Sugar Sweeties
Women and the
Bundaberg Sugar Industry
Source: Farthing, R. (n.d). Siren of the Surf – Sugar Sweeties novelty team
INN532.3 Collection Development Project Report
Frances Berndt, Wendy Davis & Katya Henry
Executive Summary
The history and identity of the Bundaberg region is inextricably linked with the sugar
industry. The preservation of this history is supported by a number of local museums
and institutions including the Fairymead House Sugar Museum and Bundaberg and
District Historical Museum, as well as Bundaberg Regional Libraries. The role of
women in Bundaberg’s sugar history has often been overlooked however. This report
puts forward a proposal to Bundaberg Regional Council for the development of a
cultural heritage collection for Bundaberg Regional Libraries which will fill this void:
Sugar Sweeties: Women and the Bundaberg Sugar Industry.
The purpose of the Sugar Sweeties collection is to highlight, document and preserve
the history of women and the sugar industry in the Bundaberg region. It supports
Council’s vision, outlined in the Bundaberg Regional Council Corporate Plan 20092014 and Bundaberg Regional Council Vision 2031 of promoting the region’s
heritage and culture, and enhancing the region’s unique identity.
This report contains the details required by Bundaberg Regional Council to approve
the development of the proposed collection. An overview of Bundaberg Regional
Libraries, its broader organisational context, and a user needs analysis is provided. A
detailed plan for the initial collection development, including budget selection criteria
and methods, and format, is outlined. Following that, a discussion of the collection’s
management, covering access, digitisation, copyright issues, preservation, weeding,
disaster management and marketing, is offered. The ongoing development and
management of the collection over the next three years is also considered. A threeyear plan, collection development priorities, budget, constraints, and evaluation plan
are all detailed for Council’s consideration.
After considering the contents of the report, the following recommendations are
made:
1. Bundaberg Regional Council approves the development of the cultural
heritage collection Sugar Sweeties: Women and the Bundaberg Sugar
Industry
2. A budget of $150,000 is recommended for the development of the collection
3. Partnerships with contributing cultural institutions should be developed and a
policy on resource sharing implemented
4. The initial collection, including construction of the Sugar Sweeties website
and commissioning of the short film, should be implemented as a priority
5. Digitisation guidelines are produced
6. The three-year development plan for the collection is adopted
7. A three-year marketing plan is to be developed
8. The collection should be launched on International Women’s Day, 8 March
2013.
Table of contents
1. Introduction .............................................................................................................
1.1 Purpose of the report ...............................................................................
1.2 Scope of the report ..................................................................................
1.3 Limitations of the report ..........................................................................
1.4 Key terms ..................................................................................................
1.5 Key information sources .........................................................................
2. Overview of the collection ......................................................................................
2.1 Aim of the collection ................................................................................
2.2 Impetus .....................................................................................................
2.3 Context ......................................................................................................
2.4 Format .......................................................................................................
3. Background .............................................................................................................
3.1 Bundaberg Regional Libraries ................................................................
3.2 Cultural Heritage Collections: Potential Collaborators.........................
3.3 Broader Organisational Context of Bundaberg Regional Libraries ....
3.4 Contextual Policies and Strategic Documents ......................................
4. User needs analysis ................................................................................................
4.1 Bundaberg Region Demographics .........................................................
4.2 Internet access .........................................................................................
4.3 Key User Groups in the Bundaberg Region ..........................................
5.Initial Collection Development ................................................................................
5.1 Format .......................................................................................................
5.2 Tools and methods for selecting resources ..........................................
5.3 Selection Criteria ......................................................................................
5.4 Budget .......................................................................................................
6. Collection management ..........................................................................................
6.1 Discovery and access management of the collection ..........................
6.2 Digitisation ................................................................................................
6.3 Copyright issues ......................................................................................
6.4 Preservation ..............................................................................................
6.5 Weeding and de-selection .......................................................................
6.6 Disaster management ..............................................................................
6.7 Marketing and promotion ........................................................................
7.Ongoing Collection Development and Management ............................................
7.1 Three-year plan ........................................................................................
7.2 Collection development priorities ..........................................................
7.3 Budget .......................................................................................................
7.4 Constraints and issues impacting on plan (Risk assessment) ...........
7.5 Evaluation .................................................................................................
8. Conclusion ...............................................................................................................
9. Recommendations ..................................................................................................
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References ...................................................................................................................
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Appendix A: Initial List of Resources ........................................................................
Appendix B: Bundaberg Regional Libraries Donations Governance Policy .........
Appendix C: Evaluation plan ......................................................................................
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F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
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List of tables
Table 1: Cultural Heritage at Bundaberg Regional Libraries ...................
Table 2: Bundaberg cultural heritage collections .....................................
Table 3: Collaboration beyond Bundaberg ................................................
Table 4: Initial collection budget .................................................................
Table 5: Marketing plan ................................................................................
Table 6: Three-year plan ..............................................................................
Table 7: Three-year budget allocation ........................................................
Table 8: Risk analysis ..................................................................................
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1.Introduction
Sugar Sweeties: Women and the Bundaberg Sugar Industry is a proposed heritage
collection for Bundaberg Regional Libraries. The aim of the collection is to highlight,
document and preserve the history of women and the sugar industry in the
Bundaberg region.
1.1 Purpose of the report
This report provides a detailed proposal to Bundaberg Regional Council for the
development of the collection, Sugar Sweeties: Women and the Bundaberg Sugar
Industry.
1.2 Scope of the report
This report provides Bundaberg Regional Council with details of the background,
planning and development of the Sugar Sweeties collection, required to provide
consent for the collection’s implementation. The report provides Council with an
overview of the collection, including its aims and the impetus for the collection. A
thorough overview of Bundaberg Regional Libraries (BRL) and the organisational
context of BRL is provided, as well as a detailed user analysis.
The initial collection development is outlined; the management of the collection and
the ongoing development of the collection over the next three years is discussed. A
budget, marketing plan, and evaluation strategy are also included. Finally,
recommendations are made to Council for the adoption of the proposal.
1.3 Limitations of the report
This report is limited to the proposal for the development of a cultural heritage
collection for Bundaberg Regional Libraries. It addresses the key issues and
considerations for the collection, however it does not provide detailed policies. These
would be developed once the collection has been approved by Bundaberg Regional
Council (Council).
1.4. Key Terms
ALIA: Australian Library and Information Association
BRL: Bundaberg Regional Libraries
Collection Development Policy (CDP): a written statement that provides the
framework for the development and maintenance of a library’s collection.
Collection management: the activities that pertain to the maintenance of a library’s
collection, including de-selection and preservation.
Cultural heritage collection: a collection which documents, preserves and provides
access to the history and development of a local community
SLQ: State Library of Queensland
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
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1.5 Key information sources
Australian Library and Information Association. (2011). Beyond a quality
service: Strengthening the social fabric. Standards and guidelines for
Australian public libraries.
http://www.alia.org.au/publiclibraries/PLSG_web_110407.pdf
Bundaberg Regional Council. (2009). Bundaberg Regional Council Corporate
Plan: 2009-2014. Retrieved April 28, 2012 from
http://bundaberg.qld.gov.au/files/BRC-Corp%20Plan-2009-2014.pdf
Bundaberg Regional Council. (2011). Bundaberg Region 2031.
http://bundaberg.qld.gov.au/files/BRC%202031%20Community%20Plan%20SR.
pdf
Bundaberg Regional Libraries. (2012). Bundaberg Regional Libraries Collection
Development Governance Policy.
http://library.bundaberg.qld.gov.au/aboutlibraries/library-policies
State Library of Queensland. (2010). Queensland Public Library Standards and
Guidelines: Local Studies Standard.
http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/161914/SLQ__Local_studies_standard_-_June_2010.pdf
2. Overview of the collection
The proposed collection, Sugar Sweeties: Women and the Bundaberg Sugar
Industry, is a cultural heritage collection of the Bundaberg Regional Libraries. A
cultural heritage collection documents, preserves and provides access to the history
and development of a local community (ALIA, 2011, p. 38; SLQ, 2010, p. 2). The
Sugar Sweeties collection will draw from resources already available from other
relevant collections, both within Bundaberg Regional Libraries and local cultural
institutions, and from other state and national galleries, libraries, archives, and
museums. It aims to bring these resources together and consolidate them in a
format accessible to all users. In addition, Sugar Sweeties seeks to source additional
material and create user-generated content related to, and inspired by, women’s
involvement in the local sugar industry. It will provide a focal point for engaging
regional communities of women with the cultural heritage of Bundaberg, offering
them the opportunity to increase their sense of place and belonging in the local area.
2.1 Aim of the collection
Purpose of the collection:
The proposed cultural heritage collection, Sugar Sweeties, will highlight, document
and preserve the history of women and the sugar industry in the Bundaberg region.
Objectives of the collection:
1 - Make the collection accessible to a broad range of users
2 - Engage local communities of women
3 - Source new material for the collection
4 - Provide a platform for the creation of additional contemporary material to further
develop the collection
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
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2.2 Impetus
Sugarcane plantations were introduced to Bundaberg in the 1870s, shortly after the
city’s founding. The sugar industry grew rapidly and a number of mills sprung up,
bringing with them an extensive infrastructure, a growing and ethnically diverse
population, increased wealth, manufacturing, and a city identity tied intrinsically to
sugar (BRC, 2012).
Bundaberg is proud of its sugar history, and a number of museums support the
preservation of this history, including the Fairymead House Sugar Museum and
Bundaberg and District Historical Museum. Bundaberg Regional Libraries also
maintains a number of cultural heritage activities and products. The role of women in
Bundaberg’s sugar history has often been overlooked however. Sugar Sweeties:
Women and the Bundaberg Sugar Industry fills this void.
2.3 Context
The development of Sugar Sweeties has been informed by the changing role of
libraries, from custodians of content to curators and creators of content. Digitisation,
open data and Creative Commons licensing initiatives have opened libraries’
collections to the community.
