Public Record Office Victoria annual report 2007-2008

Public Record Office Victoria Annual Report to the Minister

2007–2008

Published by Public Record Office Victoria 99 Shiel Street North Melbourne VIC 3051 Tel (03) 9348 5600 Public Record Office Victoria Annual Report to the Minister 2007–2008 September 2008 © Copyright State of Victoria 2008 This publication is copyright.

No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.

Also published on www.prov.vic.gov.au.

ISSN: 1320-8225 Printed on 50% recycled paper Cover photo: A detail from the 1862 Land Act map of Victoria (VPRS 7664/P3 Unregistered Maps and Plans (Legislative Assembly), unit 1).

Public Record Office Victoria Annual Report to the Minister 2007–2008 A report from the Keeper of Public Records as required under section 21 of the Public Records Act 1973

2

The Hon. Lynne Kosky, MP Minister for the Arts

The Honourable Lynne Kosky, MP Minister for the Arts Parliament House Melbourne VIC 3002

Dear Minister

I am pleased to present a report on the carrying out of my functions under the Public Records Act 1973 for the year ending 30 June 2008.

Yours sincerely

Justine Heazlewood Director and Keeper of Public Records 30 June 2008

Contents 5 Public Record Office Victoria 6

Purpose and Objectives

7

Message from the Director

8

Public Records Advisory Council

10

Overview

15 Report on performance 16

Highlights 2007–2008

22

Output measures 2007–2008

23 23

25

33

Increase records usage to enable the community to connect with their history Preserve regional records in their place of origin and provide equality of access to local records and the stories they tell Increase the visibility and useability of those parts of the Victorian archival collection which will be valued by the community Engage the community with the cultural heritage contained in the Victorian Archives through the innovative use of online technology and modes of delivery

35

35

36 37

Increase government recordkeeping capacity so that a full and accurate record of government is created, captured, maintained and preserved Establish the benchmark for best-practice recordkeeping across the whole of Victorian government and enhance awareness, skills and knowledge Provide regular assessment of good recordkeeping against the benchmark Develop and deliver enhanced services and tools to support the implementation of recordkeeping best practice

43

43 44

Develop the right people and provide the right tools to deliver PROV’s strategic objectives Build a motivated, skilled and effective workforce Manage risk and provide the optimal infrastructure for PROV staff and programs

45 Appendices 46

Appendix 1: Assets and Financial statement

47

Appendix 2: Publications

48

Appendix 3: Standards and advice issued

50

Appendix 4: Approved Public Record Office Victoria Storage Suppliers (APROSS)

51

Appendix 5: Approved Places of Deposit for temporary records

52

Appendix 6: VERS-compliant products

53

Appendix 7: VERS consultancy services

54

Glossary

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4

Public Record Office Victoria

5

6

Purpose and Objectives Our purpose To support the effective management and use of the public records of the State of Victoria, in order that the government is accountable to the community and its historical memory is preserved, secure and accessible.

What we do Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) is established under the Public Records Act 1973, ‘For the better preservation, management and utilisation of the public records of the state’.

The Act provides the legal framework in which PROV operates, and outlines PROV’s core functions with respect to government records. These functions are to: • establish standards for the efficient management of public records including creation, maintenance, security, selection of those worthy of preservation, transfer for archiving, and segregation or disposal of those not worthy of preservation • assist public officers to apply these standards to records under their control • take public records into custody, preserve archives and provide security • classify records and publish indexes and guides to facilitate access • provide facilities for viewing, and make records in custody accessible • duplicate or reproduce and authenticate public records

Our objectives • increase records usage to enable the community to connect with their history • increase government recordkeeping capacity so that a full and accurate record of government is created, captured, maintained and preserved • develop the right people and provide the right tools to deliver PROV’s strategic objectives

Our values PROV is part of the Department of Premier and Cabinet and our stated values are based on those of the department: • Integrity – We work to serve the public good. We uphold the ideals of openness and honesty. We provide equality of access to our products and services.

• Leadership – We lead by example. We strive to create positive and productive working relationships. We support, motivate and develop staff to reach their full potential.

• Collaboration – We consult with our clients and stakeholders. We seek, encourage and value the contribution and skills of the people we work with both within and outside the organisation. We provide customer service that best meets the needs of our clients and stakeholders.

• Innovation – We value creativity. We are open to new ideas and different approaches that will achieve the best results. We celebrate our achievements.

Message from the Director 2007–2008 was a self-reflective year for PROV. It was the start of a new three-year planning cycle, which saw us reassessing our priorities and articulating the organisation’s direction. We decided on three core goals: Increase records usage to enable the community to connect with their history This is about making our collection more accessible, providing equitable access and broadening our user base.

Increase government recordkeeping capacity so that a full and accurate record of government is created, captured, maintained and preserved Reflecting the other half of our core business, this goal recognises that government agencies need support if they are to pursue and achieve best-practice records management, including assistance with the current challenges of recordkeeping such as digital technology and skills shortages. This also feeds into the first goal: preserving a full record of government today creates a historical record for communities of the future.

Develop the right people and provide the right tools to deliver PROV’s strategic objectives The final goal recognises that the organisation’s direction is determined not only by defining core business roles, but also by adequately supporting and equipping the staff and volunteers who perform them. Organisational culture and leadership are an important aspect of this.

PROV was also prompted to examine its operations by the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO) audit of state government records management. VAGO’s findings and recommendations will have a strong influence on our priority-setting and activities over the coming years, in terms of both PROV’s role and implementation of the second goal above.

I would like to thank the Public Records Advisory Council for their advice and valuable input into this process and PROV activities throughout 2007–2008. Special thanks to Mary Sheehan and Meredith Fletcher who retired from Council during the year. Their willingness to share their knowledge and skills throughout their time on Council was very much appreciated.

We were very fortunate to gain three highly experienced new Council members – respected historian Graeme Davison, former senior public servant Garth Lampe and Melbourne City Council’s Morris Bellamy. Between them they bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise from fields including history, public administration, local government and the arts. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Council President Peter Harmsworth who was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his dedicated work in the public sector over many years.

Last year our minister, the Hon. Lynne Kosky, MP, announced a review of the Public Records Act 1973 and scoping work has begun on this. The VAGO report confirmed the need for the review. Its outcomes will determine the future form and function of PROV. It is an exciting time for records management in Victoria – a time for reassessment and much opportunity.

The executive group and I are committed to supporting our staff and volunteers as they meet these challenges. None of PROV’s achievements would be possible without the dedication of our team: you are the strength of the organisation, and I thank you all for another successful year.

Justine Heazlewood Director and Keeper of Public Records

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Public Records Advisory Council

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The Public Records Advisory Council is established under the Public Records Act 1973 to advise the minister on matters relating to the administration of the Act and to promote cooperation between PROV and other agencies within government, in consultation with the Keeper of Public Records.

Members 2007–2008 Mr Peter Harmsworth AO (President), Public administration Mr Jim Berg, Indigenous heritage Ms Judith Ellis, Information management Dr Meredith Fletcher, History (academic) (to 7 August 2007) Ms Alleyne Hockley, History Mr Michael Piggott, Information and records management Ms Mary Sheehan, History (professional) (to 12 June 2008) Mr Garth Lampe, Public administration (from 23 April 2008) Mr Morris Bellamy, Local government (from 23 April 2008) Prof. Graeme Davison, History (academic) (from 23 April 2008)

Departmental nominee Ms Penny Hutchinson, Department of Premier and Cabinet

Secretary 2007–2008 Ms Diane Brodie

Koorie Heritage Trust staff Chris Keeler and Jodie Douthat (back row) hosted PRAC members for a tour of the Trust building.

From left (middle row) Morris Bellamy, Judith Ellis, Jim Berg, Peter Harmsworth, (front row) Graeme Davison, Alleyne Hockley, PROV Director Justine Heazlewood and Michael Piggott.

Letter from the President The Public Records Advisory Council has two functions under the Public Records Act 1973: • to advise the minister on matters relating to the administration of the Act • to promote cooperation between PROV and other public offices, in consultation with the Keeper of Public Records

Advice to minister In February 2008 the Council wrote to the minister strongly supporting the government’s decision to conduct a review of the Public Records Act 1973. The Council identified perceived shortcomings of the Act in relation to contemporary developments in electronic recordkeeping as well as in the form and structure of public administration within Victoria. The Council looks forward to playing an active role in the legislative review process as it sees that such a review has the capacity to cement Victoria’s position at the forefront of public sector records management in Australia.

Promoting cooperation between PROV and other public sector agencies Council meetings: Five normal meetings were held during the year. In keeping with its decision to be more accessible to the whole Victorian community, the Council held two meetings in regional and outer-metropolitan locations. In conjunction with these, PROV staff presented information sessions for researchers and local government records management staff. The September 2007 event in Echuca attracted an audience of 53 and 77 people came to Ringwood in May 2008. The Council also held a number of extraordinary meetings as part of the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO) review of records management in the public sector. The Council welcomed its involvement in the review and looks forward to contributing to the implementation of relevant recommendations as endorsed by government.

Disposal Subcommittee: The Disposal Subcommittee of Council provides technical advice to the Keeper and agencies on proposed retention and disposal authorities submitted to the Keeper for approval. During the year the Subcommittee gave active consideration to authorities submitted for Law Reform; County Court; Employment, Investment and Industry; Electrical Safety; Office of the Health Services Commissioner; Land Victoria; Film Victoria; and State Trustees.

Sir Rupert Hamer Records Management Awards: Since 1998 the Council has been hosting the annual Sir Rupert Hamer Records Management Awards for excellence and innovation in records management across the public sector. There are five award categories in recognition of the size and diversity of the Victorian public sector. This year the Council added four awards to acknowledge the outstanding work of places of deposit for community archives. The awards were held in May 2008 in Queen’s Hall of Parliament House and had as special guests of honour Lady April Hamer OAM and the Hon. John Cain, a previous Premier of Victoria.

Support to PROV: Also during the year the Council provided comments to the Keeper on such matters as the development of the new Bendigo Regional Archives Centre and the draft advice to agencies on good practice in the development and management of web-based records.

Council membership: The Council is established pursuant to Section 4 of the Public Records Act 1973 and comprises up to ten members with knowledge and experience in such areas as public administration, local government, records management, business administration, historical research and genealogical research.

During the year two long-serving members completed their terms of appointment. On behalf of Council, I would like to especially acknowledge the energy and insights of both Meredith Fletcher and Mary Sheehan. Their active input to Council activities will be missed. We wish them well for the future. The Council has been very fortunate, however, to gain from the appointment of three very accomplished new members: Professor Graeme Davision, a recognised historian from Monash University; Mr Garth Lampe, a retired senior public servant; and Mr Morris Bellamy, a senior executive from the Melbourne City Council. There is no doubt that their input will be invaluable to the future deliberations of the Council.

Finally, the Council would like to record its heartfelt thanks to Ms Justine Heazlewood, Keeper of Public Records and her staff for their advice and support. The Council extends its special thanks to Ms Diane Brodie, Secretary to the Council, who has worked tirelessly in providing a high level of professional support to the Council throughout the year.

Peter Harmsworth AO President, Public Records Advisory Council

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Overview Administration Executive Headed by Justine Heazlewood, Director and Keeper of Public Records, the executive unit is located at 99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; phone (03) 9348 5600.

Act administered – Public Records Act 1973 PROV’s operations are governed by the Public Records Act 1973, which defines the role of both the Keeper of Public Records and the organisation. The Act is available for inspection on the PROV website, www.prov.vic.gov.au, and at our North Melbourne and Ballarat offices.

Regulations made and administered Regulations are made under section 23 of the Public Records Act 1973 and are known as the Public Records Regulations 2003.

