NEW NORFOLK HISTORICAL INFORMATION CENTRE COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF GENERAL MEETING
6pm Thursday 23rd February 2017
Present: Damian Bester, Geoff Mason, Ruth Binny, Carol Collins,
Tony Nicholson, Di Cowburn,
Meeting opened 6.01 pm
In Attendance: Nil
Apologies: Nil
Minutes: Minutes of the last meeting 26th January 2017 read and approved. Moved Ruth seconded Carol. Carried.
N.B. Typing errors noted – Donations: Mr and Mrs Levis (Patricia nee Bidencope) not “Lewis”– Marble game patented July 14 1908 No 11,979 F Dando inventor.
Open Day date and spelling.
Matters arising:
· Master key system instigated and keys issued. Council has been notified and
requires key holders to fill out and sign for them.
H1 Chair Damian Bester
H2 Secretary Di Cowburn
H3 Volunteer 1 Jo Radzewic
H4 Volunteer 2 Ruth Binny
H5 Council
H6 Council
H7 Spare lodged with Council.
H8 Spare lodged with Council
Damian moved we adopt this system and fulfil documentation requirements, Ruth seconded.
· Collection Policy
The General Manager has requested we attach the Collection Policy to the minutes.
Ruth moved, Tony seconded.
· Telephone
As our new ‘phone is an internet ‘phone and is connected through council, Damian pursued the matter of continuing phone bills. The old ‘phone connection will be disengaged ASAP.
Salvaged papers
Geoff has collected more papers – continuing project.
Transcription of oral interviews
Di to further seek contact with Barbara Davis Corumbene with regards to ‘Milky’ Walsh’s transcript.
Bi-Monthly Magazine-The Derwent Echo
Peter Binny has kindly agreed to put this together for us until further notice. Council
staff printed a run of 300 of issue number 13.
HIC Issues
· Further to Paul’s resignation, council is to set up a new email account for us.
Paul has agreed to forward emails until this matter is resolved.
· Thank you to Jo for completing acquittal and BAS statement for the Arts Tas
Grant, which has been accepted.
Finance Report
Attached.
Correspondence:
Outgoing
· Thank you letter to Guy Barnett for book donation.
Incoming
· Paul McMaster resignation letter. Paul’s letter was met with sadness and the
acknowledgement of his sizeable contribution over a number of years. He will be missed, but we wish him well. Di to draft thank you letter from NNHIC, congratulations for book publishing.
· DV Council requested that Friends of Willow Court submit any artefacts held
by them to the NNHIC for cataloguing and storing.
All donors of artefacts were contacted by FoWC, four elected to donate the items to NNHIC. (Copy of list attached to the minutes). Di to draft a thank you letter to Ann Salt FoWC Chairperson.
· Autumn Festival –email received acknowledging application. Notification of
successful applicants made after 10th. March deadline.
General Business
· Ruth explained Mosaic cataloguing worksheet, how the programme suits our
particular situation and its many advantages. Comments and suggestions called for re new worksheet.
· Ruth also asked the meeting if anyone knew the location of 1959,1960, 1963
Derwent Valley Gazettes.
· Tony announced the Gleeson family’s upcoming 175th anniversary of their
arrival in Tasmania. Harris, Maloney and Gleeson were Young Irelander exiles to Van Diemen’s Land’s probation system. Tony recommended Irish Exiles to Van Diemen’s Land by Yvonne Harris as the best-researched private publication he has ever read. He recommends NNHIC buy a copy. Max Gleeson contact. Tony has agreed to write a review for the Derwent Echo.
· May Heritage Month – FoWC have applied for a Community Grant to support
a project celebrating Alexander Lang who wrote twenty five articles about places he stayed in the valley. Historian Peter McFie and Friends of Frescati will assist. An itinerary will be supplied and a bus will travel to the various locations. NNHIC has been asked to provide specific site research. Tony will keep us informed.
· Display cabinet yet to be ordered.
· Christina Henri confirmed attendance to promote her Roses from the Heart
Bonnet Project.
· Pre promotion of Autumn festival through DV Gazette. New editor Shaun McManus on 62300729. Can always go through editorial room senior Sarah on 62300622.
Shaun keen to do pre promotion and feature us on the day. Sarah keen to include us in The Mercury coverage of festival stall.
