It has been established by the ARC Cultural Research Network as part of its goal of supporting research in the areas of cultural and media studies, cultural history, cultural geography, cultural anthropology, and the creative industries. It is part of the work of the Media Histories Node, convened by Dr Bridget Griffen-Foley of Macquarie University.
The database grew out of a large ARC-funded history of television project conducted by Professor Liz Jacka and Associate Professor Paula Hamilton at the University of Technology, Sydney. It was inspired by www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/BBC-history.html which includes over a hundred researchers. The pilot Australian database was demonstrated at the first History of Australian Television Conference held at UTS in 2005. In early 2006 the database was extended to include other media and launched online.
The Australian Media History Database aspires to list all research into Australian media history by established academics, early career researchers, research higher degree students, and independent scholars. It is designed to be a central tool of Australian media history research.
The database aims to:
- encourage researchers to contact each other on matters of mutual interest;
- avoid duplication in research;
- assist postgraduates and recent graduates with research exposure and networking;
- assist with developing cross-institutional research partnerships and joint research projects;
- bring academic research to the attention of related cultural institutions;
- assist with easier development of ARC Linkage grant applications and the involvement of industry partners.
Categories of research include advertising, film, games, magazines, music, press, publishing, radio and television. Free to use, the database is searchable by keyword, researcher, project and institution.
Researchers are invited to submit the details of their projects: click here for details.
