News from Access Services at Public Record Office Victoria
April 2007– Number 22

rEsearch is a bi-monthly update on public access news at Public Record Office Victoria (PROV). Current and past editions of rEsearch are available online here and are also emailed to subscribers. Email a request to ask.prov@dvc.vic.gov.au if you want to be included on our subscriber list.

1. PROV User survey
2. PRAC in the CIty of Greater Dandenong -- free PROV inforamtion event
3. Exhibition News
4. Ballarat Archives Centre (BAC) news
5. Koorie Records Unit (KRU)
6. Volunteer at PROV
7. Exhibitions Guide by Musuems Australia (Victoria)
8. Oral History Workshop
9. PROV Seminar Series February -- June 2007
10. Archival Support Program 2007
11. New Series available on the PROV Online Catalogue
12. Free Tours of the Vicotrian Archives Centre
13. Staff Speaking Engagements
14. Feedback
15. About this publication

1. PROV User survey
Once again PROV will be conducting its biennial User Survey. In 2007, the focus will be on Reading Rooms and Reference Services at PROV. This year our survey will be ONLINE – accessible on the PROV website and at computer terminals in both the North Melbourne and Ballarat Reading Rooms. It should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete.

The 2007 User Survey will be available from early May until late June 2007. The survey results will be analysed and a report will appear in rEsearch later this year. PROV encourages all users to complete the survey and provide us with valuable feedback which we can use in future planning.

2. PRAC in the City of Greater Dandenong -- Free PROV Information Event
The Public Records Advisory Council (PRAC) invites you to participate in a free PROV information event in the City of Greater Dandenong. The half day event includes PROV staff presenting sessions on: new directions in the Places of Deposit program; Indigenous resources at PROV; how to access PROV records remotely; and services and products available to the public such as seminars, archival advice, publications and exhibitions.

The half day event will be held on Thursday 3 May at the City of Greater Dandenong Council Chambers in Springvale. Registrations commence at 9.45am and the event concludes at 12.00pm. Participants will be treated to morning tea and lunch.

Bookings are essential. RSVP by 24 April to Diane Brodie by phone (03) 9348 5673 or email diane.brodie@dvc.vic.gov.au

3. Exhibition News
Crime of the Century! Bigamy, Theft and Murder revised edition of online exhibition.
On Christmas Eve 1891, Frederick Bailey Deeming murdered his wife Emily by striking her on the back of the head with a small axe and then buried her beneath the fireplace of their home in the Melbourne suburb of Windsor.

More than 50 digitised and transcribed documents from PROV's collection, containing a wealth of detail about the murder case that overnight made Deeming the criminal of the century, are among the new features of the recently refurbished PROV online exhibition Bigamy, Theft and Murder: The Extraordinary Tale of Frederick Bailey Deeming: http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/deeming/.

Also featuring in the revised online exhibition is a selection of photographs, illustrations and artwork reproduced from the numerous penny dreadfuls and shilling shocker publicatons popular at the time. These books shamelessly rehashed every half-truth and sordid detail that the daily newspapers churned out during the investigation and trial.

Look out for news of a PROV seminar on Deeming that will coincide with the launch of the revised online exhibition on Tuesday 22 May 2007, the 115th anniversary of his execution.

Summers Past: Golden Days in the Sun 1950-1970
For those who grew up in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s, a travelling exhibition from the National Archives of Australia, 'Summers Past: Golden Days in the Sun, 1950-70', will stir memories of idyllic summers spent by the beach, playing tennis and camping. For others, it will provide an experience of Australian summers of the past.

The exhibition opens at the Victorian Archives Centre in June and is on show until 11 November 2007.

The 75 images in the exhibition are predominantly from the National Archives' collection of Australian News and Information Bureau photographs are themed around beach culture, summer activities and sports as experienced by many Australians during the era.

The tour of the 'Summers Past: Golden Days in the Sun 1950-1970' exhibition is assisted by Visions of Australia, a Commonwealth Government Program providing funding support to tour exhibitions of cultural material across Australia.