The Regulations prescribe fees for making and supplying copies of public records and set out conditions for the inspection of public records and use of facilities provided by PROV. All Regulations are available for inspection on the PROV website at www.prov.vic.gov.au/ about/corporate.asp and at both of our offices.

Portfolio responsibility The Department of Premier and Cabinet, through Arts Victoria, has portfolio responsibility for PROV. PROV is an administrative office under the Public Administration Act 2004.

Freedom of Information Requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 are handled through the Department of Premier and Cabinet Freedom of Information officer. For information about categories of documents maintained by PROV, refer to the Department of Premier and Cabinet website at www.dpc.vic.gov.au.

Protected disclosure The Whistleblower’s Protection Act 2001 promotes accountability and transparency in the public sector, which will in turn increase public confidence in the workings of government.

The procedures implemented by PROV in relation to protected disclosure can be found in the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s 2007–2008 annual report. In accordance with section 104 of the Act, PROV reports that no disclosures were made to it during the reporting year.

Public Record Office Victoria standards and authorities PROV issues Standards for Records Management and Authorities for Retention and Disposal under section 12 of the Public Records Act 1973. A full list of current PROV standards and authorities is provided on PROV’s website at www.prov.vic.gov.au/records/standards.asp and at both of our offices.

Department of Premier and Cabinet annual report Further information about PROV’s performance during 2007–2008, including financial and staffing data, is included in the annual report of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, available at www.dpc.vic.gov.au.

Contacts As at 30 June 2008, PROV operated two public reading rooms and had sixty-nine staff members working in three operational areas.

Public reading rooms Freecall: 1800 657 452 Email: ask.prov@prov.vic.gov.au Victorian Archives Centre Harry Nunn Reading Room 99 Shiel Street North Melbourne VIC 3051 Australia Phone: (03) 9348 5600 Ballarat Archives Centre State Public Offices Corner of Mair and Doveton Streets Ballarat VIC 3350 Australia Phone: (03) 5333 6611

Record Services Senior Manager: David Brown Phone: (03) 9348 5621 Email: david.brown@prov.vic.gov.au Agency enquiries: prov.agency.queries@prov.vic.gov.au

Access Services Senior Manager: Shauna Hicks Phone: (03) 9348 5608 Email: shauna.hicks@prov.vic.gov.au Public enquiries: ask.prov@prov.vic.gov.au

Corporate Services Senior Manager: Greg Schinck Phone: (03) 9348 5615 Email: greg.schinck@prov.vic.gov.au

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Organisational structure Minister for the Arts

Secretary Department of Premier and Cabinet

Director Arts Victoria

Director PROV

Public Records Advisory Council

Record Services

Access Services

Corporate Services

Government Consultancy and Training

Community Access

Business Operations

Standards, Assessment and Systems

Regional Archives and Reference Services

Organisational Development

Appraisal and Documentation

Custody

Facilities

Record Services Record Services supports best-practice records management across the Victorian public sector. This is done through: • utilising and valuing the knowledge and commitment of PROV staff • developing and supporting the implementation of best-practice records management processes and policies across the whole of Victorian government • building partnerships with stakeholders to raise PROV’s profile • identifying and preserving records of permanent value • making records more visible and accessible through new technology and better-aligned documentation, transfer and disposal practices

Access Services The goal of Access Services is to ensure the state’s archival resources are known and accessible to the people and government of Victoria. This is done through: • a program of exhibitions, publications and outreach activities • the provision of both reading room services and online access to PROV’s collection • the preservation of archives within their region of origin, ensuring equality of access for communities in regional Victoria • culturally appropriate services, procedures and tools that enhance access by the Koorie community • the transmission to clients of knowledge about the collection • the issuing of records in a manner that meets business needs and community expectations

Corporate Services Corporate Services supports staff across PROV through provision of the following services: • finance and budgeting • organisational development • human resources (including volunteers) • registry • facilities management

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Corporate Plan 2007–2010 PROV’s three-year business planning is based around the following goals. Detailed information about our activities can be found under these headings in the next section of this report.

Increase records usage to enable the community to connect with their history Preserve regional records in their place of origin and provide equality of access to local records and the stories they tell Increase the visibility and useability of those parts of the Victorian archival collection which will be valued by the community Engage the community with the cultural heritage contained in the Victorian archives through the innovative use of online technology and modes of delivery Increase government recordkeeping capacity so that a full and accurate record of government is created, captured, maintained and preserved Establish the benchmark for best-practice recordkeeping across the whole of Victorian government and enhance awareness, skills and knowledge Provide regular assessment of good recordkeeping against the benchmark Develop and deliver enhanced services and tools to support the implementation of recordkeeping best practice Develop the right people and provide the right tools to deliver PROV’s strategic objectives Build a motivated, skilled and effective workforce Manage risk and provide the optimal infrastructure for PROV staff and programs

Report on performance

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Highlights 2007–2008 Bendigo set to have its own archives The much-anticipated Bendigo Regional Archives Centre moved closer to completion during the year, with its establishment as an incorporated body and the appointment of its repository as a Place of Deposit, as well as ongoing building works. Read more about this project, in which PROV is a partner, on page 24.

New book gives insight into Aboriginal lives a century ago Footprints: the journey of Lucy and Percy Pepper tells the story of an Aboriginal family in early twentieth-century Victoria. Through correspondence between the Peppers and officials, the book reveals the challenges faced by the family and gives an insight into government policy at that time. Pictured at the book’s launch are Rita Watkins, a granddaughter of Lucy and Percy Pepper, and co-authors Simon Flagg (left) and Sebastian Gurciullo, both PROV staff. See page 25 for more information.

Help with preserving websites The rapid evolution of communications technology in the past few decades has created new challenges for recordkeepers. One such challenge is posed by websites, which have become a key medium through which government agencies provide information, and as such contain public records. But with sites undergoing continual change, how can the information presented at any given time be preserved and retrieved later? What information needs to be kept? During the year PROV issued advice to government agencies on how to deal with these challenges. See page 36.

Small grants for communities to tell their stories Seventy-nine community groups from across the state received grants this year to help undertake local history projects. Minister for the Arts Lynne Kosky announced the grants at an event in Stawell in April. The Local History Grants program has been providing funding for community groups to tell local stories since 2000. For more information on the program see page 23.

Electronic records management made simpler In an important step for government recordkeeping, the year saw the first electronic records management vendor products achieve full certification by PROV. Five products were assessed as being fully compliant with the Victorian Electronic Records Strategy (VERS) standard. These products will enable the seamless transfer of electronic records to PROV’s digital archive, where they will be kept permanently as a record of government activities.

For more information on VERS certification, see page 37.

Historical importance of records recognised This massive map of Victoria documenting land selection resulting from the 1862 Land Act (commonly called the Duffy Act) measures 4.5 metres by 6 metres.

The cover of this report shows a detail from the map. In February, the map and the 1891 Victorian Women’s Suffrage Petition were inscribed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register. See page 29 for more information.

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High demand for disposal guidelines

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Victorian government agencies are seeking greater efficiency in identifying how long records are to be kept and whether they should eventually be destroyed or retained as state archives. This has resulted in unprecedented demand for PROV’s assistance in this area.

Ten new retention and disposal authorities, which direct these decisions, were issued during the year – one more than forecast. See page 39 for more information.

Recognition for innovative records management The 2007 Sir Rupert Hamer Records Management Awards again acknowledged outstanding contributions to the field from the Victorian public sector, and this year were expanded to recognise the efforts of community archives. The number of innovative projects nominated for awards demonstrates the commitment of many ‘unsung’ government staff and community groups to preserving Victoria’s recorded history. See page 40 for details of award winners.

Centenary of votes for women The suffragettes came to PROV in March for the opening of an exhibition marking one hundred years since Victorian women gained the right to vote. Centenary of Women’s Suffrage: Signature Stories was officially opened during Women’s History Month by Judy Maddigan, MLA, the first female speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.

See page 30 for more on PROV’s exhibitions.

‘Suffragist’ Ursula Dutkiewicz shows her rage at the exhibition opening.

Sharing information among records managers As part of our commitment to building effective networks in government and engaging widely with clients, PROV has revitalised the Records Management Network, a quarterly forum for discussion about professional issues. The network’s role was reviewed and meetings modified to better meet the needs of participants. The result was three very successful meetings with presentations on the themes of standards, electronic recordkeeping and security, attended by a total of some 300 people. For further information see page 38.

Family history in fashion More Victorians are discovering an interest in family history, thanks in part to the SBS television program Who do you think you are?, which delved into the family trees of celebrities and became the station’s highest rating Australian program to date. During the year PROV witnessed this genealogy ‘boom’: not only did 450 people take part in a ‘Shake your family tree’ seminar at the Victorian Archives Centre (see page 32), but visits to PROV’s website doubled from last year. The website’s popularity reflects PROV’s commitment to improving access to our collection by making an increasing number of records and indexes available online at no cost to users (see pages 33–34). This year, for example, more than one million pages of probate documents were photographed by volunteers from the Genealogical Society of Utah and have been placed on PROV’s website.

During the year the 200,000th record was issued in the Victorian Archives Centre’s Harry Nunn Reading Room since its opening in April 2004 and the reading room also received its 60,000th visitor.

Wimmera-Mallee community groups celebrate becoming ‘PODs’ Twenty-one historical and genealogical societies in the Wimmera-Mallee region celebrated their appointment as Places of Deposit at an event in October. The Places of Deposit program enables community groups to hold public records that are not part of the state’s archives, allowing records of local significance to stay in their region of origin.

The Hon. Joe Helper, MP is pictured presenting a certificate of appointment to Maureen Donnellon and Dorothy Reid of the Birchip Historical Society Inc. For more information on the program see page 24.

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Achievements of staff Awards The work of PROV staff and volunteers was recognised with several awards in 2007–2008.

Mander Jones Awards 2006 These awards by the Australian Society of Archivists are for outstanding publications in the field of archives. PROV publications won in two categories: Category 1A: Publication making the greatest contribution to the archives profession in Australia written by or on behalf of a corporate body: wilam naling ... knowing who you are ...

Improving access to records of the Stolen Generations: a report to the Victorian Government from the Victorian Koorie Records Taskforce, Department for Victorian Communities, Melbourne, 2006.

Category 2: Best publication that uses, features or interprets Australian archives, written by or on behalf of a corporate body: Provenance: The Journal of Public Record Office Victoria, Number 5, September 2006.

Arts Portfolio Leadership Awards 2007 PROV’s parent agency, Arts Victoria, recognises the achievements of individuals or teams who have contributed to the performance of the Arts portfolio. The Koorie Records Unit won in the category of Leadership in Community for its 2007 ‘Know your history, preserve your culture’ workshops and PROV’s volunteers were recognised for their outstanding efforts on a range of projects.

Recognition by professional bodies In August Shauna Hicks was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Australian Society of Archivists for her outstanding work for the society and the archives profession as a whole over thirty years.

Joan Hunt was made a fellow of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria for her work with historical societies: ‘Joan’s knowledge of historical societies in Victoria, her energy, practical advice and museum expertise make her an exceptional figure in the local history world’.