Possible use of photos of people and places to be identified also mentioned. Shaun to seek permission. ? also small museums collection display QMAG.
· List of useful contacts with ph nos. emails etc. to be compiled for centre use
including disaster numbers near ‘phone.
· Email addresses updated in system.
· Display case progress?
Donations
· FoWC donations per Tony. Tony drew our attention to the normalisation
(commercial product instead of government-labelled) of the crockery in use. In this case Alfred Meakin. Circa 1990s the changes were ongoing.
Saturday open day – Ruth, Di to attend.
Volunteer hours: February:
Off site hours are not included in these times.
Next HIC open day: Saturday March 25th
Date of next General Meeting Thursday March 23rd at 5.30 p.m
Meeting closed 7pm.
NB. Special meeting called for Thursday 2nd. March 5.30 pm to prepare for Autumn Festival
NEW NORFOLK HISTORICAL INFORMATION CENTRE
COLLECTION POLICY 2016
New Norfolk Historical Information Centre (NNHIC) was established in 1989 as an initiative of the Tasmanian Bicentennial Year. NNHIC is operated by a Special Committee of Derwent Valley Council and the committee includes a Council representative and members of the community, who volunteer their services. NNHIC is based in the former Shoobridge Clinic in Circle Street New Norfolk and is open to the public each Thursday and on the last Saturday of each month in the afternoon.
Derwent Valley Council provides annual funding for core operations and NNHIC supplements this through various funding strategies, including the production and sale of historical publications; family and local history research and applications for grant funding.
New Norfolk Historical Information Centre houses a large collection of photographs, family history records, documents, books and objects. Volunteers manage the collection and provide research and information services to the public. The Committee produces a bi-monthly newsletter, The Derwent Echo and has been responsible for the publication of eight books on various aspects of the history of the area.
2. MISSION STATEMENT
To collect and conserve information, records and objects that relate to New Norfolk and the surrounding area. To provide an information and educational service and to actively promote our heritage, both locally and to the wider community. To support the achievement of relevant goals in the Council’s Strategic Plan.
Objectives
· Collect and archive information on people, organisations, places and events pertaining to New Norfolk and the surrounding area
· Collect and conserve objects, photographs and records in other formats relating to the local area
· In consultation where possible, acknowledge the past and continuing presence of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people in this area.
· Develop and maintain a comprehensive catalogue of the collection
· Develop, maintain and regularly review procedures and documentation for the collection and all NNHIC activities
· Provide a local heritage and family history information and research service
· Effectively manage and maintain the NNHIC, including staff, resources and facilities
· Actively participate in local events and promote NNHIC to the community
· Provide articles and information relating to local heritage to the media
· Collect and conserve individuals’ recollections on local heritage through local history interviews
· Produce publications on the heritage of the local area, including bi-monthly publication of the NNHIC newsletter
· Develop and work to an annual schedule of targeted activities
3. PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE COLLECTION POLICY
The New Norfolk Historical Information Centre Collection Policy is a public document that guides the management and development of the collection. It outlines why, what, where, how and when the Centre collects, and how and why items may be deaccessioned and disposed.
4. WHAT THE CENTRE WILL COLLECT
Key Themes
The Derwent Valley has played a key role in the development of European settlement in Tasmania. NNHIC aims to preserve, celebrate and disseminate this role with particular emphasis on –
· Agriculture and the development of the hop and fruit production industries
· Early European settlement of the area (including prominent families and notable persons)
· Resettlement of Norfolk Islanders (including free settlers, convicts and military personnel)
· Military settlement of the area
· The establishment of Willow Court and the development of the mental hospital services in New Norfolk
· The development of transport services, early roads, railway and river transport
· The role of Derwent Valley citizens in Australia’s overseas military conflicts
· Civic and community development in the Derwent Valley including local buildings, organisations and events
· Local family history
· The history of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people of the area
· Local enterprise and innovation including the development of the Boyer paper mill
· Local disasters with particular emphasis on bushfires and floods
· The natural environment of the area (including the Derwent River and Mt Field National Park)
· The New Norfolk Historical Information Centre building, originally the Shoobridge Child Health Centre (1939)
Future themes to be explored:
· Extinction of the thylacine
· Jam and peg factories
Historic period/time period
The Centre’s collection will cover the time period from early European settlement (1805-6) of the New Norfolk municipality to the present day. The centre will also, in consultation where possible, acknowledge the past and continuing presence of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people in this area.
