Bridging Past and Future: How ANU Library Resources Support First Nations Research（图）

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time to reflect on Australia’s shared history and consider how we move forward together.

At The Australian National University (ANU), it also marks one year since the launch of the Indigenous Knowledges Hub—a resource developed to support First Nations research and teaching at ANU.

In 2025, under the theme Bridging Now to Next, NRW (27 May-3 June) calls on Australians to remember past lessons and look ahead together for a more inclusive future.

The Indigenous Knowledges Hub has seen significant uplift of Indigenous resources at the University to support First Nations research and teaching.

Bringing together more than 75 years of collections from ANU Library, Archives, Press, CartoGIS and Open Research Repositor, the Hub provides a central access point and useful tools for ANU staff to discover and use materials of Indigenous knowledges and perspectives.

This has supported First Nations research at ANU, and contributed to Indigenous Perspectives Graduate Attribute in the ANU 2025 Strategic Plan that assures incorporation of “Indigenous Australian peoples’ diverse languages and knowledges into the fabric of our University and our curriculum”. 

This has supported First Nations research at ANU, and contributed to Indigenous Perspectives Graduate Attribute in the ANU 2025 Strategic Plan that assures incorporation of “Indigenous Australian peoples’ diverse languages and knowledges into the fabric of our University and our curriculum”. 

“The Hub is just one of the ways the Scholarly Information Services (SIS) is helping meet the commitments of the ANU Reconciliation Action Plan,” says Tom Foley, Associate Director of Library Services at ANU.

“The Library supports the University’s vision for reconciliation by ensuring that ANU Indigenous resources are made more accessible through the digitisation of records and research, and the promotion of our Indigenous collections.”

The Indigenous Knowledges Hub

Resources in the Hub are featured by two curated collections: 

Indigenising the Curriculum offers a collection of e-books that provide culturally appropriate resources for teachers and educators.

Reconciliation Collection Highlights provides rich materials on First Nations and Australia’s ongoing reconciliation journey.

Other resources include:

Video introductions to the Hub and its key collections.

Library Subject Guides that help to source specific materials created by subject specialists: 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Guide;

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice Guide;

Other Subject Guides that have incorporated Indigenous resources: Biological, Environmental, Physical & Mathematical Sciences, Engineering, Computing, and Cybernetics and Health & Medicine.

Other materials and collections, including maps, audio visual material, theses, published works, unpublished manuscripts, records of businesses and trade unions.

“These extraordinarily rich collections reflect many different aspects of Indigenous Australian’s history since white settlement, and give us insights into the knowledge and experiences of Indigenous Australians,” Foley says.

“Some of these resources are by Indigenous authors and creators; some are focused on Indigenous Australian approaches and perspectives; others are about Indigenous Australian cultures, languages, or histories.”

Professor Lachlan Blackhall, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), says that the Indigenous Knowledges Hub is an important resource for deepening and broadening the way research is supported at ANU.

“The Hub supports vital First Nations-led scholarship and helps all researchers engage meaningfully with Indigenous knowledge and perspectives—an essential part of our commitment to supporting and championing First Nations research and researchers,” he says.

AIATSIS subject headings

The ANU Library is also improving access to Indigenous resources through the integration of the AIATSIS subject headings.

These headings have been developed by the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) since 1997 to document vocabularies and studies relating to First Nations people in Australia. They are collected in three thesauri—covering topical headings, place names and languages and people—recorded in the Australian National Bibliographic Databased (ANBD).

By 2024, ANU Library’s catalogue has fully integrated the AIATSIS headings into its functionality. Since then, new records for First Nations resources in the catalogue, such as  Sun & Shadow: Art of the Spinifex People, have included these headings.

In late 2025, ANU Library will partner with the National Library of Australia (NLA) to retrospectively add the AIATSIS headings to older records. This will enhance discoverability of the works collected in ANU Library and accessibility of culturally safe metadata for Indigenous research.

“I’m proud of the Indigenous resources that ANU Library holds, and I appreciate all the hard work that Library staff have put into them,” says Alisha Nolan, the Information Access and Collection Management Coordinator at ANU Library, who now leads the Indigenous Knowledges Hub.

“Looking ahead, I’m excited to explore how the Library can continue to support the implementation of the Indigenous Perspectives Graduate Attribute and expand engagement with these valuable collections in research and teaching.”

The Indigenous Knowledges Hub is a living project that continues to grow. We welcome your suggestions for new resources and feedback on how we can improve the site. Please get in touch with ANU Library at library.info@anu.edu.au.