Unit:

Head:

• Personal and work details
• email: matthew.ciolek@anu.edu.au
• ph +61 (02) 6125 3124
• fax: +61 (02) 6257 1893

Functions:

• scholarly communication
• record keeping and documentation
• information storage/preservation
• information publishing and
• high-grade online academic research

History: (work in progress - tmc)

• 1991, Aug - The Australian National University becomes connected (via AARNET) to the Internet.
• 1991, Sep - RSPAS/RSSS joint computer services unit (a.k.a. the 'Coombs Computing Unit') starts providing Social Sciences- and Asia-Pacific-focused online research information services useful to the members of the joint Research Schools, the ANU, and - simultaneously - to the scholars in the world at large.
• 1991, Dec - an ftp site called Coombspapers - ANU Social Sciences Anonymous FTP Archive [coombs.anu.edu.au/CoombswebPages/Coombspapers.html] is established to serve as an electronic repository of working papers, bibliographies, directories, theses abstracts and other high-grade research material produced (or deposited) at the RSPAS and RSSS. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new site's architect and editor.
• 1991, Dec - an ftp document called Internet Voyager: Social Scientist's Guidebook to AARNET/INTERNET Online Information Services - Part 1 & Part 2. [ ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/coombsarchives/coombs-computing/internet-subj-guides/internet-voyager-1-2.txt & ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/coombsarchives/coombs-computing/internet-subj-guides/internet-voyager-2-2.txt] is established as a sub-section of the Coombspapers site. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new document's editor.

• 1993, Apr - a gopher site called 'Coombsquest' [gopher://coombs.anu.edu.au] is established. Its function is to provide a common interface/portal to electronic information on Aboriginal Studies, Asian Studies, Buddhist Studies, Demography, History, Linguistics, Pacific Studies, Prehistory & Archaeology collated and published by the Coombs Computing Unit. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new site's architect and editor.

• 1994, Jan - a web site called Coombsweb [coombs.anu.edu.au] is established as the 2nd WWW site at the ANU, the 5th site in Australia and the 850th WWW server in the world. Its function is to provide a common interface/portal to all electronic information collated and published by the Coombs Computing Unit. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new site's architect and editor. The 'Coombsquest' gopher server is gradually phased out.
• 1994, Mar - a web site called Asian Studies WWW Vitual Library [coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-AsianStudies.html] is established. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new site's architect and editor.
• 1994, Apr - a web/email periodical called Asian Studies WWW Monitor Electronic Journal [coombs.anu.edu.au/asia-www-monitor.html] is established as a sub-section of the Asian Studies WWW VL site. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new journal's architect and editor.
• 1994, Sep - an ftp document called Social Sciences Internet Resources Guide. [ ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/coombsarchives/coombs-computing/internet-subj-guides/socsci-internet-rsrc-guid.txt] is established as a sub-section of the Coombspapers site. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new document's editor.

• 1995, Feb - a web document called Asian/Pacific Studies Subject-Oriented Bibliographies [coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVLAsian/VLBibl.html] is established as a sub-section of the Asian Studies WWW VL site. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new document's editor.
• 1995, Feb - a web document called Asian Studies - Electronic Mailing Lists [coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVLPages/AsianPages/AsianE-Lists.html] is established as a sub-section of the Asian Studies WWW VL site. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new document's editor.
• 1995, Jun - a web site called Pacific Studies WWW Virtual Library [coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-PacificStudies.html] is established. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new site's architect and editor.

• 1996, Sep - RSPAS/RSSS computer services unit is divided into two separate, school-based organisations. The Asia-Pacific online research information service is retained by the RSPAS and made independent of the RSPAS Computing Unit

• 1997, Jan - in response to new research and teaching opportunities and challenges presented by the ever-growing body of electronic scholarly information, and in response to the of impact of the Internet-based communications and publishing on scholarly activities world-wide, the RSPAS and the ANU Library jointly establish a small, experimental body called Internet Publications Bureau (IPB). Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new unit's director.
• 1997, Apr - a web site called Asian Studies Association of Australia, Inc. (ASAA) [coombs.anu.edu.au/ASAA/] is established. The IPB provides hosting service, and Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new site's editor.

• 1998, Jun - a web/email periodical called RSPAS Print News: E-Journal [coombs.anu.edu.au/rspas-print-news.htm] is established as a sub-section of the Asian Studies WWW VL site. Ann Andrews, Publishing, Distribution and Imaging (PDI), RSPAS & Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new journal's editors.

• 1999, Jan - the IPB becomes an exclusive asset of the RSPAS, and forms a part of the Director's Section, RSPAS.

• 2000, Apr - a web document called Pacific Studies WWW Virtual Library: Online Maps and Atlases [coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVLPacific/VLMaps.html] is established as a sub-section of the Asian Studies WWW VL site. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new document's editor.

• 2002, Apr - Coombspapers FTP archive electronic research collection comprises 1512 ASCII files totalling 61.1 Mb of data.
• 2002, Nov - a web document called Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library - Newsfeeds [coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVLAsian/VLAsiaNewsfeeds.html] is established as a sub-section of the Asian Studies WWW VL site. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new document's editor.

• 2003, Jan - a web document called Meta-Guide to Indonesia: Annotated Bibliography of post-1990 Bibliographies on Indonesia [coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVLPages/IndonPages/Meta-Bibliography.html] is established as a sub-section of the Asian Studies WWW VL site. George Miller (formerly of the ANU Library) acts as the new document's editor.
• 2003, Feb - a web database called Pacific History Journal Bibliography Database [coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVLPacific/Pac-Jrnl-Bibliography.html] is established as a sub-section of the Asian Studies WWW VL site. The database uses on the basis of Clive Moore's 1991 bibliography of 4,400 journal articles. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new database's architect.
• 2003, Apr - a web document called Asian Studies Online - a Timeline of Major Developments [coombs.anu.edu.au/asian-studies-timeline.html] is established as a sub-section of the Asian Studies WWW VL site. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new document's editor.

• 2004, Feb - 'RSPAS Print News: E-Journal' [coombs.anu.edu.au/rspas-print-news.htm] closes down due to the Publishing, Distribution and Imaging (PDI), RSPAS reorganisation and Ann Andrews' retirement.
• 2004, Aug - a web document called Acronyms Used by Asian / Pacific Studies' Scholars: a Dictionary [coombs.anu.edu.au/ACR/Acronyms.html] is established as a sub-section of the Asian Studies WWW VL site. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek (assisted by John Noyce, Monash U.) acts as the new document's editor.

• 2007, Nov - The Asian Studies Association of Australia, Inc. (ASAA) web site moves its operations to a new address [asaa.asn.au] and discontinues its reliance on the IPB technical and html-markup assistance.

• 2008, Jul - Dr Katerina Teaiwa, ANU becomes co-editor (together with Dr T. Matthew Ciolek) of the Pacific Studies WWW Virtual Library
• 2008, Sep - a web document called Asian & Pacific Studies - Historical Photographs [coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVLPages/AsianPages/Asian-Historical-Photographs.html] is established as a sub-section of the Asian Studies WWW VL site. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new document's editor.

• 2009, Jun - the IPB becomes a part of the newly created ANU College of Asia Pacific (CAP).
• 2009, Dec - a web document called Online Ranking of the Asian Studies Organizations: a quarterly scorecard (ORASO) [coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVLAsian/VLRankings.html] is established as a sub-section of the Asian Studies WWW VL site. Dr T. Matthew Ciolek acts as the new site's architect and editor.

http://coombs.anu.edu.au/RSPAS-ipb.html