These initiatives and the increasing availability of information from the Internet have
also changed the geographical focus of libraries. Local libraries are in the unique
position of being able to respond to their own distinct communities. In the past,
libraries brought the world to the community; they now have the opportunity to bring
the local community to the world (Neiburger, 2012).
Libraries have not only opened their collections to the world, they have also provided
users with the means to engage with and to create their own content from their
distinctive resources. State Library of Queensland’s (SLQ) Libraryhack initiative did
just that. They opened their data, and provided users with the training and
opportunity to use it, to create something new (The QUTube, 2011). It is not only
larger institutions that are in a position to engage in these participatory, creative
activities; regional public libraries such as Bundaberg Regional Libraries can also
embrace this culture of opening their collections to their users.
Libraries are also becoming creators of content, recording their community’s social
history for posterity. The Listening Project, a partnership between the BBC and
British Library (2012), records conversations between members of the general public
in order to capture a picture of British society today for future generations. SLQ’s
(2012) Tea and Me project similarly aimed to record Queensland’s social history by
collecting stories and memories about one facet of everyday life, drinking tea. Digital
stories, video and photos were complemented by the objects themselves, the
teacups which inspired these stories. Bundaberg Regional Libraries is already
showing a willingness to engage in local and social history through two projects:
Picture Bundaberg and The Story Project. Sugar Sweeties will provide an even
greater focus on the social history of the region and further define Bundaberg
Regional Libraries’ role as a central point for recording the history of the region.
Material generated from the community, ‘crowdsourcing’, also allows the library user
to meaningfully engage with and contribute to the cultural heritage. Trevor Owens
(2012), archivist at the Library of Congress writes that “instead of simply offering [the
user] the ability to browse or poke around in digital collections we can invite them to
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
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participate. … Instead of browsing through a collection they literally become a part of
our historical record.” The concept of crowdsourcing and community generated
material is an important aspect of the proposed Sugar Sweeties collection.
2.4 Format
The composition of the Sugar Sweeties collection pulls relevant resources together
from other disparate collections, and presents them in an accessible format. Digitised
material will be available from the Bundaberg Regional Libraries website. Realia
sourced from other institutions will be put on display in the Bundaberg branch’s
display case, and items digitised before being returned to the home institution or
owner. In addition to the archival material, Sugar Sweeties seeks to source additional
material from the community. This will be achieved through a series of exhibitions,
workshops and events. Finally, Sugar Sweeties seeks to inspire the creation of new
work, achieved through commissions and competitions.
1. Archival material, sourced from existing collections, and digitised. Materials may
include journals, letters, photographs, film footage, oral histories and ephemera.
2. Reference materials, supporting the scholarship of the collection, including
newspapers, non-fiction books or studies, the QUT Sugar Industry Collection, trade
journals and company histories.
3. Existing creative content including film, stories, poems, artworks, music, song and
photography.
4. New creative content including digital and audio stories, writings, theatre and
artworks.
5. Realia and ephemera: objects and items newly sourced from the community,
including artifacts, clothing, tools, jewelry and souvenirs; pamphlets, brochures and
posters. This material will be used to complement and illustrate the digital items.
3.Background
3.1 Bundaberg Regional Libraries
3.1.1 Overview
Bundaberg Regional Libraries serves a population of approximately 97 000 residents
(Bundaberg Regional Libraries, 2011a). It is one of regional Queensland’s busiest
and larger public library services (Bundaberg Regional Libraries, 2011a). Bundaberg
Regional Libraries was formed after the 2008 Regional Council amalgamations,
combining its central and largest branch in the city of Bundaberg, and community
hubs in the outlying centres of Childers, Gin Gin and Woodgate Beach (Bundaberg
Regional Libraries, 2011a).
3.1.2 Service and Collection
The service contains approximately 130 000 items in its physical collection and turns
over approximately one million items annually (Bundaberg Regional Libraries,
2011a). Bundaberg Regional Libraries also provides free access to State Library of
Queensland’s databases for its users as well as a range of other databases mainly
focused on reference, genealogy, family history and general statistics (Bundaberg
Regional Libraries, 2011a).
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
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3.1.3 Cultural Heritage at Bundaberg Regional Libraries
Bundaberg Regional Libraries already maintains a number of cultural heritage
activities and projects as part of its service and collection, detailed below.
Table 1: Cultural Heritage at Bundaberg Regional Libraries
Cultural Heritage
Description
Activity/Collection
Arts Bundaberg
Between 2004 and 2009 the Bundaberg Library produced
a hardcopy magazine containing stories relating to local
history, literature, performance and visual arts. Now
discontinued, its copies are available in digital form online.
LibNews
LibNews replaced Arts Bundaberg in 2009. It is published
online only and contains articles on local history and
literature.
Local History and
Bundaberg Regional Libraries provides links to resources
Genealogy
for researchers of local history and genealogy.
Microfilm
Bundaberg Regional Libraries provides access to State
Newspapers
Library of Queensland’s microfilm collection of local
newspapers dating from the mid 19th century to the
present.
Picture Bundaberg Picture Bundaberg is a Bundaberg Regional Libraries
project to collect, scan and digitise the photographic
history of the region.
The Story Project
A collection of conversations (audio) between two people
about their family, local history, events and memories. (Not
available at the present time).
Source: Bundaberg Regional Libraries (2011b)
Of all the cultural heritage activity and collections at Bundaberg Regional Libraries,
Picture Bundaberg and The Story Project are most closely aligned with the proposed
cultural heritage collection Sugar Sweeties: Women and the Bundaberg Sugar
Industry.
a) Picture Bundaberg
Picture Bundaberg is a cultural heritage collection of Bundaberg’s visual history. It
aims to digitise and preserve photos and slides that show some aspect of
Bundaberg’s history (Bundaberg Regional Libraries, 2012). There is no specific
theme to the collection apart from the project’s aim “to preserve Bundaberg and
district’s visual history for current and future generations, and to ensure easy and
perpetual access to this record” (Bundaberg Regional Libraries, 2012). The practice
of digitising and preserving visual material is a common point between Picture
Bundaberg and the proposed Sugar Sweeties cultural heritage collection; however,
Sugar Sweeties will have a clear focus and scope for its collecting practices with its
chosen theme of women in the sugar industry. Picture Bundaberg may be a key
resource for the Sugar Sweeties collection.
b) The Story Project
As yet, there is little detail on Bundaberg Regional Libraries website regarding The
Story Project. However, it seems as if it will be focused on developing an audio
collection of conversations which tell the story of the Bundaberg region. Like Picture
Bundaberg, it appears to be very general, with no specific focus or theme beyond
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
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local history and people (Bundaberg Regional Libraries, 2011b). Nevertheless, the
practice of developing a collection of digital stories is one which is also part of the
scope for the proposed Sugar Sweeties collection. In this way, there is potential for
interaction and collaboration between Sugar Sweeties and The Story Project.
3.2 Cultural Heritage Collections: Potential Collaborators
3.2.1 Bundaberg Region
In addition to the cultural heritage collections being developed and managed by
Bundaberg Regional Libraries, there are a number of other collecting institutions in
the region which could collaborate with the Sugar Sweeties collection. These are
detailed in Table 2 below.
Table 2: Bundaberg cultural heritage collections
Collecting Institution
Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery
(BRAG)
Childers Regional Art Gallery
Childers Pharmaceutical Museum
Gin Gin Regional Courthouse Gallery
Bundaberg and District Historical
Museum
Hinkler House Memorial Museum /
Hinkler Hall of Aviation
Fairymead House Sugar Museum
Governing Body
Bundaberg Regional Council
Bundaberg Regional Council
Self funded
Self funded
Bundaberg and District Historical Museum
Incorporated
Bundaberg Regional Council
Bundaberg Regional Council
3.2.2 Beyond Bundaberg
The following state and national institutions could prove useful in collaborating with
the Sugar Sweeties collection for special exhibitions drawn out of the developing
collection.
Table 3: Collaboration beyond Bundaberg
Collecting Institution
State Library of Queensland
Queensland Museum
Queensland State Archives
Queensland Art Gallery
National Library of Australia
National Museum of Australia
National Archives of Australia
National Gallery of Australia
National Film and Sound Archive
Funding Institutions
Arts Queensland
Regional Arts Development Fund
(RADF)
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
Collaboration
Each of these collecting institutions could
collaborate with Bundaberg Regional
Libraries in the development of
exhibitions curated from the Sugar
Sweeties collection through the loan of
relevant items and material.
Governing Body
Queensland Government
Bundaberg Regional
Council/Queensland Government
6
3.3 Broader organisational context of Bundaberg Regional Libraries
Policy Imperatives for development of the Sugar Sweeties: Women and the
Bundaberg Sugar Industry collection at Bundaberg Regional Libraries
3.3.1 Bundaberg Regional Libraries Policies
Currently, there are two policies at Bundaberg Regional Libraries that are relevant to
the development of the Sugar Sweeties collection. These are:
a) Bundaberg Regional Libraries Collection Development Governance Policy (CDP)
b) Bundaberg Regional Libraries Picture Bundaberg Governance Policy
The Bundaberg Regional Libraries CDP’s first objective is to “develop a collection
which meets the needs of the community” (Bundaberg Regional Libraries, 2012b). In
terms of the proposed Sugar Sweeties collection, the development of this collection
would specifically address two of the Bundaberg Regional Libraries’ aims. Firstly, the
service aims to provide “material appropriate to the development and strengthening
of the cultural life of the community” (Bundaberg Regional Libraries, 2012b). Given
that the sugar history has defined the Bundaberg community for over a century, a
collection focused around this theme would add value to the community’s cultural life.
