News from Access Services at Public Record Office Victoria
October 2007 – Number 25

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@prov.vic.gov.au if you want to be included on our subscriber list.

1. Exhibition News
2. 'Provenance' Issue 6 now online
3. PROV activities during Victorian Seniors Festival Week
4. CHHA Local History Expo 2007
5. History Council of Victoria (HCV) Annual Lecture
6. PROV Seminar Series 2007
7. Archival Support Program 2007
8. Updated PROVguides
9. New series available on the PROV online catalogue
10. Staff speaking engagements
11. Feedback
12. About this publication

1. EXHIBITION NEWS
'Victorians at Work' -- PROV's Latest Travelling Exhibition.
PROV has developed a new travelling exhibition. Entitled 'Victorians at Work', it draws on PROV's vast photographic holdings, dating from the mid nineteenth century to the late 1960s to offer a fascinating look at the many different types of work undertaken by people in Victoria.

The images selected for the exhibition provide a snapshot of the everyday working lives of ordinary Victorians, in Melbourne and in regional areas over the last 150 years. The majority of the photographs were taken in state government enterprises and offices, although some capture aspects of private industry where government has played a role.

Some of the men and women in the exhibition are engaged in the more routine aspects of daily employment while others perform backbreaking tasks. Others give us a glimpse of occupations long obsolete.

The images on display in 'Victorians at Work', many of which have never before been on public view, document fundamental changes in the nature of work in Australia and provide a powerful commentary on innovation, industry and community life in the state of Victoria.

'Victorians at Work' is on display at the Victorian Archives Centre from 26 November 2007 to 29 February 2008. It will then be offered on loan as a PROV travelling exhibition for venues and organisations throughout Victoria.

For more information on the exhibition and for enquiries on borrowing 'Victorians at Work' in 2008, please contact Public Programs on (03) 9348 5600.

Last Weeks! 'Summers Past: Golden Days in the Sun 1950-1970'
In its final weeks of display at the Victorian Archives Centre is a travelling exhibition from the National Archives of Australia which provides an experience of Australian summers of decades past. 'Summers Past: Golden Days in the Sun, 1950-70', comprises 75 photographic images from the National Archives' Australian News and Information Bureau collection. Photographs are themed around fun in the sun, beach culture, summer activities and sports as experienced by many Australians at the time. The exhibition is on show until 11 November 2007.

For more information on the exhibition, visit the NAA website at <http://www.naa.gov.au/exhibitions/summers_past/summers_past.html> The tour of the exhibition is made possible by Visions of Australia.

New display at BAC -- 'Volunteers at PROV'
Visitors to the Ballarat Archives Centre will see a new display showcasing the contribution volunteers make to PROV. The display looks at the wide variety of projects and activities volunteers contribute their time and expertise to in order to improve access to records. These include indexing and transcription projects, research for exhibitions, digitisation of records and tours of the archive. 'Volunteers at PROV' is in keeping with the Central Highlands Historical Association’s (CHHA) Expo theme for 2007, 'Three Cheers for Volunteers', (see story no. 4 in this issue of 'rEsearch') and will be on display until March 2008.

2. 'PROVENANCE' ISSUE 6 NOW ONLINE
'Provenance' is the free scholarly journal of PROV, featuring peer-reviewed articles, and other contributions, that present research drawing upon records in PROV's custody. Issue no. 6 is now available to view at: <http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/provenance/>

If you are interested in submitting an article for future issues or would like to receive an email reminder when each issue is published online, please contact the Editor, Sebastian Gurciullo by phone on (03) 9348 5600 or email <provenance@prov.vic.gov.au>

3. PROV ACTIVITIES DURING VICTORIAN SENIORS FESTIVAL WEEK
Victorian Seniors Festival Tours of the VAC
As part of Victorian Seniors Festival (7-14 October), PROV is hosting additional free volunteer guided tours of the Victorian Archives Centre (VAC). Tours during Seniors Week will be held on Tuesday 9 October at 10.00am and 12.00pm; Wednesday 10 October at 10.00am, 12.00pm and 2.00pm; Friday 12 October at 10.00am, 12.00pm and 2.00pm; and Saturday 12 October at 11.00am. Tours take one hour and include a guided viewing of 'Summers Past: Golden Days in the Sun, 1950-1970' which is the current exhibition on display at the VAC; the shared PROV and National Archives of Australia Reading Room and the PROV repository which holds over 85kms of State government records dating from the 1830s.

Bookings for the free tours of the VAC are essential and can be made by phoning Reception on (03) 9348 5600.

