NSW Local Studies Librarians meeting 23 March 2021 9 am- 3.30pm Minutes
Virtual attendees: Aaron Fox (Innerwest), Adrienne Brown (Penrith), Aleem Aleemullah (Innerwest), Alison Wishart (Bayside), Amie Zar (Innerwest), Andrew Allen (Campbelltown), Angela Phippen (Ryde), Anne Lee (Shoalhaven), Barbara Swebeck (Woollahra), Beverley Fenton (Moree), Brigid Whitbread (Queanbeyan), Brittani Ivan, Christine Collman (Newcastle), Claire Lynch (Campbelltown), Dan Fredericks (Parkes), Donna Braye (Mosman), Elisabeth McCutcheon (Gilgandra), Elissa Blair (Hawkesbury), Emma Williams (Albury), Erik Champion (ANU), Geoff Potter (Central Coast), Gialy Ly (Fairfield), Grace Karskens (UNSW), Helen McDonald (Sutherland), Helen Thompson (Macquarie), Hilary Powell (Wollongong), Ingrid Grace (Waverley), Jane Elias (Cumberland), Janelle Collins (Central Coast) Jeff Stonehouse (Port Macquarie), Jennifer McConchie (Wollongong) Jenny MacRitchie (Strathfield), Jessica Graham (Ku-ring-gai), Jo Oliver (Wollongong), John Johnson (Canada Bay), Julie Sykes (Central West), Karen Richardson (Hornsby), Kate Eastick (Albury), Kay Shirt (Lithgow), Kimberley O'Sullivan (Cessnock), Kirsten Broderick (Bayside), Mandy Vaccaro (Albury), Maribel Morales Rosales (Cumberland), Marilyn Gallo (Fairfield), Mary Lou Byrne (Mosman), Mary-Clare Thatcher (Bathurst), Melissa Tong (Macquarie), Michael Sullivan (Campbelltown), Michelle Goldsmith (Central Coast), Michelle Nichols (Hawkesbury), Michelle Richmond (Northern Beaches), Neera Sahni (Parramatta), Ngarie Macqueen (Richmond Valley), Ravneet Gill (Blacktown), Rebecca Cook (Kiama), Samantha Starr (Macquarie), Sharelle Ravenscroft (Northern Beaches), Simone Taylor (Dubbo), Sue Killham (Narrandera), Sue Miller (Hornsby), Sue Ryan (Newcastle), Thomas MacRae (Georges River), Tim Pike (Bathurst), Tracy Fraser (Broken Hill), Vicki Movizio (Camden), Wendy Gallagher (State Records NSW).
Apologies: Josh Davis from Trace Archaeology. Josh will present in November.
9am Chat
9.30am Welcome and acknowledgement of country
9.40 – 10.20am General Business
- Local studies audit update: Local studies audit results are still being compiled. Some of the notable areas that require further discussion and assistance for public libraries are - no preservations plans, 70% of respondents didn't have a preservation plan; lack of disaster plans; staffing time for local studies; Indigenous heritage material. Possible assistance and training in these areas to be considered. Digital material is still increasing. How is the data used from the audit? - Data is used to provide training and support of projects that further enhance local studies access. Portable local studies outreach was a direct result of the audit from 5 years ago. Are we archiving web material on our own websites? Not currently being done by most libraries.
- Wider Local Studies sessions: Once a month drop in sessions on 1st Wednesday of the month at 2pm. These are combined Wider local studies (national local studies discussion) and NSW public library discussion. These are drop in chats and are different to the longer meetings. A meeting in July is being planned with the agenda to be released at a later date. The wider local studies meetings provide a state perspective on local studies issues. Join the wider local studies email list here https://lists.libraries.nsw.gov.au/postorius/lists/widerlocalstudies.libraries.nsw.gov.au/
- INDY READS, Ellen Forsyth, SLNSW: Currently no further progression on uploading local studies oral histories and ebooks to Indyreads. Odilo has undergone some staff changes as well as being based in Spain and dealing with the consequences of COVID. They will be providing a training video on uploading content to Indyreads. This will then be trialled by one library with an expression of interest called for after that. SLNSW would offer training to libraries interested in uploading their local studies content. Check out the oral histories that have previously been loaded on Indyreads.
