Robert Menzies Institute
The Robert Menzies Institute is a prime ministerial library and museum that commemorates the life and legacy of Australia’s longest-serving Prime Minister, bringing alive the spirit of a great Australian for a new generation. Our goal is to promote the discussion of and research into Menzies’s central role in Australian history, his contemporary relevance, and issues that were important to him.
The Institute is the custodian of the digital record of Robert Menzies’s personal library and archive of approximately 4000 items, which was bequeathed to the University of Melbourne in 1976.
The digital record includes photographs, inscriptions, and personal notes which illuminate Menzies’s life, the connections and relationships he developed with important figures, and his academic and recreational interests.The collection is a unique historical and cultural artefact, showcasing the breadth of Menzies’s intellectual influences and acting as a sociological time capsule of 20th century Australia.
Located in the East Wing of the Old Quad of Menzies’s beloved alma mater the University of Melbourne, the Institute is also home to a museum which will showcase artefacts important to Menzies, and tangibly display his life and historical impact.
The Institute promotes academic research into Menzies and issues related to his career via a series of annual conferences, a fellowships program, and the pursuit of linkage grants with the Australian Research Council. The Institute promotes general discussion and awareness of Menzies and his legacy through the ‘On This Day’ series, the ‘Book of the Week’, and the ‘Afternoon Light’ podcast.