Professional committees Aside from their roles at PROV, a number of staff make a significant contribution to their professions outside of work through membership of committees: Diane Gardiner, chair of the History Council of Victoria; Victorian representative for the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Committee Justine Heazlewood, board member, Collections Council of Australia; convenor, Australasian Digital Recordkeeping Initiative; convenor, Council of Australasian Archives and Records Authorities; member, Standards Australia, IT-21 Records Management Committee Shauna Hicks, member of the national Council of the Australian Society of Archivists Joan Hunt, vice-president of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria Allison Hunter, committee member of the Australian Society of Archivists (Victorian branch); committee member of the Records Management Association of Australasia (Victorian branch) James McKinnon, minutes secretary of the Australian Society of Archivists (Victorian branch) Emma Murray, treasurer of the Australian Society of Archivists (Victorian branch) Andrew Waugh, project editor, UN/CEFACT work on the Record Export Standard Daniel Wilksch, vice-president of the Branch Committee of Museums Australia (Victoria)

Conference presentations In addition to PROV’s formal seminar programs, noted in the operations section of this report, staff expertise and knowledge are shared through presentations at various conferences. In 2007–2008, these included: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Library Information and Resource Network conference 2008, Darwin Simon Flagg, ‘Footprints – Aboriginal history within PROV’.

ACT/NSW Association of Family History Societies annual conference 2007, Casino Shauna Hicks, ‘What was the voyage really like?’

Australian Historical Association annual conference 2007, Armidale Shauna Hicks, ‘The Local History Grants Program’ Australian Society of Archivists annual conference 2007, Alice Springs Daniel Wilksch, ‘Capturing local stories: the Victorian Local History Grants Program’ Andrew Waugh, ‘The Koorie annotation system’ and ‘VERS – what is happening’ Simon Flagg, ‘Indigenous records’ (paper and panel discussion on the role the Victorian Koorie Records Taskforce plays as PROV’s Indigenous advisory group) and ‘Knowing who you are’ (presentation to Reference, Access and Public Programs Special Interest Group Forum on PROV’s wilam naling projects) Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Library biannual conference 2007, Adelaide Shauna Hicks, ‘Women in colonial asylums’ Chilli Marketing 2008, Sydney Andrew Waugh, ‘Preservation strategies’ GOVIS Conference 2008, Wellington, NZ Justine Heazlewood, ‘The future of digital information management’ History Teachers Association of Victoria conference 2007, Melbourne Simon Flagg and Diane Gardiner, ‘Indigenous history resources at PROV’ Institute for Information Management national conference 2007, Canberra Kathy Sinclair, ‘Managing compliance and risk in a complex legal environment: the new regulatory framework for public sector recordkeeping in Victoria’ NAA Data Stewardship course 2008, Canberra Andrew Waugh, ‘Preservation strategies’ NAA Digital Futures presentation 2007, Canberra Andrew Waugh, ‘Where are we with digital preservation?’

Records Management Association of Australasia Victorian state seminar 2007, Melbourne Michelle Tolliday, ‘Creating a culture that values data’ TOWER Software Convention 2008, Melbourne Justine Heazlewood, ‘Victorian Electronic Records Strategy (VERS)’ Victorian Association for Library Automation conference 2008, Melbourne Daniel Wilksch, ‘Willing volunteers: Public Record Office Victoria and the Genealogical Society of Utah’ Victorian Association of Family History Organisations conference 2008, Inverloch Simon Flagg, ‘Tracing the journey of Lucy and Percy Pepper through past government Aboriginal records and presenting them in a contemporary society’

Published paper Andrew Waugh: ‘The design and implementation of an ingest function to a digital archive’, DLib Magazine, vol. 13, no. 11/12, Nov/Dec 2007.

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Output measures 2007–2008 Output: Records Quantity

Target

Accessions (groups of records received at one time from a single agency)

Actual

30

371

Retention and disposal authorities issued

9

102

Retention and disposal authority variations issued

5

143

Requests for appraisal completed

1

34

200

1235

Series created Shelf metres of hard-copy records preserved

88,000

87,365

700,000

143,2207

Participants in records management education and training programs

300

6948

VERS departmental consultations

100

1249

Departments with VERS primary capability deployed6

7

610

Additional VERS software products certified

4

4

100

100

85

89

90

10011

6

Digital records preserved6 6

Quality % Collection stored to industry standard6 % Client satisfaction Timeliness % Agencies notified of retention and disposal authority expiry within specified timeframe

Output: Access Quantity

Target

Records issued

57,000

59,419

Visitors6

66,500

76,42012

530,000

1,035,82713

Online visitors

6

Community engagement – volunteer hours6 Participants in Access Services education, training and outreach programs

Actual

15,000

14,858

7,500

7661

90

90

95

95

Quality % Visitors satisfied with visit6 Timeliness % Records issued within specified timeframes6 1 Accessions were higher than forecast because of enhanced work practices.

2

Demand from agencies for retention and disposal authorities was greater than anticipated and PROV work planning was reorganised to meet this need.

3

A number of agencies opted to extend expiring retention and disposal authorities to ensure continued coverage while new ones are being developed. This resulted in more variations than forecast.

4

This number is difficult to predict as requests relate to records not covered by retention and disposal authorities and are determined solely by agency work plans.

5

New transfer procedures introduced in 2006–2007 require agencies to identify series and provide more detailed information than had been required in the past. Guidelines and training are provided to assist agencies with these tasks, but agencies are still feeling their way with these requirements. The rate at which new series are being created has slowed accordingly.

6

These outputs are presented in the Department of Treasury and Finance Budget Paper No. 3 – 2007–08 Service Delivery.

7

The process of transferring digital records into PROV’s digital archive is a new process and as agency capacity in this process develops, more accurate forecasting will be possible.

8

Realignment of priorities to better reflect agency needs resulted in more training sessions being offered during the year.

9

Sector-wide skills shortages and under-investment in records management by departments and agencies have led to a reliance on PROV, resulting in a higher than expected demand for consultancies.

10 PROV has been educating, influencing and supporting departments as they make progress in their electronic records management capability but does not have a directive role in achieving this measure.

11 Better monitoring processes were put in place to ensure timely notification.

12 Visitors comprised reading rooms 17,320 (target 16,500) and exhibitions 59,100 (target 50,000). The success of travelling exhibitions in regional centres contributed to higher than anticipated visitor numbers and reading room numbers remained stable from 2006–2007.

13 An unexpected and significant rise in visits occurred after the launch of new online resources in December 2007. A genealogical television program and successful outreach activities also had an impact on visitation.

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Increase records usage to enable the community to connect with their history Preserve regional records in their place of origin and provide equality of access to local records and the stories they tell Local History Grants Program The Local History Grants Program acknowledges the important role of communities in preserving and sharing local stories. The program of small grants provides assistance to community groups, mostly volunteers, undertaking local history projects.

This year’s round of grants attracted almost 200 applications and resulted in $350,000 being distributed to seventy-nine projects. These included the development of books, exhibitions, websites and heritage trails, as well as a number of projects that improve access to local historical collections by cataloguing, copying or digitising records.

Topics covered include a history of all things medical in Pyramid Hill, stories from the Turkish immigrant community in Melbourne, an exploration of the stories behind the creation of the 30,000-signature 1891 Women’s Suffrage Petition and a history of the Temple Society in Australia.

In announcing this year’s grants, Minister for the Arts Lynne Kosky noted the rich array of local stories from diverse Victorian communities presented in the projects. Recipients represented a wide range of community groups, including rural fire brigades, local historical societies, sporting clubs and church groups.

The Local History Grants Program is funded by the government’s Community Support Fund until 2010–2011.

Minister for the Arts Lynne Kosky (right) with PROV Director Justine Heazlewood and Local History Grant recipients Rod Jenkinson and Eric Butler of Horsham Historical Society.

The society’s project ‘Memories of Horsham and district’ involves video-recording oral history stories and publishing a book and DVDs.

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Bendigo Regional Archives Centre The Bendigo Regional Archives Centre, due to open early in 2009, is a joint project of PROV, the City of Greater Bendigo and the Goldfields Library Corporation. The centre will hold public records from the local region as well as private records of local families and organisations.

In December, Minister for the Arts Lynne Kosky appointed the centre a Place of Deposit.

The storage area has been built to comply with PROV’s storage standards, which enables the centre to store and provide access to records that are state archives.

Bendigo Regional Archives Centre Inc. was incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981 on 24 October 2007. Its management committee comprises senior executives from each of the partner organisations, with Director Justine Heazlewood and Shauna Hicks, Senior Manager of Access Services, representing PROV. Two staff were recruited in January and have been learning about PROV and our archival control systems by taking part in an induction program and working in the reading rooms.

During the year, the first floor of the Goldfields Library in Bendigo was fitted out as the centre’s reading room and public access point, and a repository with environmental control systems and mobile shelving units was constructed within the building. Development of a second off-site repository to store the majority of the collection is underway.

PROV staff have commenced cataloguing public records for the collection and are providing training and mentoring in PROV systems to the centre’s staff.

Vision Preserving our community’s history Mission The Bendigo Regional Archives Centre will: • • • •

preserve our community’s records in their place of origin provide access to our community’s records and encourage their use build partnerships between government and the community develop relationships that enable the sharing of community knowledge

Places of Deposit The majority of records created by government are not considered to be state archives but many may be of local historical interest to communities. PROV’s Places of Deposit (POD) program enables records of this kind to be passed to local organisations such as historical societies and made available to the public. These records would otherwise be destroyed once they were no longer required by the agency that created them, and include things like Water Board rate books, animal pound registers and draft council minutes books.

The program also allows PODs that meet much more stringent standards (such as the Bendigo Regional Archives Centre, above) to hold part of PROV’s collection of permanent records. PODs are appointed by the Minister for the Arts, Lynne Kosky, and public records stored by them remain under the custody of the Keeper of Public Records. There are now 111 PODs across Victoria. See Appendix 5 for a list of PODs appointed during 2007–2008.

In October, twenty-one community groups from the Wimmera-Mallee region celebrated becoming PODs at an event at the Stawell Family History Expo. Presenting the groups with certificates of appointment, Minister for Agriculture the Hon. Joe Helper, MP, the local member, noted that public records were vital to a community’s identity and sense of its own foundations.

This year PROV also recognised the efforts of community groups to preserve and make accessible local history with the introduction of POD categories to the Sir Rupert Hamer Awards for Records Management (see page 40 for details).

Increase the visibility and useability of those parts of the Victorian archival collection which will be valued by the community Implementation of the wilam naling report wilam naling … knowing who you are … was a 2006 report on improving access to records of the Stolen Generations. The report was developed in a partnership between PROV and Aboriginal Affairs Victoria. This year its recommendations were addressed through a number of projects.

Footprints PROV’s latest publication, Footprints: the journey of Lucy and Percy Pepper, illustrates how government records can be used to piece together stories of the past. It tells the story of a Gippsland couple and the way their lives were affected by laws and government policies defining who was ‘Aboriginal’ and who was not. Their struggle to survive ill health and poverty while keeping their extended family together is revealed through Lucy and Percy’s correspondence with government officials. Footprints was developed as a resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the challenges faced by Aboriginal people – and the policies that controlled them – in early twentieth-century Victoria.

The book was launched in May by the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Hon. Richard Wynne, MP. Rita Watkins, a granddaughter of Lucy and Percy Pepper who worked closely with PROV on the publication, spoke at the event on behalf of the family. The launch also included a performance from the Birri-on Lakidjeka Aboriginal dance group, descendants of Lucy and Percy Pepper.

The book was co-produced with the National Archives of Australia, with support from Stolen Generations Victoria and the Department of Planning and Community Development.

Archival training for Stolen Generations support workers In May, eighteen of Victoria’s twenty-four Bringing Them Home (BTH) workers attended a two-day archival training workshop at the Victorian Archives Centre. BTH workers are based at Aboriginal Co-ops throughout the state and are available to talk to anyone who has been affected by past child removal policies. They are often the first point of contact for Stolen Generations members.

The training was tailored to the needs of individual attendees and was largely hands-on – participants conducted research using documents such as inquest files, Aboriginal Affairs records, wills and probate files and criminal records. The training aimed to provide them with a strong understanding of how to use and access archival indexes, what original records look like and the kind of information contained within them.

