Rate My Professor Anna Blackman

Anna Blackman is the Head Curator of Archives at Hocken Collections Te Uare Taoka o Hākena, part of the University of Otago Library. In this leadership role, she oversees the management, preservation, and access to extensive archival holdings that document New Zealand's cultural, literary, and historical heritage. The archives include personal papers and records from prominent figures and organizations such as Janet Frame, Charles Brasch, Hone Tuwhare, Colin and Anne McCahon, Sir Michael Cullen, the Dunedin Returned Services Association, the Plunket Society, and Hallensteins Ltd. Blackman's responsibilities encompass curating these materials, supporting researchers, and facilitating public engagement with the collections. She serves as the liaison for the Friends of the Hocken Collections and has been involved in nominating significant archival collections to the UNESCO Memory of the World register, including the Church Missionary Society records collected by Dr. Thomas Morland Hocken and others.

Blackman actively contributes to public scholarship through the Hocken Blog, where she has authored posts on diverse historical topics. These include unearthing 19th century New Zealand photography (April 2023), the Treaty of Waitangi Wai 27 Claim records through Ngai Tahu materials, letters from antifascist biochemist Marianne Angermann to her parents (September 2020), influenza and the armistice celebrations of 1918 during World War I, historical advertising via lantern slides, fashion collections, and small archival packages revealing personal stories. She has co-curated exhibitions such as 'Notes from a literary life' showcasing Janet Frame's papers at the University of Otago Library de Beer Gallery (2024) and the Margery Blackman weaving exhibition, highlighting everyday lives through documents and artifacts. Blackman has provided expert commentary in media, including Otago Daily Times articles on exhibitions and collections like the Salmond Architects papers, and radio interviews on RNZ's Culture 101 about weaving culture in Ōtepoti Dunedin. Her work underscores the importance of archival preservation in illuminating New Zealand history.