Tuesday 19 October 2010

African Journal Archive

http://www.sabinet.co.za/?page=african-journal-archive

The African Journal Archive is a retrospective digitisation project of full-text journal articles published in Africa, in the Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities, providing access to a multi-disciplinary, multi-country digital archive of Africa’s research and cultural heritage contained in its journal literature.

This project is hosted by Sabinet Gateway with funding from the from the Carnegie Corporation. It offers free access to historic backfiles of a collection of journals published in Africa from a range of subject areas covering the sciences, social sciences and humanities.

Topics covered in the most detail are agriculture, botany, zoology, history, law, education, politics, medicine, geology, most recently published issues are not hosted on the African Journal Archive links are provided to publishers websites.


This is a complement to the African Journal Online website http://ajol.info/ which also offers links to African published materials. This is an independent project again covering all subject areas. Although there may be some overlap the sites does seem at the moment to have distinct content.

Saturday 16 October 2010

Travelling Librarian - visits Miami

That Florida is a centre of expertise and scholarship in Latin America and the Caribbean should not be a surprise. The geography of Florida in relation to Latin America and the Caribbean, the impact of migration and familial connections, and the role of Florida as a gateway to trade between the US and Latin American and the Caribbean all contribute to the strengths of academic study (and library resources) in Florida.

Visiting Miami one can't help but be aware of the links between Florida and Latin America and the Caribbean. Whether it is eating at Cuban and Haitian rsetaurants, listening to people speak Spanish on the bus, or seeing the range of passports on display at the airport you can not but be aware that this is in many respects a Caribbean city.

I spent time at two universities in Miami - Florida International University and the University of Miami. Florida International University (FIU) is a relatively new university, chartered in 1967 and opening in 1972. FIU is a state university with a student body of nearly 40,000. I visited staff at the Latin American and Caribbean Information Center, a department of the University Library, as well as staff in Special Collections and Reference services.The Library collects material across Latin America and the Caribbean, and also hosts the co-ordinator for the Digitial Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) . (I'll be posting more on dLOC soon).

The University of Miami, founded in 1925, is a private research university with more than 15,000 students. I spoke with the Latin American and Caribbean subject specialist, staff at Special Collections and staff at the Cuban Heritage Collection. Cuban collections have been strong since the foundation of the university and enhanced by strong links with the local Cuban communities, since the 1920's. The library also collects across Latin America and the Caribbean. The Library's special collections include holdings relating to the history of Florida and the Caribbean Basin, including the West Indies; the northern coastal regions of South America, Central America, and Mexico. The holdings include all but three of the dozens of books published in or about Jamaica between its conquest by the English in the 1650s and the end of plantation slavery in the British Empire in 1834, and travel narratives and other first-hand accounts which describe the societies and histories of the major West Indies islands as well as the smaller countries like Barbados, Antigua, Trinidad, and St. Lucia. The department also contains a number of rare titles on Guyana and Surinam. The Library has been involved in a number of digitial initiatives and has a number of online exhibits available.

Friday 15 October 2010

Canadas rich documentary filmmaking heritage

The Hot Docs Doc Library celebrates Canadas rich documentary filmmaking heritage
and is supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage. It provides free access to a large growing collection of documentary films from Canadian film makers. These include materials from the National Film Board of Canada.

Materials can be searched or browsed by topic. There are also playlists for films by young film makers and a section designed for school and college use. A wide range of topics relating to social, political, economic and world events are covered. They include an emphasis on the history, culture and society of Canada, the anthropology of Canadian ethnic groups and Canadian perspectives on world events. Information on copyright and technical requirements is given on the website.

Wednesday 13 October 2010

New archives list - Gallagher papers on education and Lesotho

Continuing to highlight collections for which we have added detailed handlists to the ULRLS archives catalogue this post introduces the Gallagher collection.

Jack Gallagher worked as a teacher and education adviser in Lesotho during the 1980s and 1990s. He accumulated the material in this collection during this time: some relates directly to his work and personal interests, while other items were collected by him. Gallagher also donated a substantial collection of printed material on Lesotho to the Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library.