The training was a huge success and PROV and the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (which provides training for BTH workers to better equip them to assist their Stolen Generations clients) are looking at including the archival training in the induction program for all new BTH workers in Victoria.

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Small grants program

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In 2007 PROV held a series of workshops on recordkeeping, with a focus on records of the Stolen Generations. Community recordkeepers participating in the ‘Know your history, preserve your culture’ workshops were invited to apply for small grants to help them improve the management of Aboriginal records or access to those records. Applicants were required to demonstrate how the Victorian Aboriginal community would benefit from their projects. In November the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Hon. Richard Wynne, MP announced thirteen grants of between $500 and $3,000. Projects funded included identification of Koorie records, cataloguing and archiving, digitisation, and establishment of records management systems. Recipients were required to demonstrate their commitment to improving community awareness and access to records by completing projects within twelve months. Recipients were: Western Suburbs Indigenous Gathering Place: Aboriginality in the west Koorie Resources and Information Centre (KRIC): KRIC archiving project Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-op: Wathaurong family picture history Tati Tati Aboriginal Co-op: Tati ancestry Kooramyee Cooper / Reconciliation Victoria: Indigenous family history through kinship Mildura and District Genealogical Society Inc.: Koorie records identification project Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust: Bung Yarnda Kirrae Health Service Inc.: Making Framlingham history accessible Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-op: Digitisation of photographs, images & documents Libby Clarke: Preserving Koorie culture Casterton and District Historical Society: Development of Aboriginal archives within the museum Wentworth Historical Society: Identifying Aboriginal records within Wentworth’s shire library and historical society Mildura Aboriginal Co-op Bringing Them Home Program: Indigenous community library (Tracing your family history)

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Richard Wynne with Aboriginal elders from the Mildura region who are accepting a small grant on behalf of the Mildura Aboriginal Co-op.

Koorie Index of Names (KIN) The KIN project was developed to provide better access to Aboriginal records within PROV’s collection and involves producing an index of names contained in all PROV records that have information relevant to Aboriginal people.

The project began in late 2006 and this year has focused on correspondence of the Board for the Protection of Aborigines from 1889 to 1931 (VPRS 1694). A team of sixteen volunteers is indexing the correspondence, a challenging task as many people mentioned are not named and family relationships are often obscure. As at 30 June, 14,760 pages from 107 files have been indexed and 10,275 names have been recorded.

Indexing the Aboriginal records is the most crucial phase of the KIN project. However, there is also value in indexing less relevant records such as wills and probate, inquest and land selection files, as it is often only through piecing together various sources of information that a person’s story can be traced.

The KIN database is planned for launch in late 2008 and will be updated on an ongoing basis.

Common Access Guidelines Records relevant to Aboriginal people are held by a number of government and non-government organisations in Victoria. At present individual researchers are required to fill in different forms and documentation to gain access to records at each location.

Under the Common Access Guidelines proposal, universal guidelines would be adopted governing the release of information to Indigenous people, enabling researchers to fill in a single form that would be accepted by a number of agencies and organisations. This would dramatically improve access to records that could help those affected by removal policies reunite with family, community and culture.

The project began in late 2007 with a review of current requirements across organisations and a plan for establishing partnerships between these groups. The next stage will be to establish working partnerships with key stakeholders and develop an implementation process.

Stolen Generations Victoria has committed to being the central organisation through which memorandums of understanding for the guidelines would be established. PROV sees the support of Stolen Generations Victoria as crucial to the success of the project and the two organisations will be working together for the next year with the aim of launching Common Access Guidelines in 2009.

The project is being funded by Aboriginal Affairs Victoria.

Collection management During the year improving public access was a focus of collection management activities.

Conservation activities enabled previously unavailable records to be made accessible to the public. Following conservation of Registers of Male Prisoners, for example, the records were digitised and placed on PROV’s website, where they can be accessed for free. PROV volunteers created indexes of the prisoners’ names, allowing researchers to search by name and view the relevant page online. Wills and probate files were also conserved to enable their inclusion in the Genealogical Society of Utah digitisation program (see page 34).

Within the collection are a substantial number of records that were transferred to PROV’s custody some time ago without adequate documentation and have never been entered into the catalogue. Such records are being researched and documented as a long-term project.

This year information on 163 of these ‘legacy series’ was published in the online catalogue, ‘Access the Collection’, allowing researchers to easily locate and order the records for the first time.

Volunteers and staff undertook projects to prepare description lists of frequently used series, including lands records, and to ensure maps were labelled and stored appropriately.

In addition, details were added to the existing catalogue descriptions of more than one hundred boxes of records, enabling the records to be searched by keywords.

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Detail of the prison register page on prisoner number 30578, Thomas Murphy (VPRS 515/P Central Register of Male Prisoners, unit 57, folio 242).

Archives created: records transferred to PROV Government agencies transfer records of permanent value to PROV when they are no longer required for the agency’s administrative use. Twenty-two transfers were completed in 2007–2008, adding more than 800 linear metres of hardcopy records and 143,220 digital records to the archival collection. Of particular interest were building plans and specifications from the former cities of Collingwood and Fitzroy from 1920 to 1990; minutes and correspondence of the Trustees of the Necropolis, Springvale, 1849 to 1979; records of the Southern Cross Station redevelopment project from 2000 to 2007; correspondence from the Australian Centre for the Moving Image from 2002 to 2005; photographs, films, tapes and board minutes of the Victorian Dairy Industry Authority from the 1950s to 2000; and Legislative Council original papers tabled in parliament between 1999 and 2002 (54th Parliament).

During the year seventeen new agencies, 123 series, and 223 consignments were registered by PROV. Staff transferred and shelved 803.34 metres of records in thirty-seven accessions.

Reading rooms and issues PROV operates two public reading rooms, at the Victorian Archives Centre in North Melbourne and at the Ballarat Archives Centre. While in recent years the growing number of visitors to PROV’s website has been reflected in an annual decrease in visits to the reading rooms, this year the current popularity of family history saw visitor numbers remain steady.

A total of 17,320 people visited the two reading rooms and 50,462 records were issued.

An additional 8,957 records were issued to government agencies outside the reading rooms and for internal PROV use.

Two milestones were celebrated at the Victorian Archives Centre during the year: in February the Harry Nunn Reading Room received its 60,000th visitor since its opening in 2004, and in June the reading room’s 200,000th record was issued.

Another highlight was a family history competition launched during the Ballarat Heritage Festival. Brenda Ryan took out first prize for her story ‘Nazareth House memories’ and was awarded two hours of research with a PROV archivist and copies of PROV publications.

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Records issued number of records 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0

Government agencies Public users 2003/04 year

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

2007/08

Visitors to reading rooms number of visitors 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000

Ballarat Archives Centre

0

Victorian Archives Centre 2003/04 year

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

2007/08

2005/06

2006/07

2007/08

Visitors to website number of visitors 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0

2003/04 year

2004/05

Heritage listing for key records Another two of PROV’s records were inscribed on the Australian Memory of the World Register this year – the 30,000-signature Women’s Suffrage Petition presented to the Victorian Parliament in 1891 and the 1862 Land Act map. The register is a UNESCO program established to protect and promote awareness of items of documentary heritage that record or reflect important milestones and events.

The Women’s Suffrage Petition was also added to the Victorian Heritage Register’s list of significant objects.

PROV’s collection of Ned Kelly records and the Ballarat Reform League Charter are already on both registers.

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Exhibitions and public programs More than 7,000 people viewed the exhibition Centenary of Women’s Suffrage: Signature Stories at the Victorian Archives Centre between February and June. The exhibition included the 1891 pro-suffrage petition and stories of some of the almost 30,000 women who signed it, as well as items borrowed from other institutions such as dresses from the National Trust of Australia (Victoria), posters and a plaster relief of Dr William Maloney from the University of Melbourne Archives, and a four-metre banner from the National Council of Women of Victoria. To complement the exhibition, historical ‘suffrage walks’ of North Melbourne were conducted by the Hotham History Project and a seminar on ‘Women in the Archives: Women with a Mission’ was held. The exhibition, which was supported by the Office of Women’s Policy, will travel to municipal galleries in 2008–2009.

Victorians at Work: Photographs from the State Archives was displayed at the Victorian Archives Centre from December until February, when the core panels became available to venues around the state as the newest PROV travelling exhibition. By January the travelling exhibition had already been fully booked for its first twelve months. A public seminar on locating and using photographs in PROV’s collection, as well as issues around photographic preservation, was held in February, in conjunction with the exhibition.

The National Archives of Australia’s travelling exhibition Summers Past: Golden days in the sun, which opened during 2006–2007, was on display until November.

A number of records from PROV’s holdings were loaned to other organisations for exhibitions during the year, including: • The Melbourne Story, Melbourne Museum – Petition by Aborigines of Coranderrk to Chief Secretary, 21 September 1896 and Letter from Kew Asylum’s male patient register.

• Making Melbourne, City Museum at Old Treasury – four letters written by Caroline Chisholm while on the goldfields.

• Moomba – What’s in a name, City Gallery – Moomba Festival programs.

• Seventy-fifth anniversary of the Great Ocean Road’s opening, National Wool Museum in Geelong – forty items.

• Exhibition on Muslim pioneers in Central Australia, South Australia Museum (and travelling to the Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery and the National Library of Australia) – various items, including receipts for camels purchased for the Burke and Wills expedition.

Such loans enable PROV’s records to be seen by large audiences who might not otherwise be exposed to our holdings.

Volunteers program PROV has a highly-skilled team of volunteers undertaking a range of activities that support staff and increase public access to records in the collection.

During the year volunteers worked on projects in the areas of online resources (see page 33), collections management (page 27) and the Koorie Index of Names (KIN) project (page 27), transcribed old handwriting for the upcoming Currach Folk exhibition, conducted tours and maintained PROV’s technical library.

The program has succeeded in diversifying its membership with the recruitment of volunteers from different age groups and cultural backgrounds. During 2007–2008 there were between eighty-five and ninety active volunteers who contributed a total of 14,858 hours – a massive effort that enabled PROV to provide increased resources and services to researchers.

31 PROV’s volunteers.

PROV greatly appreciates the work and commitment of our volunteers: Adam Parkinson Aileen Macloud Anh Dinh Barbara Addie Barbara Gillies Barbara Minchinton Bernadette Griffiths Beryl Mainon Betty Keay Brian Dixon Bruce Patience Cally Martin Carole Field Cecil Clarke Christine Flett Christine Holmes Clare Fenby Claudia Gulli Constance Eastwood Dawn Walduck Dianne Hughes Dorothy Dupuy Dorothy Small Dot Skewes Dulcie Burns Edna Lowe Elena Apostol Elizabeth Brown Elizabeth Buckle Fay Silva Fleurette Cochaud Flora Walker Gail Thornwaite Gauri Yardi Gavin Faichney Geoff Currey Gordon Dadswell Graeme Cardillo Graeme Dawson

Graham Bence Harry Mason Helen Rowe Ian Braybrook Ingrid Hood Irene Kearsey Irene Zienowicz Jason Taylor Jean Smith John Bolt John Campbell John Hogan John Killian John MacKinnon Jon Rennison Judith Mason Judy Johnston Julie Chippindale Kathleen Goodman Kathryn Lindsay Kaye Lovett Keith Thomas Kelle Harris Kelly Ambrose Ken MacKenzie Ken Walduck Keng Chong Kim Henderson Laurice Cross Leanne Goss Leonie Brownbill Leonie Marshall Les Sharf Levina Mbugua Linda Longley Liz Raven Louise Jesson Maggie Robinson Marcel Gerner

Margaret Wright Maria Baker Maria Cristina Cordelo Marjory Knight Marlene Gray Mary Maxwell Maureen Molloy Michael Edelstein Millie Marsh Neil Robinson Nigel Slee Noel Logan Pamela Weller Patricia Porigneaux Pauline O’Donoghue Peter Willis Robert Spaggiari Robert Tracy Robyn Luczynski Rosalind Faichney Roslyn Burns Russell O’Connell Sayed Ruhullah Quaraishi Sharmila Suthakaran Shirley Krumnow Shirley Turner Steven McMillan Sue Dawson Sue Rickard Susan Minetti Tim Marriott Trudy Collins Val Connors Val Latimer Vicki Montgomery Yasemin Hussein Yvonne Pratt Wajid Poernom

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Public education and training Archival Support Program The Archival Support Program is a series of basic archival training and preservation workshops aimed at small archives and other collecting bodies such as local historical societies and museums. PROV conducts the training in partnership with the Australian Society of Archivists and other archival institutions. PROV also works with groups in regional Victoria to program and arrange each workshop. This year five one-day workshops were held in Melbourne, Geelong and Frankston and were attended by 150 people.

