteria against which collections offered to the Centre will be assessed, and is also used as a guide by the NBAC in actively seeking deposits of records.

The University of Melbourne Archives also has strong collections of industrial and business records. The two archives are working towards cooperative agreements about the collection of records from the Australian business and industrial sectors.

Records of federally registered industrial organisations

The NBAC works with federally registered industrial organisations to advise and plan their records management and archival programs. As a result of this advisory service, the Centre may take records of continuing value to the organisation and/or researchers into its custody for long-term preservation.

Usually records of continuing value comprise only a small percentage of all records created by an organisation, and generally demonstrate the major functions and activities of that organisation. Guidance about the value of trade union records is given in the Trade Union Disposal Schedule issued in 1998 and available for purchase from the NBAC.

Branch records are not generally collected unless the Branch operated as the central office of the organisation, was autonomous in its operations, or undertook nationally significant activities. In some cases, both national and branch records are held by the NBAC.

Examples:

1. Australian Workers' Union
2. Maritime Union of Australia (including the records of the Waterside Workers' Federation and the Seaman's Union of Australia)

Nationally significant records relating to the labour movement

This is a minor collecting strand closely related to the collection of records of industrial organisations. The NBAC collects records of individuals who have been closely related to the industrial labour movement. Papers of individuals are only collected where they show a broad involvement in a range of activities related to the movement and where they add notably to the official record of industrial organisations.

Examples:

1. James Normington Rawling (political organiser, writer and educator)
2. Sir Gordon Jackson (Company Director, CSR Limited)

Records of nationally significant businesses

The NBAC works with businesses to advise and plan their records management and archival programs. In particular, the Centre will assist and advise on the establishment of in-house records and archives programs. As a result of this advisory service, the NBAC may take records of continuing value either to the organisation or to researchers into its custody for long-term preservation. The Centre concentrates on taking into its custody records that have historical value and are no longer in active use in the company. Generally records of continuing value comprise only a small percentage of all records created by an organisation.

In seeking contact with companies, the NBAC focuses on those of national significance. These are generally defined as those where:

• the business operates in multiple arenas (all states and territories or internationally);
• the business operates in a specific region but is important to the national picture because it is groundbreaking (the first or only one of its kind);
• the business has a significant commercial reputation; or
• few records of the industry survive and therefore the records concerned are a representative sample of broader national activity which is not documented elsewhere.

NBAC concentrates on the records of the company's principal activity or core business and does not necessarily take the records of all subsidiary functions undertaken or businesses acquired as a result of diversification or expansion.

Examples:

1. Tooth's brewing company operated regionally in New South Wales. However, its records are representative of the brewing industry and reflect the types of company operations which existed throughout Australia on a regional basis.
2. CSR Limited records relating to the sugar industry.

Records of nationally significant professional associations and industry bodies

Nationally significant professional associations and industry bodies are those peak organisations which represent an industry or professional group. In deciding whether to collect records from a particular organisation the NBAC considers:

• whether the organisation is a peak body representative of the sector predominantly at the national level;
• whether the organisation is related to the working environment, particularly to sectors already represented in NBAC collections;
• its importance to Australian society of the industry or sector represented;
• the degree of lobbying activity or influence exerted either socially or politically; and
• whether the organisation has international ties or representative activities.

Only the records that have long-term value are collected.

Examples:

1. The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is a peak representative body for the trade union movement, involved in a range of national campaigns on industrial and related issues.
2. The National Farmers' Federation (NFF) founded in 1979 is a federation of Australian farm organisations with membership including state farm organisations and commodity councils. Records of the NSW Farmers Association are also collected, as this body has been a strong lobbying force representing farmers' interests and pre-dating the formation of the NFF. Both have played an important sectoral advocacy role at a national level.

3. Confederation of Australian Industry.

General criteria

Where records are assessed as falling outside the NBAC’s collecting policy (e.g. regional company records which are not nationally significant) the Centre will refer owners of the records to more appropriate archives repositories or libraries, and may assist with negotiations for the placement of material of long-term value.

The NBAC does not purchase material. However, it may consider donation of records under the Cultural Gifts Program of the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

Recommendations for the disposal of lower value material from collections may be made when detailed examination of the records is undertaken during archival description work.

The NBAC also reserves the right to de-accession records from the collection. De-accessioning takes place in consultation with the owners of records.

NBAC does not collect records that do not document fully the activities of the organisation concerned and might be considered patchy or of poor quality.

Thematic/subject strands

The NBAC has in the past concentrated on subject or thematic strands in its collecting activities. Traditional areas of collecting strength are:

• pastoral industry, farming enterprises and agricultural companies;
• forestry and timber milling businesses;
• stevedoring and shipping companies;
• companies involved in financing or dealing in the products of agricultural, mining, forestry or maritime industries;
• manufacturing businesses based on agricultural, mining or forestry products;
• employer groups representing agricultural, mining or forestry sectors; and
• banking.

Other areas that may be developed in the future are finance, medical and high technology manufacturing, the information and advertising sector.