Who We Are

The NSW Australian Mukurtu Hub is formed by members of the Jumbunna Institute of Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in Australia. We are firmly commited to establishing long-terms partnerships with Aboriginal communities across NSW and beyond. We all occupy the space of Indigenous lead research, with different expertise in digital preservation, co-design, archival collections and digital systems. 

 

Dr Kirsten Thorpe

Kirsten Thorpe (Worimi, Port Stephens NSW) is Associate Professor at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research (UTS), who has led the development of protocols, policies, and services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in libraries and archives in Australia. Kirsten’s professional and research interests relate to Indigenous self-determination in libraries and archives. She has been involved in numerous projects that have involved the return of historic collections to Indigenous peoples and communities, and advocates for a transformation of practice to center Indigenous priorities and voice in regard to the management of data, records, and collections. 

 

Dr Lauren Booker

Lauren Booker (Garigal clan, North Western Sydney) is a Research Fellow at Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, UTS. Lauren has previously worked as the Collections Officer for PARADISEC (USYD) and has a background in Indigenous language and cultural revitalisation projects, photographic and audiovisual digitisation and archiving. Her work has involved facilitating projects with endangered language communities to digitise recorded cultural material and organise appropriate digital archives. Lauren’s current personal research focuses on Indigenous data sovereignty, repatriation, provenance and the issues of archival preservation. 

 

Monica Galassi

Monica Galassi is an Italian researcher who has been studying, researching and working in Australia since 2010. During her studies and work, Monica has taken a keen interest in connecting with Indigenous people worldwide to discuss new and emerging projects that empower Indigenous participation in libraries and archives. Monica is passionate about finding ways to promote human rights and equality of access, in particular through physical and digital archives.