Annual Report to the Minister 2003–2004 Cover: Victorian Archives Centre Staff and Researchers
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Public Record Office Victoria Annual Report to the Minister 2003–2004 Cover: Victorian Archives Centre staff and researchers. Photographers (clockwise from top left): Norman Wodetzki; Norman Wodetzki; Kate Morris; Laura Daniele Public Record Office Victoria Annual Report to the Minister 2003–2004 A report from the Keeper of Public Records as required under section 21 of the Public Records Act 1973 4 The Hon. John Thwaites, MP Minister for Victorian Communities Photograph: Christopher Atkins The Honourable John Thwaites, MP Minister for Victorian Communities 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 2004. Yours sincerely Justine Heazlewood Director and Keeper of Public Records 30 June 2004 5 Contents 7 Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) 28 VERS Training 9 Purpose 29 National 9 What We Do 29 International 9 Objectives 29 Digital Archive 11 Highlights 2003–2004 30 Access 11 Digital Archive 30 Reference Services 11 Launch of Koorie Heritage Trust 31 Public Programs 12 Trust and Technology 31 Exhibitions and Displays 12 Harry Nunn Reading Room 32 Travelling Exhibitions 13 Distributed Records Network 32 Publications 13 People Management Awards 33 Seminars 14 Public Records Advisory Council 33 PROV Indexes Online 14 Members 2003–2004 34 Volunteers Program 14 Issues Addressed by Council 35 Victorian Koorie Records Taskforce 14 Regional Visits 36 Record Issues Office 15 Administration 37 Corporate 16 Contacts 37 Human Resource Management 17 Organisation Structure 37 Finance and Budgeting 18 Output Measures 2003–2004 37 Information Technology 37 Facilities 38 Leadership: Industry and Community 19 Operations 38 Sir Rupert Hamer Awards 21 Records 38 Records Management Network 21 Archives and Records 38 Archives and Records Management 21 Authorities Week 2004 21 Advice and Training 39 Archival Support Program 22 Archives Created: Records Transferred 39 CHHA Family History Expo to PROV 22 Records Processed 41 Appendices 22 Records Transferred 22 Authorised Destructions 42 Appendix 1: Assets and 24 Distributed Records Network Financial Statement 24 Repository Services 43 Appendix 2: Publications 24 Regulation and Compliance 45 Appendix 3: Approved Public Record 25 Framework Office Storage Supplier Facilities 26 Compliance 50 Appendix 4: Current Public Record Office 26 Training Victoria Standards and Authorities 26 Knowledge 51 Appendix 5: Approved Places of Deposit 27 Victorian Electronic Records Strategy 54 Appendix 6: List of Guides and Advices Centre of Excellence (VERS COE) 55 Appendix 7: List of Organisations that 27 VERS COE Outcomes received programs offered by VERS COE 27 VERS COE Achievements 28 VERS COE Governance 6 Sandra Hopper, Reference Officer, PROV Photograph: Louisa Scott 7 Public Record Office Victoria 8 Bernadette Golding, Senior Archivist, PROV Photograph: Louisa Scott 9 Researchers using the Harry Nunn Reading Room Public Record Photograph: Norman Wodetzki Office Victoria Purpose Objectives To ensure the effective and efficient Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) is management, preservation and use of the established under the Public Records Act public records of the State of Victoria. 1973. The objectives of PROV as set out in the Act What we do are to: • issue standards regulating the creation, Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) is maintenance and security of public established under the Public Records Act records including the selection and 1973 as the state archives and records disposal of public records not worthy of management authority. preservation; PROV is part of the Department for Victorian • advise and assist agencies in achieving Communities (DVC) and is responsible for compliance with issued standards; the long-term disposal and care of all records produced or held by the State •preserve public records of permanent Government. The public records provide value as the state archives; evidence of government actions, past • ensure that the archives are accessible to and present. the government and the people of Victoria. Records managed by PROV date from the PROV’s core outputs stem from these establishment in Victoria of permanent legislative obligations. government services in 1836 and involve The Department for Victorian Communities every arm of government including Cabinet, looks for practical and workable ways to Treasury, the courts, schools, municipal build cohesive communities and reduce councils and Parliament. PROV manages inequalities, in line with the State these records for use by both the State Government’s policy, ’Growing Victoria Government and the people of Victoria. Together’. PROV contributes to these objectives in a number of ways. • PROV helps to ensure government accountability to the community, thereby contributing to the objective ‘Government that listens and leads’. • PROV’s emphasis on regional, Koorie and electronic access to the Victorian archive contributes to ‘Promoting rights and respecting diversity’ by aiming to provide equity of access to groups with special needs – irrespective of location. • PROV’s activities in the preservation, access and delivery of archival records contributes to an informed community – a requirement for ‘Building cohesive communities and reducing inequalities’. 