The Gallagher collection (ICS114) includes papers relating to the Univeristy of Lesotho and education in Lesotho, 1984-1991; records of the Teyateyaneng Centenary Committee, 1985-1986; photographs and slides for exhibitions, c.1985; papers concerning Basutoland law, 1951-1952; a copy of a published history of Basutoland, written in Sotho, 1917; and other miscellaneous items including personal correspondence.

Monday 11 October 2010

2010 Trevor Reese Prize Awarded

The Institute of Commonwealth Studies is delighted to announce that the 2010 Trevor Reese Prize has been awarded to John Darwin, Nuffield College - University of Oxford for his publication The Empire Project: The Rise and Fall of the British World-System, 1830-1970 (CUP, 2009),
The prize will be awarded by Mrs Hilary Reese at an event scheduled for December 2010. Further details will be made available shortly.

For any queries relating to this prize please contact Troy Rutt

Friday 8 October 2010

Travelling Librarian

David Clover, the Commonwealth Studies Librarian, leaves tomorrow on a trip to the United States, on an itinerary including visits to universities and libraries in Florida, Illinois, North Carolina and New York. David's trip is funded by the ESU/CILIP Travelling Librarian Award, an annual award intended to encourage US/UK contacts in the library world and the establishment of permanent links through a professional development study tour. The award is funded by the English Speaking Union and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.

David's application was entitled: “Servicing Caribbean Studies – learning from United States experiences” and the objectives of this trip are to:

• Expand knowledge of major collections relating to Caribbean Studies in the United States,


• Make personal contact with United States librarians and archivists with Caribbean Studies responsibilities,


• Learn about current projects relating to Caribbean collections, in particular relating to collaboration and digitisation.

This blog will host some brief reports from David's study tour, as well as the usual mix of content.

Thursday 7 October 2010

Policing the Caribbean: Transnational Security Co-operation in Practice: Panel and Book Launch

Wednesday 20th October:

Ben Bowling, Policing the Caribbean: Transnational Security Co-operation in Practice Oxford University Press, 2010

VENUE: Chapters, King’s College London, Strand, London WCR 2LS
TIME: 6PM

Panel:

Ben Bowling, Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice, King's College London Robert Reiner, Department of Law, LSE
Amanda Sives, Department of Politics, Liverpool University

Chair: Philip Murphy, Director, Institute of Commonwealth Studies

Please RSVP to jessica.necchi@oup.com

The panel will be followed by a wine reception. Abstract & bio below.

Abstract:
Policing the Caribbean examines how law enforcement is migrating beyond the boundaries of the nation state. Perceptions of public safety and national sovereignty are shifting in the face of global insecurity and as the police respond to transnational threats like drug trafficking and organised crime. Transnational policing is one of the most significant recent developments in the security field and is changing the organisation of criminal law enforcement in the Caribbean and other parts of the world. Drawing on interviews with chief police officers, Customs, coastguard, immigration, security, military and government officials, Policing the Caribbean examines these changes and provides unique insight into collaboration between local security agencies and liaison officers from the UK and USA. This book considers the impact of a restructured transnational security infrastructure on the safety and wellbeing of the Caribbean islands and beyond. It concludes that as the “war on drugs” has been fought, transnational law enforcement has displaced drug trafficking to new locations across the north Atlantic rim and with it, the associated harms of money laundering, corruption and armed violence.

Ben Bowling is Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice at King's College London. He has published widely in the fields of policing and international criminal justice. His books include Violent Racism (OUP 1998) and Racism, Crime and Justice (with Coretta Phillips, Longman 2002). He has served on the editorial boards of the British Journal of Criminology and Policing and Society. He has been a consultant to the United Nations and Interpol, and regularly addresses senior security sector practitioners from around the world.

