Open Polytechnic Lecturer awarded scholarship for research project
Open Polytechnic Lecturer for Information and Library studies, Sarah Welland, has been awarded the Ian McLean Wards
Scholarship of $10,000 to support her community archives research project.
“This scholarship will provide a wonderful opportunity to research an area of archives management that I think deserves
more focus across the archival community – that of community archives,” says Sarah.
The purpose of Sarah’s research is to address a gap in New Zealand archival knowledge by reviewing and comparing
viewpoints of those who manage community memory at the grass-roots level, and those who have a more theoretical
perspective of community archives.
“Understanding of community archives seems to vary widely across the cultural heritage and archival communities. As a
result, and given the changes to the broader information landscape (especially over the past 10-15 years), it is not
clear whether community archives are actually cutting edge in their practices and formal archival theory has not caught
up, or whether archival theory is simply not understood or applied during normal day to day business practice.”
The Ian McLean Wards annual scholarship was established to assist researchers and practitioners in the librarianship,
archives and records management fields to undertake research for a specific project advancing knowledge or improving
practice relating to the recording, care, or conservation, of historical research materials.
The scholarship honours the outstanding cultural contributions of the late Ian McLean Wards (1920-2003), Chief
Government Historian between 1968 and 1983. A life member of the Archives and Records Association of New Zealand and the
Friends of the Turnbull Library, Ian was also a stalwart of many other cultural and artistic organisations. He is widely
remembered for his untiring campaigns to safeguard the nation's historical records and the integrity of the institutions
holding them.
About Open Polytechnic
The Open Polytechnic is New Zealand’s specialist provider of open and distance learning, enrolling over 34,000 part-time
students per year. The majority of students are adult learners combining work and study, making the Open Polytechnic one
of New Zealand’s major educators of people in the workforce.
Website: www.openpolytechnic.ac.nz
ENDS