E.J. Barker is a past principal of the School of Mines Ballarat and the Library at the Mt Helen Campus is named after him. School of Mines is a predecessor of Federation UniversityVarious Letters, Reports Newspaper articles and notes collected by E.J. Barker on the proposed Fourth University for Victoria victorian institute of colleges staff association, r.w. hinkley, e.j. barker, ballarat institute of advanced education, vicsac, fourth university, summary, k.l jennings, mr swanson, australian universities commission, plea on varsity staff rejected, list of visitors, professor p.h. karmel, professor f.b. bull, sir ernest coates, dr w.l. hughes, sir samuel jones, professor a.r. main, professor p.h. partridge, r.a. simpson, professor sir sydney sunderland, t.b. swanson, r.h. arthur, a. freebody, sir willis h. connolly, l.h.s. thompson, geelong advertiser, newspaper articles, the age, i.c. smith, city of ballarat, j.a chisholm, 16 named to plan fourth university, newsletter, report, future developement of tertiary education, summary of statements, education age, m.b. john, tertiary education advisory council, a.s buchanan, the chartered engineer, dr. d.m. myers, r. law, victorian institute of colleges, a.s. craig, meetings, mr hamer, h.p. mason, bendigo institute of technology, mary p. lawn, k.d. green, premiers department, recommendations, k. beazley, a.m mackinnon, gordon institute of technology, e. szomanski

The documents relate to changes within teacher training institution. At Ballarat, this involved the move of the Ballarat Teachers' College to the Ballarat Institute of Advanced Education (Mount Helen Campus) and the rename of the campus to Ballarat College of Advanced Education. Later this became a campus of Federation University Australia.Correspondence between the Hon. L.H.S. Thompson, M.L.A. (Minister of Education) and Phil G. Law, Vice-President of the Victoria Institute of Colleges. Jack Barker, Principal of the Ballarat Institute of Advanced Education, was CCed into the correspondence.victoria institute of colleges, mount helen campus, e.j. barker, jack barker, phillip law, lindsay thompson, ballarat institite of advanced education, ballarat college of advanced education, r.w. birrell, e. szomanski, a. buchanan, fourth university