Sponsored by the Institute for the Study of the Americas, The Institute of Commonwealth Studies, the British Society of Criminology and Oxford University Press

Central Bank of Barbados statistics

CENTRAL BANK OF BARBADOS ANNOUNCES MAJOR CHANGES TO THE PRESENTATION OF ITS ON-LINE STATISTICS

Users of the Central Bank of Barbados’ statistics can now access them more easily.

The Bank has recently announced that anyone can download from its website – http://data.centralbank.org.bb/ – most of its statistical data in Excel format. The longest series at the highest frequency is posted on the site, so that persons can more conveniently download information on a range of frequently-requested information.

In announcing this change in the presentation, the Bank said that the new format is in keeping with international standards. The statistical information on the website is definitely more user-friendly and much easier to manipulate. The use of Excel, rather than pdf, facilitates maneuverability, and the inclusion of graphs definitely enhances the presentation.

Yet another feature of this enhancement is the more timely publication of the information, as it is uploaded as soon as it becomes available, rather than monthly or annually as occurred in the past.

The data in the Economic and Financial Statistics (EFS) is available in the new format and cover more than 600 variables, pertaining to the monetary authorities, commercial banks, non-bank financial institutions, interest rates, securities, public finance, foreign trade and general statistics. Persons downloading the data can choose variables by selecting the period of interest and/or the preferred frequency, i.e. monthly, quarterly or annually.

And very soon the statistics contained in the Statistical Digest (ASD) and the Balance of Payments (BOP) Survey will be integrated into this format.

Historically, this information was prepared and published in hardcopy in the monthly Economic and Financial Statistics, the Statistical Digest or the Balance of Payments, both of which are produced annually. The Bank has discontinued the hard copy publication of these statistics and instead is publishing all of the statistical information on-line.

Wednesday 6 October 2010

Yesu Persaud Centre for Caribbean Studies Seminars - Autumn 2010

University of Warwick
YESU PERSAUD CENTRE FOR CARIBBEAN STUDIES

Seminars - Autumn 2010


Tuesday, 12th October 2010
Donald Barnard
"Metaphor and the Use of Puns in Derek Walcott's Omeros"
5.00pm
Venue: Humanities H0.44


Tuesday, 26th October 2010
Maya Jaggi (The Guardian)
“The British Media and the Caribbean”
5.00pm
Venue: Humanities H0.52
(reception following)


Tuesday 16th November 2010
In conjunction with the Early Modern Seminar Leslie Theibert (Yale) “Smugglers and Privateers: Competing Imperial Ideologies in Later Seventeenth Century Jamaica.”
5.00pm
Venue: Humanities H3.03


Tuesday, 23rd November 2010
Leah Gordon
"Kanaval: Vodou, Politics and Revolution on the Streets of Haiti”
(followed by book sale/signing)
5.00pm
Venue: Humanities H0.52

Tuesday 7th December 2010
In association with the Institute of Advanced Studies and the Leverhulme Foundation Laura Doyle (University of Masachusetts, Amherst) “Between Cores: Cultural Dialectics in a Wider Historical Frame”
5.00pm
Venue: Milburn House, Institute of Advanced Studies. Reception following

All Welcome

For further details please contact Kerry Drakeley at k.j.drakeley@warwick.ac.uk

Tuesday 5 October 2010

New archives list - Commonwealth Press Union

A detailed list for the Commonwealth Press Union (ICS121) and its predecessor the Empire Press Union has been added to the ULRLS Archives catalogue.

The collection contains records and publications of the Empire Press Union, later called the Commonwealth Press Union. The Commonwealth Press Union (CPU) was an association composed of 750 members in 49 countries, including newspaper groups (with several hundred newspapers), individual newspapers, and news agencies throughout the Commonwealth. They were represented within the CPU by their proprietors, publishers or senior executives.
The aims and objectives of the organisation were to uphold the ideas and values of the Commonwealth; to promote, through the press, understanding and goodwill among members of the Commonwealth; and to advance the freedom, interests and welfare of the Commonwealth press and those working within it by i) monitoring and opposing all measures and proposals likely to affect the freedom of the press in any part of the Commonwealth, ii) working for improved facilities for reporting and transmitting news, and iii) promoting the training of all involved in the Commonwealth’s press.