Family History Internet Workshops at the Immigration Museum.
PROV is presenting with the Immigration Museum and National Archives of Australia 'Family History Internet Workshops' in the Information Discovery Centre, Immigration Museum, 400 Flinders St, Melbourne. The sessions will be held on: Tuesday 9 October, 2.00pm to 4.00pm; Thursday 11 October, 2.00pm to 4.00pm and Saturday 13 October 2.00pm to 4.00pm. For bookings and further information, phone the Immigration Museum on (03) 8341 7111

Stawell Biarri Family History Expo
PROV will be participating in the Stawell Biarri Family History Expo by staffing an information stall for the public to find out about the records and services at PROV. The event will be held at Stawell Entertainment Centre (Town Hall), Main St, Stawell over the weekend of Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 October, from 10.00am to 4.00pm on both days. There is a small admission fee for the expo.

Note that during Victorian Seniors Festival Week, Seniors Card holders can travel on metropolitan trains, buses and trams free of charge. For further information on Victorian Seniors Festival Week, visit <http://www.seniors.vic.gov.au>. For information on all VAC tour dates and times for 2007 visit the PROV website at <http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/events/vactours.asp>

4. CHHA LOCAL HISTORY EXPO, OCTOBER 2007
The Annual Central Highlands Historical Association (CHHA) Local History Expo in 2007 will be held over the weekend of 6 and 7 October, at the Australian Catholic University Acquinas Campus, Ballarat.

The theme for this year's Expo is to 'Three Cheers for Volunteers' which looks to highlight and celebrate the role of volunteers in the community. PROV supports the CHHA Expo by providing prizes of archival supplies to the groups whose stalls best reflect the theme of the Expo.

The Expo will showcase stalls staffed by various organisations offering advice, information and research resources much of which is not available on the Internet. There will also be a number of workshops for the public to participate in which cover such themes as 'How to Research your Family Military History', 'Different Ways to Publish your Family History' and 'How to Date Old Photographs'.

For further information, visit <http://www.ballaratgenealogy.org.au/chha/chha.htm> or contact CHHA on ph (03) 5331 2847 or email <centralhighlands@yahoo.com.au>

5. HISTORY COUNCIL OF VICTORIA (HCV) ANNUAL LECTURE
Professor Janet McCalman, award winning author of social histories of Melbourne life and teacher of the history of health and medicine at the University of Melbourne, will present 'Fractional Identities: the Political Arithmetic of Aboriginal Victorians' at this year's HCV Annual Lecture at the Village Roadshow Theatrette, State Library of Victoria on Thursday 29 November, 6.30pm.

Bookings are essential and can be made by phoning HCV on (03) 8664 7261. The cost to attend is $10 full price or $5 concession.

6. PROV SEMINAR SERIES 2007
The Seminar Series program includes such topics as; 'Crime and Punishment' on Thursday 11 October; 'Australian Lebanese Stories in the Archives' on Saturday 20 October; and 'Records of Work, our Employment and Industrial Heritage' on Thursday 29 November. Seminars are free to attend, but bookings are essential.

The Seminar Series July - November 2007 brochure with full details on each seminar is available from PROV Reading Rooms or can be viewed and downloaded from the PROV website at <http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/events/seminars.asp>. Bookings are essential.

7. 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.

The last ASP for 2007 is 'Computers and Small Archives' on Saturday 10 November at the Victorian Archives Centre. The event is ideal for people wanting to find out about the databases and software that can be used to assist in managing and improving access to small archives. Presenters will talk about the practical and technical issues involved in creating access to electronic records including protecting and preserving data. The cost to attend is $25 per person (which includes morning tea, lunch and GST).

To register, pick up an ASP brochure with attached booking form from PROV Reading Rooms or view and download it from the PROV website at <http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/events/asprogram.asp>. Bookings are essential.

8. UPDATED PROVGUIDES
The following PROVguides have been updated with new contact details to referred organisations while others have been renamed and given new subject headings.

PROVguide 16 Victorian Record Centres
Former subject heading and title: 'Research Organisations - Melbourne Record Centres for Family History Research'. New subject heading: 'Record Holding Institutions'

PROVguide 17 Interstate Archives, Libraries and Births, Deaths and Marriages Registrars
Former subject heading and title: 'Research Organisations - State and Territory Archives, Libraries and BDM Registrars'. New subject heading: 'Record Holding Institutions'

PROVguide 18 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
New subject heading: 'Family History'

PROVguide 26 Using Births, Deaths and Marriages Indexes at PROV

PROVguide 60 Adoption, Wardship and Related Records

9. NEW SERIES AVAILABLE ON THE PROV ONLINE CATALOGUE
October 2007
We have created a new page at <http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/main/newrecords.asp> which lists new series that have been made available online. It is updated every two months as rEsearch is published.

10. STAFF SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Visit our Events Calendar at <http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/events/calendar/default.asp> for a list of upcoming PROV speaking engagements.

11. 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@prov.vic.gov.au> (please note the new address).

12. 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@prov.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 <http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/publications>. Back issues are also available on the website.

ISSN 1449-0331
Copyright © 2007 Public Record Office Victoria

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