VU Library celebrates Australia’s neighbours

From 13 August to 30 November, celebrate the culture, language and independence of Australia’s Neighbours with our Special Collections exhibition.

The exhibition at Footscray Park Library celebrates VU Multicultural Week (20-25 August), Popular Consultation Day for Timor-Leste and Independence Day for Papua New Guinea.

The exhibition also highlights VU’s connections with Australia’s neighbours.

Celebrating our neighbours

Timor-Leste

With the Timor-Leste Collection focusing on the occupation and independence of Timor-Leste, materials on display provide varied perspectives:

• Can East Timor survive independence
• East Timor: From colonisation to independence
• Reluctant saviour: Australia, Indonesia and the independence of East Timor
• Commemorative postage stamps and information on Independence celebrations
• Photographs published in East Timor Testimony
• Materials published in Indonesian – Jurnal Gevatil and in Tetum – Timor Lorosa’e: Tinan Importante Ida/One Momentous Year

Papua New Guinea

The strengths of the PNG and Pacific collection include economics, language, culture, society and history of Papua New Guinea, and materials on display (in the Learning Hub) include:

• Pawa na pipel! People and power in Papua New Guinea
• National Development Strategy: Papua New Guinea Government White Paper Pidgin Edition 
• Social development in Papua New Guinea 1972-1990: Searching for Solutions in a Changing World
• Pathways to Independence: Story of Official and Family Life in Papua New Guinea from 1951-1975
• Papua New Guinea: The challenge of independence
• Papua New Guinea Stamps: 1971-1976

Pacific Islands

Pacific Islands exhibition

The PNG and Pacific collection also provides insights into the culture and history of the greater Pacific and South East Asian regions – Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and New Caledonia. Materials on display (opposite the lift and stairs) include:

• The making of modern Samoa: traditional authority and colonial administration in the history of Western Samoa
• The United Church in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands presents Gaulim kakailai (Gaulim sings)
• Friendly Islands: a history of Tonga
• The inauguration of the Empire Air Mail Programme to Australia, Banks Islands, Cook Islands, Fanning Island...
• Micronesia: understanding our government and Atlas of Micronesia
• From New Caledonia to Kanaky and Land and politics in New Caledonia

Display materials are just a sample of what’s in the PNG and Pacific collection which contains maps, video recordings and reports for researchers to view.

VU’s connections with Australia’s neighbours

Display materials published by VU scholar Dr Helen Hill include:

• Women’s economic participation in five Pacific Island countries
• Development for All: Dili international conference on the Post-2015 Development Agenda
• East Timor Today
• Cooperating with Timor-Leste: options for good development practice
• Victoria University and Timor-Leste [East Timor]

The University’s connection with Timor-Leste is also reflected in VU Timor-Leste Alliance, and the joint international conferences with the National University of Timor-Leste, Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa'e (UNTL). See Finding Pathways to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals in Timor-Leste conference recommendations report in Victoria University Research Repository.

Using Special Collections for your research

Researchers from Victoria University, other academic institutions, and the wider community are welcome to use material from the Special Collections at Victoria University. Library Guide VU Special Collections: How to access and use outlines how:

• Researchers have used the Special Collections for their particular projects, what material they have used and the interesting information they have found.
• You can look at VU material through Library Search of the Library Catalogue, and refine an online search to Special Collections.
• You can use archival material in the VU Special Collections.

Access to Special Collections 

Special Collections are research collections. The items can't be borrowed, but may be viewed in the Special Collections reading room on level 4 of the Footscray Park Library. For queries and appointment to view items, please email special.collections@vu.edu.au.