LOCAL STUDIES INTEREST GROUP
Thursday 7th November 2013
Plaza Library, Wyndham Libraries
Present:
Anne Burrows
Michelle McLean
Heather McKay
Karen Seckold
Liz Pidgeon
Christine Box
Elaine Craig
Vicki Court
Ros Ryan
Glenn Greening
Janine Smith
Genealogy Centre - State Library of Victoria
Casey Cardinia
North Melbourne - Melbourne Library Services
Wyndham
Yarra Plenty
Wyndham
Doncaster, Whitehorse Manningham (minutes)
Nunawading, Whitehorse Manningham
Wimmera
Darebin Library
Coburg, Moreland
Apologies:
Kay Rowan
Kathy Smalley
Heather Arnold
Judith Oak
Port Phillip
Eastern Regional
Casey Cardinia
Geelong
Around the Table:
Karen Seckold, Wyndham
 We are working on our ANZAC Project and are trying to get the men who were KIA
biographies done by ANZAC Day 2014. Working in conjunction with the RSL we are going to
work our way through the entire Honour Board in the next year. Thank you to Elaine and
Kathy for the idea!
 Our OMEKA Local History Site www.wyndhamhistory.net.com and a local history book on
the early history of Wyndham shire were launched at the end of November. We are going to
add a lot of local content that will be of use to any students or adults researching local or
family history, for this area. Anyone will be able to add content to the site with stories, pictures
whatever they like. This is the address but it will not be working until December, please go and
have a look.
 The software we used was OMEKA and it is a free software designed by the Smithsonian
USA. Let Omeka.net host your collections, research, exhibits, and digital projects.
 We hosted Author Paul Ham to launch his book ‘1914: the year the world ended’.
Anne Burrows, Genealogy Centre, State Library of Victoria
 The Newspaper Reading Room of the State Library of Victoria will be temporarily relocated
from 2 November 2013 to 31 January 2014 inclusive. The closure is required so essential
building works can be completed. Newspaper resources, including microfilm reader/printers,
will be available in the Genealogy Centre, located on Level 2 (Ground floor) near the main
entrance to the Information Centre.
 The Manuscripts Team of the State Library of Victoria has just published a new research
guide, which includes an Excel spreadsheet index of 22,000 names:
 Victorian Sheriff's Office warrants
 Access information from historic warrants issued by the Victorian Sheriff's Office from 1838 to
1919.
 http://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/warrants
 The index will progressively be updated as volunteers continue to index the warrants.
Michelle McLean, Casey Cardinia
 Our local history librarian Heather Arnold is busy doing history related school visits to local
schools (see attached brochure). This service has been enthusiastically taken up by many
schools in our two Council areas.
 We have just launched our oral histories collection. These were oral histories recorded by a
previous Oral History librarian and local VCE Australian History students in the 1980s and
1990s. The recordings were of local residents and councillors and council staff and their
reminiscences of the formation of the City of Berwick in the 1970s. The oral histories have
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been stored in our local history archive at the Narre Warren Library since then, with very few
people knowing of their existence.
Michelle McLean and Daniel Briggs undertook to create digital versions of these audio tapes,
using a tape deck connected to a computer and the free, well-regarded Audacity software.
These files were then edited for sound quality only and are now available to listen to from the
library website. The direct URL is http://www.cclc.vic.gov.au/oralhistories. There are currently
over 50 oral histories available, with another 30 still in editing. We are also planning to
purchase some digital audio recorders so that we can start recording the next generation of
oral histories.
Heather’s local history blog – Links to our Past, goes from strength to strength with around
1000 visitors per month. Check it out at: http://caseycardinialinkstoourpast.blogspot.com.au/.
Liz Pigeon, Yarra Plenty
 November is Local History month at YPRL – flyer distributed a number of events see:
http://yprl.vic.gov.au/front-page-news/discover-cultural-secrets
 YPRL participated as a pilot library for the SLV Branching Out online genealogy training
 Registered an event to promote our Wikinorthia website on the National Trust Heritage
Festival April- May 2014. Libraries can still register and have their event in the online program.
Elaine Craig, Doncaster, Whitehorse Manningham
 I have several groups which meet monthly, Genie Matters at Doncaster and Nunawading,
which I convene, as well as Box Hill RSL, and 2 Probus groups, who have genie groups; all
are working well with good attendances.
 Doncaster was one of four branches which was involved with Open University Australia
sessions. Unfortunately, these were not well supported by the students.
 Doncaster was also invited to be part of the SLV Branching Out online learning program\.I had
5 who participated, a couple who came to the webconferences. It would be great if the content
could remain permanently on the internet.
 I attended the SLV Family History Feast, the findmypast day, and gave a talk on Ancestry
Library Edition for 40 participants, finally using PowerPoint for the first time, rather than being
‘live’ during Family History Month.
 I am on the committee at Manningham Council for Manningham Heritage Week 2014.
 Due to security changes in our email, I am no longer able to post my Ezines, I will send the
content to Promotions, who will format it and send out the emails. This is still not operational.
Vicki Court, Nunawading, Whitehorse Manningham
 Whitehorse Heritage Week - Pools, Pubs and Waterholes - was held in September. 49 people
attended Unlocking Family Stories at Nunawading Library. Since the talk a number of patrons
have reported on successes in their research which is good. 38 people attended the talk Drought Proofing your Garden - at Vermont Library. Nunawading Library had a display on
the history of Blackburn Lake.