Furthermore, the service aims to provide “materials for information and reference in a
variety of formats considered appropriate to the collection and the needs of the
community” (Bundaberg Regional Libraries, 2012b). Again, for a community whose
history has been intertwined with the sugar industry for so long, there is an
opportunity for Bundaberg Regional Libraries to draw together items in various
formats, as well as develop new items in digital formats, in a collection that further
explains this aspect of the Bundaberg community’s cultural life. Most significantly in
this regard, the CDP notes that it has as a focus the collection of material of historical
importance. It will collect “Material which is important as an historical record for
present and future use, such as local history” (Bundaberg Regional Libraries, 2012b).
This general statement is all that appears in the CDP regarding historical or cultural
heritage collections. There is great scope for expanding the CDP to cater for
Bundaberg Regional Libraries growing cultural heritage activity, not just in the Sugar
Sweeties collection, but also in policy that encompasses the service’s activity with its
other cultural heritage projects in Picture Bundaberg and The Story Project.
It appears that this point has been recognised recently with the issue of Bundaberg
Regional Libraries Picture Bundaberg Governance Policy. Effectively this document
functions as a CDP for the Picture Bundaberg project. Usefully, it points to the
relevance of such a cultural heritage collection to Bundaberg Regional Libraries’
mission, aim and goals. In particular, this documents notes that “The preservation of
our local history is a vital service to the public” (Bundaberg Regional Libraries,
2012c). The distinction between the goals of Picture Bundaberg and the Sugar
Sweeties collection is that the latter would be an open access collection, with a focus
on utilising Creative Commons licences in order to allow the creation of new work
inspired by, or utilising the items in the collection. The copyright conditions on Picture
Bundaberg are restrictive and do not allow for images to be manipulated or modified
in any way (Bundaberg Regional Libraries, 2012c).
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3.3.2 Bundaberg Regional Council Policies
Bundaberg Regional Libraries is governed by the Bundaberg Regional Council. Two
key policy documents highlight how Bundaberg Regional Libraries Sugar Sweeties
collection would align with the organizational context of the Bundaberg Regional
Council.
a) Bundaberg Regional Council Corporate Plan 2009-2014
In its 2009-2014 Corporate Plan, Bundaberg Regional Council states that it would
implement strategies to “Promote cultural development through understanding,
recognising, recording and preserving the region’s heritage, diversity, arts and
culture” (Bundaberg Regional Council, 2009, p. 13). In addition, this document states
that Bundaberg Regional Council will “Advocate for and support activities, programs,
services and projects that demonstrate our heritage and culture and which help
create a positive identity for our region” (Bundaberg Regional Council, 2009, p. 13).
By supporting Bundaberg Regional Libraries in developing the Sugar Sweeties
collection, Bundaberg Regional Council has a unique opportunity to create a cultural
heritage collection which not only preserves the region’s heritage, but highlights the
unique identity of the region, distributes that to a broad group of users through the
use of digital technology, and allows for the creation of heritage-based cultural works
which will also create a positive identity for the Bundaberg region as artists, writers
and musicians draw on the collection for inspiration. The Sugar Sweeties collection
will also function as a central repository from which learning resources can be
developed. Finally, it will provide a focal point for engaging local communities of
women with the cultural heritage of Bundaberg, offering them the opportunity to
increase their sense of place and belonging in the region.
b) Bundaberg Regional Council Vision 2031
Recently, the Bundaberg Regional Council released a 20 year vision statement also
emphasising the place of cultural heritage activities in its aim for shaping the future of
the Bundaberg region. The Vision 2031 document contains a number of statements
that align with the purpose and aims of the Sugar Sweeties collection. It states that
the Bundaberg Regional Council will provide “Enhanced opportunities to access a
wide range of library services, with increased variety, depth and quality of learning
materials” (2011, p.17). One of the purposes of the Sugar Sweeties cultural heritage
collection would be to provide learning resources about women in the sugar industry
suitable for researchers of all ages. Furthermore, the participatory aspect of the
development of the Sugar Sweeties collection fits neatly with the Vision 2031
statement which would see “Dedicated space and resources to encourage local
people to record and re-tell our unique local history” (2011, p. 17). Finally, the Sugar
Sweeties collection would aid in the Vision 2031 goal whereby the Bundaberg
Regional Council would “promote cultural development, recognise the significance of
unique local built and natural landmarks, and advocate for more of our unique local
history to be recorded and retold” (2011, p. 16).
3.4 Contextual Policies and Strategic Documents
3.4.1 ALIA Guidelines for Public Libraries
The first edition of ALIA’s Standards and Guidelines for Public Libraries was released
in 2011. Among the many objectives contained in the document is a clear statement
on the responsibility of public libraries to “preserve, provide access to, and maintain a
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
8
collection that relates to the history and development of the local community” (ALIA,
2011, p. 38). As a public service, Bundaberg Regional Libraries should be guided by
this ALIA document and developing the Sugar Sweeties collection would aid the
service in meeting this cultural heritage standard set by the Australian public library
sector.
3.4.2 Artbeat: Regional Arts and Culture Strategy 2010-2014
Arts Queensland released a strategy for regional arts and culture in 2010. Artbeat:
Regional Arts and Culture Strategy 2010-2014 (Queensland Government, 2010) also
emphasizes the importance of developing cultural heritage projects and collections in
regional areas. Arts Queensland’s vision for employing arts and culture as a means
to develop creative communities that have a strong sense of identity and place
(2010, p. 10) strongly aligns with the mission statement of the Sugar Sweeties
collection at Bundaberg Regional Libraries. Valuing cultural heritage by developing a
focused library collection has the potential to introduce the creative and participatory
practices that Arts Queensland also identifies as central to its strategic vision for
culture in regional Queensland (2010, p. 10).
3.4.3 State Library of Queensland: Local Studies Standard
State Library of Queensland provides guidelines for regional public libraries in the
development of cultural heritage and history collections that would be used for local
history studies. In terms of the Sugar Sweeties collection, SLQ’s guidelines note that
the objective of such collections is to “assist in ensuring that the history of a region is
recorded, for the benefit of local, state and national heritage” (State Library of
Queensland, 2010, p. 2). These guidelines indicate that it is a key responsibility for
regional public libraries in Queensland to participate in developing cultural heritage
collections. Therefore, Bundaberg Regional Libraries can use the Sugar Sweeties
collection to further develop its cultural heritage activity and collections for the benefit
of the users in its local community.
4. User needs analysis
4.1 Bundaberg Region Demographics
The most recent data available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics ([ABS], 2010)
estimates that the total population of the Bundaberg region is 95 123 people, up
nearly 10 000 residents from 2005. Twenty per cent of the population are in the 0-14
age bracket, with the next highest percentage of population in the 45-54 age group.
All other age groups are around 10 per cent of the population until age 74 when the
percentage decreases dramatically. At the time of writing this proposal the data from
the 2011 Census is not available; however, it would be safe to assume that the trend
in population growth has continued for the Bundaberg region. At the 2006 Census,
87.2 per cent of the population was designated as residing in an Inner Regional zone
meaning the community can be described as suburban.
This demographic information is telling with regards to the development of the Sugar
Sweeties cultural heritage collection. Firstly, a large proportion of the region’s
population aged 0-14 belong to a technologically savvy generation, sometimes
refereed to as ‘digital natives’ or the ‘net generation’ (Bennet, Maton & Kervin, 2008).
For the library to meet their needs now and into the future, it needs to embrace
technological services and Web 2.0 platforms in order to attract and retain these
users. For this reason, the Sugar Sweeties collection will embrace the practice of
digitisation in its collection practices, both with non-digital and born digital items, in
order to make the collection available online.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
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Similarly, the second largest age group of potential users are 45-54 and a
combination of late Generation X and early Baby Boomers, both of which see
technology playing a significant role in their lives. These generational categories are
also associated with the drive to find a work-life balance (Sayers, 2007). As users of
a regional public library they may be unlikely to visit a library branch in person;
however, they would have time to access online services from home or mobile
devices. Once again, expanding the library’s collection through a cultural heritage
collection that includes digital access allows Bundaberg Regional Libraries to cater
for its present and future users.
4.2 Internet access
Perhaps, the most interesting and relevant statistics from the 2006 Census is the
percentage of the population with access to the Internet. Given that this proposal is
focused on increasing the Bundaberg Regional Library’s service to its community in
terms of developing a cultural heritage collection with a strong digital component, the
community’s access to technology is a key consideration. In 2006, 52.8 per cent of
the population of the Bundaberg region had access to the Internet, with a fairly even
divide between dial-up and broadband access (ABS 2009). Since that time, access
to the Internet has continued to grow, broadband is now the dominant mode of
access, and the Internet has also become mobile with the advent of smart phone and
tablet technology (Business Journal Daily, 2011). From this, it can be assumed that
in 2012 the proportion of the region with reliable Internet access has grown, making
the Sugar Sweeties cultural heritage collection viable, particularly in terms of its
online presence.
4.3 Key User Groups in the Bundaberg Region
A scoping study of the Bundaberg region has identified the following groups as key
users and potential contributors to the Sugar Sweeties collection. A brief description
of each group is provided here.
 Toft Bros / AusToft
In the early 1960s, Toft Bros manufactured the first successful mechanical cane
harvester. Prior to that all sugar cane had been cut by hand. The company was a
major employer in the Bundaberg region and some members of the original family
are still alive in Bundaberg. They together with the numerous past employees and
their families could make potential contributions to the collection, as well as using it
for researching family history.
 Sugar mill employees
The Bundaberg region has been home to many sugar mills, including Millaquin,
Fairymead, Bingera, Qunaba and Isis Central Mill. Each mill employs/ed permanent
and seasonal workers in various roles. Family members and descendants of
employees from sugar mills would be potential contributors and users of the Sugar
Sweeties collection.
 Cane cutters
Prior to the mechanisation of cane harvesting, cane was cut by hand. Cane cutters
were usually employed for the duration of the harvest season. Many descendants of
cane cutters still live in the Bundaberg region and would be potential contributors and
users of the Sugar Sweeties collection.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
10
 “Kanakas” – South Sea Islander workers
South Sea Islanders were brought to Queensland (including the Bundaberg region)
to work as manual labourers on cane farms. Today the region has a strong
community of their descendants who would be potential contributors and users of the
Sugar Sweeties collection.
