| | About the AFI Research Collection Jump to: The AFI Research Collection is a non-lending, specialist film and television industry resource open to the public. The Collection has particular strengths in screen history and theory and in Australian cinema, and features a diverse range of books, journals, film scripts, film directories, reports and film festival catalogues. History The Australian Film Institute began operating a library in the mid-1970s. Originally named the George Lugg Library, it was first located in Cardigan Street in Carlton, and began its life as a joint venture of the AFI and the Victorian Federation of Film Societies. It was named after a founding governor of the AFI and the Federation, whose collection of information resources formed the core of the Library. From 1981, the Library became known as the AFI Research and Information Centre. A second notable part of the original library resources was a rare collection of books on pre-cinema and early cinema history, part of the valuable David Francis Collection (David Francis was the founder of Britain's National Film Archive), purchased by the Victorian and Australian governments in 1975. The early cinema artifacts in this collection are now housed at the Scienceworks Museum in Melbourne. The Library also maintains a unique collection of film and personality clippings which form the basis of its research services to the media and public. In December 2002 the AFI Library moved to RMIT University where it is known as the AFI Research Collection. It now operates under the auspices of the School of Applied Communication and continues to provide resources and research services to the general public, the media and members of the Australian film and television industries.
The Henry Mayer Collection
About Henry Mayer | Henry Mayer (pictured right, ) was and continues to be an icon of communications scholarship in Australia. As Professor of Government at Sydney University from the 1960s to 1980s Henry taught many people who went on to exercise a significant impact on media and communications policy and practice in Australia. He is remembered for his support and encouragement of researchers, his encyclopaedic knowledge and prodigious intellect. Henry was a founder of Media Information Australia and was its editor until his death in 1991. It was largely through Henry Mayer's efforts that the academic credibility of communications studies in Australia was established.
Wayne Royal Levy CollectionWe are happy to announce the addition of the Wayne Levy Collection of books into the AFI Research Collection. His extensive collection of books on film and television (in particular on adaptations of films into novels) are being catalogued.
Wayne Levy (January 26th 1944 - May 5th 2003) was born into humble beginnings in Melbourne, Australia. He went on to international success in teaching, writing and documentary filmmaking. Wayne always had a passion for teaching and went straight from high school to a teachers college to learn the craft. After a six year stint at Sydney Grammar School, he returned to Melbourne in 1972 to marry Marilyn Sykes. They would go on to have two children together – Sally, born in 1974, and Nicholas, born in 1977. In 1979 Wayne and his family moved to America so he could complete his Masters at the University of Indiana, Bloomington. Returning to Australia to lecture in media, journalism and mass communication at Victoria College, he was soon to travel overseas again with his family as 1984-85 saw him teach at the University of Singapore. This led to opportunities working for Asian Mass Communication (AMIC), an association set up to teach people in Asia about mass media and journalism. His work for AMIC took him to India, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Timor over the next decade. Through this period he also made many important documentaries, particularly for use in medical facilities and hospitals. In Singapore he wrote a book on the infamous Raffles Hotel, and became their special guest. This was to be one of over 40 books that he wrote throughout his life. His love of traveling and history led Wayne to take his family throughout South-East Asia, to Burma, Malaysia and Sarawak (Borneo). And at the end of his tenure in Singapore, Wayne and his family journeyed throughout Europe. As an avid photographer, no photo opportunities were missed. From 1987-1989 Wayne and his family lived in Bogor, Indonesia, where he taught students in media, and established a television studio. He subsequently took his family to Egypt, to see all the incredible sites he had dreamt of visiting all his life. His hard work overseas meant he could afford to build his own personal library, filled with books on his favourite subjects: film, history and true crime. He was a passionate reader, and his library was a great source of pride. After leaving Deakin University, he traveled to Tanzania at the end of 1999. Here, as a Professor at the St Augustine University, he taught Africans the same skills he had been teaching his Asian students for so many years. At the end of 2001 he moved to Gaborone, Botswana, where he established and designed a new course in mass media and journalism. Living with his wife Marilyn in Africa, they had the opportunity to travel again – through Kenya, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Swaziland, Losoto and then to Middle East – Jordan, Syria, Israel, and Yemen. From all his travels, he made friends all over the world. By the end of his life he had been to over 30 countries, and there wasn’t a place that he went to where he didn’t touch someone’s heart. He loved to teach, and made a difference to thousands of people through his work in developing countries. His knowledge of teaching and media was unsurpassed, and respected internationally. Wayne Levy died suddenly on 5th May 2003 in Gaborone, Botswana of a heart attack. He was only 59. He is survived by his two children, Sally and Nicholas, and his devoted sister Linda. Stills Collection The AFI Research Collection includes a substantial number of film stills from the Australian and international film industries. Researchers can access these images under the following conditions: 1. Viewing of originals permitted onsite only. 2. Stills are not for loan. 3. Scanned copies will be made available only when written proof of copyright clearance is provided. Delivery can be by email or post. The charge for this service is AUD $19.25 GST inclusive. 4. AFI Research Collection staff can obtain copyright clearance on behalf of library clients.Regular research service charges apply. See Research & information services for a breakdown of charges. If you require further information or would like to determine the availability of collection images, please contact the AFI Research Collection.
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In March 2003, the Australian Broadcasting Authority donated the Henry Mayer Collection to the School of Applied Communication at RMIT University. Over his many years as an academic, Professor Henry Mayer assembled and annotated a massive collection of communications literature. His collection is available to academics, students and researchers through the AFI Research Collection. 