Seminars, events and tours Some 450 family history enthusiasts came to the Victorian Archives Centre in February for ‘Shake your family tree’. Staff from PROV and the National Archives of Australia presented seminars on the scope and use of their collections as a way to discover family history.

The day also included screenings of the SBS television program Who do you think you are?, information provided by genealogical organisations, and tours of the Victorian Archives Centre conducted by PROV volunteers.

PROV continued to present a range of popular, subject-based public seminars at the Victorian Archives Centre, the Ballarat Archives Centre, and venues in Geelong and Castlemaine. This year’s seminars benefited from collaborations with a range of organisations. Seventeen programmed seminars and training sessions in the use of PROV’s records and online resources were attended by 546 people.

PROV offers regular volunteer-conducted free tours of the Victorian Archives Centre and responds to requests from groups and delegations for special talks and tours. More than 800 people were conducted on fifty tours by PROV’s volunteers and staff during 2007–2008.

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse program During the year PROV produced an Italian-language brochure providing information on our resources and services, particularly those relating to immigration and Italian culture and community life in Victoria. The brochure is designed to assist researchers whose first language is Italian and is also available on PROV’s website. Other information on tracing Italian businesses will be added in the future.

This is part of PROV’s program to guide culturally and linguistically diverse communities wishing to trace their family histories and other records. Seminars on tracing Lebanese and French family history were also held.

Marketing PROV’s collection attracted a good deal of media attention during the year. The publication Footprints received extensive media coverage, Maxine Moran held a media event at the Victorian Archives Centre to celebrate the centenary of women’s suffrage, and the television program Coxy’s big break delved into the archives and the family history of presenter Geoff Cox. PROV also appeared in various print media, from The Age, the Herald Sun and local papers across the state, to The Big Issue and The Melbourne Times, industry journals and internet sites, as well as on television and radio.

Engage the community with the cultural heritage contained in the Victorian archives through the innovative use of online technology and modes of delivery

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Records online PROV’s website almost doubled in popularity this year, with more than one million visits compared with 588,000 in 2006–2007. The majority of additional visits were to PROV’s online local and family history indexes and seem to be due to increased interest in PROV as a family history resource after screening of the SBS television program Who do you think you are?

The provision of new online resources also contributed to the rise. A further ten-year instalment (1877–1886) of the Victorian Outward Immigration Index was published in December. This is a major project that has been undertaken by PROV’s volunteers since 2006. The index includes the names of all passengers who left Victoria by ship, with 181,421 names added this year. It is a popular tool for researchers and usually attracts some 50,000 visits each month, but received more than 80,000 visits in the fortnight following the publication of this instalment.

Digitised images from selected volumes of the Central Register of Male Prisoners (VPRS 515/P) were also published.

Education resources An education section for primary and secondary schools was developed on PROV’s website during the year. A page about Sir Robert Menzies was designed as a ‘beginner’s guide to archival research’ to help tertiary and upper secondary students use the archives. Additional educational resources for students and teachers were also added to the online exhibitions.

The online resources were widely promoted at various education conferences in Victoria and interstate and through brochures, resulting in 90,000 site visits.

Errol St Primary School students visit the Centenary of Women’s Suffrage exhibition.

Wills, probate and inquests digitisation project

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In 2004 PROV began a collaborative project with the Genealogical Society of Utah to photograph wills, probate files and inquest files from settlement to 1925 and make the images available on the internet. These are some of the most-used files in the collection and the project serves the dual purpose of ensuring the original records are preserved and making them more accessible to researchers.

During 2007–2008 the volunteer imaging team continued their impressive pace, capturing more than one million images and almost completing the digitisation of probate files. The next stage involves the digitisation of inquest files, which are likely to be completed in late 2009. The digitisation of wills was completed in 2006–2007.

To publish these online, PROV reassembles the digitised images of individual pages into PDF files containing the complete document and imports them into the digital archive.

Some 92,000 files from this project were made available on PROV’s website during the year.

In March and April PROV said farewell to the project’s team leaders, Carl and Jo-Ann Adams and Bernita and Mark Dawson, volunteers from the US who finished their eighteen-month period in Australia. In May, Linda and Michael Flynn from Utah arrived to take up the reins.

The US volunteers lead a team of local volunteers in preparing and digitising the documents.

PROV volunteers and staff undertake data checking and quality assurance activities for the project.

Page of the last will and testament of John Wesley Allin (VPRS 7591/P2 Wills, unit 13, item 11/528).

Online wills and probate index In another collaborative project, an online index of PROV’s wills and probate files is being developed. Volunteers from the Victorian Association of Family History Organisations and the Genealogical Society of Utah are creating a database of names that researchers will be able to search via PROV’s website. The project is around one-third complete, with more than 700,000 names recorded to date. The first instalment of the index will be launched in late 2008.

Online publications PROV’s annual online refereed journal, Provenance, was published in September.

The journal showcases peer-reviewed articles that draw on records in PROV’s holdings.

The 2006 edition of Provenance was the recipient of an Australian Society of Archivists Mander Jones Award this year for ‘Best publication that uses, features or interprets Australian archives, written by or on behalf of a corporate body’. Among the judges’ comments were the observations that the journal stood out in a very strong field ‘for its innovation and accessibility’ and that it was a ‘well designed attractive publication that might pursue a wider general readership’.

PROV’s magazine PROactive is also published online, with three editions issued in 2007–2008.

See Appendix 2 for a list of publications produced during the year.

Increase government recordkeeping capacity so that a full and accurate record of government is created, captured, maintained and preserved Establish the benchmark for best-practice recordkeeping across the whole of Victorian government and enhance awareness, skills and knowledge Victorian Auditor-General’s Office report During the year the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO) conducted an audit of records management across Victorian government agencies and the role of PROV. The audit of government agencies comprised a general survey of records management practice in 104 public sector agencies and a detailed assessment of the performance of eight agencies that represented a cross-section of government activities and functions.

It included management of electronic records.

In its review of PROV, the audit examined our role in facilitating sound public records management and the extent to which the Victorian Electronic Records Strategy had been implemented across the public sector.

PROV provided high-level advice, including the secondment of staff, for the review of agencies and supported the auditors during their review of PROV. The audit identified examples of good practice and made recommendations to improve the performance of both government agencies and PROV. As a result of the audit, VAGO has been developing a records management checklist that agencies can use to assess themselves against the seven principles of good practice used in the audit.

Following the release of the audit report in March, PROV began a program to implement its priority recommendations. Activities that have commenced include the development of a strategy to improve communications with agencies; a review of PROV’s allocation of resources; and monitoring of the standards review project (see below) to ensure its successful completion.

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Recordkeeping standards PROV has begun a comprehensive review and update of its published standards, which set criteria for the creation, management and use of Victorian government records.

In 2007–2008 policies and processes were put in place for the standards update.

This included identification of the standards that are required and the introduction of a methodology for their development. This preparatory work should ensure that PROV’s standards will be more robust, useful and useable.

Work began on two priority standards that will provide direction on the storage and disposal of public records. Both are now being reviewed by advisory groups of external stakeholders.

Other standards will be progressively updated during the next two to three years.

A program is also being developed to provide government agencies with tools that will assist them in measuring their compliance with PROV’s standards.

Advice on web-based records To complement its standards, PROV provides advice on specific recordkeeping topics.

A two-part advice was published in February to assist agencies with the highly complex issue of managing information on websites. Such information may constitute a public record and would therefore need to be preserved. PROV’s Advice to Agencies on Websites as Records outlines the recordkeeping implications of this and gives agencies tools and strategies to address them. Advice 20a provides guidance on identifying which records should be kept and for how long, while Advice 20b outlines strategies for ‘capturing’ web pages and ensuring that the design and operation of the website does not prevent accurate recordkeeping. Development of the advice involved comprehensive technical research and wide consultation with government agencies.

A seminar program has been developed to support new advices published by PROV. Seminars on the website advice will continue to be presented around Victoria throughout 2008. Video recordings of the seminars can also be downloaded from the PROV website at www.prov.vic.gov.au/provcasts.

Provide regular assessment of good recordkeeping against the benchmark Victorian Electronic Recordkeeping Strategy (VERS) departmental assessment The annual VERS departmental assessment has been designed to chart the progress of Victoria’s ten inner-budget departments as they implement initiatives for the effective and integrated management of their records, particularly those created electronically.

Responses from departments are analysed to give an overall view across government.

This allows departments to track their own progress relative to other departments and to learn from the challenges encountered by others.

The assessment is also a key tool for evaluating the effectiveness of the VERS program and for identifying ways in which the program can be modified to better support departments.

The report on the 2007 assessment was published on the Victorian Government intranet in May.

Develop and deliver enhanced services and tools to support the implementation of recordkeeping best practice VERS certification of electronic records management products The Victorian Electronic Records Strategy (VERS) is PROV’s strategy for the management and long-term preservation of electronic records. As records are increasingly being created and used digitally, the management of these records has become a key challenge for government. The VERS standard (PROS99/007 Management of Electronic Records) provides criteria against which electronic document and records management systems are tested.

This year saw the first vendor products certified as meeting all five specifications of the VERS standard, with five products achieving certification. This is particularly significant for Victorian government, as eight of the ten inner-budget departments use one of these compliant systems and can now upgrade to a version that will manage their electronic records according to VERS principles. Previously several agencies had customised solutions, but this is the first time that fully-compliant products have been available ‘off the shelf’.

Use of a certified system means new electronic records will be created and managed in a format that will later allow them to be sent for permanent storage in PROV’s digital archive in a seamless process. PROV is also anticipating that certification will result in the transfer of old records that have been converted to a format that meets VERS requirements.

In response to requests from both vendors and agencies, PROV launched the ‘VERS tick’ logo (pictured) for use on certified products. To achieve certification, a product must be compliant with all of the following specifications: Specification 1 – System requirements Specification 2 – Metadata scheme Specification 3 – Standard electronic record formats Specification 4 – Long-term preservation formats Specification 5 – Export of electronic records to PROV For a full list of VERS-compliant products, see Appendix 6.

VERS toolkit for clients The ‘VERS toolkit’ is an information kit that assists agency staff who are doing digital record transfers. A new software module of the toolkit is being developed that will enable agencies to transfer permanent digital records from corporate computer file systems (that is, shared drives or individual hard discs) to PROV’s digital archive. The module will provide the following functions: appraisal, conversion of the selected formats to a suitable long-term preservation format, creation of VERS Encapsulated Objects, and management of the transfer to PROV. During 2007–2008, a version of the appraisal component of this software was developed for technical users. However, feedback indicated that a non-technical version was also required, as the main users within agencies would be records officers and archivists. In response to this, the detailed design for a version of the toolkit suitable for non-technical users was completed in November 2007; the software will be developed when resources become available.

