News from Access Services at Public Record Office Victoria
February 2004– Number 3

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

Contents

1. Reading Room Progress
2. 2003 PROV User Survey by Shauna Hicks, Manager Access Services
3. Transported Back, Public Transport Corporation Exhibition at VAC
4. Saturday openings February-April 2004
5. Volunteers news
6. Ballarat Archives Centre news
7. PROV Seminar Series February-June 2004
8. Archival Support Program February-June 2004
9. Royal Historical Society of Victoria Summer School rescheduled
10. PROV Calendar February-April 2004
11. Feedback
12. About this publication

1. Reading Room Progress
The fit-out of the new Victorian Archives Centre Reading Room at 99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne, is on schedule and work will be completed in late February. The enormous task of laying carpet on the large floor space of the reading room has now been completed, and the compactus, that will hold records awaiting collection, is currently under construction.

Unlike the past couple of months, where the new reading room has remained an empty, if somewhat chaotic shell, February will be the month where everything is brought together. Except for some details, by the end of the month the new reading room will look very much the way it will look when it opens to the public on 13 April 2004. Please note that the Melbourne Archives Centre Reading Room at Casselden Place in the city will close its doors for the last time on 8 April 2004.

2. 2003 PROV User Survey by Shauna Hicks, Manager Access Services
In January I was given the results and analysis of last year’s user survey after waiting patiently for some months for the report to be completed. While I am still looking at the report, I did want to provide some early feedback to all those who took the time to complete the survey form. Your comments, suggestions, criticisms and praises are all most welcome especially at a time when we are looking to enhance services in our new reading room at North Melbourne.

As the still relatively new Access Services Manager, it is really encouraging to see that some of the feedback is along the same lines as my own ideas for improving access to PROV and its records. A number of people mentioned the importance of the website and access to online indexes and digital records due to their inability to visit PROV in person because they live interstate or in regional Victoria, or simply have to work at the same time that we are open. I am pleased to report that there are a number of projects in progress to enhance access via the PROV website including digitised records and the provision of a number of online indexes. These will be unveiled in April as part of the relocation festivities.

A number of people requested more research guides and information sheets to help access various record groups. As part of relocation, all existing PROVguides are being reviewed for user friendliness and information content plus a number of new PROVguides will be ready by April for the new reading room. More substantial research guides are planned but these are a little further down the track. Provenance, our new journal, will also provide an avenue for learning more about various records held at PROV. This will be an online journal from 2004 with the next issue due in the last quarter of the year.

With regard to the seminar program, a number of people suggested various topics that we will look at doing. Another suggestion included having the seminars on Saturday opening dates and this is something that we could incorporate into the second half of the year if there was sufficient interest. There were also a few requests for seminar papers to be put on the website for those unable to attend and we have already started to do this. For example, the Keeping the Record Public symposium papers are now all available on the PROV website. Other seminar papers will be added throughout the year and researchers will be advised via this newsletter.

In Ballarat the suggestion was to have seminars on one of the public open days so that researchers could do some research after the seminar. We have incorporated this suggestion into the current seminar program for Ballarat with seminars being held on Tuesdays instead of the usual Wednesdays.
Not surprisingly there were many comments about what services might be in the new North Melbourne reading room, with many referring to the ‘good old days’ at Laverton or the ease of access in the CBD. A number of Access Services staff are currently working on relocation issues to ensure that we provide the best possible service to our diverse group of users. There will be enhanced services and a number of new services that will benefit researchers. All will be revealed as we get closer to the moving date.

There are many, many more comments from the survey that I will highlight in subsequent issues of rEsearch and I would like to remind researchers that there are suggestion boxes in each reading room for any feedback that you might like to give us. Also, I can be contacted directly by sending an email to shauna.hicks@dpc.vic.gov.au.

3. Transported Back, Public Transport Corporation Exhibition at VAC
Transported Back, a new photographic exhibition featuring photographs from the vast Public Transport Corporation Photographic Collection, is currently on display at the Victorian Archives Centre, at 99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne. The photographs cover a wide range of subject matter and taken together provide an important record of more than a century of Victorian life.

4. Saturday openings February–April 2004
As in previous years, Melbourne Archives Centre Reading Room will be open on the second and last Saturday of each month, excepting long weekends. Saturday openings for February–April 2004 will be 14 and 28 February, and 13 and 27 March.

5. Volunteers news
PROV’s volunteers have now returned from their Christmas break for a new year of challenging projects. They are continuing indexing of the outward passenger lists, and work has currently reached the mid-1850s. PROV volunteers have also transcribed PROV's newest Ned Kelly documents relating to the trial of the 1870s Victorian bushranger, including the pencilled remarks of the prosecutor on copy witness depositions. A number of other PROV volunteers will begin a new indexing project – indexing Victorian asylum registers.

6. Ballarat Archives Centre news
BAC welcomes new staff member Joan Hunt to our Reference team. Joan is involved in a number of capacities with the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, being the current chair of State Committee, vice-president, and member of Council. Joan is also a member of various local and family history societies including the Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies, Geelong Historical Society, Snake Valley and District Historical Society, and Linton and District Historical Society. The author of several publications, Joan has also presented many conference papers on local and family history, such as ‘Family life on the goldfields in the 1860s’, and ‘An Eye-Witness Account of the Past – local and family history through Coroners’ Inquests’.

Reference Officer Dot Wickham has accepted a research scholarship to undertake a PhD. With her study commitments Dot will be reducing her hours at BAC and will only be available in the reading room on Mondays.