The CPU offered some of the Commonwealth's most prestigious awards, including the Commonwealth Press Union Fellowship in International Journalism and the Harry Brittain Fellowships.

The origin of the organisation went back to 1909 with the staging of the first Imperial Press Conference. This led to the creation of the Empire Press Union, which later became the Commonwealth Press Union. The CPU was wound up on 31 December 2008. The Commonwealth Media Trust was established to continue some of the work established by the CPU. Its primary concerns are supporting media freedom and media rights, the training of journalists in the skills necessary for them to enable their work and a thorough understanding of media law and the establishment and support of self-regulatory bodies throughout the Commonwealth


Papers include a limited number of official records relating to the administration of the organisation (reports, financial statements, rules, correspondence etc., several items being mounted in a volume entitled 'The Empire Press Union Guard Book') 1909-1998; circulars and bulletins covering the periods 1911-1924, 1929-1939 and 1964-1986; a good series of Conference papers and reports, 1909-1973, together with associated albums of news cuttings, 1919-1946, and photographs, c1950-1985; a few publications, 1911-1978; a small series of Fellowship Scheme leaflets, 1965-1970; and papers relating to Sir Harry Brittain (the founder of the Empire Press Union) with other papers on the history of the organisation.


A more recent donation of further material from the Commonwealth Press Union has been received by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library and we are seeking funding to have this material listed. The Library also holds the archives of the Commonwealth Journalists Association (ICS150).

New archives list - Australian Bicentennial Celebrations

Another new collection for which a detailed handlist has been added to the ULRLS Archives Catalogue is a collection relating to the Australian Bicentennial Celebrations (ICS113)

Australia held a year of celebrations in 1988 to mark the 200th anniversary of the "founding" of the country. Events were co-ordinated by the Australian Bicentennial Authority, with individual states, cities and other organisations mounting their own celebrations. the collection includes material produced by the Australian Bicentennial Authority; the Australian Bicentennial Authority: Arts; the New South Wales Bicentennial Council; the Bicentennial Festival of Sydney; Miscellaneous leaflets; and material produced for events in the UK.

The Library also holds the archives of the Britain Australia Bicentennial Committee (ICS 144), which was set up in 1984, initially by the British Government through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to supervise the British involvement in the Australian Bicentennial. Initially a steering committee was set up, which later became the BABC. In 1985 the Britain Australia Bicentennial Trust was set up to deal with the public money raised, at this time the BABC also set up a number of National Task subcommittees and regional subcommittees. This collection has had some listing work done, but awaits detailed cataloguing.

New archives lists - Ceylon

Two new collections for which we have added details to the ULRLS Archives catalogue are part of our collection of papers of former colonial civil servants in Ceylon.

The W T Stace Autobiography (ICS 100) consists of a typescript draft, comprising chapters 7-16 inclusive of the Autobiography of W T (Walter Terence) Stace, as a civil servant in Ceylon, from 1910-1932. It is not known whether the work was ever published, no record of publication has been found to date.


Born into a military family, Walter Terence Stace (1886-1967) first went out to Ceylon as a young civil servant in 1910. Beginning as a cadet in Galle, he gradually rose in the administrative hierarchy to become a police magistrate, private secretary to the Governor (Sir Robert Chalmers), district judge at Negombo, and an official (ultimately, the head) of the Land Settlement Department, as well as mayor of Colombo. During his last ten years in the colony, while working on land settlement, Stace divorced his first wife (who had returned to Britain) and married Blanche Beven; and he spent an increasing amount of time writing on philosophy which from an early age had been a significant personal interest.