 Farm owners
The Bundaberg region is defined by cane farms which have often been in the same
family for generations. These farmers and their descendants would be potential
contributors and users of the Sugar Sweeties collection.
 Bundaberg Sugar
Bundaberg Sugar was the key company in the Bundaberg region’s sugar industry.
Past and present employees would be potential contributors and users of the Sugar
Sweeties collection.
5.Initial Collection Development
In line with the collection’s objectives, the start-up collection for Sugar Sweeties:
Women and the Bundaberg Sugar Industry is designed to provide a foundation for
the expansion of the collection. Initial resources will be displayed with the intention of
inspiring the community to contribute to the collection itself.
5.1 Format
The initial composition of the Sugar Sweeties collection is primarily a selection of
resources gathered from other collections and consolidated under the Sugar
Sweeties umbrella. In addition, a short film about the history of women and the sugar
industry in the Bundaberg region will be commissioned.
Digitised material will be available from the Sugar Sweeties website, located under
Heritage on the Bundaberg Regional Libraries website. Realia borrowed from other
institutions will be put on display in the Bundaberg branch’s display case, and items
digitised and added to the Sugar Sweeties website.
The collection of materials can be categorised as follows:
1. Realia and ephemera sourced from other institutions and digitised
2. Digitised archival material, sourced from existing collections, including BRL.
Materials may include journals, letters, photographs, film footage, oral histories.
2. Reference materials, supporting the scholarship of the collection, including
newspapers, non-fiction books or studies, the QUT Sugar Industry Collection, trade
journals and company histories.
3. Existing creative content including film, stories, poems, artworks, music, song and
photography.
4. Commissioned creative content: a short film celebrating the history of women and
the Bundaberg region sugar industry.
A list of the key resources can be found in Appendix A.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
11
5.2 Tools and methods for selecting resources
Kennedy (2006, p138) states that the vast majority of libraries are missing items that
are relevant to the needs of their clients and ideally would be available to them. An
arrangement whereby libraries in some way pool their resources would seem a
commonsense response to this situation.
The start-up collection will mostly be sourced from existing collections held by local
institutions such as Fairymead House Sugar Museum and others given in Section 3
above. Collecting institutions will loan items such as realia and ephemera to BRL and
in return BRL will acknowledge the lending institution on the Sugar Sweeties website,
thus giving the collections of these institutions wider exposure to the local community
and the world.
The State Library of Queensland has a large history collection housed in the John
Oxley Library as well as an extensive collaboration network with other collecting
institutions. Through partnership with SLQ, more items for the collection could be
sourced and displayed for special events, after which they would be digitised and
added to the Sugar Sweeties collection.
Comprehensive collaboration agreements will be negotiated and drawn up between
BRL and each institution which will detail the terms required for the loan of items.
Local and national heritage magazines will be reviewed for items related to women
and the Bundaberg sugar industry. Relevant items will be preferably be borrowed for
digitisation and returned. The efficacy of this method will be reviewed after 18
months and if no relevant material has been sourced this way, the subscriptions will
be discontinued.
5.3 Selection Criteria
Selection of resources will be governed by the following criteria under the guidelines
obtained from Clayton & Gorman (2006) and BRL CDP (2008).
1.
Relevance: Only material that is related to women and the Bundaberg sugar
industry will be collected.
2.
Price: Items priced at more than $1000 will not be purchased without BRL
committee approval.
3.
Donations: Donations considered relevant to the collection will be accepted
according to the terms of the BRL Donations Policy (2008) (See Appendix B).
Unsuitable donations will be discarded, passed on to Council's recycling facility,
or passed on to another local collecting institution or the State Library of
Queensland. (BRL CDP, 2008) Potential donors will be informed of our policy
and will be required to sign a release form. The terms of the release form will be
such that once donated, the owner waives the right to ownership of the item.
Copyright aspects of donations is discussed in Section 6.3.
4.
Customer requests: All customer requests will be considered and items will be
purchased if they are relevant to the collection.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
12
5.
Suitability and censorship: Items will be reviewed by the BRL Library manager in
accordance with BRL CDP which has been developed under the guidelines of
the ALIA Statement on free access to information (ALIA, 2007).
6.
Duplication: Multiple copies of popular items will be acquired according to
availability and cost. Digital surrogates of fragile items will be the preferred
method of duplication as this method is adopted in many libraries internationally
(Edwards & Matthews, 2000).
7.
User generated content: Content that is relevant and appropriate to the
collection will be added. Inappropriate content will be discarded. The Library
manager will review items in accordance with BRL CDP censorship guidelines.
8.
Commissioned material: Creative works which are relevant and appropriate to
the collection will be purchased. Inappropriate content will not be purchased.
The Library manager will review items in accordance with BRL CDP censorship
guidelines.
9.
Material not collected: Material that is not related to women and the sugar
industry will be not collected. (See Section 2.1 above)
5.4 Budget
$150 000 has been allocated to Bundaberg Libraries for creating a cultural heritage
collection. This budget is to be spent on acquiring and developing the collection over
a three-year period. Furthermore, it is to be allocated to developing and managing
the collection and does not cover operating costs such as staffing and equipment
maintenance. The budget has been broken down into an initial budget (Table 4) and
a three-year budget (Table 7).
Table 4: Initial collection budget
Item
Description
Cost Breakdown
Collection
Development
One-off purchases
Relevant and/or rare resources
such as manuscripts
Subscriptions
Heritage related periodicals and
journals
Total($)
10 000
1000
Reference resources
15 Minute Sugar Sweeties film
Contingency
allocation
1000
Commissioned for launch
15 000
10%
3000
TOTAL
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
30 000
13
It is envisaged that the majority of the resources for the start-up collection will be
sourced from local collecting institutions such as Fairymead House Sugar Museum
and others listed in Section 3 above and will be loaned to BRL for digitisation free of
charge.
Certain items will be purchased and are described as follows: Rare items such as outof-print books and manuscripts can be very expensive to purchase and a large sum
has been allocated accordingly. A short film will be commissioned for the launch
celebrating the history of women and the local sugar industry. This film will form part of
the collection. Local and national heritage magazines will be reviewed for items related
to women and the Bundaberg sugar industry. A 10% contingency allocation has been
included as recommended by Borchert (2012).
6. Collection management
6.1 Discovery and access management of the collection
6.1.1 Access management
The main gateway for accessing the collection will be through the Sugar Sweeties
page on the BRL website under “Heritage” on the main menu. The site will be
expanded as more content is added to the collection over the three year collection
development period. Specific items can be searched using the online public access
catalogue (OPAC). Staff will be available to assist patrons wishing to use the
libraries’ computers to access the collection.
Due to the fragile nature of the realia, ephemera and documents, permission from
the lending institution (if the item is not owned by the library) will need to be obtained
before members of the public can handle the items. Items owned by the library can
be handled by patrons who have specifically requested it. Surrogates (copies) of
fragile items (e.g. letters) will be available to patrons anytime and this practice is
acceptable in most heritage collections. (Edwards & Matthews, 2000). Generally,
physical items will be used within the library and will not be lent out.
6.1.2 Arrangement of collection
BRL uses the Dewey Decimal System to classify non-digital items and this collection
will be catalogued accordingly. To facilitate access by patrons, the collection will be
housed together in one space and arranged as follows:

Realia, ephemera and documents (e.g. personal letters) will be showcased in
the library’s display cabinets. These items will be on loan from other
institutions and the cabinets will be locked. Copies of fragile paper items will
be displayed instead of the original.

A section of shelf-space near the display cabinets will be allocated to books
and articles written by women of the era as well as books directly related to
the collection.

Artworks and craft items related to the collection will either be displayed in the
display cabinets or on the walls in proximity to the rest of the collection.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
14

The majority of the collection will be available online via the Sugar Sweeties
website, found under the Heritage section of BRL’s website. These resources
will comprise the digital stories, images of realia and ephemera, digitised
audio-visual materials and e-books. Flickr will also be used as a depository
for user-generated images. These resources can be accessed by anyone
online or by the computer terminals available throughout the library.
6.1.3 Security
Realia and ephemera owned by the library will be available for loan within the library
by customers who have filled out a request form. Fragile, rare and valuable materials
will only be available to historians and a staff member will need to be present when
the item is handled. Display cabinets housing such items will be locked with a limited
number of keys available to staff. No bags will be allowed in areas where the
heritage collection items are to be handled.
The collection will be insured under the library’s collection insurance policy.
6.2 Digitisation
Digital content is any content created, accessed, shared, used or preserved
in a digital format...Digital content provides us with new abilities to discover
and cherish our languages, cultures, histories and national identity...
(New Zealand Digital Content Strategy, National Library of New Zealand, 2007, cited
in State Library of Queensland and Queensland State Archives, 2010, p. 4)
Local libraries are in the unique position of representing their own communities.
Sugar Sweeties: Women and the Bundaberg Sugar Industry reflects the local cultural
heritage and aims to present it in a format accessible to all users, far beyond the
borders of the local community. Digital collections enable local communities to be
discovered by the wider world. Everything in a local history collection, regardless of
type of format, is more valuable when fully accessible. (Phillips, 1995, p.37).
The National Library of Australia (2012a) provides the following rationale for digitising
its collections:
1. Enable people, regardless of location, to directly access, use and publish, where
copyright and agreements allow, a range of collection materials without having to
visit the Library.
2. Preserve rare and fragile collections and those at risk of format obsolescence,
while also improving access to their content by providing digital surrogates of the
items for use.
3. Build a critical mass of digital content relating to Australia’s documentary and
cultural heritage to support research and the Library’s education, publishing and
exhibition programs.