- Wiki training: Please contact Ellen or Kate O'Grady for wiki editing training. You will need to join the wiki first, https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/wiki_join
- Possible topics for discussion at next meeting: Mice, mould and other pests. Archiving websites. Possible buddy system between libraries to assist local studies staff. Any other topics of interest, please let a committee member know.
W & F Pascoes will be closing in June. The digitisation part of the business has been sold but microfilming will cease when they close. Other companies for microfilming to be considered.
10.35 – 10.55am Local Studies in a Flash: 10 slides in 5 minutes
- Alison Wishart, Community History Project Officer, Rockdale. Community History Harmonisation Project Alison is auditing the local studies collection for Bayside in a 12 month project. Rockdale and Botany Bay Councils merged in 2016. Redevelopment of the libraries has led to an audit of the community history collections. Alison has found that access to records/archives often needed for answering is not simple. An investment of time is needed for improvement to access this information but balancing that with business as usual has proven difficult. Museum data is no longer able to be supported and can’t be added to LMS. Cataloguing issues has also meant that a librarian is required to access information.
- Angela Phippen, Programs Librarian, Local Studies Ryde. Using social media to publicise Ryde’s Chinese market gardeners during the Lunar New Year festivities For Lunar New Year 2021 promotion of Ryde’s Chinese market gardens from research Angela has gathered over the years from National Archives. Angela's previous presentation on her research can be found here https://wiki.libraries.nsw.gov.au/doku.php?id=minutes_19_november_2020_online_local_studies Angela chose 6 short biographies and photos of Chinese market gardeners to promote on social media highlighting the research that can be found in archives. Angela aimed to provide more engagement through interactions with the public on social media. Thinking about and composing the content for the posts required some work. For future posts, more hash tags and linking back to the collection would be improvements. You can see all the posts here https://www.instagram.com/cityofryde/
10.55 - 11.35am Grace Karskens, Emeritus Professor of History School of Humanities and Languages UNSW. Using local records for research
Grace provided an interesting insight into how she uses local studies collections in her research. Consider using different areas to look at for history research such as houses, roads and maps and essential local records. People and landscapes provide further information and details in her research. Previously a lack of Indigenous history was provided in schooling, however historians now look at the broader history and include Indigenous and convict history. This has also occurred with the women's history. Local collections can provide inspiration and influence research, offering more detail through sources such as reminiscences. Other sources of historical material including local history societies, museum collections, library collections and photos can all add to the scope of research. Connecting documents and stories can become stories in their own right.
Kimberley O’Sullivan, Cessnock City Library – Spoke about winning a Heritage and Culture award for Keep Australia Beautiful/Sustainable Communities – community projects that showcase local history. Kimberley suggested that libraries should be looking at entering such awards as promotion of the projects we undertake with local studies and the community we engage.
12 -12.40pm Dr. Erik Champion, Emeritus Professor at Curtin, Hon Research Prof at ANU and Hon Research Fellow at UWA. Virtual heritage: tools, projects, hopes and challenges.
Erik presented a view of virtual heritage, combining virtual reality with cultural heritage as a way of explaining and engaging in cultural heritage. Interactive history can be used to view different perspectives and express concepts such as intangible heritage. Some of the challenges facing virtual heritage include copyright, software standards that are unable to be shared and cost of equipment. Gaming set ups can be programmed to interact with history and provide an opportunity to engage in meaningful ways with the public. His presentation is here.
