a message from queensland state archives · august 2020 a message from queensland state archives hi...
TRANSCRIPT
August 2020
A Message from Queensland State Archives
Hi everyone,
It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me, so I hope you are staying safe and well in these
testing times.
Since we last spoke, we have launched our new Archival Management System made up of
ArchivesSpace, ArchivesGateway and ArchivesSearch. Like all new IT systems, it has had its
teething problems, but we are over the moon with the flexibility it has given us and how it sets us up
for the future to manage the permanent records of Queensland.
A lot of users have told us how easy the system is to use and how they can find the records they
are responsible for. Our public clients have also given us feedback on how easy it is to find things!
So, a big shout out to the team at QSA for sticking with it and helping to shape and implement a
system that sets us up for the future.
Every year we do a review of the reports issued by other agencies such as the Ombudsman and
the Crime and Corruption Commission to see what the state of recordkeeping is in Queensland
government. Disappointingly many of the reports continue to highlight failures in recordkeeping.
It’s important for all of us to recognise ways that we can improve recordkeeping in our
organisations. If you have any suggestions as to how we might be able to do that, drop us a line at
Until next time.
QCN August 2020
Josephine
~ Josephine Marsh (Director Government Records & Discovery)
“The road to success is always under construction.”
~ Lily Tomlin
Is the QSA archival collection accessed much? YES!!!!!
With the start of the financial year in July we thought we’d share some pretty amazing stats with
you.
Often when we create, keep and delete records we’re only thinking about them in that moment and
not about what they might be used for in the future.
Queensland Government records that are permanent and need to be kept forever make it into the
Queensland State Archives collection. We look after it in a specially designed building here at
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Runcorn.
However, you might not know that the other big role we play with these records is providing
access to them.
Our public users access the collection in all different kinds of ways including through family
research, news segments, social media, artwork, exhibitions, publications, podcasts, and academic
research.
In the 2019 / 2020 financial year the number of times the collection was accessed was a
whopping 14,242,170!!! It’s hard to imagine that Queensland Government records have been
accessed that many times in just the course of a year!
Without good recordkeeping by government agencies we wouldn’t have so many great records to
be able to share with the community and we wouldn’t be able to preserve Queensland history in a
meaningful way. So, in short Queensland records are awesome!!!!
The State of Recordkeeping What do the reports say?
We recently examined 24 reports tabled during the 2019-20 financial year by the following
integrity agencies: the Queensland Audit Office, the Queensland Ombudsman, the Office of the
Information Commissioner and the Crime and Corruption Commission.
We found that poor recordkeeping and issues with recordkeeping were identified in many of these
reports.
Specific issues include:
• ineffective recordkeeping practices (e.g. procedures; policies; workplace culture)
• decentralised records management systems
• systems and technology limitations (e.g. maintenance; security, capability, automation)
• inadequate recordkeeping training / awareness
• falsified / fabricated records.
The reviews were spread across departments, statutory bodies, local governments, universities and
other controlled entities like companies and not-for profit organisations.
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With this in mind, it’s a great time to remind everyone that recordkeeping is an organisation
wide responsibility from the top to the bottom.
QSA is always looking for ways to help and improve recordkeeping across Queensland
Government. We’re always interested in hearing what suggestions or feedback you have.
Get in touch with us via email [email protected]. Our website is also a great place to
find recordkeeping help.
Which records to take? Changes to transferring records to QSA
Now that our new Archival Management System is up and running, it’s time to start taking transfers
of records again!
Last year we surveyed agencies about the records they hold that are over 25 years old. We
know there are a lot of physical and digital records still out there, many dating from before 1900 and
from agencies we have no records of in the collection.
From now on we will be focusing on ensuring we take the most valuable permanent records still
held by agencies into the collection to protect them AND make them accessible to everyone. We
are also mindful that our current facility at Runcorn has limited space remaining for all the
permanent records still out there.