 Currently investigating possible projects for Commemoration of World war I including the
opportunity to promote our Digger Database.
Ros Ryan Wimmera
 With the release of the latest WWI newspapers, we ran an’ Introduction to Trove and the
historic newspaper’s. I used ‘Jane Duff & Lost in the bush’ as my search terms as I could get
hits of each Tab (Books, videos, letters, pictures, archived websites, etc).
 For Family History month ran ‘Murder in mind?’ sessions in Goroke and Edenhope focusing
on 3 local murders in CSI style with information from Trove, BDMs, local papers etc. Great
response with requests for more including a session at the scene of the mass murder.
 Completing application for PROV grant to get ‘Lost in the Bush’ 16mm film onto DVD
 Discussed ideas for National Trust Heritage Festival next year and decided not to undertake
an event in their written program, will do displays etc close to the time.
 Social media - Wimmera has a Facebook account (a Twitter account exists but is not utilised),
and Local History blog (as part of our webpage
http://swft.wrlc.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/wrlc/;jsessionid=2AB595B4DE5512BFFA67ED58D9
A5EB14.enterprise-14800?rm=LOCAL+HISTORY0|||1|||0|||true ) direct link to the blog http://wimmera-w-b-w.blogspot.com.au/ While we don’t have a photo collection we could put
on our webpage or Flickr, I’m thinking of starting a Pinterest account for local history, to
capture the variety of material out there.
Heather McKay, North Melbourne, Melbourne
 The library is concentrating on a lot of digitising projects, partly to coincide with opening of the
new library at Docklands, and partly as a result of rationalising equipment.
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City of Melbourne ratebooks have been digitised up to 1975 and are gradually becoming
available on the PROV site, and should be on the library website once we have an upgrade of
server.
Docklands library will have a heritage exhibition area, and is on track to open early next year.
We will be having an historic walk of the Queen Victoria Market as part of our local history
walks.
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Janine Smith, Moreland, Coburg
 We have an event coming up on 21November with Yvonne Izatt from the International Settlers
Group called ‘Beginning your non-British family history’ at the Coburg Library.
 http://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/beginning-your-non-british-family-history-registration8315715529?aff=es2&rank=1&sid=f9358f454cf111e3a6a51231391edcec
 Moreland has a ‘Local History Catalogue’, which is part of the Libero LMS. It can be accessed
via the main Library OPAC http://moreland.hosting.libero.com.au/libero/WebOpac.cls
 It contains a number of images taken from old glass lantern slides from the Brunswick Library.
We are also now able to add scanned PDF documents and YouTube links to this catalogue.
Glenn Greening, Darebin
 Have run 2 Italian family history events run by Co.As.It - Italian Historical Society. They did a
90 minute talk about starting family history with an Italian focus at 2 branches and were free of
charge (though we are giving them a $200 donation as a thank you). Talk was presented by
 Alexander A. Parise
 Support Officer - Co.As.It. Italian Historical Society
 189 Faraday Street, Carlton, Vic. 3053, Australia
 Tel. +61 (0) 3 9349 9070 | Fax. +61 (0) 3 9349 1063 | Email: ihs@coasit.com.au
 New Darebin Heritage site going well. 1542 visits in October but that will hopefully improve.
Having small issue with spammers trying to comment on photographs but they are not being
approved. May have to look at captcha code or similar though might be confusing for a lot of
users.
 We have a ‘How to ebay’ event coming up on December 3.
 After the launch of Darebin Heritage, our team is more focused on technology and community
learning which has been neglected a little in the lead up to the launch.
 History week in October - we had huge land sale posters displayed in each of our branches.
 Roland Perry author of ‘Horrie the war dog’ speaking at Northcote library at the end of the
month. http://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/roland-perry-horrie-the-war-dog-tickets-8683046225
 Andy Griffiths event this month is booked out - 500 tickets. Happening at Preston Town Hall.
 Have been approached by children’s team/schools to do local history talks at schools. It
seems they want more of a Melbourne history rather than Darebin history so we need to work
something out for that.
 Discovered a couple of self-run mini local history groups on Facebook:
 Reservoir: https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/348054301992133/
 Northcote: https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/24438361291/
General Business
 Chris Paton and Thomas Macantee Downunder – speakers Celtic Club February 6 2014
http://www.unlockthepast.com.au/events/chris-paton-and-thomas-macenteedownunder/melbourne
Details also on Yahoo Groups calendar
 Anzac centenary Local Grants http://www.anzaccentenary.gov.au/grants/ (also listed as new
link on Yahoo Group under “Anzac Centenary”)
 Letter received from Macbeth Genealogical Services re Digger Software compatibility (letter
now uploaded to Yahoo Groups file section)
 Glenn will set up a local Studies Facebook Page Details to follow
 Calendar on Yahoo Groups Page to be utilized more to promote events and meetings
Next meeting
Thursday 13 March 2014
Victorian Archives Centre, 99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne
Meet at 12 noon for informal lunch in cafe followed by talk and tour of PROV facilities followed
by network meeting.
Confirmed (organiser Liz Pigeon)
2014 meetings
 Thursday 12 June
Municipal Association of Victoria
Guest speaker Margaret May from Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and marriages
TBC (organiser Liz Pigeon)
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Thursday 11 September
Docklands Library
TBC (organiser Heather McKay)
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Thursday 13 November
Port Phillip Heritage Centre
TBC (organiser Kay Rowan)
Plus a PD day sometime in the year at the PROV on researching Koorie Family History.
Date TBC