He resigned from the civil service in 1932 to become a teacher of philosophy at Princeton University, USA. Stace published several works on philosophy, including 'A critical history of Greek philosophy' (1920), 'The philosophy of Hegel: a systematic exposition' (1924), 'The meaning of beauty: a theory of aesthetics' (1929), 'The theory of knowledge and existence' (1932), 'The concept of morals' (1937), 'The destiny of western man' (1942), and 'Mysticism and philosophy' (1961).

The ME Westrop papers (ICS104) relate to education in Ceylon. Miss M E Westrop was an Inspector of Schools in Ceylon from 1928-1948. No other biographical details are available. the collection of papers held by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library include information for Inspectors, including an Inspectors' Manual, dated 1945; papers on syllabuses and training courses on the teaching of English as a second language, adult education and the Practical Teaching Test; and papers on broadcasts to schools from the Colombo Radio Station, 1939-1942, including synopses of talks by Miss Westrop 'Great Britain at War' and typescript of farewell broadcast by Miss Westrop, 1948 'Girls' Education in Ceylon, covering a period of 20 years'.

Maps of Africa to 1900

The Maps of Africa to 1900 digital collection contains images of maps listed in the bibliography Maps of Africa to 1900: A Checklist of Maps in Atlases and Geographical Journals in the Collections of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (Bassett & Scheven, Urbana: Graduate School of Library and Information Science, 2000).

As such, this collection mines not only the Library’s map collections, but also its extensive collection of 19th century atlases and geographical journals, including the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society (United Kingdom), the Bulletin de la Société de Géographie de Paris (France), and Petermanns Geographische Mittheilungen (Germany).


Bassett’s and Scheven’s original bibliography lists 2,416 maps of which nearly 78 percent date from the 19th century. Africanists and historians of cartography are drawn to this century because the map of the continent changed so rapidly in the wake of European explorations, conquests, and colonization (Bassett & Scheven, p. iii). About a quarter of the collection dates from the sixteenth century, 9 percent from the seventeenth, and 13 percent from the eighteenth century.

The Library is digitizing as many of the maps as possible, condition permitting. Maps are added to the collection as they are completed.

Australian Studies (journal)

The UK published journal  Australian Studies has been in abeyance for a couple of years, but was recently successfully relaunched as a free online resource under the aegis of the National Library of Australia.


The first issue of the newly relaunched journal can be accessed here:

http://www.nla.gov.au/openpublish/index.php/australian-studies/issue/current

This first edition of Australian Studies as an electronic journal comprises two special groups of articles. The first, by current and recently completed postgraduate students, began as a call for papers in May 2007 for what was then envisaged as a themed edition of Australian Studies, focusing upon the topic of ‘captivity’. The choice of subject was prompted in part by postgraduate research interests at the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies (King’s College London) in convict-era Australia, when captivity – or avoidance of it – was a defining characteristic of life for thousands of men and women. But the five ‘captivity’ essays included here escape from these initially narrow conceptual confines, and instead investigate the theme of captivity from the 1830s to the present day.


The second group of articles is a selection from papers submitted for the 2007 BASA Essay Prize. This is a prize awarded on an occasional basis for current and recently
completed postgraduate students who have submitted papers, on any topic relevant to Australian studies broadly defined, to the BASA journal, Australian Studies. The first BASA Essay Prize was awarded in 2007 to Eddy Rogers, now at the University of Guelph in Canada. His prize-winning essay is published here for the first time, along with a selection of other papers submitted during that year.

In subsequent (2010) editions of Australian Studies, the focus will shift from the recent work of postgraduate students to the significant body of material generated by recent BASA conferences – the ‘Australian Lives’ conference held at the University of Exeter’s new Cornwall Campus, near Falmouth, in September 2006, and the ‘Changing Australia’ conference at Royal Holloway College, University of London, in September 2008. Articles from these two major international conferences will appear in the two editions of Australian Studies scheduled for 2010, along with a number of other articles ‘in the queue’ awaiting publication.

