Pacific Manuscripts Bureau microform collection

fonds

441797

Microfilms

The Pacific Manuscripts Bureau (PMB) is a nonprofit organisation established in 1968. Located in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the Australian National University, Canberra, it is sponsored by a group of eight major libraries specialising in Pacific research.
The Bureau aims to locate archives, manuscripts and other unpublished or semi-published material throughout the Pacific, and preserve these through a microfilming programme. It identifies material of historical, literary, or scientific interest to Pacific scholars which may be of value either now or in the future. Material sought comprises personal and organisational archives and manuscripts of all kinds : correspondence, notebooks, and diaries; business records, including accounts and journals; research papers such as grammars, dictionaries, diaries and anthropological field notes; genealogies and any other manuscripts written by Islanders in their own languages. Of particular concern to the Bureau are those documents at risk from adverse climactic conditions, insect infestation, or civil unrest. The State Library of New South Wales is a sponsor of the Bureau and holds a complete set of microfilms.

The date of material in the microfilm collection ranges from the 16th century to the present. Languages include European, Asian and Pacific languages.
Further information on the work of the Bureau and access to its online catalogue can be found on its website: http://rspas.anu.edu.au/pambu/
The PMB has produced a series of publications and guides. These are listed on the Bureau's website. The location of these items in the Mitchell Library can be found in the Library's printed books catalogue.
PMB titles on microfilm are produced in two series: PMB (manuscripts) and PMB Doc. (printed documents).