4. Engage with new audiences by making the Library’s collections available in the
online environment for use by different communities, including those who employ
social networking and other new technologies
In the Statement of Intent towards a Queensland Digital Content Strategy,
State Library of Queensland and Queensland State Archives (2010, p. 3) call for
digital content to be “widely accepted as a critical Queensland resource, fostering a
knowledge-based, innovative economy, an entrepreneurial culture and engaged
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
15
communities.” These aims conform with Bundaberg Regional Council’s own vision
for the Bundaberg Region.
With these opportunities come responsibilities. The long-term preservation of digital
material is of concern; the accessibility of the format is also a matter for consideration
(SLQ & QSA, 2010). Standards and guidelines for the process of digital capture,
applying metadata, storage, preservation and access, are provided by SLQ (2012)
and the National Library of Australia (2012a). Detailed policies on these procedures
will be investigated upon approval of the Sugar Sweeties collection.
Copyright, preservation and weeding considerations regarding digital objects are
discussed in Sections 6.3.1, 6.4.2, and 6.5.2 below.
6.3 Copyright issues
6.3.1 Digitised Archival material
The Sugar Sweeties collection will digitise archival material (realia and ephemera) in
order to provide access to such material for its users. It will also collaborate with
other cultural heritage collections through agreements to provide access to
appropriate items in their collections. These two forms of digitised archival material
pose different copyright issues.
Currently, BRL’s largest digitisation project, Picture Bundaberg has quite restrictive
copyright guidelines in its policy (Bundaberg Regional Libraries, 2012c). The Picture
Bundaberg Governance Policy (2012c) allows donators of material to be digitised to
choose between two forms of copyright. These are outlined in section 4.5 of the
policy. The policy allows “donators” to chose either between “Moral Rights &
Reproduction Rights” and a “Deed of Gift”. In the first option, the donator of the
image retains it, its copyright and can place conditions on its use or its further
copying. If the donator chooses the Deed of Gift, they have donated the item to BRL
and they then own the image and its copyright.
In both cases, the copyright governing the digitised material in the Picture Bundaberg
collection does not allow for open access to the items. Neither can digitised items be
easily accessed or reproduced by researchers, scholars or as part of artistic works.
Given that these aspects of the Sugar Sweeties collection are central to its startup
and development, the copyright policy on digitised material that will be adopted for
these items in the collection will follow the principles of sharing, open access and
redistribution that characterize other cultural heritage collections such as Europeana,
the Hathi Trust and DigitalNZ. For example, in DigitalNZ users take responsibility for
following the specific copyright guidelines of all objects, whether they want to copy,
share, modify, use the item commercially, license new creative work or credit the
original creator (DigitalNZ 2012).
With this in mind the Sugar Sweeties collection will distinguish between digitised
archival material as either:
a) A collaborative connection with other regional, national and international
cultural heritage collections
Copyright Recommendation:
Digitised archival material from other cultural heritage collections will remain under
the copyright of its originating institution as per the DigitalNZ model.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
16
b) Newly digitised material (photos, realia, ephemera)
Copyright Recommendation:
Newly digitised material will require BRL to adopt a set of copyright guidelines. It is
proposed that BRL apply for a Creative Commons license to cover this material in
order to promote the open access to data and sharing that characterizes
contemporary cultural heritage collections.
Creative Commons License for Sugar Sweeties Collection
By using Creative Commons Licenses for digitised works, the Sugar Sweeties
collection would ensure that all such items can be both shared (in reciprocal
arrangements with other collecting institutions) while ensuring that authors/ creators
of all works are always credited (Creative Commons Australia, 2012). The Creative
Commons licenses then allow further restrictions and permissions to be placed on
collected items. These include reusing works for non-commercial purposes,
displaying works without changing them in any way, and remixing the works and
sharing them according to the original terms of the license (Creative Commons
Australia, 2012).
As a cultural heritage collection, a Creative Commons license is ideally suited to
Sugar Sweeties. BRL can shape its license according to the options Creative
Commons offers its users, in order to strike a balance between ensuring works are
adequately credited to their authors and creators, and embracing the principle of
open access associated with digital heritage collections.
6.3.2 Non-Digitised Donated Material (realia and ephemera)
The Sugar Sweeties collection will include items of realia and ephemera which will
remain as physical items in the collection. While some may also be digitised, and, in
that format be governed by the collection’s copyright guidelines for digitised material,
those that remain as physical items in the collections are also subject to copyright in
terms of their use as inspiration for the creation of new creative content out of the
collection.
Currently, BRL has a Donations Governance Policy (see Appendix B) but it makes
no reference to copyright of donated items. As such the Sugar Sweeties collection
policy requires copyright guidelines for donated items.
Copyright Recommendation:
It is envisaged that the Creative Commons license adopted for the collection will
accommodate the specific needs and requirements of non-digitised donated material.
Donors will be able to create the copyright terms they prefer from BRL’s Creative
Common’s license.
6.3.3 Existing Creative Content
The Sugar Sweeties collection will include existing creative content (see for example
Sweet Sounds of a Sugar Town).
Copyright Recommendation:
All existing creative items that become part of the Sugar Sweeties collection will
maintain their existing copyright for the purposes of access and use.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
17
6.3.4 Reference material
The Sugar Sweeties collection will include reference material and other scholarly
works that will inform the development and maintenance of this cultural heritage
collection. These items will be part of both BRL’s main collection and the Sugar
Sweeties special collection.
Copyright Recommendation:
Copyright of these items will remain as is upon their entry to the BRL collection.
6.3.5 New Creative Content
Creative content generated from the Sugar Sweeties collection will become a key
aspect of the collection’s development following the initial start-up of the collection in
2013. Creative content will be of two main types:
a) User-generated (through workshops and other BRL activities associated
with the collection. See the three year plan for details)
Copyright Recommendation:
The copyright of user-generated content will be governed by BRL’s Creative
Commons license in collaboration and negotiation with the content’s creator/s.
b) Commissioned works (developed in collaboration with artists as a result of
successful cultural heritage grant applications)
Copyright Recommendation:
The copyright of commissioned works will be negotiated in a formal agreement
between the artist and BRL and set out in the grant application details. It is
envisaged that the artist will retain ownership and copyright of their work and loan it
to the collection for a designated period of time OR that BRL will purchase the work
and add it to the permanent Sugar Sweeties collection. In the case of the second
option, the commissioned work will then fall under the copyright jurisdictions of the
Creative Commons license.
6.4 Preservation
6.4.1 Physical objects
a) Realia and ephemera
These will comprise a small portion of the collection and will also exist as digital
copies in the digital collection. Objects which are more durable will be on display in
the display cabinets kept in an air-conditioned area to reduce the effects of humidity
on the object. Humidity and insects (Dean, 2011) cause the most damage to
resources and the library will set up and monitor traps for insect activity in areas
where the realia are kept. As the library does not have staff trained in preservation of
fragile items, such items may be kept at a collecting institution where knowledgeable
staff can undertake preservation. As mentioned previously, surrogate copies will be
available in order to preserve the fragile original.
b) Photographs
It is envisaged that the collection will have few original photographs and that most
will be digitised not only as a method of preservation, but also to facilitate access to
them. The State Library of Queensland info guides (SLQ, n.d.) states that
maintenance of a stable storage environment is crucial to the longevity of
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
18
photographic materials. Environmental factors affecting the preservation of
photographic materials are relative humidity, temperature, air quality, light, biological
agents and handling and housekeeping practices.
Any original photographs will need to be kept in air-conditioned spaces inside acidfree paper sleeves or boxes, free from harsh light and insects. Damaged
photographs of significance will either be sent to local collecting institutions or the
State Library of Queensland for restoration prior to digitisation.
c) Film and audio
Because audio-visual recordings contain multiple tracks and the equipment needed
to view and digitise these resources is increasingly difficult and expensive to acquire
(Schuller, 2008), any such resources will either be sent to State Library of
Queensland for digitisation or outsourced to companies which have the capability.
6.4.2 Digital objects
Continuity of the digital heritage is fundamental. To preserve digital heritage,
measures will need to be taken throughout the digital information life cycle, from
creation to access. Long-term preservation of digital heritage begins with the design
of reliable systems and procedures which will produce authentic and stable digital
objects. (UNESCO, 2003)
Digital reformatting as a form of preservation is popular, however it is vital that the
digital image continues to survive (Dean, 2011). Verheul (2006, p.51) states that
libraries generally feel that there is no one single strategy to achieve long-term
preservation and access for digital objects. When creating digital copies it is
important to provide secure storage with good data backup procedures and media
refreshment. Restricting submission formats and converting formats into one
acceptable format is another method of keeping data manageable.
The National Library of Australia (2002) policy on preservation of digital objects
states the following:
 Having regular back-up procedures in place, if possible using secure off-site
storage and at least two different media (such as disc and tape) to avoid the
complete loss of data. (Maintaining multiple copies greatly increases the
chance of information surviving.)

When data is copied (such as in making back-ups) checking the data to
validate the copy.

Maintaining software required to operate the files in the resource. (Although
the maintenance of obsolete hardware is not workable in the long-term,
maintaining the necessary software may be necessary at least until other
strategies are in place.)

Addressing other issues such as deciding whether older versions of
resources also need to be maintained, and how they will be distinguished
from each other.

Maintaining the metadata associated with the resource.
Furthemore, backups of electronic data will be stored at locations offsite.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
19
6.5 Weeding and de-selection
Currently, BRL’s CDP (2012b) policy on weeding does not encompass any specific
requirements that may be needed for a cultural heritage collection like Sugar
Sweeties. Rather, it simply states that “Materials which are outdated, badly worn or
mutilated, or no longer in demand or of interest, will be removed routinely from stock.
Weeded items may be discarded, held for a future Library book sale, or passed on to
Council's recycling facility”. Sugar Sweeties aims to collect and manage a broader
range of items than only hardcopy material. Even though much of the collection will
be digitised, the principles of weeding and de-selection must still be considered, as
not all items will be covered by the current weeding policy in BRL’s CDP. For the
Sugar Sweeties collection there is a need to consider the various formats of the
items in the proposed collection, particularly the strong emphasis on realia and
ephemera, and digital items.