Geographic area/region
The geographical area that the collection covers Derwent Valley Municipality
Physical items to be collected by the New Norfolk Historical Information Centre dependant on the present capacity to care and store for these items.
Collection objects
· Books - published and unpublished works, ledgers, visitors books, diaries, encyclopaedia
· Newspapers
· Photographs
· Glass negatives
· Slides
· Textiles
· 3D objects (Ceramics, Scales, Shields, Building materials)
· Banners and posters
· Medical Instruments
· Furniture
· Militaria
· Ephemera
· Multimedia – Film & sound reel, cassettes, videos, CDs, DVDs
· Maps and charts
Archives
Including original and reproduction material and objects
· Files:
Family History/Individual People
Places (Including locations, streets, properties)
General (Including events, organisations)
· Indexes:
Births/Deaths/Marriages/Burials/Baptisms certificates
Published works
Newspapers/journals
Cemetery records and Headstones
· Boxed archival material related to specific clubs and organisations in the area.
5. HOW THE CENTRE WILL COLLECT
5.1 METHOD OF ACQUISITION
The Centre shall acquire objects for the permanent collection by donation, bequest, purchase or transfer. The Centre will not accept conditional donations.
5.2 ACQUISITION COMMITTEE
The Acquisition committee will consist of the current Chairperson and two current committee members as nominated by the New Norfolk Historical Information Centre’s Committee.
5.3 ACQUISITION CRITERIA
The Committee will consider the following criteria before approving acquisition of an object:
· Relevance
The Centre only collects objects that relate to the museum’s purpose and key collecting areas
· Significance
Priority is given to objects which are significant for their historic, aesthetic, scientific/research or social/spiritual value.
· Provenance and Documentation
Priority will be given to objects where the history of the object is known and associated documentation and support material can be provided.
· Condition, intactness, integrity
The condition of the object must be taken into consideration when acquiring material. Badly damaged material will not normally be accepted into the collection.
· Interpretive Potential
Objects that tell a story that adds to the interpretation of museum themes will be prioritised.
· Rarity
Objects may be prioritised if they are rare examples of a particular kind of object
· Representativeness
Objects may be prioritised if they are an excellent representative example of a particular kind of object
· Duplications
Objects that duplicate items already in the collection will not be accepted unless they are of superior condition and/or historic value. In such a case the duplicate may be considered for deaccessioning.
· Legal Requirements
The Centre only accept objects where the donor/vendor has legal title to the object.
· Care and Storage requirements
The object needs to be able to be physically managed and housed.
6. COLLECTION CARE: DOCUMENTATION, CONSERVATION & STORAGE
6.1 DOCUMENTATION & RECORD KEEPING
The Centre will follow the guidelines below when acquiring material:
1. Owner or agent brings the object to the Centre.
2. An Offer to Donate Receipt form is issued to the owner recording the object name, address of the owner and contact number and date. The same information is written on a tag and attached to the object.
3. This records that the Centre is holding the object and does not mean or imply the object has been accepted as part of the permanent collection.
4. Notes on the history and associations of the object will be taken, for the Acquisition Committee to consider when assessing the object.
5. The Acquisition Committee meets to assess the donation for inclusion in the Centre’s collection. Their decision is documented.
6. Objects not accepted by the Acquisition Committee are returned to the donor with an explanatory letter. If the object is not claimed within 30 days it will become the property of the Centre and may be disposed of.
7. If the object is accepted donors sign two copies of the Donor Agreement form, one for the Centre and one to keep. A letter of thanks is sent to the donor.
8. The object must be registered first and then numbered and catalogued.
6.2 STORAGE & CONSERVATION
The Centre aims to achieve high standards of collection care and storage
· Storage areas must remain clean, secure and sealed against the weather.
· Temperature and relative humidity should be kept as stable as possible
· Access to storage areas is to be controlled.
· Ultra-violet light should be excluded from storage areas. When storage areas are not in use lights must be turned off.
· Archival quality storage materials should be used for all significant material.
· Storage areas must be regularly checked for pests and other problems.
· Objects are not to be stored on the floor
· Training of staff in storage and conservation procedures