Development of university archives in New Zealand

Abstract

This report presents the findings of a survey about the development of university archives in New Zealand from 1979 to the present day. It investigates patterns of development, presents options for future development, and recommendations for further research. The research aimed to fill gaps in knowledge about university archives in New Zealand. A questionnaire survey and interviews were used to gather information from participants based in university archives. The results of the survey confirmed the importance of recent developments such as: the Public Records Act 2005; changes in current recordkeeping practices, including the rise of the records management profession; and the increased use of computers and the Internet for user services. Although both collecting archives and institutional archives within universities were surveyed, the information about some institutional archives was incomplete, which highlighted a need for further research into this area using different methodology.