If Australian students are like their UK compatriots (and I see no reason why not) we need to start working with Universities sooner rather than later to educate them about the potential of archival research.
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/reports/2012/researchers-of-tomorrow
Lise Summers
Replies
Interesting report Lise,
greater reliance on secondary over primary resources must be a cause for concern. I wonder if a similar survey has been undertaken in Australia recently? Here in Tasmania management of libraries and archives continues to move closer and closer. This poses undoubted opportunities for the researcher, but also challenges for archivists to ensure they appreciate this fundamental distinction - more perhaps for undergradates, let alone for the general public.