State Heritage Convention

Dr Alison Gregg
Fremantle Local History Collection
"It's our heritage!: the role of archives and local studies collections"

Communities that display the most vibrant sense of history and heritage are usually those in which links to the past are strong; where there are constant reminders of the past in the present. These are the places where people can tell you who lived in which street, when trees were planted, which buildings were used for what purpose, how life was lived. Contrary to common expectation, understanding of such issues can flourish in a wide range of settings. It is not only to be found in stable communities where the population has changed little over time. Newcomers can sometimes show a greater awareness and interest in their adopted homes than many who have lived all their lives there. Indeed, it's not unheard of for new arrivals to be told that nothing ever happens, everyone knows everything anyway, and it's a waste of time to talk about it.

But a minute's reflection will show that this can never be true. Interesting things do happen. At the very least, everything is new to children and to adult new arrivals. In many cases newcomers are disappointed to find that earlier history has already been forgotten, and the unique heritage of the area has yet to be documented and celebrated.

This is the point at which archives and local studies collections come into their own. They build bridges, linking the community and its heritage once again. The role of these agencies is to preserve and provide information; but their function is far broader than that. Managed well, archives and local studies collections spark imagination and curiosity, raising questions of who did what where, what it was like then, what are the continuities and what has been lost. These collections hold the records that provide the evidence. In a real sense, they provide the building blocks for histories yet to be written.

This paper discusses ways in which archivists and local studies librarians actively participate in raising community awareness of history and heritage. They seek out reliable sources, promote them with imagination and insight, and assist each section of the community to understand and interpret the past in the present - and the likely echoes well into the future.