18b Responding to Lost Records - Rebuilding from Other Sources
Tracks
Collaboration and Advocacy
| Wednesday, October 19, 2022 |
| 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM |
Presentation Type
Traditional Paper -- Moderator: Barbara Reed
Session Information
Addressing Silences: The papers in session 18 address silences in archives, there either because the records were never created, they were lost or destroyed, or they were created ‘about’ a group of people who became mute ‘subjects’. These initiatives are presented from different organisational perspectives and resulting different approaches. Each speaks to the potential to constructively disrupt existing practice; respond to damage done by past actions; and bring change and reward.
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Catriona Milne
Manager Uniting Heritage Service
Uniting
Responding to lost records - rebuilding from other sources
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Uniting Vic/Tas is the Community Services arm of the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania. The Uniting Heritage Service holds and manages the records for about 30,000 children and families who spent time in out of home care or who were affected by adoption. The earliest records date from 1881 and records continue to be created. There were about 21 different iterations of services, and each service had a multitude of different ways of capturing information ranging from registers, index cards, paper files to electronic records.
The Heritage Service is a single-entry point for people to obtain childhood records, support, and other services. Requests come from past residents themselves and their families, and from third parties such as legal firms.
Many records from the past have been lost or destroyed. This has caused, and continues to cause, trauma and damage.
One of the ways to respond to this loss is to gather records from other sources, or sources not previously considered, such as administrative records. These records are added to our collections and can be given to people who contact the Heritage Service. During the 5 years of the operation of the Heritage Service considerable work has been done to work out where the largest gaps exist and to find ways to locate more information. This in no way makes up for this terrible loss, and an important part of the work is acknowledging this.
Records have been gathered from a variety of sources, from private individuals, from public institutions and private organisations. The Heritage Service can add these records to our collections and they become part of our record checklists.
This presentation describes some of the records sourced this way and how they were collected or created. Some examples of the impacts of these acquired records will also be shared.
The Heritage Service is a single-entry point for people to obtain childhood records, support, and other services. Requests come from past residents themselves and their families, and from third parties such as legal firms.
Many records from the past have been lost or destroyed. This has caused, and continues to cause, trauma and damage.
One of the ways to respond to this loss is to gather records from other sources, or sources not previously considered, such as administrative records. These records are added to our collections and can be given to people who contact the Heritage Service. During the 5 years of the operation of the Heritage Service considerable work has been done to work out where the largest gaps exist and to find ways to locate more information. This in no way makes up for this terrible loss, and an important part of the work is acknowledging this.
Records have been gathered from a variety of sources, from private individuals, from public institutions and private organisations. The Heritage Service can add these records to our collections and they become part of our record checklists.
This presentation describes some of the records sourced this way and how they were collected or created. Some examples of the impacts of these acquired records will also be shared.