So, what does this mean if you want to transfer records to us? From now on, we will be assessing
and prioritising any transfer proposals based on the following criteria:
• accessibility – records that are open and available to the public or close to being open to
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the public
• age – records older than 25 years and those created before 1900
• use – records that are no longer in regular business use by the agency or regularly
accessed
• underrepresentation – records on topics, regions and/or agencies that are
underrepresented in the archival collection
• significance – records with high political, social or cultural significance
• demand – records with a high anticipated demand by the community
• risk – records at risk of loss or damage due to age, format or poor storage conditions
We know this is a different approach from the past and it might have implication for the
management of your permanent records. Please get in touch with us if you have any concerns so
we can work together to find a solution – you can contact the Collection Enrichment and Discovery
team at mailto:[email protected].
If you have any transfers in the pipeline that you wish to discuss, please contact the Transfers
Team, on 3037 6641 or email [email protected].
Making the collection more discoverable A collaborative project between QIRC & QSA
QSA has recently partnered with the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) in a
project aimed at making their records easier to find and use.
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The 1100 boxes of records range from 1911 to 1984 and document the history of industrial
relations in Queensland. They were previously very difficult to use as individual files were not listed,
described or indexed.
To increase the discoverability of these records QIRC have based a team member onsite at QSA.
With support from QSA, Alex is listing the contents of each box so that individual files will be
much easier to find in the catalogue, adding important information such as names, places and
matter type.
This will make the records much more discoverable and useable for both QIRC, QSA and the
wider public.
Does your agency have records at QSA that could benefit from being easier to find and use? If so,
we’d love to hear from you and explore opportunities for getting similar projects off the ground.
Contact QSA’s Collection Enrichment and Discovery Team at [email protected] for
more information
The ‘EKKA’ A brief history
We know many lovers of the Royal Queensland Show more fondly referred to as ‘the EKKA’ are
sad that this year’s event was cancelled. To help fill that void we thought we’d share a brief history
of the show.
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The EKKA was launch in 1876 under the name ‘the Intercolonial Exhibition’ and was held at the
very same venue that it is held at today.
It was started with the goal in mind of specifically inviting the stock-owners and merchant
classes to participate. It was held from the 22 to 26 August 1876 and opening day was declared a
public holiday.
A staggering 17,000 people turned up on the first day which was an amazing number considering
that Brisbane’s population was 20,000 at the time.
Excitement was so high that day that 5,000 spectators charged the entry turnstiles in their
eagerness to get into the grounds.
Visitors were treated to over 1,000 exhibits and there were prizes for best livestock, products
and food. Visitors were given free show bags but no lollies or chocolates in these ones. The first
showbags contained coal!
Over the years it has grown bigger and better. The first ride was introduced in 1879 and was a
merry-go-round and in the same year attendees were treated to displays of telephones,
microphones and electric lights.
The 1950s would see the introduction of now iconic elements to the EKKA, Dagwood Dogs,
Strawberry Sundaes, and Fairy Floss.
Incredibly over more than 140 years of the EKKA it has only been cancelled 3 times. The first was
in 1919 when the Spanish Influenza epidemic was sweeping the nation and the world. The second
time in 1942 during the Second World War and the showgrounds were used as a staging depot for
troops. The last being this year during another worldwide pandemic with the Coronavirus (COVID-
19) outbreak in 2020.
QCN August 2020
ArchivesGateway tips and tricks
With the new agency portal, ArchivesGateway, up and running we know that learning a new system
can take time.
To help you out we thought we would share some quick tips and tricks to using the new system.
1. As this is a web-based platform use Firefox, Chrome or Microsoft Edge when accessing
ArchivesGateway as Internet Explorer is not a supported browser
2. Log into ArchivesGateway regularly to check the home page for notifications. You won’t
receive email notifications, so this is the best place to keep track of everything. It’s right
in the middle of the page so you won’t miss it!
Check out our website for more information on using ArchivesGateway and accessing the various
services, including user guides for each section.
New exhibition at QSA Fragments of Remembering
Fragments of Remembering is a new body of work by Yuwaalaraay, Gamilaraay and Koama
artist Melissa Stannard.
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Developed from her research into archival records of Aboriginal reserves, missions and family
members, Melissa’s works in jewellery, sculpture, assemblage and textiles embrace the
damaged parts of herself, her culture and family history.