Customer satisfaction surveys Established in May 2007, customer satisfaction surveys have proved to be an important tool for measuring and improving PROV’s services to government. Quarterly surveys are distributed to agency staff who have had dealings with PROV, with respondents asked to rate different aspects of service and to provide feedback on where improvements could be made.

This year’s surveys have identified an average eighty-nine per cent satisfaction rate across customer service areas such as courtesy and helpfulness, and positive experiences when dealing with staff members.

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Records management consultancy PROV assists the Victorian public sector in implementing VERS through the provision of consultancy services. In 2007–2008 a 96.2 per cent satisfaction rating was achieved across 136 consultancies.

General consultancy is offered to all Victorian government agencies, with PROV delivering 124 such consultancies during the 2007–2008 year.

In addition, inner-budget departments are given an annual allocation of consultancy days for project initiatives that will help them achieve VERS implementation. PROV completed twelve such projects this year, including records management reviews, development of information management strategies and business cases, advice and specifications in relation to imaging initiatives, project board membership, electronic records project advice, quality assurance and a mentoring program for agency staff.

There has been an increasing demand for PROV’s consultancy services and a growing number of agencies are requesting additional services on a fee-for-service basis. The program is being expanded by making available to agencies the expertise of additional PROV staff members who have particular technical skills.

A list of consultancy services provided during the year can be found in Appendix 7.

Building a records management community PROV continues to support the development of ‘communities of practice’ for government records management professionals, where information can be shared and issues discussed.

A monthly forum established in 2006–2007 for electronic document and records management project managers continues to be successful and well attended.

A forum for government recordkeepers with responsibility for training staff in their own organisations was also continued during the year. The forum endorsed PROV’s Good Records – Good Business – Good Governance training program and discussed online training opportunities.

A separate forum for records managers was initiated this year and has proved to be very popular.

Records Management Network The Records Management Network (RMN) provides an opportunity for government records managers and archivists to discuss issues of interest and relevance to the profession.

Established by PROV in late 1996, the RMN underwent a facelift this year to ensure it continues to be a worthwhile and effective tool for participants. The RMN met three times during 2007–2008, with each meeting focusing on a different theme: September 2007, Standards: Guest speaker Judith Ellis, CEO of Enterprise Knowledge, gave a presentation on Australian leadership in setting standards in records and information management; Joy Patton of the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office and Toula Varvarigos of PROV provided an update on the recordkeeping performance audit; and PROV staff spoke about the PROV Standards Framework, VERS compliance and other PROV activities.

Eighty-four people attended the meeting.

February 2008, Electronic recordkeeping: In the most successful meeting to date,133 people packed the Treasury Theatre for the launch of PROV’s web advice and the official announcement of the first vendors to be VERS-certified. The meeting was also used to launch the VERS toolkit and the Good Records – Good Business – Good Governance training package, and updates were provided on standards and the recordkeeping performance audit.

June 2008, Security: This meeting looked at the records management implications of the Terrorism (Community Protection) (Amendment) Act 2006, implementation of the Australian Government Protective Security Manual in Victoria, management of outsourced records, and who is responsible for records of functions that have been transferred between agencies following machinery of government changes. Eighty-five people attended the meeting.

Records disposal Retention and disposal authorities specify retention periods for Victorian public records, identify records to be preserved permanently as part of the state archives, and permit the lawful disposal of public records. PROV works with government agencies to prepare these authorities, which are submitted to the Public Records Advisory Council for endorsement and issued as standards under the Public Records Act 1973.

Currently 1,782 of the 1,870 Victorian government entities identified by the State Services Authority are fully or partially covered by agency-specific retention and disposal authorities or general retention and disposal authorities that cover unique functions of multiple agencies such as local councils, universities and public health services. All Victorian government bodies and employees are covered by general disposal authorities for the disposal of records of common administrative functions such as occupational health and safety, personnel and property management.

PROV has undertaken an extensive program in recent years to provide greater coverage across Victorian agencies and as a result there has been an increasing demand for authorities. To deal with this more efficiently, PROV implemented a new process this year: a schedule for upcoming authorities has been prepared and is fully booked until early 2010, and agreements are being established with agencies for the development of authorities, specifying the products to be delivered, responsibilities and obligations of all parties, and accompanying timelines.

During 2007–2008, ten new retention and disposal authorities were issued, together with fifteen variations to existing authorities. New authorities included Land Registry, Surveyor-General, Office of the Registrar-General, County Court and an authority for the functions of the Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development. A full list is provided in Appendix 3.

Government education and training An initiative to raise awareness of recordkeeping among non-records management staff saw the development and implementation of a new training program during the year.

Good Records – Good Business – Good Governance is freely available to agencies as a ready-made program for ‘do it yourself’ delivery. The program was developed following PROV’s 2006 inner-departmental education and training needs analysis, which identified a demand for assistance in raising awareness. The program highlights the importance of good recordkeeping practices and illustrates risks associated with poor recordkeeping.

The package has proved to be highly successful, with sixty-two agencies registering to use it during the year and some one hundred staff undertaking training since January.

In addition, almost 700 state government employees attended PROV’s in-house training programs, with a satisfaction rate of more than ninety-five per cent: Records Management Concepts – Records looks at the reasons behind records management (why do we keep records?) as well as the characteristics of records, including registration and classification.

Records Management Concepts – Systems, Storage and Disposal advances the understanding of records management by looking at the systems we use, the records we store, and principles of disposal and destruction.

Take-Away Concepts (formerly known as the Regional Roadshow) offers the Records Management Concepts series to regional organisations in a one-day program.

Transfer Documentation Training takes agencies that are transferring permanent records to PROV through the requirements of describing both their records and the systems in which they were managed prior to transfer.

Getting Ready for VERS and VERS Technical centre around the issues associated with digital records management and its impact on the records management requirements and responsibilities of public sector organisations.

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2007 Sir Rupert Hamer Records Management Awards The annual Sir Rupert Hamer Records Management Awards focus on two key areas within the Victorian public sector: preservation of records of permanent value and innovations in records management practices. This year the awards were expanded to include categories recognising the work of Places of Deposit (community archives approved by PROV to hold non-permanent public records of local significance).

The awards are an initiative of the Public Records Advisory Council and are judged by a subcommittee comprising members of Council and representatives of the Records Management Association of Australasia. Sir Rupert Hamer was Victorian Premier when the Public Records Act 1973 was passed and when PROV opened its first office and repository in 1975.

This year’s awards ceremony was held at Queen’s Hall, Parliament House on 15 May and was attended by more than 140 people including Lady April Hamer OAM and former Premier the Hon. John Cain. Victorian Privacy Commissioner Helen Versey gave the keynote address, with Cameron Crampron of Ambulance Victoria speaking as a former ‘Hamers’ winner. The following awards were announced: Government agencies Inner budget category Winner: Department of Planning and Community Development, ‘Commonwealth Games Records Disposal’ This project resulted in a complete set of Melbourne 2006 Corporation records being transferred to the Department of Planning and Community Development and permanent records being identified for transfer to PROV. Certificate of Commendation: Department of Justice, ‘Preservation of records of permanent value to the State and innovation in records management through the Department of Justice “Taking Responsibility” Program’ The Taking Responsibility initiative provided Department of Justice staff with tools, training and resources to ensure they were aware of and able to meet their legal obligations in areas such as records management, information security, privacy, code of conduct and the environment.

Outer budget category Winner: Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, ‘Online Plant Census’ The Plant Census is a register of the locations of plants within the gardens. The collections found in the heritage-listed landscape are an irreplaceable resource for botanists, students, plant lovers and other visitors to the gardens. The new Online Plant Census can be searched via the website and provides researchers with plant information, maps and links to other useful sites. The database is also an invaluable tool used by staff to manage the collection.

Certificate of Commendation: La Trobe University, ‘Electronic Recordkeeping – Central Student Files (ICT Project 130)’ The project aimed to digitise existing hardcopy records into the university’s corporate records system and to use that system to capture future ‘born-electronic’ documents into a single, consolidated repository. Benefits included cost savings, a zero level of lost documents, a system capable of responding to peak demands, more timely and multiple delivery of student records to users and improved security, accuracy and completeness of student records.

Local government authorities category Winner: East Gippsland Shire Council, ‘Create, implement and foster an organisation-wide culture of records management awareness and quality practices’ This project involved the development of an organisation-wide information management policy and four-year information management strategy, the design and delivery of a training program across the council, and an ongoing campaign to raise awareness about the benefits of best practice and promote individual responsibility.

Certificate of Commendation: Baw Baw Shire Council, ‘Archives Store’ and ‘Better Access to Documents’ Baw Baw Shire Council was awarded a Certificate of Commendation for two projects.

The Archives Store project delivered a secure, purpose-built facility sufficient to meet current and projected secondary storage needs. This enabled the development of a comprehensive control system for management of the secondary storage document service and detailed documentation about all of the record sets in the secondary store. The Better Access to Documents project changed staff practices and gained their support while putting in place a structure and culture ready for the introduction of an organisation-wide electronic document and records management system.

Regional/rural agency category Winner: Barwon Region Water Corporation, ‘Plans and Drawings Rationalisation and Capture’ This project involved registration, bar-coding and scanning of approximately 70,000 asset drawings for loading onto the enterprise content management system. Hardcopy plans are now stored centrally and electronic format plans are stored in a folder structure that makes them electronically available to all who need them quickly and efficiently.

Small agency category No nominations were received.

Community archives Preservation of records of significance to the local community and the state Winner: Castlemaine and District Historical Society Inc., ‘Identification and transfer of permanent public records to PROV’ Castlemaine Historical Society assisted Mount Alexander Shire with collecting council memorabilia and identifying permanent and temporary public records created by predecessor agencies that date back to 1856. Records were found in council storage facilities, in private hands and in community collections. The project involved cleaning, cataloguing, filming and processing permanent records for transfer to PROV. Providing public record access in the local community Winner: Birchip Historical Society Inc., ‘Student and volunteer engagement program’ Birchip Historical Society provided educational and volunteering opportunities for four students from the Birchip P-12 school. The students were given access to the society’s collection and each selected a theme to research and mounted a small exhibition of archival and other material in the society’s museum. The students also undertook cleaning, basic conservation, indexing, cataloguing and other collection management activities.

Certificates of Commendation: Castlemaine and District Historical Society Inc., ‘Commemoration of 150 years of responsible government’ For the 150th anniversary of local government in the area, the society undertook linked activities including an exhibition, re-enactments of events, a display of council memorabilia and production of a brochure documenting the genealogy of the modern municipality of Mount Alexander Shire.

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Wycheproof Historical Society Inc., ‘Opening of the restored courthouse and display of archival material’ The opening of the restored courthouse occurred in July 2007. It was preceded by extensive local promotion through schools, posters and news coverage and the event attracted a large public audience. The heritage-listed courthouse and its furniture were part of the display, which effectively promoted the breadth and nature of the collection to visitors.

Projects or programs that provide greater understanding of and accessibility to the Place of Deposit’s archival collection Winner: Benalla and District Historical Society Inc., ‘Archival storage, research and reading room’ As part of a new store development, the society was able to expand its public facilities, which now feature the Pioneer and Costume Museum and research and reading rooms on one site. In relocating the collections to the new store, volunteers undertook conservation, indexing and cataloguing activities, making large parts of the collection publicly accessible for the first time.

