The Director-General of the National Archives of Australia, Ross Gibbs, has called on archivists from Australia and overseas to apply for a research grant to promote the important contribution that archives makes to Australian society.

Speaking during the annual Australian Society of Archivists Conference in Canberra, Mr Gibbs said the 2005 Ian Maclean Award provides individuals with a paid opportunity to conduct research to benefit the archival profession in Australia. Prominent business archivist Bruce Smith was the inaugural winner of the award.

‘This is only the second year the award has been running and a $15,000 stipend presents an ideal opportunity for talented archivists to step forward and pioneer new and innovative projects’, Mr Gibbs said.

‘The research may be in the area of strategic analysis of current issues or in the development of historical narratives that provide additional context to the present. Partnerships that will assist cross-discipline research on important archival issues are eligible’.

The National Archives award is named in memory of Ian Maclean (1919–2003) who worked passionately for the Archives profession for 50 years, starting as the Commonwealth Archives Officer in October 1944.

Ian Maclean was also Principal Archivist for the South-East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) in Bangkok from 1969 until 1974 and later served as a consultant for UNESCO in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. On his retirement in 1980 he was Principal Archivist at the Archives Authority of New South Wales. In 1996 he received an Order of Australia for his contribution to the archival profession.

Prospective applicants for the Ian Maclean Award should contact Derina McLaughlin on +61 2 6212 3986, before lodging their application, to discuss the scope of their research project. Further information about the award and stipend can be found on the National Archives of Australia website at naa.gov.au/about_us/ian_maclean_award.html.