INF 305 Professional Learning and Networking
Open House Melbourne: Victorian Archives Centre: Behind the scene tours and talks
Date: Saturday 30 July 2022
Description of Activity
Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) is the archives of the State Government of Victoria. PROV hold around 100kms of records dating from the 1830s right up to the present day. The Open House Melbourne theme for 2022 was built/unbuilt and visitors were shown some of the oldest records in the collection surveying Melbourne in the 1830’s, right through to the 1970 designs for building a landmark over the Jolimont rail yards.
Content/subject area
The Victorian State Archives Collections; archives, records; local and family history, government records.
Format:
Physical – Tours and Talks. Full day tours and talks from 10:00 am – 3:30 pm. Tours were conducted over the day; the tours had a duration of 45 minutes in groups of twenty people.
Length
8 hours physical presence
Audience
Information professionals: archivists; librarians; library technicians; record management staff and the general public.
Organisers
Public Record Office Victoria (PROV)
Presenters: Staff from the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV)
Delivery
Face to face tours.
Reflections
Objectives of the activity
To showcase the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) collections and provide a narrative for iconic records in addition to providing a history of the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV). The tours also showcased the large repositories and how they contribute to preserving Victorian Government collections. The tours also focused on how records are selected for custody in PROV and what types of records are appraised as being state archives.
Reason for attending
As an employee of PROV I volunteered to assist on the day. I assisted working on the registration desk and guiding visitors through the repositories. I also felt it was a great opportunity to learn more about the variety of the records in our collection and to meet the researchers that were interested in seeing and hearing about the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) in addition to learning the history of some of our iconic collections
Relationship of Activity to work
As an access services officer the knowledge I gained on the day enhanced my ability to respond to archival requests from researchers both in person and online in a more effective manner. To be successful in my role it is important to understand how archives are appraised, acquired, preserved and how they are used by their creators. The activity increased my knowledge of the collections and how records are catalogued on the PROV catalogue. This knowledge has enhanced my ability to assist researchers in a more accurate and timely manner.
Learning Outcomes
I am now more familiar with the diversity of PROV records and had a greater understanding of why archival records are appraised as being of permanent value to the state of Victoria. Prior to this event I was not fully aware of the vast array of records that were held in our collection, particularly Old Melbourne Cemetery collection which holds plans of exhumations found in record series VPRS 17130/P1; Unit 1 (1885-1920). Other interesting records include State Bank of Victoria Plans collection VPRS 8934/P5; Unit 1. These are really useful for workshops relating to Researching Your House.
How I plan to use the learning gained.
As an access services officer I respond to enquiries pertaining to our collection and assist clients locate those records, not only in the reading room but also via online reference and phone enquiries. It is always challenging for staff to know every record/item that is held in their collection, but I now I felt more confident in navigating our website to find answers for our clients. In addition, it inspired me to use this gained knowledge to introduce new themes and subjects for the workshops I conduct for family historians, historical societies, authors and local historians.
Evidence
Open House Melbourne