For more information on the exhibition, visit the NAA website at http://www.naa.gov.au/exhibitions/summers_past/summers_past.html (opens in new window).

Last Weeks to See Petitions Exhibition
On until 30 April, And your petitioners humbly pray…150 years of petitions in Victoria showcases more than fifty significant petitions presented to Parliament by the people of Victoria over the past century and a half. The petitions on display chronicle some of Victoria's key political issues since 1856 including: farmers' complaints about the wheat board; road taxes; Sunday football matches and weekend trading.

Developed by PROV and the Parliament of Victoria to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Victorian Parliament, And Your Petitioners Humbly Pray … 150 Years of Petitions in Victoria is free to view. Visit http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/petitions/ for further details.

4. Ballarat Archives Centre (BAC) news
Free PROV Seminar - Digging into the Archives: Research at the Ballarat Archives Centre
BAC holds a wealth of records of the Central Highlands Region relating to municipalities, courts, mining and other local activities. This seminar covers how to use these records for research and also includes how to find records at the VAC and online via the PROV website. The event includes a tour of the BAC. The seminar takes place on Wednesday 27 June from 10am to 12.30pm and is free to attend. Bookings are essential and can be made by phoning Public Programs on (03) 9348 5757.

5. Koorie Records Unit (KRU) news
Free Workshops on accessing Victorian Aboriginal Records.
The KRU is busily organising workshops to promote and improve the accessibility of Aboriginal records in PROV’s collection to the Victorian Koorie community. The first of these is at Lakes Entrance on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 April, 9.00 am to 4.00 pm. Subsequent workshops will be held on: Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 May in Warrnambool; Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 May in Mildura; Thursday 31 May and Friday 1 June in Swan Hill; Thursday 14 and Friday 15 June in Ballarat; Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 June in Albury/Wodonga; Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 July in Shepparton; Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 July in Bendigo; and Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 August in Metropolitan Melbourne.

The workshop program includes: an overview of the Stolen Generations; overviews of significant reports and events relating to the access to Aboriginal records; accounts by people who have accessed their personal records and what they experienced; and records management and conservation issues. The workshops also allow for ample participant networking and question and answer times.

Further to the workshop, PROV has a number of small grants available for Koorie organisations and non-government record-holders for preservation and making accessible Indigenous records. To be eligible to apply for the small grants, attendance to both days of the workshop is a prerequisite.

Registration forms or further details on the workshops and grants are available from Kathy Nicholls Project Officer, Koorie Records Unit by phone (03) 9348 5760 or email kathy.nicholls@dvc.vic.gov.au

Watch this space! NAIDOC Week (8 - 15 July) event - Discovering your past through records
Stolen Generations Victoria (SGV) and PROV are planning a half day NAIDOC seminar aimed at promoting a greater understanding for the Aboriginal community of Aboriginal records available for research. The seminar includes an overview of Aboriginal records held at PROV and other institutions and what can be gained by using these important resources.

There are many stories told about Aboriginal people from 1839 to 1960, however few people ever read the official documents from the period. These records tell stories that are rarely heard and provide a link with the past stretching over more than a hundred years.

If you have ever wanted to find out more about your family history or are just interested in Aboriginal history, come along and discover the journey of Aboriginal ancestors.

The venue and date of this event are to be advised and will be listed in the next issue of rEsearch. Please contact SGV by phone (03) 9486 6122 or Simon Flagg at PROV on (03) 9348 5629 or email simon.flagg@dvc.vic.gov.au for further information.

6. Volunteer at PROV
The Volunteer Program is looking for more volunteers. This unusual and exciting opportunity is available as the program is undertaking another major indexing project. For further information see the volunteers page on the PROV website by clicking on 'About PROV' or call Susie Leehane (03) 9348 5782 or susie.leehane@dvc.vic.gov.au

7. Exhibitions Guide by Museums Australia (Victoria)
Exhibitions: a practical guide for small museums and galleries is a publication developed by Museums Australia (Victoria) which provides a step-by-step guide on how to initiate, manage and deliver an exhibition. The book will assist small museums and galleries, consultants and students in such areas as: Interpretation; Project Management; Public Programs; Marketing and Exhibition Design. Written and developed by Georgia Rouette, Manager, Exhibition and Touring Services, Museums Australia (Victoria), the guide features a chapter on how to develop online exhibitions from Daniel Wilksch, Manager of Online Projects Public Record Office Victoria, and a preface from Museums Australia National President Patricia Sabine.