New archives list - The Buganda Constitution 1954

Newly added to the ULRLS Archives Catalogue is the handlist of a collection of papers relating to the Buganda Constitution, 1954 (ICS110)

The collection comprises of proceedings, evidence, documents and the judgement in the case of Mukwaba and others v. Mukunbira and others in the Uganda High Court. The case was brought to test the legality of the withdrawal by the Protectorate Government of recognition of the Kabaka Mutesa II as native ruler of the Province of Buganda, and actions by the Government affecting the Constitution, 1954. Judgement was in favour of the Protectorate Government

In November 1953, the Protectorate Government of Uganda withdrew recognition of Mutesa II as native ruler of the Province of Buganda. This status had been held by the Kabaka under the Buganda Agreement of 1900, following the establishment of a British Protectorate in 1894. The Agreement also provided for the withdrawal of recognition, as occurred in 1953, should the Kabaka no longer remain faithful to the protecting authority. Following the withdrawal of recognition of the Kabaka, he was deported to Britain. The court case, heard in 1954, tested various constitutional questions arising from this and subsequent actions, and found in favour of the Protectorate Government.

Because of the constitutional difficulties arising at this time, the Protectorate Government set up a Conference to consider the situation further. This took place in 1954 also, and was headed by Sir Keith Hancock (then Director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies in London). The Conference made various recommendations regarding the future Constitution of Buganda. The implementation of the agreed recommendations of the Conference, and the outcome of the court case, ultimately led to the return of Mutesa II two years later as a constitutional monarch.

Papers relating to the Hancock Commission into Buganda constitutional issues are in Sir (William) Keith Hancock papers ICS29/1.

Monday 4 October 2010

CFP: Caribbean Studies Association

Caribbean Studies Association - 36th Annual Conference

May 30 – June 3, 2011

World Trade Center, Curaçao

The CSA is calling for papers for its 36th annual conference. The theme is “Building a New House: Towards New Caribbean Futures in an Age of Uncertainty.” We are seeking scholarly papers from individuals spanning the broadest disciplinary and methodological range whose work focuses upon the Caribbean and its Diasporas. While we consider individual papers, we encourage submissions of entire panel proposals. We also welcome graduate student submissions.

The program committee encourages paper and panel proposals that address the
conference theme, although it will also consider other topics. More information on the conference theme is available at the CSA website, ww.caribbeanstudiesassociation.org.

All submissions must be made via the online submission form at http://www.caribbeanstudiesassociation.org/. The deadline for submissions is December 15, 2010.

CSA is able to offer a limited number of travel grants to assist selected participants. For further information, please see our website or our Newsletter where the full Call for Applications to the Travel Grant will be published soon in English, Spanish and French. As CSA is striving to develop its travel fund, we greatly appreciate any donation made to it. The travel grant application should be submitted by December 15, 2010, to Dr.
Samuel Furé Davis at sfuredavis@flex.uh.cu.

New archives list - Graham Mytton papers - the media in Africa

Another new archives list recently added to the ULRLS Archives Catalogue is the papers of Graham Mytton (ICS115).

As part of his postgraduate studies in the mass media, Graham Mytton undertook practical research into the media in Tanzania, spending a year as a research associate at University College, Dar es Salaam in 1967-1968. After completing his studies in Manchester in 1970, Mytton became the Zambia Broadcasting Services Research Fellow at the Institute for African Studies, University of Zambia, a post he held until 1973. Much of the material in this collection was accumulated during these research projects. 
Mytton later worked for the BBC, eventually becoming Controller of Marketing for the BBC World Service. He is now an independent market and audience research consultant and trainer.
The archive collection is comprised of papers accumulated by Graham Mytton in the course of research into the press and broadcasting in Tanzania and Zambia. The material comprises files on the press in Tanzania, including notes of interviews with staff, readership statistics and other literature about newspapers; files concerning broadcasting in Tanzania, including copies of relevant speeches in Parliament, material on the Ministry of Information, Tanganyika Broadcasting Corporation and Radio Tanzania, and papers on educational and adult education broadcasting; files concerning broadcasting in Zambia, including documents on Zambia Broadcasting Services, educational and rural broadcasting; papers for the Ninth Commonwealth Broadcasting Conference in Kenya; and some miscellaneous items.