6.5.1 Realia and Ephemera
For realia and ephemera, it is instructive to consider non-library weeding policies as
exemplars for guidance in weeding the Sugar Sweeties collection as well as other
cultural heritage material held at BRL. This is particularly significant in terms of
donated items of realia and ephemera which are central to the collection. The
National Museum of Australia’s (NMA) Deaccessioning and disposal policy (2011)
provides specific criteria by which it regularly weeds its historical collection. While the
NMA has a broad, national focus, a number of the points in its policy would be useful
for Sugar Sweeties as a cultural heritage collection. That is, items could be weeded
from the collection if they:
 do not fall within the scope of the Sugar Sweeties collection’s aims and
objectives
 belong to a genre of which BRL has a better example
 are so degraded or irreparably damaged that they are no longer recognisable
or restorable;
 are so degraded that the cost of restoration is disproportionate to the
significance of the object;
 have no documentation of their acquisition or provenance available;
 have been incorrectly identified or attributed, or are forgeries;
 are duplicates of objects in the collection
 may pose a serious occupational health and safety risk to staff and visitors.
(criteria adapted from the NMA’s Deaccessioning and disposal policy)
6.5.2 Digital items
As this report has already outlined, the Sugar Sweeties collection will to a great
extent be comprised of digital items (both “born digital” and digitally preserved items).
There are two considerations for the weeding of digital items: technology and
content. In terms of technology, Vignau and Quesada (2006, p. 143) observe, “digital
collections, once built, should be regularly reviewed, upgraded, evaluated and
discarded”. The weeding and de-selection of a digital collection is connected to its
initial modes of creation and preservation. The challenge for any digital collection is
to remain current in terms of its technological infrastructure (Rieger 2000, cited in
Vignau and Quesada, 2006, p. 143). For the Sugar Sweeties collection this means
that a key consideration will be the digital formats chosen to preserve and create
digital items. A future collection development policy would need to examine and
decide on the most appropriate technologies and processes for digitisation. This
report proposes that BRL would follow guidelines set in the policies of SLQ and/or
the National Library of Australia.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
20
The Sugar Sweeties collection would be guided by SLQ’s statement in their Digital
Preservation Policy (2008) regarding the retention and withdrawal of digital material.
The central consideration for SLQ is that a balance is maintained between
“respecting the historical perspective of the collection and maximizing storage and
access”. However, they do also state that, “for Heritage Collections, the principle of
permanent retention is upheld in all but the most exceptional cases” (SLQ, 2008).
Therefore, digital items in the Sugar Sweeties collection would follow SLQ’s lead and
only remove digital items under exceptional circumstances, such as a specific
request from a donor or community group and following consideration by BRL.
6.6 Disaster management
Libraries with a disaster plan in place can react quickly to minimise loss of stock and
equipment, ensure safety of staff and patrons and recover quickly from the disaster.
(ALIA, n.d.)
With the assistance of the ALIA guidelines (ALIA, 2010) and the existing BRL plan, a
disaster response plan will be drawn up for the Sugar Sweeties collection which
will:
 Assign roles to staff members in the event of an emergency situation.
 Provide a plan for emergency evacuation of the library and recovery if
possible, of rare and valuable resources.
 Cover aspects such as setting up a control centre in a secure area and create
a schedule of tasks for staff and volunteers
A disaster recovery plan will cover:
 Stabilising the environment
 The restoration process and disposal of damaged items
 Recording and evaluating the damage to the collection
 Allocating staff and volunteers for cleaning, e.g drying out books.
Blue Shield Australia (BSA, 2012) run disaster recovery workshops which aim to
enhance community-based disaster preparedness as well as build resilience in
regional cultural heritage preservation. It would be advisable for BRL staff to attend
one of these workshops in order to learn how to minimise loss to their collections.
6.7 Marketing and promotion
A marketing strategy ensures that members of the community are made aware of a
library’s services or programs (ALIA, 2011, p. 35). The BRL’s promotion strategy
serves to inform users about the collection, but also importantly, serves to source
potential materials for the collection (SLQ, 2010, p. 5). The potential users of the
Sugar Sweeties collection (described in Section 4.3 above) will be targeted through
a variety of initiatives, both within the library and externally.
6.7.1 Launch of the collection
Sugar Sweeties: Women and the Bundaberg Sugar Industry will be launched on
International Women’s Day, Friday, 8 March, 2013, at a morning tea party, followed
by the inaugural screening of a short film commissioned for the collection, a
documentary about the women in the local sugar industry.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
21
6.7.2 Marketing plan
In the lead-up to the launch of Sugar Sweeties, the collection will be promoted within
the library and throughout the community as detailed in Table 5 below. A marketing
plan will be devised for the three-year development of the collection upon approval of
the collection by Council.
Table 5: Marketing plan
Action
Target
Develop promotional materials
Library patrons, local historians, community
groups, family historians, local sugar industry,
arts groups, cultural institutions, media
Add collection details to News & Events
section of BRL website
Library patrons, local historians, community
groups, family historians, local sugar industry,
arts groups, cultural institutions, media
Display posters at BRL branches
Library patrons and visitors to the BRL café
Sugar Sweeties bookmarks available at
check-out desk
Library patrons
Framed and labelled photographs from the
collection to be displayed in the BRL café
Library patrons and visitors to the BRL café
Sugar sachets featuring the Sugar Sweeties
logo and website details dispensed at BRL
café
Library patrons and visitors to the BRL café
Advertise in BRC newsletter
Library patrons, local historians, community
groups, family historians, local sugar industry,
arts groups, cultural institutions, media
Promote collection through BRL and Council
social media, including Twitter and Facebook
accounts
Library patrons, local historians, community
groups, family historians, local sugar industry,
arts groups, cultural institutions, media
Advertise in local print press and radio
Library patrons, local historians, community
groups, family historians, local sugar industry,
arts groups, cultural institutions
Promote collection at Bundaberg cultural
institutions
Potential partners, local historians, family
historians, artists
Promote collection to other cultural heritage
organisations, including Queensland History,
SLQ
Potential partners, historians, family historians,
artists
Promote collection to sugar industry
Potential partners, users of and contributors to
the collection
Display promotional materials at community
centres and nearby shopping centres
Local community
Promote collection to local women’s groups,
including ZONTA, CWA, and local branches
of Rotary and U3A
Women’s and community groups
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
22
Provide schools with collection details
Teachers and teacher librarians
Call for commissions through arts
organisations, Creative Regions and
Bundaberg Writers’ Club
Potential parnters, users of and contributors to
the collection
Advertise collection during Crush, the
regional arts festival
Local community, arts groups
Invite press to Sugar Sweeties launch
Local and state media
Launch collection website
Library patrons, local historians, community
groups, family historians, local sugar industry,
arts groups, cultural institutions, media
7.Ongoing Collection Development and Management
7.1 Three-year plan
The initial phase of the cultural heritage collection, Sugar Sweeties: Women and the
Bundaberg Sugar Industry, is designed to inform and inspire the subsequent
acquisition of newly-created content. A three-year plan has been developed to meet
the objectives of the collection, namely to make the collection accessible to a broad
range of users; to engage local communities of women; to source new material for
the collection; and to provide a platform for the creation of additional contemporary
material to further develop the collection. This plan is detailed in Table 6 below.
Table 6: Three-year plan
Action
2013/2014
2014/2015
2015/2016
Develop
collection
through:
One-off purchases
One-off purchases
One-off purchases
Subscription
purchases
Subscription
purchases
Subscription
purchases
Acquiring
reference
resources
Acquiring reference
resources
Acquiring reference
resources
User generated
content (e.g. digital
stories)
User generated
content (e.g. digital
stories)
User generated
content (e.g. digital
stories)
Purchase of artistic
works
commissioned for
collection
Nurturing
collaborative
relationships with
other collection
institutions
Purchase user
requests
Purchase user
requests
Purchase of artistic
works commissioned
for collection
Purchase of artistic
works commissioned
for collection
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
23
Nurturing collaborative
relationships with
other collection
institutions
Ongoing
marketing to
acquire new
material:
Workshops:
Exhibitions
from which
artwork will be
purchased for
collection:
Evaluate
Collection:
Apply for
grants:
Nurturing
collaborative
relationships with
other collection
institutions
Through social
media
Through social
media
Through social media
Website
Website
Website
Workshops
Workshops
Workshops
Crush festival
Crush festival
Crush festival
BRC Newsletter
BRC Newsletter
BRC Newsletter
Promotion to sugar
industry, local
heritage centres
and womens’
groups
Creating digital
stories
Promotion to sugar
industry, local heritage
centres and womens’
groups
Promotion to sugar
industry, local
heritage centres and
womens’ groups
Creating digital stories
Creating digital
stories
Craft e.g. lace
making
Genealogy
Craft e.g. jewellery
making
Cooking and
recipe sharing
Preserving
photographs and
memorabilia
“Fashion of those
days” show
Art exhibition to
coincide with
Crush festival
Art exhibition to
coincide with Crush
festival
Art exhibition to
coincide with Crush
festival
See Section 7.5
See Section 7.5
See Section 7.5
From NLA(2012)
and Australian
Government(2012)
From NLA(2012) and
Australian
Government(2012)
From NLA(2012)
and Australian
Government(2012)
Grants will be applied for through the National Library of Australia’s Community
Heritage program (NLA, 2012b) and the Australian Government’s Your Community
Heritage (2012) program in order to raise funds. Phillips (1995, p128) states that “as
the library budget pie grows smaller and smaller, the local history collections need to
look for innovative ways to raise extra funds for their programs and activities. One of
the best is to apply for a grant”.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
24
7.2 Collection development priorities
The collection development priorities for Sugar Sweeties following its initial startup
are aligned with, and support the collection’s aims. The collection development
priorities also resonate with ALIA’s statement (2011, p. 7) on the focus for libraries in
the 21st century:
For libraries, there will be increasing emphasis on digitising collections,
creating family and local history archives and repositories, and improving
methods of search of delivery. There may well be community pressure for
funding, particularly for digitising projects with a local studies flavour.
