The Australian Historical Association deeply regrets that the National Library of Australia has found it necessary to close access to almost all of its manuscript materials for a period of about seven months due to building repairs and the danger of further damage to its collections.
That interruption will be a major blow to historians undertaking projects that require access to its unique materials, to research students with theses to prepare, and to honours students expected to produce major research work in the space of an academic year.
The AHA calls on the present government to inject emergency funding into the national cultural institutions before some of our most precious materials are lost forever, and to secure the democratic right of all Australians to have access to the cultural heritage of which these institutions are the national custodians.
See the full statement here.