He recommends this site for free tutorials on various digital humanities topics. https://dhdu.westernsydney.edu.au/
- AProf Rachel Hendery UWSyd she runs DHdownunder and he greatly recommend the workshops
- There is also Tracy Ireland at U of Canberra regards heritage
- AProf Mitchell Whitelaw at ANU regards visualisation
12.45- 2pm Lunch
2.00 pm-2.05pm, 2.22 pm-3.15 pm Tim Pike - Collection, Facility Project Manager, Bathurst Regional Council, ‘The Central Tablelands Collections Facility, or What to do with lots of stuff!’
Tim Pike gave a very interesting presentation about the background and planning of the new Central Tablelands Collections Facility being built in Bathurst, which will house and service the museum objects, artworks and records from the Bathurst region. Work commenced on the building site on Monday 22nd March (until it was stopped by the rain), and it is planned to be finished by 30 December this year. [The presentation was paused temporarily soon after Tim commenced his PowerPoint presentation at 2.05 pm, as he lost internet access, before recommencing at 2.22 pm]
In the interim: 2.05 pm-2.20pm General business continued
Ellen Forsyth talked about the [localstudies] FW: Untapped: the Australian Literary Project email that she emailed today. Ellen said that the digitised items would go on Indyreads, and that people could suggest a local studies publication. Ellen thought that it could be argued that a local studies work could fit the significance criteria. Donna Braye mentioned that Ellen Forsyth had suggested she write to the State Library of NSW requesting that someone write a workshop on virtual heritage or creating a heritage game.
Angela Pippen said that there is a great project happening in Ireland – “Beyond 2022 : Ireland’s Virtual Record Treasury ” project, that is doing a virtual reconstruction of the interior of the courts building burnt in 1922, and putting copies of digitized copies of duplicate records that survived elsewhere on this website. A little demonstration is available on this website https://beyond2022.ie/ that allows you to “walk through”.
Michelle Nichols reported that the Hawkesbury Library and Hawkesbury City Council were both closed due to the flooding, and she was working from home. Michelle said the the new bridge was supposed to be flood free, but it went under water within 24 hours, before the dam water was released, so it is not very effective.
A discussion was held about the closing of [W. & F.] Pascoe’s microfilming and digital conversion services. Michelle [Nichols or Richmond??] said that the microfilming will be operating until the end of June, then the digital conversion services section [which has been sold] will be moving to Hornsby. Donna Braye said that it should work really well with the new owners. John Johnson from Canada Bay said he was presently surprised dealing recently with Gosford Micrographics, and that they were good, and they turned up with a van, they hauled it all off, and gave a price. He has no hesitation in recommending them – Gosford Micrographics can scan at different resolutions. For the maps John said they specified 300 jpg, and changes to changes file names – the “proof is in the pudding” when he does some quality control when he gets everything back. Michelle Richmond said that Pacscoe’s scan at 1200 dpi.
3.15pm-3.56pm Kate Eastick, Exhibition Curator, Albury Library Museum, ‘Collaboration in a time of Covid. Two exhibitions were devised in collaboration with community partners and Kate reflects on the benefits and challenges of curatorial collaboration.
Kate Eastick gave an informative presentation looking at 2 exhibitions she worked at with community groups before Covid, and her experiences presenting these exhibitions during the Covid period, and her reflections on the benefits and challenges of curatorial collaboration. The first exhibition presented was the art exhibition ‘Earth Canvas: Art in Ag : Linking Artists with Regenerative Farmers’, with programs including a writer’s festival, workshops and on farm events, and working with six artists. Kate discussed the challenges of working during lockdown and navigation of new technologies, and greater opportunities for events and programming created by moving online. The second exhibition presented was ‘Nurses on Call : Celebrating the Year of the Nurse and Midwife’. When Covid came in the proposed hospital display in collaboration with Albury Wodonga Health had to be moved entirely online. The move online meant a change of content, and utilising Council resources for website design and hosting, and learning a log about online processes and permissions, copyright, and storage of online items.
Next meeting:
Donna Braye advised the next meeting is planned for November. The meeting is supposed to be held at Moree next. It will be either online or at Moree. Online Zoom meeting closed at 3.59 pm.