As such, the activities that will be undertaken to develop the collection are grounded
by the following principles:
 accessibility for users
 community engagement
 sourcing new material
 creating material from the collection
Three types of activities have been identified as priority areas for developing the
collection. These are:
 digitising realia and ephemera
 user-generated content
 commissioning work
7.2.1 Crowdsourcing the collection
Each of these activities incorporate aspects of crowdsourcing, allowing the Sugar
Sweeties collection development to be shaped by the participation and engagement
of its users. Crowdsourcing in libraries, particularly for cultural heritage collections
such as Sugar Sweeties, “has the potential to help build a more open, connected,
and smart cultural heritage with involved consumers and providers” (Oomen & Aroyo,
2011). For Oomen & Aroyo, (2011) crowdsourcing in libraries can result in open,
connected and smart knowledge, information and operations. Similarly, as Holley
(2010) observes, “giving users the freedom to interact with and add value to data as
well as create their own content and upload it into our collections is what users want,
and helps libraries maintain their relevance in society”. For these reasons, the Sugar
Sweeties collection will encourage users to engage in the collection with activities
such as tagging digitised material, taking part in workshops that generate new
content for the collection and funding new material for the collection.
7.2.2 Digitising realia and ephemera
Digitising realia and ephemera is a priority for the development of the Sugar
Sweeties collection. Not only does digitising information “ensure long-term
preservation” it also creates “new access routes” to collections (Oomen & Aroyo,
2011). Once digitised, whether on Flickr, or in the Sugar Sweeties collection, users
will have the opportunity to further engage with the collection through tagging items.
This practice is classified by Oomen & Aroyo (2011) as “classification”, one of six
forms of crowdsourcing initiatives they identify. Holley (2010) calls this practice
“social engagement” (rather than true crowdsourcing) but notes that it still gives “the
public the ability to communicate…to add value to existing library data”. This
development activity is a priority with regard to the aims of accessibility for users to
the collection, as well as the engagement of communities (beyond the Bundaberg
community) with the collection.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
25
7.2.3 User-generated content
User-generated content is a priority for the development of the Sugar Sweeties
collection. Such content will be produced during the three-year plan outlined in this
report through user participation in particular workshops. These will include the
production of digital stories, oral history projects, recipe sharing workshops, jewellery
information and photo digitisation workshops. Participants in these events will be
invited to contribute any content generated to the collection whether it is in the form
of photos of the event, or items of other formats.
These types of activities are identified by Oomen & Aroyo (2011) as “co-curation”
form of crowdsourcing, whereby professionals work with members of the public to be
actively involved in the development of content. As Enis (2012) argues, the relevance
of libraries in the future could rely on their capacity to offer opportunities for users to
generate content to contribute to the collection. Furthermore, SLQ (2010, p. 4)
observes that “Active collecting of contemporary material should be a high priority to
ensure the preservation of an accurate reflection of the community for the future”.
Inviting user-generated material into the collection is one way of capturing and
reflecting the present community of BRL for future generations, a key function of any
cultural heritage collection. It is for these reasons that user-generated content will
play a central role in the development of the Sugar Sweeties collection at BRL.
7.2.4 Commissioning new material
Commissioning new material directly aligns with the third and fourth objectives of the
Sugar Sweeties collection: sourcing new material and creating additional
contemporary material. In this way the Sugar Sweeties will function as a platform for
creating contemporary material that can then form part of the collection. It is
envisaged that the Sugar Sweeties collection will engage artists, writers, musicians
from both local Bundaberg societies as well as national and international creators to
produce works such as:
 fiction – short stories, poems, novels, plays
 non-fiction – histories – oral and written
 art – painting, sculpture, multimedia works, installations
 music – instrumental and choral works
 other creative works and projects
Funding for new material will be sourced in two ways:
 grant applications from appropriate funding bodies
 crowdsourcing projects through platforms such as Kickstarter, Pozible and
others
Again, the commissioning of new material through crowdsourcing is classified by
Oomen and Aroyo (2011) as “crowdfunding” whereby a “collective cooperation of
people…pool their money and other resources together to support efforts initiated by
others”. This form of funding of cultural heritage collections is a relatively recent
phenomenon, yet it has the benefit of engaging a community of users to participate in
the development of a significant project. While, it has been successfully employed in
large scale projects in institutions such as the Louvre (Oomen and Aroyo, 2011),
crowdfunding cultural heritage projects in regional public libraries would appear to be
new territory. However, the potential for crowdfunding, and crowdsourcing in general,
to enable greater participation and engagement with users in a cultural heritage
collection such as Sugar Sweeties is vast, and as yet untapped, a point made by
Holley (2010) when she notes one of the main benefits of crowdsourcing for libraries
is “Encouraging a sense of public ownership and responsibility towards cultural
heritage collections, through user's contributions and collaborations”. Once again,
this resonates clearly with the stated aims of the Sugar Sweeties collection.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
26
7.3 Budget
The ongoing budget allocation of $120 000 is described in Table 7 below.
Table 7: Three-year budget allocation
Year
Item
Description
Cost Breakdown
Total($
)
2013/2014
Collection
Development
One-off purchases
Relevant and/or rare
resources
5000
Subscription purchases
Heritage related
periodicals and journals
1000
Reference resources
Workshops
1000
Purchase of contemporary
material created for
collection
Creative works
commissioned
Play
Commission of play
written by Sue Rider
15 000
5 000
Creating Digital Stories
3000
Craft e.g. lace making
3000
Cooking and recipe sharing
3000
Contingency
allocation
10%
4000
TOTAL
2014/2015
40 000
Collection
Development
One-off and relevant user
request purchases
Relevant and/or rare
resources
5000
Subscription purchases
Heritage related
periodicals and journals
1000
Reference resources
Workshops
Contingency
1000
Purchase of contemporary
material created for
collection
Creative works
commissioned
Play
Purchase of play written
by Sue Rider
15 000
5000
Creating Digital Stories
3000
Genealogy
3000
Preserving photographs and
memorabilia
3000
10%
4000
TOTAL
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
40 000
27
2015/2016
Collection
Development
One-off and relevant user
request purchases
Relevant and/or rare
resources
5000
Subscription purchases (to
be reviewed)
Heritage related
periodicals and journals
1000
Reference resources
Purchase of contemporary
material created for
collection
Workshops
Contingency
1000
Creative works
commissioned
20 000
Creating digital stories
3000
Craft (e.g. jewellery making )
3000
“Fashion of those days”
show
3000
10%
4000
TOTAL
40 000
The collection will be expanded by ongoing purchases of rare materials,
subscriptions and reference resources. It is envisioned that once users become
familiar with the collection (2014 onwards), requests will be made and if relevant,
procured by BRL.
A play will be commissioned by Sue Rider, well known for writing The Matilda
Women, which celebrates the lives of early Queensland women through song,
theatrical play and ensemble work. The play will be purchased and added to the
collection. Creative works commissioned for the collection each year will be
purchased and incorporated into the collection. Workshops will be held regularly and
relevant material made by the participants will be acquired for the collection.
7.4 Constraints and issues impacting on plan (Risk assessment)
Issues which may have an impact on the development of the collection are
considered in Table 8 below.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
28
Table 8: Risk analysis
Risk
Impact
Probability
Mitigation Strategies
Low contribution rates to
crowdsourced content
High
Medium
Improve marketing and
advertising
Schedule workshops on
digital stories
Low attendance at events
High
Low
Improve marketing and
advertising
Too many attendees at
events
High
Medium
Split into groups
Require pre-bookings
Increase schedule of events
Expand the program to
additional libraries with
requisite funding and staffing
Not enough relevant material
High
Low
Plan workshops and events
according to type of
resources available
Cloud software such as Flickr
may become obsolete or
cease to exist during the 3
years
High
Low
Keep backups of all data
Move to new software if
necessary
Grant applications are
unsuccessful
Medium
High
A number of grants will be
applied for to reduce this risk.
Managing large donations
and/or irrelevant donations
High
Medium
Co-opt local history
volunteers to assist with
sorting donations.
Pass non-relevant donations
on to other collecting
institutions
Lack of server space for data
High
Medium
Allow for purchase of
additional servers in ongoing
budget
Lack of physical storage
space
Medium
Low
The collection is intended to
be mostly digital.
Realia and ephemera will be
borrowed from other
institutions
Copyright constraints
High
High
Encourage use of Creative
Commons Licence
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
29
7.5 Evaluation
The purpose of the proposed cultural heritage collection, Sugar Sweeties, is to
highlight, document and preserve the history of women and the sugar industry in the
Bundaberg region. Evaluation of the collection, including the analysis of statistical
and qualitative data, provides evidence of the effectiveness of the collection against
its objectives, as follows:
1 - Make the collection accessible to a broad range of users
2 - Engage local communities of women
3 - Source new material for the collection
4 - Provide a platform for the creation of additional contemporary material to further
develop the collection
Evaluation also offers insight for the improvement of service delivery and future
planning (ALIA, 2011, 10). It ensures that Bundaberg Regional Libraries remains
relevant to the community and Council directives under which it operates. A detailed
evaluation plan can be found in Appendix C.
8. Conclusion
This document has provided Bundaberg Regional Council with the details of a
proposal to develop a collection for Bundaberg Regional Libraries. Sugar Sweeties:
Women and the Bundaberg Sugar Industry is a cultural heritage collection which will
highlight, document and preserve the history of women and the sugar industry in the
Bundaberg region.
The objectives of the collection are as follows:
1 - Make the collection accessible to a broad range of users
2 - Engage local communities of women
3 - Source new material for the collection
4 - Provide a platform for the creation of additional contemporary material to further
develop the collection
The collection is a response to Council’s strategic documents Bundaberg Regional
Council Corporate Plan 2009-2014 and Bundaberg Region 2031. It also draws on
developments in libraries around the world and their response to user needs.
