Donations Enquiries

We welcome financial donations to support our activities, and the acquisition and preservation of the University’s Archives and Special Collections. Click here to donate to us.

Donations of $2 or more to University of Melbourne initiatives in Australia are tax-deductible for Australian tax payers

  • University of Melbourne Records

    All official records of the administration, faculties, schools and departments of the University come to the University of Melbourne Archives (UMA) once they have been appraised and processed under the policies and procedures established by University of Melbourne Records and Information (University Records). These policies and procedures align with those of the Public Record Office Victoria under the Public Records Act (Vic) 1973.

    University staff and students seeking advice or wishing to transfer university archives please contact:asc-donations@unimelb.edu.au

  • Acquisitions and Donations

    The University of Melbourne’s collections have grown over time thanks to generous donations of material. In 1903 the George Arthur bequest donated the first rare book to the library collection, which is now held in Archives and Special Collections. In 1959, coinciding with the opening of the Baillieu Library, the collection was strengthened by a generous gift by Dr John Orde Poynton of unique rare books and Old Master prints. With the generous support of donors, we have been actively building the collection since, making it available for teaching and research. This has enabled the university to collect significant holdings of Prints, Rare Books, Rare East Asian, Rare Maps and Rare Music collections from around the world and large holdings of Australian material.

    Since the 1960s the University of Melbourne Archives (UMA) has acquired unique material in diverse areas, including personal papers of individuals including Malcolm Fraser and Germaine Greer, along with the official records of the University.

    All acquisitions and donations are carefully considered against a number of criteria including:

    • our collection development strategy
    • relationship to the University and its history
    • cultural significance
    • our current holdings and collecting priorities
    • physical condition and size
    • potential future use for research and display
    • copyright status and any privacy considerations that may limit our ability to provide open access.
  • Donation Enquiries

    Thank you for considering donating to Archives and Special Collections, as gifts enable us to increase the range of materials we provide to our students and researchers. All donations are appraised and accepted at our discretion.

    Collections may be gifted to the University under the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program after discussion with Archives and Special Collections.

    Further information;

    If you would like to discuss a potential donation, please complete the ASC Donation Enquiry document and email to asc-donations@unimelb.edu.au.

  • Unsolicited Donations

    We do not accept unsolicited donations of books, records, archives or other items without prior agreement.

    Unsolicited donations will be returned to sender.

    Where no return address is provided they may be disposed of without further recourse to the depositor.

    If you are interested in supporting our other activities with a financial donation, you can contribute by donating online to the option ‘Library’.