Two seminars have been scheduled for Ballarat in April and May. The ‘Ticket to the Public Transport Corporation (PTC) Collection’ seminar will be presented on Tuesday 6 April from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm. The seminar will provide a fascinating insight into the records of the collection and will feature advertising material, registers, timetables and digitised photographic material. Cost for this event is $15. The ‘Family and Local History Research at the Ballarat Archive Centre’ seminar will be presented on Tuesday 25 May, from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm, attendance is free. Please note that bookings are essential for both seminars. Registration forms are available in the BAC Reading Room or via the PROV website (see item below).

7. PROV Seminar Series February–June 2004
The February–June PROV seminar series covers a range of interesting topics for researchers.
Bookings are essential for all seminars. For further details, brochures (including a booking form) can be obtained from PROV reading rooms or via the PROV website: http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/events/patrn.asp.

8. Archival Support Program February–June 2004
PROV will be continuing its participation in the Archival Support Program in 2004. The program is the joint initiative of Public Record Office Victoria and the Australian Society of Archivists, supported by the National Archives of Australia and the University of Melbourne Archives. It offers advice and instruction to the many local custodians of collections of historical documents. On Saturday 13 March 2004, ‘Introduction to Archives’ will take place at Warrnambool College Auditorium, and on Saturday 19 June 2004, ‘Preservation and Conservation: Paper and Books’ will take place at the Victorian Archives Centre.

Bookings are essential for all seminars and group bookings are welcome. Brochures (including a booking form) can be obtained from PROV reading rooms or can be obtained via the PROV website: http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/events/patrn.asp.

9. Royal Historical Society of Victoria Summer School rescheduled
The Royal Historical Society of Victoria has amalgamated its Summer and Winter schools, and will now be held from 12–14 July 2004. Included in the program on 13 July is a presentation by Shauna Hicks, Manager, Access Services at Public Record Office Victoria, regarding hospital, nursing and social welfare records. The 3-day program will cost $285 or $230 concession to attend, or, for a single day, $110 or $77 concession. For more information or to register, please contact RHSV by email office@historyvictoria.org.au or consult their website: http://www.historyvictoria.org.au.

10. PROV Calendar February–April 2004

• February–March 2004: ‘Learn to use Archives@Victoria’, presented at Melbourne Archives Centre on the first and third Wednesday of every month, 5.00–6.00 pm
• February–June 2004: ‘Learn to use Archives@Victoria’, presented at Ballarat Archives Centre on the second Tuesday of every month, 10.30–11.30 am and 1.30–2.30 pm
• 14 February 2004: Melbourne Archives Centre Saturday opening
• 26 February 2004: ‘Ticket to the Public Transport Corporation (PTC) Collection’ seminar at Victorian Archives Centre, 10.30 am – 12.30 pm and 2.30–4.30 pm
• 27 February 2004: Australian History Teachers VCE Conference – Shauna Hicks presenting workshop on resources at PROV for the teaching of the nineteenth century part of the VCE Australian History subject, and a PROV information stand will be on hand to answer questions regarding PROV teaching resources
• 28 February 2004: Melbourne Archives Centre Saturday opening
• 28 February 2004: Lucy exhibition on display at Bendigo Cornish Festival
• 6 March 2004: Shauna Hicks will be speaking at the Werribee Family History Group meeting
• 13 March 2004: Melbourne Archives Centre Saturday opening
• 13 March 2004: ‘Introduction to Archives’, presented as part of the Archival Support Program at Warnambool College Auditorium
• 21 March 2004: PROV will be present at the AIGS Bendigo Family History Expo – email contact: bendigogen@hotmail.com
• 24 March 2004: ‘Ticket to the Public Transport Corporation (PTC) Collection’ seminar at Victorian Archives Centre, 10.30 am – 12.30 pm and 2.30–4.30 pm
• 27 March 2004: Melbourne Archives Centre Saturday opening
• 28 March 2004: Shauna Hicks will be speaking about PROV records at an all day research seminar in Colbinabbin – email contact: Betty West at agemwest@origin.net.au
• April–June 2004: ‘Welcome to Victorian Archives Centre’ presented at the Victorian Archives Centre on the third Wednesday of every month, 5.00–6.00 pm
• 6 April 2004: ‘Ticket to the Public Transport Corporation (PTC) Collection’ seminar at Ballarat Archives Centre, 10.30 am – 12.30 pm
• 13 April 2004: The new Victorian Archives Centre Reading Room will open to public
• 16–18 April 2004: Shauna Hicks will be presenting two papers at the VAFHO Conference, Settlers in the Sun
• 21 April 2004: ‘Learn to use Archives@Victoria’, presented at Victorian Archives Centre, 4.00–5.00 pm
• 23 April 2004: ‘Ancestors in the Archives, part 1’ seminar at Victorian Archives Centre, 9.30–11.00 am and 2.00–3.30 pm
• 26 April 2004: Shauna Hicks speaking at Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies (AIGS) Bayside

11. Feedback
We welcome your feedback and suggestions on the content of this newsletter via ask.prov@dpc.vic.gov.au. If you know someone who would be interested in receiving rEsearch, they can subscribe by emailing a request to ask.prov@dpc.vic.gov.au

12. About this publication
We have included you on our mailing list because you already receive news publications from PROV, or because you have indicated interest in receiving email information. However if you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please email us at ask.prov@dpc.vic.gov.au or phone PROV Reception (03) 9348 5600 and we will remove you from the list.

ISSN 1449-0331
Copyright © 2004 Public Record Office Victoria

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