The report provided Council with an overview of the collection, including its aims,
impetus and context. A thorough overview of Bundaberg Regional Libraries and the
organisational context of BRL were included, and a detailed user analysis provided.
The initial collection development was outlined. A plan for the management of the
collection and the ongoing development of the collection over the next three years
was described. A budget, marketing plan, risk analysis and evaluation strategy were
also included. Finally, recommendations are made to Council for the adoption of the
proposal.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
30
9. Recommendations
The following recommendations are made:
1. Bundaberg Regional Council approves the development of the cultural
heritage collection Sugar Sweeties: Women and the Bundaberg Sugar
Industry
2. A budget of $150,000 is recommended for the development of the collection
3. Partnerships with contributing cultural institutions should be developed and a
policy on resource sharing implemented
4. The initial collection, including construction of the Sugar Sweeties website
and commissioning of the short film, should be implemented as a priority
5. Digitisation guidelines are produced
6. The three-year development plan for the collection is adopted
7. A three-year marketing plan is to be developed
8. The collection should be launched on International Women’s Day, 8 March
2013.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
31
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http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001331/133171e.pdf#page=80
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
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Verheul, I (2006). Networking for Digital Preservation: Current practice in 15 National
Libraries. IFLA publication 119. Retrieved 1 June from
http://www.qut.eblib.com.au.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/patron/FullRecord.aspx?
p=370777&echo=1&userid=9n451jaQRhgNP92z%2bs4Eew%3d%3d&tstamp
=1338600352&id=4768E8A8AD733860552408EC5E3D0C47DAD2EBAA
Verheul, I., Tammaro, A.M., & Witt, S. (Eds.) (2010). Digital library futures: User
perspectives and institutional strategies. The Hague, the Netherlands:
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.
Vignau, B.S.S. & Quesada, I.L.P. (2006). Collection development in a digital
environment: an imperative for information organizations in the twenty-first
century. Collection Building. 25(4), 139-144. doi:
10.1108/01604950610706005
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
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Appendix A
INITIAL LIST OF RESOURCES
Sugar Sweeties: Women and the Bundaberg Sugar Industry, is a cultural heritage
collection. It draws from resources available from other relevant collections, and aims
to present these resources in a format accessible to all users. In addition, Sugar
Sweeties seeks to source additional material and create user-generated content
related to, and inspired by, women’s involvement in the local sugar industry. The
initial collection will be partly comprised of the following:
Items 1-10
The following photographs have been sourced from BRL’s Picture Bundaberg
project. The pictures highlight the diversity of roles of women and the sugar
industry, from the lone woman in the 1969 Annual meeting of the South
Queensland Sugar Manufacturers Association, to Kanakas workers and beauty
queens.
Farthing, R. (n.d). Siren of the Surf – Sugar Sweeties novelty
team
This photograph depicts a team of women dressed in Fairymead
Sugar sacks for the Siren of the Surf competition. It is the
inspiration for the title of the collection, Sugar Sweeties: Women
and the Bundaberg Sugar Industry.
Annual meeting of the South Queensland Sugar
Manufacturers Association. (1969).
Hodgkinson, J. [donor]. (n.d). Sugar Festival Float.
Hodgkinson, J. [donor]. (n.d.) Sugar Festival Floa
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
37
Wilkinson, A. [donor]. (1880). Boarding house
at Bingera sugar mill run by Lara Moller.
Cullen, E., & Lovett. A. [donors]. (n.d). David
Mansfield and granddaughters with Leo von
Snarski.
Gibson, I. [donor]. (1890). Kanakas workers in
the field at Bingera.
Kanakas planting cane at Bingera. (1897).
Gibson, I. [donor]. (1946). Miss Australia
1946, Rhonda Kelly, tours Bingera Plantation.
Townson, R. [donor]. (1967). Raylee Townson,
Sugar Princess 1967.
Item 11
A commissioned short film examining the history of women in
the sugar industry in the local region. The film is to be screened
at the launch of the Sugar Sweeties collection.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
38
Items 12-21
Items sourced from Fairymead House Sugar Museum
1917 Certificate of qualification as a sugar chemist for
Kate Jenkins
Crystal and glass sugar bowls
Plastic sugar bowls
Hessian sugar bag used by women to make
work aprons
Patchwork wall hanging showing history of
Toft family
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
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F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
40
Poster representing role of women in sugar mills
Wedding dress of Margaret Young (1891) – wife
of manager of Fairymead Sugar Plantation
Kanaka women working at an irrigation channel at
Bingera plantation near Bundaberg
Millaquin Mill Weighbridge Clerk
Millaquin Mill Sugar Chemist
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
41
Items 23 – 24
Reference material
Kerr, John. (1983). Southern sugar saga: A history of
the sugar industry in the Bundaberg District.
John Kerr, historian and Honorary Librarian of the Royal Historical
Society of Queensland, is considered the Australian authority on the
sugar industry (Royal Historical Society of Queensland, n.d.). As
such, this is a seminal volume for any overview of the history of the
sugarJones,
industryEmlyn.
in Bundaberg.
(1921). Florence Buchanan: The little deaconess
of the South Seas
A biography of the life of Florence Griffiths Buchanan, a British
missionary and teacher who travelled to Bundaberg in 1887 and
assumed responsibility for the non-denominational South Seas
Evangelical Mission.
Items 25 - 26
Existing creative content
Central Queensland University, Bundaberg Media Research
Group and the National Library of Australia. (2005). Sweet
Sounds of a Sugar Town [CD, DVD]
A collaborative multi-media project, Sweet Sounds of a Sugar Town
is a collection of musical and audio-visual works inspired by the role
of the sugar industry in Bundaberg’s development. It includes oral
histories and images of women who worked in the industry. This
project preserves the story of these women and provides inspiration
for future user-generated content.
Cato, Nancy. (1974). Brown Sugar
A novel about two families, a Presbyterian missionary family and a
family that owns a sugar plantation in Queensland.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
42
Items 27 – 29
Items sourced from Australian Sugar Industry Museum,
Innisfail, QLD
Jewellery box owned by the cane farm manager’s wife.
Hair accessory owned by the cane farm manager’s wife.
Neville, Denise & Australian Sugar Industry
Museum. (1998). Sweet talking : a collection of oral histories
from the Australian sugar industry / collated and edited by
Denise Neville
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
43
Appendix B
BUNDABERG REGIONAL LIBRARIES DONATIONS GOVERNANCE POLICY
1.0 INTENT
To define the conditions relating to the donation of materials to Bundaberg Regional
Libraries.
2.0 SCOPE
This policy applies to all persons donating materials to Bundaberg Regional
Libraries.
3.0 POLICY OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this policy are:
a)
to ensure members of the public understand what happens to their donations.
b)
to ensure donations remain within the bounds of Library and staff resources.
4.0 POLICY
This policy acknowledges that although donated items are 'free', there are costs to
the Library in processing materials and adding them to the collection.
4.1 Acceptance of donations
All donations will be gratefully accepted.
4.2 Handling of donations
Donated materials will be:
o added to the Library's collection;
o or stored for a future Library book sale;
o or passed on to Council's recycling facility;
o or passed on to the State Library of Queensland.
5.0 CONTROLS
Not applicable.
6.0 EFFECTIVE FROM
The Bundaberg Regional Libraries Donations Governance Policy was adopted by
Bundaberg Regional Council on 8th July 2008 (Item H3).
7.0 ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS
Not Applicable.
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
44
Appendix C
EVALUATION PLAN
Metric
Stakeholder
Format
Objective met
Attendance at
Sugar Sweeties
launch
Community groups;
library users; media;
scholars; artists
Head count
Attendance at
workshops and
exhibits
Community groups
Contributors to
exhibits
Local communities of
women
Commissions of
new works
Local and regional
artists
Suggestion box
Library visitors
Ensure user needs
are met
Heritage
Collections
Librarian
Throughout the 3
year period
Monitoring of
budget
Collection
expenditure
Ensure budget
expended
appropriately
Heritage
Collections
Librarian
Throughout the 3
year period
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
Purpose
Responsibility
Date
All collection objectives
Heritage
Collections
Librarian
8 March 2013
Head count
All collection objectives
Heritage
Collections
Librarian
Conclusion of
each workshop;
throughout exhibit
Count of donors
Source new material for the
collection; Engage local
communities of women; provide
a platform for the creation of
additional contemporary material
Heritage
Collections
Librarian
Source new material for the
collection; Provide a platform for
the creation of additional
contemporary material
Heritage
Collections
Librarian
45
Metric
Stakeholder
Staff surveys
Library staff
Informal
feedback
Community
members, corporate
partners, council
Comments on
website
Community groups;
library users; media;
scholars; artists
Submission of
digital stories
and photographs
Local communities of
women; community
members; scholars
Uploading of
photos on flickr
site
Local communities of
women; community
members; scholars
Hits on website
community members,
scholars, artists
Website report
Survey
participants
Workshop
participants
Written
questionnaire,
online survey
F. Berndt, W. Davis & K. Henry
Format
Objective met
Purpose
Responsibility
Date
Evaluate staff training
needs; modify
collection
Heritage
Collections
Librarian
Quarterly
Ensure user needs
are met
Heritage
Collections
Librarian
Throughout the 3
year period
Ensure user needs
are met
Heritage
Collections
Librarian
Throughout the 3
year period
Source new material for the
collection; Engage local
communities of women;
Heritage
Collections
Librarian
Throughout the 3
year period; at the
conclusion of
relevant
workshops
Source new material for the
collection; Engage local
communities of women;
Heritage
Collections
Librarian
Throughout the 3
year period; at the
conclusion of
relevant
workshops
Measure community
response to the
collection
IT staff,
Heritage
Collections
Librarian
Throughout the 3
year period
Ensure user needs
are met
Heritage
Collections
Librarian
At the conclusion
of each workshop
Discussions with
librarians
Make the collection accessible
to a broad range of users
46