Exhibitions: a practical guide for small museums and galleries includes a comprehensive list of all the documentation templates you will need to deliver exhibitions to museum standards on a CDROM. The book is available from Museums Australia at a cost of $20 (incl GST + $8.50 postage and handling)

It is an indispensable guide for small museums museums/galleries, volunteers, independent curators, museum and curatorial studies students.

For further information and to order a copy visit the Museums Australia website: http://www.museumsaustralia.org.au (opens in new window)

8. Oral history workshop
The Oral History Association of Australia, with the support of PROV, is hosting an Oral History Workshop to be presented by Barbara Erskine. Barbara has over 20 years experience with oral history which includes managing the Oral History Unit at James Cook University, Townsville and working on assignments such as the 'Bringing Them Home' project at the National Library which incorporated the production of a book 'Many Voices' containing over 300 interviews of the Stolen Generations.

This full day workshop will cover the practicalities of oral history interviewing, including research, ethics, equipment, interviewing techniques including loss & grief, copyright information, tape preservation and use of oral history. Participants will have the opportunity to practice interviewing.

The workshop will be held on Saturday 26 May from 9.30am to 4.30pm (registrations commence at 9.15am). Participants are encouraged to bring a tape recorder with a blank tape. The cost is $60 for the general public, or $45 if you are a student or pension card holder or a member of the Oral History Association.

For further information, and booking forms contact Barbara Erskine by phone on (03) 5144 1888 or email jberskine@netspace.net.au.

9. PROV Seminar Series February -- June
The PROV Seminar Series February -- June program includes a range of seminars aimed at assisting researchers to get the most out of the PROV collection. Upcoming seminars include: researching family history, looking at wills and probate records at PROV, education records and researching at the Ballarat Archives Centre. To obtain further information about seminars to 30 June, pick up the Seminar Series brochure from PROV Reading Rooms or visit http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/events/seminars.asp to view and download the brochure.

10. Archival Support Program 2007
The Archival Support Program (ASP) offers training for small archives and collection holders. It is hosted in conjunction with the Australian Society of Archivists, the National Archives of Australia and PROV at the VAC, metropolitan and regional locations. Topics include: 'Next Steps in Archives'; 'Computers and Small Archives' and two 'Preservation and Conservation' days one of which will focus on photographs and the other on paper records.

Pick up a brochure with full details of each ASP from PROV Reading Rooms or visit http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/events/asprogram.asp to view and download the ASP 2007 brochure.

11. New Series available on the PROV Online Catalogue
We have created a new page on the website listing new series that have been made available online. It will be updated every two months when rEsearch is published.

12. Free tours of the Victorian Archives Centre
For individuals or groups wanting to book a free, volunteer guided tour of the VAC, please phone (03) 9348 5600 to book or visit http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/events/vactours.asp for the schedule of upcoming tours. Don't forget that the tour is the only way to see the repository displays which feature a wonderful array of records and objects from the PROV collection.

13. Staff speaking engagements
Visit our Events Calendar for a list of upcoming PROV speaking events

14. Feedback
If you would like to send feedback and suggestions on the content of this newsletter or if you know someone who would be interested in receiving rEsearch, please email ask.prov@dvc.vic.gov.au.

15. About this publication
We have included you on our mailing list because you have indicated interest in receiving PROV information. However, if you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please email ask.prov@dvc.vic.gov.au or phone PROV Reception 03 9348 5600 and we will remove you from our list.

You can access the web page version of this newsletter at www.prov.vic.gov.au/publications. back issues are also available on the website.

ISSN 1449-0331
Copyright © 2006 Public Record Office Victoria

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