Series 53 - Correspondence files, multiple number series

Identity area

Reference code

AU ANUA 53

Title

Correspondence files, multiple number series

Date(s)

  • 1950 - 2000 (Creation)
  • 1930 - 2000 (Accumulation)

Level of description

Series

Extent and medium

300 m (1539 boxes)

Context area

Name of creator

(1947 - 1998)

Biographical history

From 1947, the Registrar, reporting to the Vice-Chancellor, was responsible for the administrative work of the University with duties specified in the University statutes such as conducting Council elections, acting as Secretary of the Council, the Board of Graduate Studies and each Faculty and Faculty Board, and affixing the common seal of the University to official documents and degrees, but also for correspondence with public bodies, legislation, personnel matters (except academic appointments) and official publications. The Registrar initially directed the work of all administrative areas but as the University administration grew, new structures were developed. The Bursar was responsible for budgets, accounting services, business management and for residential housing. The Academic Registrar was the secretary of the Boards of the Institute of Advanced Studies and of the School of General Studies, responsible for administrative matters related to academic staff appointments and student matters. The Registrar (Property and Plans) was responsible for the coordination of planning, including the relating of academic plans to the provision of buildings and site development. Functions which had been managed by the Office of the Registrar were devolved to other areas such as University Information (later, Public Affairs Division) and Human Resources so that by 1998 the Office of the Registrar was no longer identified as an administrative unit. From 2006, the position of Registrar has headed the Division of Registrar and Student Services.

Name of creator

Biographical history

Content and structure area

Scope and content

This was the main ANU correspondence file series from 1950 to 2000, usually known as ‘Central Files’. It contains some earlier material top-numbered from the first ANU file series (ANUA 18) as well as many files of the Canberra University College (ANUA 42) from 1930 to 1960. These files were incorporated in the series by the former Registrar of the Canberra University College Thomas Owen. The files were originally controlled by a card index and file register – the information contained in these was transferred to a computerised keyword index in 1975 and in 2006 to the current Central Records System. The multiple numbers consist of a primary subject often representing a Research School, Faculty or other organisational unit, a secondary number representing a function and then the next sequential number allocated to a particular file. The primary numbers (not all have extant files) are:

  1. Vice-Chancellor’s correspondence
  2. Legislation and policy
  3. Council and Committees
  4. Administrative matters (including staff organisation)
  5. Scholars and scholarships
  6. Research School of Pacific (and Asian) Studies
  7. John Curtin School of Medical Research
  8. Research School of Physical Sciences
  9. Research School of Social Sciences
  10. Visitors, visits, conferences and seminars
  11. Library
  12. Buildings
  13. Research School of Chemistry
  14. Other organisations (including Canberra University College 14.1.0)
  15. Staff activities
  16. University House
  17. Research students
  18. Ceremonies and historic occasions
  19. Joint ventures (Institute and School)
  20. School of General Studies (see also 30–44)
  21. Research School of Biological Sciences
  22. Research School of Earth Sciences
  23. Management Services Group
  24. Research School of Mechanical Sciences (proposed)
  25. Health research
  26. Centre for Resource and Environment Studies
  27. Humanities Research Centre
  28. Office for Research in Academic Methods
  29. Social Psychiatry Research Unit
  30. School of General Studies – scholarships
  31. School of General Studies – Faculty of Arts
  32. School of General Studies – proposed faculties
  33. School of General Studies – Faculty of Economics
  34. School of General Studies – Faculty of Asian Studies
  35. School of General Studies – Faculty of Law
  36. School of General Studies – student matters
  37. School of General Studies – business matters
  38. School of General Studies – halls of residence
  39. School of General Studies – committees and boards
  40. School of General Studies – research grants
  41. School of General Studies – curriculum
  42. School of General Studies – staffing
  43. School of General Studies – general
  44. School of General Studies – Faculty of Science
  45. Freedom of Information
  46. – 49. Not used
  47. Triennial planning
  48. Policy studies
  49. Research School of Information Sciences and Engineering
  50. Institute of the Arts
  51. Faculty of Medicine (proposed)
    Many personnel files were raised in this series either under the general ‘4.2 Staff appointments’ or under the secondary ‘staff’ function of particular organisational units. These files are controlled in a separate series of staff files (ANUA 19) from several different series. This series was superseded by an annual single number series in 2000 (ANUA 239).

Accruals

System of arrangement

Multiple number

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Access under a thirty-year rule

Conditions governing reproduction

Language of material

Script of material

Language and script notes

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

Item list, online keyword searching available in Central Records System through Archives staff, separate list of departmental annual reports from 1952 onwards

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

National Archives of Australia: CRS A8144, items 3.5.0 - 3.19.79 (with gaps)

Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

Dates of creation revision deletion

Prepared by Maggie Shapley on 10 July 2007

Language(s)

Script(s)

Sources

Accession area

Related subjects

Related people and organizations

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