2026 Immersia | Many Strands, One Basket: A day of dialogue about the future of preservation, accessibility, and care of Pacific archives in a changing world

We invite you to join us for the second in our series of Many Strands, One Basket dialogues. The aim of these dialogues is to bring together a variety of stakeholders to discuss the place of archives in the community and in Pacific scholarship; with a particular focus on the work of the Pacific Manuscripts Bureau (PAMBU). This year’s dialogue will ask how PAMBU — and indeed the GLAM sector generally — can translate its social licence into financial and operational sustainability. Established in 1968 to address the need to preserve Pacific archives, PAMBU was a pioneering institution in copying/digitisation of Pacific archival materials. PAMBU has sustained itself navigating through more than five decades of changes. Its founding in 1968 included an international consortium of libraries and financial support from ANU. In 1986, it adjusted its model to support from an international consortium of libraries with in-kind support from ANU. PAMBU now finds itself in a world of rapidly changing technology that places more demands on resources; a changing climate, which increases the threat to heritage collections in the region; and a post-pandemic global economy which constrains library and university budgets. Yet, PAMBU endures and remains a respected and valued part of the Pacific region’s information and research landscape. The dialogue coincides with 2026 Immersia, the flagship multicultural festival hosted by the ANU School of Culture, History & Language, which sits within the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific. This will enable community engagement with PAMBU, allowing us to increase awareness of our work and to collectively curate a space for diverse strands of themes around questions about how the preservation and accessibility of Pacific documentary heritage can be sustained in a rapidly changing world. It will ask how we can better harness community engagement to sustain us into the future: a changed membership model? Philanthropy? Grants? Crowdsourced funding? Formalising a network of friends? We welcome members of the ANU community, Pacific communities and beyond to join us for an important day of dialogue. Note that: This event is supported by the ANU Pacific Institute, PAMBU members and the ANU School of Culture, History & Language as part of 2026 Immersia. The event will be recorded to assist us with note taking for the purposes of documentation. Registration is required for catering purposes. Please note: If you require accessibility accommodations or a visitor Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan please contact the event organisers. This event may be photographed and recorded. The recorded material may be used to promote future ANU events and programs. By attending the event you are giving us informed consent. If you DO NOT wish to be recorded, please let ANU event staff know on the day. We will be mindful and ensure not to photograph any faces of children present.