The Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) or Archives Victoria is where original documents from many government organisations go to be archived and stored permanently. Documents such as Wills, Births & Death certificates, criminal trial briefs, and shipping lists to name a few. The (PROV) was established in 1973 as the state's archives, with 100km of hard copy records and 600,000 digital records dating far back as the mid-1800s. The PROV ensures records are stored, preserved accordingly and are available for public access. Records are preserved with an enduring value from the past and present-day so evidence of government decisions remains on the public record and is available for access online or upon request.
Half the public traffic through the PROV is for genealogical research while private organisations utilise the Archives to fill their information gaps.
The public can access information online, on request or by visiting the Reading Room. The rooms are open Monday to Friday 10 am to 4:30 pm. The PROV has set up a helpful page for researchers to get started in Exploring the Collections with helpful articles, guides, videos and more.
I would like to thank Jack Martin, Manager of Collection Management for his time answering the questions below. Also, like to thank Tara Oldfield Senior Communications Advisor for making all this possible.
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When did the public records begin to archive photos?
Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) is the state government archives of Victoria, established in 1973 under the Public Records Act 1973 to preserve public records of permanent value (including photographs) as the state’s archives, ensure these records are accessible, and issue standards and advise agencies on the record-keeping of public records. We hold more than 100kms of hard copy records and 600,000 digital records dating from 1836, with the most recent records generally being just two or three years old. The hard copy records include bound volumes and paper, as well as negatives, printed photographs, sound recordings and motion picture films. Nearly all of our photographs, from those pasted in prison registers to images of our streetscapes and buildings, to photos of catchments, were taken as documentation by the government.
How is Copyright handled for each photo?
As a Government archive, many (but not all) of the records and photographs in our collection fall under Crown copyright. All Crown photographs created before 1 January 1955 are out of copyright. For those Crown images still under copyright, Public Record Office Victoria can grant permission for their use.
When using records at PROV, it is the user’s responsibility to: • determine if the material is still in copyright • determine if they are allowed to reproduce or otherwise use the record under copyright law • identify who owns the copyright, and • contact the copyright owner to obtain permission to use the copyrighted material where permission is needed.
How are the photos sourced?
Negatives and prints are transferred to PROV for preservation as part of the state’s collection of public records by State Government agencies in accordance with their obligations under the Public Records Act. Our largest photographic collections came to us from large State-owned corporations such as the Public Transport Corporation, the State Electricity Commission, and the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works. Many of these organisations were broken up or privatised and it is important for us to be able to secure those permanent records during these changes.
What is the process of archiving? How are the photos stored?
The public records (including photos) that we preserve permanently as State Archives are identified through a process known as appraisal. Any photographic series would need to meet one or more of the characteristics detailed in the Appraisal Statement for Public Records Required as State Archives (https://prov.vic.gov.au/recordkeeping-government/document-library/appraisal-statement-policy), to be eligible for transfer to Public Record Office Victoria for preservation.
To enable the photographs to be discoverable by researchers both now and into the future, at the time of transfer we capture metadata describing the images in our catalogue as well as details about the agency that created the photos and details about why the photographs were originally created and how they were used or arranged. We hold both physical photographs as well as digital photograph collections. Digital photographs must be transferred in a long-term preservation format to be stored in our Digital Archive, designed to ensure digital records are never lost or corrupted. These images are downloadable via the catalogue. Physical photographs are stored in the physical repository space at the Victorian Archives Centre known by staff as the “cool room”. The cool room is a 276m2 space kept at 6 degrees Celsius and 30% humidity (as opposed to the 20 degrees of the main repository where paper records are stored at 45-50% humidity).
Physical photographs, negatives, microform, and motion picture films are stored within the cool room to increase their life span. When researchers order a photograph, a member of the Access Services staff will retrieve the record and leave it overnight in an acclimatisation room, which slowly brings its temperature up to a point between a cool room and repository/room temperature. The photograph can then be looked at by a researcher the following day. The same process is used to lower a photograph’s temperature overnight before its return to the cool room. Some of our physical photographic collection has also been digitised and the digitised images can be searched for and downloaded via the catalogue.
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Are there any other media archived other than photography? Video, Books, artwork etc?
The overwhelming majority of the collection is paper, but also includes moving image records and sound recordings and very occasionally publications and artwork (a frequent example of these would be an agency’s public information campaign advertisements, such as those of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation). Notably, some records are also “born digital” as data distinct from physical media.
The 1862 Land Act 'Big' Map
The PROV Archive houses a 4.5 x 6-metre map of Victoria created by Parliament in 1862. This map was created as a requirement of the Land Act 1862. This map is a series of smaller lithographs glued to a seamless backing. Originally hung on rollers on the parliament wall. After the map was taken it was placed in a specially made wooden box and stored in the basement of the parliament building until it was handed over to the PROV.
For more information on 1862 Big Map visit the PROV page.
How does this government use archived records or photos?
Our role is to preserve public records of permanent value as the state archives and ensure that the archives are accessible to the government and the people of Victoria now and in the future. We provide access by making the records orderable by researchers and by digitising as much as we can for publishing online.
Around 40-50% of visitors using PROV’s collection are performing genealogical research, with the remainder being local historians, tertiary students or academics, professional researchers or simply members of the public who need a particular record for an administrative purpose. In all of these cases, photographs have the potential to support research conclusions or enhance the final product of the research.
Some Archived images printed and hanging in the hallways of the PROV
What is the oldest photograph the archive has in its possession? How far back do the photos go in the archives?
Photographs in PROV’s collection stretch back until at least the 1870s. Amongst the most famous are the two photos of Ned Kelly which appear in the Central Register of Male Prisoners. These have been digitised and can be found here:
Historical marriages and court case books
Is there a certain cutoff era or period that the Public Records office archives or do they archive present/modern-day photos too? How long are the store or archived for?
No. We can store records right up to the present day. If the record or photograph is identified to be part of the state’s archival collection (or to use jargon, is deemed to be of permanent value) that means it is to be kept forever.
When did the Public records office start digitising all its photos? How has this helped the Public records?
We started digitising internally about 2004, initially focusing on a collection of roughly 25,000 glass plate negatives from the former Public Transport Corporation Library. As the original plates were both old and fragile, these were a preservation priority for us. Those images can be seen on our website as part of the ‘series’ VPRS 12800 and VPRS 12903. Most recently we have been digitising prints and negatives created by the Melbourne Harbour Trust (or Harbor as it was spelt in the past). We have also, with the support of the R E Ross Trust, been able to copy a large collection of negatives made by the Education Department that were beginning to suffer the effects of vinegar syndrome. Overall we have roughly 60,000 high-resolution images online, which makes them much easier for researchers to access and use, as well as helping us preserve the originals for as long as possible.
Some of the photo collections can be found on the Public Records Flickr page, with over 3,000 photos categorised into various subjects. This is only a small amount of photos and many more can be accessed on request if you know what you are searching for.
The following images are from the Out of this world: Australia in the space age exhibition from the National Archives of Australia hosted in the PROV building at the time of writing.
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