Multicultural Documentary Heritage Workshop
held at the National Library of Australia, Canberra, 9-10 June 2004
Evelin C. Halls, Director of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., with our Governor General, Sir James Gobbo AC, CVO, Chairman National Library of Australia Council, receiving a Certificate of Participation at the Multicultural Documentary Heritage Workshop, Canberra, 9 June 2004
Multicultural Documentary Heritage Workshop
By Evelin C. Halls, BA
The following information is a summary of information gathered from the Multicultural Documentary Heritage Workshop, National Library of Australia, with the cooperation of the National Archives, Canberra, 9-10 June 2004.
The purpose of attending this historical workshop was to write a fresh plan how to preserve the John D. Hughes Collection, our Multilingual Documentary Heritage Collection for Buddhist Scholars and Practitioners for at least 500 years.
In the opening speech Sir James Gobbo, Chairman of the National Library of Australia Council, said, "Materials such as photographs, letters, videos, oral history, newsletters, reports, minutes of meetings collected by ethnic communities are an important part of Australia's heritage. These items need to be preserved for future generations because they document migrants' experiences of settling in Australia and their significant contribution to Australian life".
Sir James Gobbo said the philosophy of multiculturalism has three parts:
1. everyone that comes to this country must have a primary loyalty to Australia
2. everyone must be free to maintain their own cultural heritage
3. everyone must have respect for religions
The multicultural task force has the projects that the story of each group should be told, and that an encyclopaedia of the Australian people is produced.
The main aims for our heritage collection are to preserve, make accessible, and grow, for a long, long time.
The John D. Hughes Collection forms part of the mainstream repositories like the National Library.
An important step is that the community [members and friends of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.] does the maintaining and collection, that the community owns the asset, not individuals.
One way is to interview the old people about the collection and invite young people, have exhibitions, for example, and tell a story, and to continue that process.
The National Library of Australia wants a full record of Australia to be preserved (end of speech).
Significance
Refer to Significance - A Guide to Assessing the Significance of Cultural Heritage Objects and Collections, published by the Heritage Collections Council, 2003.
Website: http://www.dcita.gov.au
Email hcc.mail@dcita.gov.au
The guide Significance is a manual that explains the process of significance assessment and what it is.
The John D. Hughes Collection is significant.
The Significance guide teaches how we can use our collection and bring out significance and value. - What is the story behind it? The story is important.
"Significance" is not just the physical nature, it is much broader: the history and the value - the story behind the objects.
Be careful when you "restore": you may remove traces of the story; there is a temptation to make things look better but you lose the story.
Objects often have more than one significance, but it does not matter how many - it is about significance not scoring.
There are four points of significance:
1.Historic significance
People, events, places, themes.
2. Aesthetic significance
Includes fine design
3. Scientific or research significance
Research component: the potential to yield more information; research potential
4. Social or spiritual attachment
Means people having a connection, either social or spiritual, to what is there (not social as historic). Some objects are beyond material significance = spiritual meanings above their historic meanings
We will assess the John D. Hughes Collection's significance and apply these four criteria.
If the community ceases to value significance, no longer cares, it can diminish significance.
Provenance = the life story of the object.
Provenance is used to document the origin of the record; the original order is to be kept; if you do not know the order, look for connections.
Provenance has a long tradition in the art world. If we describe our significance, we can get a grant.
We are about to undergo a cultural change in our organisation on the basis of significance.
The story is important.
Preservation
Visit the Australian Museums and Galleries Online, AMOL at amol.org.au. This is a website from the National Library of Australia that provides copyright free manuals and guides how to work with and care for your collection. Copyright free means copy as much as you like.
We are legally required to provide one copy of our publications to the National Library in Canberra within one month of publication and one copy to our State Library within two months of publication (see "Legal Deposit" brochure).
Deterioration: what does one thing make last longer than another?
Preservation guidelines
Do not ever laminate
Do not completely seal things in plastic
Make copies of laminated items
Do not use sticky tape - it will stain
Normal Reflex paper is ok; the next level up is Reflex archival paper
Zeta Florence paper and Conservation Resources International provide the top-range acid free paper
Acid-free paper is often made from cotton or linen (plant material)
Newspaper is highly acidic: make photocopies of newspaper articles
Put newspapers in separate pockets
Archival quality: boxes labelled "archive boxes" are not necessarily acid free or alkaline-buffered
Ink: look for permanent pens: permanent ink, otherwise it will fade
It is important to have clean, dry hands for general documents and books
Polyester sleeves are good - the ones that have "copysafe" written on them
Polyethylene is copysafe
starch based glue is ok, such as UHU
Do not store items in PVC (you can tell when it is PVC, it smells oily)
Do not fold paper
Textiles: do not fold
Wrap things in white old sheets, non-died calico bags; wash if new
Do not sit rolled things on something
Do not use magnetic photo albums
There are archival quality photo albums
Photo corners are good
Do not dry mount
Video tapes, audio tapes, CDs and DVDs have archival value of 10 years
Keep tapes and disks well and cool
Keep library clean, cool, dry, dusted and vacuum cleaned regularly
There will be no machines to play videos in the future
Solution: "migrate": still keep the original, but digitise and migrate (re-copy)
When you migrate, you may need to change the system
Note: every time you copy a CD you get an error rate - be conservative is the answer
Make transcriptions and store on acid free paper
Use plastic paper clips - do not use staples that rust - remove
Books: do not pull out of shelf from top; otherwise spine will tear
Wash your hands every 1/2 hour rather than wearing gloves because they can make you clumsy
Do use gloves when handling art work such as paintings
There are archival aids or filotape document repair tape - it will not stain, but do not use it for art work, better take precious things to a conservator
You can put things in bags: glad wrap and glad oven wraps are good, even Safeway homebrands are ok
Document cleaning pad: rub in circles, but do not use over pencil and art work
You can use Staedtler mars plastic erasers to clean dirty marks on letters, etc.
Do not use rubber bands - rubber deteriorates quickly
Bubble wrap is ok to fill up space, for example in boxes
It is good to box things
For displays: use photo corners, frames, window mats to hold things down
Setting up an Archive
"illuminating the past
guiding the future"
(National Archives, Canberra)
An archive is a collection of stories, eg. The story about Buddhism, our organisation, Buddhism in Australia, etc. = the story of Australia.
Our story is told by the things we own, eg. Minute books, programs, reports, photos. The story is waiting to be written by historians, researchers, Buddhist scholars…
We must write down where everything is, and send copies of our archives to the State Library.
Document anything - ask for advice.
Custodians must be prepared to help and serve.
Responsibility with archives. It is essential that we document our work.
1. Collection policy
What, when, how, for whom …to collect
2. Access policy
Be definite: who, where, how
3. Descriptor standards
All lists must meet a certain standard (see publication and handout "keeping archives"
Control
When you leave you hand over control:
1. physical control
2. intellectual control
To further help ethnic communities the National Library has recently published Preserving Australia's Multicultural Documentary Heritage - a practical and easy guide to starting and maintaining an archival collection. The kit is available at www.nla.gov.au/multicultural/
The John D. Hughes Collection is listed on the Australian Libraries Gateway at www.nla.gov.au/libraries.