By stitching together lost, discarded, rusted and broken fragments, her works document a journey
of discovery, identity and strength where history and healing meet.
The exhibition will be on display at QSA from 3 August – 30 September 2020 and is open
9.00am – 4.30pm Monday – Friday, and the second Saturday of each
Please note: This exhibition contains content that may be confronting to some viewers. It includes
adult themes. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visitors are warned photographs/videos in this
exhibition contain images of deceased persons, and historical documents which may cause
sadness or distress. Viewer discretion is advised.
Contact information & contact tracing Find out all in our new blog
Most of us have had to implement some sort of process to collect contact information for contact
tracing purposes in accordance with the Restrictions on Businesses, Activities and Undertakings
Direction (the Direction) issued by the Chief Health Officer.
But…did you know that these are considered public records?
As public records, they need to be stored and managed accordingly, and of course lawfully
destroyed after the specified 56 days in the direction.
Sounds simple enough, but when you consider they are not transitory records and you need to
meet all the usual disposal requirements – disposal authorisation, disposal endorsement from
your CEO, document the disposal etc. – it all becomes a bit more complicated.
We’ve recently published advice on our website about the retention and disposal of records that
support contact tracing activities. This advice covers what records information is collected, how to
store and manage it and how long to keep it. It also covers off on the disposal authorisation aspect.
As for how you get endorsement for the disposal and then document that disposal, we’ve
recommended you do it all as part of a defensible process so that you do it once at the beginning
rather than every day when you destroy the records.
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You can find general advice on the defensible process and documenting disposal of contact
information on the website.
You can find more information about how to develop and structure your defensible process and
what you could include in our new Query of the month blog post: Defensible process for contact
information records.
File issue changes Changes to how agencies access their records
As business at QSA starts to return to normal and we have re-opened the public Reading Room,
we’ll be providing you with some new service options for accessing your records in the QSA
collection.
From Monday 3rd August 2020, there are 3 ways agency clients can access their records:
1. Digital delivery of records – Regular scanning fees will apply as per the fees and charges
listed on the website
2. Collection (and return) from QSA’s Runcorn facility – The collection and return of
records can be arranged for an agency staff member or courier between 9.00am and
4.00pm Monday to Friday from the loading bay of our Runcorn Facility
3. Access to records via our Reading Room at Runcorn – Agency staff can view records in
our Reading Room and scanning equipment will be available for clients to digitise their own
records if needed.
Don’t forget that file issue requests are now all managed through our agency portal,
ArchivesGateway.
You can find out more about how to access your agency's records at QSA and the File Issue
service on our website.
QCN August 2020
Recordkeeping News
QSA has not written the following articles but thinks there is value in sharing them with the
recordkeeping community.
News from Australia:
• What government agencies need to know about social media archiving, Miktysh, 15 July
2020
• Podcast: The Zero Hour - Anne Cornish on the Power of Information, RIMPA, 4 June 2020
News from Overseas:
• Is COVID-19 a threat or opportunity for electronic government records capture, access and
preservation? Nextgov, 7 August 2020
• VA wants to automate digitization of its 5-mile-high electronic health record backlog,
Nextgov, 9 July 2020
Meet the QSA Team Amy Ibbotson
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Amy is an Archival Officer in the Collection Enrichment and Discovery team.
Having always had a keen interest in archives and special collections, Amy recently completed a
Bachelors’ Degree in Librarianship and Corporate Information Management. Landing a job at QSA
has been a welcome opportunity to further her knowledge within the archival field with on the job
experience, surrounded by colleagues who are the best in their field.
Outside of work Amy tends to her many houseplants, muses with her children about the wonders of
Pokemon and loves to spend time at the beach.
Favourite food? Anything Japanese!!
As a child what did you want to be when you grew up? An archaeologist – then I saw ‘Raiders
of the Lost Ark’ when I was 7 and I wasn’t so sure…
Favourite holiday destination? Anywhere with a beautiful beach nearby or a swimmable body of
water.