Records Management Network

Meetings

Records Management Network Meeting held on Tuesday 30th March 2004
Victorian Archives Building Conference Room

Meeting Chaired by David Brown, Manager Policy and Training (formerly Regulation and Compliance).

1. OVERVIEW AND UPDATE ON PROV ACTIVITIES BY THE MANAGER OF POLICY AND TRAINING, DAVID BROWN
- David Brown welcomed those attending and outlined the day’s program for the audience. David also drew attention to the passing of Sir Rupert Hamer and advised that he would be attending the State funeral on behalf of PROV as Justine Heazlewood, Director and Keeper of Public Records was away on business.
- Digital Archive News
- VERS
- Certificate IV in Recordkeeping
- Community Jobs Program – this year 9 people commenced their training and workplace experience in order to gain a Certificate III in Record Keeping. The program includes sourcing workplace placements required for 8 participants, encouraging RMN attendees to consider their workplace as a possible site.
- Relocation – the Reading Room will be relocated to North Melbourne, and will continue to be a combined Reading Room with both National Archives of Australia and Public Record Office Victoria staff. The Casselden Place Reference staff and National Archives of Australia staff are planning to move during Easter 2004.
- ARM week dates are set for 24th – 29th May 2004 and updated information would be posted to the web page.

2. A TRIBUTE TO THE LATE SIR RUPERT HAMER
Cathy Worn (Project Officer, Regulation and Compliance) provided a short powerpoint presentation incorporating images and messages of the late Sir Rupert Hamer which was accompanied by one minute’s silence.

3. DIGITAL ARCHIVE
Lucy Hastewell presented information about the Digital Archive project, covering the following agenda items for discussion:
· VERS Update - A brief update about what’s happening with VERS, both here at PROV and in government departments

1998-99: Proof of concept project
April 2000: VERS Standard Published
2000-02: Department of Infrastructure pilot implementation of VERS
2002-04: VERS Centre of Excellence
2004-09: Sustaining VERS adoption across Victorian Government

VERS Centre of Excellence
– Training and education
– Policy and advice
– Consultancies
– Toolkit
– Compliance program
– Digital repository
– Resource kits
– Mugs

· Digital Archive Project - What we are trying to achieve with the DA project and the approximate delivery dates

Project objectives:
– Support best-practice electronic records management
– Preserve permanent electronic records
– Provide access to electronic records
– Integrate access to paper and electronic records

- New PROV Services - What new services will be offered to government agencies when we have a Digital Archive up and running
– Streamlined and quicker archival transfer process
– Safe and secure storage for your permanent records
– Quick and easy online retrieval of all your records in PROV custody

- Getting Involved - How you can get involved in the DA project
Interested in being involved in the Digital Archive project?

- Further Information - Where to find out more information about the DA if you are interested
Project webpage
www.prov.vic.gov.au/vers/projects/digarchive

Lucy’s presentation is available on the PROV website:

4. HOW WE WON A HAMER AWARD – PRESENTATIONS FROM 2003 WINNERS
Sharon Huebner, Koora Cooper and Merinda Morgan from the Koorie Heritage Trust presented on the Koorie Heritage Archive project.
One of the overall aims of the Koorie Family History Service is to investigate the best use of digital technology to make cultural and family information available at a community level. In our research, we have discovered an innovative digital archive model that is culturally sensitive, interactive and community-based.

KHT aim to develop this model into a Victorian Koorie archive and for it to eventually be accessible in Koorie communities and Victorian prisons. This project has the potential to be an extremely valuable cultural heritage resource for the Stolen Generations, Koories in custody and Koories searching for family and cultural information.
Objectives
· To develop a digital, community-based archive of material relating to Victorian Koorie families including photographs, oral history recordings, artwork, artefacts and film and video footage from a range of collections
· To provide access to essential cultural and family information to Victorian Koorie individuals and communities
· To strengthen individuals and communities through knowledge and pride in who they are and where they come from
· To strengthen identity and culture through making material available that is often difficult to access, especially for Koories in custody

Relevance of the Project
Recent research concludes that access to cultural information is essential for a sense of identity and wellbeing in members of the Stolen Generations. For instance, a three-year longitudinal study conducted in Melbourne in the mid-1980s found that Koories removed from their families as children experienced a number of negative social and psychological effects.

These findings highlight the great need for cultural information to be made available to Koorie communities and Koories within the prison system - a problem that this project aims to address.
The web page for Koorie Heritage Trust can be found at: www.koorieheritagetrust.com

Lisa Coxhell from the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board presented on “Records Chaos to Control” where MFESB implemented a system for the management of hardcopy records.

This project involved a large amount of change management for the business and facing a ‘tough crowd’. It was moving from an autonomous system, which was largely driven by individuals keeping their own hardcopy records to a centralised records management system which went into everyone’s office. It was an “in your face” approach to gathering information and turning it into something of value and context.

Lisa explained that the project was delivered largely by managing key components within the business including managing change, managing expectations, change as a process, profile and credibility and what has been done.

John Enterkin from the City of Port Phillip (CoPP) presented “Records Management by Stealth”.

This project is a raft of projects, initiative and strategies with all elements of the project geared toward building a holistic, accountable and sustainable records management regime across all business activities undertaken by the CoPP. The project is the implementation of a five-year strategic vision articulated and developed in 1998 by the Records Section. The goals of this project have largely been met within the five year time frame set at its commencement in 1998. The records section is now well positioned within Council, both from a strategic and operational perspective, to deliver and support both agency accountability and organisational objectives.

Paul Kenny from Goulburn-Murray Rural Water Authority presented the project on electronic records management in Goulburn-Murray Water - a new era.

Paul discussed topics such as:
-What drives reform? Including identifying the needs of the records management division,
-The EDMS network – distributing information through a variety of methods incorporating using paper, classification and corporate memory,
-Where to Start? – the project team, processes and plans, strategies,
-The network and the implications and misunderstandings,
-Taking it to the taskforce – communications, training, electronic in-trays, cultural changes
-Reactions to the changes and
-Benefits of the new system.

This paper can be downloaded from the Presentations/ Papers page

5. LAUNCH OF THE 2004 HAMER AWARDS

Rachel U’Ren addressed the group about the information becoming available on the RMN website over the next month. Details include:
· Nomination forms
· Closing date for entries – November 2004
· Awards ceremony in December 2004
· Categories for nominations
· An overall profile of what excellence records management is and judging criteria.
Rachel also stressed the nominations did not have to be completed project but could be a phase of a larger, ongoing project.

6. PROV BUILDING TOUR

Cathy Worn invited interested attendees to take a tour of the PROV building with Charlie Farrugia.

7. CONCLUSION

Cathy Worn thanked all the speakers and attendees and indicated that the next meeting will be held in May to coincide with ARM week events.

Meeting Closed: 12.10pm

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Last updated April 2004
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