The Library also holds Mytton's book published in 1983, entitled Mass communication in Africa , copies of reports on the mass media audience survey he carried out in Zambia, and interviews by Mytton with members of the TANU Publicity Section.

Friday 1 October 2010

New New Zealand digital resource - Appendices to the Journal of the House of Representatives

The Speaker of the NZ House of Representatives recently launched a website containing the first 24 volumes of the Appendices to the Journal of the House of Representatives. Covering the 1860s and 1870s, it includes more than 1600 reports, and it is just the start.

The Speaker noted:

"We have only just begun to lift the curtain on the hidden treasures in the A to Js. We now need to digitise the whole period 1854 to 1999 when the modern-day Parliamentary Papers begin. It is hoped that this pilot website will provide a launching pad through which further digitisation of the A to Js can be achieved with the support of other stakeholders, and to date, some have indicated their financial support to enable this to happen.

"The first 24 volumes will eventually become an estimated 600 volumes, though the speed at which that happens will depend on available funding. In a recent on-line poll, conducted by Digital New Zealand on candidates for digitisation, the A to Js were voted one of the top information source priorities."

 
The website for this resource is at: http://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/

The Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives (AJHR), sometimes known as "the A to Js", is a collection of government-related reports published every year from 1858. The reports cover many subjects, documenting the work of government departments and a wide range of other activities carried out by, or of interest to, the government of the day. The AJHR is one of the most valuable tools for understanding how New Zealand has developed from its earliest colonial beginnings to the present. It provides a wealth of information for researchers working across many fields.

 
All papers tabled before Parliament are considered appendices to the Journal. The House orders some of these papers to be printed, and these are published annually in a separate series of volumes as the Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. The Legislative Council (or Upper House of Parliament) also published a separate volume of papers, the Journal of the Legislative Council (not included on this website), before it was abolished in 1951. The Council's Journal includes appendices at the end of some volumes.

 
The AJHR is arranged into broad themes. The following list provides a broad outline of the themes since the late nineteenth century:

 
•A: legislative, political, and foreign affairs

 
•B: public finance

 
•C: Crown lands, mines, forests, primary production, environment

 
•D: immigration, public works, energy

 
•E: education, welfare, and justice

 
•F: post office, broadcasting, communications

 
•G: Maori affairs

 
•H: miscellaneous, commissions of inquiry

 
•I: reports of select committees

 
•J: petitions

 
Each theme includes a series of reports grouped by "shoulder number" — a letter of the alphabet followed by a number. For example:

 
"General report on lunatic asylums in New Zealand (by Dr. Paley)", AJHR, 1874, H-1

 
This indicates that the report was published in 1874 and was the first document in the "H" theme that year.

 
What's in the AJHR?

  • Annual reports of government departments
  • Reports of commissions of inquiry
  • Reports relating to broader government work
  • Images and maps

 

  

Start of term - welcome to our new Human Rights students

We'd like to wish all our new students a warm welcome to the Library. Students at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies are either starting the MA in Understanding and Securing Human Rights, or studying for a PhD in a wide range of topics and regions.

The teaching collection in human rights is focused on supporting the MA in Understanding and Securing Human Rights, and has been built up over the course of this programme to be an important and up to date collection of material on human rights, that is well supplemented by collections at the Institute for Advanced Legal Studies and elsewhere in the Senate House Library.

The general Commonwealth Studies collections reflect the interest of the Commonwealth as an organisation in human rights issues, as well as the issues that have impacted on and within various Commonwealth nations - including recognition of indigenous peoples' rights, genocide and war, apartheid, cultural rights and the environment, globalisation and development, and reconciliation.

Both collections are available to consult on a reference-only basis for any library member not on the MA programme. Library staff are always willing to help and support your research and study.