Certificate of Commendation: Wycheproof Historical Society Inc., ‘Developing a web presence for the archives’ The Wycheproof Historical Society has cleverly created a web presence to help build, maintain and preserve its collection through partnerships with a local town web-master and the community. The town website has numerous links to the society’s home page.

Particularly innovative is the use of free hosting services for the society’s own web page and the use of the Flickr website to showcase and promote its photographic collection.

Innovative programs that ensure local records of significance are accessible and that support Places of Deposit in operating, expanding and maintaining their collections Winner: GWMWater, ‘Places of Deposit outreach’ Eligibility for nomination in this category is restricted to local government or water authorities that support the aims of Places of Deposit in their local communities.

Grampians-Wimmera-Murray invited Places of Deposit in their region to take custody of time-expired water authority records that might otherwise be destroyed. A variety of records such as meter books, cash books and rate books were made available to eighteen Places of Deposit in the region, the earliest records dating from 1889.

Lady April Hamer (centre) with Public Records Advisory Council President Peter Harmsworth and PROV Director Justine Heazlewood at the Sir Rupert Hamer Records Management Awards.

Develop the right people and provide the right tools to deliver PROV’s strategic objectives Build a motivated, skilled and effective workforce Following the machinery of government changes that made PROV an administrative office in late 2006, the organisation became responsible for its own human resources activities. During 2007–2008 an Organisational Development Unit was formed and activities focused on the development of key human resources policies and strategies, including Organisational Development and Occupational Health and Safety strategies.

A high-level review of PROV’s organisational structure has commenced as part of the budgetary and planning process for 2008–2009. The executive team is also currently undertaking work to predict staff skills and requirements into the future.

A mini cultural and leadership assessment was undertaken in March 2008. The results were used to produce both individual development plans for the executive team and cultural plans for the organisation.

A new performance management system, PDP@PROV, was developed and implemented and considerable training was provided across the organisation.

Training was also conducted in manual handling, human rights (following the introduction of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006) and equal opportunity.

Several staff members were trained and appointed as ‘contact officers’ to provide support for anyone with equal opportunity questions or concerns.

A mentoring program was implemented, including intensive training, and eleven mentoring partnerships were established.

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Manage risk and provide the optimal infrastructure for PROV staff and programs Water harvesting project PROV is undertaking a joint project with the City of Melbourne to harvest rainwater from the roof of the Victorian Archives Centre. The water will be used in the building’s sanitary system and to water street trees in the vicinity. City of Melbourne is also investigating other uses to reduce the demand for fresh water from storage reservoirs. The roof of the Victorian Archives Centre is 14,000 square metres and in an average year collects 11 mega-litres of rainwater. Three tanks will be installed and will be ready to harvest water from October 2008.

The first stage of the project will deliver annual water savings of up to 2.75 mega-litres. City of Melbourne has identified the PROV Rainwater Harvesting Project as an ‘environmentally friendly innovation’ that will help to achieve its target of forty per cent water savings for the municipality by 2020. The project is also supported by the Federal Government Community Water Grants program.

Victorian Archives Centre building audit Over the past three years a number of design and construction issues were identified within the Victorian Archives Centre and a series of rectification works were undertaken to address these issues. The rectification works were largely associated with the provision of additional support between the precast panel walls and floor structure. Due to the ongoing nature of the defects identified, PROV engaged a structural engineer to conduct a full building assessment. The results of this assessment are currently being reviewed by PROV and it is expected that further rectification works will be scheduled during 2009.

Disaster recovery Disaster recovery plans have been put in place for both the Victorian Archives Centre and Ballarat Archives Centre. PROV was a party to the establishment of a disaster recovery support network with other Arts portfolio agencies and has taken the initiative of establishing a similar network in Ballarat, initially consisting of PROV stakeholders. These support networks are currently developing formal memorandums of understanding which are expected to be finalised in 2008–2009. The networks will provide members with support and assistance in the event of a disaster such as flooding or fire.

Appendices

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Appendix 1: Assets and Financial statement Assets The assets include both community and operating assets in the following four categories:

Community assets These assets are the state’s archival holdings.

The holdings have been valued at $189.3 million.

Buildings Records repositories for storage of the state archives and the state government’s non-current records are located at North Melbourne and Ballarat.

Motor vehicles Public Record Office Victoria operates two vehicles: a sedan and a station wagon.

Plant and operating equipment Operating assets are used for the upkeep of the repositories so public records can be stored safely and made available for public inspection. They include microform readers and printers, photocopiers, computer equipment, buggies and forklift vehicles, compactus shelving, general office furniture and equipment and stores.

Financial statement Operating Other operating1 Salary Sub-total Capital2 Total expenditure

2006–2007 $2,696,150 $8,162,236 $4,212,954 $15,071,340 $1,982,430 $17,053,770

2007–2008 $2,584,482 $9,657,700 $5,052,712 $17,294,894 $1,387,554 $18,682,448

1 Other operating includes capital asset charge and depreciation expense.

2 Capital investment includes progress payments for the building of the digital archive and investment against the PROV asset management plan.

Staff profile Total Number of employees At 30 June 2007 At 30 June 2008 Number of staff members, by position type Executive Professional Administration Number of staff members, by employment type Permanent full-time Permanent part-time Fixed term Number of male and female directors and managers Director Managers

Female

Male

60 691

35 43

25 26

1 63 5

1 37 4

0 26 1

52 10 7

28 8 6

24 2 1

1 3

1 1

0 2

1 Increase in staff numbers reflects a change in employment practice, with a number of positions moving from casual to VPS employment.

Note: these figures are included in the reported staff numbers for the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Appendix 2: Publications A full list of current PROV publications is available on the PROV website at www.prov.vic.gov.au/publications.

Publications are available from: Publication Sales Public Record Office Victoria PO Box 2100 North Melbourne VIC 3051

Phone: (03) 9348 5600 Fax: (03) 9348 5656 Email: ask.prov@prov.vic.gov.au

Publications 2007–2008 PROV produced the following publications during 2007–2008: Books Footprints: The Journey of Lucy and Percy Pepper … an Aboriginal family’s struggle for survival …

Jointly published by National Archives of Australia and Public Record Office Victoria, Footprints tells the family’s story through correspondence between Lucy and Percy Pepper and government officials and Aboriginal administrators. © Commonwealth of Australia and State of Victoria 2008 ISBN 978 1 9208 0761 0 (pbk.)

Magazines, newsletters and journals PROactive Access Services magazine published simultaneously in print and on the PROV website.

Spring 2007, No. 41 Summer 2007–08, No. 42 Winter 2008, No. 43 ISSN 1321-9545

rEsearch A bi-monthly text-only newsletter published simultaneously by email to subscribers and on the PROV website.

August 2007, No. 24 October 2007, No. 25 December 2007, No. 26 February 2008, No. 27 April 2008, No. 28 June 2008, No. 29 ISSN 1499-0331

Provenance: the Journal of Public Record Office Victoria An annual online journal presenting research from the records held at PROV.

Issue 6, September 2007 ISSN 1832-2522

POD Newsletter A bi-monthly newsletter for the Places of Deposit (POD) network published simultaneously by email to subscribers and on the PROV website.

July 2007, No. 2 September 2007, No. 3 November 2007, No. 4 January 2008, No. 5 March 2008, No. 6 May 2008, No. 7

Koorie Records Unit Newsletter A bi-annual newsletter from PROV’s Koorie Records Unit published simultaneously by email to subscribers and on the PROV website.

February 2008, No. 1 June 2008, No. 2

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Appendix 3: Standards and advice issued Section 12 of the Public Records Act 1973 requires the Keeper of Public Records to establish standards for the efficient management of public records and to assist public offices in the application of those standards to records under their control. The Act requires public offices to implement records management programs in accordance with the standards established by the Keeper.

For a complete list of standards see www.prov.vic.gov.au/records/standards.

Advices These assist Victorian government agencies with applying the standards and provide guidance on specific issues.

Advices issued in 2007–2008 20a. Web-generated Records 20b. Technical Issues for Managing Web-generated Records

Retention and Disposal Authorities Retention and Disposal Authorities specify mandatory retention periods for Victorian public records.

Authorities issued in 2007–2008 PROS

Title of authority

Issue date

Expiry date

PROS 07/04

Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of Film Victoria

31/07/2007

31/07/2017

PROS 07/05

Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of State Trustees 20/08/2007 Limited

20/08/2017

PROS 07/06

Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of the Office of the Health Services Commissioner

26/10/2007

26/10/2017

PROS 07/07

Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of the Electrical Safety Function

12/10/2007

12/10/2017

PROS 07/08

Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of the Surveyor General

19/10/2007

19/10/2017

PROS 07/09

Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of the Registrar General

19/10/2007

19/10/2017

PROS 07/10

Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of the Land Registry

19/10/2007

19/10/2017

PROS 08/03

Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of the County Court

13/03/2008

13/03/2018

PROS 08/04

Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of the Employment, Investment & Industry Functions

12/03/2008

12/03/2018

PROS 08/05

Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of the Law Reform Function

27/05/2008

27/05/2018

Variations to existing authorities PROS

Title of authority

49

Issue date

Expiry date

PROS 92/05 Records Disposal Schedule for Magistrates’ Court – 01/09/1990 Onwards – Variation 6

27/06/2008

30/06/2009

PROS 94/02 Retention and Disposal Authority for Department of Justice – Police Station Records – Variation 9

12/11/2007

31/12/2008

PROS 95/05 Retention and Disposal Authority for Magistrates’ Court – Pre 01/09/1990 Records – Variation 2

04/09/2007

30/06/2008

PROS 95/05 Retention and Disposal Authority for Magistrates’ Court – Pre 01/09/1990 Records – Variation 3

27/06/2008

30/06/2009

PROS 96/10 General Retention and Disposal Authority for Prison Records – Variation 4

29/11/2007

31/12/2008

PROS 96/17 Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of the Victorian Taxi Directorate – Variation 2

21/01/2008

17/02/2009

PROS 96/20 Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of the Public Transport Corporation and the Victorian Rail Track Corporation – Variation 3

21/05/2008

31/12/2010

PROS 96/21 Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Function – Variation 1

01/08/2007

05/02/2009

PROS 97/06 Records Disposal Schedule for Victorian Arts Centre Trust – Variation 1

01/08/2007

20/08/2008

PROS 97/07 Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of Vehicle Registration and Driver Licensing – Variation 2

29/11/2007

31/12/2008

PROS 97/08 Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of the Building Control Commission – Variation 2

29/11/2007

30/08/2008

PROS 98/01 General Retention and Disposal Authority for Local Government 06/06/2008 Records – Variation 3

30/06/2009

PROS 99/04 General Retention and Disposal Authority for Public Health Services Patient Records – Variation 3

11/10/2007

19/05/2009

PROS 99/04 General Retention and Disposal Authority for Public Health Services Patient Records – Variation 4

29/05/2008

19/05/2009

PROS 96/08 Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of the County Court – Variation 3

13/03/2008

13/03/2008

Standards PROV’s standards and specifications establish requirements for the creation, management and use of Victorian public records.

Variations to existing standards Four standards were extended by the Keeper in 2008 to bridge the period of development of new standards: PROS

Title of standard

Issue date

Expiry date

PROS 97/01

Management of Public Records – Variation 1

14/01/2008

28/02/2011

PROS 97/02

Creation and Maintenance of Public Records – Variation 1

14/01/2008

28/02/2011

PROS 97/03

Destruction of Public Records – Variation 1

14/01/2008

28/02/2011

PROS 97/04

Transfer and Storage of Public Records – Variation 1

14/01/2008

28/02/2011

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Appendix 4: Approved Public Record Office Victoria Storage Suppliers (APROSS) APROSS sites are commercial facilities that have been inspected by PROV and approved for the storage of temporary and unsentenced public records.

