Annual Report
1993-94

Archival Collections

ASAP's archival work consists both of on-going projects, and self contained collections. Also important is the training of staff or volunteers of small institutions, to enable them to maintain order over their own collections. ASAP ADS has been used successfully at all these levels, and is continuing to be upgraded. Thanks must go to all the users of the system whose contributions to this development have been invaluable.

CSL Parkville

This year saw the end of one of ASAP's original projects, the CSL Parkville Archive Project. Noela Bajjali's contract was extended into the new year, and she completed the objectives of the Project with great success. These included the completion of disposal schedules, the organisation of record transfer to Australian Archives, and documentation to enable CSL staff to take over operations.

WEHI

Bronwyn Hewitt has continued her work at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research this year, devoting much time to getting the database system running effectively. Her dedication and efficiency is appreciated both by WEHI and ASAP.

Historic Places Section

ASAP was engaged by the Historic Places Section, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, in a short term project to rebuild its resource collection through the creation of a meaningful system of organisation which will not be made redundant by administrative or governmental changes. Stewart Brash, rapidly becoming our environmental science expert, worked on-site in the department for several months.

Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens

After considerable delays, ASAP was able to access some space on campus in which to process the Zoo collection in preparation for its transfer to the Public Records Office of Victoria. Unfortunately, these delays led to some loss of material on-site at the Zoo, confirming the need for ASAP to have more extensive temporary archival storage space of its own. The PRO material was re-housed by Martin Gibbs. The related records of the Le Souef family, and Alfred Dunbavin Butcher are also currently held by ASAP. These will be listed as soon as funding becomes available, and prepared for transfer to the LaTrobe Library.

Phyllis Margaret Rountree

The Ian Potter Foundation donated $2000 towards processing the records of the eminent bacteriologist Phyllis Rountree. In November 1993, Tim Sherratt and Lisa Jooste surveyed the records on-site at Dr Rountree's house in Sydney. The collection was then transferred to the ASAP Canberra Office where Lisa completed the detailed listing and indexing of the collection. Final proofreading of the guide is nearly completed and it is expected to be published in the next few months. The records will then be deposited with the Mitchell Library in Sydney. This was the first collection of an individual scientist's records to be wholly processed using ASAP ADS - the system proved itself to be quick and effective.

Ernest William Titterton

In July 1993, Mo Yimei was employed by the ASAP Canberra Office to continue the work on the Titterton collection begun by Anne-Marie Condé. Yimei made substantial progress before leaving ASAP in March 1994. Basic information - such as a summary of contents, date range and file size - have now been entered into the database for every file in the collection (there are approximately 1600 items in all). The next stage is to determine which parts of the collection require more detailed descriptions. The listing will then be completed, indexed and a guide published. The Australian Foundation for Science is seeking funds to enable this important project to be completed.

Dewar Wilson Goode

This year saw the completion of the listing by Stewart Brash of this extremely comprehensive collection. This will be one of our largest ever Guides to an individual's work, and will prove an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the history of land management and conservation in this country. Currently, the listing is being edited and we hope to publish it in the second half of the year. The collection will be deposited with the LaTrobe Library.

RMIT Resource Collection

The newly created Resource Collection of the RMIT Department of Fashion and Textile Design was looking for an adaptable system with which to control its diverse collection, tracing developments in the textile industry. ASAP was able to provide its Archival Data System, and expert advice from Gavan McCarthy.

Other collections

Other projects that are close to completion are an oral history project by Rod Buchanan for the Australian Psychological Society, and a number of small collections which will be used to produce brief Guides. These include the Australian Society of Immunology, the Initial Teaching Alphabet and the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies. The Guide to the records of Professor Graeme Clark and the development of the Bionic Ear has been completed, and will be published shortly.

Published by the Australian Science Archives Project on ASAPWeb, 15 May 1995
Prepared by: Tim Sherratt
Updated by: Elissa Tenkate
Date modified: 25 February 1998