10 • The use of ‘cutting edge’ information PROV priorities for 2003–2004 included: technology directly contributes to ‘Growing • the design of the Digital Archive and the and linking all Victoria’. continuation of the VERS Centre of • The development of electronic records Excellence (aimed at rolling out VERS assists with ‘Protecting the environment for across government departments to future generations’ by reducing paper preserve electronic records across the usage and waste production. State); • PROV’s comprehensive recordkeeping • the continued development of the Regional framework and infrastructure aids in Archives Network to preserve and make meeting the DVC objective to ‘Improve the available regional records of important range and quality of information from local significance that are at risk of loss; government available to communities’. • the continued development of a PROV’s specific priority outputs also best-practice Regulation and contribute to the achievement of other DVC Compliance Model; objectives, for example, Pooled • the completion of the new Melbourne Departmental Effort. Harry Nunn Reading Room providing • Departments and the State Government’s opportunities for enhanced service agencies are assisted in fulfilling their delivery; records management responsibilities to the •a focus on Koorie Records, an expansion Victorian community by the collaborations of community access opportunities and the between the VERS Centre of Excellence volunteers program to broaden the and the Regulation and Compliance Archives’ community profile and client Program. base. • Within the Regulation and Compliance Program, there is also support for tertiary institutes to deliver records management education building recordkeeping skills in both the community and government. • Within the DVC Community Jobs Program (CJP) PROV assists the long-term unemployed to develop skills and learn records management ensuring better records creation and presentation. • In its collaboration with Aboriginal Affairs Victoria (AAV), PROV unites Koorie affairs and records management expertise through the Victorian Koorie Records Taskforce. 11 Highlights 2003–2004 Digital Archive Koorie Heritage Trust as an One of the outputs of the VERS Centre of Official Place of PROV Excellence is the delivery of a Digital Archive Research to ensure the ongoing preservation of permanent electronic records of the Victorian In May 2004 to celebrate Reconciliation Government. The Digital Archive is one of Week, the Hon. Jenny Mikakos MLC, the key initiatives of the VERS long-term Parliamentary Secretary for Justice launched preservation strategy. the Koorie Heritage Trust as an official place of Public Record Office Victoria research. PROV began the Digital Archive project in July 2002 with the development of digital At the launch, PROV Director Justine archive specifications. The implementation Heazlewood spoke of the stories of the many phase of the project is underway and will run Indigenous individuals and families from until June 2005. 1830’s to the present day held in PROV’s records. In making the Trust an official place The key objectives of the Digital Archive of research PROV hopes to make these Project are to: stories more available to Victoria’s • Support best-practice management of the Indigenous community. Victorian Government electronic records, The community can now come to the Trust to •Preserve the permanent electronic records get expert assistance and guidance from the of the state, Trust’s Library and Family History Service •Provide access to the electronic records in staff, who have been trained in using the the PROV collection, and PROV collection. The Trust was also given copies of PROVguides and publications as •Improve access to all records in the PROV well as a copy of a microfilm of Koorie collection. records at PROV. The Koorie Heritage Trust The project will provide PROV with: is now a place where Indigenous Victorians can come and do their preliminary research •A digital repository to store and preserve into the State’s archives. permanent electronic records of the Victorian Government. The training that the staff at the Koorie Heritage Trust have received