For a complete list of APROSS sites see www.prov.vic.gov.au/records/apross.asp.

APROSS facilities approved in 2007–2008 Compu-stor, Altona Databank Technologies Limited, Kew (site in Abbotsford) Metrofile Records Management, Laverton North (second site in Sunshine) The Doc Shop Pty Ltd, Traralgon Vicsec Management Services, Morwell

Appendix 5: Approved Places of Deposit for temporary records

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Places of Deposit are community facilities that meet the storage standards required by PROV to preserve records of significance to local communities.

For a complete list of Places of Deposit see www.prov.vic.gov.au/about/collection/deposit.asp.

Places of Deposit appointed in 2007–2008 Name of organisation

Date appointed

Location

Ararat and District Historical Society Inc

21 December 2007

Langi Morgala Museum 48 Queen St Ararat 3377

Birregurra District Historical Centre Inc

21 December 2007

45 Main St Birregurra 3242

Echuca Historical Society Inc

21 December 2007

1 Dickson St Echuca 3564

Foster and District Historical Society Inc

21 December 2007

Main St Foster 3960

Inglewood District Historical Society Inc

21 December 2007

91 Southey St Inglewood 3517

Port Welshpool and District Maritime Museum

21 December 2007

Cnr Turnbull & Townsend St Port Welshpool 3965

Shepparton Family History Group Inc

21 December 2007

154 Welsford St Shepparton 3630

Stawell Historical Society Inc

21 December 2007

44–46 Longfield St Stawell 3380

Tatura and District Historical Society Inc

21 December 2007

Cnr Ross & Hogan St Tatura 3616

Toora and District Historical Society Inc

21 December 2007

Community Hall Gray St Toora 3962

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Appendix 6: VERS-compliant products After testing conducted by PROV, the following systems have demonstrated a capability of meeting either all or part of the requirements for long-term electronic records management outlined in PROS 99/007: Standard for the Management of Electronic Records (also known as the VERS standard).

Systems may be certified against some or all of the specifications listed in the standard. Please see the VERS compliance pages on the PROV website for more information (www.prov.vic.gov.au/vers/assessment).

Product

Vendor

Standard version

Spec 1

Spec 2

Spec 3

Spec 4

Spec 5

Open Text eDOCS RM, VERS VEO Edition (formerly Hummingbird)

Open Text Corp

2

Jan 08

Dec 05

Oct 07

Oct 07

Oct 07

IBM FileNet P8 Records Manager 4.x

IBM

2

Jan 08

Jan 08

Jan 08

Jan 08

Jan 08

Bluepoint Content Manager 7.5

Bluepoint

2

Feb 08

Feb 08

Mar 08

Feb 08

Feb 08

Meridio 4.4

Meridio Ltd

2

Apr 07

Apr 07

Objective 7.3

Objective Corp Ltd

2

Oct 06

Apr 07

Sep 07

Sep 07

Sep 07

Livelink 3.0.1

OpenText Pty Ltd

2

Mar 06*

Mar 06*

Trim Context 6.2

TOWER Software

2

Feb 08

Jan 08

Jan 08

Feb 08

Feb 08

Dataworks 3.0.4

Avand Pty Ltd

2

Jan 06*

Hummingbird Enterprise 2005

Hummingbird Australia Pty Ltd

2

Dec 05*

Image REAL Document Management

Canon Australia

2

Nov 05*

Win VEO 2.0

VERS Pty Ltd

2

Apr 05*

Documentum Content Server 5.2.5/Document Records Manager 4.1a

EMC Corp

2

Sep 04*

Electronic Document Management System as installed at the Essential Services Commission for the EDM project

Alphawest

1.2#

Sep 05* Sep 05*

Sep 05

Document WorkBench 2000 Release 6

Fuji Xerox Australia Pty Ltd

1.2#

Feb 05*

Feb 05*

Feb 05

Electronic Document Management System as installed at the Department of Justice for the EDM project

Alphawest

1.2#

Mar 04*

Mar 04*

Mar 04

Win VEO 1.1.0.13

VERS Pty Ltd

1.2#

Nov 03*

Nov 03

Objective 6i

Objective Corp

1.2#

Aug 02*

VERS Compliant Recordkeeping Alphawest System as installed at the Department of Infrastructure for the VERS@DOI project versions 1 & 2

1.2#

Jun 02*

Jun 02*

Recordpoint for Microsoft Sharepoint (MOSS 2007)

2

Apr 08

Apr 08

*

Uniqueworld

Apr 05

Jun 02

Denotes conditions associated with certificate.

# Standard version 1.2 Specification 3 included VERS Standard Electronic Record Format, VERS Long Term Preservation Formats and Export of Electronic Records to PROV.

Appendix 7: VERS consultancy services VERS consultancies support the implementation of effective and integrated (digital and physical) records management from capture to disposal or transfer to PROV. During 2007–2008 PROV undertook 124 consultancies for a wide variety of organisations.

All Victorian government departments continued with initiatives designed to improve their digital records management capabilities and achieve VERS compliance. Consultants from PROV were engaged by departments on a range of activities including strategic reviews, business case development, funding bids, procurement processes, analysis and design, and process implementation.

Agencies and organisations utilising VERS consultancy services Australasian Digital Recordkeeping Initiative (ADRI) Delegations from China, Japan, Thailand, Czech Republic, Spain and New Zealand Department of Planning and Community Development Department of Human Services Department of Infrastructure Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development Department of Justice Department of Premier and Cabinet Department of Primary Industries Department of Sustainability and Environment Department of Treasury and Finance Essential Services Commission FileNET Corporation Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Safety Board National Archives of Australia NSW Premier’s Office Office of Commonwealth Games Coordination Queensland State Archives State Records New South Wales State Records Office of Western Australia State Records of South Australia

Consultancy services provided Digital recordkeeping and disposal arrangements, email capture, websites Suggestions for adoption of better digital recordkeeping and VERS Relationship of VERS and digital recordkeeping with classification and metadata Integration of VERS fundamentals into forward information management plans Impact of VERS with regard to digital records management Assistance in planning VERS requirements into EDRMS procurement processes Advice on digital recordkeeping and retention and disposal planning Strategic impact of VERS in the roll-out of ECM within government Suggestions for adoption of better digital recordkeeping and VERS Advice on metadata requirements Metadata object model support Advice regarding best methods of enabling maximum access to files Requirements for transfer and VERS readiness explained Advice regarding VERS compliance, disposal and transfer strategy Digital archive storage technologies Digital record transfer support Input into the information management planning process Input into information management projects Strategic advice regarding VERS and document and records strategy

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Glossary accession

A group of records from the same transferring agency taken into PROV custody at the same time. The records may be formally arranged and described into records series and consignments or they may be unarranged and undescribed. Accessioning refers to the process of formally accepting and recording the receipt of records into custody (Keeping Archives1).

advice

A document issued by PROV providing advice to Victorian agencies on a recordkeeping issue. (Includes formal advice about standards as well as forms and other tools to help Victorian government agencies manage and use public records.)

appraisal

The process of evaluating business activities to determine which records need to be captured and how long the records need to be kept to meet business needs, the requirements of organisational accountability and community expectations (Australian Standard AS ISO 15489.1).

APROSS

Approved Public Record Office Storage Supplier – the PROV program for the storage of records which the Keeper of Public Records has approved for eventual destruction or which are awaiting a decision as to their archival value.

archive

The whole body of records of continuing value of an organisation or individual.

Sometimes called ‘corporate memory’ (AS 4390.1 -1996).

archives

Records considered to have continuing or permanent value that have been, or will be, transferred to the custody of an archival organisation; also used to refer to the buildings in which archival records are stored and to organisations that have responsibility for archival records (Private lives, public records2).

consignment

A consignment comprises record items belonging to a single record series that has been transferred to the custody of PROV as part of the one accession. A consignment may comprise the whole or only part of a series. Each consignment is identified by a code (e.g. VPRS 1234/P1).

digital / electronic record

A record produced, housed or transmitted by electronic means rather than physical means. A record expressed in an electronic digital format. A record stored in a form that only a computer can process.

digitised record / digital image

An electronic reproduction of a picture, photograph or physical item (e.g. letter or document) that can be stored on computer or disk, and can be viewed, transmitted, manipulated and/or printed via computer. A subset of digital records (Private lives, public records).

disposal

A range of processes associated with implementing appraisal decisions. These include the retention, deletion or destruction of records in or from recordkeeping systems. They may also include the migration or transmission of records between recordkeeping systems, and the transfer of custody or ownership of records.

Within the Victorian public sector, records are appraised to determine their significance (business, legal or historical) and then judged to be either of temporary or permanent value to the state. Government bodies are guided by standards or schedules issued

by PROV to regulate the disposal of records.

disposal authority

A legal document that defines the retention periods and consequent disposal actions authorised for specific classes of records (AS 4390.1 -1996).

permanent records

Records which have been appraised as being of permanent value to the State of Victoria and which must be kept forever.

place of deposit (POD)

A location approved by the Victorian government minister responsible for PROV for the storage by community groups of temporary records of local value.

provenance

A principle that involves establishing the administrative context in which records were created and used. The provenance of records includes their original creators and users, and the subsequent administrators who were responsible for the recordkeeping system in which the records were kept (Private lives, public records).

1 J. Ellis (ed.), Keeping Archives, 1993, The Australian Society of Archivists Inc., Australia.

2 B. Fensham et al., Private lives, public records, 2004, Public Record Office Victoria, Australia.

public record

A record made or received by any person employed in a public office while carrying out his or her public duties (Public Records Act 1973).

public records

Information or documents created as part of the activities of state government departments, agencies and local government (Private lives, public records).

reading room

Area set aside at PROV centre for public access to records (formerly known as search room) (Private lives, public records).

record

Something that documents a particular event or decision, or a document and its contents that have some evidentiary value.

A record can take many forms: • a document in writing • a book, map, plan, graph or drawing • a photograph • a label marking or other writing which identifies or describes anything of which it forms part, or to which it is attached by any means whatsoever • a disc, tape, soundtrack or other device in which sounds or other data (not being visual images) are embodied so as to be capable (with or without the aid of some other equipment) of being reproduced therefrom • a film, negative, tape or other device in which one or more visual images is embodied so as to be capable (as aforesaid) of being reproduced therefrom • anything whatsoever on which is marked any words, figures, letters or symbols which are capable of carrying a definite meaning to persons conversant with them (AS ISO 15489.1).

recordkeeping

Making and maintaining complete, accurate and reliable evidence of business transactions in the form of recorded information.

records management

Field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposal of records, including processes for capturing and maintaining evidence of and information about business activities and transactions in the form of records (AS ISO 15489.1).

repository

The building (or part of the building) in which the collection/holdings are housed.

series

A group of records which are recorded or maintained by the same agency or agencies and which: • are in the same numerical, alphabetical, chronological or other identifiable sequence; or • result from the same accumulation or filing process, perform the same function or may be of similar physical shape or information content.

standard

A set of criteria that states a level of requirement for Victorian agencies. Standards are established by the Keeper of Public Records under the Public Records Act 1973.

Standards can be compliance-oriented or oriented towards best practice.

temporary records

Records which are appraised as being of value for a bounded time span and which may be destroyed once they are older than that time span.

transfer

The removal of public records from the offices which have created or inherited them.

Custody, ownership and/or responsibility for the records is changed (e.g. from the office to PROV) (AS ISO 15489.1).

unsentenced records

Records which have not yet been appraised and whose status is therefore not yet determined (Public Records Act 1973).

VPRS

An abbreviation for Victorian Public Record Series. A VPRS number is allocated to each record series when it is transferred to PROV.

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